Den of Clavicus Vile
Current objective
Strike a bargain
Clavicus Vile
Ah, a visitor! Come in, come in - well, almost. Every door in my den has a price. What will you give?
Barbas:
Everything here was paid for. Not always by the buyer.
Behind a round door ringed with green light lies a den kept for Clavicus Vile, the Daedric Prince of trickery and bargains. He grants wishes, every one of them, and every one has a way of turning on whoever asked. His halls are warm, lamplit and richly kept, the way a merchant keeps the rooms where customers sit down to talk.
The way leads from the lantern hall past a hoard of gold and a blue mask lying before a shrine, up a great stair, through a trader's hall with its counter and its wares, along rose-hung alcoves and long corridors, to the gryphon rooms and a council table where golden armour sits in the host's chair.
At the end waits a hall where a blue flame and a red flame burn at the gates, and no one will say what either costs. Barbas would advise you to read the terms. Nothing in this den is free - the door included.
The Prince who grants wishes
Clavicus Vile is the Daedric Prince of trickery and bargains. He grants power and wishes through pacts and rituals, and he gives you exactly what you asked for - which is precisely the trouble. One mage wished for his spell to work well. It did: it summoned the atronachs that burned a forest to the ground.
At his side walks Barbas, who looks like a dog, talks like a courtier, and often has more sense than his master. Vile is said to keep as much as half his power in him; some scholars think the two are halves of one being.
This is AhzidalThrones’ own vision of the den. What the blue mask at the shrine and the golden armour at the council table stand for is his story to tell.
- The Masque of Clavicus Vile
- A helm that makes its wearer charming and trusted. Vile can take it back whenever he pleases, and sooner or later he always does.
- Umbra
- A sword forged at his request to trap souls. A piece of his power went into the blade and woke there as Umbra, with a will of its own.
- His day
- The 1st of Morning Star, during the New Life Festival: the day to summon him, if you truly must.
- His realm
- The Fields of Regret, where he often appears as a jovial horned Skaafin.
Lore sources
The Moon Door
Every door here has a price.
Two lanterns, a carpet, and a round door ringed with points of green light. It does not look locked, and in a house built for the Prince of bargains, that is exactly what should worry you.
Photographs of this space · 1
The ring of lights turns once, as if counting you.
The Lantern Hall
Sit. Talk. Agree to something.
Lanterns hang over a round table beneath carved lattice windows, and the chairs are drawn close, the way they are wherever deals are made. At the far end a second round gate leads deeper into the den. Vile likes his guests comfortable. Comfortable guests sign.
It lights the moment you sit down. The chairs are very comfortable. That is the point.
The lantern burns brighter while you watch it. Everything here likes attention.
The Hoard of Bargains
What others paid.
Chests spill gold around a small shrine, and on the floor before it lies a blue mask. Whether it is the Masque of Clavicus Vile itself or only a reminder of it, the room makes one thing plain: everything here was given in exchange for something, and not all of it was gold.
Gold to the brim - and under it, a bundle of promissory notes, every one of them signed.
A borrowed face. Whoever wore it was charming and trusted - until Vile took it back. He always does.
The Great Stair
Up, under the lattice light.
A wide stair climbs beneath tall lattice windows, past lanterns and potted palms, with a sitting corner at its foot. The den is larger than its door promised. Most of Vile's gifts are - until you see what they cost.
Your free minute is over. The next one costs.
Up the stair the lattice light is warm and inviting. So are most traps.
The Trader's Hall
Everything has a price. Ask.
A long counter beneath hanging lamps, wares on the shelves behind it, a table of goods by the wall. A Prince of bargains would keep a shop, of course, and this one has everything a mortal might want. Do read the terms. Barbas always does.
One coin against one feather. The feather wins. House rules.
Today only: one wish, granted in full. Price to be set later, by the grantor.
Vile’s Wager
A game at the counter: one coin, three cups. Watch the coin, then pick the cup it is under.
Clavicus Vile: Barbas:
The Rose Alcoves
A quiet table, for quieter deals.
Under the arches stands a dining nook with candles on the table; beyond it, red cushions lie beneath trailing roses. The softer rooms are kept for the agreements nobody should overhear - and for the guests who have not yet noticed they are agreeing to anything.
Lovely, isn’t it? It was - until you asked it for something.
The Long Corridors
Every corridor leads somewhere you agreed to go.
Arched corridors run past flower boxes and iron grilles, a tapestried rose alcove, a banner over every far doorway. Look back once: the way you came looks longer than it was. In the Fields of Regret, they say, every road looks like that.
Photographs of this space · 5
Barbas: “That’s mine. Don’t tell him I left it here.”
The Gryphon Rooms
Blue light, stone wings.
Two gryphon statues guard a blue door. Behind it wait a canopy bed in cold blue light and a table set between the gryphons: the den's private rooms, and the only place here that feels like rest. It is also the only room with no price on its door, which should make you wonder why.
Its eyes open, look you over, and decide you are harmless. For now.
The gryphon’s stone eyes follow you to the bed, then politely look away.
The Council Table
Golden armour sits at the head.
Past flower boxes and a latticed door, a long red table waits under lanterns, and at its head, where a host would sit, stands a suit of golden armour. Whoever called this council is either absent or very patient. With Vile it is usually both.
The Hall of Twin Flames
One flame blue, one red. Choose.
Behind the last bannered door a blue flame and a red flame burn at the gates, and the hall beyond holds desks, tapestries and quiet light. It is the den's last room and its last offer: two fires, and not a word on what either one costs.
Photographs of this space · 4
Music on this page
Every track belongs to its composers and rights holders and is credited here. If you hold the rights to one of them and want it removed, write to us: contact
- The Blessings of Morwha Brad Derrick. The Elder Scrolls Online: Music of Tamriel, Vol. 2 (Original Game Soundtrack). © ZeniMax Online Studios Official release - The Blessings of Morwha Plays during: The entrance, The Moon Door, The Lantern Hall, The Hoard of Bargains, The Great Stair, The Trader's Hall, Vile’s Wager, The Rose Alcoves, The Long Corridors, The Gryphon Rooms, The Council Table, The Hall of Twin Flames
The story continues
More worlds by AhzidalThrones
Explore the builder’s portfolio, characters and creations.
Now playing