The Definitive Guide to Daedra
Page I

By Xan

"Mortals are short-lived, ignorant, and feeble by contrast with the Daedra. But you mortals are also potent engines of change and innovation, of desperate and reckless improvisation and industry. Thus do we so prize the fruits of your mundane and arcane engineering. Thus do we bargain and plunder and steal to gain these treasures. We have lived too long, and grow dull and complacent. You live too short, and so are wonderfully sharp and inventive. Does that make sense?"
- Imago Storm

This guide is dedicated to Morian Zenas, the greatest Oblivion Explorer that was lost somewhere in the Daedric Realms some years ago.

One unique characteristic of the Elder Scrolls world is the existence of powerful beings (et'Ada) known as Daedra. From the book of Morian Zenas, "On Oblivion", Daedra is an old Aldmeri/Elvish word for strange and powerful creatures of uncertain motivation that came from the dimension of Oblivion. This is roughly correct, although the exact translation of the word Daedra is "not our ancestors." While we are talking about Daedra, we cannot overlook the Aedra. Aedra in this case means "ancestors." Most of the time Daedra are looked as the opposite of Aedra. Aedra are often called as gods, while Daedra are called as demons.

Contrary to popular belief, the words "Daedra" and "Aedra" are plural. It was initially meant to denote the whole kind, not a single creature. The singular form of "Daedra" would be "Daedroth", but very few known texts ever use it. In the written tradition, the word "Daedra" has somehow evolved to mean "a single specimen". I will not break this tradition here for clarity's sake, but one amendment has to be made. The word "Daedras" is essentially wrong, and I will never use it. Instead, here I will use "Daedra" for both singular and plural. You will have to do some guessing by the context. Thank you for not corrupting the Aldmeris (Elven) language!

If you read "The Monomyth", "The Anuad Paraphrased" or "Sithis", most of these myths are conflicting each other. Thanks to our resident loremaster, Proweler, for helping me drawing a straight line of those myths. So here is roughly what happened during the Dawn Era.

In the beginning there was only void, a vast nothingness. This is Sithis, a state of nothingness and constant mutation. The Aldmer called the void "Anu." In fact, Anu and Padomay (Is - Is Not) are part of the void. The interplay of Anu and Padomay created the Aurbis. It is the Gray Center between Is and Is Not of Anu and Padomay. It contains the realms of Aetherius and Oblivion, as well as others in less structured forms. The Aldmer see the Aurbis as Anuiel, the Soul of Anu the Void.

At first the Aurbis was turbulent, and things did not last. This is because Anuiel was using Sithis to ponder himself in every possibility. In any case, from Anuiel and Sithis sprang the et'Ada, or the Original Spirits. The et'Ada did not align to anything yet, they moved towards the light or the dark, and then returned in the opposite direction without their own notice, dissolving when they hit the perfect gray again. The first et'Ada were new and they often made mistakes, for there was hardly time to practice being things before. So most things ended quickly or were not good or gave up on themselves. This was a violent time.

Akatosh, (known as Auriel by the Aldmer) one of the et'Ada, discovered how to avoid this process or was given the knowledge by Anuiel. The knowledge was Time. Soon the et'Ada filled the Aurbis until the Aurbis was full and separated in two groups. Those who align to Anu reside in Aetherius and those who align to Padomay reside in Oblivion.

Lorkhan aligned to Padomay, but preferred the state of Sithis rather than the separation. Lorkhan brought a concept of a world, of becoming mothers and fathers, of being responsible, and making great sacrifices, but with no guarantee of success to all of the et'Ada. The et'Ada were split into two factions. One faction was excited and immediately started the project. Magnus (et'Ada of Magic) participated as the architect on the creation of the world. Kynareth (et'Ada of Air) provided the space for the world in the void. Akatosh, Y'ffre, Zenithar, Julianos and many others were part of this faction that is now known as the Aedra. The other faction of et'Ada who did not want to participate on the project is now known as the Daedra.

Then, the Mortal Realm, or Mundus was created, being a mix of both Anu and Padomay aligned et'Ada, and it is close to Sithis. (After all, things are born, procreate and die over and over again without ever really getting anything that lasts forever). The process of creation was painful and left most of the Aedra weak, no longer young, strong, and powerful, as they had been from the beginning of days. As their aspects began to die off, many of the Aedra vanished completely.

The remaining Aedra realized that they were tricked, but it was too late. Magnus decided to abandon the project and left to Aetherius. The rest of the Aedra came together in the Adamantine Tower and conducted a meeting. Yet, the meeting was unfruitful. Most of the Aedra left, went back to Aetherius following Magnus. Some were decided to stay in order to preserve what they had done. This group transformed themselves into Ehlnofey (the Earthbones). Y'ffre was among this group, he was the first to transform to Ehlnofey and then the laws of nature were established. The last eight Aedra (Akatosh, Julianos, Arkay, Mara, Dibella, Zenithar, Stendarr and Kynareth) exist as the gods.

According to the Aldmeri legend, there was a great war between Auriel (Akatosh) and Lorkhan. Auriel's greatest knight, Trinimac knocked down Lorkhan and took his Heart. Lorkhan was said undone, dead. But when Trinimac and Auriel wanted to destroy the Heart, it laughed at them and said, "This Heart is the heart of the world, for one was made to satisfy the other." So Auriel fastened the Heart to an arrow and cast it from the Adamantine Tower. The Heart landed on the eastern part of Tamriel and a great Volcano formed, a Volcano now known as Vvardenfell.

The Daedra are still strong and "incorruptible." They created the Daedric Realms in Oblivion, with all the inhabitants, the lesser Daedra. The Daedra were pleased of what they had done, but sometimes they looked with envy over the Mortal Realm. They found that the ambitions and the passions of mortals are sometimes entertaining and beyond their expectation. The actions and thoughts of mortals are different than the minions they created. Thus do the Daedra court and seduce certain amusing specimens of the Mortal Races, especially the passionate and powerful. It was also another satisfaction for the Daedra to steal or corrupt anything that the Aedra had created.

After Magnus left, the Mundus was stabilized and Aldmeri history began. This was the end of the Dawn Era and the start of the Merethic Era (ME2500).

Following the Creation Myth above, "Aedra and Daedra" explains:

As written, the Daedra cannot be killed, but can only be banished back to Oblivion. In order to banish a Daedra, its mortal body must be destroyed. Sometimes, this is not an option since some of the Daedra are terribly powerful in arcane and martial arts. Some knowledgeable persons learn the existence of protonymic. By using this protonymic, one can banish the Daedra almost "effortless". The incantation of the protonymic drains the vital force from the Daedra, forcing it to follow that force into Oblivion. There one abides until the vital force is replenished. The experience is somewhat analogous to sleep for mortals. However, sleep is a normal experience for mortals. It is not a normal experience for an immortal. Suffice it to say that it is as close to the terror and despair of death as an immortal can come. Naturally the banished Daedra will return to its Daedric Realm, however its personality is somehow changed, as well as its protonymic. Usually the protonymic is extended with neonymic; obviously this means that a Daedra cannot be banished with the same protonymic twice.

The top level of Daedric society is occupied by Daedric Princes (some call them, Daedra Princes or Daedra Lords). A Daedric Realm is ruled by a certain Daedric Prince. As previously stated, there are lots of Daedric Realms. Some of the known realms are Coldharbour, Quagmire, The Colored Rooms, and Moonshadow. The book "On Oblivion" records the Daedric Princes' names. They are Azura, Boethiah, Clavicus Vile, Hermaeus Mora, Hircine, Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Mephala, Jyggalag, Molag Bal, Namira, Nocturnal, Peryite, Sanguine, Sheogorath, and Vaernima.

Please take note while reading "On Oblivion", a certain Daedric Prince named Meridia is not recorded in the book. On the other hand, the book mentioned name "Jyggalag" that cannot be found in other records. Scribe mistakes? Some speculate that Jyggalag is Meridia, but Mark Nelson (BlueDev) stated that: "Jyggalag is not Meridia. Meridia is Meridia. Who, exactly, Jyggalag is remains to be seen. It's something I've been thinking about a lot recently, and I'd certainly like to explore it in the future."

The mystery of Jyggalag is revealed in the Shivering Isles. Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order, is in fact the previous incarnation of Sheogorath. Jyggalag was cursed by other Daedric Princes who were concerned about his power, the power of order. Read the detail of this Sheogorath - Jyggalag in the Sheogorath subsection.

Some interesting tidbit about semantics, Ted Peterson (Tedders) in his interview, states that the right words to call the mighty rulers of Oblivion is "Daedric Princes".

Interesting... people tend to make mistake, but here in this document, I should use the right terms. And from various sources I record the detail of the sixteen Daedric Princes.

The topic is that always interesting is the summoning of the Daedric Prince. Often, the people of Tamriel seek help from the Daedric Princes for their troubles. The Princes usually agree to help in exchange for a service. Morian Zenas wrote "Summoning Daedra is not a difficult proposition, but it is usual an expensive one. Most Mages Guilds have a summoning room, but this is most often reserved for the highest echelon of guildmembers. Witches covens are much less class sensitive, and the Necromancers, the Dark Brotherhood, and many secretive kings and queens of Tamriel have private summoning rooms."

Further, Haderus of Gottlesfont in his book "Modern Heretics: a Study of Daedra Worship in the Empire" states:

Each Daedric Prince has a specific day for him/her to be summoned. For example, the Daedric Prince Namira accepts any summoning on 9th of Second Seed. While Sheogorath always accepts any summoning when the area is under a thunderstorm, although he has his own summoning date. A tricky Prince; often he oversteps other Daedric Prince, when the particular Prince is summoned during a thunderstorm. The Daedric Prince Hircine always answers any summoning from Glenmoril Wyrd Coven in the Iliac Bay area, even when the summoning is not performed on Hircine's summoning date.

Somehow this traditional summoning date is neglected in the recent days. The summoning can be of any date; a person can successfully summon the Daedric Prince if he or she gave certain offerings, and in certain circumstances. Just an example, Azura will accept summoning if the summoner offers glow dust (obtained from a will-o-the-wisp) and the summoning time is at dawn or dusk.

Before I revealed all the known Daedric Princes, I want to give you an interesting quote by a follower of Hermaeus Mora.

"The ultimate purpose of the Daedra Lords is to instruct and improve the generally deplorable character of mortals."

I will let you to interpret the meaning of the quote. And now, a time for detailing all the known Daedric Princes.

According "The Doors of Oblivion", Moonshadow is a very beautiful place. Flowers, waterfalls, majestic trees, and a city of silver decorate the realm, but it is all a blur. The colors run like water. It's damp from the rainy weather while the wind smells like perfume.

The summoning date of Azura is 21st of First Seed (also known as Hogithum). Azura can also be summoned in her shrine, if the summoner offered glow dust, while the time was at dawn or dusk.

According to "Darkest Darkness", the Winged Twilight is a messenger of Azura, Goddess of Dusk and Dawn. Winged twilights resemble the feral harpies of the West, though the feminine aspects of the winged twilights are more ravishing, and their long, sharp, hooked tails are immeasurably more deadly.

  
  

As mentioned above, Azura is one of the three Good Daedra of the Dunmer. The Good Daedra are Azura, Boethiah and Mephala. They were mostly worshipped by the Chimer prior to the apotheosis of the Tribunal, and their changing to Dunmer. The Dunmeri Temple acknowledges them as the anticipations of the Tribunal. Azura is the anticipation of Sotha Sil, Boethiah is the anticipation of Almalexia and Mephala is the anticipation of Vivec.

Back in the Merethic Era, Boethiah "illuminated" the Prophet Veloth and his Chimer followers to renounce all ties to the Aldmer and found a new nation based on Daedric principles (it is Morrowind today). Azura taught the Chimer the mysteries needed to be different than the Altmer. Mephala taught the Chimer the skills they would need to evade their enemies or to kill them with secret murder. Enemies were numerous in those days since the Chimer was a small faction. Mephala, along with Boethiah, organized the clan systems that eventually became the basis for the Great Houses of the Dunmer.

"Azura (Goddess of Dusk and Dawn): Azura was the god-ancestor that taught the Chimer the mysteries needed to be different than the Altmer. Some of her more conventional teachings are sometimes attributed to Boethiah. In the stories, Azura is often more a communal cosmic force for the race as a whole than an ancestor or a god. Also known as the Anticipation of Sotha Sil. In Elsweyr, Azurah is nearly a wholly separate entity, yet she is still tied into the origins of Khajiiti out of Altmeri stock."
(Varieties of Faith in the Empire)

In 1E 415 Indoril Nerevar and Dumac Dwarfking united their people, the Chimer and the Dwemer, into one powerful nation called Resdayn. However the principal differences between Chimer and Dwemer were too numerous. The construction of the Numidium by Kagrenac and utilization of the Heart of Lorkhan for fueling the Numidium made the two Elven races finally clashed in the War of the First Council.

The Dwemer were nigh invulnerable due to their connection with the Heart. However, a clever trick done by Nerevar made him and his small troop able to infiltrate the headquarters of the Dwemer, bested the leaders of the Dwemer, and snatched Kagrenac's Tools. They are the tools used by Kagrenac to tap the divine power of Lorkhan's Heart. According to "Nerevar at Red Mountain", Nerevar summoned Azura, asking what to do with Kagrenac's Tools. She told Nerevar how to use the tools to separate the power of the Heart from the Dwemer people. When Nerevar used the tools, all the Dwemer vanished from mortal world. There are many controversies on this issue, though, and it is not the scope of this section to discuss it. What is important here is according to "Nerevar at Red Mountain" Azura is responsible for the disappearance of the Dwemer.

After the War of the First Council and the death of Indoril Nerevar, the Tribunal used the tools to tap the divine power of Lorkhan and emerged as gods. The Tribunal broke all ties with the three Daedric Princes. Furious by this action, Azura cursed the Tribunal and the rest of the Chimer race. Their skin changed from golden-hue to ash-color, and their eyes turned to the color of fire. From that moment on, they were known as the Dunmer. Azura prophesized that Nerevar would come back to punish the Tribunal - The Nerevarine Prophecies.

Although the Dunmer broke all ties with the three Good Daedra, they still accommodate the ancient worship of the Daedra by stating that the three Good Daedra are the anticipations of the Tribunal. As mentioned above, Azura is the anticipation of Sotha Sil, Boethiah is the anticipation of Almalexia and Mephala is the anticipation of Vivec. Please note that, the term Anticipation is just the political/doctrine term that is used by the Dunmer, as is the term of "Good Daedra". There is no absolute good or evil in the world of The Elder Scrolls.

The book "Azura and the Box" tells of how Azura was tricked by a Dwemer in simple test of "what is in the box?" Being a goddess she knew exactly that there was flower with red petals inside the box; but when the box was opened, there was nothing inside. Azura was furious and according to some this triggered her hatred toward the race.

Here's what Ted "Tedders" Peterson has to say about this text:

"The tale may not have even happened, but if it did, here are the salient points:
1.Azura was right
2.She thought she was wrong
To the Dwemer, this meant that though the Daedra were omnipotent and omniscient, they had doubts. There was a crack in their armor. There exists a possibility, even slight, even infinitesimally small, that they can be wrong.
This is extreme heresy."

According to "Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi to her Favored Daughter", Azura is also responsible for the creation of the Khajiit race as she was given the three secrets of creation. When Nirn was so sad that her children (the forest people) did not have shape, Azura helped her. She takes the forest people and changes them to Khajiit.

"And Azurah came to her and said, "Poor Nirni, stop your tears. Azurah makes for you a gift of a new people." And Nirni stopped weeping, and Azurah spoke the First Secret to the Moons and they parted and let Azurah pass. And Azurah took the forest people who were torn between man and beast, and she placed them in the best desserts and forests on Nirni. And Azurah in her wisdom made them of many shapes, one for every purpose. And Azurah named them Khajiit and told them her Second Secret and taught them the value of secrets. And Azurah left and spoke the Third Secret to the Lunar Lattice and bound the Khajiit to the Lattice, as is proper for Nirni's secret defenders. Then Azurah spoke the Third Secret again, and the Moons shone down on the marshes and their light became sugar."

In 3E 427, the Emperor Uriel Septim VII released a slave with uncertain parents and born on a certain sign, to uncover the prophecies of the Nerevarine. Somehow, Azura blessed this slave and guided his path. After a long perilous journey in Vvardenfell, the slave was acknowledged as the Nerevarine by four Ashlander Tribes and selected as Hortator by Houses Redoran, Hlaalu and Telvanni. With the help of Vivec, he eventually fulfilled the Nerevarine prophecies by destroying Dagoth Ur, the patriarch of resurfacing ancient House Dagoth. The Nerevarine severed Dagoth Ur's connection with the Heart of Lorkhan, effectively destroyed him and the new construct called Akulakhan. With this action, he also removed the blight that had been haunting Vvardenfell settlements for centuries, through the use of Kagrenac's Tools. Unfortunately, severing Dagoth Ur's connection to the heart also severed the connection of the Tribunal to the heart, thus leading to the undoing of their godhood. Azura showed up and congratulated the Nerevarine. More of this is told in the Story of Morrowind.

Shaken by the changing of power in Morrowind and mostly the loss of her godhood, Almalexia loses her sanity kills Sotha Sil. She lured the Nerevarine to the Clockwork City of Sotha Sil in order to finish him there and return as the only god to be able to unite the Dunmer. But, she failed and was killed by the Nerevarine. Azura showed up again after this event, and congratulated the Nerevarine. Some scholars believe that Azura was the mastermind of this undoing of the Tribunal, while the Nerevarine was just a puppet. More of this is told in the Story of Morrowind - Tribunal subsection.

Recently there has been news that the Daedric realm of Azura, Moonshadow is inaccessible. Whether this has to do with the unlawful incidents at Hogithum Hall in the Capital City or mere whim of Azura herself, no one can say. For more information about this unlawful incident please read the Trial of Vivec.

During the Oblivion crisis, Azura was summoned by the Champion of Cyrodiil in her shrine north of Cheydinhal. She asked the champion to help her end the suffering of her followers that were infected by Vampirism. By slaying these Vampires, Azura expressed her gratitude and rewarded the champion Azura's Star. A powerful artifact that can be used to store soul and may be used multiple time, unlike standard soul gems. Detail conversation of the event can be read here.

She once gave the same artifact to the hero of Daggerfall, after slaying a priest who offended her. She also rewarded it to the Nerevarine. At that time Azura and Sheogorath placed a bet that for 100 years, one of Azura's priestess could live in solitude without madness. When the time had almost passed, Sheogorath cheated. He sent his Golden Saint named Staada and her host of Daedric creatures to break the solitude. The Nerevarine killed the Golden Saint and took her ring as a proof for Azura to confront Sheogorath. Detail conversation of the event can be read here.

Boethiah (Prince of Plots): Heralded by the Prophet Veloth, Boethiah is the original god-ancestor of the Dark Elves. Through his illuminations, the eventual 'Chimer', or Changed Folk, renounced all ties to the Aldmer and founded a new nation based on Daedric principles. All manner of Dark Elven cultural 'advances' are attributed to Boethiah, from philosophy to magic to 'responsible' architecture. Ancient Velothi allegories are uniformly heroic successes of Boethiah over enemies of every type, foundation stories of Chimeri struggle. Also known as the Anticipation of Almalexia.
(Varieties of Faith in the Empire)

The summoning date of Boethiah is the 2nd of Sun's Dusk. Boethiah can also be summoned in his shrine, if the summoner offered a daedra heart.

According to "Darkest Darkness", the Hunger is a powerful and violent lesser Daedra that is associated with Boethiah. A sinuous, long-limbed, long-tailed creature with a beast-skulled head, noted for its paralyzing touch and its ability to disintegrate weapons and armor.

  

As mentioned above, Boethiah is one of the three Good Daedra of the Dunmer. The Good Daedra are Azura, Boethiah and Mephala. They were mostly worshipped by the Chimer prior to the apotheosis of the Tribunal, and their changing to Dunmer. The Dunmeri Temple acknowledges them as the anticipations of the Tribunal. Azura is the anticipation of Sotha Sil, Boethiah is the anticipation of Almalexia and Mephala is the anticipation of Vivec.

Back in the Merethic Era, Boethiah "illuminated" the Prophet Veloth and his Chimer followers to renounce all ties to the Aldmer and found a new nation based on Daedric principles (it is Morrowind today). Azura taught the Chimer the mysteries needed to be different than the Altmer. Mephala taught the Chimer the skills they would need to evade their enemies or to kill them with secret murder. Enemies were numerous in those days since the Chimer were a small faction. Mephala, along with Boethiah, organized the clan systems that eventually became the basis for the Great Houses of the Dunmer.

Lord Boethiah to the exodus: "Divide ye like your enemies, in Houses, and lay your laws in set sequence from the center, again like the enemy Corners of the House of Troubles, and see yourself thence as timber, or mud-slats, or sheets of resin. Then do not divide, for yet is the stride of Sithis quicker than the rush of enemies, and He will sunder the whole for the sake of a shingle."

During the exodus of the Chimer in the Merethic Era, one of the most powerful Aldmeri heroes, Trinimac, tried to stop the movement. Boethiah confronted Trinimac. It was a legendary battle. It is said that Boethiah ate Trinimac, then Boethiah spoke with Trinimac's voice, in order to increase the morale of the Chimer while in the same time mocking the opposed Aldmer. Escaping from Boethiah, Trinimac then transformed to Daedric Prince Malacath. Read "Changed Ones" and "The True Nature of Orcs" for more information.

Boethiah sometimes appears as female, while other times as male. In the older accounts, Boethiah is acknowledged as a goddess, while in the records that chronicled the recent events of Morrowind and Cyrodiil state that Boethiah is male. One thing for sure, Daedra can choose whatever form he/she wanted, and it's beyond our capabilities to measure the gender of the Daedra.

After the apotheosis of the Tribunal, Boethiah is "forgotten" by the Dunmer. His shrine in the northwest of Hla Oad, Vvardenfell is in the worse shape, even it was under water. Boethiah asked the Nerevarine to create a new shrine. The Nerevarine asked Duma gro-Lag, a famous sculptor of Caldera. Using the sketch in the book "Boethiah's Glory", the orcish sculptor built a new shrine for Boethiah over at Karthag Point, Vvardenfell, Morrowind. After the new shrine was finished, the Nerevarine was rewarded with Goldbrand. Detail conversation of the event in Morrowind can be read here. The Champion of Cyrodiil was also rewarded with this Goldbrand after he finished Boethiah's test - The Tournament of Ten Bloods - a test of combat skill, where the Champion of Cyrodiil must defeat ten Boethiah's champions. Detail conversation of the event in Oblivion can be read here.

Other than Goldbrand, Boethiah is associated with artifacts Ebony Mail and Fearstruck. The Ebony Mail can still be found these days though difficult. The reports show that the latest wielder was the Nerevarine which found the mail in the Mount Assarnibibi. The Fearstruck on the other hand according to "The Story of Lysirius", was destroyed in the Akaviri raid, circa 1E 2703.

Ebony Mail is one of the most powerful cuirasses. If judged worthy, its power grants the wearer invulnerability to all common magical attacks that drain talents and health. Eternal Champion was one of the owners of the mail. It was hidden in Black Marsh after the previous owner, a warrior named Helath Stormbinder lose the favors of Boethiah. Following a strange map, the Eternal Champion eventually found the resting place of the mail and retrieved it for his war against Jagar Tharn. Later on, Boethiah also rewarded the Ebony Mail to the Hero of Daggerfall, after he finished a simple elimination job.

  

Circa 2E 896, Clavicus Vile is recorded dealing with N'Gasta, the Sload Necromancer of Stros M'Kai. N'Gasta created "Soulsnare", which gathered lost souls. The Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile granted N'Gasta favors with every soul sent to him. Cyrus the Redguard hero, in his desperate quest to find his sister, managed to destroy N'Gasta by using the Flask of Lillandril. Using the N'Gasta's Necromancy Book, he performed a ritual to transport himself to Clavicus Vile's realm in Oblivion.

The detail of the ritual is following. In order to make a gate to Oblivion appear, Cyrus had to mix Orc's blood with Amber (jacinth - rising sun), mix the Unicorn's horn with Hist Sap (snow - grass), mix the Daedra's heart with Ectoplasm (night - mid-day sky) and then poured the mixtures on the symbol in the center of the N'Gasta's room, in that order. Then a gate appeared. Cyrus went through the gate and was taken to Clavicus Vile's realm.

Then he dealt with Clavicus Vile, who was the holder of his sister's soul. Expecting to give back his sister's soul, Cyrus gave the Flask of Lillandril, but instead Clavicus Vile returned with a riddle. If Cyrus could answer it he might get back her sister's soul, but if he failed Cyrus' own soul would be Clavicus Vile's. Eventually, the wit of Cyrus served him well. The detail of the event can be read in The Story of Redguard.

Circa 3E 430, the scholars recorded a Necromantic threat in Dagon Fel, Morrowind. A Necromancer by the name of Sorkvild the Raven terrorized the area. He somehow had acquired the Masque of Clavicus Vile after an unknown deal with Clavicus Vile. Sorkvild met his doom in the hand of an agent of the Imperial Legion, which is also the Nerevarine.

About the masque, the "Tamrielic Artifacts" says:

Ever the vain one, Clavicus Vile made a masque suited to his own personality. The bearer of the masque is more likely to get a positive response from the people of Tamriel. The higher his personality, the larger the bonus. The best known story of the masque tells the tale of Avalea, a noblewoman of some renown. As a young girl, she was grossly disfigured by a spiteful servant. Avalea made a dark deal with Clavicus Vile and received the masque in return. Though the masque did not change her looks, suddenly she had the respect and admiration of everyone. A year and a day after her marriage to a well connected baron, Clavicus reclaimed his masque. Although pregnant with his child, Avalea was banished from the baron's household. Twenty one years and one day later, Avalea's daughter claimed her vengeance by slaying the baron.

The masque was owned by the Hero of Daggerfall as well, sometime around the year 3E 410. Obviously after dealing with Clavicus Vile. The Prince asked the hero to slay certain werewolf. After the deed was done, the hero was rewarded with the masque.

A worth-checked fiction, written by Waughin Jarth, tells a story of a scribe and his enchanted quill, "Feyfolken." In fact the quill was a gift by Clavicus Vile. The quill gave a great benefit to the owner, but sooner or later the owner was doomed to always use the quill and could not be separated. When that finally happened, Clavicus Vile took the quill back from the owner and also his soul. This is the typical characteristic of Clavicus Vile's gifts.

Circa 3E 433, the Champion of Cyrodiil approached the Shrine of Clavicus Vile and managed to deal with the Prince. Clavicus Vile asked the champion to procure Umbra. An evil sword that has the power to capture the soul of its victim; however after long uses the sword usually consumes the wielder. The sword will possess the wielder. The sword somehow has the characteristic of the Clavicus Vile's artifacts. The "Tamrielic Artifacts" says:

"The Umbra Sword was enchanted by the ancient witch Naenra Waerr, and its sole purpose was the entrapment of souls. Used in conjunction with a soul gem, the Sword allows the wielder the opportunity to imprison an enemy's soul in the gem. Naenra was executed for her evil creation, but not before she was able to hide the Sword. The Umbra Sword is very choosy when it comes to owners and therefore remains hidden until a worthy one is found."

The main purpose of Umbra is "entrapment of souls." Calvicus Vile said that the sword contains the soul of Umbra, a hero he had been dealing sometime before and wanted to finish it. Learning from the history, where Clavicus Vile was interested on the N'Gasta's work and also Sorkvild's, which is Necromancy, probably Naenra Waerr had also a Necromancer and had dealt with Clavicus Vile for something. This raised some speculations but it is not in the scope of this guide to explore. For procuring Umbra, Clavicus Vile offered his Masque to the champion.

The weird thing happened, the hound statue of Clavicus Vile jumped in to the champion's bag, and it introduced itself as Barbas. Further it said that it would be best if Clavicus Vile not to retrieve the sword at all. Somehow returning the Umbra Sword to Clavicus Vile is a mistake, likely to cause great ruin to Clavicus Vile's domain. It is unknown whether the champion followed the instruction of Barbas or not, but most likely the champion would follow Barbas' instruction. This "sword causes great ruin to Clavicus Vile's domain" is indeed bring more speculations. Detail conversation of the event can be read here.

From the "Manifesto Cyrodiil Vampyrum," we can take a note that Clavicus Vile altered the Vampire blood of Cyrodiilic Vampires, made them be able to walk during daylight and most importantly can deal among the common folks as another commoner - if they were well fed. This actually a great gift for the Vampires. What Clavicus Vile's asking for the payment of the great service is unknown.

Herma-Mora (The Woodland Man): Ancient Atmoran demon who, at one time, nearly seduced the Nords into becoming Aldmer. Most Ysgramor myths are about escaping the wiles of old Herma-Mora. Also called the Demon of Knowledge, he is vaguely related to the cult origins of the Morag Tong ('Foresters Guild'), if only by association with his brother/sister, Mephala.
(Varieties of Faith in the Empire)

As recorded in "The Doors of Oblivion", Hermaeus Mora maintains a realm called Apocrypha, where all forbidden knowledge can be found. It is an endless library, shelves stretching on every direction, stacks on top of stacks. Pages floated on a mystical wind that he could not feel. Every book had a black cover with no title. Masses of ghosts moving through the stacks, rifling through books, ever searching.

The summoning date of Hermaeus Mora is 5th of First Seed.

  

Hermaeus Mora is always associated with the Oghma Infinium, a tome of power that can increase the attributes of the reader instantly. The knowledge given by Hermaeus Mora himself was penned in the tome by the Ageless One, the wizard-sage Xarses.

This obscured Daedric Prince sometime cannot be summoned as "easily" as other Daedric Princes. During the Oblivion Crisis, after the Champion of Cyrodiil finished all the quests from other Daedric Princes, the Champion of Cyrodiil was summoned instead of the champion summoned the Prince. Hermaeus Mora asked the champion to get souls, one of each of the sentient races. An evil contract, the champion finished the contract anyway. Hermaeus Mora then rewarded the champion the Oghma Infinium. Detail conversation of the event can be read here.

The Eternal Champion, back in the time of Jagar Tharn was able to retrieve the tomb in the deep frozen wastes of Skyrim; at that time Hermaues Mora did not interfere. Then the Hero of Daggerfall is recorded as the wielder of the tome, sometime after the War of Betony. The hero summoned Hermaeus Mora, and he was asked to slay certain patrician who had aroused Daedric Prince's displeasure. Upon finishing the quest, the Hero of Daggerfall was rewarded with the legendary tome.

  

Circa 3E 430, Daedric Prince Hircine showed up in Solstheim, a disputed island between Morrowind and Skyrim. Roughly every a thousand years, Hircine comes to the island to perform a hunting game, known as Bloodmoon Prophecy among the Skaal (a local Solstheim Nordic tribe). His coming is always preceded by three signs: "Fire From the Eye of Glass", "Tide of Woe" and "Bloodmoon", when the young moon itself runs red.

As written above, Hircine is also known as the Father of Manbeasts, the Lycanthropes. The most common types of the Lycanthropes are Werewolf and Wereboar. The book authored by Varnard Karessen titled "On Lycanthropy" says:

In Black Marsh and southern Morrowind, werecrocodiles stalk the swamps. Black Marsh also shares with the Imperial Province and the wetter parts of Elsweyr the vile presence of werelions. Valenwood's werevultures are not found in any other province. The wereboar has found both the climates of High Rock and Hammerfell amenable. As I mentioned before, the werebear is the most common lycanthrope in Skyrim, and is also found in the northern parts of High Rock, the Imperial Province, and Morrowind. The werewolf can be found in every province. The seventh lycanthrope, which I have never seen but my trusted peers have assured me exists, is a wereshark that roams the oceans around Tamriel.

Just note that there are so many Lycanthrope types, but so far we can only record two, the Werewolf and the Wereboar. The rest of the Lycanthropy, well, cannot be found in any other literatures or reports. Even some folks regard this information as jokes, especially that Wereshark.

The hunger or the Bloodlust of the Lycanthropes is legendary. Unlike Vampires that can survive without blood for a period of time, the Lycanthropes cannot. They have to kill once they have turned to beast form otherwise they would die. Certain artifact can suppress this Bloodlust, but the artifact is very rare and difficult to retrieve.

Lycanthropy is a disease but it starts with another disease, a minor one, called "Sanies Lupinus" that usually transferred by another Lycanthrope. At this point, a standard cure-disease potion will remove the disease easily. The disease only drains a small number of fatigue, and is hardly recognized. After three days without cure, the disease evolves to Lycanthropy, the people turned to beast form and starts the Bloodlust.

When in beast form, the person's attributes (like strength, speed and endurance) are increased and his/her claws are deadly. The person also has total resistance to disease whether in human form or in beast form. In Iliac Bay, the Lycanthropes turn to beast form once per month, obviously this means they have to kill once per month. But in Solstheim, during the Bloodmoon, the transformation is done per day! Because of the presence of the Father of the Manbeast? I cannot say.

During the Bloodmoon, Werewolves, also known as Hircine's Hounds acted as the hunters while the inhabitants of the Solstheim were their preys. The most powerful person that can defeat the hounds is honored and would receive favors by the Prince himself, and he will face Hircine's aspect in one-to-one battle. Being honored to be the prey of the Prince himself. Very few survived this battle.

As mentioned above, one artifact can supress the Bloodlust, it is the Hircine's Ring. Sometime before the Warp of the West, this ring was reported resurfaced in the Iliac Bay. The ring makes the Lycanthrope wielder to turn to beast form or vice versa at will, and able to suppress the hunger. During the Bloodmoon time in Solstheim, the enchantment somehow was changed. The ring can make any person to turn to beast form at will but for Lycanthropes the Bloodlust is still there.

On a side note, the witches of the Glenmoril Wyrd Coven of High Rock is known as Hircine worshippers, they often perform a summoning for anyone that can pay the price. The witches are also able to cure anyone of Lycanthropy.

The infected person, with the assistance of the witches, must perform a ritual called The Rite of the Wolf Giver. It is a complex ritual of dark magicka, requiring the sacrifice of both flesh and innocence. And certain ingredients, which are petals of a wolfsbane flower and one bunch of ripened belladonna berries, are needed by the witches to concoct a potion for the rite.

When the time has come, in certain altar, the infected person must kill an innocent, take her heart and gives it to the assisted witch. The witch then pours the potion on the heart, and with a long, shrieking series of arcane words; the heart will start to pulse. The infected person must put back the heart into the innocent. The innocent will turn to Lycanthrope and the person must once again kill her. When the innocent dies in a second time, the infected person is infected no more. For more information please read The Story of Morrowind - Bloodmoon subsection.

There is a secret guarded heavily by the witches, a secret to cure Lycanthropy without the Rite of Wolf Giver. It uses a certain scroll or potion. But the witches will never offer this curing method to anyone. Most likely this brings Hircine's disfavor.

Other famous artifact of Hircine is the Armor of Saviour Hide. Legend has it that Hircine rewarded his peeled hide to the first mortal to have ever escaped his hunting grounds. This unknown mortal had the hide tailored into this magical armor for his future adventures. The armor was resurfaced in the Battlespire, during Mehrunes Dagon's invasion. One must wear a full set of the armor in order to wield the Spear of Bitter Mercy, a special spear that is needed to slay a certain Daedric leader. After the event, the armor pieces were scattered, and only the cuirass that can be found nowadays.

Divayth Fyr, an ancient Telvanni wizard and also an artifact collector, was once able to procure the Cuirass of Saviour Hide. It was hidden in his tower. When the Nerevarine came, the Nerevarine was told that he might freely take the artifact if he could. Divayth Fyr always says, "When you live for thousands of years, you need a hobby. Something you love, always sparks your interest. I collect treasures, and invite thieves to steal them. I'm a collector, and a sportsman. I collect enchanted items and ancient artifacts. Have quite a few Dwemer pieces. And, as a sportsman, I love letting thieves try to steal my well-guarded treasures. Only a few rules. One, don't hurt the inmates. Two, don't hurt my daughters. My Warden and guards can look out for themselves." The latest report shows that the Nerevarine indeed took the cuirass.

Some time during Oblivion Crisis, Hircine was summoned by the Champion of Cyrodiil. He desired the horn of the only Unicorn in the Cyrodiil. According some records, the champion finally brought the horn to Hircine, and Hircine rewarded the champion with the Cuirass of Saviour Hide. Detail conversation of the event can be read here.

Malacath (God of Curses): Malacath is the reanimated dung that was Trinimac. A somewhat weak but vengeful Daedra, the Dark Elves say he is also Malak, the god-king of the orcs. He always tests the Dunmer for physical weakness.
(Varieties of Faith in the Empire)

As recorded in "The Doors of Oblivion", Malacath maintains a realm called Ashpit; an ash-grayed realm without sky or ground, only particles or ashes that floating, falling and whirling, it is where anguish, betrayal, and broken promises like ash filled the bitter air.

The summoning date of Malacath is 8th of Frost Fall. Malacath can also be summoned in his shrine, if the summoner offered Troll Fat.

According to "Darkest Darkness", the giant but dim-witted Ogrim is a servant of Malacath. And recently we noted that Ogre is also one of Malacath's creatures.

  

During the exodus of the Chimer in the Merethic Era, one of the most powerful Aldmeri heroes, Trinimac, tried to stop the movement. Daedric Prince Boethiah as the mastermind behind of the movement confronted Trinimac. It was a legendary battle. It is said that Trinimac was eaten by Boethiah, then Boethiah spoke with Trinimac's voice, in order to increase the morale of the Chimer while in the same time mocking the opposed Aldmer. The remain of Trinimac was transformed to Daedric Prince Malacath, and Trinimac's followers were changed as well. They are now known as the Orcs, and they worship Malacath as their god. This is recorded in the "Changed Ones."

This information is also written in "The True Nature of Orcs":

"Orcs were born during the latter days of the Dawn Era. History has mislabeled them beastfolk, related to the goblin races, but the Orcs are actually the children of Trinimac, strongest of the Altmeri ancestor spirits. When Trinimac was eaten by the Daedroth Prince Boethiah, and transformed in that foul god's insides, the Orcs were transformed as well. The ancient name for the Orcs is 'Orsimer,' which means 'The Pariah Folk.' They now follow Malauch, the remains of Trinimac."

Malacath is also one of the Dunmeri Four Corners of the House of Troubles. Four Corner of the House of Trouble consists of Molag Bal, Mehrunes Dagon, Malacath and Sheogorath. These Daedric Princes rebelled against the counsel and admonition of the Tribunal, causing great kin strife and confusion among the clans and Great Houses. They are holy in that they serve the role of obstacles during the Testing. Through time they have sometimes become associated with local enemies, like the Nords, Akaviri, or Mountain Orcs. As written in the "The House of Troubles" and "Varieties of Faith in the Empire", Malacath is the reanimated dung that was Trinimac, Malacath is a weak but vengeful god. The Dunmer say he is Malak, the god-king of the orcs. He tests the Dunmer for physical weakness.

An interesting record in the "Varieties of Faith in the Empire" says:

"Mauloch (Malacath): An Orcish god, Mauloch troubled the heirs of King Harald for a long time. Fled east after his defeat at the Battle of Dragon Wall, ca. 1E660. His rage was said to fill the sky with his sulphurous hatred, later called the "Year of Winter in Summer"."

We know the year is the time when the Red Mountain erupted that brought disasters throughout Tamriel, so I think the claim that says that his rage fill the sky with sulphurous hatred is rather exaggerated.

During the time of the Nerevarine, Malacath was summoned by the Nerevarine in his shrine of Assurdirapal. The Prince of Curses asked the Nerevarine to track and kill the last of the Oreyn Bearclaw family line. He was upset that Oreyn Bearclaw took all the glory to be a hero while in fact all the deeds were done by Kharag gro-Khar, Oreyn's Orcish companion. The target person was finally killed by the Nerevarine and Malacath rewarded the Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw. However Malacath was wrong believing that the Oreyn Bearclaw's family line has ended, while in fact one of the family members is still alive. This person, named Modryn Oreyn, became a rather important person in the Fighters Guild after his role in the quest to eliminate the dangerous competitor of the guild, the Blackwood Company. Detail conversation of the event in Morrowind can be read here.

Malacath is also reported quite upset when certain minor lord enslaved some Ogres. It seems that the Ogres are one of his creations. He calls the Ogre as "little brother." Malacath tasked the Champion of Cyrodiil to free the Ogres and punish the minor lord. The champion did as he asked and Malacath was pleased. He rewarded the champion the famous dwarven hammer, Volendrung. Detail conversation of the event can be read here. On the side note, Volendrung was also rewarded by Malacath to the hero of Daggerfall. It is unknown to us, why the famous hammer of the Rourken Clan came to Malacath's possession.

Rourken Clan is one of the Dwemer factions that refused to peace with the Chimer. They decided to exile themselves out of Resdayn (now Morrowind). The chief of Rourken Clan was said threw his hammer Volendrung and then he and his fellow clan members took a long march following the hammer's flight. Where it landed, the Rourken would create a new kingdom. It was landed in Hammerfell.

The Hero of Daggerfall received this hammer, decades before, after he did a service for Malacath, which had asked the Hero of Daggerfall to slay a troublesome Daedra Seducer. After wandering throughout Tamriel, the hammer returned to Morrowind and came to be in the possesion of Yagrum Bagarn, the Last Living Dwarf, who had the hammer in his closet. At that time all the enchantment of the hammer vanished, with no apparent reason. It was just a mundane hammer. However, in 3E 433 the hammer came into the possession of Malacath again, and all its powerful enchantment returned. As written above, it was eventually rewarded to the Champion of Cyrodiil. Volendrung is best known for the paralyzing and strength leeching effects it has when hit an enemy.

There is a less well-known artifact of Malacath, named Scourge. The "Requisite Book of Daedra" (under the heading of Malacath) says:

"...yet though Malacath blessed Scourge to be potent against his daedra kin, he thought not that it should fall into daedric hands, then to serve as a tool for private war among caitiff and forsaken. Thus did Malacath curse the device such that should any dark kin seek to invoke its powers, that a voidhole should open and swallow that daedra, and purge him into Oblivion's voidstreams, from thence to pathfind back to the Real and Unreal Worlds in the full order of time."

and "Legendary Scourge" states:

"EXPLICATION: The mace Scourge, Blessed of Malacath, Macckan's legendary weapon, forged from sacred ebony in the Fountains of Fickleire, has ever been the bane of the Dark Kin, and many a black spirit has been hurled back into Oblivion with a single blow of this bold defender of the friendless."

This mace was found in the Battlespire by the unnamed hero of the Battlespire. It changed owners, and finally the mace came to the possession of the Telvanni lord, Divayth Fyr. As any Fyr's artifacts, it was free for the thieves to steal - if they could. Most likely it is in the possession of the Nerevarine today.