Do you enjoy hunting vampires? I suppose you must in some respect. But at what point does hunting down a monster just become murder? Which vampires deserve life, and which deserve death, and why does the Dawnguard get to choose who is deserving of what?
“I wouldn’t say I enjoy it, no,” Thias replied, shaking his head and furrowing his brows. “Just because the person I’m killing is a vampire doesn’t make it any easier for me. They were, after all, mortal beings at one point or another in their lifetime.”
As the mage continued, the Nord quieted, taking in the words and going over them in his mind as he thought of a way to explain his choices.
“It becomes murder when you’re not hunting a monster,” he said plainly. “That word gets thrown around so easily these days it’s as if it has lost its true meaning. Just because someone is a vampire, or a werewolf, or a necromancer, or what-have-you doesn’t mean they are a monster. What they are physically does not define them. Their behavior, their choices, their decisions - that makes them a monster. A perfectly normal mortal can be a monster and there have been plenty of examples of that in the world’s lifetime.”
Thias let out a sigh, attempting to clear his head and gather his thoughts.
“I’ve found people tend to use the word ‘monster’ to bring about some sort of... rift between them and the offending ‘creature’ in question. It’s a simple ‘different than me’ term used to make someone feel better. It’s easier to accept that some terrible, awful event happened because of the behavior of a monster than it is to accept that it was just the decision of an otherwise average being.”
He knew he was starting to become long-winded, but he wanted to explain himself thoroughly to the mage.
“From my experience in the Dawnguard, we have not hunted down and killed a vampire that had not shown up in our sights somehow. Whether it be by kidnapping children to feed from, killing guards as a food source, or turning small farm families to strengthen their coven.”
The Agent’s expression became firmer, and he had to pause to let the darker memories of his time in the Dawnguard fade away.
“I am the one who tracks and observes the vampires I kill and I have never killed a vampire that had not directly caused the death or harm of someone else. Nor have I ever had someone - of their own volition - beg me to spare a vampire’s life because they had done no harm, because they were innocent of whatever they had been accused of.
“You can be assured that if that day ever comes - that vampire will not die by my hand.”
