In Defense of Mankar Camoran's Erroneous Speech

#The Principalities have sparkled as gems in the black reaches of Oblivion since the First Morning. Many are their names and the names of their masters: the Coldharbour of Meridia, Peryite's Quagmire, the ten Moonshadows of Mephala, and... and Dawn's Beauty, the Princedom of Lorkhan….
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TES:Oblivion was a game that pushed the boundaries of the accepted view of the universe. Mankar Camoran was a spectacular villain, but he’s endured a blemished place in the community’s collective memory, due mainly to his famous mix-up of Daedric Lords and their respective Realms. It was almost certainly a mistake on the part of the developers. However, in honor of this week’s theme, I’ve decided to tackle one of my most beloved heretical headcanons, a notion that has floated quietly around this reddit for years: that Mankar was correct all along, we simply misunderstood him. We didn’t know enough. When we first heard his famous line, we believed that he was referring to Princes and their respective Realms, but I don’t believe that’s the case. Mankar had an understanding of the politics and machinations of Oblivion beyond that of normal mortals, and I believe he was demonstrating just that, by referencing to the player three of the most intricate and subtle relationships and power plays in Oblivion. Why? To overwhelm the Hero with his understanding, to awe them with his knowledge, to baffle them with confusion, or (in the rarest of cases) to impress them with his understanding. I’m going to seek to explain those statements, and more, and in so doing vindicate an evil genius who has long suffered misplaced, unjust ignominy in many comments on this reddit.

The Coldharbor of Meridia
This first claim is the easiest to explore, and I believe that many of us already have, in the events of Elder Scrolls: Online. Here’s a brief history on the Hollow City if you haven’t. I’ll be quoting swaths from the UESP throughout, so shoutout to them.

When it was on Nirn, the Hollow City was populated by men and Ayleids. They worshiped Meridia at a glorious cathedral, and their city's prosperity was ensured by magical crystals called the Lights of Meridia. At some point, the Hollow City was besieged by the minions of Molag Bal, who poured out of portals from Coldharbour. It soon became clear that the forces of Molag Bal were too great, and that the city would eventually fall. However, Meridia saw an opportunity to both save the city and fight back. Using the portals Molag Bal had opened, she transported the entire city, with all its inhabitants, into Coldharbour. Due to the enchantments protecting Coldharbour, the inhabitants of the city were scattered all across the realm. However, the city itself arrived largely intact, and served as a shelter for many of those who remained. Meridia had thus succeeded in inserting a portion of her own power into Coldharbour, creating a space there that was safe even from Molag Bal himself. The enchantments protecting the Hollow City were maintained by Meridia, who disguised herself as a woman known as the Groundskeeper.

Meridia has had a foothold in Coldharbour for centuries. Though she can’t watch the actions of Molag Bal himself, it certainly gives some feedback into his current actions and desires. Having this foothold allowed Her to thwart Molag Bal and ensure the survival of Nirn during the events of ES:O, showing Meridia’s foresight as incredibly beneficial, and what a strategic advantage it turned out to be.

Conclusion: Mankar refers to the “Coldharbour of Meridia” as a reference to one of the greatest power plays in Oblivion politics, a secret, forgotten event in history. Oblivion is always at war, as this refers to one of its greatest battles.

Peryite's Quagmire
Ah, two of the most obscure Princes together. A recent Loremaster’s Archive introduced a new concept into the lore: the Realm-Rip, which occurs in Oblivion. To quote it: particles of chaotic creatia, when flowing in reaction to the exertion of will, become daedrons that, though injurious to the mortal form, can nonetheless perform work. Underutilized daedrons usually return to quiescence—but if imbued with sufficient purpose, they may escape and coalesce to form potentia vortices. These are dangerous if allowed to self-optimize into realm-rips, so it's best to damp them out early. Trying to keep ahead of it all keeps Peryite mighty busy, but nobody's really sorry for him—after all, he earned it."

Wow. Let’s try to break that down and draw some conclusions. It’s important to emphasize that the speaker is discussing magic as it behaves in Oblivion.

Particles of chaotic creatia, when flowing in reaction to the exertion of will, become daedrons that, though injurious to the mortal form, can nonetheless perform work. This refers to the process of calling upon daedrons, forcefully refined particles of raw magical energy, to cause a desired effect, things as small as the casting of minor spells to as grand as the building of Realms.

Underutilized daedrons usually return to quiescence—but if imbued with sufficient purpose, they may escape and coalesce to form potentia vortices. Unspent daedrons usually fade to dormancy, or back into the Void, whathaveyou, but something can go wrong: too much unfulfilled purpose, too much unfocused will, can result in the daedrons coalescing into an energy vortex.

These are dangerous if allowed to self-optimize into realm-rips, so it's best to damp them out early. These energy vortexes can, in the right circumstances, eventually whorl and drill through the very fabric of the Realm, becoming a Realm-Rip which pours the Realm’s stabilizing creatia into the Void.

Trying to keep ahead of it all keeps Peryite mighty busy, but nobody's really sorry for him—after all, he earned it.** Apparently, Realm-Rips are a great enough threat to keep a Daedric Prince busy, and who better than the Prince of Order, the Taskmaster? The bit about him earning it is mysterious. Is it an allusion to Peryite’s role as a force of balance, or a hint that Peryite somehow brought his station as Lord of the Lowest Pits upon himself?

Now we come to Quagmire, a Realm made much more interesting with ESO. The discovery that water is memory lends new significance to the name: Quagmire, a soft land saturated in water. Vaermina steals the memories of sleeping mortals and hoards them in her Realm, creating an ever-shifting memory-quagmire of complete chaos, particularly to mortal eyes.. Weaver of the Panoply indeed. If any Realm is going to spontaneously spawn dangerous potential Realm-Rips, it would be Quagmire, as the memory-ghosts and frequent mortal visitors stir up chaotic creatia en-masse. It’s interesting to note that Vaermina and Peryite are enemies in TES:Daggerfall, so Peryite likely performs these tasks out of obligation rather than familial affection.

Conclusion: Mankar refers to it as “Peryite’s Quagmire” due to the vast amount of time and energy Peryite spends preserving that Realm, and the balance of the Void in the process. Mortals perceive Oblivion as chaotic yet stable, but Mankar mocks our misunderstanding of its fragility and inner workings.

The Ten Moonshadows of Mephala
Mephala’s domains in Oblivion are numerous and obscured... - Imperial Census of Daedric Lords.
The same could be said of Her actions. Mephala's only consistent theme seems to be interference in the affairs of mortals for amusement. So, why wouldn’t she, more than any Prince (except perhaps Sheogorath) toy with those souls aligned with and belonging to Her? Why not keep some in a parody-pocket of Moonshadow? If most descriptions of Her Realms are to be believed, it tends to be an unpleasant place for mortals. But Mephala is mutable, and Her Realms should be suitably variegated.
But why would Mankar reference these obscure parody-pockets, you ask? Allow me to present a theory: the departed souls of faithful Tribunal worshippers are claimed by the Three Anticipations based on spiritual alignment. The Loveletter states: Death results in reappropriation of spirit towards its aligned AE—either to the god-planet Aedra or the Principalities of Oblivion. Vehk’s name for this transaction, mentioned above, is “lunar currency”.
Jubal seems a solid source of information, and Vehk acknowledges this system by naming it. Jubal and Vehk would both agree, I think, that the Tribunal fit neither of those descriptions, so I posit that the souls of Tribunal faithful would be aligned with one of the Anticipations upon death. This is favorable to the Princes, which may explain why they never unleashed their full fury upon Morrowind.

Conclusion: Mankar refers to the “Ten Moonshadows of Mephala” either as a statement about the duplicitous nature of certain Princes, or in reference to one of the greatest soul-scandal to ever occur on Tamriel. The latter is far more interesting.

Dawn's Beauty, the Princedom of Lorkhan
To fully understand this claim, we have to look at definitions and context carefully. Aedra and Daedra are Elven terms, and exact. Aedra means “our ancestors”, and Daedra means “not our ancestors”. When Mankar uses the term Daedroth to describe Lorkhan, he’s firmly disconnecting him from the Aedra, whom Mankar refers to as betrayers. Myth commonly states that the Daedric Princes didn’t form their Realms until the creation of Mundus, but what if that’s not quite true? What if Lorkhan, who we know explored outwardly as far as he could, also explored inward, experimenting with the creation of a Realm within himself? What if this Realm became the Framework for the Mundus, the original blueprint upon which Magnus would expand? What if the War of Manifest Metaphors was in truth a coup to overthrow the first Prince and claim dominion, a coup Magnus and his ilk would have no part of?
If that’s a bit extreme for you, consider this instead: Mankar never disputes the Daedric nature of ALL the Divines. His major claim is that Tamriel is Lorkhan’s Realm as opposed to a world created by the sacrifices of the Aedra, and with Lorkhan’s Heart at its center, it’s arguable. Consider also that the only thing really separating Tamriel from Oblivion is the Liminal Barrier, a malleable force.

Conclusion: Mankar has a different view of the universe than most, but all of it based on concrete information. That Lorkhan is a Daedroth is a matter of interpretation (especially given his inclination to continuously return via Shezzarines). That Tamriel is a Realm of Oblivion is a matter of definition. That the “Aedra” betrayed him is believed by arguably half of Tamriel’s population. Finally, since Tamriel was founded on Revolution, the overthrow of Lorkhan, Mehrunes Dagon has an arguable right to Tamriel by virtue of his birthright, his Sphere.

Addendum
Some of these theories are a little weak, some are completely unsupported by anything save a lack of blatantly contradictory material, but I don’t think any of them are forced. I’d love to hear other interpretations of his famous speech, or constructive criticism here. We’ve had 10 years and 2 installments to ponder with, it’s time we figured this out!