Most of us imagine the “ideal” or “canon” Dragonborn to be a righteous hero whose only objective is stopping Alduin from conquering Skyrim and enslaving the population.
But what do we do when we actually play the game? We worship Daedric Princes left and right. It’s a vital part of almost every major questline!
Regrettably, you only have one soul to sell to the devil. So who’s it going to be?
From my point of view, there’s only one choice:
Nocturnal, the Mistress of the Night, and patron of the Thieves Guild.
If you’re not convinced, perhaps some Nocturnal-enhancing mods will give you that little push you need to entrust yourself to the night.
Something that always bothered me about the Thieves Guild questline is how you’re forced to take Nocturnal’s Oath to become Guild Master.
Can’t a thief just rise up with skill and grit without pledging their eternal soul to Daedra?
This can be especially bad if you’re playing a Nord – or, worse, a Nord Stormcloak. You know how they feel about Sovngarde!
No to Nocturnal by SoupDragon simply lets you refuse the oath.
You won’t become a Nightingale nor gain access to the Twilight Sepulcher – but you’ll still get Karliah’s Bow as a reward for defeating Mercer and go on to lead the Thieves Guild.
As you advance in your service of Nocturnal, she’ll probably keep rewarding you.
Creator Tartaross offers us his idea of what that might look like in Corvus – Swords of Nocturnal.
This mod introduces a single-edged blade in the European style of the falchion. The sheath is all-black leather and bears the symbol of the Nightingales in bright silver.
The sword comes in one-handed and two-handed versions to accommodate different playstyles!
But Nocturnal won’t just grant you her favor.
You’ll have to earn it by finding Tokens of Nocturnal, which you’ll need to forge these swords. You’ll probably find them during the Thieves Guild questline.
Becoming a servant of Nocturnal is already a privilege – but what about marrying the Night Mistress?
I’d say a Daedric Prince is more or less in the same league as the Dragonborn.
She’s one of the sexiest figures in Tamrielic mythology, with a femme fatale look that’s difficult to match. They say an aura of mystery is essential to becoming attractive, and Nocturnal embodies the enigmatic.
This Nocturnal follower mod by Split Horizon adds an avatar of Nocturnal sporting her characteristic robes to the Bannered Mare so you can recruit and even marry her.
3. The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal – Fully Functional Gray Fox Cowl
The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal is a Daedric artifact worn by the legendary thief Gray Fox, who you meet during a lengthy questline in TES4: Oblivion.
Vanilla Skyrim offers you the Nightingale equipment as a gift of Nocturnal, but the Cowl is sadly nowhere to be found. That’s where Iceburg’s mod comes in.
This mod introduces a fully-functional cowl that does everything the original could, plus some extras.
When you wear it, it tracks a separate criminal bounty because everyone will believe you’re the legendary Gray Fox.
It also lets you see enemies through walls, sneak around easier, and carry more weight.
The only “real” interaction we have with Nocturnal in vanilla Skyrim happens during the Darkness Returns quest, where we summon the Night Mistress in the Twilight Sepulcher.
If you’re a genuine follower of Nocturnal, you’ll want to honor her arrival – and what better way than offering a worthy portal?
Nocturnal’s Portal HD by GRY is a genius mod that improves the portal’s textures, making them more detailed and appealing.
There’s a lot more moss growing among the stones, and the three moon emblems have a lighter blue color that makes them look less holographic.
It may be brief, but finally meeting Nocturnal “in the flesh” during Darkness Returns makes the whole questline worth it – and it could be even better with Umbral Embrace by HeartAttackMan.
Nocturnal already looks divine in the vanilla game. But she’s the “Night Mistress”.
She’s supposed to look like night itself!
This mod changes her look entirely to something much more mysterious and unfathomable.
Her skin shines a cold glow like the moon, and energy dark as the blackest night makes up her dress.
Fear and admiration will overtake you as you stare into her eyes, bright as stars, and you will know what summoning a Daedric Prince is really like.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
