Lore:Mazken

The Mazken are a Daedric people who take on the form of scantily clad humanoids, with skin pigments that range from humanesque flesh tones to more unusual shades such as blue, gray, or dark purple. Many of them have also been known to possess large, retractable bat-like wings. They are variously known as Seducers, Daedra Seducers or Dark Seducers to the mortals of Tamriel. They are the spawn of Sheogorath, and their home is Pinnacle Rock in the Shivering Isles. Many of the Mazken are notoriously clanless and treacherous, owing allegiance to many Daedric Princes. Male Mazken are notably weaker than their female counterparts and because of this, Mazken society views all males as inferior. Unlike their counterparts, the Golden Saints, Dark Seducers appear to be friendly and patient when interacting with mortals, though they actually harbor a deep distaste for them.

In combat, the Mazken wear strong but extremely revealing armor that exposes most of their skin to the elements, although this is compensated by their fast running speed and strong resistance to magical attacks. Other times though, they have been known to wear revealing black outfits and use their alluring form to trick mortal opponents into mistaking them for harmless human women before striking down their unsuspecting adversaries with ease. However, they have sometimes exhibited a willingness to behave passively around mortals that understand the Daedric language to a certain degree.

During the Daedric invasion of the Battlespire, Mehrunes Dagon recruited many Mazken to his ranks. They turned on their previous mistress, Jaciel Morgen, and captured her realm, Shade Perilous, for Dagon. They attacked the Battlespire, each wielding a Daedric Crescent, before retiring back to Oblivion and leaving the scamps and vermai to clean up. The other Daedric clans were displeased with Dagon's acceptance of the Mazkens' presence. Dagon himself held no such prejudices, taking a Mazken as his bodyguard and lover, and gifting her with the Broadsword of the Moon Reiver. This bodyguard was slain by an unknown hero, who then used the sword to banish Dagon, destroying the Battlespire in the process.

In the events leading up to the Warp in the West, Malacath was betrayed by a Mazken whom he had gifted with power and beauty. The Prince had a mysterious agent of the Blades track her down to a dungeon in the Iliac Bay area and slay her in return for the Volendrung. The agent was also tricked by an orc warlord into taking a Daedric lodestone from a Mazken, with the promise of the artifact Chrysamere, which the warlord did not possess. The Mazken revealed the orc's plot to the agent, providing a magical pearl to break the illusion, but the ultimate result of this conflict is unknown.

The Mazken make up one half of the Madgod's army, along with the Aureal. The two groups have a great rivalry, each believing they are Sheogorath's favored. The Mazken are charged with guarding Dementia, apparently due to a masochistic streak. In times of peace, they act as guards, patrolling the realm for criminals and hostile creatures. In times of war, they favor blunt weapons and are placed under the command of the Duke of Dementia. The Mazken have a strict hierarchy, ascending in rank as follows: Kiskengo; Kiskella; Kiskedrig; Grakendo; Grakella; Grakedrig; Autkendo.

In 3E 433 the Wellspring of the Mazken was taken by Order, who had invaded Pinnacle Rock, turning all Mazken to stone. Sheogorath's Champion destroyed the Order crystals blocking the water, reviving them. The Champion earned their respect, and later their adoration when Sheogorath was freed from his curse and the Champion became the new Madgod.

• DaggerfallDaedraSeducer.gif

  Daedra Seducer (Daggerfall)

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  Seducer (Battlespire)

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  Dark Seducer (Battlespire)

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  Female Mazken (Shivering Isles)

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  Male Mazken (Shivering Isles)

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  Dark Seducer Royal Guard (Shivering Isles)

• ON-creature-Seducer Trilvath.jpg

  Dark Seducer (ESO)

Notes

• The term "Mazken" appeared for the first time in the Shivering Isles expansion pack for TES IV: Oblivion; the Seducer enemies also appeared under slightly differing names in TES II: Daggerfall and An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire.
• Although the Dark Seducers are primarily associated with Sheogorath, a lesser-seen variation simply known as the "Seducer" has been known to be affiliated with Nocturnal.
• The wings attached to Dark Seducers, or "Daedra Seducers" as they are called in Daggerfall, appear to gradually vanish when folded, only to re-appear when fully expanded. This seems to imply that the wings are either conjured by a spell, or simply become transparent while unused. The former is consistent with most of their later appearances (barring Battlespire), where Dark Seducers completely lack any signs of wings.
• The box art for Battlespire depicts a winged Dark Seducer wielding a Daedric Crescent.

See Also

• Dark Seducer Names
• For in-game information, see the Shivering Isles Mazken article.