all main quests oblivion

Table of Contents

The Path of the Heir: The Main Quest of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

1. A Prisoner's Destiny: The Emperor's Final Prophecy

2. The Mythic Dawn and the Oblivion Crisis

3. Allies in a Shattered Land: Weynon Priory and Kvatch

4. The Artifacts of Tamriel: The Daedric Quest for Mankar Camoran

5. Paradise Corrupted: The Assault on Mankar Camoran's Paradise

6. The Final Sacrifice: Martin Septim and the End of the Crisis

7. Legacy of the Main Quest: Narrative and Thematic Cohesion

The central narrative of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a masterfully woven epic of prophecy, sacrifice, and the defense of a realm against existential terror. Unlike its predecessor, Morrowind, which immersed the player in a dense, alien culture, Oblivion presents a more classical heroic journey set against the backdrop of Cyrodiil's idyllic yet imperiled heartland. The main quests guide the player from a forgotten prisoner to the pivotal figure in thwarting the apocalyptic ambitions of the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon.

In the gloom of the Imperial City Prison, destiny arrives in the form of Emperor Uriel Septim VII. His clandestine escape, witnessed by the player character, sets the narrative in motion. The Emperor, guided by prophetic dreams, recognizes the prisoner's face and bequeaths the Amulet of Kings, the sacred symbol of the Dragonborn Emperors' covenant with the gods. This opening sequence establishes the quest's core themes: fate, legacy, and the burden of unexpected responsibility. The assassination of the Emperor and his heirs by the sinister Mythic Dawn cult shatters the protective barrier between Tamriel and the Daedric realm of Oblivion, plunging the province into chaos. The player, now the secret bearer of the Amulet, is charged with finding the lost son of the Emperor, Martin, to restore the line of Septim and save the world.

The Mythic Dawn, led by the enigmatic Mankar Camoran, serves as the primary antagonist force. Their goal is not mere conquest but the unmaking of the mortal world, merging it with the chaotic planes of Oblivion. Throughout the questline, their influence is felt as Oblivion Gates, fiery portals to Dagon's realm, erupt across Cyrodiil's countryside. These gates are not just environmental hazards; they are physical manifestations of the narrative's central conflict. The player's initial forays into these hellish landscapes, such as the quest to close the Gate outside Kvatch, provide a visceral understanding of the threat. The discovery of the Mythic Dawn's Commentaries, cryptic texts that outline Camoran's heretical theology, adds layers of philosophical depth to the conflict, framing it as a war over the very nature of reality and divinity.

The search for Martin Septim leads to the humble Weynon Priory and the heroic but broken city of Kvatch. These sequences ground the epic scale in human tragedy. Finding Martin, a reluctant priest in the city of Chorrol, is a turning point. His transformation from a man denying his heritage to the last hope of the Empire forms the quest's emotional backbone. The defense of Kvatch, where the player must brave an active Oblivion Gate to rescue survivors and its count, is a brutal introduction to the Crisis's cost. It is here that Martin, witnessing the devastation firsthand, fully accepts his role. Securing his safety at Cloud Ruler Temple, the ancient fortress of the Blades, establishes a base of operations and a sense of fellowship with this ancient order sworn to protect the Dragonborn.

With Martin safeguarded, the quest shifts to a desperate search for a way to reopen the portal to Camoran's hidden paradise, where he holds the stolen Amulet of Kings. This leads to one of the questline's most distinctive arcs: the infiltration of the cult itself. Posing as a recruit, the player undergoes a harrowing initiation, witnessing the fanaticism of the Mythic Dawn from within. To locate Camoran's sanctuary, the player must undertake a grand Daedric quest, seeking the artifact known as the Mysterium Xarxes. This involves a perilous journey to obtain a Daedric artifact, often through morally ambiguous dealings with other Daedric Princes. This segment brilliantly expands the lore, reminding the player that the Daedric powers are a complex pantheon, not a unified front, and that defeating one may require bargaining with another.

The assault on Mankar Camoran's Paradise is the narrative and gameplay climax. Paradise itself is a twisted reflection of Tamriel, a beautiful yet malevolent realm shaped by Camoran's will. Fighting through his fanatical disciples and his own powerful children, the player confronts Camoran in his throne room. The confrontation is as much a battle of ideologies as of swords and spells. Camoran, wielding the dread Mehrunes' Razor and the power of the Xarxes, justifies his crusade with a distorted interpretation of history and divinity. Defeating him and reclaiming the Amulet of Kings is a victory, but one that comes with the grim realization that the ultimate threat, Mehrunes Dagon himself, is now poised to step directly into the Imperial City.

The final sequence, "Light the Dragonfires," is a masterpiece of escalating tension and ultimate sacrifice. With the Amulet restored, Martin and the player race to the Temple of the One in the Imperial City, now a warzone with Dagon's colossal form towering over the ruins. The ritual to relight the Dragonfires and reseal the barriers fails, as the temple is destroyed and the Amulet shattered. In a moment of profound narrative resolution, Martin Septim makes the ultimate decision. He smashes the Amulet of Kings, channeling the accumulated power of all the Dragonborn Emperors within it. His body transforms into the avatar of Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time. The ensuing battle between this divine avatar and Mehrunes Dagon is cataclysmic, ending with Dagon's banishment and Martin's petrification into a stone statue. The Crisis ends, the Septim line is extinguished, but Tamriel is saved through an act of selfless kingship.

The legacy of Oblivion's main quest lies in its cohesive, character-driven storytelling within a high-fantasy framework. It successfully marries the intimate—the relationship between the player and Martin, the personal growth of both—with the cosmically grand. Each quest builds logically upon the last, creating a compelling sense of progression from obscurity to legend. The themes of sacrifice, the weight of legacy, and the definition of true heroism are consistently explored. While the world offers endless distractions, the main questline remains a tightly focused narrative engine, reminding the player that at the heart of this vast open world lies a timeless story of saving it from oblivion.

Japanese protest outside PM's residence over Sanae Takaichi's erroneous Taiwan-related remarks
Canada says to fight U.S. tariffs with countermeasures
U.S. probe agency faults Boeing, FAA in 737 MAX door plug blowout
Trump gets OK to shrink or abolish national monuments
Iran's top military commander questions Israel's ceasefire commitment