So I realize this is the spoiler section and i can ost this here, After you kill harkon, go back to the soul cairn and get Velerica, she will return to castle volkihar, which is the WHOLE reason you can be changed into a VL after the main quest line for th dawnguard. Otherwise, youd never be able to go back in.

The 1st time you enter the SC if you chose to have your soul trapped instead of being a VL then you can return but if you are a vamp when yu enter you HAVE to be one when you return

My Dunmer Vampire retrieved her from the Soul Cairn after I killed Harkon.

She's happy and chillin' in her lab as I type this.

But I'm not sure that I understand the reason for the thread, OP... is there a question in there and I just missed it?

Curious.

I think i understand the reason for this thread... LOL because I for one totally forgot about her after i killed harkon LOL... yes a lil embarassed i might say but i did went back in the soul cairn to find arvok skull but then i just leave.... now that i see this thread i just realized its been a while and i should probably go back and let her know that harkon is dead since i did promised her that i'll get her out of there..

You didn't explore all the options did you. If you chose to have her soul trap you, you can return whenever. And I also got Valerica as well.

I have no idea what the OP was trying to say, as a Vampire Lord I can go to the Soul Cairn when ever I want to. Valerica returned ages ago and is nothing to do with the reason why my character went back.

I can think of far better reasons to be turned into a Vampire Lord than wanting to wander around some desolate place getting lost.

That i did, but as a mage with hardly any health, i did NOT want to have even less health, i mean 120 health is low enough for level 35.....and playing on master. it was one thing to do it with my warrior that had a ridonkulous amount of health, but not my glass cannon of a mage.

And what i was trying to point out is that alot of people were frustrated that you could become a VL after the MQ for dawnguard, but the reason it is like that is because if you chose to become a vampire for the soul cairn, and then cured yourself, you would never be able to return without that option.