Lore:Nocturnal

is a Daedric Prince, or "Daedric Princess",  whose sphere is the night and darkness.   She is also known as the Mistress of Shadows,  the Unfathomable Mistress of Shadows''',  the Shadow Thief,  the Unfathomable,  the Empress of Murk,  the Shadow Queen,  the Shadowy Hag (while donning her cowl),  the Lady of the Twilight  the Daughter of Twilight,  the Lady of Shadows,  the Mistress of Mystery,  the Mother of Shadows,  Lady Luck,  the Night Mistress,    the Prince of Night and Darkness,  and the Saint of Suspicion.  

The most prestigious title Nocturnal goes by is the title of Ur-dra,  which implies that she is the "eldest and most powerful of the Daedric Princes",  and is a title which the Imperial Geographical Society claims nearly all the Royalty of Oblivion recognize.  The title was also used by ancient Khajiit to describe Namiira, the Eldest Spirit.   While this belief conflicts with Nocturnal's claim over the title, it does complement her claim that she is part of the original void,  in that she came from the black blood of the Dark Heart of Lorkhaj,   which is a piece of "primal Void".  Nocturnal herself claims that "before Oblivion, there was Nocturnal".   Hermaeus Mora is similarly called an Ur-Daedra  who is "elder than Ada". 

Nocturnal is associated with, and often depicted alongside, jet-black  s and  , which are said to possess the ability to speak.  Nocturnal's summoning day is the 3rd of Hearth Fire,  although she may be summoned at any time at a shrine dedicated to her.   Nocturnal's enemies are  ,   ,  Mehrunes Dagon,  and  .  
 

Religion and Culture
Khajiit
right|thumb|The Dark Heart (ESO)
A deity known as Noctra exists in ancient Khajiiti mythos.  During the cleansing of Lorkhaj's corruption, Azurah observed his Dark Heart beating like a drum, with each throb spewing out black blood that tapped the floor to form a rhythm.  Subsequently after the death of Lorkhaj, the spirit Noctra was born of this black blood at the steps of the Void Gate.    battled the spirit until it knew it was not  , and when the fighting subsided, Noctra was brought before   to be judged.  Azurah allowed Noctra to live so long as she served Azurah and her chosen people, the Khajiit.  However, Noctra is rebellious by nature, so she fled to the Void with a key she stole from Azurah, leading her to send the spirit of Lorkhaj to find Noctra. What resulted from this interaction was Noctra willing to offer aid to the Khajiit when called, and so tribes may ask her for luck, and darkness to hide them and the gift of silent movement.  She also protects those who walk in the shadows.  Summoning Noctra is dangerous, as she brings the   with her, and exposure can inadvertently turn a True Cat into a  .  Noctra is still acknowledged by some Khajiit following the   Epiphany. 

Worship
Nocturnal's servants come in a variety of flavors. Some worship her as thieves, and see her as the patron of all thieves.  Some such groups include the  , a trio of mortals bound to protect the   within the  .  

Nocturnal is seen by the Reachfolk as an ever-watchful spirit that has guarded them since the beginning.  She is the spirit of the night. They give her offerings in the hope that she'll send her crows to watch over them. 
thumb|left|One of Nocturnal's devoted followers, transformed into a  
Some worshipers find Nocturnal mystifying. Though they strive to understand her, Nocturnal's true purpose eludes them, and attempting to understand the Daedric Prince is a futile task.  To understand Nocturnal is to negate her, and the Daedric Prince is not simply going to pull back her shroud of darkness to reveal her intentions to anyone.  Others are drawn into her service through subtle, but not wholly unkind manipulation. Lonely individuals who are within proximity of Nocturnal's adherents may begin to dream about Evergloam and hear her voice in their head if she notices them.  Nocturnal's Earl from the time of the Daedric Triad came to serve her this way.  Nocturnal uses mortal emotion to her advantage, using kindness and empathy to draw in the vulnerable.  She speaks to select mortals in their dreams, listening to them when they speak and comforting them when they're upset.  In the case of Earl Tundilwen in  , Nocturnal inserted herself into her servant's life as a surrogate mother figure, and granted her power in the  . 

One particularly fervent cultist's accounts of her invasion of the Clockwork City are poetic and obsessive.  The account speaks of singing shrikes and grotesque imagery.  The author, Romien Garvette, often repeats phrases and claims that they are unable to think of anything but "Her" will.  Romien Garvette describes Nocturnal as all-encompassing.   Whether or not this experience is universal is unclear. It is obvious that this particular case became very attached to their mistress, but the account gives outsiders some insight to how Nocturnal's influence may affect those who give themselves to her.

Shadow magic is pervasive throughout Evergloam, and is utilized by her worshipers and her Daedric minions.  Portals of pure shadow called Gloaming Gates are used to transport cultists and Daedra from Evergloam to select locations on Nirn. Gloaming Gates channel Nocturnal's power, and transport through the Evergloam allows her cultists travel great distance without fear of being detected.  Barriers of fluid shadow can be used to prevent access to areas, but these barriers can be negated by shining bright light on them,  or by casting spells designed to banish shadows.   Nocturnal may transform her followers into   upon their death. 
 

History
thumb|right|A Wraith-of-Crows, a Daedra which serves Nocturnal
In  , a cult dedicated to Nocturnal attempted to establish a shrine to the Daedric Prince at  , a decrepit fort located in  . 

Nocturnal was a part of a Daedric Triad consisting of herself,   and   up until  . Nocturnal's forces invaded the   that year. Using the Skeleton Key, Nocturnal stole a secret from Sotha Sil.  The Clockwork God developed a technique for using life energy as a source of power, which Nocturnal coveted.  She drained Meridia of her power to keep her from interfering, and betrayed the other members of the Triad by taking the   for herself.  Using the technique she stole from Sotha Sil, Nocturnal planned to use the life energy of Nirn, and then the energy of the other Daedric Princes afterwards, to restore the  , sow her influence within it and make herself master of the  .  Her ultimate goal was to rewrite reality and become an infinite being.  Nocturnal was stopped at the Crystal Tower's apex by the Vestige.  

Nocturnal may have had some minor involvement in the   sorceress  's conquest of   that occurred in  .  Z'Maja possessed an amulet that granted her powerful shadow magic, which allowed her to kill countless citizens and make shadowy clones of Summerset's protectors, the  -riding  . 
 
Artifacts
thumb|right|150px|The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal (Oblivion)
The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal
 
 

thumb|right|150px|The Skeleton Key (Skyrim)
The Skeleton Key
 
 

thumb|right|150px|The Bow of Shadows (Skyrim)
The Bow of Shadows
 
 

thumb|right|150px|Eye of Nocturnal
The Eye of Nocturnal
Another item of note which is associated with Nocturnal is the Eye of Nocturnal. Little is known of the item’s origin or abilities other than it was stolen by two Argonians in   and subsequently returned to the Prince in exchange for the Skeleton Key. Nocturnal described herself as being able to "see" from the Eye, stating that the thieves who stole it were "seen" by the artifact. 
 

Evergloam
thumb|right|Evergloam
 

Servants
Daedra that are known to serve Nocturnal include   also simply called Nocturnals or Shrikes for short,    ,   ,      creatures made of shadow  and  . 

Intelligent shadow creatures such as Gloam Hags can cooperate with Shrikes to cast scrying spells to spy on other Daedric cults and Nocturnal's enemies.  When they see a journal or a document of interest, they may cast a Duplication spell to create a copy. 

One Daedra Lord in the form of a hagraven, known as the Crow Mother, describes herself as a "Nether-Niece" of Nocturnal. She rules over the pocket realm of Crow's Wood, populated by intelligent crows. 

See Also
For game specific information see the Daggerfall, Oblivion, Skyrim, and ESO articles.

Books





Notes
Nocturnal may be related to Noctyr-a from the story of Ghraewaj, the fabled origin of harpies in the Iliac Bay. 

Gallery
 

References