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The Emperor and The Blades
The Agent
The Player Character. With a randomly decided background based on the character creation choices you made, this character eventually earned the trust of The Emperor, who personally sends him/her to Daggerfall to investigate King Lysandus's death and a letter he sent to the Queen of Daggerfall that went missing.- Anti-Magic: If your custom class has Spell Absorption & various immunities, and even better if this is combined with high Intelligence & Willpower.
- The Chosen One: Averted; the player is simply someone the Emperor hires by virtue of previous work experience with his agents, making them unique amongst the PCs of the five main series TES games.
- At the end, if you try to keep the key and activate Numidium for your own use, you find out just how averted this is — it crushes you dead and goes on a berserk rampage through the empire.
- Crazy-Prepared: You'd better be. You'll never know if the dungeon you're about to save the damsel is a Vampire Coven or not. You'd better stock up with extra weapons, trinkets, healing and resistance potions and so on.
- Crippling Overspecialization: Possible through the custom class system.
- Empowered Badass Normal: It's possible for the Agent to become a vampire, a werewolf or a wereboar.
- Glass Cannon: If your custom class forbids all armor and only gains 1 hit point a level, but otherwise has good skills.
- Good Old Fisticuffs: Always an option, unless your class forbids it. Notable for ignoring all material immunities.
- Healing Factor: Health regeneration during rest is mainly determined by your Endurance. It's advised to have high Endurance when you have to rest in a dungeon in order to save time, since most quests have a very strict time limit.
- The Hero Dies: And also lives. As revealed in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the Agent entering Aetherius caused a "Dragon Break", resulting in all of the game's possible endings happening simultaneously. As a result, the Agent was killed when they tried to activate the Numidium for themselves and their soul was destroyed in the process. But they also handed off the Mantella to somebody else and survived. It's a stumper.
- Jack of All Stats: Possible by making the simplest custom class possible.
- Knight in Shining Armor: Made possible by joining a Knightly Order and wearing all heavy armor. If you don't have armor, then the Order will give you some. In fact, you will get benefits such as free inns.
- Mighty Glacier: If your custom class has base 25 (minimal) speed and 75(maximum) endurance, and gains 30 hit points per level.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The Agent's job was to lay a friend's ghost to rest and find out what happened to a letter. Instead they broke time itself apart and caused a massive in-universe continuity error, the political and metaphysical ramifications of which continued to rebound well into the fourth era.
- Player Character: S/He is who you are playing as.
- Vague Age: Averted due to the Agent being, so far, the only Elder Scrolls protagonist with an established birth date. They were born in 3E 375, making them 30 years old by the time the game begins.
Emperor Uriel Septim VII
The Emperor of Tamriel and the Septim dynasty. After being freed from Oblivion in the events of the previous game, he returns to a Tamriel that had suffered from several provincial wars, and tries to keep the empire from erupting into chaos.For more information about Uriel Septim VII, go to here.
- Big Good: As good a big person can get, anyway. He mostly wants to keep the Iliac Bay loyal to the Empire, and isn't above using more discreet means to keep the peace.
- The Spymaster: Controls an extensive network of spies, the Blades, to help make ends meet.
Lady Brisienna
A high-ranking member of the Blades stationed in the court of Daggerfall who briefs you on your mission.- Open Secret: Everyone knows she works for the Blades.
- The Spymaster: Serves as your handler of sorts during the game.
The Court of Daggerfall
King Lysandus
The previous King of Daggerfall. He was killed during The War of Betony, but his ghost continued to haunt the streets of Daggerfall.- The Atoner: Participated in a battle against orcs with his father-in-law, Klaius. When Klaius ordered the slaughter of non-combatants including children, Lysandus didn't participate, but didn't act to prevent it either. He felt guilt-ridden for the rest of his life, and supported the recognition of Orsinium to try to atone. This almost saved him later, when Gortwog's orcs tried to intervene to prevent his assassination.
- Ghostly Goals: Vengeance against those who murdered him.
- Incoming Ham: He's infamous in the fandom for his cry for vengeance against his murderer.
- Posthumous Character: Not even his death, but his ghost is what kicks off the main plot.
King Gothryd
Lysandus's son, and present King of Daggerfall. Is implied to have masterminded Lysandus's death.- Duel to the Death: After his father died, he challenged King Camaron of Sentinel to one of these; Camaron's death lead to Daggerfall winning the War of Betony.
- Patricide: While not provable in the game, there are hints that Gothryd was a knowing party to his father's assassination. He was a secret ally of Woodborne, and tries to have you murdered if you bring Woodborne's diary to him.
Queen Aubk-i
Gothryd's wife, Queen Consort of Daggerfall, and daughter of King Camaron and Queen Akorithi of Sentinel.- Altar Diplomacy: Married Gothryd to repair relations between Sentinel and Daggerfall, who had just been at war with each other.
Queen Mynisera
Lysandus's wife, and Queen Mother of Daggerfall.- Clingy Jealous Girl: To Lysandus. When she caught word that he had been cheating on her, she banished his mistress to a (monster-filled) tower on the Isle of Balfiera, and cursed her so she couldn't leave.
- Hidden Depths: While she outwardly seems to be the most compliant to your goals, if you pursue Aubk-i's questline, we learn that she has a personal dungeon/retreat filled with undead creatures and vampires.
Nulfaga
King Lysandus's mother, and a powerful witch who retreated into a dungeon in the Wrothgarian Mountains after her son died. She transports The Agent to the location of the Mantella at the end of the main quest.- Cloudcuckoolander: The death of her son has left her quite unhinged. When the Agent meets her, the poor old woman is rambling about her pillow being filled with porcupines.
- Foreshadowing: Her rambling hints to the fact that she was responsible for the fog that concealed Lysandus's (supposed) death.
- Hermit Guru: A witch living in a mountain castle.
The Court of Wayrest
King Eadwyre
King of Wayrest, and second husband of Barenziah.- Hidden Depths: Outwardly just a Fat King, but according to the Biography of Barenziah, he actually helped engineer Jagar Tharn's downfall.
- Ungrateful Bastard: If your reputation with him is high enough he'll send a letter promising to match any offer Gothryd or Akorithi makes for the Totem of Tiber Septim. If you actually deliver the Totem to him, he responds by sneering at your naivety and sending his battlemages after you — the only potential recipient to backstab you like that, and even, if it wasn't for bugs, the only recipient not to reward younote (even Gothryd, the person you take it from, pays you for giving it back if you go to the effort of handing it to him personally).
Queen Barenziah
Second wife of King Eadwyre, Queen Consort of Wayrest, and Queen Dowager of Mournhold (the capital of Morrowind). Has a pretty famous biography
written about her. For more information about her character outside of Daggerfall, see The Elder Scrolls: Recurring Characters- Book Burning: An optional quest you can do for her has you recovering the (then) only copy of The Real Barenziah, Part VI, which details her being impregnated with Tiber Septim's child, then being forced to have an abortion.
- Femme Fatale: A notable not-totally-evil variety.
- Really 700 Years Old: She was born in the late Second Era, making her around 400 years old by the time of the game.
- Really Gets Around: Tries to censor a story written about her, The Real Barenziah, that details her many sexual relationships.
Prince Helseth
Barenziah's firstborn son and King Eadwyre's stepson. For his later appearance in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, see here.- Blackmail: He does this to the leader of the Elder Council in the quest you do for him.
- Evil Prince: Well, not exactly evil, but definitely morally bankrupt enough to make Machiavelli proud.
Princess Morgiah
Barenziah's daughter and King Eadwyre's stepdaughter. She apparently makes frequent deals with Mannimarco, the King of Worms.- All Witches Have Cats: She has a cat at her feet in her sprite. This should bring up a lot of red flags.
- Deal with the Devil: Has you arrange a deal with the King of Worms to get her wedded to the King of Firsthold. In return, she pledges to give the King of Worms her "first." First what is left unclear, but very sinister considering the King of Worms is a necromancer. (According to the official strategy guide, this was supposed to tie into the next game, but it never comes up in Morrowindnote .)
Princess Elysana
King Eadwyre's daughter and Barenziah's stepdaughter. Betrothed to Lord Woodborne.- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She talks like a bubbly, air-headed girl in her quest dialogues. She's actually probably the most cunning and malevolent member of Wayrest's royal family, and that’s saying something.
- Succession Crisis: Since she's younger than Helseth, but he's not blood-related to Eadwyre, they both have a shot at becoming the monarch of Wayrest when he dies.
- Treacherous Quest Giver: She sends you on a quest to help her "cousin" out and then you get ambushed by several barbarians.
- Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him?: In order to get the vote of an Elder Council member, Helseth tries to blackmail him. Elysana just has him killed with a cloak that summons daedra.
Lord Woodborne
An influential noble in Wayrest, and was one of Lysandus's advisors during the War of Betony. Betrothed to Princess Elysana. He killed King Lysandus just before the Battle of Cryngaine Field and is in cahoots with King Gothryd.- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Plans to marry Elysana, then betray her and her family to become King of Wayrest.
The Court of Sentinel
Queen Akorithi
Queen of Sentinel, and widow of King Camaron.- Hidden Depths: Appears to be one of the least morally bankrupt of the major royalty around the bay. And then you learn that she agreed to have her eldest son kidnapped and killed in a dungeon since he was a scholar instead of a warrior.
Prince Lhotun
Third son of King Camaron and Queen Akorithi. Has you investigate the truth behind his oldest brother's death.- You Killed My Father: A book in the later games reveals that, after he becomes king, Lhotun hunts down and kills the people responsible for his brother's kidnapping and death.
Other Political Figures around the Iliac Bay
Gortwog
A self-styled Orcish prince who aims to develop an independent Orsinium as the homeland of the Orcs.- Fantastic Racism: He makes a pretty good point that Orcs are only seen as violent because of racism and circumstance: people would attack Orcs indiscriminately, and as a result Orcs had to develop a violent behavior to survive.
- Religion of Evil: Unlike most other orcs, Gortwog considers worship of Malacath to fall into this, believing him to be an imposter, and actually believes Trinimac is the god Orcs should worshipnote .
Mannimarco, the King of Worms
The "King" of liches, vampires, and necromancers residing in Scourg Barrow in the Dragontail Mountains. Is otherwise a very prominent figure in the criminal community.- Godhood Seeker: He became a lich as step one in his plan to eventually reach Complete Immortality, with him desiring to truly become a god, and plans to use the Totem of Tiber Septim and the Mantella to ascend to finish the job. He eventually succeeds... sort of.
- Necromancer: He is the leader of the Order of the Black Worms, a notorious sect of necromancers.
- Our Liches Are Different: He is the first lich of Tamriel.
Zurin Arctus, the Underking
The lich-like figure on the front of the box, the Underking's heart fuels the MacGuffin everyone is after.- Covers Always Lie: The game's cover makes him look like the Big Bad. In fact, he's one of the most sympathetic factions in the game, since he's the only one who doesn't want to use the Numidium for warfare.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite his sinister appearance, he's probably the most heroic of the game's factions, since he objected to using the Numidium to attack independents, tried to destroy it rather than let it be used for evil, and is just a Death Seeker in the modern day.
- Death Seeker: His heart is what powers the Numidium, so he needs to get it back and destroy it in order to die.
- Dem Bones: As a lich, of course.
- The Ghost: Outside of a few seconds of video in his ending, you never see him in play, and he only communicates to the Player Character via letters and agents.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: The public only knows him as a terrifying boogieman who betrayed Tiber Septim and now exists as an horrifying undead creature who opposes the Empire. In reality, he only did this because Tiber Septim betrayed him by using the Numidium, which he had intended as a Weapon of Peace, for conquest; Zurin was killed when he tried to stop this. His undead state is because his heart was used to power the Numidium; all he wants is to get it back and die.
- Multiple-Choice Past: The various in-game texts about him disagree on his backstory, goals, and in a few cases even his identity.
- Depending on which account you go by, the Underking is Zurin alone, King Wulfharthnote , or a soul consisting of both.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: At least as far as the population knows. The Underking, legendary bugbear of children's tales and all round scary customer, set out to gain control of an ancient Doomsday Device and ended up causing the miracle which unified the warring city states of High Rock. In reality he wasn't really a villain, precisely, and was mostly indifferent to the effects his actions had after he became a Death Seeker.
- Technological Pacifist: A magical version of this. He created the Numidium as a Weapon of Peace to be used for purely defensive purposes, and was horrified when Tiber Septim started using it to forge an empire instead.
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind retcons this so that the Numidium was created by the long-vanished Dwemer/dwarves and traded to Tiber Septim by Vivec in exchange for greater autonomy for Morrowind. However, the Numidium was missing its intended power source, the Heart of Lorkhan, so Zurin created the Mantella as a replacement.
