Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-4057475-20130710075111/@comment-26767096-20160808200915

How about, none of the Solstheim Dragon Priests originally had masks, but were given the masks when they joined Hermaeus Mora. Like said before, all the Solstheim Masks had a Cthulhu-like disign, with Miraak's being the most detailed. This explains why there were only nine busts; the other ones were counterfeit, a sort of mockery of the original nine. This also explains why Vahlok doesn't have one - he never joined Herma-Mora, and stayed true to the dragons. The other priets on Solstheim do have masks, but they're not official dragon-gifted masks, they were made by Mora as a reward for betrayal. The wooden mask is probably just a mold, or an example, or a key, something of that sort.