Dark Ruins Content . By Cyrillo the Deranged They call me mad and have branded me insane . I accept the title they have given me , and wear it proudly as a badge of honor . For the name I now carry shows that I was willing to enter the dark places , over and over again . To brave the ruins of madness and chaos to bring knowledge to the world . The Three protect me from the things I have discovered , and keep my mind clear long enough to share this knowledge with the world ! I found my first Daedric ruin when I was a very young man . It was a hidden shrine from the past , dedicated to the Anticipations of the Tribunal . I was rounding up a number of kwama scrib that had wandered away from the herd . I followed the scribs into a hidden canyon , when I heard the pathetic cry of a lost scrib emerging from a crack in the canyon wall . I squeezed through the narrow gap to find that it opened into a large depression in the rock . But no simple cave had I wandered into . No , this space was full of carved stone that at once filled me with both wonder and deep fear . For the oppressive blocks of set stone were decorated with patterns of webbing and spider motifs , and the statue at the center of the space depicted none other than the Anticipation of Vivec , the Webspinner Mephala . Words carved into the base of the statue burned into my memory , never to be forgotten : " Lust is love . Lies are truth . Death is life . " They frightened me , but also excited me . The experience set me on a path that led to madness and knowledge , though where one ends and the other begins , I cannot tell . I returned to my family ' s kwama mine , escorting the scribs back to the herd . Then I packed a bag , said goodbye to my mother , and started my search for the hidden shrines and dark places where the Daedric ruins wait to be discovered . Not every ruined shrine waits beneath the ground . Some hide in open places that are far from inhabited lands . These might be overgrown with vegetation or lost within the folds of rolling hills and craggy canyons . I have even visited a shrine that was hidden beneath the sea . Those shrines located in underground caves and complexes tend to appear more ominous and oppressive than those happened upon in the great outdoors , but that could just be the influence of the ever - present darkness and awareness of the crushing walls of stone . Some of these ancient shrines stand alone in the darkness , but others serve as the focal points of great complexes , many of which are guarded by elaborate traps or vicious monsters — or both . I have visited more than a dozen of these Daedric ruins , and a few were not as abandoned and unused as the Temple would have you believe . There are still those among us who honor and even worship the Daedric Princes , and I discovered more than a few fresh offerings and sacrifices in these dark places . But the true secret , the knowledge that has earned me my new name ? For that , I must ask you to keep an open mind and a firm resolve , because what I am about to reveal may sound unbelievable . It may even sound like the beginning of a campfire story , one intended to frighten before bedtime . But I assure you , this is no story . What did I find at that first shrine to the Webspinner that I wandered into by luck and accident ? What drove me from my parents ' home in search of other Daedric ruins ? It was the voice . Beautiful and seductive . It whispered to me , told me secrets that I never should have heard . The whispers emanated from the ancient , cracked statue . They echoed from the cavern walls . They reverberated through my mind , building in volume and intensity until they drowned out my own thoughts and memories . They frightened me , these whispers . But they also excited me , and I had to hear more . But the Webspinner was done with me . She imparted her words of wisdom and dark secrets and fell silent . The place was once more abandoned , desolate . If I wanted to hear more — and I so very much wanted to hear more — I would have to find another shrine . And so my life ' s work was set before me . I had to find other secret places , other hidden ruins . I had to hear what the other Daedra had to say . Not because I worship them . Not because I had fallen under some dark spell . No , I needed to learn more so that I could share it with the world . It was imperative ! It was my duty ! But , as I write these words , I find that I can ' t reveal what the whispers told me . My hand won ' t put the whispers to paper . It refuses no matter how hard I try ! It seems I have failed in my mission . All I can do is tell you that there are secrets to learn . But it appears that if you want to learn them , you ' ll have to make the trip yourself . Visit the dark ruins , listen to the whispers . Perhaps you ' ll fare better than I , and the whispers won ' t drive you mad .