Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-151.225.142.234-20140517150540/@comment-29458028-20140908073311

Dark Jeto wrote: The only reason the Last Dragonborn is capable of beating him at that point is specifically because they had Nocturnal's direct blessing on their side. There is no in game evidence or even lore evidence to support the fact that you can't beat another Nightingale without being a Nightingale yourself, besides the crap that Karliah said, which might or might not have been truthful. I don't want to say it like this, but it's baseless speculation.

Dark Jeto wrote: How do you think Mercer was able to know that Karliah was waiting for him? Detect life is not exactly hard to buy or cast...

Or how he managed to get all of the treasure out of the Guild's vault without being noticed? The Skeleton key can lockpick any lock and it's most basic function was to unlock every door

Or how he always seemed to be just one step ahead up until the final encounter? He was in the ruin before you, duh, if he was behind he'd be a super scrub and noob.

It's because all the luck that was supposed to be flowing to the Thieve's Guild (the Dragonborn included), was waning, and his own luck and potential was unlocked by the Skeleton Key. You'd think Nocturnal is powerful enough to actually control where her artifact goes...

Nightingales operate as the direct agents of Nocturnal, and thus have a blessing that transcends the luck that flows from Evergloam, and is the only force that can match the Skeleton Key. Uh, the only force that can match the skeleton key? Look at what happened to poor ol Gallus

Dark Jeto wrote: It's not a matter of being physically or mentally superior (not that Mercer wasn't strong or cunning). It was a matter of him having near limitless power, and the Dragonborn not. Your character can be level 150 or whatever, but from a lore perspective, up until you had Nocturnal's sayso, you would have been no match for Mercer, who had all the powers of the Nightingales, the Skeleton Key, and 25 years of experience using it. I'd say Nocturnal would have decreed Mercer to die either way, seeing how disrespectful he is, unless you are telling me Nocturnal is a submissive little b***h that was under Mercer's control which seems strange. Also, nearly limitless power? If the skeleton key could do that, we wouldn't need CHIM, Emantiomorph and Amaranth anymore, would we?

Do we see people using the Skeleton key to "open" the "doors" to Aetherius? I think not. Also, Mercer's powers were not very impressive. You don't see him using nightingale strife or the free mayhem.