Is there any GOOD god/characters at all.?

[Fallenlegend]

Let's not go with "define" good it just leads to needless overthinking.

Yes nobody in this game is perfect and everyone has flaws. But I meant cab you could find someone that despite his flaws tries to too good above all and you can root for?. Sorry for the analogy but take as an example batman he has flaws definitively but there is no doubt that he is a good guys fighting for justice.

We know for sure that the daedra aren't good guys but what about the other gods? and the other characters?.

The only character I know for sure is good is the player character (if the player choses so).

[Minor Edits]

Martin Septim comes to mind. Flawed, sure, but he did what he thought was right, and made the ultimate sacrifice for the good of everyone else.

Alessia is generally painted in legend as a very good person, a person so good that she apparently swayed Elven gods to take pity on man.

Jurgen Windcaller was certainly a very conscientious person. When you think of the power he forfeited to do what he thought was right ... yeah, he certainly had good intentions (and, not trying to break your ban on a definition, but intention is really what it's all about).

Knight-Paladin Gelebor seemed like a decent fellow.

Of all the gods, Kyne is the one that sticks out to me as unequivocally "good". Of course, we don't know much about her, but she's only "bad", I think, if you conclude that all the Aedra are "bad".

I think Lorkhan was good, but that is just my personal headcanon on the matter. I believe the player characters are Shezarrines (besides maybe Cyrus), and that Shezarrines are fragments of Lorkhan. Since I play basically good guys, he was basically a good guy ... basically.

I wouldn't be so sure that all the Daedra are categorically bad guys. Azura's morality is a much-disputed question, and I think there's a case to be made for Meridia being a positive force for mortals. And, because my "good" Oblivion character became Sheogorath, I'd consider him a good guy (with a bad job). But most lore buffs seem to dismiss questions of morality as inapplicable when it comes to Daedra.

[Woodhouse]

Well Kyne's son Morihaus was certainly good. But as the story "Songs of the Return, Vol 2" shows, "Kyne's ministrations are not to be taken likely", and can kill just as easily as they can save.

And Minor Edits, If its intentions that we are measuring, then Dagoth Ur was a pretty good guy too. I think thats why calling gods good or bad can be difficult. Measuring solely the intentions can give dissatisfying results, and imposing human standard on the acts of the divine is a little silly.

[Minor Edits]

Depends on what you mean by intent. I'd argue that Dagoth couldn't form the requisite intent to be good or bad, for our purposes here, as he was crazier than a box of Stormcloak cats.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

There's always a second opinion or an alternative perspective on these things. To Nords, Kyne is about as good as they come. She helped free their race from oppression and her Thu'um helped them carve out the First Empire. Her son saved their cousins in Cyrodiil, and her tears quenched the grief from the land after the deaths of Lorkhan and later Tiber Septim.

On the other hand, to the Ayleids and Falmer she must have been seen as something truly wicked and terrifying. No less than the Angel of Death herself. Even before the Nords arrived, there was an ancient statue of a Hawk goddess standing in the shadow of the Throat of the World. Presumably this was erected by the titanic Ehlnofey shortly after Convention. The Elves hated and feared this valley and would not enter. And that was before their villages were burned and their armies were put to the sword.

To me, the pivot point was Mara. She's a nearly universal goddess - as widespread as the various forms of Zenithar, but much more beloved and fundamental. Everyone understands love and forgiveness. Even some Argonians invoke her, and their faith is the most alien on Tamriel. Kynareth answered Periff's prayers, but it was Mara who heard them. Her love and tolerance softened the Mother of Storms' heart enough for her to lend aid. Even mighty Akatosh was moved, and he is a grim master indeed. Perhaps of all the gods she is closest to being objectively "good", at least comforting and sympathetic. It is believed that no matter how far a person has fallen, Mara will always hear his prayers.

[Minor Edits]

On the other hand, to the Ayleids and Falmer she must have been seen as something truly wicked and terrifying. No less than the Angel of Death herself. Even before the Nords arrived, there was an ancient statue of a Hawk goddess standing in the shadow of the Throat of the World. Presumably this was erected by the titanic Ehlnofey shortly after Convention. The Elves hated and feared this valley and would not enter. And that was before their villages were burned and their armies were put to the sword.

Sounds good to me.

[AKB]

Well, this is a pretty general request. Let me try from the start:

Arena
Very clear good guys (although a lot of them only became this in supplemental material)

• Uriel Septim VIII: Did his best for the world while living, and his actions tended to work out for the good of the survivors.
• Ria Silmane: Remained loyal to the Emperor, even after he was deposed by Tharn. As a ghost, she used the rest of her energy to guide you to the only means to save the Emperor, and Tamriel by extension.
• Barenziah: Was one of the few who discovered Tharn in his imposter form, and befriended him with the intention of saving the Emperor. Future encounters don't really show her to be that mean in any regard.
• Eadwyre: Plotted along side Barenziah to end the rule of Jagar Tharn.

Daggerfall
Absolutely no one is innocent here. The name of this game is court intrigue, and even the greatest of characters is a noble demon at best. However, I would rate some as having the best of intentions over the situation, so they can be the "good guys".

• Gortwog: Despite the trouble he causes you, his stated goal is just a place for the Orcs to live somewhere in Tamriel, and his actions just saw about ensuring this.

And that's really it off the top of my head. The more I read into Daggerfall characters, the more I think good guys don't exist.

Battlespire

• Chimere Graegyn: Seems like a nice enough guy, for a crazy person.
• Vatasha/Josian: He/She is the closest thing you get to a true friend/companion.

Redguard

• Cyrus: Obviously.
• S'rathra: Helps start your adventure off, entirely because he wants to help you find your sister.
• Tobias: Good friend to Cyrus who helps set the adventure off by taking you to the island.
• Gerrick's Parrot: Yeah, there's a reason Bethesda doesn't want to release this game anymore.

Morrowind

I don't even want to talk about this one, considering the peculiar morality of the setting.

Oblivion

A true change in tone for the series, there are many more clear heroes and villains.

• Basically any Blade: They trust you almost from the start, and are some of the few who do anything to save the world.
• Martin Septim: Coming from a troubled past, his ultimate sacrifice makes it hard to describe him as anything but a good fellow.

If I wanted to, I'd go over the side quests, there are many good characters to be found in them.

Skyrim

There's a lot more gray morality here. I'd say just about anyone who isn't Thalmor, or in the Thieves Guild/Dark Brotherhood have basically the best of intentions, whether you agree with them is up to you.

[Spark]

Mjoll the Lioness is probably the good-est character in Skyrim. Brunwulf Free-Winter, Jarl Idgrod and Jarl Balgruuf are pretty "pure" too, but as you can tell I'm biased xD

[Velothi]

ALMSIVI, Obviously

[Travalanche]

Good is debatable. I'd honestly be Evil isf somebody were to put me into a world without cell phone camera's and what-not as I've been pushed around more than enough for one life by the law but whatever.

Most Good people are naive or ignorant and most evil people are either debased, corrupt, or have been pushed around too long.

I have a hard time seeing anyone/anything as purely good or evil as that is rarely the case and if it is they are usually a bit on the slow side of the intelligence spectrum.

Mjoll is "Good" I guess and any of the deranged characters are "Evil" as many have stated. It's just really hard to label somebody/something as such IMO.

[AKB]

Let's try to stick to discussing characters we consider to be good from our perspective, instead of arguing over the impossible topic of "what is good".

[Spark]

I don't think there's really much to debate, anyways. If a person does good things for good reasons, they're a good person.

Anyways, played a bit more skyrim and thought about it a bit and I think most of the citizens (except for the ones in the reach, who all probably have dark secrets) are good people. But as for major characters... most of the jarls seem alright, basically, except for Laila (although she's arguably just stupid) and Skald.

The priest of Mara in Dawnstar, the one in the Vaermina Quest, is undoubtedly a good person despite his dark past - he clearly regrets it and does everything he can to repent.

Barbas is basically the embodiment of Clavicus Vile's conscience, so I would argue that he's good.

Sinding is also a good person; he essentially does nothing wrong in his related quest besides steal the ring (and it's unclear if he knew it would be considered stealing in the first place), as his murders are actually caused by Hircine.

Silus Vesuius is pretty clearly well intentioned, but he's reallllly stupid.

Verulus is a really nice guy and a priest of Arkay. Nothing even remotely questionable about him.

Noticing a pattern? You have to kill a lot of the good characters to get Daedric Artifacts

[legoless]

• Cyrus: Obviously.
• S'rathra: Helps start your adventure off, entirely because he wants to help you find your sister.
• Tobias: Good friend to Cyrus who helps set the adventure off by taking you to the island.

I'd have to disagree with all of these. All three of those guys were hardened criminals and cutthroats. S'rathra and Tobias don't get a pass just for being nice guys, when they spent the majority of their lives killing and looting. Cyrus is also far from a clean-cut good guy, given his past and his part in a rebellion.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

What about Katariah Septim? She was said to be well-loved by almost all of the common people of Tamriel, regardless of their race or their allegiance to former kingdoms. I'd say that's pretty impressive for any ruler, even a Septim. Being well-liked doesn't necessarily make you "good", but she's a special one alright. Despite having no blood relation to Tiber Septim or any of his cousins due to her being a Dunmer from Morrowind, the gods allowed her to wear the Amulet of Kings and maintain the Dragonfires. That takes a special person.

[MongMorg]

The problem with your question is that it can't really be answered. I don't want to start a debate over what is good or bad, but it's the fulcrum point of the answer you will receive. Morality is entirely subjective, and as for the gods in TES, they all have their own unique characteristics and personality that make them the way they are. Mehrunes Dagon may seem "bad" to us because he wants us all dead, but that's just the way he is. The Lord of Destruction is gonna destroy things, and the Goddess of Love (Mara) is gonna love. That doesn't mean Dagon is bad or that Mara is good.

If you want a straightforward answer to your question you should detail the kinds of qualities you are aiming at when you say "good". I guarantee you'll get an answer more like what you're looking for.

[Dark Spark]

Love can drive someone to obsession and domination. Destruction can winnow out the weak or the violent (the meek shall inherit the earth).

As with any instrument* they can be turned one way or another.






*Except pianos.

[OblivionDuruza]

Nerevar would seem to me to be a figure that is at least presented as embodying a pure notion of goodness. Although we don't really know all that much about his actual life, he's essentially the archetypal white knight with a Dunmer flavour.

Ria Silmane is probably one of the most unambiguously good characters in the entire franchise. I feel it's not inaccurate to say that she predates the tendency to emphasise 'realistic' characters defined by shades of grey.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

There's a lot we don't know about Ria, prior to her ghostly existence sustained by sorcerous powers. All we really know is that she was a faithful retainer of the Empire and the Imperial Family. Such loyalty is an admirable trait, but there are a lot of people who felt wronged by the Septims, such as councilors who lost their positions because of lack of wealth, etc. The Septims were not infallible or universally loved, and were definitely not unambiguously good, so undying loyalty to them is admirable but in my view can't be seen to be 100% good. That depends entirely on a person's point of view.

[MongMorg]

if I had to choose someone I'd choose Maiq.

Least tied down character.
He really is his own master.

[MidbossVyers]

You still think the fictitious concepts of good and evil are relevant. Hahaha.

[Dark Spark]

You still think people say 'hahaha' when they laugh.

The universe is motivated by the tension of forces set in both conflict and concert with each other. So as such there is no true mark of 'good or 'evil'.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

So let's distill this thread down into a "what have we learned?"

TES is complex and multi-faceted as a fictional setting. It's a very grey and grey morality setting. There are no Dick Dastardly type villains here. Even the "evil" people are motivated by realistic and even relatable goals as often as not. Mannimarco and his top lieutenants, for instance, feel that there shouldn't be any avenues of research and study off-limits to a mage, because this knowledge can enhance society in general. Yes, they kill a lot of people and defile remains to do so, but their core beliefs have elements I wouldn't consider to be objectively bad. On the other hand, the great heroes of history like Tiber Septim and Vivec usually have a darker side to their aspects and personalities. Yes, they're Heroes and did more good than harm - arguably - but they did a lot of harm, too. So can you say they're the good guys? I wouldn't go that far.

[OblivionDuruza]

There's a lot we don't know about Ria, prior to her ghostly existence sustained by sorcerous powers. All we really know is that she was a faithful retainer of the Empire and the Imperial Family. Such loyalty is an admirable trait, but there are a lot of people who felt wronged by the Septims, such as councilors who lost their positions because of lack of wealth, etc. The Septims were not infallible or universally loved, and were definitely not unambiguously good, so undying loyalty to them is admirable but in my view can't be seen to be 100% good. That depends entirely on a person's point of view.

Definitely no arguments from me about that. The only reason I bring her up is that it at least seems that she was presented in Arena as a particular archetypal 'good guy' mentor character. Most of the lore that depicts the Septims as more morally ambigous seems to come from the more recent entries into the franchise. I think it's fair enough to say that the series has evolved a lot as far as its portrayal of morality, amongst other pertinent themes.

[Maxrebo]

I love the Dick Dastardly reference. There aren't very many dyed in the wool good gods in the Elder Scrolls Universe.Its seems that either your Malevolent,Omnipotent, or mostly Benevolent with shades of grey or even darker aspects.Its true that in the later games the Empire and by extension the Emperors are more morally ambiguous but its also shown to be a lot better than the alternative.For example in Skyrim it seems like they're hinting at that sure the Empire has its problems but is preferable to Ulfric and so much better the Thalmor controlling anything. I'd have go with Mara and Katariah being examples of good characters.On a side Pelinal Whitestrake is a very interesting concept in that he is a paladin who in other universe are usually shining examples of Goodness and Virtue but he kind of turns that trope on its head in being more like real life crusaders in that he's genocidal zealot who massacred a group of Khajiit just for the crime of looking just the teensiest bit mer like.

[Dark Spark]

...On a side Pelinal Whitestrake is a very interesting concept in that he is a paladin who in other universe are usually shining examples of Goodness and Virtue but he kind of turns that trope on its head in being more like real life crusaders in that he's genocidal zealot who massacred a group of Khajiit just for the crime of looking just the teensiest bit mer like.

Then there's the Vigil of Stendarr. "The mercy of Stendarr be upon you, for the Vigil has none to spare!"

It's rather twisted: Taking the name of mercy and using it to give the fearful and intolerant a means to channel their viciousness.