Pieces of the Past

Pieces of the Past is a quest available in in which the Dragonborn must assist Silus Vesuius in recovering and reforging the legendary Daedric artifact Mehrunes' Razor.
==Background==
Silus Vesuius, the owner of a museum dedicated to the Mythic Dawn cult, wants to hire me for a job. He'll give me the details inside his house in Dawnstar.
==Objectives==
#Speak to Silus inside his house
#Retrieve the pommel of Mehrunes' Razor
#Retrieve the blade shards of Mehrunes' Razor
#Retrieve the hilt of Mehrunes' Razor
#Bring the pommelstone to Silus
#Bring the blade shards to Silus
#Bring the hilt to Silus
#Meet Silus at the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon
#Speak to Mehrunes Dagon
#Kill Silus (optional)
#Speak to Mehrunes Dagon (if Silus was killed)
#Reforge Mehrunes' Razor (if Silus was killed)
#Claim Mehrunes' Razor (if Silus was killed)
==Walkthrough==
Silus Vesuius, a devotee of The Mythic Dawn cult, asks the Dragonborn to retrieve the separated pieces of a dagger named Mehrunes' Razor that once belonged to his family.
To start the quest, the Dragonborn must be at least level 20 and get an invitation to Silus' Mythic Dawn Museum in Dawnstar. The invitation can be received by either waiting until he appears, or fast traveling to any major area (village, town, city, etc.) where eventually a Courier will approach to deliver the invitation personally. Another way to begin this quest is to walk around Dawnstar until overhearing someone mentioning the museum. The quest also begins by hearing a rumor about the museum from any barkeep. There will be a miscellaneous quest, "Visit the museum in Dawnstar," in the quest log.
===Museum of the Mythic Dawn===
After receiving the invitation, head to Dawnstar and approach the museum. The Dragonborn can speak to Silus inside his house in Dawnstar, shortly after witnessing a conversation between him and Skald's court mage, voicing her concern about what Silus is doing. As soon as it is entered, the miscellaneous quest will be completed. He will tell of his ancestors who were members of Mythic Dawn, the cult from responsible for the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII and the resulting Oblivion Crisis. Silus wants the Dragonborn to find the three pieces of Mehrunes' Razor. He will say the parts of the razor are with an Orc named Ghunzul, a Hagraven named Drascua, and the last with Jorgen, who lives in Morthal.
As each piece is returned to Silus, he gladly accepts them and rewards the Dragonborn with a leveled amount of gold.
===The Hilt of Mehrunes' Razor===
Jorgen is one of the keepers of a part of Mehrunes' Razor, in Morthal. He will (usually) be near his house across the bridge. The hilt is in an adept-locked chest in Jorgen's house. His house can be entered by picking the novice-level lock to open it, pickpocketing the key off of him, or killing him and taking the key from his body.
An alternative is to speak to him and either pay him off, persuade him, intimidate him or brawl him for it. Brawling with him may be the easiest way, as he can be defeated relatively quickly.
===The Pommel of Mehrunes' Razor===
Drascua is holed up in a keep south-west of Markarth called Dead Crone Rock. She will be surrounded and guarded by Forsworn and three fire traps. She has the Pommel on her person, so it can be taken from her corpse after she is dead. There is a Word Wall where part of the Dismay shout can be learned. On the sacrificial altar here there is a Stone of Barenziah. Note that while the quest marker points to the lower ruin entrance, one can skip much of the interior and work one's way up the exterior stairs to the Dead Crone Rock entrance door and proceed from there.
===The Shards of Mehrunes' Razor===
There are three methods to get the last piece found in Cracked Tusk Keep, a bandit stronghold west of Falkreath full of Orsimer:
#Inside the front door, Ghunzul can be killed in his room (there are a few other Orsimer to beware of). His body can be looted to find the vault key, or the other one on his dresser can be taken. Down the stairs from his room to the right of the entrance, the box can be unlocked, revealing a button to open the gate.
#Outside, there is a novice locked door to the right of the main entrance. Using this method will allow the Dragonborn to skip the Orsimer up above in the main room, however they will need to pick an expert lock in order to access the button and open the gate.
#There is a hatch on the roof of the Keep that grants access directly to Ghunzul's room.
Once the gate is opened, the vaults can be entered. Down the narrow path, the room with the shards on a pedestal will be reached. Activating the two levers on either side of the door will allow progress towards the shards. There are numerous tripwires and arrows that barrage from the ceiling when the shards are lifted from the pressure plate on the pedestal.
If the Dragonborn has the Telekinesis spell, they can retrieve the shards of the dagger from its pedestal by using the spell and standing in the doorway, avoiding all harm. But in doing so, it is possible to miss the chest that is in the right side of the room with the shards.
Alternatively, a bucket to the right of the pedestal can be picked up and used to slide the shards off the pedestal, replacing the shards. This allows you to obtain the shards without the use of a Telekinesis spell or being damaged by the traps. You can jump over the trip wires to bypass them.
===The Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon===
"You. Mortal. You are worthy of speaking to. You have claimed the pieces of my Razor. It has been an amusing game to witness. But Dagon does not declare a winner while there is a pawn on the board. Kill Silus. He and his family have served their purpose."
:It will be done, Lord Dagon.
:He helped me find the pieces. He deserves to live. "Only Dagon can declare if a pawn is worth keeping. I. Have. Spoken."
:"Kill him. Take your rightful place as my champion, or I will crush you."
After delivering all three pieces to Silus, the quest continues at the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon, where the Razor can be repaired. Be wary that there will almost always be at least one frost dragon there due to the very close word wall/burial ground of Skyborn Altar. Regardless, Silus will next try to perform the task of speaking with Mehrunes Dagon. Receiving no answer from Dagon, Silus will ask the Dragonborn to try. Dagon will respond, and he will then explain that in order for him to repair the Razor, Silus must be killed. There are two choices: kill Silus and receive the restored dagger or spare him and receive 500.
Silus will approach the Dragonborn to plead for his life:
"Wait. Wait. Don't kill me. There's another way. I can take the pieces back to my museum. Seal them in a display case. You get a generous amount of gold, I get to complete my collection, and nobody has to die."
:Fine. Get out of here. "Thank you. Here's your gold. I'll make a run for it back to Dawnstar."
:Dagon has spoken. "Fine. I'm not dying without a fight!"
If Silus was killed, Dagon will speak with the Dragonborn:
"I am pleased, mortal. I will give you my Razor. Use it to wreak havoc on Tamriel."
:Thank you, Lord Dagon. "You have been a worthy tool. Fill the world with destruction in my name."
:I will use the Razor as I see fit, Dagon. "Spare me your pitiful pride. You are but a tool of my ambitions, mortal. Never forget that."
:"Place your hands on my altar one last time, and you will witness the power of Mehrunes Dagon for yourself."
"Before you go, mortal. One final challenge. Ha ha ha."
If Silus is spared:
"You think to betray Mehrunes Dagon? Suffer!"
Regardless of the choice, two Dremora appear; they can be killed and looted for the Key to Mehrunes' Shrine and Daedra hearts. Inside the shrine, there are two more Dremora, three chests, some random ingredients, and many ingots of varying metals.
Should Silus survive, he will return to his home with the fragments and place them into a sealed display case that cannot be further interacted with.
==Journal==
Pieces of the Past – DA07	Pieces of the Past – DA07
ID 	Journal Entry
10 	Silus Vesuius, the owner of a museum dedicated to the Mythic Dawn cult, wants to hire me for a job. He'll give me the details inside his house in Dawnstar.
*Objective 10: Speak to Silus inside his house
13 	Silus Vesuius is offering me gold to retrieve the three pieces of Mehrunes' Razor from their current owners. Drascua has the pommel, Ghunzul has the blade shards, and Jorgen has the hilt.
*Objective 11: Retrieve the pommel of Mehrunes' Razor
*Objective 12: Retrieve the blade shards of Mehrunes' Razor
*Objective 13: Retrieve the hilt of Mehrunes' Razor
20 	
*Objective 20: Bring the pommel stone to Silus
30 	
*Objective 22: Bring the blade shards to Silus
40 	
*Objective 24: Bring the hilt to Silus
50 	Silus Vesuius now has all three pieces of Mehrunes' Razor and wants me to help him reforge it at the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon.
*Objective 30: Meet Silus at the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon
60 	
*Objective 40: Speak to Mehrunes Dagon
70 	Mehrunes Dagon has asked me to kill Silus Vesuius. I will be given the reforged Razor if I succeed.
*Objective 50: Kill Silus
80 	I have killed Silus Vesuius for Mehrunes Dagon. I should speak to the Lord of Destruction through his altar.
*Objective 60: Speak to Mehrunes Dagon
90 	Mehrunes Dagon has promised to reforge his Razor if I place my hands on his altar.
*Objective 70: Reforge Mehrunes' Razor
95 	
*Objective 75: Claim Mehrunes' Razor
100 	Silus is dead and Mehrune's Razor is mine.
*Quest complete
150 	I refused to kill Silus for Mehrunes Dagon. The Razor is forever out of my grasp.
*Quest complete
200 	Silus is dead. Whatever plans he had have died with him.
*Quest failed
==Trivia==
*The pieces of the dagger can be obtained before visiting Silus and the hilt can be looted. Obtaining one of these pieces will not initiate the quest. Talking to Silus will still be required.
*If Dawnstar is visited on the Dark Brotherhood quest "Contract: Kill Beitild," and the courier invitation has already been received, the quest journal will say that the quest "Visit the museum in Dawnstar" has failed if the killing of Beitild is witnessed and a bounty is accumulated. The only way to begin the quest is to overhear a conversation about Silus or by directly talking to Silus.
*If Dead Crone Rock was cleared of all the inhabitants including Drascua before doing this quest, Dead Crone Rock will be repopulated with opponents except for Drascua. Drascua will still be dead with her body still in the place where she was killed. Her corpse will now hold the Razor piece. Note that if she was killed on top of the tower and her body fell off, it will be necessary to search around the base of the tower for it during the quest.
*At low enough of a level, the Dremora may use iron or steel weapons, rather than daedric.
*Killing Silus before speaking to Mehrunes Dagon will result in the quest failing. The shards of the razor cannot be interacted with and the shrine door cannot be opened.
*The Dragonborn may return to The Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon after one week of in-game time has passed and the Dremora will reappear offering more Daedra Hearts. Loot will also respawn.
*After Silus leaves the museum and heads for the shrine, this is a good time (assuming a high-enough lockpicking skill) to pilfer the display cases. While the Mythic Dawn artifacts are of little apparent value or use, it is a chance to obtain the four volumes of the unique Mythic Dawn Commentaries, a set of books previously featured in , though these versions do not increase skills and are of interest only as rare additions to the Dragonborn's library.
*If the Dragonborn returns to Silus' house after the quest is completed, goes to the display case containing the last remaining piece of the Mysterium Xarxes (in the display case to the left of the four Mythic Dawn Commentaries), then uses the destruction spell flames to destroy the page, a random useless item will replace it. In most cases it will transform into a bucket.
*Unlike most Daedric Quests, this quest can be refused and recorded as "Failed" in the quest log at the cost of a murder in the crime log. To do this without a bounty, the Dragonborn must wait for the patrolling guard to turn his back to the museum and start walking away from it, then enter and kill Silus; if this step is skipped, a guard will enter the museum to help Silus and the Dragonborn will receive a bounty.
*If the Dragonborn hands over all three Razor pieces at once, Silus will be very pleased, calling the Dragonborn efficient, and will give them full reward, 3,600 , at once.
*Choosing to let Silus live will count towards the miscellaneous objective "Assist the People of the Pale" for the Jarl of Dawnstar, if not already completed.
==Bugs==
Click to show
*When the pieces are brought back to Silus and he leaves the museum, rarely, he will fly across the lake of the town and directly to the shrine instead of walking to it.
*Sometimes, if Drascua is killed, the Dragonborn may be assigned to kill her as part of the Companions. Because she is dead and can't be killed again, the quest can't be completed. This makes it impossible to go any further with the Companions.
*Killing Silus before the quest begins fails the quest, and the Dragonborn is not able to construct the dagger. It also means the Dragonborn will need to reload an earlier save to obtain the Trophy/Achievement for all Daedric artifacts.
*If Silus begins attacking the Dragonborn upon arrival at the shrine, running away until he is no longer following, then fast travelling to the shrine should make him friendly again. Sometimes Silus will become hostile immediately after finishing the conversation with Dagon at the altar, even if his life was spared.
**This can be fixed by reloading and making sure to approach the altar from exactly the same side that Silus approached the altar.
*If the Dragonborn has a high enough bounty in the Pale, whenever Silus is approached at the shrine he will attack, no matter if the Dragonborn fast travels back and forth or not. This will not allow the quest to be finished.
**This can be fixed by eliminating any bounty in the Pale. If the Dragonborn is a member of the Thieves Guild or have the perk, any bounty can be paid off, otherwise, serving time in jail may solve the problem. Upon returning to Silus, he will not attack.
*The dialogue can sometimes skip and the Dragonborn doesn't get the option to let Silus live.
**This can be fixed by approaching the altar from the same direction as Silus.
*The location can be discovered, cleared, and the "boss" killed before starting the quest, thus leaving it impossible to complete.
* Sometimes when the Dragonborn approaches the throne, they will be unable to interact with Silus.
** By loading the last save, then speaking to someone (a shopkeeper, blacksmith, etc.), Silus will now speak with the Dragonborn.
* After Mehrunes Dagon tells the Dragonborn to kill Silus, there is a chance that Silus will immediately become aggressive and not give the Dragonborn the choice to spare his life.
** This can be avoided by standing at exactly the same position that Silus stood when speaking to Dagon before starting the conversation with the Daedric Lord. That way, Silus won't become hostile immediately and begs for his life to be spared instead.
*Upon defeating Drascua, her remains (type of remains depends upon means of death) may not be visible on the ground. The loot option is still available, although the invisible remains must be located.
* Sometimes when the courier approaches with the Museum Pamphlet, he's only wearing a cowl and boots. The rest of his clothing is in his inventory.
*Sometimes, when the Dragonborn meets Silus at the shrine, he gets stuck on the stairs.
**This can be fixed by using a non-harmful shout to move him.
* Sometimes, the letter required to start the quest may never be delivered, rendering this quest broken.
** The quest can be started by hearing a rumor about the museum instead of waiting for the courier.
*While talking to Mehrunes Dagon, after he tells the Dragonborn to kill Silus, if he is not answered (instead simply exiting the conversation) (B button on Xbox), Dagon will say "kill him" or something to that effect. However, Silus will not say anything and if he is killed the quest fails.
*When obtaining the Pommel Stone, the quest marker will direct the Dragonborn to enter Hag Rock Redoubt Ruins, even though there is no need to do this to reach Dead Crone Rock, since the latter place can be reached by simply climbing the hill. It should be noted that the Dragonborn will be directed to go through every single door leading into the ruins in a never ending cycle (sometimes even being told to go through the same door the Dragonborn just exited).
**Solution: Ignoring the quest markers and going straight up to Dead Crone Rock will update the quest marker.
**Solution: If following the quest markers, make sure to exit using the passage to the left of the Forsworn Briarheart and not through the door where the Briarheart is located. The quest marker will update to Dead Crone Rock.
==Appearances==
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de:Bruchstücke der Vergangenheit
es:Fragmentos del pasado
fr:Les fragments du passé
it:Frammenti dal Passato
ru:Осколки былой славы
Category:Skyrim: Dawnstar Quests