I have existed for as long as you weak mortals have walked the grounds of Nirn. I have learned much and have seen much. But there is something that I have seen that makes me want to murder every single man, mer, or beast that I see without hesitation. For you mortals you do not understand the nature of my home, of Oblivion.

You believe you know everything you can possibly know about this realm of constant change and strife, but you do not. Seeing and listening to your pompous mages – and I have listened to many of the mortal mage during those accursed periods of brief servitude on Mundus – about how you believe that you understand the very nature of Oblivion.

Ha! You mortals exhibit an arrogance that is not befitting of your place on the battlefield. You are the lowest of scum, and only beneficial when you serve your purpose. While you die we are merely defeated. How can you ever hope to defeat us?

And now we come to the conclusion of why I have written this tome, bound in the leathered skin of the forsaken and written in the ancient blood of troubled souls. A guide to Oblivion written by a true denizen of Oblivion, not a silly book of misconceptions and half-assed lies. So the next time one of you mortals find yourselves wondering about the Planes of Oblivion, you may discover this volume glowing menacingly beside you.

Waiting.

You wish to understand the concept of infinity? Then try, and we’ll see if you can fully comprehend it.

Oblivion is the fire that is constantly flickering in the blistering wind. Oblivion is the bear gnawing on the man who drew to close to its teeth. It is these things and much more, and at the same it is none of them.

The Realm of Oblivion is a very chaotic place that you will never fully understand and that is why I am forced to simplify things to your ignorant minds. Within it resides many realms, as numerous as the stars, and its own peoples. One such people is the Kyn, which your kind so aggravatingly calls Dremora, and we lay claim to many places.

How can I explain the infinite to finite mind? Well, think of Oblivion as a parallel to your chaotic sea (we Daedra are very fond of the sea, as it is a constant source of change as we are ourselves) on Nirn. The sea itself is the entirety of Oblivion; constantly shifting and flowing in all possible directions. The abodes of the Lords of Tumult are islands, remaining mostly still in the water. Ships are mortals travelling through Oblivion and Shipwrecks are…well, guess. Hahahaha! Whirlpools are portals that allow passage or exit to Oblivion, and can also kill you if not navigated correctly. Swim far enough into the abyss and you’ll find yourself swimming upwards in the oceans of Nirn and vice versa.

Yes, we Daedra are very fond of your seas mortals. Who do you think taught the men and women you fear as pirates how to navigate it? Have you ever realized how similar we are? Forces of chaos residing in a realm of chaos. No, you never realized this. For you mortals believe you know everything, and the more you mortals try to grasp the concept of eternity within a mind that will eventually die the more you don’t know anything at all.

Oblivion is like the Sea. Come swim in its waters and let us drown you.

The Daedra populate the waters of Oblivion, and we are the only ones who will ever fully understand how to sail them. However, the maps to do so are always altering themselves, and so the Lesser Denizens are all perpetual to a lack of perception. That is the only thing we envy that you mortals have. While you can traverse your environment with ease we Daedra are always wary for the next wave, and thus our directional skills are poor. Like the sea serpents that reside in your oceans on Mundus, we can be taken out but must eventually return to the tides. When we are summoned under wretched slavery to do the will of mages, when we are defeated we do not die. We are merely sent back into the flowing waters of Oblivion where we are reborn.

The Greater Daedra, who are the Princes of Misrule, control the islands, the places that are only mostly fixed within our realm. There have been many Princes, but some have been ripped apart so brutally they will never be reformed. Others are too obscure to be even thought of by mortals, so there is no point in me writing them down for your weak minds to try to understand. Currently, there are only Seventeen Princes that govern Oblivion. Everything that happens in the seas of Oblivion is always monitored by them. No one can ever escape them.

Next is the Kyn, my ilk, who number in numbers uncountable and are as different as we are plentiful. We serve the Princes of Misrule faithfully, and they reward us for our aid. Whatever our Lord decrees, we act upon. We brutalize. We pillage. We wage war. We ravage everything that stands in our path. There is no escape from us.

The Lesser Daedra are next. They are stupid, weak, and undisciplined in the arts of correctly waging wars. But they are easily manipulated, and serve as excellent pawns in large schemes of battle. Each Prince has Lesser Daedra that follow them, but no one truly cares about them. But you mortals should fear them. They are dogs and we are their masters. You may put them down but we will only bring them back. Even they you cannot escape.

And then there are you mortals. Washed onto the shores of the islands not knowing where you are but feeling the pain. Do not fight the fear; let it enter you and allow it to become a part of you. Embrace the change. In the waters of Oblivion, you cannot even escape yourself.

There are only two rules in the whole of Oblivion, written as glowing sigils in the eyes of every Daedra with tortured souls: Do not fight the changes and allow them to happen. And do not be weak. Neglecting these two rules will only result in you drowning in the frigid seas of Oblivion, and surrendering yourself to its infinite depths. That is what awaits those who do not adhere to the rules of Oblivion.

You must be able to fight to survive these savage seas. If you cannot you will not last and no one will mourn your passing, your soul merely becoming one of many screaming for mercy.

Respect the Princes and do not anger them. Even we of the Kyn grow nervous when one of the Lords of Misrule grows impatient. Do not tempt nor challenge the Lesser Daedra. They are not intelligent enough to realize a jest and will devour you without hesitation. Do not mock the Kyn. We have no patience for your mortal souls and have ways of exacting revenge against you.

Do not make us come and find you.

You cannot.

But you can try.

That is all that is needed to be said about Oblivion. You do not need to know about the individual islands – you must discover their locations and customs by your self. This tome was only written to inform you of the information that you can’t be informed. Enter the oceans of Oblivion and become lost on its waves.