The Mythic Dawn is a secretive cult that worships Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince of destruction and change. Though their exact origins are unknown, they’ve existed as early as the time of Tiber Septim, and players of The Elder Scrolls series have plenty of opportunities to learn more about them in the more recent games.
The Mythic Dawn plays an antagonistic role in The Elder Scrolls series, specifically Oblivion, threatening to wreak havoc on the mortal realm by opening gates to the planes of Oblivion. The cult also makes an appearance in Skyrim, although they aren’t as prominent. Most of what is known about this elusive cult is found in the aforementioned games’ quests and texts.
The Mythic Dawn and the Oblivion Crisis
In The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, the player’s first encounter with the Mythic Dawn cult is very early in the game. During the opening sequence, the cult’s followers infiltrate the escape tunnel underneath the Imperial City’s prison and slay Emperor Uriel Septim VII before the player’s eyes. Behind the scenes, they also murder his heirs. This broke the mystical bond between mortals and Akatosh, the Dragon God.
According to The Amulet of Kings book, so long as any of St. Alessia’s heirs bear the Amulet of Kings, then Tamriel will be shielded from Oblivion. “Alessia’s heirs” refer to Dragonborn as anyone who is bestowed such power has received a blessing directly from Divine Akatosh. Incidentally, the entire Septim line is known to be Dragonborn. However, should Alessia’s bloodline fail, so will the barrier between the two worlds, and Daedra worshippers will be able to summon creatures from the depths of Oblivion to the mortal realm.
By killing Uriel Septim VII and his heirs then stealing away the Amulet of Kings, the Mythic Dawn has allowed for Daedra to be summoned to Tamriel. Thus, began the Oblivion Crisis. Before the Emperor’s death, however, he tells the player of a secret heir, and it becomes their quest to find him. Doing so will revitalize the bond between Tamriel and the Dragon God, preventing the Daedra from further terrorizing the mortal plane.
This journey to find the Emperor’s heir, Martin Septim, and outwit the Mythic Dawn is the main questline of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. The player will become a member of The Blades — a group of warriors sworn to serve and protect the Emperors of Tamriel. With their help, the player will successfully infiltrate the Mythic Dawn as an initiate. Once they’re inside, they learn of the cult’s plans.
Mankar Camoran and Tamriel Reborn
Mankar Camoran is a supposed prophet of the end times and the leader of the Mythic Dawn. When the player infiltrates the Mythic Dawn’s sanctuary, they will hear him telling his fellow cult members that Lord Dagon will soon arrive in the mortal realm and cull the non-believers. Only the Daedric Prince’s faithful shall be saved and will live forever in Paradise. After announcing this, Camoran will escape to the so-called Paradise and promise to return with Mehrunes Dagon.
Later, the player will also enter this Paradise to seek out Camoran and steal back the Amulet of Kings. There, he reveals more of his plan — his intention to return to the mortal plane to rule over “Tamriel Reborn.” And as the player nears their confrontation, Camoran proclaims that Tamriel is nothing but another plane of Oblivion that rightfully belongs to Mehrunes Dagon. Its rebirth, he believes, will bring forth a new age wherein his vision will be realized. However, this would never come to fruition as the player must kill him and retrieve the Amulet of Kings.
Returning the Amulet of Kings to Martin will allow him to re-establish the barriers that stand between Tamriel and Oblivion. To do this, he must relight the Dragonfires in the Temple of the One, found within the walls of the Imperial City. Though as a last-ditch effort to carry out their plans, the Mythic Dawn opens an Oblivion Gate within the city and calls upon Mehrunes Dagon. This spurs Martin to sacrifice himself, using the Amulet of Kings to call upon the power of Akatosh. He becomes an Avatar of the Dragon God and defeats the Daedric Prince, banishing the daedra from the mortal realm and permanently fortifying the barrier between the two worlds.
The Mythic Dawn in Skyrim
In The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, the Mythic Dawn is nothing but a minor antagonist in the game’s vast world. Though not part of the main questline, the cult is mentioned in one of Skyrim’s Daedric quests. Should the player visit Dawnstar after reaching Level 20, they’ll be invited to the Museum of the Mythic Dawn. There, Silus Vesuius, curator and descendant of the cult’s followers, will offer them a quest to find the pieces of a weapon known as Mehrunes’ Razor.
If the player accepts, Vesuius will then give them a book called Keepers of the Razor. The text tells of a group bearing the same name who’d taken on the quest of destroying what was left of the Mythic Dawn. At some point, the group got their hands on Mehrunes Razor, and the three highest-ranking members decided to break it into three fragments and hide them away. They passed the fragments on to their children, who did the same with their children and so on, until the player decides to retake the pieces for themself.
After acquiring all the pieces of the weapon, Vesuius will pay the player and ask that they come along to Mehrunes Dagon’s shrine. Depending on the player’s actions, they can either acquire the reforged weapon at the cost of Vesuius’ life or spare the museum curator, earning the ire of the Daedric Prince. Though it’s worth noting that the Daedric dagger has a special effect that grants the user a small chance of instantly killing their enemies (save for a few exceptions).
There is another Mythic Dawn-related quest in Skyrim known as The Cause. This quest has the player tracking down members of the Mythic Dawn in Skyrim and defeating them as they try to open an Oblivion Gate deep within a cavern. However, this quest comes from the Creation Club, wherein the content is regarded not as canon but rather as lore-friendly stories.
Given this, it’s unsure whether there are survivors from the original Mythic Dawn cult. Mehrunes Dagon, on the other hand, is still very much alive, and will likely make an appearance in The Elder Scrolls 6, alongside the other Daedric Princes.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is rumored to be in development.