A Daedra's Best Friend

Background
"I ran into a talking dog named Barbas who had a falling out with his master Clavicus Vile. Clavicus has agreed to take Barbas back if Barbas and I retrieve the Rueful Axe."

- The Dragonborn

Overview

 * 1) Find Barbas the dog near Falkreath. The meat given to the Dragonborn by Lod is not necessary to lure him.
 * 2) Follow Barbas to the shrine of Clavicus Vile in Haemar's Shame. Be prepared to fight a host of vampires and thralls once inside. Talk to the Daedra by activating the statue.
 * 3) Retrieve the Rueful Axe for Clavicus Vile in Rimerock Burrow. A named mage, Sebastian Lort, can be killed, but there is not much resistance otherwise. With enough sneak skill, the Rueful Axe can be stolen without killing Sebastian Lort.
 * 4) Return to the shrine of Clavicus Vile in Haemar's Shame. (If you never return to the shrine you keep the axe and keep Barbas as a follower. You can have Barbas in addition to another follower. Barbas is a good follower because he cannot die, go down, or take damage. Unfortunately, for stealth characters, he will see you in stealth and will get a bounty if he sees you steal, kill etc..)
 * 5) Kill Barbas to keep the Rueful Axe or refuse and wait until dialogue completes to retrieve Clavicus Vile's Masque (if you're going for the Oblivion Walker achievement/trophy take the Masque of Clavicus Vile)
 * 6) The quest is over at this point, but the player still may return to Lod for a small reward (25 ) by telling him, "The dog was more trouble than he was worth."

Walkthrough
The quest can be obtained once the player reaches level 10. A guard or Lod himself (whether "Some Light Theft" quest is completed or not) will say he has been looking for a dog and spotted one near the entrance of the city. Lod can be persuaded for half payment (25 can be received) or the task can be taken.

Barbas can be found west of Falkreath along the road beyond the fork where he will approach the player. The player can return to Lod once Barbas is found, hand in the quest and then return to Barbas where he is waiting.

Barbas can be a little tricky to follow as there is possibility to run into enemies. It is best to stay behind him to avoid losing him.

Barbas will lead the Dragonborn to Haemar's Shame where Barbas and the Dragonborn will fight vampires and their thralls, depending on current level. Haemar's Shame is located directly in between Ivarstead And Fort Neugrad. There are few levelled enchanted items, an Arcane Enchanter and an Alchemy Lab. The shrine of Clavicus Vile is located deeper in the cave, guarded by four to five vampires. Activate the statue of Clavicus Vile and he will ask what he can do for the player. Choosing any given speech option will result with his request to retrieve his Axe from Rimerock Burrow. Barbas can be kept or told to stay. Behind the statue on upper walkway is a chest with levelled items and a chain that opens a barricaded tunnel leading back to Skyrim.

Rimerock Burrow is a small cave. At the end of a short tunnel, there will be Flame Atronach and Sebastian Lort, a Breton mage. He may summon a Frost Atronach. The Rueful Axe itself will be laying on a long table opposite an Arcane Enchanter. Behind them is a room with chest containing levelled loot.

The player must now return to Clavicus Vile. The player is given a choice to kill Barbas and receive the Rueful Axe or to spare Barbas and receive Vile's boon, the Masque of Clavicus Vile. Once the choice is made, the quest is finished, and the reward is received.(There is no quest option to keep Barbas but if desired you can just ignore the quest line and travel with him where ever you go)

Tip: Save before making the choice if this is the last Daedric artifact needed for the achievement. First take the mask so you get the achievement, then load the most recent save file. Then kill Barbas, and both the axe and the achievement can be owned.

Dawnguard
In the DLC Dawnguard, you may come across Barbas and the statue at Haemar's Shame. He may still be there depending if you have done this quest. During the Dawnguard mission, if Barbas is still alive he will try to kill the Vampires you are fighting. He never dies therefore he is good help.

Behind the scenes

 * Unless otherwise stated, the information above was obtained from in-game play or from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Creation Kit.

Appearances

 * The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim