Hjerim

Description
Hjerim is a large purchasable property located in the Valunstrad quarter of Windhelm. The house has two floors, several spacious rooms, and a secret chamber. Hjerim also has a large armory with a number of mannequins, display cases, shelves, and weapon racks.

The secret chamber, located behind a ground-floor wardrobe, is where The Butcher kept the decapitated body parts of his victims with which he intended to reanimate his dead sister. Purchasing the cleanup package will clear its bloodstained furnishings, enabling the purchase of the needed upgrades to transform it into an Alchemy and Enchanting workshop.

Acquisition
The house is available for 12,000. Purchasing all upgrades costs an additional 9,000. Completing Rescue From Fort Neugrad or the full Civil War Questline are necessary to purchase this house. Upon Becoming Thane of Eastmarch, a housecarl, Calder, will become available to look after Hjerim and serve the Thane.

A part of the quest Blood on the Ice takes place here, so the quest must be completed in order to purchase the house. The quest is automatically gained when entering the house for the first time, if not previously started. After completing the quest, talking to the Jarl's Steward enables the purchase of decorations for Hjerim.

Advantages:

 * Hjerim contains both an Arcane Enchanter and an Alchemy Lab.


 * It is in close proximity with Smithing amenities, a Smelter, and the Windhelm fence, all of which are closely grouped.


 * Niranye, the Windhelm fence, is located outside in a market stall, whereas many other fences require at least one additional transition to reach or are hard to track down.

Disadvantages

 * Its main disadvantage is the poor storage facilities in the enchanting/alchemy area.


 * Storage in the master bedroom is also less than that found in either Proudspire Manor or Vlindrel Hall, consisting of only 6 containers (2 endtables, 1 chest, 1 wardrobe, 3 small sacks).
 * A small disadvantage in Hjerim compared to other houses is that there is lots of space both upstairs and downstairs, meaning it is quite empty even with upgrades installed.

Item displays
See Windhelm Home Decorating Guide for detailed descriptions.
 * 7 Weapon Wall Plaques
 * 2 Weapon & Shield Wall Plaques
 * 3 Sword Display Cases
 * 5 Weapon Rack
 * 3 Mannequins
 * 4 Dagger Display Cases
 * 12 Bookshelves (holding a total of 132 books)

Guest room
Although the Windhelm Home Decorating Guide lists a Guest Room, it cannot be purchased; it is automatically installed when Calder, the Housecarl, moves in.

Trivia

 * This house was used by The Butcher for his necromantic rituals.
 * Although this house can be purchased, the the key to the house can be found by pickpocketing Tova Shatter-Shield.
 * There are a few high value potions in the chamber and a few soul gems that can be sold to cover some of the expense of buying the home and furnishings.
 * The table in the small room appears to have Shadowmarks on it that refer to "Empty" and "Danger."

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