Summary

  • Mankar Camoran is a polarising figure among fans of the Elder Scrolls lore, with many disregarding him as a charlatan.
  • However, Camoran reached some interesting conclusions during his time as a cultist leader.
  • Even former Bethesda writer Michael Kirkbride sees the merits of Camoran's arguments.

Ah, who doesn't love a deep dive into Elder Scrolls lore? The esoteric cosmology of the Elder Scrolls is always a fascinating rabbit hole to get lost in; the strange and wondrous mind of former Bethesda writer Michael Kirkbride is responsible for much of The Elder Scrolls' foundational lore, and we're still debating the fruits of his labour to this day.

In fact, during his time at Bethesda and after his departure, Kirkbride wrote prolifically on the Elder Scrolls' cosmology, occupying a sort of scholarly role in the community. As a result, lore experts have been consulting Kirkbride's texts for decades, seeking guidance on contentious points of lore. Kirkbride departed Bethesda before the release of Skyrim, but actively participated in the writing of Oblivion.

Oblivion's (and Oblivion Remastered's) primary antagonist, Mankar Camoran, is an interesting figure. A devout cultist of Mehrunes Dagon, many players immediately write off the cosmological conclusions of Camoran because of his affiliation with Dagon and his warped view of what a Tamriel under his master would look like.

Mundus According To Camoran

However, there's no doubt that Camoran is an intelligent and accomplished scholar, and, as a result, reached some interesting conclusions in his research that aren't necessarily wrong, even if they aren't accepted wisdom among scholars, both in and out of game.

Several of these points were raised by Ipkkay in a recent Reddit thread. The burgeoning expert points out that some of Camoran's assertions about the deity Lorkhan, the continent of Tamriel and Tamriel's place in Nirn aren't necessarily incorrect, even if they're unorthodox.

Lorkhan is responsible for the creation of Mundus, the plane of existence that includes the world of The Elder Scrolls. Camoran believes that Lorkhan was a daedric prince, like his beloved Dagon. This isn't necessarily true or false. Lorkhan pre-dates the concept of aedra and daedra, which only became a clear divide after the creation of Mundus. He is, however, a padomaic entity, like both the aedra and daedra.

With this in mind, one could argue, as Camoran does, that Tamriel is a plane of Oblivion created by Lorkhan, a daedric prince of sorts. After all, Nirn, and Tamriel, are surrounded by Oblivion. It's easy to see how Camoran could conclude that Tamriel is a lost plane of Oblivion different from the rest of the daedric planes, because of Lorkhan's unique identity among daedra.

These are matters of endless debate, and it's well worth reading the entire thread and comments to come to your own conclusions. However, the aforementioned Michael Kirkbride once weighed in on the matter of Mankar Camoran and his supposed intellectual incompetence.

Kirkbride drew a comparison between Tamriel and Boethiah's plane of Attribution's Share, explaining how denizens of that realm might have a completely different understanding of what Tamriel is, and even what a daedra is. He asserted that Camoran isn't necessarily incorrect, and there's certainly a chance that Lorkhan is a posthumously "reformed" daedra in a certain sense.

Regardless, stats suggest that a substantial portion of Oblivion players have completely avoided the main quest. So, it stands to reason that lots of new players haven't yet had a chance to weigh up the merits of Camoran's teachings. Perhaps we'll have a new generation of Mythic Dawn apologists?

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Action RPG Open-World Adventure Systems 19 8.5/10 Released April 22, 2025 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence Developer(s) Virtuos, Bethesda Publisher(s) Bethesda
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