A Daedra ' s Best Friend A Daedra ' s Best Friend is a quest available in . Quick walkthrough . At any time after finding the dog , the Dragonborn may return to Lod for a small reward ( 25 ) by telling him , " The dog was more trouble than he was worth . " Lod has no special comment even if you have Barbas following you . It is not necessary to have Barbas follow the Dragonborn . At any time after receiving the mission from the shrine , Barbas can be ordered to stop following the Dragonborn , at which point he will automatically return to Haemar ' s Shame on his own . When the Dragonborn eventually returns after retrieving the Rueful Axe , Barbas will be waiting in the chamber with the Shrine . As Haemar ' s Shame will refill with vampires between visits , Barbas ' presence in the final chamber will be helpful as he will help clear out the vampires before the Dragonborn even enters the room . Walkthrough . The quest can be obtained once the Dragonborn reaches level 10 . A guard or Lod himself ( whether the quest " Some Light Theft " is completed or not ) will say he has been looking for a dog and spotted one near the entrance of Falkreath . Lod can be persuaded for half payment ( 25 can be received ) or the task can be taken . Barbas can be found west of Falkreath along the road beyond the fork where he will approach the Dragonborn . They can return to Lod once Barbas is found , hand in the quest and then return to Barbas where he is waiting . Barbas will lead the Dragonborn to Haemar ' s Shame where the Dragonborn and Barbas will fight vampires and their thralls together , depending on current level . Haemar ' s Shame is located directly in between Ivarstead and Fort Neugrad . There are few leveled enchanted items , an Arcane Enchanter and an Alchemy Lab . The Shrine of Clavicus Vile is located deeper in the cave , guarded by four to five vampires . Activate the statue of Clavicus Vile and he will ask what he can do for the Dragonborn . Choosing any given speech option will result with his request to retrieve the Rueful Axe from Rimerock Burrow . Barbas can be kept as a follower or told to stay . Behind the statue on upper walkway is a chest with leveled items and a chain that opens a barricaded tunnel leading back to Skyrim . Rimerock Burrow is a small cave in the far northwest of Skyrim . At the end of a short tunnel , there will be Flame Atronach and Sebastian Lort , a Breton mage . He may summon a Frost Atronach . The axe itself will be laying on a long table opposite an Arcane Enchanter . Behind them is a room with a chest containing leveled loot . The Dragonborn must now return to Clavicus Vile . They are given a choice to either kill Barbas and keep the Rueful Axe or to spare Barbas and receive Vile ' s boon , the Masque of Clavicus Vile . Once the choice is made , the quest is finished , and the reward is received . ( There is no quest option to keep Barbas but if desired one can just ignore the quest line and travel with him wherever you go . ) Dawnguard . In , one may come across Barbas and the statue at Haemar ' s Shame . He may still be there , depending if one has done this quest . During the Dawnguard mission , if Barbas is still alive he will try to kill the Vampires they are fighting . He never dies and therefore , provides good help .