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. One of the infamous 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. He came into possession of a Black Book which in turn led to him to servitude under Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Lord of Knowledge and Fate, who taught him a means to great power; a dragon shout capable of bending dragons to his will.

With this forbidden knowledge in his possession, Miraak turned on his dragon masters, using it, and his power as a Dragonborn, to devour their souls to become ever more powerful. Because of his betrayal, the dragons razed his temple on Solstheim.

His rebellion was unsuccessful and was defeated by another Dragon Priest named Vahlok who was then made his jailer, restraining him to Solstheim. Other accounts mention that just as Vahlok was about to kill Miraak, Hermaeus Mora saved him by transporting him to the realm of Apocrypha. The dragons then appointed Vahlok as ruler of the island, but not before he was compelled to swear an oath of vigilance to watch for Miraak's return, earning him the title "The Jailer".

Meanwhile, Miraak stayed in the realm of Hermaeus Mora until he could amass enough power and influence to return to Solstheim, which he was able to do in 4E 201.

Personality
Miraak is a very arrogant individual, believing that his Dragonborn heritage sets him above his former dragon masters. Upon meeting the Last Dragonborn, he can claim that, (unless the main questline has been completed, in which case Miraak will grudgingly state admiration for the player) compared to him, they have only killed a "few dragons" and do not yet know the true power of a Dragonborn, such as himself. He also believes himself above the servitude of Hermaeus Mora. 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.

Despite his arrogance Miraak is shown to be a very powerful individual as he was not only able to defy the Dragons he served but he was also able to devour many of them before his defeat as a total of twenty one different Dragon skeletons can be found both around and within his temple.

Miraak proves to be fiercely independent and seems to be motivated solely by his lust for power. This can be seen not only through his initial betrayal of the Dragons at the height of their power but also through his resistance to the effects of Apocrypha as it is said that all those who venture there become prisoners of their own thirst for knowledge and are unable to leave whereas Miraak appeared unaffected.

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

Dragonborn
Shortly after the quest The Way of the Voice, two cultists will seek out and ask the Dovahkiin if he is truly a Dragonborn. After the conversation they will attack. After 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.

Once on the island, asking around Raven Rock will cause someone to suggest the 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  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. However, Miraak may or may not appear, as he seems to come and go at random intervals.

At the Summit of Apocrypha
Miraak appears one last time at the end of this quest to kill the Dragonborn and devour their soul so that he may return to Solstheim. Miraak begins with a short monologue as his dragon minions, Relonikiv and Kruziikrel, sit perched upon the nearby arches:

"And so the First Dragonborn meets the Last Dragonborn at the summit of Apocrypha. No doubt just as Hermaeus Mora intended. He is a fickle master, you know. But now I will be free of him. My time in Apocrypha is over. You are here in your full power, and thus subject to my full power. You will die. And with the power of your soul, I will return to Solstheim and be master of my own fate again. Kruziikrel! Relonikiv! Now!"

During the battle, the 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 his defeat, Hermaeus Mora appears, impaling him with a tentacle and expresses his disappointment. Then Miraak disintegrates, leaving just a skeleton. Hermaeus Mora then transfers his status to the Last Dragonborn. The Dragonborn then absorbs Miraak's soul, which yields ten dragon souls, plus any that Miraak may have stolen.

Miraak's Mantra
This mantra is repeated by people found working on Miraak's shrines surrounding the All-Maker Stones. They will each say one line when spoken to. In addition, if an All-Maker stone is activated, Miraak's disembodied voice will repeat a variant of the 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 and frost, tame both dragons and mortals, take on the power of a dragon, become ethereal, create cyclones, 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 great damage if they make contact with a target.

Should his enemies get too close, Miraak will use his sword capable of draining stamina in the form of a giant tendril.

Should he sustain damage, he can absorb the souls of dragons to replenish his strength even if another Dragonborn is present showing that his ability to absorb Dragon souls is stronger. This also can occur anywhere in Skyrim and Solstheim whenever a dragon is slain. Miraak may appear and devour its soul before disappearing; this shows that Miraak possessed the ability to travel freely from Apocrypha to Nirn if only temporarily.

Miraak is also the only being who demonstrates a seven worded shout, first he states the Dragon's name (three words) then says the four worded shout Zii Los Dii Du (Spirit Is Mine Devour) to instantly kill a Dragon and absorb its soul even if the Dragon was under the effects of the last Dragonborn's Bend Will shout.

Immunities

 * Full force Unrelenting Force (Briefly staggering is the only effect)
 * Paralysis
 * Wabbajack
 * Mehrunes' Razor instant kill
 * Decapitation
 * Reanimation, such as Dead Thrall.
 * Vampire Lord
 * The damaging liquid pools found on the summit of Apocrypha.

Perks

 * Augmented Shock
 * Bladesman
 * Critical Charge
 * Fighting Stance
 * Magic Resistance
 * Recovery
 * Reduce Damage
 * Respite
 * Savage Strike
 * Extra Damage 2

Equipment

 * Miraak
 * Miraak's Staff
 * Miraak's Gloves
 * Miraak's Robes
 * Miraak's Boots
 * Miraak's Sword

Quests

 * "Send him/her back where he/she came. He/she can await my arrival with the rest of Tamriel!"
 * "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)

When taking a dragon's soul

 * "Not this time, Dragonborn. This one's mine."
 * "It takes a strong will to command a Dragon's soul, perhaps you aren't as powerful as you think"
 * "Do you ever wonder if it hurts, having your soul ripped out like that?" 
 * "This dragon's soul belongs to me" 
 * "Thank you for your help. We will meet again soon."
 * "I grow ever stronger, Dragonborn."
 * "One step closer to my return."

During battle

 * "I know things the Greybeards will never teach you."
 * "Felling Alduin was a mighty 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!"
 * "Fate decreed that you had to die so that I could win my freedom."
 * "The Greybeards taught you well."
 * "You could have been mighty, if fate had decreed otherwise."
 * "You are strong. Stronger than I believed possible."
 * "You fight valiantly against fate, but I am stronger here."
 * "Hermaeus Mora is laughing at us, you know."
 * "This cannot be. I am master of my own fate!"
 * "Yol... Toor Shul!"
 * "Fo... Krah Diin!"
 * "Ven Gaar Nos!"
 * "Kruziikrel, zii los dii du!" (Your soul is mine to devour)
 * "Relonikiv, zii los dii du!"
 * "Sahrotaar, zii los dii du!"
 * "Hiding is beneath you, Dragonborn." (If invisible)
 * "Join the last Dragonborn in his/her destruction." (when fighting Sahrotaar)
 * "So, you use my own Shout against me. You learn quickly." (when using Dragon Aspect)
 * "Ha, it seems you failed"

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."
 * Miraak is tied with Arngeir as the highest level NPC in the game.
 * The shout that Miraak uses to kill the dragons has four Words of Power, instead of the usual three. If the names of the dragons are included, it becomes seven words, as dragon names are traditionally made up of three Words of Power.
 * In the official pre-release trailer and artwork, Miraak's robes are purple but in-game they appear brownish green.
 * Although leader of the Acolytes, he is overall less powerful than Zahkriisos, one of his Dragon Priest Cultists.
 * A lot of Miraak's dialogue was cut. It seems that the Last Dragonborn and Miraak converse longer before the battle at the Summit of Apocrypha takes place. Some of these lines include "I grieve that you must meet your end this way but necessity demands it." "You..You are the true Dragonborn.." and "Well fought, Dragonborn, but I'm afraid this is not over. I shall return and take what is mine." Which may suggest that another battle was to take place or Hermaeus Mora does not kill Miraak and he escapes.
 * Miraak is capable of controlling dragons such as Krosulhah in Solstheim while residing in Apocrypha.

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 Miraak appears after a dragon has been killed and the dragon does not release its soul, he may say nothing and become stuck in the ethereal form. While he is in this form, the quest "At the Summit of Apocrypha" cannot be completed. The Dragonborn reads the Black Book, is transported to Apocrypha and cannot move, cast spells, access menus or even change into first person.
 * If too much damage is dealt to Miraak, he will be unable to fully replenish his health and will be stuck in ethereal form, unable to be attacked or killed and thus unable to be defeated. This can happen at any of the three 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.
 * Turning invisible and waiting until you are hidden forces etheral to end as it only works if he is in combat.
 * Another fix to this, is to get back on Sahrotaar after getting off in front of Miraak. Then attack the dragons flying around instead of him. This will force him to absorb them when they reach zero health, and thus stop him from taking the ghost form. After both dragons are dead, start attacking Miraak. At some point, he'll absorb Sahrotaar after forcing him to land. There will be a small drop to the ground, but only of a few feet. the Dragonborn will get back up and can finish him off.
 * this can also be fixed by using console command "resurrect" on him and then killing him.
 * After killing Miraak his body disappears and can not be looted.
 * Using the console command TCL may reveal his skeleton under the podium of the Black Book.
 * The Dragonborn may absorb the Dragon's soul, and Miraak be left stuck in ethereal form.
 * After Miraak is defeated, he does not get impaled by Hermaus Mora, and gets stuck under the map.
 * Even if you loot Miraak's Sword it might still be visible on the ground.

Appearances




Miraak Miraak Miraak Miraak Мирак (Жрец) Miraak