Miraak

"Much of what is known has been lost through the ages. He was Dragonborn, yet he served the dragons. A priest in their order, highly esteemed and very powerful. Then he turned against them, becoming something they feared."

- Storn Crag-Strider

 is the primary antagonist in. According to himself, the locals of Solstheim, and Hermaeus Mora, he is the first Dragonborn. He was also one of the Dragon Priests. His name, in the dragon language, means "Allegiance Guide".

History
During the period of time when dragons ruled over mortals, Miraak served as a dragon priest on the island of Solstheim. At some point before his death, he came into possession of a Black Book which in turn lead to him to servitude under Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Lord of Knowledge and Fate, who taught him a means to great power.

With this forbidden knowledge in his possession, Miraak turned on his dragon masters, using his power to devour their souls to become ever more powerful. However he was unsuccessful and was defeated by another Dragon Priest named Vahlok who was then made his jailer, restraining him to Solstheim.

According to Frea, because of his betrayal, the dragons sought him out at his temple on Solstheim and killed him for his treachery. After his death, he lived on in Apocrypha, the realm of Hermaeus Mora, until the time was right for his return.

Personality
Miraak is a very arrogant individual, seeing that his Dragonborn heritage sets him above his former dragon masters. Upon meeting the the Last Dragonborn, he immediately claims that, compared to him, they have only killed a "few dragons" and knows not the true power of a Dragonborn, such as himself. He also believes himself above the servitude of Hermaeus Mora, a trait that eventually leads to his demise. Miraak is also a being that desires power, willing, in the past, to bind himself in servitude to Mora in order to gain forbidden knowledge and power.

Miraak proves to be fiercely independent and seems to be motivated solely by his desire for power. During his final battle with the Dragonborn, he claims that Hakon and the other ancient Nord heroes wished to use him to slay Alduin, but he chose not to for his own reasons.

Should Alduin have been already been defeated upon meeting him, he will claim that he could have killed the World-Eater himself, further sign of his arrogant nature.

Dragonborn
Shortly after the quest The Way of the Voice, two Cultists will appear in any of the main cities and ask the Dovahkiin if he or she is truly a Dragonborn. After the conversation they will attack. If they are killed, a note with orders to kill the "False" Dragonborn in order to please Miraak will be found on one of their bodies. The quest will then be directed to the island of Solstheim.

On the island, asking around Raven Rock will cause someone to suggest Temple of Miraak be investigated. There it will be learned that Miraak has begun taking over the people of Solstheim.

The Temple of Miraak
Miraak himself is met for the first time at the end of this quest. Upon finding the Black Book: Waking Dreams in the depths of the temple, the Dragonborn will be transported to Apocrypha, the realm of Hermaeus Mora. Immediately, Miraak will strike the Dragonborn to their knees and claim that they do not know the true power of a Dragonborn. He then says that they can await his return like the rest of Tamriel before ordering his Seekers to transport the Dragonborn back to Nirn and riding off on a dragon.

After this, should the Dragonborn kill a dragon, either on Solstheim or in Skyrim, Miraak will briefly appear, taunt the Dragonborn, absorb the dragon's soul himself, and then disappear.

At the Summit of Apocrypha
Miraak appears one last time at the end of this quest, at the summit of Apocrypha, to kill the Dragonborn and devour their soul so that he may return to Solstheim. During the battle, three dragons circle the summit. Each time Miraak is near death, he will call down one of the dragons, devouring its soul to replenish his health. Once all three dragons have been devoured, he can finally be defeated.

Upon defeat, Hermaeus Mora appears, expresses his dissappointment with Miraak and then kills him, then transfered his status to the Last Dragonborn. The Dragonborn then absorbs Miraak's soul, which yields 10 dragon souls, plus any that Miraak stole.

Miraak's Mantra
Here in his shrine

That they have forgotten

Here do we toil

That we might remember

By night we reclaim

What by day was stolen

Far from ourselves

He grows ever near to us

Our eyes once were blinded

Now through him do we see

Our hands once were idle

Now through them does he speak

And when the world shall listen

And when the world shall see

And when the world remembers

That world shall cease to be

Abilities
Miraak is an exceptionally powerful individual, able to utilize several dragon shouts in battle. He can breathe fire, tame both dragons and mortals, take on the power of a dragon, and even increase his speed in bursts with Whirlwind Sprint. Additionally, like most Dragon Priests, he is a mage with the ability to cast powerful Lightning Bolts as well as make use of his personal staff, which summons tentacles that cause large damage if they make contact with a target.

As a Dragonborn himself, should he sustain damage, he can absorb the souls of dragons to replenish his strength.

Equipment

 * Miraak (Mask)
 * Miraak's Staff
 * Miraak's Gloves
 * Miraak's Robes
 * Miraak's Boots
 * Miraak's Sword

Quotes

 * "I know things the Greybeards will never teach you."
 * "Felling Alduin was an almighty deed, and I thank you for it. He would have proved troublesome to me."
 * "They wanted to use me to deal with Alduin - Hakon and the rest. I chose otherwise."
 * "You have no idea of the true power a Dragonborn can wield!"
 * "Send him/her back where he/she came. He/she can await my arrival with the rest of Tamriel!"
 * "Not this time, Dragonborn. This one's mine." (This is said when he takes the soul of a dragon that you killed.)
 * "It takes a strong will to command a Dragon's soul, perhaps you aren't as powerful as you think" (When taking a dragon's soul.)
 * "Do you ever wonder if it hurts, having your soul ripped out like that?" (When taking a dragon's soul.)
 * "This dragon's soul belongs to me" (After taking a dragon's soul)
 * "I grow ever stronger, Dragonborn" (After taking a dragon's soul)
 * "And so the First Dragonborn meets the Last Dragonborn at the summit of Apocrypha."
 * "May he/she be rewarded for his/her service, as I am." (Final words after Hermaeus Mora impales him)

Trivia
To address the confusion that arose from the existence of a Dragonborn predating Alessia, Michael Kirkbride, former writer at Bethesda revealed "Alessia didn't have the power to absorb dragon souls. Hers was a much more nuanced power: to dream of liberty and give it a name and on her deathbed make Covenant with the Aka-Tusk."

Bugs

 * If a dragon is disintegrated from Dragonborn Force, (or the Disintegrate perk [unconfirmed]) Miraak is unable to absorb the dragon's soul. Also after slaying a dragon, if its corpse falls into a body of water, Miraak will be unable to steal the dragon's soul away from the Dragonborn.
 * If too much damage is dealt to Miraak, he will be unable to fully replenish his health and will be stuck in ghost form, unable to be attacked or killed and thus unable to be defeated. This can happen at any of the 3 times he replenishes his health using a dragon's soul. The easiest way to avoid this is to restart the fight and use a less powerful weapon to chip away at his health.
 * After killing Miraak his body disappears and can not be looted.

Appearances


