#lyranth

So i just finished Deadlands, and... all of a sudden, Lyranth's "goodbye" sounded a little too... hmm

First, here's what she says about why she "stole" the power of the Ambitions: "...the more we uncovered, the more I grew interested in the Ambitions' power. The ability to shift destinies... Where I walk next, no mortal has ever ventured. Possibly no Daedra, either."

When you ask her what she needs them for, she says To fulfill a promise made a long, long time ago."

Now, could she just be referring to revenge against the Deathbringer Clan for their betrayal of her and the Foolkiller Clan? Possibly. But didn't she already get that vengeance in the main story? So if that's not the promise she made... what is?

Lyranth is a Dremora that is unusually interested in and in-tune with mortals and their culture. She's no sweetheart, sure, but she sure does put a lot of effort into protecting her mortal allies and helping stop other Daedric Princes. She also understands why mortals act the way they do, such as when the Anchorite struggles with her memories and follows Sombren.

Y'know, there's one other Dremora I can think of that desperately pursues secrets, is unusually in-tune with mortals, does not want the destruction of Nirn, and in general is above typical Dremora standards in power and knowledge:

Torvesard.

Yes, him. The secret/memory-obsessed Dremora that holds no inherent ill will towards mortals/Nirn, is more than willing to work with mortals as (almost) equals, understands mortals and even doesn't harbor ill will against Hermaeus Mora because he was simply defending his realm. Torvesard, the clanless Dremora that turned out to be one of the last servants of Ithelia, the forgotten Daedric Prince of paths and untraveled roads, aka "The Fate-Changer" with the ability to shape destiny and alter fate...

What if Lyranth and the Foolkiller Clan were once sworn to Ithelia? And once Ithelia was banished/forgotten, Molag Bal swooped them up. Could also explain why they so easily left him during the Planemeld. Ithelia is one of the few Princes to choose a humanoid/mortal appearance. Perhaps she was more involved in the mortal world than most, perhaps even in a non-hostile or even benevolent way. Perhaps her followers then were also uniquely interested in mortals.