General:M'aiq the Liar

M'aiq the Liar has been a recurring character in several Elder Scrolls games since Morrowind, making him one of the longest running gags (quite literally in Oblivion) in the series. While every rendition of M'aiq the Liar is technically a different character, they are all known for breaking the fourth wall and making references to gaming culture and the franchise's gameplay.

Development

"In Morrowind, there was a relatively disturbed Khajiit called M'aiq the Liar who, if found, would regale you on a number of untrue topics - where to find dragons, where to find nude characters, the nature of were-sharks and some curious opinions on horses. Now, come Oblivion, lie's back - although he doesn't lie so much."
—Todd Howard

M'aiq is named after Morrowind programmer Mike Lipari. Todd Howard said that Lipari is one of the nicest, hardest-working guys, but was caught lying about a couple of things by the team during the development of Morrowind. As a joke, they began calling him Mike the Liar. Lipari embraced the joke, and his Internet handle was also called "blatantLiar". When the character of M'aiq the Liar was created, part of his purpose was to tell you about a number of untrue topics that you could supposedly experience in the game, only to find out that these features did not exist in the first place. Another purpose of his was to make fun of useless, trivial items that "for some reason", all the artists and designers have placed repeatedly in the world. When players find these items in places like chests, they will initially wonder what to do with these items before eventually figuring out that they have no use. In Morrowind, this was pillows, a clutter item with little use that is also joked about with Drarayne Thelas and Therdon. In Oblivion, the item is calipers, so M'aiq races around the map searching for calipers in five-hour stints, and as a result the chances of meeting him are slimmer than they were in the game prior. The comedic effect of this was that because M'aiq was so fast that he'd run up to you, say something, then run off so quick. As Howard explained, M'aiq's fourth wall breaking was done because they "love to wink at the camera sometimes and have a little fun".

Recurring Traits

Throughout the series, though each version of M'aiq differs in some way, they all share a number of consistent traits:

• M'aiq is always a bipedal Khajiit
• His dialogue always contains subtle easter eggs to the developmental side of the games
• He always wears an outfit that has full-length sleeves, robes/pants, and a head covering
• He possesses great speed, allowing him to flee incredibly fast from a fight, run long distances, or travel to far-off locations

Lore Background

M'aiq's history and circumstances are largely an enigma; each M'aiq is thought to be a different individual, as the centuries-long gaps between M'aiq's occurrences are far too long for any ordinary Khajiit lifespan. In regards to whether M'aiq could be an immortal being like a Daedric Prince, it is believed that if asked about it M'aiq would lie in his answer, leaving his true nature unclear. In 2E 582, an offering made to the Blackfeather Court was a flute that had the inscription "A gift from M'aiq to his son, M'aiq." That same year, M'aiq said his father was named "Qia'm" ("M'aiq" backwards), and claimed to come from a long line of Qia'ms, though M'aiq himself did not believe this as his father was a "known liar." It is possible that the M'aiq encountered during the Vvardenfell Crisis in 3E 427 and the M'aiq encountered during the Oblivion Crisis in 3E 433 were in fact the same individual, given the short time span and their later appearance referring to their fashion sense in their former appearance. Though they did appear as different furstocks. During the Skyrim Civil War of 4E 201, M'aiq claims that his father was also called M'aiq, and that his father claimed as was his own father.

Due to the dubious nature of M'aiq's dialogue, it is unknown how reliable any of the information he provides is accurate.

Appearances

Morrowind

M'Aiq in Morrowind

Main Article: MW:M'Aiq the Liar

"Greetings! M'Aiq knows many things. What is your interest? You seek knowledge. M'Aiq has much. Some of it verified by actual facts!" —M'Aiq the Liar, 3E 427

M'Aiq the Liar is a Khajiit rogue who can be found on a small island southeast of Dagon Fel in the Sheogorad Region. Much of M'Aiq's dialogue refers to many requested or anticipated features of Morrowind which were not included in the final release of the game.

• His most truthful comment points you to the starting location of Boethiah's Quest for the Daedric artifact Goldbrand.
• This is the only version of M'aiq where the "A" in his name is capitalized.
• This is also the only version of M'aiq that isn't wearing robes.
• This M'aiq is a digitigrade-legged Suthay-raht, whereas every subsequent appearance features a M'aiq from a plantigrade furstock.

Oblivion

M'aiq in Oblivion

Main Article: OB:M'aiq the Liar

"M'aiq knows much, tells some. M'aiq knows many things others do not." —M'aiq the Liar, 3E 433

M'aiq the Liar is a Khajiit savant who gives you opinions about the game. All of his comments are arguably serious responses to various issues in the game; however, the majority are dismissing people who point out issues in the game as stupid, unlike his earlier appearance in Morrowind where most of his statements were lies or farcical comments that did not quite address the topic in the way you would have expected.

• This M'aiq references game mechanics that were featured in previous games but are lacking in Oblivion, such as Levitation, as well as new game mechanics, such as Quest objective compass icons.
• This M'aiq wishes for a Colovian Fur Helm, referencing his attire in Morrowind.

Skyrim

M'aiq in Skyrim

Main Article: SR:M'aiq the Liar

"M'aiq wishes you well." —M'aiq the Liar, 4E 201

M'aiq the Liar is a Khajiit well-known for his (often humorous) comments on the Elder Scrolls series, as he (or a relative) has also appeared in Morrowind, Oblivion, and ESO. He will make witty comments about the game's strong points, smart remarks to common complaints about the game, or just general references to different aspects of the game.

• Much of this M'aiq's dialogue references many improvements over (and omissions from) Oblivion, such as updated character models and a lack of weapon and armor repairing.
• This is the first M'aiq to claim to have descended from previous M'aiqs.

ESO

M'aiq in ESO

Main Article: ESO:M'aiq the Liar

"M'aiq speaks the truth, except for when he doesn't. With you, always the truth." —M'aiq the Liar, 2E 582

M'aiq the Liar is a Khajiit. He can be encountered in most PvE zones (except for Bleakrock Isle and Stros M'Kai, and any of the later expansion zones aside from Northern Elsweyr). Talking to him at least once in each zone is tied to an Exploration Achievement. There are several locations in each zone where he may be, but there is only a small chance of finding him at any location, so you may have to come back several times.

• This M'aiq claims to come from a long line of "Qia'ms". However, as he elaborates, this is likely a lie from his father, who was also a known liar.
• This M'aiq is a Cathay Khajiit.
• M'aiq references the concept of the Godhead with the line "You've heard that the Khajiit love naps, yes? So does M'aiq. Though maybe M'aiq is napping now and this conversation is but a dream?"
• This is the first M'aiq to not make reference to lycanthropy.

Other Media

Unused Legends card art, possibly for M'aiq

• M'aiq the Liar was originally planned to appear in Legends, with his voice files for entering play and attacking having been datamined.
  • When asked if M'aiq would be playable in the game, Pete Hines said "When I asked him he said he was in the game. I guess he was lying."

"M'aiq is not at ease on the battlefield, but M'aiq will try his best."

"M'aiq is done talking!."

• A Minecraft skin of M'aiq the Liar is available in the Skyrim Mash-up pack.
• A joke to M'aiq is featured in Ask Us Anything: Variety Pack 11 in response to a question about meeting M'aiq's ancestor, saying We were lucky enough to meet someone with that name just the other day, and when we asked him the same question, this was what he answered: "In the development of every project—and you can consider a family tree as a sort of project—there comes a time when you have to make certain decisions to either build your own legend or help others to do so. But then again, why did the mouse steal the cheese?"
• M'aiq was featured in the official artwork for the 25th Anniversary of The Elder Scrolls. His appearance is that of his Skyrim rendition, and he is located on the bottom-right of the image, facing a Cliff Racer. Beside him is a child's doll, three lockpicks, two soul gems in a bowl, and a bottle of skooma.
• The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook Vol. 2 features a non-alcoholic cocktail named "M'aiq Tale", which is named after M'aiq.

Gallery

• 

  Minecraft skin (Skyrim Mash-up Pack)

• 

  25th Anniversary wallpaper featuring M'aiq (bottom-right)

• 

  Funko Pop

• 

  Figurine

• 

  T-Shirt

• 

  M'aiq Valentine's Day card from Twitter

• 

  Colovian Fur Helm Beanie, designed to look like the one worn by M'Aiq

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Elder Scrolls Online, and Castles articles.