Lore:Mock-Daedra

Mock-Daedra is an informal term used to refer to mortal individuals who were temporarily altered to resemble Daedra.^[1] By definition, Daedra are not and never have been mortal. They are immutable beings, unchanged by time or circumstance. However, a Daedric Prince may bestow a mortal with the appearance and powers of a Daedric underling as a dark reward.^[1]^[2] Yet even this transformation—from mortal to so-called "mock-Daedra"—remains, at its core, a mortal experience.^[1]

Daedric corruption generally falls into two categories. Dhulef of the Mages Guild and Court Mage of Vastyr classified them as internal and external. External corruption occurs when an artifact or Daedric entity magically alters a mortal's personality or outlook. The allure and power of such corruption are difficult to resist. However, it can be purified through rituals, alchemical treatments, and even dietary adjustments to help realign one's essence.^[1] Internal corruption, on the other hand, is far more challenging to overcome. It results from prolonged exposure to a Daedric presence, embedding itself within the mind and soul. This is the kind of corruption Daedric Princes delight in fostering—exploiting the desperate through bargains, coercion, and manipulation. Some scholars suggest it is theoretically possible to purge this kind of influence, but success is exceedingly rare. True cleansing requires a genuine desire to break free from the Daedra's grip—something those deeply enthralled rarely possess.^[1]

Some witches of the Iliac Bay region were able to curse people to take forms akin to Daedroths.^[3] Some theologians believe that Potema's spirit remained so strong after her death that she became a daedra and inspired mortals into mad ambition and treason, though there is little direct evidence for this. It is implied that through this and infecting the Blue Palace with madness, that she caused her nephew Pelagius III to descend into madness.^[4]