Pieces of the Past

Mehrunes Dagon is the Daedric Prince of destruction and is one of the most well-known Daedra in all of Tamriel. He is associated with all natural disasters and is known best for his role in the Oblivion crisis, having plotted the total annihilation of the Septim line and his ill-fated attempt to invade the entire realm and reclaim it, Nirn supposedly being his in the first place. His actual plane of Oblivion, the Dreadlands, fits his demeanor well in both name and appearance, as it is a giant sea of lava with isles of blackened land upon the surface. He commands a number of fearsome and dangerous minions, none more feared than the fabled Dremora. His appearance pertains to that of a giant, four-armed humanoid with several horns atop his head, wielding a large axe in one of his hands. His primary Daedric artifact is a dagger known as Mehrunes' Razor, having a one percent chance to kill anything in one hit.

This quest is easily started anytime after reaching level twenty when a courier delivers a message from Dawnstar about a new museum opening up. The museum is revealed to be about the Mythic Dawn, a cult that worships Mehrunes Dagon to an extreme, the original cult having assassinated the Emperor at the time to bring about their lord's coming. The owner of the museum, Silus Vesuius, will reveal that he had ancestors in the cult and offer a tour of the museum, showing you the robes pages from Dagon's book, Mysterium Xarxes, in the display cases. He will also reveal that the pieces of the Daedric Prince's artifact, Mehrunes' Razor, are scattered in various locations throughout Skyrim and would be very grateful if you'd return them, as they would be an invaluable addition to his museum.

There are three parts to the legendary dagger: the hilt, the pommel and the shards of the blade itself. The hilt is easily retrievable, only needing a speech check from Jorgen in Morthal to get the keys to his house. The other two require clearing two areas: Dead Crone Rock where a Hagraven holds the pommel, and Cracked Tusk Keep where the shards are on a pedestal guarded by a bandit chief. Return the pieces to Silus and travel with him to Dagon's shrine, where he will summon communication with his master. Mehrunes Daagon will order you to kill Silus, then reforges the blade when he is dead. As one final test, he summons two Dremora to kill you and ceases communication.

(Note: You may choose to spare Silus' life, but Dagon will still summon the Dremora and you will not receive his artifact.)