Lore:Miraak

Miraak, which means "Allegiance Guide" in the dragon language, was originally a Dragon Priest in the Merethic Era. He is the First Dragonborn,  although that term would not become used until after the time of St. Alessia, the first Dragonborn recorded in history.   He ruled over the island of Solstheim, where a large temple was dedicated to him. 

 He served as a leader of the Dragon Cult  and possessed a Dragon Priest Mask called Miraak, given to him by the dragons. At some point, he sought out the teachings of Hermaeus Mora, the Demon of Knowledge, and became his champion. Hermaeus Mora taught Miraak the power to bend the will of dragons.   Using this knowledge and his innate ability to devour the souls of dragonkind, he turned on his winged overlords and killed a great number of them.  Three Dragon Priests, Ahzidal,   and  , joined him and became his three most powerful servants, called the "Acolyte Priests". 

During the Dragon War, Hakon One-Eye and others sought him out, desperate for a strong ally in their fight against Alduin. Miraak, though apparently confident that he could defeat Alduin if he so chose, refused to help, leaving mankind to their own fate. 

Skaal legend remembers Miraak as "the Traitor", and recounts how he plotted against the dragons with Hermaeus Mora. Another Dragon Priest,   (known as "the Guardian" to the native Skaal), uncovered this deception, and the two engaged in a duel so vicious and destructive that the modern island of Solstheim was ripped from the mainland of Skyrim.   Vahlok defeated Miraak, but just as he prepared to deliver the killing blow, Hermaeus Mora snatched away and saved his champion.   Following this, the dragons razed his temple to ashes,     and tasked Vahlok the duty of watching Solstheim for signs of Miraak's return. 

Miraak was not seen or heard from again for many ages;  he evidently spent all of this time in Apocrypha, Hermaeus Mora's realm. Though he essentially became imprisoned there, Miraak spent his time gathering knowledge and power with the goal of freeing himself from Hermaeus Mora's service. 

It wasn't until   that Miraak was able to use arcane magical powers to overtly influence the people of Solstheim, making them unknowingly work for him around the island, such as by rebuilding his temple, while they slept. They also worked on building arches around the Stones of Power on the island, which were apparently meant to assist in his return by harnessing the energy of the stones. Others came to worship Miraak more consciously, and formed a cult dedicated to him. 

Miraak's plan became threatened by the advent of the Last Dragonborn, and cultists were sent to track down and kill this "False Dragonborn".  The Last Dragonborn responded to this antagonism by journeying to Solstheim, where the hero sought out and used the hidden knowledge of Hermaeus Mora to thwart Miraak's efforts on Tamriel, journey into Apocrypha, and confront him in battle. When it was clear that Miraak would lose, Mora dealt him a fatal blow, killing the First Dragonborn and allowing the Last Dragonborn to claim his soul. 

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See Also
For game-specific information, see the Skyrim and   articles.

References