The Dragonborn DLC was the first in-game content to explore beyond the borders of Skyrim and allow players to travel to the island of Solstheim. This quest can be triggered when Cultists bearing Dragon Cult masks approach the player and ask if they are the Dragonborn. No matter what is answered, the Cultists will accuse the player of being an impostor and attack them. A letter can be found on their bodies after, which will be the first mention of Miraak that players will encounter in-game.
There is little known about Miraak’s early history, with many different versions and stories of his past actions and how he came to be trapped in the realm of Apocrypha. Skyrim's Miraak was once a Dragon Priest, back when most of the world was controlled by dragon masters. He rebelled against these masters separately from the rebellion occurring in Skyrim and was defeated. Skyrim's Last Dragonborn will only encounter Miraak thousands of years after his imprisonment, and proceed to disrupt his plans to return to the real world and take power. While Miraak is most certainly a villain, he is perhaps the most sympathetic and tragic villain in all of Skyrim.
Miraak was a Dragon Priest who set about rebelling against his dragon masters after becoming the First Dragonborn. This grand power was achieved thanks to the use of Hermaeus Mora’s forbidden knowledge, hidden within the cursed Black Books. The Dragonborn DLC reveals the steep price of obtaining Hermaeus Mora’s assistance, as players delve deeper into the abyss and are used as tools in the Daedric Prince's plots. Throughout Skyrim’s main questline, players encounter dialogue, cutscenes, and lore that attest to the cruelty of Skyrim’s old dragon masters. Unfortunately, Miraak’s rebellion eventually failed, and he was nearly killed by a fellow Dragon Priest. His Temple was destroyed, and thanks to the deal made with Hermaeus Mora, Miraak was imprisoned in the nightmarish realm of Apocrypha - arguably a fate worse than death.
Skyrim's Miraak Was Doomed To Eternal Servitude
Miraak’s desire to gain power over his dragon masters and free himself from their grasp is ultimately what earns him a place of eternal servitude at the hands (or tentacles) of Hermaeus Mora. Throughout Miraak’s known life, he was constantly trapped in service to another cruel being. First the dragon masters, and then a deceptive Daedric Prince. Miraak’s quest for freedom has been thwarted at every turn, only succeeding in pushing him under the heels of beings more powerful than himself. While his plans for Solstheim are certainly not heroic, Miraak’s enchantment on the minds of those reconstructing his temple displays a pattern of destructively reactive behavior. Since his power was never respected or revered, nor has he ever had the ability to enact his visions on the world, Miraak instead subjects others to the same torture he has endured for millennia.
Perhaps the most sympathetic and tragic aspect of Miraak’s character is that he is Dragonborn. This villain is the closest players will get to encountering a true equal. Throughout Skyrim's main quest, the Last Dragonborn is hailed as a hero of legend and worshipped by those who witness their great deeds. Miraak however, has only known defeat, ridicule, and loss. In trying to become more than he was, his worth as a human being was lost. The Nord heroes of legend sought him out for his abilities to absorb dragon souls, and not because they respected his abilities. Never has Miraak been admired for his deeds, as others have only ever used him for what he can offer them. His plight should be familiar to players, who are often only sought after and listened to because of their Dragonborn status in Skyrim.
While there is no debating that Miraak is a villain in Skyrim, understanding the path he took to become the monster he is in the Dragonborn DLC makes him much more tragic than he appears at first glance. There is no way for players to save Miraak, and he is doomed to suffer defeat at the hands of the Last Dragonborn one last time. In death, he is finally freed from his masters and his tale reaches its end. Skyrim is filled with memorable villains and quests, but none are more tragic than Miraak, the First Dragonborn.