Sixteen Accords of Madness , Book IX Content . Vaermina ' s Tale . Darius Shano found himself running as fast as he could . He had no idea what he was running from or towards , but he didn ' t care . The desire saturated his mind - - there was nothing in the world except flight . He looked around for landmarks , anything to place himself or to use as a target , but to no avail - - the featureless grasslands through which he was sprinting extended as far as the eye could see . " Just have to keep running " , he thought to himself . " I have to run as fast as I can " . On and on he ran , with no end in sight or in mind . . . Standing over Darius Shano while he lay quietly in his bed were his mistress , Vaermina the Dreamweaver , and the Madgod Sheogorath . Vaermina looked down with pride at this disciple of hers , and was boastful of her little jewel . " Such potential in this one ! Through dreams of inspiration , I have nurtured literary talent into fruition , and now he stands in acclaim as an emerging bard and poet ! He will gain much favor before I tire of him . " Sheogorath , too , gazed at the young Breton artist and saw that he was indeed famous among the other mortals . " Hmmm , " mused Sheogorath , " but how many are there who hate this mortal whom you have built ? It is the hatred of the mortals which confirms greatness , and not their love . Surely you can accomplish this as well ? " " Perhaps , Dreamweaver , it would be amusing to show who has this power ? Inspire foolish , arrogant hatred of this mortal for ten years , and then I will do the same . We shall see whose talents are most efficient , free of aid or interference from any of the Daedra . " At this , she relaxed into confident pleasure . " The Madgod is indeed powerful , but this task is suited to my skills . The mortals are repulsed by madness , but rarely think it worthy of hate . I shall take pleasure in revealing this to you , as I bring the more subtle horrors out of this mortal ' s subconscious . " And so , in the 19th year of his life , the dreams Darius Shano had been experiencing began to change . Fear had always been part of the night for him , but now there was something else . A darkness began to creep into his slumber , a darkness that sucked away all feeling and color , leaving only emptiness behind . When this happened , he opened his mouth to scream , but found that the darkness had taken his voice as well . All he had was the terror and the void , and each night they filled him with a new understanding of death . Yet , when he woke , there was no fear , for he had faith that his Lady had a purpose . Indeed , one night Vaermina herself emerged from the void . She leaned in close to whisper into his ear . " Watch carefully , my beloved ! " With that , she pulled the void away , and for hours each night she would reveal to Darius the most horrible perversions of nature . Men being skinned and eaten alive by other men , unimaginable beasts of many limbs and mouths , entire populations being burned - - their screams filled his every evening . In time , these visions gnawed at his soul , and his work began to take on the character of his nightmares . The images revealed to him at night were reproduced on the page , and the terrible cruelty and hollow vice that his work contained both revolted and fascinated the public . They reveled in their disgust over every detail . There were those who openly enjoyed his shocking material , and his popularity among some only fed the hatred of those who found him abhorrent . This continued for several years , while the infamy of Darius grew steadily . Then , in his 29th year , without warning , the dreams and nightmares ceased . Darius felt a weight lifted , as he no longer endured the nightly tortures , but was confused . " What have I done to displease my Mistress ? " , he wondered aloud . " Why has she abandoned me ? " Vaermina never answered his prayers . No one ever answered , and the restless dreams faded away to leave Darius in long , deep sleeps . Interest in the works of Darius Shano waned . His prose became stale and his ideas failed to provoke the shock and outrage they once had . As the memory of his notoriety and of his terrible dreams faded , the questions that raced in his mind eventually produced resentment against Vaermina , his former mistress . Resentment grew into hatred , from hatred came ridicule , and over time ridicule became disbelief . Slowly it became obvious - - Vaermina had never spoken to him at all ; his dreams were simply the product of a sick mind that had righted itself . He had been deceived by his own subconscious , and the anger and shame overwhelmed him . The man who once conversed with a deity drifted steadily into heresy . In time , all of the bitterness , doubt , and sacrilege focused in Darius a creative philosophy that was threaded throughout all of his subsequent work . He challenged the Gods themselves , as well as the infantile public and corrupt state for worshiping them . He mocked them all with perverse caricatures , sparing no one and giving no quarter . He challenged the Gods in public to strike him down if they existed , and ridiculed them when no such comeuppance was delivered . To all of this , the people reacted with outrage far greater than they had shown his previous work . His early career had offended only sensibilities , but now he was striking directly at the heart of the people . His body of work grew in size and intensity . Temples , nobles , and commoners were all targets of his scorn . Finally , at age 39 , Darius wrote a piece entitled " The Noblest Fool , " ridiculing The Emperor God Tiber Septim for integrating into the pathetic Nine Divines cult . The local King of Daenia , who had been humiliated by this upstart in the past , saw his chance - - for his sacrilege against the Empire , Darius Shano was executed , with a ceremonial blade , in front of a cheering crowd of hundreds . His last , bitter words were gurgled through a mouthful of his own blood . 20 years after their wager was first placed , Vaermina and Sheogorath met over Darius Shano ' s headless corpse . The Dreamweaver had been eager for this meeting ; she had been waiting for years to confront the Daedric Prince over his lack of action . " I have been deceived by you , Sheogorath ! I performed my half of the bargain , but during your ten years you never contacted the mortal once . He owes none of his greatness to you or your talents or your influence ! " " Nonsense , " croaked the Madgod . " I was with him all along ! When your time ended and mine began , your whispers in his ear were replaced with silence . I severed his link to that from which he found the most comfort and meaning , and withheld the very attention the creature so desperately craved . Without his mistress , this man ' s character could ripen under resentment and hatred . Now his bitterness is total and , overcome by a madness fueled by his rage , he feeds me in my realm as an eternal servant . " Sheogorath turned and spoke to the empty space by his side . " Indeed ; Darius Shano was a glorious mortal . Despised by his own people , his kings , and even by the Gods he mocked . For my success , I shall accept three - score followers of Vaermina into my service . And the dreamers will awaken as madmen . " And thus did Sheogorath teach Vaermina that without madness , there are no dreams , and no creation . Vaermina will never forget this lesson .