Summary
Chaotic evil, one of the nine character alignments popularized by the tabletop role-playing gameDungeons & Dragons, might not be as coldly menacing or as organized as neutral evil, nor as sly or thorough with their maleficent designs, but it does mean embracing a certaininner murder hobo; that is to say acting sporadically without rhyme or reason, and always selfishly, even if that means for the enjoyment of another’s pain.
It takes a dislodged (or destroyed) empathy center, an extreme detachment from reality, or the special “eternal” perspective of a bored immortal to develop a chaotic evil alignment. As such, only the most dangerous and most powerful may fall under this umbrella inThe Elder Scrolls series, with gods, daedra, and the player (usually on their second playthrough) ranking among them.
Cicero
Tamriel’s Archetypal “Killer Clown”
Part court jester, part killer; it’s almost the perfect descriptor for chaotic evil, and it certainly catchesthe “killer clown” archetypeof humanity’s twisted collective imagination. As a Dark Brotherhood member (hail Sithis!), Cicero has plenty of room to perform evil acts, at least when he isn’t doting over his beloved charge. What makes him chaotic is his hysterical, madcap, and inappropriate japes, possibly brought about by years of isolation with the body of the Night Mother.
During Cicero’s years in hiding with the corpse, Cicero obsessed over his final kill, a court jester, before being designated to Keeper, a clerical role in the Dark Brotherhood that kept him from his beloved “wetwork.” However, after Discovering the Falkreath Sanctuary inSkyrim, Cicero allows himself to cut loose and return to old habits.
Boethiah
The Prince Of Murder & Shadow-Borne Treachery
Not all Daedra fall under the category of chaotic evil (and contrary to popular opinion, not all Daedra are evil), but the Prince of Plots certainly fits this descriptor. The immortal lover and progenitor of treason, mutiny, assassination, deceit, and the overthrowing of authority always acts in their own best interest.
The only people to consider them to be a force for good is the Dunmer, perhaps due to their “cull the weak, survive at all costs” cultural beliefs,as seen inMorrowind. When appearing before mortals, Boethiah takes a male or female form, depending on their whim, and flickers between gender and race before them if they so wish. Generally, what Boethiah wishes is bloodshed, battle, and the toppling of structure and order.
Alduin
Akatosh’s Most Powerful Creation & Renegade
Alduin was not created to be evil, nor was he born free. As the firstborn of Akatosh, the dragon time god, Alduin’s first purpose was to bring about the end of a kalpa (a very long time) to help usher in the next one, the next world, or the next dream. However, in the typical chaotic evil fashion, Alduin went rogue, usinghis formidable draconic powerto enslave the mortals of Tamriel, growing stronger with each victory.
Alduin’s ultimate goal seems to be domination and destruction against the wishes of his creator. Although he dominates, he hardly rules with any kind of plan in mind. Instead, he takes a “might makes right” approach while devouring as many souls as he can before his creator sends someone (i.e., the Last Dragonborn inSkyrim) to put an end to his activities.
Mephala
Mistress Of The Web Of Chaos
Chaos is an unknowable element, and no other entity inThe Elder Scrollsis quite as opaque as Mephala, the Daedric Prince of terror, lies, and deception. The closest explanation for why Mephala does what she does is that she spins her webs of secrets purely for her own entertainment. As an example, Mephala’s Daedric relic is the Ebony Blade, a katana that grows in power the more its holder murders their most trusting allies, as was seen inSkyrim.
To an immortal being, morality is a trivial thing, and some may believe that all Daedraare above such mundane human practices. But to those who suffer the consequences of a Daedric Prince’s schemes, especially those who lay victim to Mephala’s disclosure of forbidden knowledge or falsified claims, will attest to her associations with the most chaotic of evil.
Mankar Camoran
Speaking Fire To Order
The leader of the Mythic Dawn, author of theCommentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes, and architect of the assassination of Uriel Septim VII, Mankar Camoran, seems, on the surface, collected and in control. However, behind the carefully penned designs and powerful orations are the thoughts of a lunatic bent on spreading indiscriminate treachery and suffering.
Mankar Camoran doesn’t just want to undo the world as is; he wants to cull the weak for the strong and make way for the Prince of Revolution and Destruction to run a rampage. As players ofObliviongot to see in his vision of “paradise,” he has even his most loyal followers and allies chained up and tortured for eternity in (an admittedly pleasant-looking) nightmare.
Mehrunes Dagon
An Eternal Hunger For Revolt And Bloodshed
The Prince of natural disasters, razors, and destruction has one rule about hierarchy: he must be on top. Other than that, he cares very little about order or those he ends up “liberating” after his infernal revolution. Instead, he prefers to raze everything first and demand a fresh new realm to incinerate second. While he may have been a rebel hero god in an earlier Kalpa, Mehrunes Dagon is now the ultimate chaotic evil being.
While he comes across like a raging beast in theepic finale ofOblivion, Dagon is by no means mindless and takes as much joy in overthrowing the powerful through conspiracy as he does through strength. He can be a subtle influencer and a long-time planner when it benefits him. However, once he has access to a fresh new world to ravage, rampaging is just about all he can think to do.
