Miraak

**Miraak** or *Mir-Aak*, 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.

## History

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, Dukaan (creature) and Zakriisos, 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, Vahlok the Jailor (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 4E 201 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.

## Personality

 File:MIRAAAK.jpg
Miraak can be seen as a very arrogant and rash individual, believing that his Dragonborn heritage sets him above his former dragon masters. Upon meeting the Last Dragonborn, he can claim that, (unless the main questline has been completed, in which case Miraak will grudgingly state admiration for the Dragonborn) compared to him, they have only killed a "few dragons" and do not yet know the true power of a Dragonborn, such as himself. He also believes himself above the servitude of Hermaeus Mora. Miraak is also a being that desires power, willing in the past to bind himself in servitude to Hermaeus Mora in order to gain forbidden knowledge and power.

Despite, or perhaps due to, his arrogance, Miraak is shown to be a very powerful individual, as he was not only able to defy the Dragons he served, but he was also able to devour many of them before his defeat as a total of twenty-one different Dragon skeletons can be found both around and within his temple.

Miraak proves to be fiercely independent and seems to be motivated solely by his lust for power. This can be seen not only through his initial betrayal of the Dragons at the height of their power, but also through his resistance to the effects of Apocrypha as it is said that all those who venture there become prisoners of their own thirst for knowledge and are unable to leave, whereas Miraak appeared unaffected.

During his final battle with the Dragonborn, he claims that Hakon and the other ancient Nord heroes wished to use him to slay Alduin, but he chose not to for his own reasons. However, should Alduin have already been defeated upon meeting him, he will claim that he could have killed the World-Eater himself, a further sign of his arrogant nature.

## Gallery

First Dragonborn.jpgPromotional image of the First DragonbornSahrotaar and Miraak.jpgMiraak rides Sahrotaar in the loading screen
## Trivia

* Miraak was voiced by Peter Jessop.
* To address the confusion that arose from the existence of a Dragonborn predating Alessia, Michael Kirkbride, former writer at Bethesda, stated, *"Alessia didn't have the power to absorb dragon souls. Hers was a much more nuanced power: to dream of liberty and give it a name and on her deathbed make Covenant with the Aka-Tusk.*
* If Miraak's mask is removed via console commands, he appears as a Nord whose face and hair are randomly generated.
* Much of Miraak's dialogue seems to have been cut. Game data reveals the Dragonborn and Miraak converse longer before the battle at the Summit of Apocrypha takes place. Some of these lines include *"I grieve that you must meet your end this way but necessity demands it."*, *"You... you are the true Dragonborn..."*, and *"Well fought, Dragonborn, but I'm afraid this is not over. I shall return and take what is mine."* This suggests that another battle was to take place or Hermaeus Mora does not kill Miraak and he escapes.
* Most of Miraak's clothing and weapons seem to be influenced by Hermaeus Mora. His robes and weapons make references to Hermaeus Mora due to their tendril effects. His mask also seems to resemble a mass of tendrils. His mask also resembles a Seeker's face.
* In the official pre-release trailer and artwork, Miraak's robes are purple, but in-game they appear brownish green.
* Miraak has multiple Base IDs for separating character AI and behaviors. This feature is also shared by other characters such as Harkon.
* Miraak is the only Dragon Priest to be listed as an NPC rather than a creature.
* When "The Temple of Miraak" is completed, Miraak may steal the Dragon souls that the Last Dragonborn kills in Skyrim and Solstheim.

## Bugs

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* Template:XBOX360 Even after one loots Miraak's Sword, it can be found on the floor.
* Template:PCTemplate:XBOX360 If Miraak appears after a dragon has been killed and the dragon does not release its soul, he may say nothing and become stuck in the ethereal form. While he is in this form, the quest "At the Summit of Apocrypha" cannot be completed. The Dragonborn reads the Black Book, is transported to Apocrypha and cannot move, cast spells, access menus or even change into first person.
* Template:ALLPLAT If too much damage is dealt to Miraak in the final battle, he will be unable to fully replenish his health and will be stuck in ethereal form, unable to be attacked or killed and thus unable to be defeated. This can happen at any of the three times he replenishes his health using a dragon's soul. The easiest way to avoid this is to restart the fight and use a less powerful weapon to chip away at his health.
	+ If the Dragonborn turns invisible and waits until they are hidden, this will force Miraak's ethereal to end. This only works if he is in combat.
	+ Another fix to this, is to get back on Sahrotaar after getting off in front of Miraak. Then attack the dragons flying around instead of him. This will force him to absorb them when they reach zero health, and thus stop him from taking the ghost form. After both dragons are dead, start attacking Miraak. At some point, he will absorb Sahrotaar after forcing him to land. There will be a small drop to the ground, but only of a few feet. The Dragonborn will get back up and can finish him off.
	+ Using the console command `resurrect` on Miraak every time he absorbs a dragon soul also works.
* Template:PCTemplate:XBOX360 After killing Miraak his body disappears and can not be looted.
	+ Template:PC Using the console command `tcl` may reveal his skeleton under the podium of the Black Book.
* Template:PC After Miraak is defeated, he does not get impaled by Hermaeus Mora, and gets stuck under the map.
* Template:PC After Miraak is impaled by Hermaeus Mora and Apocrypha is re-entered, Miraak's body disappears, making the Dragonborn unable to get his armor and weapons.
* Template:XBOX360 If one stays on Sahrotaar during the majority of the fight, after Miraak absorbs the other two dragons souls he attempts to absorb Sahrotaar. However, he will be unable to, as the Dragonborn will be riding Sahrotaar still. This causes him to stay in ethereal form. If one dismounts the dragon and start to fight he stays in ethereal form, stuck in an eternal battle with Sahrotaar.

## Appearances

* *The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn*
* *The Elder Scrolls: Legends*

## References

1. ↑ *Creation Kit*

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1. ↑ Bethsoft.com - Michael Kirkbride's forum post

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