Who do you think is the most evil character and why? To make things more interesting and less about an object morality: no gods. So no Sithis, Night Mother, Nocturnal, or anything like that. It has to be people, mortals.

Personally, I believe the Jarl of Dawnstar to be the most evil. His loyalty to the Stormcloaks is one thing but to completely insult the veteran Legionaries? It's not like they're members of the Legion anymore. Even Ulfric was an Empire soldier at one point.

Elenwen or Mercer Frey, perhaps Dark Brotherhood members as well.

Mannimarco is a very nasty man.
In Skyrim specifically though, Delphine and Esbern.

Hmm. That's a tough question, I've not really encountered any horrifically evil characters in my game.

Thonar Silver-Blood is particularly contemptible.
Maven Black-Briar I view as corrupt and completely unfit to rule Riften (shocked me that the Empire thought she was fit)..

M'aiq the Liar is by far the most evil character.

I mean-.. Just want to talk to him and after he's said a couple things he tells me just-.. go bother someone else!

*sobs*

It breaks my little fuzzy heart!

I'm forgetting about the friggin cannibal I met in Markarths Hall of the Dead catacombs.. She's pretty evil is she not ?

Maven Black Briar is utterly despicable. She's a Thalmor in human skin. Not being able to whack her is profoundly irritating.

The Falmer and Thalmor are fit candidates for extermination.

The Falmer are just monsters. What happened to them was horrific, enslaved and blinded by their own cousins, I feel sorry for them, and I'm oddly intrigued by them.

The PC.

No, but from my usual character RP perspective, whoever forces me to kill my Argonian kin is evil. Especially the ones I like. *werewolf bloodrage*

She is.. I lost what little remaining faith I had in the Empire when she was chosen as a replacement Jarl for Riften.

The obvious answer is every member of The Dark Brotherhood, no one in-game compares (save Alduin). Then comes Maven and The Silver-Bloods, not sure which is worse. And on a smaller level you got the petty racists in Windhelm, particularly Rolff.

The most evil person? Hmm, seeing as how this is the Skyrim general discussion, I'll keep it Skyrim centric. I'd put my money on Maven or one of the Thalmor high command in Skyrim, followed by Igmund and the Foresworn. Series-wise....former Archmage Traven.

The Empire doesn't have much sway in who will rule what hold, and they have to follow the laws of the rights of succession. About the most the Empire can do is support one candidate over another politicaly, same as any other entity really.

I hardly think someone shouting racist abuse while drunk could be considered evil, and idiot perhaps and a jerk, but not evil.

And I lost what little remaining faith I had in the Stormcloaks when Thongvor Silver-Blood was chosen as a replacement Jarl for Markarth.

Well the fact that they supported her made me lose the small amount of faith I had left in them. Riften would have been better without a Jarl than with her in charge.

The King in Rags

*Spoiler (not sure how to use the spoiler function, please tell me)*

Think about it:

He and his fellow Forsworn where locked in a mine. He got nice food, a real bed and so on. the other forsworn + captives on the other hand, they where forced to work in a mine all day with almost no food or water at all. They would kill each other over a bottle of skooma, and they obviously didn't have great mental conditions. Keep in mind that they had spent YEARS in captivity.

One day, The King in Rags just says "hey everybody, I have an escape plan! Let's escape through the unguarded backdoor. Don't worry, I've had the keys to the door for years!"

If that isn't evil, then he at least deserve the price of #1 [censored] of Skyrim

If just once in a while sure, but every damn night and threats of violence to boot? Yeah, he's a pretty bad man.

Ancano or elenwen or maven

Hmm I didn't think he made threats of violence. Yes I agree then, come to think of it I remember him brawling me when I challenged him on his racist views. Then somehow he considered me his best friend.

Good point. He's a self-serving bastard.

It was a political move, she would have become the next Jarl regaurdless of if the Empire had supported her or not. It was just best to try to get on the good side of the future Jarl, but the same can be said about Thongvor and the Stormcloaks who is equally unlikeable. Being openly opposed to someone who you hope will fight for your cause is not a good idea. I doubt either Ulfric or Tullius embraced either of those choices.

Lydia. Dont EVER touch another womans bread!

I would say Alduin but he's off limits apparently so... definitely Mercer Frey.

I mean, If you've read a Storm of Swords his last name alone is enough to hate him...

Mercer Frey.
Or Camilla Valerius.