Skyrim and Morality: Clavicus Vile

Please read this first.

Welcome! This blog is devoted to considerations of morality in the The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by Bethesda. Rather than a fansite, review, or walkthrough, it is a serious attempt to examine the game through a moral lens. Please note that the purpose of this blog is to discuss morality within the context of the game, not to determine whether playing the game is immoral in and of itself; the latter type of "discussion" tends toward tedium and inhibits, rather than promotes, a meaningful conversation.

If you have not visited this blog before, it might be helpful to read the posts labeled "Orientation," most of which are the first few entries in the blog archive (see right). These posts include a short introduction to this project, a content-specific author bio, and a few other pieces that explain key concepts relevant to this study. These posts are of particular use to those readers less familiar with Skyrim (or video games in general).

PLEASE NOTE: HERE BE SPOILERS!

If you have visited this blog before, thanks and welcome back!

Monday, November 4, 2013

A Daedra's Best Friend

This Daedric quest features only one moral dilemma, so for the sake of brevity, I’ll cut straight to it:

I had been wary of dealing with Clavicus ViIe from the beginning, and refused to make any sort of deal with him for fear of being Tamriel’s next Faust. When the time came to make a choice, I chose to spare Barbas. He had been loyal to his master despite Vile’s dreadful behavior, and he had proven to be a faithful and brave companion during our brief adventure. There was no way I was going to turn on him now. Even though Barbas was himself a Daedra, he seemed to be a decent sort, even if his best friend was a particularly nasty Daedric Prince. Furthermore, it seemed that doing the opposite of what Vile wanted would be the safest course of action, so I reunited Barbas and his master, relinquished the Rueful Axe, and obtained Vile’s Masque.

His master's voice?

It wasn’t until later that I realized a potential error in my thinking. The Rueful Axe is not a terribly powerful weapon, especially as Daedric artifacts go, but Vile seemed very glad to have it back; he declared that he could “have a lot of fun” with it. Along the same lines, had he not also admitted that he was less powerful without Barbas? In granting the dog’s request, had I inadvertently restored a dangerous Daedric Prince to full power and returned one of his favorite weapons to boot?

I’ve mentioned Kant in this blog before, and I think that a Kantian moral lens might be instructive here. My intention was to perform a favor for a being in need: Barbas. According to my reading of Kant, the fact that Barbas’s friend is the Elder Scrolls version of Mephistopheles should not enter into my decision, nor should the possibility that reuniting the two might have damaging consequences for someone else down the line. Still, I feel as though I have once again been manipulated by the Daedra.