So I got a nice new gaming PC and have been playing Skyrim in all its fullest glory. Replayed Dragonborn recently, and despite having played through it several times on two systems, only now has it come to questioning:
What does Hermaeus Mora accomplish at the end of Dragonborn?
He strings you along to defeat Miraak. Why? Because then Miraak rebelled against him to escape Apocrypha and return to Tamriel. The reason why this is a problem for Hermaeus Mora is questionable, though I believe it to be because Miraak only wishes to serve himself, not Hermaeus Mora. He wouldn't be a Daedric Champion, but his own. This desire could have easily been quelled by allowing Miraak to return to Tamriel the same way he left it: a powerful servant of Hermaeus Mora. But rather, he trapped him in Apocrypha and allowed him to become bitter and resentful towards his master, leading to his actions in the Fourth Era.
But then the Last Dragonborn comes along and Hermaeus Mora has him kill Miraak and take his place. Except you're no more under his control than Miraak was. In fact, even less, considering Miraak was at least fully empowered by Hermaeus Mora, whereas your power comes from your own accomplishments. And unlike Miraak, you can move freely from Tamriel to Apocrypha under your own autonomy.
So what benefit is it for Hermaeus Mora to lock up and kill his powerful servant as a trade for an even more powerful being that is completely out of his control?
Granted, I don't think the main story for Dragonborn was very well-thought to begin with, having way too much of a focus on Hermaeus Mora than, I don't know, the Dragonborn, but I'm still going to question this.