Community Spotlight: Deities (Part 2 - The Daedra)

Kimberly Moore, a member of the D&D + Elder Scrolls community, has graciously compiled a ton of info regarding the deities of the Elder Scrolls universe. For your convenience, the information shown in this short series about deities has been collected from great lore sites and has been organized into a quick guide for newcomers to the series. It also works as a great refresh for those that are familiar with these gods.

Much of the information shown here comes from other great Elder Scrolls sites, such as UESP, and the Imperial Library. These are fantastic websites to use to get lore and ideas for your games. Another great community to find lore is TESLore on reddit. Please check them out if you want to delve deeper into what you see here.

Daedric Princes and their realms

Daedric Princes (sometimes referred to as Daedra Lords or The Old Gods by Reachmen) are the most powerful of the Daedra and thus most commonly worshipped by mortals as deities. While Daedra can manifest as either male or female (being in reality genderless), all of these high Daedra are typically referred to as "Princes." Every Daedric Prince has their own plane of Oblivion.

Pantheon of the Daedra Azura – A Prince who maintains/draws power from the balance of night and day, light and dark Boethiah – The Prince of deceit, secrecy, conspiracy, treason, and unlawful overthrow of authority Clavicus Vile – The Prince of deals, pacts, power, bargains, and serenity through wish fulfillment. Hermaeus Mora – The formless Daedric Prince of knowledge and memory, seeks to possess all that is knowable Hircine – The Prince of the hunt, sport, the Great Game, and the Chase Jyggalag – The Prince of logical order and deduction, upholds strict order above all else Malacath – The Prince whose sphere is the patronage of the spurned and ostracized Mehrunes Dagon – The Prince of destruction, violent upheaval, energy, and mortal ambition Mephala – The Prince of unknown plots and obfuscation, a master manipulator, a sewer of discord Meridia – The Prince of the energies of all living things, enemy of the undead and all who disrupt the flow of life Molag Bal – The Prince of domination and spiritual enslavement, seeks to ensnare souls within his domain Namira – The Prince of the "ancient darkness," the patron of all things considered repulsive Nocturnal – The Prince of the night and darkness, the patron of all things secretive Peryite – The Taskmaster, the Daedric Prince of Pestilence, desires order in his domain Sanguine – The Prince of hedonism, debauchery, and the further indulgences of one's darker nature Sheogorath – The infamous Prince of Madness, whose motives are unknowable Vaermina – The Prince of dreams and nightmares, a deliverer of evil omens and dark portents

Azura Azura of the Crimson Gate (also known as Azurah) is the Daedric Prince whose sphere is dawn and dusk—the magic in-between realms of twilight—as well as vanity and egotism. She is also known as the Queen of Dawn and Dusk, Mother of the Rose, Queen of the Night Sky, and the Anticipation of Sotha Sil. Azura is one of the few Daedra who maintains the appearance of being "good" by mortal standards, and presumably feels more concern for the well-being of her mortal subjects than other Daedric Princes. She is one of the few Daedric Princes who constantly maintains a female image, and is perceived accordingly. The Winged Twilights are her servants.

Azura is the god-ancestor that taught the Chimer how to be different from the Altmer, though 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. She is considered an enemy of Ebonarm and Nocturnal. She may be summoned on Hogithum, a festival on 21 First Seed. In Elsweyr, Azura is perceived as nearly a wholly separate entity, known locally as Azurah. She is credited with making the Khajiit out of the "forest people" living in Elsweyr, indicating Bosmer, but some sources say the Khajiit were made out of "Altmeri stock".

Although she is never overtly deceitful, the way Azura always gets what she desires in the end, and how titanic events always follow her interventions, can be portrayed as disturbing. Her followers acknowledge that she is "cruel but wise". While she is considered one of the "good" Daedra by the Dunmer of Morrowind, elsewhere she has been known to be allied with Molag Bal, who is known to the Dunmer as one of the Four Corners of the House of Troubles. The people of the Iliac Bay region believe that Azura bewitches some of her followers to become her "lovers" and "virtual slaves".

Azura's Moonshadow Moonshadow is described as an impossibly beautiful, amazing world made up of impossible shades of colors, and perpetual twilight. This realm is believed to be permanently sealed off from mortals, but those who ventured there in the past usually went half-blind or half-mad from the unnatural beauty. The realm contains flowers and waterfalls, majestic trees, and a city of silver. The wind smells of perfume, and the realm is known to have rain. Azura lives in a rose palace, and is welcoming to mortal travelers.

Boethiah Boethiah (also spelled Boethia) is the Daedric Prince who rules over deceit, conspiracy, secret plots of murder, assassination, treason, and unlawful overthrow of authority. Also known as the Prince of Plots, Deceiver of Nations, Queen of Shadows, and Goddess of Destruction, Boethiah loves competition and battle, and is depicted as a great caped warrior, often in a stoic pose. While typically depicted as male, Boethiah is occasionally referred to as female, though such distinctions are irrelevant among the Daedric princes, who are not bound by biological sex.

He is known in the Dunmer society for his association with Almalexia; the Tribunal Temple taught that he was her anticipation, while the New Temple preaches that he has reclaimed his right position. 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. This worship of Boethiah supposedly came about when he corrupted the Elven God Trinimac (some stories say he ate Trinimac) and took on his form, tricking Veloth and his followers into worshipping him. All manner of Dark Elven cultural 'advances' are attributed to Boethiah, from philosophy to magic to 'responsible' architecture. Ancient Velothi allegories are foundation stories of Chimeri struggle where Boethiah uniformly succeeds against enemies of every type.

Despite the dark undertones of his sphere and influence on Tamriel, Boethiah is considered by some to be one of the "good" Daedra. Boethiah is considered to be allied with the Temple of Stendarr and his enemies are Ebonarm, Molag Bal, and Peryite. Boethiah's prized servants are a race known as the Hunger, foul creatures that are eternally bone thin.

Boethiah's Snake Mount or Attribution's Share

The realm consists of stormy skies, volcanic islands and lava seas, similar to the Deadlands. It has also been described as a country of labyrinthine policy and betrayals, with maze gardens and twisted towers. It is sometimes referred to as Attribution's Share or Snake Mount. Although usually avoided by mortals, Boethia uses the realm to host prestigious arena tournaments so that mortals can earn her favor. The most well-known of these is the Tournament of Ten Bloods. Champions from each of the ten major races of Tamriel are taken to the realm, where they battle one-on-one to the death. The victor earns the Prince's favor, the title of Chosen One, and a suitably martial prize.

Clavicus Vile Clavicus Vile is the Daedric Prince whose sphere is the granting of power and wishes through ritual invocations and pacts. Vile has a companion named Barbas. While capable of selective shapeshifting, the form it assumes most of the time is that of a dog. Vile himself is depicted as a small jovial fellow with horns protruding from his forehead. He is aptly described as a Daedra who likes souls for the sake of having them. Vile is famous (or perhaps infamous) for his widespread meddling in mortal affairs and in the past has worked through mortal representatives to gain what he desires. It is possible, though by no means certain, that Clavicus Vile assisted Jagar Tharn in his temporary procurement of the Imperial throne. Clavicus Vile purportedly granted the Cyrodiil Vampyrum Order the ability to blend into mortal society undetected.

Not all of Vile's machinations are necessarily insidious; he often rewards followers who, at his direction, eliminate threats to the general public. However, he is certainly self-serving. When Cyrus the Redguard came to him seeking his sister Iszara's soul, Vile kindly gave him an opportunity to have it—the two gambled, Vile wagering the soul of Iszara, and Cyrus wagering his own.

Clavicus Vile's Realm

The domain of Oblivion created and ruled over by the Daedric Prince of Deals, Clavicus Vile. It appears as an idyllic countryside dotted with majestic merchant cities, fields of white clovers, woodland meadows, twisted foliage, and odd melted-looking places. The sky is blue with cottony clouds with greenish-grey patches, and the air smells of both perfume and rotting flesh. The true name of this plane of Oblivion is unknown.

Hermaeus Mora Hermaeus Mora (or Herma-Mora, among others) is the Daedric Prince whose sphere is the scrying of the tides of Fate, of the past and future as read in the stars and heavens, and in whose dominion are the treasures of knowledge and memory. He describes himself as "The riddle unsolvable. The door unopenable. The book unreadable. The question unanswerable." He is vaguely related to the cult origins of the Morag Tong if only by association with his sibling, Mephala. Unlike most Princes, Hermaeus Mora does not take on a humanoid form at all, manifesting instead as grotesque assemblages of eyes, tentacles, and claws, or a featureless purple vortex known as the Wretched Abyss. His servants include Seekers and Lurkers.

Hermaeus Mora's Apocrypha This is the central repository for all knowledge in the entire universe, and is said to resemble an infinite library. Murky waters spout tentacles throughout the abyss. Its books are all identical, having black covers and no titles, but there is one of every book ever written, and includes knowledge normally forbidden to humans. Mortals who wander here usually die and remain behind as ghosts, still seeking knowledge. Only through Hermaeus Mora's mysterious Black Books have people found their way into Apocrypha.

Hircine Hircine is the Daedric prince whose sphere is the Hunt, the Sport of Daedra, the Great Game, and the Chase; he is known as the Huntsman and the Father of Manbeasts. Hircine created the various lycanthropic diseases which transform mortals into beasts, and is, therefore, the guardian of were-creatures. They reflect his sphere admirably, hunting at night and being hunted by day. Hircine is a sportsman who enjoys giving his prey a chance for victory, however small. Hircine's statue depicts him as a physically fit man whose whole head is obscured by a deer skull with long antlers. He is armed with a great spear and has a companion wolf. Hircine's typical lackeys in the mortal realm, Nirn, are werewolves, which he directly talks to, and to whom he gives tasks and rewards with additional powers. The lesser Daedra, Herne, is also affiliated with him.

Hircine's Hunting Grounds

This plane consists of a vast expanse of islands, inhabited by the various Daedra, or by vast forests, plains, grasslands and puzzling mazes. Hircine's plane has a higher than normal population of atronachs, and it is home to were-beasts and creatures much larger than those of Tamriel. The most popular hunted prey are those unlucky mortals who find themselves here accidentally. Mortal souls who have been blessed with Lycanthropy are sent here.

Jyggalag Jyggalag is the Daedric Prince of Order, but until the Third Era not much was known about him in Tamriel beyond his name. He represents logical order and deduction, and has taken account of every detail of the world and of every action that has ever taken place on Mundus or Oblivion, long before they actually happened. Jyggalag commands his own Daedra, the Knights of Order, which are spawned from obelisks summoned by his followers, the Priests of Order.

In the time before recorded history, Jyggalag's realm of perfect order expanded across the seas of Oblivion, and the other Daedric Princes had grown fearful and jealous of him. They cursed him to live as Sheogorath, the incarnation of the thing he hated most: madness. He was, however, allowed to return to his true form at the end of every era in order to retake the Shivering Isles from his mad alter-ego in an event known as the Greymarch. However, once this was done, Jyggalag transformed back into Sheogorath, starting the cycle again. At the end of the Third Era, a mortal Champion of Sheogorath was given the chance to defeat Jyggalag, halting the Greymarch before he could conquer the realm. This released Jyggalag from his curse, allowing him to remain in his true form. The Champion then assumed Sheogorath's position as the Daedric Prince of Madness, and Jyggalag departed to roam the voids of Oblivion.

Malacath Sometimes called Malak, Orkey, or Mauloch, Malacath is considered one of the most evil Daedric Princes by the Dunmer due to his membership in the House of Troubles. He is the patron Daedra of the Orsimer. Malacath's teachings put a large emphasis on conflict, and he seems to enjoy watching mortals fighting one another. While not technically a "good" Daedric Prince, Malacath does have, to a certain degree, a sense of honor and an almost paternal concern for his followers, especially the Orsimer. Malacath was not allowed in most daedric meetings, most likely because of his Aedric origins. He is the god of curses, the betrayed, and the orcified.

Malacath's Ashpit

The Ashpit is a barren, barely-habitable wasteland. Of those realms accessible by mortals, this is considered the hardest to reach. The realm is described to have no surface and no end. It is filled with particles of ash and smoke, swirling full of curses and broken promises. It is known as the final resting place for Orsimer who live and die honorably, as many orcs are heard making comments such as "By the Ashpit." According to comments made by the Daedric Prince Sheogorath, this plane has some sort of spine in it, due to his comment that the backbone of Malacath's realm is an actual backbone.

Mehrunes Dagon Mehrunes Dagon is the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Change, Revolution, Energy, and Ambition. He is associated with natural dangers like fire, earthquakes, and floods. He is an especially important deity in Morrowind, where he represents its near-inhospitable terrain. In most cultures, however, Dagon is merely a god of bloodshed and betrayal.

Of all the Daedric Princes, Mehrunes Dagon seems to have the most animosity towards Nirn's species. Given his nature (Prince of Destruction), along with the fact that Daedra truly cannot be destroyed, the only entities he can practice destruction on are mortals. He assisted Jagar Tharn in his temporary usurpation of the Imperial throne. He invaded and seized control of the Battlespire in violation of the Daedric pact for preventing unchecked meddling in mortal affairs by divine beings (the purpose of this being to cripple the capacity of the Imperial College of Battlemages, which presented a threat to Tharn's power as Emperor). Mehrunes Dagon was also responsible for the destruction of Mournhold at the end of the First Era and apparently also destroyed Ald Sotha, home of House Sotha and Sotha Sil's birthplace.

Mehrunes Dagon's Deadlands The Deadlands represent as close to the mortal vision of Hell as any of the Oblivion planes. It is also possibly the best known of all Daedric realms to mortals on Nirn. During the failed invasion of Nirn by Dagon's forces near the end of the Third Era, various Tamrielic forces, especially in Cyrodiil and Black Marsh, actually stormed the Deadlands and won victories there. Ash storms and vast seas of lava make up the majority of this realm, which is populated by the highly intelligent Dremora, as well as many semi- or non-intelligent beings. The beings include Storm Atronachs, Flame Atronachs, Clannfear, Scamps, Daedroth, Xivilai and Spider Daedra. It is from this realm that Dagon has attempted to launch his repeated invasions of Nirn. Jagged rocky formations divide the landscape into miniature valleys. People who fall into the cracks in these jagged rocks oftentimes can never escape.

Mephala Mephala is a Daedric Prince whose sphere is obscured to mortals, also known by the names Webspinner, Spinner, Spider, Teacher of the Secret Arts, Queen of the Eight Shadows of Murder and the Anticipation of Vivec. Unlike many other Daedric Princes, who almost always appear as the same gender (e.g. Azura is always female, Sheogorath is always male), Mephala appears as either male or female depending on whom the Daedric Prince wishes to ensnare (though she's typically female). Mephala's only consistent theme seems to be interference in the affairs of mortals for amusement. Mephala's sphere seems to indicate a careful plan carried out through executions, each life a portion of a massive web. It is little wonder that Hermaeus Mora, the "Demon of Knowledge", is considered Mephala's sibling. Mephala sees the affairs of mortals as a weave; pull but one thread and the whole thing unravels. The Dunmer associate Mephala with more simple concepts—lies, sex, and murder. Mephala directly helped to found the infamous cult/society of the Morag Tong, and they claim to murder for the daedra's glory. Some scholars also argue that when the Morag Tong was banished from the rest of Tamriel, they were allowed to continue to operate in Morrowind when they replaced their worship of Mephala with that of Vivec. As a reaction to this, the Dark Brotherhood was formed, being led by the mysterious Night Mother, who some insist is just another form of Mephala.

Mephala’s Spiral Skein

It is metaphysically constructed in a similar manner to Nirn's Wheel. At the center is the Tower, known only as the Pillar Palace of Mephala, since its true name is too awful to be uttered. The Spokes are called the Eight Strands of the Skein, and the spaces in between are each devoted to a different sin. The first is a cavern devoted to lies, filled with pedestals pretending to hold up the sky. The second is made up of cramped chambers representing envy, while the third is maggot-filled grottoes filled with seductive light. The fourth contains eternally dark tunnels of fear; the fifth, a place of betrayal; the sixth, an arena of murder. The seventh space is home to arcades of avarice and appetite, containing all things mortals would kill or die for, while the eighth is a flaming skein of fury, representing the death that comes to all mortals.

Mephala's realms are said to be numerous and obscured, collected together by vast strands of magical ghostweb. All of them are devoted to her spheres of sex and secret murder. In a speech to the Champion of Cyrodiil, Mankar Camoran incorrectly names Mephala's realm as the ten Moonshadows, the realm of Azura.

Meridia Meridia, frequently considered the kindest of the Daedra, is viewed as an obscure Daedric Prince to mortals, for very little is known about her or her sphere. What is known is that she is associated with the energies of living things, and bears a special hatred for the undead. Meridia is rumored to be Aedric in origin but banished for a misuse of magic. Meridia is one of the few Daedric Princes who is usually not considered to be wholly evil. However, in the Iliac Bay area, she is known as the Daedra Lady of Greed and as an avid collector of human specimens.

Meridia's Colored Rooms Little is known about this realm, save that the Auroran are native to this plane. This is where Umaril's spirit fled when Pelinal Whitestrake slew him. The realm is clouded in a thick purple fog and is surrounded by floating rocks and the skies seem to be perpetually lit by stars.

Molag Bal Molag Bal is the Daedric Prince whose sphere is the domination and enslavement of mortals. He is known as the God of Schemes, the King of Rape, the Harvester of Souls, the Lord of Brutality, and the Prince of Rage. His main desire is to harvest the souls of mortals and to bring them within his sway by spreading seeds of strife and discord in the mortal realms. One legend claims that Molag Bal created the first vampire when he raped a Nedic virgin, who in turn slaughtered a group of nomads. He is the main source of the obstacles to the Dunmer people (and their Chimer predecessors). In the legends, Molag Bal always tries to upset the bloodlines of Houses or otherwise ruin Dunmeri 'purity'. He is also the god of rape and is said to be the parent (along with Vivec) of a population of mutant degenerates living in the Molag Amur region of Morrowind.

Molag Bal's Coldharbour

Molag Bal built his realm to resemble an apocalyptic Nirn, where familiar landmarks appear scorched and ruined. It has been described as what Nirn would look like, were it to undergo centuries of cataclysmic war. Another Imperial Palace is located in this realm, but it is laden with rotting corpses and dripping with freezing blood. Mortals who make their way here usually end up in the realm's vast, numerous slave pens or charnel houses, bound for eternity as Soul Shriven. The only untouched region is Atmora, as Molag Bal thought its status as a frozen wasteland was distasteful, and thus it remains as a frozen wasteland. Coldharbour is one of the most inhospitable realms of Oblivion. The sky constantly burns yet the whole realm is beyond freezing. The ground is nothing more than sludge, jagged, rocky formations and ravines and dead, tainted grass. Dremora and Daedroths are known to roam the realm in large numbers, scouring for more slaves.

Coldharbour is habitable by mortals to some degree, as a city controlled by Meridia is located in the realm after her efforts to relocate a Tamrielic city to Coldharbour due to the boundaries between Mundus and Oblivion being weakened and in the mid-Second Era, mortals from Tamriel actually lived there and the city functioned as a normal Tamrielic city, with merchants doing business and even living in houses. However, the city was only there to serve as a base for an assault on Coldharbour by the Fighters and Mages guilds to stop Molag Bal's Planemeld. It is unknown whether or not the city is still there.

Namira Namira, or Namiira, the Lady of Decay, is the Daedric Prince whose sphere is the ancient darkness. She is known as the Spirit Daedra, ruler of sundry dark and shadowy spirits, and is often associated with spiders, insects, slugs, and other repulsive creatures which inspire mortals with an instinctive revulsion. Namira also appears to be associated with beggars and the beggaring gifts of disease, pity and disregard.

Namira is also called the Great Darkness, and is thought by the Khajiit to bear a connection with Lorkhan. Namira's followers keep to themselves, preferring to live peacefully in dark and squalid conditions, though they will react violently at any attempts to "save" them from their lifestyles. Their behavior has even involved ritualistic murder and cannibalism.

Namira's Scuttling Void

Little is known of Namira's realm beyond its name, and that no known mortals have traveled there and returned.

Nocturnal Nocturnal is the Daedric Prince whose sphere is the night and darkness, also known as the Night Mistress and “Lady Luck”. Physical descriptions of Nocturnal are difficult to come by, as she is usually described as being hidden by darkness and shadow. Depictions of the Daedric Princess usually take the form of a nondescript human woman, draped in a hooded cloak that hides most of her features and body. She is depicted with both arms outstretched, and a pair of Nightingales (or similar bird) perched on each wrist. Nocturnal claims to be an aspect of the void of Oblivion itself, and takes such titles as Mother of Night or Night Mistress. Her very nature is such that humans cannot understand her, as she is the embodiment of the unfathomable and enigmatic. Worshipers of Nocturnal consist primarily of those who operate in darkness and night, such as thieves and spies. However, Nocturnal's deception is not usually meant to be harmful or violent in the manner of Boethiah. Rather, the unknowable nature of Nocturnal is the core of her being, and serves no real ulterior purposes beyond being mysterious. Thus, while thieves may consider Nocturnal their patron, assassins will typically lean towards a more violent deity, such as Molag Bal or Mephala.

Of Nocturnal, Karliah says she is, "like a scolding mother who pushes her child to do better," meaning she is not fully considered evil, unlike other Daedric Princes. Nocturnal is also rumored to be the sister of Azura, but this has never been confirmed.

Nocturnal's Evergloam

The Evergloam is the mysterious realm of Nocturnal, and seems to have some connection with the "luck" that thieves seem to enjoy. Little is known about Evergloam much like its mistress. The known locations within the Evergloam are the Shade Perilous, Nocturnal's fortress within her realm, and Crow's Wood.

The connection between Nirn and the Evergloam is located in the temple known as the Twilight Sepulcher. Members of the Nightingales guard this temple during life and death, until Nocturnal deems their contract complete; they are sent to the Evergloam to become one with the shadows. The Daedric artifact known as the Skeleton Key maintains the connection between Nirn and the Evergloam. Once removed, the portal will close, severing all ties to Nocturnal.

Peryite Peryite, also known as the Taskmaster, is the Daedric Prince whose sphere is Pestilence, and he is charged with ordering the lowest levels of Oblivion. He is often depicted as a green Dragon and is ostensibly concerned with ensuring all things are accounted for, neat, tidy, and in their proper order.

Indirectly, Peryite has influenced the lives of nearly every mortal inhabitant of Nirn throughout history; he is the Lord of Pestilence, the cause of many plagues and pandemic diseases. He is typically listed along with princes such as Mehrunes Dagon and Vaermina as one of the few truly evil Daedric Lords, in the mortal Man and Mer sense of the word. Beyond his interaction with the mortal world, Peryite is believed to have a specific duty within the realms of Oblivion. He is known as the Taskmaster, and seems to be charged with maintaining the proper order among the lesser Daedric species and the lower planes of Oblivion. He and his followers frequently cite their desire to see the "natural order" maintained. This appears to be distinctly different from the meaning of "order" as applied to Jyggalag. Peryite works to maintain the proper, normal order among the Daedric races, while Jyggalag works to impose an unnaturally rigid order upon the planes. He is known to be one of the weakest of Daedric Princes, despite being depicted as a Dragon.

Peryite's Pits

This plane is considered to be one of the lowest orders of Oblivion, and is possibly more than one plane. The least of the lesser Daedra make their homes here. The realm resembles the Deadlands, with lava seas, volcanic islands and ruined structures. The realm is usually completely inaccessible to mortals, but there have been several exceptions.

Sanguine Sanguine is the Daedric Prince of debauchery. He also has domain over the darker natures of man, such as lust, sin, sloth, gluttony, and greed. He is the patron deity of sinners and is often seen with a bottle of wine or beer (ale) in his hand. He is depicted as a portly man with a dremora-like head with horns. Sanguine enjoys playing pranks on others, one such example being a spell that removes the clothing of everyone within the spell's radius. Although a joker, Sanguine prefers to drag mortals down to sinful lifestyles by means of temptation and humiliation.

Sanguine's Myriad Realms of Revelry

The Myriad Realms of Revelry are a congeries of one hundred thousand pocket and sub-realms of Oblivion. The realms are used mainly as pleasure pockets, refashioned to meet the needs and desires of its visitants. As such, Sanguine himself has very little control over them.

Sheogorath Sheogorath is the infamous Prince of Madness, whose motives are unknowable. His realm in Oblivion is the Shivering Isles, and is served by the Golden Saints and Dark Seducers. Sheogorath savors the act of driving mortals insane or making them perform actions that may be seen as trivial or silly. Sheogorath speaks with an almost exaggerated Scottish accent. His favored weapon for mortals is the staff Wabbajack, which can transform any living creature into another random creature. The Mad God typically manifests on Nirn as a seemingly harmless, well-dressed man often carrying a cane, a guise so prevalent it has actually been coined "Gentleman With a Cane".

He is known as Sheggorath, or the Skooma Cat, to the Khajiiti

Sheogorath's Madhouse (Shivering Isles) The Madhouse, like its master, has a split personality. One half of this realm appears cheery and lighthearted, but hides a deeper manic undercurrent. The other half is more obviously sinister, representing Sheogorath's demented side. This is one of the few realms that has permanent mortal inhabitants. Each division is ruled by a duke or duchess. Main cities in the Shivering Isles include New Sheoth, Bliss, the Crucible, and Passwall.

Vaermina Vaermina the Dreamweaver, also called Vaernima, is one of the seventeen Daedric Princes. Her sphere of influence includes nightmares, psychological terror and torment, dreams, bringing evil omens, and stealing memories.

Vaermina's physical appearance is usually that of a female mage, complete with a flowing robe with deep sleeves and a magic staff. She rules the plane of Oblivion known as Quagmire, which is described as a constantly shifting nightmare realm. She is one of the Daedric Princes that is consistently depicted as evil or demonic, with a strong preference for psychological torture. At the same time, Daedra worshipers will often pray to her just before sleeping, likely in hopes of warding off any potential meetings during their rest.

Vaermina is often said to be strongly connected with Magnus, the source of magic on Tamriel. Many scholars believe that, through their dreams, even otherwise magically-untalented mortals can slip into Quagmire, and behold Vaermina's presence. Upon speaking to her, Vaermina will explain that mortals visit her constantly in their nightmares, speak to her in their sleep, and often wake in a cold sweat upon leaving her presence. Most mortals are unaware of this meeting, however, as they cannot remember anything that occurred during their dreams. After a true, remembered encounter with the Daedric Lord, her followers often claim that nothing on Nirn holds any fear for them, as nothing can possibly be as frightening as being in Vaermina's presence.

Vaermina's Quagmire

It is a realm of horrors, where reality shifts upon itself in seemingly impossible ways. Every few minutes, lightning flashes and the realm morphs into a terrifying scene, each one more frightening than the last.

It is the realm most often visited by mortals. From her citadel in the center of the realm, Vaermina reaches out into Mundus and collects the memories of sleeping mortals, leaving nothing but visions of horror and despair. These experiences, known as nightmares, involve the mind of a mortal traveling to Quagmire. Through magical teleportation, it is possible for a mortal to enter Quagmire while awake, as was done by the mage Morian Zenas.