Return to the tunnel and make your way through several fire traps and beware of the four pressure plates triggering darts. You will pass a tantalizing Expert level locked door, however it leads only to the aforementioned pit containing the spiders. Instead, take the southern tunnel and open the door to your right for the Restoration skill book Withershins. There is a trap door that will net you a fight against four frostbite spiders and a draugr carrying the key to escape the trap, but little else. then jump down and open the chest on the floor. Claim some loot in a hidden room above the altar, by jumping to the side balcony, then jump again to the corner balcony, and then jump yet again to reach the altar. The overhanging ledges provide an opportunity for ranged attacks. The door to the south is sealed shut from the other side, so go through the tunnel to the east.īefore long, you will stand in a huge chamber, clearly an area for offerings, which is inhabited by two leveled draugr. Proceed forward and dispose of the draugr enemies. You can do nothing here now, so locate the southern stairway and jump over the pressure plate to avoid the corresponding battering ram around the corner. Hevnoraak's sarcophagus stands in the middle of the room, sealed shut, with his throne strategically placed in the background. The first chamber is huge, with no enemies in sight. While the exterior of the ruin only consists of a single door, the ruin of Valthume is incredibly large and far from linear make sure to keep an eye on the map markers and prepare for a fairly long trek to gather all three vessels. Even in death, they serve him still." Valthume He could torture and humiliate them and they would not rebel. After that, fear was enough to keep them in line. Good men fell under his spell and were forever twisted. My duty in life and in death is to make sure he stays in this tomb for eternity." Apparently, Valthume was a former den of dragon worshippers, with Hevnoraak as their leader: "He had a way of enthralling people and built up a loyal army of followers. He will then sit down on his throne atop his own skeleton, and you can gather some more information on the threat waiting to break out of his prison: "Hevnoraak planned his resurrection obsessively before dying. Accept the challenge and Valdar will open a gate in the back of the vestibule leading to the real ruin of Valthume. Due to this weakness, he needs a champion to find three vessels scattered around the large ruin their combined power can help vanquish Hevnoraak, thus saving the land of Skyrim from his vengeance. Valdar reveals that he stayed behind to constrain the power of the Dragon Priest Hevnoraak, but that his own strength is fading away. I fear, however, that his return may be at hand."
I fear for the security of the very land if it should break free." If you ask for more details, the ghost will elaborate on the danger that lurks within: "We stand at the tomb of Hevnoraak, who has been dead for many generations. Enter Valthume Vestibule and you will immediately be sought out by a ghost named Valdar who will provide a warning: "Leave, stranger. When you arrive there will be no enemies guarding the exterior door leading into the side of the great mountain, but there is a possibility of a troll encounter, so be on guard. They can point you in the right direction. No citizens will ever mention the ruin, although the Greybeards may detect a "whisper of a word" from the location, as there is a Word Wall in the ruin. The Nordic ruin of Valthume lies southeast of Markarth at the end of the path that leads southeast from Dushnikh Yal.