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The Quarry - The Loop
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The exterior of Ragnvald.
- For other uses, see Tombs.
- "Woe to the unwary explorer who delves deep into the burial crypts of the ancient Nords, and disturbs the Draugr that dwell within."
- ―Loading Screens[src]
Nordic Tombs are ancient Nordic burial sites spread throughout the province of Skyrim. Some tombs were also places of worship for Dragon Priests and Dragons, such as Bleak Falls Barrow,[1] Forelhost, and Skuldafn.[2] Some of these tombs were actual cities when they were first built, such as Labyrinthian/Bromjunaar, Korvanjund, Volunruud,[3] Saarthal,[4] and Ragnvald.
Tombs without a word wall[]
Most tombs house Word Walls, where a Word of Power is learned for use with Dragon Shouts, but there are some exceptions:
- Hillgrund's Tomb
- Geirmund's Hall (has since fallen into disrepair and now has more the character of a cave than a tomb)
- Ansilvund
- Yngol Barrow
- Rebel's Cairn
- Arcwind Point (without Dawnguard installed)
- Silent Moons Camp (an open ruin)
- Twilight Sepulcher (although labeled as such, its true purpose is not that of a tomb)
- Reachwater Rock
- Potema's Catacombs (located under Solitude, only accessible during the quest "The Wolf Queen Awakened").
Inhabitants and enemies[]
- Bandits
- Dragon Priests
- Dragons (Skuldafn)
- Draugr
- Forsworn
- Frostbite Spiders
- Hag
- Hagravens
- Skeletons
- Skeletal Dragon (Labyrinthian)
- Slaughterfish (Labyrinthian)
- Vampires
- Wispmother
Unique named enemies[]
Gauldurson Family[]
Dragon Priests[]
- Ahzidal DR
- Dukaan DR
- Hevnoraak
- Krosis
- Morokei
- Nahkriin
- Otar the Mad
- Rahgot
- Vahlok the Jailor DR
- Volsung
- Vokun
- Zahkriisos DR
Puzzles and traps[]
- Tombs mostly have puzzle doors, which are opened by Dragon Claws.
- Tombs contain many dangerous traps, such as cave-ins or poison dart guns.
List of tombs[]
- Angarvunde
- Ansilvund
- Arcwind Point
- Bleak Falls Barrow
- Dead Men's Respite
- Deepwood Redoubt
- Dustman's Cairn
- Folgunthur
- Forelhost
- Forsaken Crypt
- Frostmere Crypt
- Geirmund's Hall
- Hag Rock Redoubt
- Hag's End
- High Gate Ruins
- Hillgrund's Tomb
- Ironbind Barrow
- Korvanjund
- Labyrinthian
- Lost Valley Redoubt
- Potema's Catacombs (under Solitude)
- Ragnvald
- Rannveig's Fast
- Reachwater Rock
- Rebel's Cairn
- Saarthal
- Shriekwind Bastion
- Shroud Hearth Barrow
- Silent Moons Camp
- Silverdrift Lair
- Skuldafn
- Snow Veil Sanctum
- Twilight Sepulcher
- Ustengrav
- Valthume
- Volskygge
- Volunruud
- Yngol Barrow
- Ysgramor's Tomb
Solstheim[]
Trivia[]
- Several of the tombs are referred to as "barrows." In reality, barrows are a type of burial mound most often associated with Neolithic and Early Bronze Age European cultures. In a similar vein, the carvings found in Nordic tombs are based upon the carvings found in the Neolithic passage tomb at Newgrange in Co. Meath, Ireland.
- Halldir's Cairn visually appears as the Nordic Tomb, but both the map icon and the Creation Kit shows it as a cave.
- The idea behind Nordic ruins was to have magnificent stone structures that would stand the test of of time, like the pyramids of egypt. Adam Adamowicz came up with having them shaped like ribcages, giving the developers the sense that they were made out of dead dragon skeletons, and were filled with iconography similar to egyptian heiroglyphs.[5]
Gallery[]
The exterior of an ancient Nordic tomb.
The interior of an ancient Nordic tomb.
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ Dialogue with Farengar Secret-Fire during the events of "Bleak Falls Barrow"
- ↑ Dialogue with Odahviing
- ↑ Holdings of Jarl Gjalund
- ↑ Night of Tears
- ↑ Reliving the Opening of Skyrim with the Creators from BGS
