Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-71.226.242.68-20131113201112/@comment-121511-20150306191050

Nothing presented in the games contradicts what I've already stated. However, the lore presented in the games only scratches the surface of the nature of Elder Scrolls metaphysics: using the games as the only source from which to draw conclusions presents a very short-sighted picture, as the games are purposely not so large in scope as to involve those larger concepts.

First, you have to understand that the Aedra are not good, and the Daedra are not evil. Quite literally the only distinction between an Aedroth and a Daedroth is that the former participated in Creation, while the latter did not: "Our Ancestor" as opposed to "Not Our Ancestor". Different cultures have different views on different Aedric Aspects: Auriel was the enemy of mankind and champion of elves, and surely none appreciate Alduin very much. Good and evil are very subjective terms without absolutes, but Aedra and Daedra don't even operate on that scale to begin with.

Second, you have to understand that the original Eight, from which all the various Aedric Aspects were shed, have never acted on Nirn. They cannot, as they are for all intents and purposes dead as Lorkhan is. It was not Aka that manifested to defeat Mehrunes Dagon, it was Akatosh. It was not Kyn who directed Paarthurnax to teach the Thu'um to mortals, it was Kyne.

Third, you have to understand the nature of mythopoeia and Aedric Aspects. Mythopoeia is the force by which the beliefs of mortals shed new Gods (Aspects) from the corpses of the original Eight Aedra, shape them, and determine their actions and personalities. While all of the Eight have had Aspects shed from them, Aka has been shattered countless times, leading to the multitude of fragments that we can see. Auriel, Alkosh, Alduin, (arguably) Ruptga, (arguably) Tosh Raka, Akatosh, and the old Aka-Tusk are all Aspects of Aka that were mythopoeically shed in accordance with the beliefs of mortal cultures. While the original Eight have never acted on Nirn, their Aspects have, and frequently. However, these Aspects only act as the cultures that shaped them believe them to act: in a way it is a self-fulfilling prophecy, as mortal belief that an Aspect will do something leads to the Aspect doing just that, in turn fueling more mortal belief.

Fourth, you have to understand the nature of "power" as it relates to Gods in The Elder Scrolls. Power here is not simply a quantifiable "power level": it has contextual limitations. One God may defeat another God in one situation, and be bested by that same God with nothing different except the context of the battle. Both the Aedra and Daedra are limited in how they can apply their power on Nirn because power depends on context. A Daedroth has most power when acting in his sphere of influence and when acting within his Plane of Oblivion: this is why the Daedric Princes are invulnerable in their Plane, and cannot be beaten. All Gods, really, save Man-Gods, depend on context to apply their power to its fullest. The Hoon Ding is not a formidable force unless it is making way for the Redguards, in which case it is unstoppable. In the same vein, Alduin is not the inexorable and all-consuming maw unless it is the end of the Kalpa: when it is the time for the Kalpa to end, however, not even the combined might of all the Gods can stop him from eating the world to make way for the new.

Further, both the Aedra and the Daedra are not omnipotent, omniscient deities: they are limited in how they can apply their power, and they are limited in what they know or can know. It is not within the ability of the Aedra to determine who does what or how, but they can provide nudges, as is evident with the manifestations of Mara and Zenithar to the Nerevarine. This is my entire point on the Aspects of the Aedra: they lack agency in that their actions are dependent on the contexts of cultural belief that are intrinsic to their being, and they are limited in how much they can affect the mortal plane without intermediaries. To go back to my examples earlier, Akatosh required Martin Septim and the Amulet of Kings in order to manifest himself, and Kyne required Paarthurnax to teach the Thu'um to mortalkind in her stead.

And the reason the Daedra cannot conquer Mundus under normal circumstances? That's the work of Akatosh, because it is a part of what the Imperials believe him to do. Prior to the Oblivion Crisis the Divine Covenant was the intermediary, afterward it was Martin-Septim-as-Avatar. Before Saint Alessia, the Daedric Princes could manifest on Nirn themselves, and various texts detail the conflicts between the Aedric Aspects of the Aldmer and the Daedric Princes. Even then, however, it was far more difficult for a lesser Daedroth to manifest on Nirn than a Prince.

While Daedra have self-agency, however, they have entirely different limitations placed on them as compared to the Aedra. It's a consequence of residing in Oblivion. As was outlined in the Aldudagga when Alduin created Mehrunes Dagon, they can normally only be summoned on particular summoning days or under specific circumstances, many days apart from one another.