| “ | Greetings, novitiate, and know first a reassurance: Mankar Camoran was once like you, asleep, unwise, protonymic. We mortals leave the dreaming-sleeve of birth the same, unmantled save for the symbiosis with our mothers, thus to practice and thus to rapprochement, until finally we might through new eyes leave our hearths without need or fear that she remains behind. In this moment we destroy her forever and enter the demesne of Lord Dagon | „ |
| ~ Mankar Camoran |
The Order of the Mythic Dawn are major antagonists of The Elder Scrolls franchise.
Founded and led by Mankar Camoran. they are the chief worshippers of the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon who wish to bring about his arrival on Nirn to destroy it in the mistaken belief he will remake it better than before. To accomplish this they set about assassinating the members of the Septim Dynasty to snuff out the Dragonfires separating Nirn and Oblivion.
History[]
Origins[]
While the Mythic Dawn's point of origins are shrouded in mystery, with the earliest record of their existence being traced back to the early days of Tiber Septim in the late Second Era. Their founder, Mankar Camoran's origins are much more clearer, whose birth provided an ominous warning of what was to come. In 3E 267, a refugee delirious from pain and illness from the final battle against the Haymon Camoran began screaming that Mankar was coming to destroy them all. Initially everyone was confused as no one in the House of Camoran bore that name but she was eventually identified by another refugee as Kaalys, Haymon's mistress. Before Haymon was slain the Dwynnen docks were set on fire and Kaalys disappeared. By the time the other refugees regrouped, they discovered that she had given birth to a son and fled via boat, learning that she had named her child Mankar Camoran.
While much of Mankar Camoran's life after his mother fled Dwynnen is unknown, especially given her own prophecies of his future, at some point in his life he became a worshiper of the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon. Dagon was impressed enough with Camoran that he chose him as his mortal champion and rewarded him with the Mysterium Xarxes, a book written by Dagon himself. Camoran pored over these writings for some time but took many metaphorical liberties with what he deciphered. From the Xarxes and his own misinterpretations, Camoran came believe Mehrunes Dagon not as a being of pure destruction and conquest, but as the rightful ruler of Nirn usurped by the Nine Divines who would destroy Nirn and remake it better. From these beliefs, the Mythic Dawn was born. and Mankar Camoran began to plan to bring about Dagon's arrival.
Mankar Camoran wrote four commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes, writing his interpretations into the book and calling them fact. Using the Mythic Dawn Commentaries, he was able to lure many to his side who genuinely believed Dagon had a great reward for the faithful. With the Mysterium Xarxes, Camoran was able to create his own pocked plane of Oblivion within Mehrunes Dagon's own plane of the Deadlands called Gaia Alata, or Paradise in the common tongue. Camoran accomplished this by tying himself and the Xarxes to Paradise much like a sigil stone anchored an Oblivion Gate on Nirn. Paradise served as a lure for more Mythic Dawn recruits, claiming Paradise as their ultimate reward upon death for their service. In actuality, Paradise lived up to his name only for Mankar Camoran, for other Mythic Dawn cultists who perished would spend eternity tortured by Camoran and Dagon's Daedra for their own amusement.
At some point Mankar sired two children, a daughter named Ruma and a son named Raven whose origins were even more mysterious and hidden in metaphor than their father. In the Mythic Dawn Commentaries, Ruma was said to have birthed herself and Raven, whilst in another account Mankar claims that Ruma held no love or worship for Mehrunes Dagon and in response Mankar cannibalised his own daughter only to reforge a new Ruma who did worship Dagon and earned his love. How much of this is true or metaphorical is unknown. Nevertheless, by the time the Mythic Dawn enacted their plans, both Ruma and Raven were devout followers and their father's seconds-in-command. To further their hold on Cyrodiil when the time came, they planted many sleeper agents withing the Imperial City ready to strike.
In 3E 433, the Mythic Dawn saw the time to strike and initiated their plans, the first of which was to assassinate Emperor Uriel Septim VII and all his heirs. The Mythic Dawn were able to assassinate all of his known children, legitimate or otherwise. The Blades, the protectors of the Septim Dynasty, responded fast and secured the Emperor and planned to evacuate him through a secret passage in the Imperial Prison. Unfortunately for the Blades, thanks to various bribes the Mythic Dawn knew of this escape route and quickly ambushed the Emperor, his three Blades guardians and an unknown prisoner. Two of the Blades were picked off and the Mythic Dawn cornered the Emperor and the Prisoner in a dead-end. One of the Mythic Dawn assassins came from a secret entrance in the catacomb and was able to kill Uriel Septim, though not before he entrusted the Prisoner with the Amulet of Kings and the knowledge of his last remaining son. With the Ruby Throne empty, the Dragonfires keeping Nirn safe from the forces of Oblivion were snuffed out, allowing Mehrunes Dagon to begin an invasion of Tamriel known as the Oblivion Crisis.
After the Prisoner (now known as the Hero of Kvatch) rescued the Emperor's son, Martin, from the Daedric invasion of Kvatch, they discovered Weynon Priory under attack by Mythic Dawn agents who had learned of Martin and the Amulet of Kings' location, though they failed to kill Martin, they were able to make off with the Amulet of Kings. The Hero made contact with Baurus, the surviving Blade that protected Uriel Septim now investigating the Mythic Dawn and the two killed an agent stalking the latter. From the assassin's body, they found the first volume of the Mythic Dawn Commentaries, and deduced that through them, they could locate the cult's hideout. The Hero was able to find the first two books easily, one at the Arcane University and the other from a travelling Bosmer named Gwinas, who wished to learn more of the cult, unaware of their recent actions. The third needed to be gifted directly by a member of the Mythic Dawn. Luckily for them, a horrified Gwinas was supposed to meet with Raven Camoran and the two go in his place to the Elven Garden Sewers. The two ambush Raven and quickly kill him and the other agents with him. With all four of the Commentaries, they took them to Tar-Meena who was able to decipher the Commentaries and locate the Mythic Dawn's hideout within the Lake Arrius Caverns and the Hero set out to recover the Amulet of Kings.
Upon arriving at the Caverns, the Hero posed as a new recruit of the Mythic Dawn to the guard, who confiscated their possessions and took them further into the shrine, where they witnessed Mankar Camoran giving a sermon to his followers in front of an alter with an Argonian sacrifice ready, praising their efforts and claiming their efforts have ensured them a place in Paradise to await Mehrunes Dagon's destruction and recreation of the world. No matter if the Hero interferes, Camoran disappears through a portal to Paradise with the Amulet of Kings. Despite this loss, the Hero instead targets the Mysterium Xarxes, on the altar with the Argonian. The Hero is introduced to Ruma, who tries to force them to sacrifice the Argonian in exchange for membership. Regardless of whether the Hero does this or not, they steal the Mysterium Xarxes, kill Ruma and flee the shrine back to Cloud Ruler Temple. Upon completing this mission, all Mythic Dawn sleeper agents activate and begin attacking all around them but are all eventually killed by their fellow citizens and the resident guards.
Despite the loss of the Xarxes and their two seconds-in-command, the Mythic Dawn continue with their scheme to bring Cyrodiil to heel, this time opening an Oblivion Gate outside the city of Bruma, Unknown to them, Martin Septim and the Countess of Bruma had planned for this. Martin had realized that in order to gain access to Paradise, they needed several key items to create their own gate to Paradise, one of which was a Sigil Stone, which could only be gotten from an open Oblivion Gate. Martin, the Blades and the guards held off the Daedra long enough for the Hero to infiltrate the Deadlands and recover the stone, ending the attack and recovering the final piece. With the Sigil Stone, along with the blood of Tiber Septim, the Mysterium Xarxes, a Great Welkynd Stone and a Daedric artifact. Martin was able to create an Oblivion Gate to Paradise, to which the Hero entered with the intent of slaying Mankar Camoran and recover the Amulet of Kings.
Within seconds of arriving in Paradise, the Hero of Kvatch was greeted by the disembodied voice of Mankar Camoran, who expressed amusement at the thought of being caught off-guard within his own realm yet nothertheless welcomed the Hero to Gaia Alata. Mankar claimed Paradise as a vision of the past and the future, and urged them onwards for a meeting, claiming he was aware the Daedra within Paradise were no match for the Hero. As the Hero pressed forward, they continued to hear Mankar's voice, the cultist used this time to profess his beliefs that Tamriel was in fact the Oblivion plane of Lorkhan, who was betrayed by the Nine Divines who claimed it for themselves, before stating that this was why the Daedric Princes continuously fought over Tamriel. Curiously, when he mentions the other Daedric Princes, he attributes them to the wrong planes of Oblivion such as Coldharbour the realm of Meridia (in truth Molag Bal), Quagmire the realm of Peryite (in actuality, Vaermina) and the ten Moonshadows the realm of Mephala ( in actuality, Azura). Mankar claims that while Mehrunes Dagon will destroy Tamriel, it will be remade as the Merethic Era anew, with the weak purged and the strong at the top. Despite his declarations, Mankar admits respect for the Hero of Kvatch and expresses his desire to see which of them is just in through "might-makes-right".
As the Hero of Kvatch pressed onwards, they quickly discover the truth of Paradise, in that it lives up to it's name only for Mankar Camoran and his children, who have been resurrected within the plane of Oblivion and now sit at their father's side. For the rest of the Mythic Dawn cultists, it is a visually appealing hell where Mehrunes Dagon's Dremora routinely torture and kill them for their own amusement. The Hero finds themself trapped in the Forbidden Grotto where they must remove the Bands of the Chosen to escape. While there they encounter a deceased cultist named Eldamil, who offers them aid in removing the Bands in exchange for a chance at redemption, having grown disillusioned with Camoran and his Paradise and wishes to end Dagon's invasion. Regardless of whether they accept his help, the Hero escapes the Grotto, earning Mankar's congratulations.
Eventually, the Hero of Kvatch makes it to Mankar Camoran's palace, Carac Agaialor, where they encounter Ruma and Raven waiting to lead the Hero inside. When the Hero finally confronts Mankar he expresses his respect for the Hero and their determination and belief, yet this does not stop him from arrogantly declaring Mehrunes Dagon's victory nearly done, that the Mythic Dawn will take their place at his side when he remakes the world and the Hero is powerless within the center of his power, and with this, Mankar and his children attack. After a long gruelling fight, in which Mankar is able to resurrect Ruma and Raven if they fall, all three of the Camoran's are killed and the Amulet of Kings is recovered, With Mankar Camoran's death, Paradise ceases to be without it's creator and anchor, though the Hero is able to escape while the fate of the deceased Mythic Dawn cultists still within the collapsing plane of Oblivion are unknown.
While it's unknown how the remaining members of the Mythic Dawn reacted to Mankar Camoran's death and the collapse of Paradise. Martin Septim merging with the Amulet of Kings to become the Avatar of Akatosh which banished Mehrunes Dagon and ensured he could no longer threaten Tamriel ever again ensured that the Mythic Dawn's days were numbered. After the Oblivion Crisis was over and the dust settled, Mehrunes Dagon's name was cursed by all, even his fellow Daedric Princes, the destruction caused by the Oblivion Crisis caused various groups to spring up to ensure that no matter what, Dagon could no longer attempt an invasion, and their first targets were the same cult that help bring about the Oblivion Crisis. For decades these groups hunted down most of the surviving Mythic Dawn cultists. Once such group in Skyrim managed to come across Mehrunes' Razor, another artifact of Mehrunes Dagon. The group somehow managed to break up the Razor and swore an oath to ensure it could never be re-unified, an oath their descendants still swear to.
One of the few surviving cultists who managed to escape the vigilante groups were the Vesuius', an old and prominent family in the port city of Dawnstar, with one of it's members even taking part in the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII. However, once the truth of their involvement came out, even long after the invasion was over, the family were forced to flee the townsfolk's prosecution. By 4E 201 however, the last of the Vesuius family, Silus, decided to open a museum dedicated to the Mythic Dawn within his home, declaring that their importance should not be wiped from history. Silus was able to gather many artifacts of the cult for his museum, such as various cult robes, all four of the Mythic Dawn Commentaries, the last remaining page of the Mysterium Xarxes when it was destroyed after the Oblivion Crisis and the scabbard of Mehrunes' Razor. In 4E 201, Silus returned to Dawnstar and officially opened the Mythic Dawn museum.
Though the museum was met with mixed reactions by the townsfolk (with the Jarl's court wizard even begging him to shut it down) Silus remained optimistic and sent out pamphlets to various citizens across Skyrim. One of these pamphlets was given to the Last Dragonborn, who became the museum's first visitor. After being given a tour, the Dragonborn receives a proposition from Silus about collecting the three missing pieces of Mehrunes' Razor to be the pride of his collection. Should the Dragonborn accept, they manage to recover the pommel from the Hagraven Dascua, the blade shards from the Orc Bandit Ghunzul and the hilt from Jorgen in Morthal.
Once they recovered all three pieces, they return them to Silus, who expresses his belief that through contact with Mehrunes Dagon, the Razor could be restored. The two make their way to a shrine of Mehrunes Dagon where Silus attempts to commune with the Daedric Prince to no avail. When the Dragonborn tries Dagon expresses his amusement at their quest to restore the Razor. Dagon agrees to do so but only on the condition that they murder Silus, declaring that he and his family had served their purpose. Silus begs for his life, offering a large sum of gold if they spare him and allow him to put all the pieces in his museum. Should the Dragonborn kill Silus, Dagon restores the Razor and declares them his champion. No matter if Silus is spared or not, Dagon sends two Dremora to attack them for further amusement.
In the Creation Club content The Cause, the Dragonborn receives a letter containing a letter from Skorvild, a man claiming to be a member of a revived Mythic Dawn cult. Skorvild pleads for the Dragonborn to meet him at a shrine of Stendarr in Whiterun hold, claiming that Tamriel was in danger of a new Oblivion Crisis. Despite the Dragonborn's efforts, they arrive too late as other Mythic Dawn cultists catch and murder Skorvild. After dispatching the cultists, they learn from Skorvild's journal and one of the assassin's notes of a Mythic Dawn camp in the Rift. Reaching the camp and killing the cultists there, the Dragonborn discovered that the cult had been excavating an Ayleid ruin in the Jerall Mountains to find a Great Welkynd Stone, which they believed was strong enough to bypass Martin Septim's sacrifice and keep an Oblivion Gate open.
Travelling to the Ayleid ruin of Rielle, the Dragonborn discovered that while the Mythic Dawn had killed the Vigilant of Stendarr guarding the ruins, they in turn were in the process of being slaughtered by the undead Ayleid guardians. The Dragonborn managed to fight their way to the heart of Rielle, slaying Ayleid Wight and Mythic Dawn cultists alike and bypassing the Ayleid puzzles before confronting the undead Ayleid king Norion the Undying guarding the Great Welkynd Stone. Defeating Norion, the Dragonborn took the stone and left the ruins as the Vigilant of Stendarr killed any cultists left. Finding a Vigilant's journal, they discover the Mythic Dawn were located in Red Scar Cavern and through unknown means, were still planning to open the Oblivion Gate and begin a new invasion.
After reaching Red Scar Cavern, either through brute force or disguising themselves as a Mythic Dawn, the Dragonborn made their way to the Mythic Dawn Temple within the cave the leader of the revived Mythic Dawn, Vonos, sacrificing Skorvild's brother Sune, who had betrayed the cult to the Vigilant of Stendarr. Defeating Vonos, The Dragonborn witnessed as his death suddenly activated the Oblivion Gate. Reading Vonos' Journal, the Dragonborn discovered they had been tricked: Vonos had been given dreams by Mehrunes Dagon of the return of Alduin, the Dragons and the Last Dragonborn. Using this to his advantage, Vonos had manipulated the Dragonborn into acquiring the Great Welkynd Stone and brining it to the Temple, where Vonos used himself in a ritual where his death would serve as the ultimate betrayal of Akatosh, thereby corrupting the Stone and causing the Oblivion Gate to open.
From within the Deadlands, the Valkynaz: Gatanas and Methats prepared their forces to lead a new invasion of Tamriel. The Dragonborn however decided to enter the Gate themself, fighting off many Daedric creatures, they hunted down and slew both Gatanas and Methats, disrupting their invasion plans. While this went on, the Vigilant of Stendarr had launched a full assault on Red Scar Caverns, killing any Mythic Dawn cultist the Dragonborn hadn't. Once the Dragonborn returned from the Deadlands, the Vigilant of Stendarr remained to guard the Oblivion Gate, which thanks to Vonos, could not be closed, leaving Tamriel at risk of another Oblivion Crisis. The fate of the revived Mythic Dawn after these events are unknown.
Gallery[]
.png "Elder Scrolls - Mythic Dawn (Skyrim).png (1.29 MB)")
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.png "Elder Scrolls - Paradise (Oblivion).png (2.38 MB)")
.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Mankar Camoran (Remastered).jpg (96 KB)")
.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Mythic Dawn (Raven Camoran).jpg (1.64 MB)")
.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Mythic Dawn (Ruma Camoran).jpg (1.57 MB)")
.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Mythic Dawn (Pre-Release).jpg (675 KB)")
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.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Mythic Dawn (Bound Armor).jpg (424 KB)")
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.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Mythic Dawn (Vonos).jpg (279 KB)")
Trivia[]
- The name of the Order of the Mythic Dawn may be a reference to the historical occult organization, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The symbol on the Mythic Dawn's banner, the golden sun rising, may also be a reference to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
- As long as you are a member of the Mythic Dawn, your character may shout a faction-specific combat line such as "Die, unbeliever!", "For Lord Dagon!" or "Lord Dagon will welcome your soul in Oblivion!" when you perform a Power Attack. When you take damage, your character may also shout "I do not fear death!" or "Paradise Awaits me.". This can only be heard if you are a Nord, Imperial, Breton, elf, or a female Redguard. Khajiit, Argonians and male Redguards lack the recorded dialogue.
- Briskly before the events of Oblivion, an Engagement Ball was taking place between Geldall Septim and his lady love, a beautiful commoner named Tamrialle (whom his father allowed him to marry, because Uriel himself had married for love). During the dancing, the bride stepped forward and announced: "-My name is Tamrialle, which means Dawn's Beauty, and the time is now Mythic Dawn! Behold the rising of the new sun!" With that, she pushed Geldall to the floor in front of her, revealing the wound to his heart caused by the bound dagger held in her hand. In a flash Tamrialle was wearing bound armor, as were others. The Princes: Enman Septim and Ebel Septim were both targeted by the Dawn. Emperor Uriel VII himself however, had taken his leave just before the dance, and had been spirited away when the attacks began, but he too was eventually struck down.
- The ultimate goal of the Daedric Prince and former Magna Ge Ithelia is described in The Nine Coruscations, an Ayleid religious text, as cleaving through everything to reach "Numancia", the breaking of the shackles of fate to give every being their own desired history, a state the eventual realization of which bears some connection to the limitations of linear time imposed by Ada-Mantia and Convention. In the Mythic Dawn Commentaries, the term "Nu-Mantia" is used by Mankar Camoran as an exclamation associated with "liberty" and the "promise of paradise", the goal of the Mythic Dawn. As Mehrunes Dagon is said in the same text to have been created by the Magna Ge, the two concepts might be related.
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Primordial Gods and Forces Daedric Princes Daedra Dragons Vampires Frostbite Spiders Ayleids Aldmeri Dominion Imperial Legion The Longhouse Emperors Thieves Guild Order of the Waking Flame Mythic Dawn Dark Brotherhood Blackwood Company Order of the Black Worm Glenmoril Witches Stormcloaks Penitus Oculatus Legion Zero Tribunal Sixth House Dragon Cult/Dragon Priests Dwemer Dunmer Draugr Soul Cairn Gray Host The Ascendant Order Creatures Others | ||