Daedric Quests (Skyrim)

Daedric Quests are tasks performed for Daedric Princes. Their appearance has become somewhat customary for games in series, and have returned in .
Many of the quests are given when the Dragonborn discovers the Prince's shrine. Some Daedric Princes, however, will not give their quests from their shrines. These quests can, instead, be found at specific places or specific times. Upon completion of each quest, the Dragonborn is claimed by the Daedric Prince as their champion, their emissary on Nirn, and is rewarded with a Daedric artifact.
These Princes are Azura, Boethiah, Clavicus Vile, Hermaeus Mora, Hircine, Malacath, Mephala, Meridia, Molag Bal, Namira, Peryite, Sanguine, Sheogorath, Vaermina, and Mehrunes Dagon. Nocturnal does not give any quest, rather she plays a major role in the Thieves Guild questline. The Skeleton Key is a Daedric artifact which belongs to her and can be gained through the Thieves Guild questline, but does not contribute to the Daedric Influence or Oblivion Walker achievements/trophies. The only Prince that has no artifact or presence in Skyrim is Jyggalag.
==Azura: The Black Star==
The quest at the Shrine of Azura asks the Dragonborn to retrieve the defiled Azura's Star, an 'infinite' soul gem. The Dragonborn must recover Azura's Star from Ilinalta's Deep and, upon success, will have two options:
A) Bring it back to Azura's shrine, or B) bring it to Nelacar, a resident of the inn at Winterhold, who helped earlier in that quest. Depending on which decision is made will determine whether one will receive Azura's Star or the Black Star.
Either choice will require the Dragonborn to enter the Star and defeat Malyn Varen who is defiling it from within. If the Dragonborn brings Azura's Star to Azura, they will be rewarded with the purified variant of the Star, which can only absorb the souls of lesser creatures. Aranea Ienith, the Priestess of Azura who gave the quest, will also become a follower. By bringing the star to Nelacar again, they will be rewarded with the Black Star, which acts as a black soul gem. Nelacar will also be a potential merchant if he is given the star.
Note: The Black Star is described as only able to take black souls, but can, in fact, absorb all level of souls.
Level Requirement: None
==Boethiah: Boethiah's Calling==
The Ebony Mail is a variation of the Ebony Armor chestpiece. The quest requires that the Dragonborn sacrifice one of their followers at Boethiah’s shrine, after which Boethiah will speak to the Dragonborn and her followers. She commands the Dragonborn and her followers to fight each other to the death, with the last man standing having the honor of completing a task in her honor. The task is to hunt down and kill her champion, at Knifepoint Ridge, taking the Ebony Mail from him and wearing it, thus making the Dragonborn her new champion.
Level Requirement: Level 30
==Clavicus Vile: A Daedra's Best Friend==
The quest begins in Falkreath after acquiring the task of luring out a stray dog the blacksmith is interested in. Upon finding the dog, to the Dragonborn's surprise, it speaks.
The dog, named Barbas, then requests the Dragonborn help him reunite with his master, leading the Dragonborn to Clavicus Vile's Shrine in Haemar's Shame. Clavicus agrees to take back Barbas, if the Dragonborn collects the Rueful Axe from Rimerock Burrow for him.
After acquiring the axe, he offers a deal: to let the Dragonborn keep the axe if the Dragonborn kills Barbas with it. If the Dragonborn chooses not to kill Barbas, they will receive the Masque of Clavicus Vile instead. The Masque of Clavicus Vile is a Heavy Armor helmet, which is given by Clavicus Vile after returning the Rueful Axe.
Note: The Rueful Axe does not count as Vile's Daedric artifact.
Note: It is possible to obtain both items through a complex use of the slow time shout and weapon racks.
Level Requirement: Level 10
==Hermaeus Mora: Discerning the Transmundane==
The quest "Discerning the Transmundane" awards the Dragonborn with the Skill Book, the Oghma Infinium.
This quest is automatically begun during the main quest, when searching for the Blackreach Elder Scroll. To begin this quest, the Dragonborn must go to Septimus Signus' Outpost and meet Septimus Signus. After recovering the Elder Scroll and inscribing the Lexicon for Signus, he will decode it, then give the Dragonborn the Essence Extractor. This must be used to gain samples of the blood of the Falmer (Snow Elf), Bosmer (Wood Elf), Dunmer (Dark Elf), Altmer (High Elf), and Orsimer (Orc).
However, one cannot collect blood from those who suffer from vampirism, even if they are the correct race. Upon doing this, return to Septimus, who will unlock the Dwemer lockbox to reveal the Oghma Infinium. Upon the book being revealed, Septimus will try to take it and is immediately disintegrated by Hermaeus Mora, who then allows the Dragonborn to take the Oghma Infinium. It allows the Dragonborn to choose to increase all of the Mage, Thief, or Warrior skills by 5 points each.
Level Requirement: Level 15
==Hircine: Ill Met by Moonlight==
The quest "Ill Met by Moonlight" awards the Dragonborn with either the Savior's Hide or Ring of Hircine (or both). To begin this quest the Dragonborn must travel to the jail underneath the Falkreath Barracks and speak to Sinding. He will give the Dragonborn the Cursed Ring of Hircine. He tells the Dragonborn that the beast in the woods must be killed. The beast is revealed to be the Aspect of Hircine, who then tells the Dragonborn they must go to Bloated Man's Grotto and choose to either kill Sinding for the Hide or spare him for the Ring.
Level Requirement: None
Note: It is possible to obtain both items by using a number of different exploits.
==Malacath: The Cursed Tribe==
To obtain Volendrung the Dragonborn needs to approach the orc stronghold Largashbur. There, a female Orc, Atub, requests assistance with lifting a curse from the settlement. She requires a Daedra Heart and Troll Fat to summon Malacath.
After contacting Malacath, the Dragonborn and Chief Yamarz are sent to Giant's Grove (via Fallowstone Cave) to retrieve Shagrol's Warhammer.
Level Requirement: Level 9
==Mehrunes Dagon: Pieces of the Past==
Mehrunes' Razor is the dagger from Oblivion that was previously used by the Mythic Dawn. It can be obtained by completing a simple chain quest. The first part of the quest involves visiting with a descendant of the assassins of Uriel Septim VII, Silus, who runs a small museum dedicated to the Mythic Dawn in Dawnstar. It holds several items from : Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes by Mankar Camoran, Mythic Dawn robes, the sheath to the Razor, and the first page from the Mysterium Xarxes. The first portion of the quest directs the Dragonborn to gather the pieces of Mehrunes' Razor. After that, the Dragonborn must then meet Silus at the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon, speak to Mehrunes Dagon himself, and kill Silus to complete the quest and earn the reward.
Level Requirement: Level 20
==Mephala: The Whispering Door==
Asking Hulda the bartender at The Bannered Mare in Whiterun about rumors turns up gossip about Jarl Balgruuf's son, Nelkir. Talking to the Jarl reveals that Nelkir is troubled and he asks the Dragonborn to speak to him. Nelkir explains that a door in the basement is telling him secrets. Going to the door, a voice orders the Dragonborn to open it. Nelkir will explain that the Jarl and Farengar Secret-Fire are the only people who have keys. The Dragonborn must pickpocket the key from one of them (or kill Farengar and loot the key off his corpse) in order to gain entrance to the door. Inside they will find an Ebony Blade, along with a book providing a warning to whoever uses the weapon.
The quest then completes. Mephala will explain, however, that the weapon needs to be recharged with the 'Blood of Deceit' in order to increase its power. This will require the Dragonborn to kill friendly characters—for every two characters killed by the Dragonborn, the weapon increases in power, adding 4 to the strength of the Absorb Health effect (up to the maximum of 30); killing 10 friendly characters will max out the strength of the Absorb Health Enchantment.
Level Requirement: Level 20, completion of main quest "Dragon Rising."
==Meridia: The Break of Dawn==
Dawnbreaker, a one-handed enchanted sword, can be obtained by speaking to Meridia at the Statue to Meridia and completing her quest. This is a simple quest that requires the Dragonborn to find her beacon (usually found in random dungeons), and then to "lead Meridia's light" through the dungeon underneath her Shrine. In order to do this, the Dragonborn must activate pedestals with glowing balls of light in sequence throughout the dungeon.
The dungeon itself is filled with Draugr and Corrupted Shades, and is somewhat complicated to navigate. At the end the Dragonborn will have to defeat a powerful necromancer, Malkoran, who apparently is defiling her Shrine. Upon defeating him, the Dragonborn will be granted the sword, Dawnbreaker, and receive Meridia's blessing.
Level Requirement: Level 12
==Molag Bal: The House of Horrors==
The Mace of Molag Bal can be found in the city of Markarth. Once walking through the main gate, outside of the "Abandoned House," a Vigilant of Stendarr, Vigilant Tyranus, will ask the Dragonborn if they have seen anyone entering or leaving. Going through the conversation will trigger the quest "The House of Horrors." Enter the house, then find the small shrine containing the Rusty Mace (Mace of Molag Bal). The shrine will speak, commanding the Dragonborn to find Logrolf the Willful, a priest of Boethiah who has been captured by the Forsworn. Once the Dragonborn returns to the shrine with the priest, the shrine will speak again. The Dragonborn will be required to slay the priest with the Mace of Molag Bal. Once this is completed, the Dragonborn will be allowed to keep the mace.
Level Requirement: None
==Namira: The Taste of Death==
To begin the quest, the Dragonborn must go to the bartender in the Silver-Blood Inn or talk to Brother Verulus at the Understone Keep Hall of the Dead entrance. Something has been eating the dead and he needs someone to investigate. Verulus will give the Dragonborn a key. The Dragonborn will then meet Eola in the Hall of the Dead in Markarth, where she will accuse them of being a cannibal. She then asks the Dragonborn to meet her at Reachcliff Cave, where they will have to clear the cave of Draugr.
Afterwards, Eola will ask the Dragonborn to bring Brother Verulus from Markarth to the shrine. Once there, the Dragonborn must kill Verulus and eat his flesh. Namira will then speak to the Dragonborn and grant them her ring. The Ring of Namira grants the user with 50 extra points of Stamina and feeding on corpses grants a bonus to health regeneration. Eola becomes available as a follower after the quest.
Level Requirement: None
==Peryite: The Only Cure==
Upon finding the shrine, Northeast of Markarth, the Dragonborn should speak to Kesh the Clean to begin the quest. He will offer to let the Dragonborn commune with Peryite. If the Dragonborn accepts, Kesh will ask for a silver ingot, a Deathbell flower, Vampire Dust and a Flawless Ruby to make a special sort of incense. Once these items have been obtained, the Dragonborn should talk to Kesh again to have him make the incense. The Dragonborn will inhale the incense and begin talking to Peryite. He will ask for the Dragonborn to travel to Bthardamz and kill an elf named Orchendor. After he is slain, the Dragonborn can return to Peryite and claim Spellbreaker.
Level Requirement: Level 10 to get the quest from the Afflicted, or 12 to get the quest from Kesh.
==Sanguine: A Night to Remember==
This quest can be prompted by entering a drinking contest with a mage named Sam Guevenne in the nearest tavern upon reaching level 14. Upon finishing the Drinking Contest the Dragonborn will black out, and awaken in Markarth's Temple of Dibella. However, the Dragonborn has to find or get approached by certain people in the game in order to piece together exactly what happened as a result of the contest. At the end of the chain of events, the Dragonborn ends up in the castle of Morvunskar, where they find a portal. Going through the portal transports them to a festive scene, where Sanguine approaches them and rewards them with the Sanguine Rose, which is a staff that summons a leveled Dremora for 60 seconds.
Level Requirement: Level 14
==Sheogorath: The Mind of Madness==
The Wabbajack is a staff, given by the Daedric Prince of madness, Sheogorath. "The Mind of Madness" quest is started in Solitude when talking to an apparently insane homeless man, named Dervenin, who claims his master is on vacation in the Pelagius wing of the castle. If the Dragonborn cannot find Dervenin, they can go to The Winking Skeever and ask the Bartender if he has heard any rumors. He will then tell about a strange old man walking around Solitude.
When the Dragonborn investigates, they are transported inside the mind of the mad king Pelagius. There, they find Sheogorath, who offers the Dragonborn a bargain: escape Pelagius' mind, and he will return. Upon completion of the quest, he rewards the Dragonborn with the Wabbajack, a staff that when used transforms the target into another creature, summons a minor creature to attack the enemy, summons a lightning cloud, turns the enemy into coins, and more.
Level Requirement: None
==Vaermina: Waking Nightmare==
Speaking to Erandur, a follower of Mara, in the Windpeak Inn in Dawnstar will begin a quest to end the nightmares. Waking Nightmare involves a visit to the Nightcaller Temple.
After following all the quest updates, the Dragonborn will reach the end scene, as Erandur casts a spell to destroy the Skull of Corruption, a Daedric weapon which has been causing the nightmares.
The Dragonborn can kill Erandur as Vaermina commands and take the Skull as a reward, or let him complete his spell to destroy the Skull. In the latter case, he can become a follower. If the Skull is destroyed, however, Vaermina's Daedric artifact cannot be retrieved.
Level Requirement: None
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