Mehrunes Dagon is the central threat to Tamriel in the main quest ofOblivion Remastered, ushered in by Mankar Cameron to unmake the world. The Prince of Destruction brings chaos and calamity with him, opening portals to Oblivion across the whole of Cyrodiil, which the Hero of Kvatch must close to end his threat forever.
However, this is not the first time that Dagon has threatened Mundus. He has been called upon time and again by bloodthirsty warriors and vengeful outcasts, eager to answer any call that lets him topple the established order. Mehrunes Dagon is far more than destruction for destruction’s sake, and his role inOblivion Remasteredis much more nuanced than it seems.
Spoilers ahead for the main quest ofOblivion.
Why Did Mehrunes Dagon Invade Tamriel During Oblivion?
Oblivionbegins with the emperor Uriel Septim being murdered below the Imperial City, and the Amulet of Kings is stolen soon after, allowing portals to Oblivion to open up all across Tamriel. These are not any old portals, though. Each portal goes tothe Deadlands, Mehrunes Dagon’s plane of Oblivion, a land of fire and foreboding architecture. Legions of lesser Daedra pour forth into Cyrodiil and the surrounding provinces, bringing chaos to the Empire.
But why Dagon invaded Tamriel is more than just to raze and pillage. As the Prince of Destruction, Dagon does not need many reasons to do what he does best, it is within his nature. It is what his acolytes wanted,the Mythic Dawn, which enables him to extend his influence to the mundane world. By killing all the Septims and ensuring that the Dragonfires were extinguished, there was no covenant with Akatosh, and no one to maintain the barrier between Mundus and Oblivion.
Mankar Camoran, one of Dagon’s most esteemed champions, explains that Tamriel is not being destroyed by the Prince, it is being liberated. He believes thatTamriel is the Daedric realm of Lorkhan, the dead god of men, and that by unmaking it with Dagon, things can begin again, and the Aedra who betrayed Lorkhan can pay for what they did. In this respect, Dagon is acting as more than just a bringer of destruction; he is bringing revolution, toppling the old order, which reflects his other spheres of influence.
Mehrunes Dagon, Prince of Destruction, Revolution, and… Hope?
Dagon is theDaedric prince of Destruction, as well as ambition, change, and revolution; the perfect Prince for people who want radical change. He speaks to mortals only if they are the underdog, and looks at all forms of order and hierarchy as nothing more than a tyrannical regime to topple. Dagon is not a conqueror, because Dagon exists in opposition to anyone who wants to hold something for themselves, and his lust for destruction is said to be all-consuming.
Despite the fiery, demonic aspect that Dagon takes on, he was not always a devil-like figure. The origins of Dagon were long before the events ofTES 4, if Mankar Cameron’s musings in theMythic Dawn Commentariesare to be believed. Allegedly, Dagon was created by the Magna-Ge in the adjacent world to Tamriel, a vast ocean domain known as Lyg.
The tyrant Dreugh kings ruled over everything in Lyg, all in the service of their master, Molag Bal. Seeing the hopelessness of the races enslaved by the Dreugh, the Magna-Ge began working on a new weapon against them, theDaedric Prince of Hope, intending for him to overthrow the tyranny of the Dreugh. But Dagon was more successful than they could have hoped, representing the fiery passion of ambition and wanton destruction, he gave hope to the oppressed masses through the sheer destruction unleashed on Lyg.
This is only one theory, though, and from a source that cannot be considered completely reliable. Mankar wants to encourage the spread of Dagon worship throughout Tamriel so that he can unmake the world, so painting Dagon as a savior would be a very convenient way to get acolytes on board. Afterall, Dagon is associated with many of the worsttypes of lesser Daedra, such as Daedroths and Dremora, many of which love to torment and dominate mortals for amusement.
The Events of Oblivion Were Not the First Time Mehrunes Dagon Attempted to Invade Tamriel
As an ambitious Prince, Dagon has long been seeking ways into Tamriel. During the First Era, Mehrunes Dagon attacked Ald Sotha in Morrowind, destroying it and killing every inhabitant, except for Sotha Sil, who would later form the Tribunal with Vivec and Almalexia. The Tribunal would have to deal with Dagon occasionally during the First Era. Sotha Sil, now a god himself, forgedthe Coldharbour Compact, barring Daedra from interfering with Nirn, and then during the sack of Mournhold, leaving the city partially destroyed by Dagon.
Dagon returned occasionally in the Second Era, being summoned to Tamriel for brief periods, only to be forced back into Oblivion. He was instrumental in theReachmen Longhouse Emperorsbecoming an established dynasty, but his influence waned after the provinces rebelled against Leovic for legalizing Daedra worship. Dagon attempted to merge the Deadlands with Nirn in 2E 582 after some Longhouse remnants tried to reclaim power, but he was ultimately defeated by the Vestige and their allies.
Dagon has appeared numerous times in games set in the Third Era, as duringArena, Dagon assisted Jagar Tharn by imprisoning Uriel Septim duringthe Imperial Simulacrum. Whilst the real Uriel Septim was imprisoned, Dagon successfully attacked the Battlespire, a floating fortress for training Imperial Battlemages, taking the station out of action forever.
The Daedric Artifacts of Mehrunes Dagon
Dagon possesses many artifacts that he has gifted to his champions over the millennia.The Mysterium Xarxes, as depicted inOblivion, is Dagon’s manifesto, showing that even a god of chaos can sit down and write a strongly worded letter if it is in their interest. It was Mankar Camoran’s commentaries on the manifesto that drew in members of the Mythic Dawn, and Mankar is one of the few mortals who has a good idea of its true contents.
Other artifacts, such as the Spear of Bitter Mercy and Deadland Hammer, have come and gone from Tamriel through the ages. Arguably his most famous, however, is theDaedric artifact Mehrunes’ Razor. Able to kill any target in a single stroke, it is a formidable weapon, but its uses go beyond just murder. It has been said that the dagger can cut through the firmament itself, reshaping metaphysical concepts such as race, time, and souls, such as how Mankar allegedly used the Razor to change his race.
