Mehrunes Dagon

"When I will walk the earth again, the Faithful among you shall receive your reward: to be set above all other mortals forever. As for the rest: the weak shall be winnowed: the timid shall be cast down: the mighty shall tremble at my feet and pray for pardon."

- Mehrunes Dagon

Mehrunes Dagon (in Daedric script: ) is one of the seventeen Daedric Princes of Oblivion and the primary antagonist of.

Background
His spheres are destruction, change, revolution, energy, and ambition. Mehrunes Dagon is the foe of all mortal races, and has attempted to conquer the physical world Nirn many times. The common reasoning behind his many plots is his belief that Tamriel is in fact a plane of Oblivion which is rightly his. He constantly invaded Tamriel relentlessly from the First Era onward.

The most famous of Dagon's invasions of Morrowind is certainly the attack on the capital city of Mournhold at the end of the First Era. Dagon was defeated by the god-like Almalexia and Sotha Sil, but not before he destroyed the entire city and devoured its populace. Mehrunes Dagon was also behind the destruction of Ald Sotha, where he destroyed House Sotha. Some time in the early Third Era, Mehrunes Dagon was defeated by the sorcerer Chimere Graegyn. Dagon cursed Chimere by twisting the terms of a pact between the two. During the Imperial Simulacrum, in the years 3E 389-3E 399, Lord Dagon conspired with Uriel Septim VII's power hungry Battlemage Jagar Tharn to imprison the Emperor in Dagon's plane of Oblivion while Tharn assumed the Emperor's likeness and ruled in his place. Further, Dagon assisted Tharn by attacking the Imperial Battle College in the Battlespire.

This attempt at taking over Tamriel was stopped by a mere mortal. Brooding over his many defeats, Dagon eventually came up with his next attempt to conquer Tamriel. This attempt was to become known as the Oblivion Crisis. He had his Mythic Dawn cultists assassinate the Emperor and all of his heirs, but one was unknown, and survived. The heir, the Blades, and the Hero of Kvatch continually defeated him until the assault on the Imperial City, where Dagon was defeated and banished back to Oblivion by Akatosh himself.

Plane of Oblivion
Mehrunes Dagon's plane of Oblivion is the Deadlands.

The Invasion Of Morrowind
"A gout of ever erupting flame was all that remained of the central courtyard of Castle Mournhold, blasting skyward into the boiling clouds."

- Carlovac Townway

Lord Sotha Sil visited Coldharbour, following the destruction of the city of Gilverdale in Valenwood by Molag Bal. He made a deal with eight of the more prominent Daedric Princes: Azura, Boethiah, Hermaeus Mora, Hircine, Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal and Sheogorath. The terms of the deal were that during the war between Morrowind and Cyrodiil, the Daedric Princes should not accept any summon by a mortal, unless it was done by witches or sorcerers.

However, a former spymaster of Vivec managed to summon Mehrunes Dagon by fueling the rage of a witch of the Skeffington Coven in High Rock. The witch wanted to take revenge upon the Duke of Morrowind, while the spymaster just wanted to see Morrowind suffer after what Vivec had done to him. Mehrunes Dagon went further and destroyed Mournhold, the capital of Morrowind, in one of the most devastating attacks ever recorded by historians. Although Mehrunes Dagon was eventually banished back to Oblivion by a joint effort of Almalexia and Sotha Sil, Mournhold had been totally destroyed, and the Duke of Morrowind was slain. A new city was constructed right atop the ruins of the destroyed Mournhold.

Also in Morrowind, Dagon was responsible for the destruction of Ald Sotha, ancient home of the Dunmer House Sotha and reported birthplace of Sotha Sil. It is also likely here that the Forces of Destruction were somehow involved.

Imperial Simulacrum
"He was involved in Jagar Tharn's plot against the empire years ago."

- Jauffre

During the Imperial Simulacrum, Jagar Tharn dealt with Mehrunes Dagon, and it is rumored that Molag Bal assisted in some way, although he did not help in the following events.

Assault on Battlespire

 * Summary:

After the Miracle of Peace, when the great Numidium was resurrected and destroyed once again, Mehrunes Dagon attempted to invade Tamriel, beginning with the Battlespire, where Imperial Battlemages would undergo their final test before graduating. An unnamed apprentice teleported to the floating fort for his final test, only to find himself in the middle of the Daedric invasion. Through purging the levels and traveling to the Oblivion planes, the apprentice frustrated Mehrunes Dagon's ambitions.


 * Details:

Mehrunes Dagon assaulted the Battlespire, a proving ground and bastion of the Imperial Battlemages. Tharn had to destroy the Imperial Battlemages to solidify his rule over Tamriel in Uriel Septim VII's seat. However, the Prince of Destruction had a hidden agenda: he wanted to invade Tamriel. Since the Prince and his Daedric army could not cross into Tamriel directly, he conquered and used multiple pocket dimensions and the Battlespire, which was the final gateway, as steps to the mortal realm. One of the invaded realms was the Shade Perilous, a realm of the Daedric Prince Nocturnal. Two of Nocturnal's lieutenants, Deyanira Katrece and Jaciel Morgen, suffered severely due to Mehrunes Dagon's invasion.

Although the Battlespire had fallen, an unnamed apprentice managed to banish Mehrunes Dagon to Oblivion. The hero used Mehrunes Dagon's protonymic and neonymic, and then struck the Prince with the Daedric Broadsword of the Moon Reiver, an artifact of great power that was forged from Mehrunes Dagon's own essence. With this action, Mehrunes Dagon's anchor to the mortal realm was severed and he was banished to Oblivion. The Battlespire itself was destroyed in the wake of the invasion, due to the fact that the magicka anchors that supported the floating citadel were also severed.

Another artifact worthy of note in this period of chaos was the Daedric Crescent Blade. These Blades were used in the invasion of the Battlespire by Mehrunes Dagon's army. After the event, the Septim Dynasty declared this weapon illegal, and thus made the blade highly prized among collectors.

Oblivion Crisis
"We have been preparing for the coming of Lord Dagon for many months now. The time of preparation is almost over, the time of cleansing is nigh."

- Mythic Dawn agent

In the last years of the Third Era of Tamriel, Mehrunes Dagon formed an alliance with the Altmer wizard Mankar Camoran. Dagon presented Camoran with his book of razors, the Mysterium Xarxes, the principles of which Camoran used to found the Order of the Mythic Dawn, a Daedric cult devoted to the destruction of the Septim bloodline and the re-creation of the Mythic Era in which they believed Dagon would rule.

The most infamous and far-reaching show of power from the Daedric Forces of Destruction occurred during the Oblivion Crisis, where Mehrunes Dagon sought to conquer all of Tamriel. In order for Dagon's Forces to invade, however, the Emperor and his heirs had to be removed. This task fell to the Mythic Dawn, who succeeded in assassinating Emperor Uriel Septim VII. This extinguished the divine Dragonfires and allowed Gates to Oblivion to be opened all across Tamriel. The first attack made by the Daedra was on the city of Kvatch, which was utterly razed. Following the Battle of Kvatch, Oblivion Gates were opened in earnest by the Mythic Dawn, allowing the Daedra to roam the countryside while the main army focused on attacking the major cities.

This invasion was to be foiled by the combined efforts of the last surviving heir to the throne, Martin Septim, and the anonymous Hero of Kvatch. Time and again, the Hero took the battle into Oblivion itself, fighting off the Daedric Forces of Destruction and retrieving the Sigil Stone that anchored the gate to Tamriel, thus closing the portal. After the Hero led the combined forces of Cyrodiil to a famous victory at the city of Bruma, as well as the fall of the Mythic Dawn during the Hero's raid on the cult leader Mankar Camoran's realm of Gaiar Alata, the Daedra launched a final all-out assault on the Imperial City itself.

It was here that Dagon himself entered the battle, in an attempt to stop Martin Septim re-lighting the Dragonfires. But it was to no avail. Using the power within the Amulet of Kings, Martin summoned and merged with Akatosh and banished Dagon back into Oblivion, and with him the whole of the Daedric Forces of Destruction.

This act, however, consumed both Martin himself and the Amulet of Kings, but apparently rendered the Dragonfires and the Septim Bloodline redundant, leaving Tamriel without the need of the institution of the Empire. Presumably, Akatosh's direct intervention, infused with the life-force of a living Septim, secured the wards that kept Oblivion separate from Nirn to the Divine realm rather than the mundane.

In the southern regions of Cyrodiil, deep within a long-forgotten Ayleid ruin, lay the Nefarivigum, a foul construct of Mehrunes Dagon, that was erected to be ever watchful for the pilgrim who would step forth and best an unknown trial of worth. It was said that such a pilgrim would be rewarded with the blessing of Mehrunes' Razor. It seems that the construct was able to retrieve the razor from its current owner, and pass it to the pilgrim that solved and survived the trial.

The Ayleids tried to prevent the blade from being released, erecting Varsa Baalim, a city that surrounded the Nefarivigum. For many years the city stood strong; however, some unfortunate events occurred, and the city was destroyed and lost from the annals of history. Sometime during the Oblivion Crisis, Frathen Drothan, a rogue Telvanni mage, tried to retrieve the blade in order to support his rebellion against the Septim Empire. He found the ruins of Varsa Baalim, and eventually he reached the Nefarivigum. However, the Hero of Kvatch thwarted Drothan's nefarious plans and retrieved the blade for himself.

Appearance and roles in Tamriel
When in the mortal realm, Mehrunes Dagon appeared as a gigantic demonic creature with red skin, yellow eyes and four arms, each one armed with a deadly weapon, one such arm had metal claws protruding from its fist. Six horns adorned Dagon's bald skull and his pointed ears were pierced with large gold hoops. His entire body was scarred and tattooed with ritualistic markings. Sharp fangs lined his jaw, and he wore an armoured neck brace around his shoulders. His hands and feet were clawed and he frequently used them in battle to stomp on and crush his enemies.

Mehrunes Dagon was also one of the Dunmeri Four Corners of the House of Troubles. The Four Corners of the House of Trouble consisted of Molag Bal, Mehrunes Dagon, Malacath, and Sheogorath. These Daedric Princes rebelled against the counsel and admonition of the Tribunal, causing great strife among their daedric kin and confusion among the clans and Great Houses of Morrowind. They are holy in that they serve the role of obstacles during the Testing. Through time they have sometimes become associated with local enemies, like the Nords, Akaviri, or Mountain Orcs. As written in the "The House of Troubles," Mehrunes Dagon is the god of destruction. He is associated with natural dangers like fire, earthquakes, and floods. To some he represents the inhospitable land of Morrowind. He tests the Dunmer will to survive and persevere.

Appearance in Skyrim
Mehrunes Dagon temporarily returns in for the questline Pieces of the Past. After the Dragonborn has acquired the pieces of Mehrunes' Razor, Silus Vesuius explains that in order to repair the Razor, the daedric lord himself must be contacted. The Dragonborn is then prompted to meet at Dagon's altar.

Upon arriving at the altar, Silus quickly greets the Dragonborn and then starts the contacting ritual with Dagon. After the first try, he gets no reply –and then suggests that the Dragonborn tries too. This time Dagon answers, explaining that in order to repair the Razor, the Dragonborn must slay the "pawn on the board" (Silus), in order to be his champion and wield the Razor. After accepting or refusing, the Dragonborn hears some last voiceovers from Dagon, and then two Dremora are summoned to attack.

Using the PC version's in-game console, the player can spawn an actual Mehrunes Dagon character. However, this character takes on the appearance of a standard Dremora, such as those found in the shrine. This model is likely used as a placeholder, as Dagon's actual model was never meant to be seen in game, explaining the inconsistencies with his previous appearances.

Artifacts
"By the Divines! Such a thing is dangerous even to handle!"

- Martin Septim

Several Artifacts have been attributed to Mehrunes Dagon and all of them primarily evil in both creation and function. Chiefly among them are:

Mysterium Xarxes
"My own summons came through a book Lord Dagon wrote himself in the deserts of rust and wounds. Its name is the 'Mysterium Xarxes', Aldmeretada aggregate, forefather to the wife of all enigma. Each word is razor-fed and secret, thinner than cataclysms, tarnished like red-drink. That I mention it at all is testament to your new rank, my child. Your name is now cut into its weight."

- Mankar Camoran The holy book of the Mythic Dawn, written with razors and forged in the fires of blood and death. Penned by Dagon himself and given by him to Mankar Camoran. Its exact contents are for the most part unknown, however it does contain a passage on the subject of domination and enslavement which Camoran reads to his disciples. Camoran would later write a collection of four volumes of     commentaries on the Xarxes, these books were kept and read by members of his order and prospective members were required to decipher a hidden code found in the text in order to prove their commitment to Lord Dagon's service. Once they had cracked the code they would be able to locate Dagon's hidden shrine in an event known as the path of dawn. As of the Fourth Era, the only known remnant of the Mysterium Xarxes is a single burnt page in the possession of Silus Vesuius.

Mehrunes Razor
Another famous artifact of Mehrunes Dagon is Mehrunes' Razor. This mythical artifact was capable of slaying any creature instantly. This blade was highly prized among assassins. The Hero of Daggerfall was once rewarded by Mehrunes Dagon, after his service of eliminating a troublesome Frost Daedra, with the Razor.

Decades later, the blade was recovered in bad condition by the Nerevarine and then Mehrunes Dagon in his shrine of [Yasammidan, restored the blade to its former glory. A deadly weapon crafted by Dagon for his most loyal champions. It takes the form of a jagged dagger which has the ability to kill a person instantly and imprison their soul in Oblivion. The razor was bestowed upon Msirae Faythung, who was Dagon's champion until he failed some unknown task and both the razor and its wielder were entombed in Sundercliff Watch until it was recovered by the Champion of Cyrodiil.

After the event of the Oblivion Crisis, several groups were founded or formed to fight the Daedra. One group, "the keepers of the Razor" found the dagger and split it into three parts. Almost two hundred years later it would be recovered and repaired by the Dragonborn hero of Skyrim.

Trivia

 * Albeit taking a long time, it is possible to defeat Mehrunes Dagon in Oblivion, by using the Reflect Damage spells or enchantments. His health is 1000 and each of his hits does 100 points of damage to the player.
 * In Mythic Dawn Commentaries 4, it states that Mehrunes Dagon was created in the bowels of Lyg by the Magna Ge, imbued with hope.

Appearances


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