Daedric Artifacts

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Daedric Artifacts are special items in the role-playing video game series, The Elder Scrolls. They are artifacts said to be created by the Daedric Princes, and can be found in many games in the Elder Scrolls series. Similar to the other artifacts, they are magical weapons and items found in many games in the series.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Azura's Star
2 Cuirass of the Savior's Hide
3 Goldbrand
4 Mace of Molag Bal
5 Masque of Clavicus Vile
6 Mehrunes' Razor
7 Oghma Infinium
8 Ring of Khajiit
9 Ring of Namira
10 Sanguine Rose
11 Skeleton Key
12 Skull of Corruption
13 Spear of Bitter Mercy
14 Spell Breaker
15 The Ebony Blade
16 Volendrung
17 Wabbajack
18 Notes

[edit] Azura's Star

Azura's Star is a powerful soul gem, unique in that unlike all other soul gems it is reusable. Soul gems are used to enchant or recharge powerful items. Azura's Star can also hold powerful souls like Almalexia and Vivec, while the most powerful conventional gem, Grand Soul Gem, can not.

Morrowind: Azura's Star is the reward for completing the quest given to at Azura's Shrine. Oblivion: Azura's Star is the reward for completing the quest of the Shrine of Azura. Note that these shrines are different from the ones referred to in the Morrowind references.

[edit] Cuirass of the Savior's Hide

Cuirass of the Savior's Hide is a piece of armor created by the Daedric Prince Hircine. It gives the wearer a small resistance to magic. In Oblivion, one completes a quest for the Daedra Lord Hircine. One must kill a unicorn, and then take its horn and bring it to Hircine as an offering to receive the Cuirass. No such prize is required to gain this rare treasure in Morrowind, though an equally challenging, if not more difficult, ordeal must be taken to receive it. It resides in a heavily locked cupboard in the Hall of Fyr in Tel Fyr, and the key sits at the end of a undocumented quest, a long string of keys and locked cupboards which also lead to a Daedric Crescent, a huge plethora of Dwemer artifacts, and another of the Daedric Artifacts.

[edit] Goldbrand

Goldbrand is a powerful, golden katana with a fire damage enchantment. In Morrowind, it can be converted into the more powerful Eltonbrand, which is more damaging and has an added strength-boost enchantment, by completing a secret vampire quest.

Morrowind: Complete the quest to rebuild the shrine of Boethiah and the Daedric Prince gives you Goldbrand as a reward. The quest starts underwater at a broken shrine. The head of the shrine, representing the Daedric Prince, tells the player to find someone to build a new shrine for him. The orc builder is found in Caldera. After a long time, the shrine is complete and the user can retrieve Goldbrand from the newly built shrine. Oblivion: Goldbrand is the reward for completing Boethiah's quest.

[edit] Mace of Molag Bal

A vicious mace with a strength-and-magic-drain enchantment, the Mace of Molag Bal can be found in the same way in both Morrowind and Oblivion: by doing the quest for the Daedra Lord of the same name.

[edit] Masque of Clavicus Vile

Wearing the Masque of Clavicus Vile will give a Personality boost to the wearer.

Morrowind: The Masque isn't a quest objective at all in Morrowind- though it resides with one. It's in the possession of Sorkvild the Raven, a necromancer in a tower near Dagon Fel. You're tasked to kill him in an Imperial Legion quest. He'll attack you on sight, so don't feel any compunctions against responding in kind. Oblivion: On completing the quest of the Daedric Prince, Clavicus Vile, the player will have a choice between keeping the Umbra sword, or returning it and receiving the Masque of Clavicus Vile helmet from the Daedra Prince.

[edit] Mehrunes' Razor

A powerful daedric artifact located in Cyrodiil. It was created by the Daedric Lord Mehrunes Dagon and has the ability to kill a target instantly using its Daedric Banishing magic. The weapon also has the ability to take the souls of the enemies that it banishes. It is located in the lost Ayleid city of Varsa Baliim. In the fourth age the arch mage Frathen Drothan was excavating the ruins in an attempt to locate it. The fort of Sundercliff watch was built atop of these ruins during the Reman Dynasty.

The Dark Brotherhood has coveted this ebony dagger for generations. This mythical artifact is capable of slaying any creature instantly. History does not record any bearers of Mehrune's Razor, however, the Dark Brotherhood was once decimated by a vicious internal power struggle. It is suspected that the Razor was involved.

In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the player is given the option to perform a quest for the Daedra Lord himself in which they will be awarded the infamous dagger in exchange for its retrieval. Although certainly powerful, it does not have the one-hit kill ability of lore. In Oblivion the dagger is also available after downloading an extra content package of the same name.

[edit] Oghma Infinium

Oblivion: Oghma Infinium is a powerful skill book which is the reward for completing Hermaeus Mora's, quest. He will only give it to the one who has completed all the other Daedric quests in Cyrodiil. One must then capture a soul from each of the ten races of Cyrodiil with a special spell and gem and bring it to here. The one who does this is then given the artifact which will raise some of his abilities by 10 depending on the path he chooses.

Path of Steel: Strength, Speed, Blade, Blunt, and Heavy Armor.
Path of Shadow: Speed, Acrobatics, Sneak, Security, Light Armor
Path of Spirit: Intelligence, Willpower, Destruction, Conjuration, Restoration

[edit] Ring of Khajiit

A useful tool for any thief, the Ring of Khajiit has powerful Chameleon and Fortify Speed enchantments upon it, making the user faster and hard to spot. Morrowind: The Ring is given to you by Mephala, after completing the quest assigned at her shrine in the Morag Tong headquarters beneath the Arena in Vivec. You do not have to be a Morag Tong member to take on the quest, though the quest is an assassination, and you can join the Morag Tong in the immediate area. Oblivion: The Daedric Prince Meridia rewards her faithful with the Ring of Khajiit.

[edit] Ring of Namira

Oblivion: The Ring of Namira is a special ring created by the Daedric Lord Namira. It has the ability to reflect some of the strength of both physical and magical attacks.

[edit] Sanguine Rose

Oblivion: Sanguine Rose is a staff created by the Daedric Prince Sanguine. It has the ability to summon a random Daedra. Note: after attacking and/or killing the targeted enemy, the daedra then turns on the wielder.

[edit] Skeleton Key

Oblivion: The Skeleton Key is an unbreakable lockpick that boosts security by 40 points, making it a powerful tool for thieves. It is the reward for recovering Noctunal's Eye. Morrowind: Though it does not have a Security boost attached in this game, the Skeleton Key is still noteworthy as a 50-use lockpick that will open any lock. It is given to you by Gentleman Jim Stacey at the end of the Thieves' Guild quest line.

[edit] Skull of Corruption

Oblivion: The Skull of Corruption is a staff which has the ability to create an evil clone of the humanoid it hits. It was created by Vaermina. Another thing the player should bear in mind is not to drop the Skull of Corruption as if an NPC is to pick up the staff and use it against you, it may cause a lot of problems.

[edit] Spear of Bitter Mercy

Morrowind: The product of the Mad Prince Sheogorath, the powerful Spear of Bitter Mercy is the reward for completing his quest, which involves the player having to kill a large Netch with a special dinner fork so as to understand madness. This object does not appear in Oblivion.

[edit] Spell Breaker

Spell Breaker is a powerful shield said to have been created King Rouken, one of the last Dwemer kings, to aid him in his battles against the wizard Shalidor. Since that time, it has often been seen in conjunction with the Daedric Prince Peryite. It either reflects or dispells enemy magic (depending on the game) and can silence spellcasters.

Morrowind: This shield was hidden in the Dwemer ruin Bthuand, and the player was asked to retrieve it by the vampire Mastrius. This vampire had been cursed by the Daedric Princess Azura, and Spell Breaker was required to break the curse. After he receives it, he asks the player for half of their life force, needed to break the curse (among other things). He then attacks the weakened player.

Oblivion: Spell Breaker was the reward given by the Daedric Prince Peryite for retrieving the souls of several of Peryite's worshipers from where they had been trapped in Oblivion by a misfired spell.

[edit] The Ebony Blade

Oblivion: The Websppinner Mephala rewards her faithful with an Ebony Blade. While not quite as powerful as Boethiah's Goldbrand, the Blade does have Silence and Absorb Health Enchantments, which are helpful against mage enemies.

[edit] Volendrung

The Pocket Guide to The Empire relates the story of early Hammerfell history as a Dwemer holding. According to the Guide, Hammerfell's original name was Volenfell, taken from the name of the Dwemeri Rourken Clan settlement in the region, the "City of the Hammer". The Rourken were opposed to the creation of the joint Dwemer-Chimer state of Resdayn, which prompted their move westward, sometime during the First Era. A myth arose surrounding their exodus, wherein their chieftan is said to have thrown his "mighty hammer, Volendrung, across Tamriel, promising to lead his clansmer to 'wherever it should fall.'"^[1] The "City of the Hammer" rendition is read by the Elder Scrolls Translation Dictionary as a more or less direct translation. "Fell" is the Dwemeri term for city; and "Volen", "Hammer".^[2]^[3]

Volendrung reappears throughout the series, befitting the hammer's description as an item "prone to disappearing suddenly, resurfacing sometimes in days, sometimes in eons".^[4] In Arena a map in Hammerfell leads the player to the hammer in Morrowind.^[5] In Daggerfall the player may receive the hammer after doing a service for the Daedric lord Malacath.^[5]^[6] In both of these games, the attributes of the hammer remain similar; giving health to the player who wields it, leeching strength from the enemy on the receiving end of a blow, and possibly paralyzing said enemy.^[4]^[7]^[8]^[9] In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind it appears again, in the closet of Yagrum Bagarn, the Last Living Dwarf.^[5]^[6] In Morrowind, however, it is generally useless as a weapon, having lost its magic abilities.^[10]^[11] Curiously enough, Morrowinds Tamrielic Lore, an in-game book naming Yagrum Bagarn as its author, omits Volendrung in his compilation of ancient Dwemeri artifacts.^[12] In Oblivion, the hammer appears in the hands of Malacath once more, and can be received by the player as reward for completing Malacath's quest. As in Daggerfall and Arena, the hammer is magically enhanced, though it drains health rather than strength.^[13]^[6]

[edit] Wabbajack

While this weapon makes no appearance in Morrowind, it originally shows up in Daggerfall. Known only as Wabbajack, this mysterious staff changes any enemy into another random creature. This can completely change a battle by transforming an enemy into something weaker- or possibly something much stronger. As with most all of Sheogorath's work, it should be used with caution.

Oblivion: The Prince of Madness, Sheogorath, gives you this confusing and potentially battle-changing weapon upon completing his quest, which involves causing chaos by making an apocalyptic prophesy come true in the Khajiiti village of Border Watch. Evidence of Sheogorath's madness can be seen in the final 'sign', where he causes the sky to redden and rain flaming dogs.