A Daedra's Best Friend

Clavicus Vile's specialty is wishes, particularly ones that require pacts and invocations to grant power. He is usually depicted as a small, jovial fellow with small horns projected from his head. He is almost always accompanied with his loyal companion Barbas. Although he has the ability to shapeshift to any form, he prefers to choose the form of a dog. Clavicus has also mentioned that half his power resides inside of the powerful pooch, although this rarely stops his tendency to abandon his faithful follower. While the Daedric Prince is known for "liking souls for the sake of having them," he will graciously reward those that annihilate general threats. His Daedric artifact is the Masque of Clavicus Vile, which grants twenty percent better prices at all vendors, increases the the chance of passing a persuasion check, and increases magicka regeneration by five percent.

This quest can be started by traveling to the capital city of Falkreath, named after the region in which it resides, upon reaching level ten. A guard will approach you on your way into town and ask you about a stray dog that's been running around and direct you towards Lod, the blacksmith of the place. Chase down the dog by traveling a short ways down the road. The dog, soon revealed to be none other than Barbas himself, will ask for your help. Apparently a group of cultists, that also happen to be vampires, have taken refuge in the cavern known as Haemar's Shame. This also just so happens to be the location of a shrine to the Daedric Prince of Clavicus Vile. Journey to the cavern with Barbas and kill all opposition, including the master vampire in the shrine room.

Speak to Clavicus through his statue who will tell you that he was glad to rid them of their insufferable disease that turned them, Sanguinare Vampiris. He will offer you a way for Barbas to return to his side by giving you several choices. If you ask for power, he will bring up the fact that you are Dragonborn and have much more power than most. If you ask for an end to the Civil War in Skyrim between the Imperials and Stormcloaks, he will reply that if he had his full powers it would be trivial: one snap of the fingers and everyone's dead. No matter what, the only thing that the Prince wants is an axe: the Rueful Axe.

The next location is a place called Rimerock Burrow. Along the way, Barbas will give you a background of the axe and how it was given to a wizard by Clavicus Vile to kill his daughter-turned-werewolf. Enter the cavern, kill the wizard known as Sebastian Lort and his conjured minions, and return to the Daedric Prince. He will then give you two options; kill Barbas and keep the axe, or return the axe to him and receive the Masque of Clavicus Vile. To finish the quest, return to Lod for a small reward of gold.