Oblivion:Paradise

Enter Mankar's Paradise, and retrieve the Amulet of Kings. Quest Giver: Martin at Cloud Ruler Temple Location(s): Mankar Camoran's Paradise Prerequisite Quest: Great Gate Next Quest: Light the Dragonfires Reward: Mankar Camoran's Robes, Mankar Camoran's Staff ID: MQ15

The entrance to Mankar Camoran's Palace, Carac Agaialor

Quick Walkthrough

1. Enter the portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise.
2. Obtain the "Bands of the Chosen" by killing Kathutet or completing a quick task for him.
3. Complete another quick task for Eldamil to remove the Bands.
4. Follow the path to Carac Agaialor.
5. Kill Mankar Camoran and loot his body for the Amulet of Kings.
6. Teleport back to the Cloud Ruler Temple with the Amulet of Kings.

Detailed Walkthrough

Enter the Portal

The Great Welkynd Stone (left) and Great Sigil Stone (right)

The portal being summoned

The portal to Paradise

Go to Cloud Ruler Temple and find Martin ready to open the portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise. He warns you that the portal will close behind you once you enter. Tell him that you are ready and he will open it. Go through as if it were an Oblivion Gate.

Friend or Foe?

You will hear Mankar Camoran's voice in your head; however, you can more or less ignore it. Follow the broken white path through the garden but, beware of leveled daedra, until you find the Dremora Kathutet. Unlike other Dremora, he will not attack you on sight; he has heard of your exploits and deems you worthy to speak to - no small honor among the haughty Dremora. Since Kathutet holds no loyalty to Camoran, he is willing to help you proceed if you provide a service to him. He has the Bands of the Chosen, which you will need to enter the Forbidden Grotto, which lies between you and Camoran. You can get them several ways. You can simply kill him and loot the Bands from his corpse. Alternatively, you can accept the task he gives you, which requires travelling to a cave (follow map marker) and knocking out two logs holding a boulder back that has trapped the Xivilai Anaxes. If you kill Anaxes, you will find Kathutet where he was before; he will become hostile and you'll be forced to fight him. However you choose, carry on until you reach the Forbidden Grotto. Camoran will continue to talk to you. Fight your way through, then put on the Bands of the Chosen when you get to the exit. If you have freed Anaxes, Kathutet will meet you here to give you the Bands of the Chosen. You can now enter the next area.

The Bands of the Chosen

Once in the Grotto, you cannot leave while still wearing the Bands of the Chosen, and you cannot remove them yourself. Fight your way through the Grotto, and eventually you will be approached by Eldamil, an Altmer Mythic Dawn Agent. Eldamil has grown disillusioned with Camoran's vision, and will offer to remove the bands if you tell him that you plan to kill his master. Eldamil will ask you to act like his prisoner. Soon a Dremora (Orthe) will approach and test your prisoner-like qualities. You will be told to step into the nearby cage to be lowered into the lava river. Your trust in Eldamil was well placed, as he won't lower you into the lava. You will be raised back up and Eldamil will tell you to meet him in the next area where he will remove your bands, as he cannot cross the lava himself. Meet him there and he'll do just that. He might die (maybe killed by Orthe himself), but it doesn't matter: he's as immortal as the other creatures in this Paradise. Alternatively, you can just attack and kill Orthe when he begins to talk with Eldamil. You're now able to escape through the next door and back into Paradise. Eldamil will continue to follow you for the remainder of the quest.

The Master

Follow the path to Carac Agaialor (Camoran's Palace). If you stray too far off the path you'll be warped back to the door you just left. Going down the path, you'll meet Mankar's children, who will tell you they've been expecting you and that their father is waiting for you. They will lead you to their father's throne room, where Camoran himself awaits you with the Amulet. He will enter a long monologue about how the Septim Dynasty has ended and the coming of Dagon cannot be stopped, and that you are powerless against him in his Paradise. Listen if you're interested, otherwise you can start the fight any time by attacking.

You will have to face Mankar, Raven, and Ruma all at once. Raven will summon Mythic Dawn Armor and a bound sword to attack you, while Ruma will stay back and use her staff (a random leveled destruction staff) at range. If Eldamil is still following you, he will aid you in the battle, hopefully keeping at least one opponent distracted. If killed, Eldamil, Raven and Ruma will all reappear a few seconds later, as they are immortal. The only way to end the battle is to kill Mankar.

Mankar himself is very powerful. He possesses a variety of innate abilities and magical gear imbuing him with resistance to Magic, Frost, Shock, and physical attacks, making him vastly more resilient than a typical opponent. He is a Master of Conjuration magic and will summon powerful leveled Daedra, and he has a variety of other magic, including Silence, strong healing spells, and Disintegrate Armor and Shock Damage spells cast by his staff. He also has a fairly large amount of health, and his robes have reflect damage and spell absorption enchantments on them so use caution when attacking him.

Focus on Mankar, unless you want to loot the others, because they'll keep respawning until you kill their father. It is possible to kill them before entering the area with Mankar. They will still respawn, but this will buy you a little time in which you will have two fewer people attacking you.

As soon as Mankar is dead, Raven, Ruma, and Eldamil will all die instantly and Paradise will begin to collapse. After a short while you will be teleported back to Cloud Ruler Temple. During that time you can loot Mankar's body for his staff and enchanted robe if you want (but you don't need them to complete the quest). When you get back you'll have the Amulet of Kings in your possession (even if you didn't loot it).

Notes

• After you exit Paradise and deliver the amulet to Martin, the probability of a random Oblivion Gate opening reduces to 25% and the maximum number of open gates reduces to 20. If you have closed more than 20 random gates at this point, no more will spawn. Only the fixed gate locations will be present.
• If you kill Ruma and Raven you can loot their bodies and they will respawn repeatedly. Raven has a leveled magic ring, which can be looted every time he respawns.
• The path to Mankar Camoran just outside the Forbidden Grotto is rife with Mana Blooms, Morning Glory, Flax and other rare Alchemy ingredients. Mana Blooms specifically can be harvested for either Ambrosia or Lichor which are used exclusively in making Health and Magicka potions, respectively. This can be invaluable in the fight against Camoran.
• Anaxes' cave can still be accessed if you choose to fight Kathutet; the cave is on the western shore of the river that passes the entrance to the Forbidden Grotto, near its mouth to the north. If you haven't accepted the mission from Kathutet, Anaxes will be hostile.

Bugs

• Do not cast any Bound Gauntlets spells while wearing the Bands of the Chosen. This will trigger the Permanent Quest Item Effect glitch and leave you with a permanent 50% Weakness to Fire.
  • The Unofficial Oblivion Patch fixes this bug.
• Occasionally you will receive the Bands of the Chosen, but then exit Paradise the usual way, without doing the Bands quest. This means that when you exit, the Bands will still be locked onto you. ^?
  • The only way to remove them will then be to use the console command player.removeitem 0003C803 1.
• If you command Mankar's children or reanimate them when they die, they will often be non-hostile after respawning. ^?
• Mankar Camoran may not appear in his palace of Carac Agaialor, meaning you are stuck forever in the Palace. This could have happened due to a bug during Dagon Shrine that prevented him from entering Paradise in the first place.
  • The Unofficial Oblivion Patch fixes this bug.
  • You can summon Mankar Camoran to you by entering the console commands prid 0003392D then MoveTo Player.
• If you attack Mankar Camoran just as he sits down, he becomes stuck in the back of the chair and is unable to attack. ^?
• If you enter the portal to paradise quickly enough, once you return to Cloud Ruler Temple the frame of the portal will remain permanently. ^?
• There was supposed to be a reward of two Fame points for this quest, but due to a scripting error, there's none.
  • The Unofficial Oblivion Patch fixes this bug.
• It is possible to re-enter Paradise upon being sent back to Cloud Ruler Temple, if the player quickly activates the portal just before it disappears. If they do this, though, they will be trapped in the Savage Garden and unable to leave. ^?
• There is a bug which will occasionally cause the Bands of the Chosen to not appear in the inventory, even after killing Kathutet. There is no known fix to this bug. ^?

Journal Entries

Paradise (MQ15)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
0
10		I should prepare myself to travel to Camoran's Paradise and take back the Amulet of Kings from Mankar Camoran. When I am ready, I should meet Martin in the Great Hall at Cloud Ruler Temple.
15		Martin performed the ritual and opened the portal to Camoran's Paradise. He warned me that the portal would close behind me. Martin believes that since Mankar Camoran bound himself to the Mysterium Xarxes in the creation of Paradise, I can only return to Tamriel by killing him. I must enter the portal, kill Mankar Camoran, recover the Amulet of Kings.
20		I have arrived in Camoran's Paradise. The portal closed behind me. I must find Mankar Camoran, kill him and recover the Amulet of Kings.
30		I met a dremora named Kathutet who offered to help me get into the Forbidden Grottos if I helped him by freeing a Xivilai that the Mythic Dawn immortals have trapped in a cave. He claimed that the only way to leave the Savage Garden was by wearing the Bands of the Chosen, which he would give me if I help him.
32		I met a dremora named Kathutet who told me that he holds the key to the Forbidden Grotto, which he claims is the only way out of the Savage Garden. I should find out what this key is and get it from him. (If stage 30 has not been completed)
33		The Dremora Kathutet claims that something called the Bands of the Chosen are the key to the Forbidden Grotto, the only way out of the Savage Garden. I should get these Bands from him.
35		I found a Xivilai trapped in a cave, and set it free. (If stage 30 has not been completed) or I freed the Xivilai Anaxes from the cave where he was trapped. I should return to Kathutet and see if he will give me the Bands of the Chosen, as he promised. (If stage 30 has been completed)
36		I killed the Xivilai that I freed from the cave. (If the player had not agreed to free Anaxes) or The Xivilai Anaxes is dead, although Kathutet told me not to kill it. I should find out if he will still give me the Bands of the Chosen, as he promised. (If the player had agreed to help Kathutet)
40		The dremora Kathutet gave me the Bands of the Chosen, which he says will let me escape the Savage Garden into the Forbidden Grotto. I should find the door to the Forbidden Grotto and see if he was telling the truth. (If stage 30 has been completed by stage 40 has not)
42		Kathutet was angry at me for killing the Xivilai. I will have to take the Bands of the Chosen from him by force.
45		I took the Bands of the Chosen from a Dremora named Kathutet. Perhaps they will provide the means to help me escape from the Savage Garden and reach Mankar Camoran. (If none of stages 30, 32, 33 or 40 have been completed) or I have the Bands of the Chosen. I should find the door to the Forbidden Grotto and see if he was telling the truth. (If stage 40 has not been completed but one of 30, 32 or 33 has)
50		I have entered the Forbidden Grotto. Now to find my way through to the Terrace of the Dawn where I hope to find Mankar Camoran and the Amulet of Kings.
51		(set when Orthe et al warn player to get out of their area)
54		I met a High Elf named Eldamil. He served Mankar Camoran and the Mythic Dawn on Tamriel, but since coming to Gaiar Alata and seeing the true nature of Mankar Camoran's 'paradise', he claims to have regretted his deeds. He warned me that it was impossible to leave these caves while wearing the Bands of the Chosen, and offered to help me by removing them.
56		I accepted Eldamil's offer to help me escape the Forbidden Grottos. Eldamil wants me to pretend to be a prisoner until his Dremora overseer finishes his inspection. I wonder if I can trust him.
57		(Orthe starts conversation with Eldamil)
58		(finish conversation with Orthe; Orthe waits while Eldamil urges you into the cage)
60		(player enters cage)
62		(Eldamil throws lever to lower cage)
64		(open the gate in Orthe's room)
65		(Cage reaches bottom)
66		(cage reaches top)
67		Eldamil told me he would meet me further into the caves where he would be able to remove the Bands of the Chosen from my wrists. I should continue searching for a way through these caves to Mankar Camoran's palace.
68		(player enters Grotto 3)
70		Eldamil removed the Bands of the Chosen. I should now be able to leave the Forbidden Grotto and continue on my way towards Mankar Camoran's palace at the top of the mountain.
72		(set if the player agrees to Eldamil's help)
75		(trigger for Ruma and Raven to follow player)
78		(Mankar Camoran starts speech to player)
79		(Mankar's speech done (timer sets stage 80))
80		I found Mankar Camoran in his palace of Carac Agaialor. Now I must kill him and take the Amulet of Kings back to Tamriel.
82		(player attacks Mankar -- make him run)
85		(Mankar Camoran attacks player)
89		(Mankar Camoran is dead -- trigger "End of Paradise")
90		I killed Mankar Camoran. Upon his death, the Paradise he had created dissolved around me, and I found myself back in Cloud Ruler Temple with the Amulet of Kings in my hand. I must give the Amulet to Martin.
91
92		(trigger Martin to forcegreet)
95		Martin took the Amulet of Kings from me, and placed it around his neck -- he is indeed of the Septim blood. But he reminded me that Mankar Camoran's death will not halt the Oblivion crisis. Mehrunes Dagon's invasion will continue until Martin lights the Dragonfires in the Temple of the One.
100	Finishes quest

Notes

• Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
• Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in random order.
• If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
• It is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage MQ15 stage, where stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages. See SetStage for more information.

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Up: Main Quest

Next: Light the Dragonfires