History MagnificentBastard / TheElderScrolls

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-->-- '''Hermaeus Mora''' to the '''Last Dragonborn''', ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSSkyrim Skyrim]]'' (''Dragonborn'' {{DLC}})

* [[Characters/TheElderScrollsDaedra Daedric Princes]]:
** [[GoodIsNotNice Azura]], [[DarkIsNotEvil Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn]], is one of the few Daedric Prince who solicits mortal worship and has come to be known as one of the few "good" Daedric Princes for her charisma and affability. Azura is the one responsible for orchestrating the Nerevarine Prophecy in order to get back at the Chimer and the Tribunal for--as she claims--abusing her sacred gift the Heart of Lorkhan to achieve divinity and causing the death of her champion Nerevar. In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' Azura acts as the guide for the Nerevarine, and through them seamlessly manipulates the destruction of the Heart, the downfall of the Tribunal and the death of Dagoth Ur. Knowing the demise of the Tribunal would also result in the destruction of Morrowind, Azura shepherds all of her followers out of the doomed province and basks in their renewed worship, all of her divine rivals now out of the picture and her LongGame complete.
** [[EldritchAbomination Hermaeus Mora]], [[KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge Daedric Prince of Knowledge]], has a monstrous, formless appearance that belies a mind possibly more cunning than any other Daedric Prince in existence. Constantly seeking to [[KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge hoard knowledge of all sorts]] to fill the shelves of his arcane library Apocrypha through gambits atop of gambits, Mora bargains with servitors seeking Mora's secrets, rewarding those who are earnest and horribly punishing those who renege on his gifts. In the ''Dragonborn'' expansion to ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', Mora realizes his current servant, the Dragonborn Miraak, is attempting to betray him, Mora executes a plan to manipulate the Last Dragonborn into killing and replacing him, simultaneously using them to wrest the long-held secrets of the Skaal by refusing to grant them the last Word of Power necessary to defeat Miraak until they do so. Mora ends up completely untouchable in the end, musing that all the Last Dragonborn has and will do is [[JustAsPlanned according to his grand design]].
** [[WarGod Hircine]], [[EgomaniacHunter Daedric Prince of the Hunt]] and the patron of all lycanthropes, is characterized by his love of HuntingTheMostDangerousGame and distinguished by his unusually rigid code of honor for a Daedric Prince. Hircine adores the cultivation of a WorthyOpponent, always giving his prey a chance to fight back and celebrating whenever his prey turns the tables and becomes the hunter. When fighting the Nerevarine, Hircine holds back his own power and admits fighting at his full strength would be "less than sporting." No less ruthless or cunning than his brethren, Hircine coveted the great Bosmer hunter Gwaering as a trophy and so manipulated the feelings of her bitter would-be lover Ulthorn, sending Ulthorn on a path of conquest that would have simultaneously spread Hircine's influence all aross Valenwood and made Gwaering his own.
** [[SpiritAdviser Nocturnal]], [[TheSacredDarkness Daedric Prince of Night and Shadows]], is one of the most mysterious of the Daedric Princes. Nocturnal wins followers through subtle influence and persuasion, spurning outright worship while coming to her would-be dedicants in times of personal crisis so she can "comfort" them and win their loyalty while they're most vulnerable. Ruthless and secretive while ever pushing her followers to strive for their best, Nocturnal's grandest outing came in Summerset when she manipulated Sotha Sil, the Psijiic Order, and two of her own fellow Daedric Princes Clavicus Vile and Mephala all in a bid to use the reality-warping Crystal Tower to achieve omnipotence, a goal she comes within a hairsbreadth of.
** [[TheHedonist Sanguine]], [[FunPersonified Daedric Prince of Drunkenness, Revelry, Debauchery and Hedonism]] will ever tempt mortals into lives of sin and hedonism, [[TheCorrupter luring them into indulgence]] all in the name of good fun. A [[TheTrickster reasonable, good natured prankster]] who nevertheless represents some of the darkest aspects of sin, Sanguine appears in several games where he demonstrates a cheerful charisma and will lure an intoxicated hero into marrying a hagraven simply for his amusement. In his most audacious act, Sanguine tasks the hero with reciting a certain spell to break up a party he considers too formal and stuffy, not revealing it will undress everyone there, to Sanguine's [[ItAmusedMe boundless amusement]].

* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]'': [[EvilChancellor Jagar Tharn]] was once the closest advisor to Emperor Uriel Septim yet secretly had his own grand designs for Tamriel. Becoming the Imperial Battlemage, Tharn [[TreacherousAdvisor fed into the Emperor's ambitions]] to cause aggressive expansion throughout the Empire and satisfied his ego by appearing as a weak councilor when Septim became suspicious. Stealing the powerful Staff of Chaos, Tharn trapped the Emperor in Oblivion and used illusions [[TheUsurper to take his place]] on the throne to intentionally weaken the Empire for Mehrunes Dagon. Tharn then drained the staff and broke it into pieces he hid throughout Tamriel to ensure [[CrazyPrepared it couldn't be used against him]], yet the Eternal Champion escaped from Tharn's prison and did just that. Coming to see the Champion as a worthy foe, Tharn fought valiantly to the very end and managed to leave a legacy of distrust in the Septim Dynasty.
* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'': [[VisionaryVillain Gortwog gro-Nagorm]], Warlord of the [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orsimer]], is a surprisingly skilled diplomat and political genius who sought to create an orcish homeland respected by the other races of Tamriel. Acquiring a letter revealing the [[HumongousMecha ancient Numidium]] and the means to control it were in High Rock, Gortwog sent copies to all the rulers in Illiac Bay to [[LetNoCrisisGoToWaste create strife and a chaotic scramble]] for the artifact while making his own moves toward it. He aids the witch mistress of King Lysandus to put his spirit to rest to secure her aid in acquiring Numidium's power source, and weakens the nation of Wayrest by [[MaliciousSlander releasing a shocking biography]] that shames Wayrest's queen. Ultimately drawn into a cataclysmic event that warped space and time, Gortwog's schemes nevertheless [[TheExtremistWasRight came to fruition]] with the creation of the orcish kingdom of Orsinium and the recognition of his people as valued citizens of the Empire.
* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'':
** [[GentlemanThief "Gentleman" Jim Stacey]] is the leader of the Morrowind ThievesGuild and seeks to expands his organization's influence in a xenophobic nation. A charismatic and quick thinking master thief, he fights back against his criminal rivals the [[TheMafia Camonna Tong]] and their Fighter's Guild puppets by cleansing the latter of its corrupt leadership. Using bribery and blackmail to turn a few leaders to his side, he eventually organizes the assassination of the Fighter's Guild leader to ensure to the Tong is too weak to further target his people. Outside of such dirty business, Stacey shows his softer side by reviving the [[JustLikeRobinHood Bal Molagmer order]] to aid the less fortunate in Vvardenfell, while also improving his guild's image in the eyes of the common people. Between stealing valuables for overtaxed peasants and giving them lands deeds to save their homes, [[KarmicThief he uncovers corruption]] in many of the higher echelons of dark elf society, and he ultimately retires content with the future of his guild ensured.
** [[ChivalrousPervert Crassius Curio]] is the perverse yet charming Hlaalu councilor who stands out as being one of the few humans in power amongst the dunmer Great Houses. A skilled playwright known for writing bawdy performances, Crassius uses his reputation as a sex maniac to have his rivals [[ObfuscatingStupidity underestimate him]] and give him opportunities to undermine the great corruption in House Hlaalu. He uses his "[[AffectionateNickname dumpling]]", [[PlayerCharacter the Nerevarine]], as a spy to reveal a governor was stealing ebony from the mine in his city and have him arrested and then to extort and later kill a smuggler who was transporting [[ArtifactOfDoom Sixth House artifacts]]. Nevertheless pragmatic, Crassius was willing to accept bribes and order assassinations of rival House members to ensure his own powerbase if it ultimately ended the stranglehold the Camonna Tong had on the Hlaalu.
** [[BenevolentMageRuler Master Aryon]] is the [[OnlySaneMan last truly sane]] Telvanni councilor who seeks to save his xenophobic and isolationist Great House from their own self destructive ways. Seeking to replace the self serving Archmagister, he grooms the Nerevarine to one day take the position by using them as his agent and guiding them into becoming a powerful sorcerer. In the meantime, Aryon secures his own position by gathering other mages as allies through skilled diplomacy or impromptu rescue and makes the Telvanni stronger by ordering the assassination of key targets in rival Great Houses and leveraging council support to turn Imperial laws to his advantage. Once his powerbase is secure, Aryon calls on the now magically skilled Nerevarine to [[KlingonPromotion challenge and replace]] the current Archmagister to finally have a leader who shares his values and secure the future of [[TheMagocracy Great House Telvanni]].
** ''Tribunal'' [[DownloadableContent DLC]]: [[TheUsurper King Hlaalu Helseth]] is the cunning son of dark elf Queen Barenziah who always plotted to make a throne of his own. First using blackmail and subtle threats against his step sister Elysana in a failed bid for Wayrest, he and his mother returned to their homeland of Morrowind where Helseth [[MasterPoisoner poisoned his uncle and cousin]] to become king in Mournhold. A master manipulator, he used elaborate plots to rid his court of spies and assassins against key threats to solidify his position on the throne. Eventually sending the Dark Brotherhood against the Nerevarine, Helseth is confronted by them [[KlingonPromotion yet turns the hero to his side]] to root out plots against him in the Tribunal Temple and Dunmer nobility. Eventually growing suspicious of Almalexia herself, Helseth uses the Nerevarine to infiltrate her inner circle and eventually kill her to secure his imperial-backed throne as the sole power in Morrowind.

* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'':
** [[KingOfThieves The Gray Fox]] is the leader of the Cyrodiil ThievesGuild and a mysterious rogue whose plans and identity are hidden behind the ancient Gray Cowl of Nocturnal. Known only in [[ShroudedInMyth rumors and hearsay]] to commoners, he ensures his guild's secrecy by caring for the homeless and using them as spies and only offering membership to criminals who pass cleverly devised trials. In reality Count Umbranox of Anvil cursed by the Cowl [[RetGone with eternal anonymity]], he masterminds the ultimate heist of one of the Elder Scrolls themselves. He first organizes his guard captain nemesis reassigned to protect his countess wife and uses a magical crystal he had stolen to spy on the Imperial Palace. Using this information, he flawlessly plans the heist to allow his accomplice to sneak into the palace through a forgotten tunnel and even be handed one of the scrolls under a guise. Ultimately revealed to have planned the heist not out of glory, the Gray Fox uses the Elder Scroll to undue his curse and reunite with his beloved wife.
** [[HypercompetentSidekick Modryn Oreyn]] is the competent second-in-command of the Cyrodiil [[AdventureGuild Fighter's Guild]] serving under the ineffectual Master Vilena Donton. A skilled leader and warrior, Modryn has been singlehandedly holding the faltering guild together in their bitter rivalry with [[PrivateMilitaryContractors the Blackwood Company]]. Losing men and contracts to their rivals, Modryn mentors a new guild member and has them uncover corrupt dealings from their rival before being expelled from the guild after the Blackwood murder the master's son. Even without access to guild resources, he sends his protege to kidnap and then torture a Blackwood leader for information before finally sending his agent to infiltrate the Company's headquarters and destroy their [[PsychoSerum source of maddening power]]. Modryn ultimately regains his authority after ensuring the fall of the Blackwood Company and the survival of the Fighter's Guild.
** [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Count Janus Hassildor]] of Skingrad is the beloved and respected ruler of the most prosperous county in the Imperial homeland, despite living a double life as a vampire. [[BoomerangBigot Regarding most vampires as barbaric monsters]], Janus spent countless hours researching a cure and hires a vampiric ally to find the witch that could cure his comatose wife and finally give her peace. While only a nominal ally of the Mage's Guild, Janus aids them in their war against necromancy. Knowing his steward is a necromancer spy, the Count allows the Mage's Guild envoy to fall into a trap [[TrickAndFollowPloy to lure out the spy's cohorts]] and eliminate them all while rescuing the envoy. Acquiring vital information about [[EvilSorceror Mannimarco]]'s return, Janus takes advantage of the Guild's desperation to have their agent eliminate a coven of vampires and the hunters they attracted to keep his hands clean of the whole bloody affair.
** [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Seridur]] is a well respected elven aristocrat who founded the Order of the Virtuous Blood to cleanse the Imperial City of vampires, yet, in truth, [[BeneathTheMask is a vampire himself]]. He created the Order as a front to throw off suspicion of himself and others of his kind and to lull the people into a false sense of security to make his hunts easier. Becoming enamored of the wife of Roland Jenseric, Seridur tried to seduce and feed on her but was caught in the act by Roland. Accidentally killing her, he knocks out Roland and [[FrameUp frames him for the murder]], sending the Champion of Cyrodiil to silence Roland under the pretense that he is the vampire. Predicting the Champion would side with Roland, Seridur lures them into a vampire-infested cave to weaken them before their confrontation and intends the hide their corpse and later eliminate remaining loose ends.
* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'':
** [[ClassyCatBurglar Karliah Indoril]] was once the co-leader of the Skyrim ThievesGuild alongside her lover Gallus, but was framed into exile for his death by his real murderer, Mercer Frey. Thriving in exile, she first tries to cut off the guild from their financial support, Black-Briar Meadery, by cutting off honey supplies and even funding a rival meadery for competition. These plans foiled by a rising thief, Karliah tricks them and Mercer to a ruin wherein she tricks Mercer into confessing and turns the new thief to her side. Having Gallus's journal translated from a cipher, she reveals Mercer's betrayal to the rest of the guild and shows herself to be a Nightingale, an agent of Nocturnal, and seeks to retrieve the stolen SkeletonKey from Mercer. [[DealWithTheDevil Leveraging the souls of her fellows]] into Nocturnal's service as new Nightingales, Karliah has them help her track down and kill Mercer, return the Skeleton Key to her mistress to regain her standing, and ultimately reunite with her lover's spirit one last time.
** [[AffablyEvil Brynjolf]], a successful thief who became one of the higher ups of the Thieves' Guild, introduces the protagonist to the questline. Seeing the protagonist's potential even if they fail his test, Brynjolf recruits them in the Guild, advises them and task them to commit various missions and thefts, [[PragmaticVillainy tasking them to avoid killing out of pragmatism]], eventually discovering the [[TheChessmaster equally brilliant Karliah's]] scheme and that Mercer framed her. Brynjolf tasks the player to break into Mercer's house to find out his plan, stealing the two "Eyes Of The Falmer" to run off with them and become rich. Brynjolf becomes a Nightingale along with the player and aids them with infiltrating the dwarven ruins to catch Mercer. After Mercer's death and with the Guild having regained its previous glory, Brynjolf promotes the player to Guildmaster, the latter having successfully proven his worth under his wing. Balancing his deeds with a [[FriendToAllChildren soft spot for children]], Brynjolf proves to be both an excellent mentor and thief.
** [[TheBaroness Astrid]] is the motherly leader of the last Dark Brotherhood sanctuary and seeks to restore the glory days when her family's name was feared and respected. Kidnapping the Dragonborn no matter where they sleep, Astrid orders them to kill one of three hostages, not to find the one under an actual contract, but to [[SecretTestOfCharacter test if they will kill on command]] and invites them to the Brotherhood. Later on, Astrid's command is tested when the mythical Night Mother arrives with her insane keeper and names the agent the new Listener and orders the murder of the Emperor himself. Astrid's plans go flawlessly by luring the target to Skyrim by having his cousin murdered at her wedding, weakening his security by framing the guard captain's son as a traitor, and having the Listener kill and replace a renown chef that will be cooking for the Emperor. Threatened by the Night Mother's authority, Astrid [[UriahGambit sells out the Listener]] to the Emperor's vengeful bodyguard, yet ultimately [[SuicideByCop arranges her own execution]] in repentance and hands control over to the Listener.
** [[KnightTemplar Madanach]], the King in Rags and leader of the Forsworn, attempted to [[RebelLeader lead his people]] in a violent revolt against the corrupt Nords who occupied the Reach, landing himself in a prison cell within Cidhna Mine and the Forsworn in the pocket of Thonar Silver-Blood. Despite what Thonar believes, Madanach is far from under his control; when the Dragonborn meets Madanach, he's still [[HundredPercentAdorationRating fanatically adored by his own people]] and is in the midst of preparing another breakout. Madanach attempts to convince the Dragonborn to join him by amicably explaining his motivations and his justifiable grudge against the Nords running the Reach, and should the Dragonborn elect to join him, Madanach has them prove their loyalty by killing a traitor before breaking out of Cidnha Mine and personally killing Thonar. [[HiddenDepths Far from the barbarian]] the Forsworn are commonly made out to be, if Madanach is freed, he's last seen giving the Dragonborn the parting gift of his armor and preparing to lead another, even bloodier revolution to take over the Reach once again.
** ''Dawnguard'' [[DownloadableContent DLC]]:
*** [[VampireMonarch Valerica]] is Serana's mother who ruled alongside [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Lord Harkon]] in Castle Volkihar, spending her time experimenting with alchemy and necromancy. Opposing Harkon's delusions of the [[TheNightThatNeverEnds Tyranny Of The Sun Prophecy]], knowing it would rally all alliances to wipe out vampire-kind, Valerica sealed Serana in a tomb to protect her and to keep Harkon advancing with the prophecy. Seeking to keep herself safe, Valerica constructed a portal to the Soul Carin to allow her to escape and continue with her experiments. Despite being sealed in a keep by the Ideal Masters after they attempted to harvest her soul, Valerica ends up in a stalemate against them, showing no intentions of allowing them to take her soul. When called out for her actions by Serana, Valerica realises how she's unfairly used Serana to spite Harkon and aids the heroes with fighting [[{{Dracolich}} Durnehviir]]. With Harkon's demise, Valerica will show genuine gratitude for all the player has done for her and will return to Castle Volkihar to continue with her experiments.
*** [[OurElvesAreDifferent Vyrthur]] was the Arch Curate of Auriel's Chantry before becoming infected with vampirism by one of the initiates. Feeling spited by Auriel despite his loyalties to the god, Vyrthur enacted revenge, knowing he couldn't physically harm Auriel but is able to negate his influence on the mortal realm. Vyrthur let in a horde of falmer to wipe out the other initiates before encasing them in ice. To weaponise Auriel's bow to negate his influence, Vyrthur created the [[TheNightThatNeverEnds Tyranny Of The Sun prophecy]] knowing it will draw in Pure Blood Vampires and save him from having to leave the Chantry. When The Dragonborn and Serana confront Vyrthur, he [[NoNonsenseNemesis immediately utilises the frozen falmer as a small army]] to harvest Serana's blood for his goals.
** ''Dragonborn'' DLC: [[HiddenVillain Vendil Severin]] is a dark elf seeking revenge on Councillor Morvayn for the [[AvengingTheVillain death of his ancestor]]. Arriving at Raven Rock, Vendil disguises his true intentions by acting as a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity benefit to the community]], helping the others and sharing his wealth. Meanwhile, Vendil has had members of the Morag Tong training in an old fort to help him enact his revenge and deal with the Redoran Guard, later seeing an [[OpportunisticBastard opportunity to strike]] when they're distracted by the Ash Spawn attacks. Despite being found out, Vendil still manages to have two of the Redoran Guard's finest warriors taken out when they scouted his fort.

* [[Literature/TheElderScrollsInUniverseBooks In-Universe Books]]: ''A Hypothetical Treachery'': The tricky Dunmer battlemage [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Inzoliah]] first demonstrates her cunning when she tricks and slays two members of her own adventuring party in order to make off with their valuable treasure alone. Left at an impasse with the one other mage of the group and both of them now forced to wait for their magicka to regenerate, Inzoliah affably banters with the mage about a "[[KansasCityShuffle hypothetical treachery]]" between them, bouncing ideas back and forth about how they'd slay the other. Inzoliah suggests that if she were to incapacitate the mage but he were to survive, Inzoliah would leave him a healing potion as a token of respect. When Inzoliah is injured herself, the mage leaves her a healing potion, ignorant of the fact Inzoliah had secretly been leeching away his life and magic the whole while. When Inzoliah meets the fatigued mage later down the road and he asks if she'd return his gesture, Inzoliah denies him: "[[PragmaticVillainy she doesn't sound like a fool]]."

-->-- '''Hermaeus Mora''' to the '''Last Dragonborn''', ''VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}'' (''Dragonborn'' {{DLC}})

** [[KnightTemplar Madanach]], the King in Rags and leader of the Forsworn, attempted to [[RebelLeader lead his people]] in a violent revolt against the corrupt Nords who occupied the Reach, landing himself in a prison cell within Cidhna Mine and the Forsworn in the pocket of Thonar Silver-Blood. Despite what Thonar believes, Madanach is far from under his control; when the Dragonborn meets Madanach, he's still [[OneHundredPercentAdorationRating fanatically adored by his own people]] and is in the midst of preparing another breakout. Madanach attempts to convince the Dragonborn to join him by amicably explaining his motivations and his justifiable grudge against the Nords running the Reach, and should the Dragonborn elect to join him, Madanach has them prove their loyalty by killing a traitor before breaking out of Cidnha Mine and personally killing Thonar. [[HiddenDepths Far from the barbarian]] the Forsworn are commonly made out to be, if Madanach is freed, he's last seen giving the Dragonborn the parting gift of his armor and preparing to lead another, even bloodier revolution to take over the Reach once again.

*** [[OurElvesAreDifferent Vyrthur]] was the Arch Curate of Auriel's Chantry, a safe refuge for snow elves after being driven out by the Nords. Becoming infected with vampirism by one of his own initiates, Vyrthur felt spited by Auriel despite his loyalty to him and decided to enact revenge. Vyrthur let in a horde of falmer to wipe out the other initiates,apart from his brother and then sealed the falmer in ice. Knowing he couldn't harm Auriel physically, Vyrthur created the Tyranny Of The Sun prophecy to negate his influence on the mortal realm. Because of the prophecy requiring the blood of a pure blooded vampire, Vyrthur knew to bide his time until one came to him rather than go out and search for himself. When The Dragonborn and Serana confront Vyrthur to get Auriel's Bow, Vyrthur doesn't waste time with theatrics and immediately uses the falmer he had frozen as a small army to fulfill his goals.

*** [[VampireMonarch Valerica]] is Serana's mother who ruled alongside Harkon in Castle Volkihar spending her time experimenting with alchemy and necromancy. When Harkon hears of the Tyranny Of The Sun prophecy, Valerica seals Serana in a tomb for centuries to protect her from being killed. To hide herself, Valerica managed to construct a portal to the Soul Carin where she'll be able to hide and still continue her experiments. Trying to bargain with the Ideal Masters there, Valerica ended up having to fight for herself when the Ideal Masters would rather have her soul. Escaping to a keep after fighting the Keepers, Valerica ended up sealed in when, resulting in a stalemate against the Ideal Masters as they wouldn't let her out but she had no intention of giving herself up. When The Dragonborn and Serana meet Valerica, Valerica explains that she opposed the prophecy because she knew that it would cause an alliance to try and wipe vampires out not before apologising to Serana. When the heroes open the keep, Valerica assists them to fight [[DracoLich Durnehviir]]. After Harkon is killed, Valerica will show genuine gratitude to The Dragonborn for what they've done and for protecting Serana.

** [[GentlemanThief "Gentleman" Jim Stacey]] is the leader of the Morrowind ThievesGuild and seeks to expands his organization's influence in a xenophobic nation. A charismatic and quick thinking master thief, he fights back against his criminal rivals the [[TheMafia Camonna Tong]] and their Fighter's Guild puppets by cleansing the latter of its corrupt leadership. Using bribery and blackmail to turn a few leaders to his side, he eventually organizes the assassination of the Fighter's Guild leader to ensure to the Tong is too weak to further target his people. Outside of such dirty business, Stacey shows his softer side by reviving the [[JustLikeRobinHood Bal Molagmer order]] to aid the less fortunate in Vvardenfell, while also improving his guild's image in the eyes of the common people. Between stealing valuables for overtaxed peasants and giving them lands deeds to save their homes, [[KarmicThief he uncovers corruption]] in many of the higher echelons of dark elf society, and he ultimately retires content with the future of his guild ensured.
** [[TheUsurper King Hlaalu Helseth]] is the cunning son of dark elf Queen Barenziah who always plotted to make a throne of his own. First using blackmail and subtle threats against his step sister Elysana in a failed bid for Wayrest, he and his mother returned to their homeland of Morrowind where Helseth [[MasterPoisoner poisoned his uncle and cousin]] to become king in Mournhold. A master manipulator, he used elaborate plots to rid his court of spies and assassins against key threats to solidify his position on the throne. Eventually sending the Dark Brotherhood against the Nerevarine, Helseth is confronted by them [[KlingonPromotion yet turns the hero to his side]] to root out plots against him in the Tribunal Temple and Dunmer nobility. Eventually growing suspicious of Almalexia herself, Helseth uses the Nerevarine to infiltrate her inner circle and eventually kill her to secure his imperial-backed throne as the sole power in Morrowind.

** [[HypercompetentSidekick Modryn Oreyn]] is the competent second-in-command of the Cyrodiil [[AdventureGuild Fighter's Guild]] serving under the ineffectual Master Vilena Donton. A skilled leader and warrior, Modryn has been singlehandedly holding the faltering guild together in their bitter rivalry with [[PrivateMilitaryContractors the Blackwood Company]]. Losing men and contracts to their rivals, Modryn mentors a new guild member and has them uncover corrupt dealings from their rival before being expelled from the guild after the Blackwood murder the master's son. Even without access to guild resources, he sends his protege to kidnap and then torture a Blackwood leader for information before finally sending his agent to infiltrate the Company's headquarters and destroy their [[PsychoSerum source of maddening power]]. Modryn ultimately regains his authority after ensuring the fall of the Blackwood Company and the survival of the Fighter's Guild.

** [[TheBaroness Astrid]] is the motherly leader of the last Dark Brotherhood sanctuary and seeks to restore the glory days when her family's name was feared and respected. Kidnapping the Dragonborn no matter where they sleep, Astrid orders them to kill one of three hostages, not to find the one under an actual contract, but to [[SecretTestOfCharacter test if they will kill on command]] and invites them to the Brotherhood. Later on, Astrid's command is tested when the mythical Night Mother arrives with her insane keeper and names the agent the new Listener and orders the murder of the Emperor himself. Astrid's plans go flawlessly by luring the target to Skyrim by having his cousin murdered at her wedding, weakening his security by framing the guard captain's son as a traitor, and having the Listener kill and replace a renown chef that will be cooking for the Emperor. Threatened by the Night Mother's authority, Astrid [[UriahGambit sells out the Listener]] to the Emperor's vengeful bodyguard, yet ultimately [[SuicideByCop arranges her own execution]] in repentance and hands control over to the Listener.

** [[VampireMonarch Valerica]] is Serana's mother who ruled alongside Harkon in Castle Volkihar spending her time experimenting with alchemy and necromancy. When Harkon hears of the Tyranny Of The Sun prophecy, Valerica seals Serana in a tomb for centuries to protect her from being killed. To hide herself, Valerica managed to construct a portal to the Soul Carin where she'll be able to hide and still continue her experiments. Trying to bargain with the Ideal Masters there, Valerica ended up having to fight for herself when the Ideal Masters would rather have her soul. Escaping to a keep after fighting the Keepers, Valerica ended up sealed in when, resulting in a stalemate against the Ideal Masters as they wouldn't let her out but she had no intention of giving herself up. When The Dragonborn and Serana meet Valerica, Valerica explains that she opposed the prophecy because she knew that it would cause an alliance to try and wipe vampires out not before apologising to Serana. When the heroes open the keep, Valerica assists them to fight [[DracoLich Durnehviir]]. After Harkon is killed, Valerica will show genuine gratitude to The Dragonborn for what they've done and for protecting Serana.
** [[OurElvesAreDifferent Vyrthur]] was the Arch Curate of Auriel's Chantry, a safe refuge for snow elves after being driven out by the Nords. Becoming infected with vampirism by one of his own initiates, Vyrthur felt spited by Auriel despite his loyalty to him and decided to enact revenge. Vyrthur let in a horde of falmer to wipe out the other initiates,apart from his brother and then sealed the falmer in ice. Knowing he couldn't harm Auriel physically, Vyrthur created the Tyranny Of The Sun prophecy to negate his influence on the mortal realm. Because of the prophecy requiring the blood of a pure blooded vampire, Vyrthur knew to bide his time until one came to him rather than go out and search for himself. When The Dragonborn and Serana confront Vyrthur to get Auriel's Bow, Vyrthur doesn't waste time with theatrics and immediately uses the falmer he had frozen as a small army to fulfill his goals.

** [[TheHedonist Sanguine]], [[FunPersonified Daedric Prince of Drunkenness, Revelry, Debauchery and Hedonism]] will ever tempt mortals into lives of sin and hedonism, [[TheCorruptor luring them into indulgence]] all in the name of good fun. A [[TheTrickster reasonable, good natured prankster]] who nevertheless represents some of the darkest aspects of sin, Sanguine appears in several games where he demonstrates a cheerful charisma and will lure an intoxicated hero into marrying a hagraven simply for his amusement. In his most audacious act, Sanguine tasks the hero with reciting a certain spell to break up a party he considers too formal and stuffy, not revealing it will undress everyone there, to Sanguine's [[ItAmusedMe boundless amusement]].

** [[EldritchAbomination Hermaeus Mora]], the [[KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge Daedric Prince of Knowledge]], has a monstrous, formless appearance that belies a mind possibly more cunning than any other Daedric Prince in existence. Constantly seeking to [[KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge hoard knowledge of all sorts]] to fill the shelves of his arcane library Apocrypha through gambits atop of gambits, Mora bargains with servitors seeking Mora's secrets, rewarding those who are earnest and horribly punishing those who renege on his gifts. In the ''Dragonborn'' expansion to ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', Mora realizes his current servant, the Dragonborn Miraak, is attempting to betray him, Mora executes a plan to manipulate the Last Dragonborn into killing and replacing him, simultaneously using them to wrest the long-held secrets of the Skaal by refusing to grant them the last Word of Power necessary to defeat Miraak until they do so. Mora ends up completely untouchable in the end, musing that all the Last Dragonborn has and will do is [[JustAsPlanned according to his grand design]].

* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'': [[ClassyCatBurglar Karliah Indoril]] was once the co-leader of the Skyrim ThievesGuild alongside her lover Gallus, but was framed into exile for his death by his real murderer, Mercer Frey. Thriving in exile, she first tries to cut off the guild from their financial support, Black-Briar Meadery, by cutting off honey supplies and even funding a rival meadery for competition. These plans foiled by a rising thief, Karliah tricks them and Mercer to a ruin wherein she tricks Mercer into confessing and turns the new thief to her side. Having Gallus's journal translated from a cipher, she reveals Mercer's betrayal to the rest of the guild and shows herself to be a Nightingale, an agent of Nocturnal, and seeks to retrieve the stolen SkeletonKey from Mercer. [[DealWithTheDevil Leveraging the souls of her fellows]] into Nocturnal's service as new Nightingales, Karliah has them help her track down and kill Mercer, return the Skeleton Key to her mistress to regain her standing, and ultimately reunite with her lover's spirit one last time.

** [[GoodIsNotNice Azura]], [[DarkIsNotEvil Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn]], is one of the few Daedric Prince who solicits mortal worship and has come to be known as one of the few "good" Daedric Princes for her charisma and affability. Azura is the one responsible for orchestrating the Nerevarine Prophecy in order to get back at the Chimer and the Tribunal for--as she claims--abusing her sacred gift the Heart of Lorkhan to achieve divinity and causing the death of her champion Nerevar. In ''Morrowind'' Azura acts as the guide for the Nerevarine, and through them seamlessly manipulates the destruction of the Heart, the downfall of the Tribunal and the death of Dagoth Ur. Knowing the demise of the Tribunal would also result in the destruction of Morrowind, Azura shepherds all of her followers out of the doomed province and basks in their renewed worship, all of her divine rivals now out of the picture and her LongGame complete.

* [[Literature/TheElderScrollsInUniverseBooks In-Universe Books]]: ''A Hypothetical Treachery'': The tricky Dunmer battlemage Inzoliah first demonstrates her cunning when she tricks and slays two members of her own adventuring party in order to make off with their valuable treasure alone. Left at an impasse with the one other mage of the group and both of them now forced to wait for their magicka to regenerate, Inzoliah affably banters with the mage about a "hypothetical treachery" between them, bouncing ideas back and forth about how they'd slay the other. Inzoliah suggests that if she were to incapacitate the mage but he were to survive, Inzoliah would leave him a healing potion as a token of respect. When Inzoliah is injured herself, the mage leaves her a healing potion, ignorant of the fact Inzoliah had secretly been leeching away his life and magic the whole while. When Inzoliah meets the fatigued mage later down the road and he asks if she'd return his gesture, Inzoliah denies him: "[[PragmaticVillainy she doesn't sound like a fool]]."

** [[TheUsurper King Hlaalu Helseth]] is the cunning son of dark elf Queen Barenziah who always plotted to make a throne of his own. First using blackmail and subtle threats against his step sister Elysana in a failed bid for Wayrest, he and his mother returned to their homeland of Morrowind where Helseth [[MasterPoisoner poisoned his uncle and cousin]] to become king in Mournhold. A master manipulator, he used elaborate plots to rid his court of spies and assassins against key threats to solidify his position on the throne. Eventually sending the Dark Brotherhood against the Nerevarine, Helseth is confronted by them [[KlingonPromotion yet turns the hero to his side]] to root out plots against him in the Tribunal Temple and Dunmer nobility. Eventually growing suspicious of Almalexia herself, Helseth uses the Nerevarine to infiltrate her inner circle and eventually kill her to secure his imperial-backed throne as the sole power in Morrowind.
* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'': [[KingOfThieves The Gray Fox]] is the leader of the Cyrodiil ThievesGuild and a mysterious rogue whose plans and identity are hidden behind the ancient Gray Cowl of Nocturnal. Known only in [[ShroudedInMyth rumors and hearsay]] to commoners, he ensures his guild's secrecy by caring for the homeless and using them as spies and only offering membership to criminals who pass cleverly devised trials. In reality Count Umbranox of Anvil cursed by the Cowl [[RetGone with eternal anonymity]], he masterminds the ultimate heist of one of the Elder Scrolls themselves. He first organizes his guard captain nemesis reassigned to protect his countess wife and uses a magical crystal he had stolen to spy on the Imperial Palace. Using this information, he flawlessly plans the heist to allow his accomplice to sneak into the palace through a forgotten tunnel and even be handed one of the scrolls under a guise. Ultimately revealed to have planned the heist not out of glory, the Gray Fox uses the Elder Scroll to undue his curse and reunite with his beloved wife.

* "A Hypothetical Treachery" InGameNovel: The tricky Dunmer battlemage Inzoliah first demonstrates her cunning when she tricks and slays two members of her own adventuring party in order to make off with their valuable treasure alone. Left at an impasse with the one other mage of the group and both of them now forced to wait for their magicka to regenerate, Inzoliah affably banters with the mage about a "hypothetical treachery" between them, bouncing ideas back and forth about how they'd slay the other. Inzoliah suggests that if she were to incapacitate the mage but he were to survive, Inzoliah would leave him a healing potion as a token of respect. When Inzoliah is injured herself, the mage leaves her a healing potion, ignorant of the fact Inzoliah had secretly been leeching away his life and magic the whole while. When Inzoliah meets the fatigued mage later down the road and he asks if she'd return his gesture, Inzoliah denies him: "[[PragmaticVillainy she doesn't sound like a fool]]."

* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'': [[ClassyCatBurglar Karliah Indoril]] was once the co-leader of the Skyrim ThievesGuild alongside her lover Gallus, but was framed into exile for his death by his real murdered, Mercer Frey. Thriving in exile, she first tries to cut off the guild from their financial support, Black-Briar Meadery, by cutting off honey supplies and even funding a rival meadery for competition. These plans foiled by a rising thief, Karliah tricks them and Mercer to a ruin wherein she tricks Mercer into confessing and turns the new thief to her side. Having Gallus's journal translated from a cipher, she reveals Mercer's betrayal to the rest of the guild and shows herself to be a Nightingale, an agent of Nocturnal, and seeks to retrieve the stolen SkeletonKey from Mercer. [[DealWithTheDevil Leveraging the souls of her fellows]] into Nocturnal's service as new Nightingales, Karliah has them help her track down and kill Mercer, return the Skeleton Key to her mistress to regain her standing, and ultimately reunite with her lover's spirit one last time.

All across [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Tamriel]] and the greater world of Nirn, be they men, [[OurElvesAreDifferent mer]] or utterly divine, [[MagnificentBastard a select few]] distinguish themselves through their cunning and ruthlessness.

** King Hlaalu Helseth is the cunning son of dark elf Queen Barenziah who always plotted to make a throne of his own. First using blackmail and subtle threats against his step sister Elysana in a failed bid for Wayrest, he and his mother returned to their homeland of Morrowind where Helseth [[MasterPoisoner poisoned his uncle and cousin]] to become king in Mournhold. A master manipulator, he used elaborate plots to rid his court of spies and assassins against key threats to solidify his position on the throne. Eventually sending the Dark Brotherhood against the Nerevarine, Helseth is confronted by them [[KlingonPromotion yet turns the hero to his side]] to root out plots against him in the Tribunal Temple and Dunmer nobility. Eventually growing suspicious of Almalexia herself, Helseth uses the Nerevarine to infiltrate her inner circle and eventually kill her to secure his imperial-backed throne as the sole power in Morrowind.

All across Tamriel and the greater world of Nirn, be they men, [[OurElvesAreDifferent mer]] or utterly divine, [[MagnificentBastard a select few]] distinguish themselves through their cunning and ruthlessness.

** [[TheChessmaster King Hlaalu Helseth]] is the cunning son of dark elf Queen Barenziah who always plotted to make a throne of his own. First using blackmail and subtle threats against his step sister Elysana in a failed bid for Wayrest, he and his mother returned to their homeland of Morrowind where Helseth [[MasterPoisoner poisoned his uncle and cousin]] to become king in Mournhold. A master manipulator, he used elaborate plots to rid his court of spies and assassins against key threats to solidify his position on the throne. Eventually sending the Dark Brotherhood against the Nerevarine, Helseth is confronted by them [[KlingonPromotion yet turns the hero to his side]] to root out plots against him in the Tribunal Temple and Dunmer nobility. Eventually growing suspicious of Almalexia herself, Helseth uses the Nerevarine to infiltrate her inner circle and eventually kill her to secure his imperial-backed throne as the sole power in Morrowind.

** [[TheChessmaster Azura]], [[DarkIsNotEvil Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn]], is one of the few Daedric Prince who solicits mortal worship and has come to be known as one of the few "good" Daedric Princes for her charisma and affability. Azura is the one responsible for orchestrating the Nerevarine Prophecy in order to get back at the Chimer and the Tribunal for--as she claims--abusing her sacred gift the Heart of Lorkhan to achieve divinity and causing the death of her champion Nerevar. In ''Morrowind'' Azura acts as the guide for the Nerevarine, and through them seamlessly manipulates the destruction of the Heart, the downfall of the Tribunal and the death of Dagoth Ur. Knowing the demise of the Tribunal would also result in the destruction of Morrowind, Azura shepherds all of her followers out of the doomed province and basks in their renewed worship, all of her divine rivals now out of the picture and her LongGame complete.

** [[ManipulativeBitch Nocturnal]], [[TheSacredDarkness Daedric Prince of Night and Shadows]], is one of the most mysterious of the Daedric Princes. Nocturnal wins followers through subtle influence and persuasion, spurning outright worship while coming to her would-be dedicants in times of personal crisis so she can "comfort" them and win their loyalty while they're most vulnerable. Ruthless and secretive while ever pushing her followers to strive for their best, Nocturnal's grandest outing came in Summerset when she manipulated Sotha Sil, the Psijiic Order, and two of her own fellow Daedric Princes Clavicus Vile and Mephala all in a bid to use the reality-warping Crystal Tower to achieve omnipotence, a goal she comes within a hairsbreadth of.

** [[EldritchAbomination Hermaeus Mora]], the Daedric Prince of Knowledge, has a monstrous, formless appearance that belies a mind possibly more cunning than any other Daedric Prince in existence. Constantly seeking to [[KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge hoard knowledge of all sorts]] to fill the shelves of his arcane library Apocrypha through gambits atop of gambits, Mora bargains with servitors seeking Mora's secrets, rewarding those who are earnest and horribly punishing those who renege on his gifts. In the ''Dragonborn'' expansion to ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', Mora realizes his current servant, the Dragonborn Miraak, is attempting to betray him, Mora executes a plan to manipulate the Last Dragonborn into killing and replacing him, simultaneously using them to wrest the long-held secrets of the Skaal by refusing to grant them the last Word of Power necessary to defeat Miraak until they do so. Mora ends up completely untouchable in the end, musing that all the Last Dragonborn has and will do is [[JustAsPlanned according to his grand design]].

-->--'''Hermaeus Mora''' to the '''Last Dragonborn''', ''VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}'' (''Dragonborn'' {{DLC}})

** [[TheChessmaster King Hlaalu Helseth]] is the cunning son of dark elf Queen Barenziah who always plotted to make a throne of his own. First using blackmail and subtle threats against his step sister Elysana in a failed bid for Wayrest, he and his mother returned to their homeland of Morrowind where Helseth [[MasterPoisoner poisoned his uncle and cousin]] to become king in Mournhold. A master manipulator, he used elaborate plots to rid his court of spies and assassins against key threats to solidify his position on the throne. Eventually sending the Dark Brotherhood against the Nerevarine, Helseth is confronted by them [[KlingonPromotion yet turns the hero to his side]] to root out plots against him in the Tribunal Temple and Dunmer nobility. Eventually growing suspicious of Almalexia herself, Helseth uses the Nerevarine to infiltrate her inner circle and eventually kill her to secure his imperial-backed throne would be the sole power in Morrowind.

** [[GentlemanThief "Gentleman" Jim Stacey]] is the leader of the Morrowind Thieves' Guild and seeks to expands his organization's influence in a xenophobic nation. A charismatic and quick thinking master thief, he fights back against his criminal rivals the [[TheMafia Camonna Tong]] and their Fighter's Guild puppets by cleansing the latter of its corrupt leadership. Using bribery and blackmail to turn a few leaders to his side, he eventually organizes the assassination of the Fighter's Guild leader to ensure to the Tong is too weak to further target his people. Outside of such dirty business, Stacey shows his softer side by reviving the [[JustLikeRobinHood Bal Molagmer order]] to aid the less fortunate in Vvardenfell, while also improving his guild's image in the eyes of the common people. Between stealing valuables for overtaxed peasants and giving them lands deeds to save their homes, [[KarmicThief he uncovers corruption]] in many of the higher echelons of dark elf society, and he ultimately retires content with the future of his guild ensured.

* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'': [[KingOfThieves The Gray Fox]] is the leader of the Cyrodiil Thieves' Guild and a mysterious rogue whose plans and identity are hidden behind the ancient Gray Cowl of Nocturnal. Known only in [[ShroudedInMyth rumors and hearsay]] to commoners, he ensures his guild's secrecy by caring for the homeless and using them as spies and only offering membership to criminals who pass cleverly devised trials. In reality Count Umbranox of Anvil cursed by the Cowl [[RetGone with eternal anonymity]], he masterminds the ultimate heist of one of the Elder Scrolls themselves. He first organizes his guard captain nemesis reassigned to protect his countess wife and uses a magical crystal he had stolen to spy on the Imperial Palace. Using this information, he flawlessly plans the heist to allow his accomplice to sneak into the palace through a forgotten tunnel and even be handed one of the scrolls under a guise. Ultimately revealed to have planned the heist not out of glory, the Gray Fox uses the Elder Scroll to undue his curse and reunite with his beloved wife.

** [[ManipulativeBitch Nocturnal]], [[TheSacredDarkness Daedric Prince of Night and Shadows]], is one of the most mysterious of the Daedric Princes. Nocturnal wins followers through subtle influence and persuasion, spurning outright worship while coming to her would-be dedicants in times of personal crisis so she can "comfort" them and win their loyalty while they're most vulnerable. Ruthless and secretive while ever pushing her followers to strive for their best, Nocturnal's grandest outing came in Summerset when she manipulated Sotha Sil, the Psijiic Order, and two of her own fellow Daedric Princes Clavicus Vile and Mephala all in a bid to use the reality-warping Crystal Tower to achieve omnipotence, a goal she comes within a hairsbreadth of.
** The monstrous, formless appearance of the Daedric Prince of Knowledge, [[EldritchAbomination Hermaeus Mora]], belies a mind possibly more cunning than any other Daedric Prince in existence. Constantly seeking to [[KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge hoard knowledge of all sorts]] to fill the shelves of his arcane library Apocrypha through gambits atop of gambits, Mora bargains with servitors seeking Mora's secrets, rewarding those who are earnest and horribly punishing those who renege on his gifts. In the ''Dragonborn'' expansion to ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', Mora realizes his current servant, the Dragonborn Miraak, is attempting to betray him, Mora executes a plan to manipulate the Last Dragonborn into killing and replacing him, simultaneously using them to wrest the long-held secrets of the Skaal by refusing to grant them the last Word of Power necessary to defeat Miraak until they do so. Mora ends up completely untouchable in the end, musing that all the Last Dragonborn has and will do is [[JustAsPlanned according to his grand design]].

* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]'': (Jagar Tharn)

** (King Helseth)

** [[TheChessmaster Azura]], [[DarkIsNotEvil Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn]], is one of the few Daedric Prince who solicits mortal worship and has come to be known as one of the few "good" Daedric Princes for her charisma and affability. Azura is the one responsible for orchestrating the Nerevarine Prophecy in order to get back at the Chimer and the Tribunal for--as she claims--abusing her sacred gift the Heart of Lorkhan to achieve divinity and causing the death of her champion Nerevar. In ''Morrowind'' Azura acts as the guide for the Nerevarine, and through them seamlessly manipulates the destruction of the heart, the downfall of the Tribunal and the death of Dagoth Ur. Knowing the demise of the Tribunal would also result in the destruction of Morrowind, Azura shepherds all of her followers out of the doomed province and basks in their renewed worship, all of her divine rivals now out of the picture and her LongGame complete.

-->--'''Hermaeus Mora''' to the ''Last Dragonborn'', ''VideoGame/Skyrim'' (''Dragonborn'' {{DLC}})

** The monstrous, formless appearance of the Daedric Prince of Knowledge, [[EldritchAbomination Hermaeus Mora]], belies a mind possibly more cunning than any other Daedric Prince in existence. Constantly seeking to [[KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge hoard knowledge of all sorts]] to fill the shelves of his arcane library Apocrypha through gambits atop of gambits, Mora bargains with servitors seeking Mora's secrets, rewarding those who are earnest and horribly punishing those who renege on his gifts. In the ''Dragonborn'' expansion to ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', Mora realizes his current servant, the Dragonborn Miraak, is attempting to betray him, Mora executes a plan to manipulate the Last Dragonborn into killing and replacing him, simultaneously using them to wrest the long-held secrets of the Skaal by refusing to grant them the last Word of Power necessary to defeat Miraak until they do so. Ultimately, Mora ends up completely untouchable in the end, musing that all the Last Dragonborn has and will do is [[JustAsPlanned according to his grand design]].

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' franchise: