Lore:Dragon Priest Masks

The masks of the Dragon Priests are strange artifacts created by the dragons in the Merethic Era. The highest ranking priests of the Dragon Cult were granted magical masks that defy the laws of time and possess powerful, mysterious enchantments. The individual masks are made of varying materials, and each bears the same name as the Dragon Priest that possessed it. The names are in the dragon language, and can be translated. The number of masks in existence is unknown, and some are apparently older than others. The masks were buried with their owners, until in   the return of the dragons caused many of the undead Dragon Priests to awake from their slumber.  Many of the masks were then taken from the Dragon Priests by the Last Dragonborn.

Known Masks
Ahzidal
 Meaning "The Embittered Destroyer" (literally "Bitter Destroyer"), the mask belonged to Ahzidal, the first great Nord enchanter, famed for mastering the Elven methods of enchanting. He became a Dragon Priest in his search for knowledge, but he was driven mad when he sought out the power of the secrets of Oblivion. He was exiled by his fellow Dragon Priests and fled to Solstheim, where he was sealed within  .  In  , a Dunmer named   began excavating the ash-filled ruins of the barrow and fell under the influence of Ahzidal. He sacrificed the lives of many miners and mercenaries to resurrect the Dragon Priest, but Ahzidal was subsequently destroyed by the Last Dragonborn.  The mask itself appears to be made of bronze-colored metal, but is, in fact, made of  . It gives the wearer resistance to fire and improved damage from fire-based destruction magic. 
 
Akiirdal
The Dragon Priest   was entombed in   in   with his mask. Nothing is known of it. 
 
Arthosiis
The exiled Dragon Priest   was entombed in   in   with his mask, and a second mask was sealed in a vault along with his other treasures. Nothing is known of either mask. Due to the  s' respect for the dead of other races, the barrow remained untouched until   when it was looted by  . The second mask was taken from the tomb by Dren, and was apparently a very valuable early example of such a mask. 
 
Dukaan
 Meaning "Dishonor", the mask belonged to  , a Dragon Priest who was entombed in   on Solstheim.  The mask itself appears to be made of a pale-colored metal, but is, in fact, made of ebony. It gives the wearer resistance to the frost and improved damage from frost-based destruction magic. 
 
Haldriin
The Dragon Priest  , who was entombed in   on  , wore a mask in life. Nothing is known of it. 
 
Hevnoraak
 Meaning "Brutality", this mask belonged to  . In life, the Dragon Priest had a way of enthralling people and built up a loyal army of followers, corrupting many good men. He planned his resurrection obsessively before dying, and was entombed in  . His plans were prevented by a man named  ; even in death, his spirit ensured that Hevnoraak remained sealed within the tomb.  In  , the Last Dragonborn aided Valdar in finally destroying Hevnoraak.  The mask itself is made of  , and grants the wearer complete immunity to disease and poison. 
 
Konahrik
 Meaning "Warlord", the owner of this mask is unknown. It was held in the city of Bromjunaar, the capital of the Dragon Cult, inside a sealed stone dragon statue. The mask could only be accessed when the masks of the eight most high ranking Dragon Priests of Skyrim (Hevnoraak, Krosis, Morokei, Nahkriin, Otar, Rahgot, Vokun and Volsung) were assembled and placed on pedestals surrounding the statue. In time, Bromjunaar fell into ruin and the statue crumbled, with Konahrik seemingly still locked inside. Circa  , a scholar obtained the wooden mask, which allowed him to travel back in time, to a time when the statue was in its prime. The scholar was killed by his panicked mercenaries and left to rot with the mask.  In 4E 201, the Last Dragonborn discovered the wooden mask, and brought all eight Dragon Priest masks back in time to retrieve Konahrik.   The mask itself is made of  . When the wearer is close to death, the mask has a chance to heal the wearer and damage nearby enemies, while randomly summoning a Dragon Priest to aid the user. 
 
Korthor
The Dragon Priest  , a wielder of the  , was entombed in   with his mask. Nothing is known of it.  
 
Krosis
 Meaning "Sorrow", the mask belonged to  , a Dragon Priest who was entombed atop  , a mountain in the Pale.  Although it appears to be made of bronze, the mask is made of iron, and improves the wearer's skill at alchemy, archery and lockpicking. 
 
Miraak
 Meaning "Allegiance Guide", the mask belonged to  , the First Dragonborn. Miraak turned on his dragon masters and devoured their souls in order to master the thu'um. He fled to Solstheim and became a champion of Hermaeus Mora, who granted him the power to bend the will of others using the thu'um.  When the Dragon Cult attacked and burned his temple, Miraak fled to Apocrypha. He attempted to return to Tamriel in 4E 201, but he was stopped by Mora and the Last Dragonborn. The mask is made of a golden-colored metal, and fortifies the wearer's magicka significantly. 
 
Morokei
 Meaning "Glorious", the mask belonged to  , a Dragon Priest entombed in Labyrinthian, once the ancient city of Bromjunaar. Morokei obtained the   some time in the Fourth Era, and a group of mages from the College of Winterhold undertook an expedition to this particular area. The future Arch-Mage,  , was the only member of the group to survive the venture into Labyrinthian, owing to Morokei's immense power. Aren sacrificed two of his companions to eternally contain Morokei, and sealed the ruins.  In 4E 201, following the activation of the  , the Last Dragonborn was sent to Labyrinthian by the College to retrieve the Staff. During this, the Dragonborn confronted and destroyed Morokei.   The mask itself appears to be made of a gray-colored metal, but is in fact made of  . It grants the wearer faster magicka regeneration. 
 
Nahkriin
 Meaning "Vengeance", the mask belonged to  , a Dragon Priest who was tasked with presiding over Alduin's portal to Sovngarde at  .  The mask itself is made of ebony, and grants the wearer fortified magicka, as well as the ability to cast destruction and Restoration spells with less magicka. 
 
Otar
 This mask belonged to  , a Dragon Priest who was entombed in  .  His tomb was sealed, and the keys guarded by two draugr,   and  . The tomb was unsealed in 4E 201 by the Last Dragonborn, and Otar was destroyed.  The mask itself is made of  , although it is not translucent. It grants the wearer resistance to elemental magical attacks. 
 
Ra'khajin
The Dragon Priest   was given an Aeonstone mask and became the high priest for Laatvulon's Order of the New Moon. 
 
Rahgot
 Meaning "Rage", the masked belonged to  , the Dragon Priest who led  , the final bastion of the Dragon Cult. His followers committed suicide or were killed in  , when the forces of King Harald besieged Forelhost. This sacrifice created a magical barrier which prevented the invaders from sacking the settlement.  In 4E 201, an Altmer named   was sent to Skyrim by an anonymous benefactor to retrieve Rahgot's mask from within the ruins of Forelhost. He was ordered to trick Imperial Legionnaires and Stormcloak Soldiers into recovering the masks to aid the war effort, and then bring the mask to Labyrinthian, likely in an effort to retrieve Konahrik. Valmir recruited the Last Dragonborn, who successfully retrieved the mask, but discovered Valmir's ploy and killed him. The mask itself is made of  , and fortifies the wearer's stamina significantly.  
 
Vokun
 Meaning "Shadow", the mask belonged to  , a Dragon Priest entombed in  .  He was destroyed in 4E 201 by the Last Dragonborn and  , a descendant of  .  The mask itself is made of  , and grants the wearer the ability to cast alteration, conjuration and illusion spells with less magicka. 
 
Volsung
 This mask belonged to  , a Dragon Priest entombed in  .  It is made of  , and grants the wearer with the ability to breathe underwater and carry more, as well as increased skill at bartering. 
 
Vosis
The Dragon Priest  , who was entombed in  , wore a mask in life. Nothing is known of it.  In   while the   was scouring the Rift for shards of  , a group of cultists led an attack on Forelhost when their leader,  , attempted to recover the mask. The cultists were defeated by the undead and driven off, and Vosis claimed the axe shard for himself. He was then slain by a soldier from the  , who was also seeking the shards. 
 

Wooden Mask
 This unnamed mask is made of wood, and hums with an unfamiliar energy. Equipping it while in close proximity to Konahrik's statue in the ruins of Bromjunaar will physically transport the wearer back in time, seemingly some time in the Merethic Era. It was discovered by a scholar circa 4E 201, but, after using it several times, he was killed by his panicked mercenaries and left to rot with the mask. The mask was discovered in 4E 201 by the Last Dragonborn, who used it to recover Konahrik.  
 
Zahkriisos
  Meaning "Sword-Blood", this mask belonged to  , a Dragon Priest who was seemingly a member of the  . He was entombed in a sealed section of   on Solstheim.  In  , the Raven Rock ebony mine broke into the barrow, but the entrance was sealed off by the East Empire Company after the death of   within.  The Last Dragonborn ventured into the barrow in 4E 201 at the request of Gratian's great-grandson,  . The Dragonborn used the   to unlock the sealed portion of the barrow, and destroyed Zahkriisos.  The mask itself appears to be made of a gray-colored metal, but is, in fact, made of ebony. It gives the wearer resistance to lighting attacks and improved damage from shock-based destruction magic. 
 

Zaan
right
This mask belonged to   the Scalecaller, who served the Dragon Thurvokun. Thurvokun and his followers left central Skyrim for the remote mountain now known as  , believed to be due to a schism in dogma within the Dragon Cult. The Dragon then departed and never returned. Zaan fell into a depressive state and her followers, while initially hoping Thurvokun would return, had Zaan killed out of rage after many years of waiting. They accredited Thurvokun's departure to Zaan's incompetence, some also believed she had turned to worshiping Peryite in Thurvokun's absence.  A group of Undaunted warriors climbed Scalecaller Peak circa  , and uncovered a plot to unleash a terrible plague upon Tamriel in the name of Peryite.  Zaan the Scalecaller, now resurrected, was gifted with Spellbreaker. Despite being formidable, she was slain.  The mask itself appears to be made of a gold material and notably has tusks. The mask makes spells more potent and will incinerate its target by attaching a beam of fire to a nearby enemy that gets hotter the longer it stays attached. 

 

Gallery
 

See Also
For game-specific information, see the Skyrim article.

References