Loremaster ' s Archive : Inexplicable Patron Loremaster ' s Archive : Inexplicable Patron is part of the " Loremaster ' s Archive " series written by Lawrence Schick , the Loremaster of . This entry was published on 06 / 20 / 2014 . Content . By Divayth Fyr After a recent discussion with a self - proclaimed “ priest and scholar ” of the Tribunal Temple , I find myself shamed ( as I often am ) , but not surprised ( as I never am ) by the gross misunderstandings of the nature of the Daedra that “ adopted ” our ancestors . It seems that our priests these days are trained in little more than bland recitations and methods for parting pilgrims from their gold , a significant and disappointing departure from their traditional functions . Some may consider this blasphemy . I invite them to challenge me to debate — or magical contest , if they prefer . Though I do not often concern myself with society , someone must battle the tide of ignorance . I do not expect every Dunmer to attain understanding comparable to my own . Indeed , the common Elf has his place minding the mundane details of our race ’ s day - to - day survival . Even so , laziness in any respect is abhorrent , and intellectual complacency cannot be permitted even among the lower echelons . Allow me to provide an accessible examination of the Good Daedra , beginning with the most easily misunderstood : Mephala . “ Good ” is an ill - suited descriptor for any Daedric being , and it is unfortunate it has come into casual use . As absolute expressions of their respective spheres , the Daedric Princes do not share our moral categorizations for behavior . The Daedra simply are . Mephala , Boethiah , and Azura have done much for the interests of the Dunmer , and in that sense they may appear to be good , but their motivations and goals ( and the consequences of achieving them ) are not known to us . There ’ s a reason Mephala is referred to as the “ Webspinner , ” though modern Dunmer seem to ignore this appellation and instead project the sympathetic qualities they associate with Vivec — art in violence , cunning , enlightened poetry — back onto the Daedric being that “ anticipated ” him . This tendency serves to conceal much of Mephala ’ s nature , which is exactly what the Prince would desire . Mephala taught our ancestors the ways of secret murder , to be used against our enemies and even against our own in the place of all - out war , certainly “ good ” for our predecessors as they migrated across Tamriel and came into often - fractious contact with the Nord s and Dwemer . We learned meticulous plotting and how to lie , ways to lure and trap our foes , how to manage complexity and predict outcomes . But few ask why this Daedric Prince would champion our people . The gullible fancy us chosen for our superior qualities and the cynical believe us a mere amusement for the Daedra , but these are both woefully simple - minded theories . We must keep in mind that the Daedra are incapable of creation . They can only imitate , manipulate , and exaggerate . Some of them do perceive mortals as mere playthings , but I do not suspect this of Mephala . She does nothing without purpose , perceives all of Aurbis as an interconnected system of action and consequence , and employs herself in spinning new threads to influence outcomes . To what end ? That you must work out for yourself ( as I have ) . Do you think me fool enough to reveal the secrets of the Prince of Secrets ? Vivec and Mephala stated , " As known in the West , Mephala is the demon prince of murder , sex , and secrets . All of these themes contain subtle aspects and violent ones ( assassination / genocide , courtship / orgy , tact / poetic truths ) ; Mephala is understood paradoxically to contain and integrate these contradictory themes . " How does this make him / her a " Good " Daedra ? If anything , Mephala is just a " Better " Daedra . – Dylan Barnes Divayth says : “ Your question can most charitably be described as simple - minded . See my enclosed essay . ” Good morning , I ' m a soldier in the army of the Ebonheart Pact , and there ' s Nord calling himself Bruhn Crimson Fur . He is very dumb and can ' t even get the basics of Four Corners of the House of Troubles , but he asked me to write this question to you . I apologize in advance , but here it is : " Hey , Dark Elf . I battled a Dremora a couple of months ago and he called his master Malog Bear , Keeper of Coldharbour since the fall of Lyg . I don ’ t give a damn about that Lyg , but ask that magic - pagic guy of yours if that means Molag Bear wasn ' t such a huge bastard before , but started out as a lowly Dremora . " - Teryn Redoran Divayth says : “ Your attempts at humor are both feeble and dim . Therefore I predict a great future for you as a comedian in the cornerclubs , as you will surely appeal to the masses . ” I have often heard that Mephala ' s sphere of influence is obscured to mortals . Yet , from all available evidence , we can ( with a fair amount of certainty ) conclude that her sphere is spiders , and spiderweb - like manipulation of mortal fates , or “ schemes , ” to put it plainly . This sphere is , however , held by Molag Bal , the God of Schemes . Considering that Mephala is a " Good Daedra " whereas Molag Bal is a " Bad Daedra , " I am curious to know if there is any known conflict between the two . – Sathron Divayth says : “ Though your question is poorly stated , there is a germ of sense in what you ask . Suffice to say that the schemes of the Prince Molag Bal , though ambitious in scale , are entirely lacking in the subtlety and nuance of those of the Webspinner . ” So I ' ve been thinking about the Ebony blade and Ebony Mail , which are both artifacts for their respective Daedric Princes ' champions . However , we know that Ebony is the blood of Lorkhan ' s heart solidified . How , then , is it that not one , but two Daedric Princes have artifacts specifically made from Ebony ? Did Boethiah and Mephala trick Lorkhan into believing that they would both sacrifice themselves to creation and later tell Auri - El and Trinimac ( after creation ) when they knew that the Aedra were pissed ? – Mr _ Flippers Divayth says : “ Ah , the transmundane entity who jocularly styles himself ‘ Mister Flippers ’ deigns to grace us with a question . And a good one — as any question I cannot definitively answer is , by definition , a good question . Boethiah and Mephala are certainly among the Princes whose existence antedates the creation of the ( current ) Mundus , and given their natures it is beyond conjecture that they couldn ’ t resist meddling with said creation in some way , shape , or form . But could they ‘ trick ’ Lorkhan , whose very essence was chicanery ? Consider : Ebony is a substance whose acquisition and use tempts mortals into acts of achievement that transcend their usual limitations . Did Lorkhan ‘ intend ’ this ? Alas , the concept is self - referential , and therefore nugatory . ” Further Reading : Vivec and Mephala Who is ALMSIVI ? Morrowind is holy country , and its gods are flesh and blood . Collectively , these gods are called the Tribunal , the triune ALMSIVI , three deities exemplifying Dunmeri virtues . Almalexia is Mercy , Vivec is Mastery , and Sotha Sil is Mystery . Vivec is easily the most popular of them all . Vivec is also the most public , for he is the beloved Warrior - Poet of the True People , paradoxically beautiful and bloody . Vivec is an artistic violence . Vivec is represented in Temple literature and liturgy as one of the divine kings of Morrowind . He guards the sacred Velothi subcontinent of Vvardenfell , and stands guard over Red Mountain . He is part of the holy Tribunal , a god of the New Temple , and an aspect of the blessed and righteous ALMSIVI . This explicit presentation of Vivec the Guardian God - King and Warrior - Poet is the one most accessible and familiar to Westerners . However , it is important to remember that Vivec is also known to the Dunmer as the transcendent evolution of the Daedra that anticipated him , Black Hands Mephala , a foundation figure of the earliest Chimer . This darker side of Vivec does not appear in the popular literature and liturgy , but is instinctively understood and accepted by the Dunmer as an integral part of Vivec ' s divine aspect . A more complete appreciation of the complex nature of Vivec requires an understanding of the nature of Vivec ' s Anticipation , Mephala , and the darker themes represented by this Daedra Lord ' s modes and motivations . Who is Mephala ? Each of the three Tribunes of the Temple were represented in the dawn of Chimeri culture by their Anticipations . These Anticipations are known to the West as the sinister Daedra Lords Azura , Boethiah , and Mephala . In Temple theology , however , Azura is the Anticipation of Sotha Sil , the Mage - Lord of Almsivi . Boethiah is the Anticipation of Almalexia , Almsivi ' s Mother and Lady . Mephala is the Anticipation of Vivec . According to legend , under the guidance of these three Daedra Lords , a discontented throng of Altmer transformed themselves into a new people and founded a new land . And while Boethiah , the so - called Prince of Plots , provided the revolutionary methods needed to bring about this transformation , Mephala was the shadowy implementer of those methods . As known in the West , Mephala is the demon of murder , sex , and secrets . All of these themes contain subtle aspects and violent ones ( assassination / genocide , courtship / orgy , tact / poetic truths ) ; Mephala is understood paradoxically to contain and integrate these contradictory themes . And all these subtle undercurrents and contradictions are present in the Dunmer concepts of Vivec , even if they are not explicitly described and explained in Temple doctrine . The Dunmer do not envision Lord Vivec as a creature of murder , sex , and secrets . Rather , they conceive of Lord Vivec as benevolent king , guardian warrior , poet - artist . But , at the same time , unconsciously , they accept the notion of darker , hidden currents beneath Vivec ' s benevolent aspects . For example , one of the most striking persistent myths associated with Vivec is the story that Vivec conspired with his co - rulers Almalexia and Sotha Sil in the murder of Lord Nerevar , the greatest of Dunmer heroes and generals . The story is derived from Ashlander oral tradition , and is flatly contradicted by all Temple traditions . Nonetheless , the tale is firmly established in the Dunmer imagination , as if to say , " Of course Vivec would never have conspired to murder Lord Nerevar , but it happened so long ago … who can know the truth ? " The public face of Vivec is benign , sensitive , compassionate , and protective of his followers . At the same time , the Dunmer seem irrationally comfortable with the hidden aspects of Vivec , the darker components of violence , lust , and conspiracy associated with the more primitive and ruthless impulses of the Anticipations .