Molag Bal is the Daedric Prince of domination and the enslavement of mortals, the Harvester of Souls and the creator of vampires. The Dunmer count him among the Four Corners of the House of Troubles. In Skyrim his shrine hides inside an abandoned house in Markarth, and his idea of a friendly first meeting is locking you in a cage.
In Skyrim
His quest is The House of Horrors. You enter the house alongside Vigilant Tyranus, and Molag Bal immediately starts whispering that Tyranus is weak and you should crush him. After that fight he lures you deeper with promises of a reward, then traps you and gloats. Even if you refuse to help, he lets you go, but still points you toward Boethiah‘s imprisoned priest.
The real issue is his rival Boethiah: her priest Logrolf has been desecrating Bal’s altar and rusting his mace. Bal wants Logrolf rescued, brought back to the altar, and beaten until he submits. Logrolf boasts he has won this contest before, but this time Bal has a champion. Once Logrolf bends the knee and pledges his soul, you finish him off and receive the Mace of Molag Bal with its true power restored. It is listed on our Daedric artifacts page.
Lore
Called the King of Rape, the Schemer Prince and the Father of Coldharbour, Molag Bal craves mortal souls and spreads strife to win them. In Dunmer legend he constantly corrupts the bloodlines of the Great Houses, and a tale says the monsters he fathered after seducing Vivec may have been the first vampires. In 1E 2920 he destroyed the city of Gilverdale at the summons of King Dro’Zel. During the Interregnum he tried to merge Nirn with his frozen realm of Coldharbour in the Planemeld, until the Vestige defeated him with the Amulet of Kings and freed his Soul Shriven.
Good to know
- He calls Boethiah weak and pitiful in front of her own priest, which tells you plenty about their rivalry.
- The Hero of Daggerfall also earned his mace, by eliminating a heretic for him.
- If you kill Logrolf before he submits, Bal just laughs at mortal frailty and makes you try again.
Details checked against community wiki articles and the Skyrim game files, written in our own words.
