Clavicus Vile
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Clavicus Vile is one of the seventeen most powerful Daedra known as Daedric Princes. He is best known for granting wishes, often in ways that turn out poorly for the recipient.
[edit] Description
Clavicus typically appears in the form of a small, innocent-looking male child. He is generally depicted with a small pair of goat's horns on his forehead, and dressed in a rather mundane vest and pants. Clavicus is almost always seen in the company of his dog. The dog is known to be sentient, and has given its name as Barbas.
Clavicus Vile's sphere of influence is the granting of wishes in exchange for ritualistic pacts. In many ways, he represents the archetypal modern devil figure, in that he tempts otherwise innocent people into making deals with him. He will offer to generously reward loyal followers, and will typically do so initially. However, the powerful artifacts he presents mortals with frequently disappear, or are reclaimed by Vile himself, at inopportune times.
Clavicus is said to be quite vain, and to have unusually strong influence over mortals. He is often able to strike deals with others that result in the loss of their soul. What Clavicus actually does with the captured souls is unclear.
[edit] History
Clavicus Vile has not played as large a part in Tamrielic history as other Daedra. He appears to be content dealing with individual mortals one at a time, to achieve his goals. He is suspected of assisting Jagar Tharn and other Daedric Lords in taking the Imperial throne from Uriel Septim.
Vile caused a minor disturbance in the Hammerfell city of Stros M'Kai, during Tiber Septim's push to unify the continent, by making a pact with a Sload necromancer. The necromancer would steal souls for Clavicus Vile in exchange for favors. Two of the souls stolen by the Sload were that of Prince A'Tor, heir to the Hammerfell throne and a close companion, a Redguard woman named Iszara. This action set off a chain of events that culminated in the only military reversal Tiber Septim suffered from any conquered province, and forced him to sue for peace on more even footing with the Redguards.
More recently, rumors have surfaced that Clavicus has made a deal with the vampires of Cyrodiil. What the vampires had to give in return is not known. However, it has since been discovered that Cyrodiil's vampires are capable of surviving in open sunlight and hide their nature from mortals, as long as they stay well-fed.
Bethesda considered making Clavicus Vile a main character for one of the two expansions they planned to make once Elder Scrolls IV was released, but this never happened (He might have been replaced by Sheograth for Shivering Isles or Umail the Unfettered in Knights of Nine.) He may yet appear in a smaller plugin.
[edit] The Masque
The most notable aspect of Clavicus Vile is his infamous masque. This artifact is made to mirror Clavicus' own personality. The wearer of the masque immediately gains a boost in their personality, and improved dealings with other mortals. The stronger the wearer's personality was to begin with, the bigger a benefit they gain. Clavicus is known for rewarding mortals with his masque on several occasions. In most cases, he is also known to steal the masque back at a time when it could be most useful to its current wearer.
