Daedra

Daedra are divine beings and creatures in The Elder Scrolls series. They inhabit the plane of Oblivion (a dimension of Nirn), but are also well-known to the inhabitants of Tamriel, where they are feared by some and worshiped by others. Daedra are very physically diverse, ranging in form from humanoid, to distinctly beastlike, and even having their souls bound in weapons or armor. Although they can be killed by the player, they are considered immortal, as their soul is inevitably resurrected back in Oblivion in the event that their physical body is destroyed.

Introduction
According to lore from the Elder Scrolls universe, the term "Daedra" is of Altmeric (High Elven) origin, its literal translation being "not our ancestors" as opposed to Aedra - "[our] ancestors". Although the singular form of the word is technically daedroth, it has become common practice to refer to these beings in both the singular and plural simply as daedra. Daedra are frequently thought to be demonic in form. This is untrue however, with most Daedric Princes and most of the creatures being non-demonic. Daedra do wield tremendous destructive power, however, and are frequently associated with death, ruin, and disarray.

In the series, a Daedroth's physical form can be destroyed, but they cannot be truly killed; the soul or animus of a slain Daedroth returns to the void of Oblivion until it is able to return to physical form. The torturous period in the void can last centuries, and is the closest sensation to death that a Daedroth can experience.

In the Elder Scrolls universe, Daedra are not easily defined within the ordinary bounds of good or evil, however due to the destructive acts of some Daedric princes they have come to be regarded by most as evil beings. Amongst the majority of Tamriel's populace, the Daedra are seen as naturally evil, as many concepts of evil are directly relative to the mortal world (i.e. destruction is evil, and chaos is evil), though the Daedra are simply different in and of themselves, being entities of change. As such, their evilness is not borne out of malice, but out of genuinely conflicting natures. Similarly, humans who evince Daedric behavior are commonly thought evil, as that sort of behavior often controverts the natural order.

An interesting fact that probably explains Mehrunes Dagon's ambitions to conquer Tamriel (aside from the fact that ambition itself is part of his sphere of government), is that, according to lore in the Elder Scrolls, Daedra spirits never really die. Simply put, Dagon cannot perform the acts that are his namesake (The Prince of Destruction). No matter how much the Lord of Destruction destroys Oblivion, it always comes back, as described in "Spirits of the Daedra". But in Tamriel, if someone dies, they stay dead and rarely do they ever "come back." This is distinctly a problem for the main characters within the game.

Presence on Tamriel
Since the daedra were, by definition, not part of the creation of Nirn, they are truly and completely alien to the world. The daedric races inhabit the various other planes of existence, which are collectively called Oblivion, and, with a few rare exceptions (see Oblivion Gate), cannot interact directly with the mortal plane. Instead, they normally appear only when summoned by a conjurer, and then only as long as the mage can sustain their presence. The daedra's projection onto the mortal world can be slain, though they are often more powerful than native fauna of Tamriel, but this merely sends the daedra's "essence" back to its home plane of Oblivion. It is believed that killing a daedric creature while on its native plane will permanently destroy it, but this hypothesis is difficult to test, as mortals have as much trouble reaching Oblivion as daedra have reaching Nirn. The oral traditions of the mer races speak of the Daedric Princes as if they were physically present on Nirn and interacting with the ancient mer, though this may be literary license. There has been only one verifiable instance in recorded history where a Daedric Prince physically walked on Nirn, when Mehrunes Dagon attacked Tamriel at the end of the Third Age. While on Nirn, he was only vulnerable to (and defeated by) an avatar of the Aedra Akatosh. The effect this defeat had on Dagon is currently unknown.

Daedric forms, appearances and character
In the Elder Scrolls, Daedra appear in many different forms. The most important are the Daedric Princes, powerful spirits. There are also "lesser Daedra" beings known to be in league with these greater powers. Whether all of these constitute actual Daedra or if some are simply equivalents of the mortal realm's tame animal is as yet unstated in the game series.

In the Elder Scrolls, Daedra generally seem to view mortals as little more than minor amusements, giving some applause whenever a mortal being exceeds certain expectations. They do however take interest in their worshippers, sometimes considering them foolish, but with some Daedra thinking of them as valued servants. The Daedra see themselves as a superior form of life and feel generally no need for any alliance or truce with any of the mortal races of Tamriel. Some Daedra may be summoned however. There is a popular notion that the summoned Daedra will then give the summoner a quest or task to fulfill and that the quest's completion will see its participant richly rewarded. Mostly these tasks are merely for the entertainment of the Daedra. This is not always so, as Morian Zenas, author of On Oblivion, claims that he was able to successfully summon and speak with Daedra without ever being asked to complete a task or a quest.

Daedric Princes


In the Elder Scrolls, Daedric Princes (not to be mistaken for daedra lords or powerful but ordinary enemies) are the most powerful of the Daedra, and thus most commonly worshipped as gods. Each has a particular sphere ( plane of oblivion), which it is said to govern. Although Daedric Princes may assume the form of a female or male, they have no inherent gender, and are all referred to as princes. In all, there are seventeen princes. Each Daedric Prince has one plane of Oblivion, which total sixteen in all. The most commonly known princes are Azura and Mehrunes Dagon, while Hircine made an appearance in Bloodmoon, the expansion set for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and Sheogorath was prominent in Shivering Isles, the expansion pack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The Daedric Princes consist of Azura, Boethiah, Clavicus Vile, Hermaeus Mora, Hircine, Sheogorath,Jyggalag, Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Mephala, Meridia, Molag Bal, Namira,Nocturnal, Peryite, Sanguine and Vaermina.

Lesser Daedra
In the video game series, there are many types of lesser Daedra, creatures believed to be created by the Princes as warriors, servants, playthings and worshippers. It should be noted that the descriptions of appearances given here are not necessarily always accurate, as to many Daedra appearance is a matter of choice. Belonging to a particular grouping is however said to shape their bodies and minds, and thus common traits are established.

Humanoids
According to the Elder Scrolls, many Daedra of greater mental capacity prefer a humanoid shape and appearance. The Daedric Princes and their servants are usually among them. Daedra who usually appear in humanoid form are:


 * Dremora are generally servants of Mehrunes Dagon. Featured in Battlespire, Morrowind, and Oblivion.
 * Golden Saints appear as golden-skinned Elves in golden armor, and serve Sheogorath. Featured in Morrowind and Shivering Isles.
 * Dark Seducers come in several varieties, and generally have a mercenary nature. They often serve Mehrunes Dagon, and can more recently be seen to serve Sheogorath in Shivering Isles. Featured in Battlespire, Daggerfall, and Shivering Isles.
 * Knights of Order serve Jyggalag; they are humanoid crystallite creatures that use swords and are deadly enemies, and they have crystal hearts which can be used to activate many Order objects. Featured in Shivering Isles.
 * Aurorans generally serve the Daedric prince Meridia; they appear as humanoids clad in Ayleid battle armor. They have the same hearts as the Dremora, unlike the Knights of Order hearts.
 * Xivilai are semi-intelligent creatures who serve Mehrunes Dagon and are seen in the planes of Oblivion. Xivilai often appear as blue-skinned humans. One is featured in Battlespire (unkillable) and they are a common creature in Oblivion.

Reptilians
In the video game series, Daedra have amongst their ranks some reptilian creatures, most of which serve Mehrunes Dagon or Molag Bal. The Daedroth is somewhat humanoid in its appearance, it walks on two legs and possesses two arms, each with deadly claws in place of hands. Its skin is almost entirely scaled and its head is similar to that of a large crocodile's. The teeth of the Daedroth can also be used in potions, and are worth a fair amount to merchants. These Daedra breathe fire, and are capable of inflicting much damage in combat. Another reptilian Daedra is the Clannfear, perhaps one of the smaller lizards in the Daedra realm, Clannfear resemble a cross between a Triceratops and a Velociraptor - representing the upper & lower body respectively, however it is smaller than the former, yet bigger than the latter. Clannfear have small arms, each with extremely sharp claws that it uses to attack in combat. Their skin is heavily scaled, with small spikes cresting their face and forehead. If slain, a Clannfear's claws can be sold for a fair price in stores. There is also a weaker version of the Clannfear; Clannfear Runts. They are visibly smaller, with a much lower attack strength than their larger brethren. Even though Clannfear are smaller, they can be more dangerous than Daedroth due to the innate ability to reflect damage, a high defence, and very quick attacks.


 * Clannfear are featured in Battlespire, Morrowind, and Oblivion.
 * Daedroth are featured in Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion.

Atronach
According to the Elder Scrolls, Atronach are Daedra attached to one particular magical element. There are several varieties of atronach, and they vary greatly in terms of strength and physical appearance. All atronach are humanoid in appearance. Flame Atronachs are roughly human in size, appear female, and are colored black, red and orange (in Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind they were male). Flame Atronachs use fire magic to attack their foes. Frost Atronachs are larger in build; in The Elder Scrolls IV they dwarf humans at around 8 feet in height - their bodies are light blue in hue, they are jaggedly shaped as if assembled from huge blocks of ice. They reflect sunlight very heavily. This in itself can be a deterrent during daylight hours, as a combatant dazzled by reflecting light can have difficulty fighting in combat. Storm Atronachs appear to be nothing more than collections of rocks, loosely held together in a humanoid shape by surging arcs of electricity. Their tactics consist of hurling lightning bolts at their foes and crushing them with their rocky bodies when in close combat. Slaying any of these Atronach will allow one to gather elemental salts off of the atronach's remains, which can be used in alchemical mixtures or can be sold. Atronach have no strong connection to any Prince, serving one or another at will. Steel and Flesh Atronachs are increasingly rare, and have not been seen on Tamriel since the events of the Warp in the West. However, in the Shivering Isles expansion to Oblivion, Flesh Atronach again make an appearance.


 * Flame Atronach are featured in Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion.
 * Frost Atronach are featured in Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion.
 * Storm Atronach are featured in Morrowind, and Oblivion.
 * Flesh Atronach are featured in Daggerfall and Shivering isles.

Others

 * Winged Twilight are the only known Daedric creatures capable of flight, they bear some resemblance to Harpies, their skin is a blue color with their skulls being about the same size as a human's, and they also possess large tails. They share features with human females, feminine facial features and hair in a ponytail. They are servants of Azura. Featured in Morrowind.


 * Spider Daedra appear as a kind of spider-centaur, a large spider with a human torso in place of a head. They have the ability to summon Spiderlings and use Shock magic. They are associated with Mephala, and are so unruly and irrational that not even Mephala's worshippers will often summon them, for fear that they will disobey their orders. Featured in Battlespire, Oblivion.


 * Ogrim are enormous Daedra with very little intellect, but which are chiefly sent into the mortal world to menace living things for the amusement of Daedra Princes. Ogrim are associated with Malacath. Featured in Morrowind.


 * Hunger are powerful and violent warriors with some magic ability, associated with Sheogorath in the Shivering Isles and Boethiah in Morrowind. Featured in Morrowind, Shivering Isles.


 * Scamps are small goblin-like creatures, skittish in nature. They are often associated with Mehrunes Dagon. Featured in Battlespire, Morrowind, Oblivion.


 * Vermai appear similar to scamps, but are fairly hardier. Featured in Battlespire, Redguard.


 * Herne and Morphoid Daedra resemble horned scamps, associated with Mehrunes Dagon and Hircine. Featured in Battlespire.

Daedric alphabet
The Daedric alphabet is a typeface of symbols that replace the English alphabet used in The Elder Scrolls video game series. It is incorrect to call Daedric a language, as it is simply an alternate alphabet for the English language.

History and Origins
Daedric alphabet is the written form used by the Daedra and Dunmer of Tamriel. The alphabet is strongly affiliated with magicka (Daedric letters are often referred to as sigils), with various scrolls and tomes (Such as the Mysterium Xarxes in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) written in the Daedric alphabet. The exact source of the alphabet is unknown, it is believed to be the creation of the Daedra themselves, then passed down to the mortal realm.

In actuality, the Daedric alphabet is the creation of Bethesda Softworks, a video game studio located in Rockville, Maryland with a strong emphasis on Role Playing Games. In fact, the PC versions of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion shipped with a Daedric True Type Font.

Character Set


The Daedra use their own calligraphy, but the underlying language is closely similar to the Modern Cyrodiilic language. The following is the best known Daedric character set.

Some letters, such as Doht, Hekhem, and Jeb, have alternate forms. This is due to inconsistencies of these letters throughout the video game series. A possible explanation is cultural differences between the provinces of Morrowind and Cyrodiil, the two areas of Tamriel Daedric writings are seen most. The naming convention of the Daedric lettering strongly resembles that of the real-world Phoenician alphabet.

Xayah and Yahkem
The Daedric letters Xayah (X) and Yahkem (Y) are usually omitted from the Daedric alphabet in scrolls and books found in the games. However, the letter Yahkem makes an appearance in sign and banners in Morrowind, such as the sign outside of Tel Fyr. The letter Xayah has yet to be seen in any Elder Scrolls game. Therefore, its aesthetics are purely speculation at this point and it is unknown why these letters are omitted from the alphabet in the first place.

Writing Customs
In Morrowind, the Dunmer peoples often write words in a cluster form, instead of the standard left to right.

It should be noted that in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, none of the Daedric writings seen in the game are written in cluster form. It would seem that the word cluster is a Dunmeri custom, thus being found prominently throughout Morrowind.

Daedra worship
In the Elder Scrolls, Daedra are widely worshipped in the realms of Tamriel with many shrines located throughout the Empire. Those who worship Daedra see them as gods, their conceptions of their respective Daedric gods varying widely. Mainstream religious authorities such as the Church of the Nine Divines disapprove of the practice. Thus, worshippers are often driven away from various localities in processes resemblant of witchhunts, though during the process many participants are often surprised at the sane, down to earth nature many of the Daedric worshippers (save Mehrunes Dagon's and Sheogorath's) possess, which contrasts greatly with the common perception of blood-drinking baby-eaters. Historically, Orcs and dark elves were common Daedra worshippers, but that has changed recently; The Orcs (Orsimer) who lived in Orsinium mostly worship Trinimac, the former Aedric incarnation of Malacath from before the Velothi exodus, while Imperial endeavors into Morrowind have won converts to the Church of the Nine Divines.

Towards the end of the Third Era Daedra worship became increasingly more prevalent across Tamriel, with several new shrines being established in Cyrodiil and beyond. The popularity of such worship has created some speculation and rumor amongst citizens of Cyrodiil, some expressing alarm and fear, others curiosity. It is possible for one curious of the practice of worship to visit several Daedra shrines in Cyrodiil (or any other province of Tamriel).

In the video game series, Daedra worshippers often relate that they felt "called" to worship the Daedra, and thus worship by choice. Most times a worshipper follows a Daedra that most closely parallels their own conscience. For example, a follower of Nocturnal, the Daedric Prince of Night, might feel a kinship with the darkness, whereas a follower of Mehrunes Dagon may have a great hunger for power.

Conjuring Daedra
In the video game series, worshippers may bind other daedric servants to this plane through rituals and pacts. Such arrangements result in the daedric servant remaining on this plane indefinitely - or at least until their bodily manifestations on this plane are destroyed, precipitating their supernatural essences back to Oblivion. Whenever daedra are encountered at daedric ruins or in tombs, they are almost invariably long-term visitors to the mortal plane.

Most daedric servants can be summoned by sorcerers only for very brief periods, within relatively fragile frameworks of command and binding. Another way daedra are summoned is by pacts made, often the daedric artifacts are lesser daedra bound to our realm by such pacts.

Entering the realm of Oblivion
In the Elder Scrolls, the worshippers of Daedra have also tried to use their conjuring skills to enter their master daedra's realms but this is extremely dangerous even for high level summoners and warlocks. In the fourth entry in the video game series, deep within the Cyrodillic wilderness worshippers of the Daedra Peryite tried to enter his realm of Oblivion only to have it backfire and almost trap them into an eternal purgatory. The worshippers had their souls trapped on Oblivion and their bodies bound to Nirn. This results in a quest given to the player by Peryite to retrieve their souls from Oblivion. The souls could be found wandering in an eternal void without thought spouting out philosophical quotes as they wandered Oblivion.

The only safe mode of travel for worshippers of Daedra and travellers otherwise to enter Oblivion is through the stable portal of an Oblivion gate. These portals were constantly seen at the end of the third age of Tamriel as the Daedra Prince Mehrunes Dagon and his followers planned an invasion of Tamriel. The portals ranged in size from small gates that would open in the wilderness, to the large Great Gates which allowed the Daedra to attack two cities directly. The portals are held open by a Sigil Stone at the top of a large tower inside of the Oblivion world that they linked to. The stone works as an anchor for the gate between the two realms. If the Sigil Stone is taken, the portal collapses, and any beings not native to Oblivion are sent back to Tamriel. In the Shivering Isles expansion, a new gate is opened to Sheogorath's realm of the Shivering Isles. The gate differs in appearance from Mehrunes Dagon's and can remain open indefinitely as the gate poses no threat to Nirn's or Mundus' fabrics of space. A barrier had existed between Nirn and Oblivion, kept alive by the Dragonfires in the temple in the Imperial City. Part of a new emperor's coronation duties was to relight the fires, which are extinguished upon the death of the old emperor. When Emperor Uriel Septim VII died during the events of Oblivion, the Dragonfires were extinguished, allowing Mehrunes Dagon to open portals to Oblivion. The Dragonfires can only be lit by an heir to the throne wielding the Amulet of Kings (the Amulet was stolen by Mankar Camoran in his plot to keep the Dragonfires dim, and thus, the way to Nirn from Oblivion remained open).

In the video game series, there has been one known exception to the aforementioned rule. This was when the currently deceased heir to the Septim bloodline, Martin Septim, opened a portal to Camoran's Paradise (a small island in Mehrunes Dagon's plane of Oblivion dedicated to and controlled by Mankar Camoran) to get the Amulet of Kings. From accounts of the Blades, Martin spent days contemplating the Mysterium Xarxes, the only book to ever be written in Oblivion itself by Mehrunes Dagon in the deserts of suffering and despair. From this, Martin determined that the portal would require four items of almost unbelievable rarity: a Great Sigil Stone, a Great Welkynd Stone, the blood of a Daedra, and the blood of an Aedra. The Champion of Cyrodiil (the player) gathered these through perilous journeys to give to Martin. Martin then opened a portal to Camoran's Paradise where the Champion retrieved the Amulet of Kings from the powerful Daedric worshipper, Camoran himself.

Daedra as "evil" demons
Since the act of creation that brought the mortal world into being, there has been a sharp divide among the immortals, into the Aedra and Daedra. Since most mortal races revere the powerful Aedra as gods, the Daedra are usually cast into the opposing role of demons. Indeed, in many provinces where the human population dominates (such as Cyrodiil), daedra are considered outright evil, and daedra worship is outlawed. This does not stop cults of daedra worship from popping up across Tamriel, and in some locations their worship is accepted, or at least tolerated. In particular, the Dunmer of Morrowind align themselves much more closely with the Daedra Princes, primarily Azura, than any of the Nine Divines.

Scholars are quick to point out that the characterization of Daedra as "evil" is a gross oversimplification. The daedric races in general don't possess the cognitive awareness required to make decisions of "good" and "evil", any more than a rampaging bear or troll. Even the sentient daedra are not evil in the conventional sense. Rather, they are fundamentally different from mortal races, and their existence is one of chaos, change, and dramatic extremes. Mortal concepts of good and evil cannot be easily applied to them, and to the extent that these concepts do apply, daedra exist at both ends of the spectrum.

Most of the Daedra Lords view the mortal races as little more than curiosities, and occasionally entertainment. Sheogorath and Sanguine, for example, can often be found tormenting mortals for their own amusement, but not with the express intent of causing harm. Azura's dealings with mortals, especially his "chosen" Chimer/Dunmer, are almost entirely for their benefit, making him the most "good" of the Daedric Princes. Of course, there are a few Princes, such as Mehrunes Dagon and Molag Bal, who do take true pleasure from causing harm to mortals, and as such, would fit the common definition of "evil". Even Daedric Lords who appear to represent something "good", such as the Daedric Prince of Order, Jyggalag, can cause severe harm to the mortal world when that aspect is taken to its utmost extreme.

The behavior of the lesser daedric races tend to gravitate towards that of their chosen Lord; Dremora have a deep-rooted hatred of men and mer, while Golden Saints interact with them as not-quite-equals. Any natural tendencies of a summoned daedric creature are supplanted by the will of the conjurer, as can be seen by the Tribunal's frequent use of Dremora as guards and protectors.