Lifting the Shroud

Background
"Look, I've seen one of the spirits with my very own eyes. When it glared at me, I swear it burned right through my soul."

The town of Ivarstead has been haunted by a ghost from Shroud Hearth Barrow. Though the ghost never comes into town, the townsfolk would be grateful if the Dragonborn investigated the barrow.

Objectives

 * Offer to investigate Shroud Hearth Barrow after Wilhelm complains it might be haunted.
 * Explore the barrow and track down the "ghost".
 * Take Wyndelius' diary to Wilhelm for the reward.

Walkthrough
This quest can be started either by checking with Wilhelm in the Vilemyr Inn or just exploring the Shroud Hearth Barrow.

Objective: Investigate Shroud Hearth Barrow
Upon entering the Barrow, the Dragonborn is confronted by the spectral figure of Wyndelius Gatharian behind a barred gate wailing, "Leave this place!". Once he departs, a room with a series of levers is encountered opposite where he appears. The Illusion skill book, Before the Ages of Man, can be found in this room. Once the correct combination of levers is pulled, the gates will open across the way and the path that Wyndelius took can be followed. Wyndelius will be waiting, or even sleeping if one remains stealthy, in the next room and must be dispatched. Killing him reveals that he is no more than a mere man in the guise of a spirit, further evidenced by the Philter of the Phantom (which can also be pickpocketed off him with high enough skill) found on him and confirmed by reading his journal. With Wyndelius' journal in hand the objective "Investigate Shroud Hearth Barrow" is completed and a new objective presents itself.

Objective: Bring Wyndelius' Journal to Wilhelm
Leaving the barrow and returning to Wilhelm with the journal will satisfy his curiosity and bring the mystery behind Shroud Hearth Barrows to a close... as far as Ivarstead is concerned at least. Wilhelm will give the Dragonborn the Sapphire Dragon Claw as a reward which is in fact the claw that Wyndelius was searching for in the Barrow and thus is the key to unlocking its treasured depths.

The Barrow Returns
Back in the Barrow, the room opposite Wyndelius' quarters contains the door to the main chambers with the combination being moth, owl, and wolf (this can be seen on the claw in inventory). The first chamber contains the spell tome: Oakflesh as well as a number of Draugr. The next room holds a spiraled stairway, with a water trap at the bottom with a lowly adventurer drowned in its depths. At the top is a master-locked door with an expert-locked chest holding valuable loot. In the middle of the stairway is the path leading to the next room where several skeletons are in an oil pond. Igniting the oil by shooting the hanging lamps puts an end to these archers. Before heading down the wooden stairway to cross the room, on the right side is a window to another room. The entrance to that room is located around the corner, through a coffin controlled by a handle next to it. Also, on the left side there are two more coffins that can be opened by activating a handle located on the wall next to each one of these coffins; one of them has a Draugr, and the other one a skeleton.

The following corridor is home to several Draugr, one of which holds the key to the door beyond. A room with a cascading waterfall has a drawbridge across it, but it's pulled up. A leveled sword can be found behind the waterfall. At the top of the stairs to the right is a turn-stone matching puzzle. Opening the door to the room behind it will initiate a battle with a draugr mage. Once he is dispatched, standing on the central pressure plate causes the doors to several alcoves to rotate open, which reveal the combination (from left to right: whale, eagle, snake, whale) to the puzzle. Rotating the short pillars outside, then standing on the pressure plate, causes the bridge to be lowered. Across the bridge is an apprentice-locked door with a gold ingot within. However, taking the gold ingot from the pedestal sets off a fire trap. The ingot can be retrieved without being harmed by standing back from the pedestal and using Unrelenting Force, spells, or arrows to pull or push it off, then waiting for the fire to stop. Further along is the door to the Shroud Hearth Depths.

Shroud Hearth Depths
The first main room is filled with a series of sarcophagi which hold graduating levels of skeletons and Draugr. As they appear and are killed, the next tier will appear from their crypts, culminating in a leveled draugr lord at the room's apex. Once he is dispatched, the Dragonborn can continue to the final chamber. Using the Unrelenting Force shout to knock the Draugr Lord into the water is also a one-hit kill. It is quite easy to go into sneak mode, if sneak skill is high enough, to pick off all the draugr with a high-power bow. Note that the draugr may not "wake up".

Within the chamber can be found a chest with nice loot (on the chest is a tripwire which can be de-activated before opening the chest.) and, more importantly, a Word Wall for the Kyne's Peace shout.

There is more loot in an alcove left of the Word Wall. Whirlwind Sprint will be needed to get to it. Alternatively, the sparks spell can be used to make the items bounce around knocking them out of the alcove. Saving before doing this will allow the Dragonborn to try again in case they bounce to an unreachable location. It is also possible to jump across the broken bridge by aiming for the small 'tips' at both sides of the bridge when running up (this might take a few tries). Lastly, if none of the above tips work out, it is possible to jump along the ridges of the wall, located to the right of the alcove at the same level as the bridge. The ridges can be "hugged" by spamming the jump button while facing the wall directly, looking slightly left as needed to move along the ridge. Starting on the stairs to the right of the broken bridge, it is possible to jump to the ridge on the wall to the right of the stairs, then to the triangle-shaped platform in the corner of the room, then along the wall perpendicular to the alcove until landing in the alcove from the side.

Also, in the chamber with the word wall, there is an adept-locked chest under the water to the right of the word wall.

Trivia

 * Failing to take this quest before turning in Wyndelius's Journal will result in a permanent lockout to the rest of the barrow. The key accepted for the Journal will not work.
 * This will need confirmation since it contradicts other findings. This should also be placed under a "bugs" section, which this page is lacking.
 * Completing this quest is required for access to the rest of the barrow and eventually Kyne's Peace word wall.
 * This is only true by normal means. Utilizing known bugs may allow access without completion of the quest.
 * If sneaking when falling in the water under the trap door after fighting the 5 draugr, it is impossible to get up. Every time the camera is aligned above the Dragonborn's head they will sneak and swim at the same time, making the game bug out.
 * Curiously, even after the quest is completed and the mystery of the 'ghost' has been solved, Wilhelm will still engage in dialogue with Lynly about how she should stay away from the Barrow and its resident spectre.