A new trademark filed by ZeniMax Media, Bethesda Game Studio’s parent company, might be our first hint at what could be coming for Skyrim’s downloadable content. The trademark is a generic games mark for the word “Dawnguard”.
While the “Dawnguard” filing contains no specific information to tie it to Skyrim necessarily, it’s not hard for fans of The Elder Scrolls to find the connection. A Dawn Guard in the context of the previous Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion, was an agent of the game’s primary antagonist force, the Cult of the Mythic Dawn. They were the group responsible for bringing about the so-called Oblivion Crisis, the opening of oblivion gates around Cyrodiil, around which that game revolves. They show up again briefly in Skyrim during an optional sidequest for Mehrunes Dagon (the diety the cult worships), so it’s clear Bethesda and the people of Tamriel haven’t totally forgotten about the cult.
No offical word from ZeniMax or Bethesda on exactly what Dawnguard might be, or when we might be able to expect the Skyrim DLC, but color me interested. The Mythic Dawn were certainly an interesting group back in Oblivion, so seeing them back again, nearly 200 years after their plans were foiled.