Tolvald's Cave is a cave located in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is a medium sized cave comprised of three zones, which are inhabited mostly by Falmer. The cave is located southeast of Ansilvund and east of Shor's Watchtower. It is on a ridge with a wheelbarrow in front of it. It is the location of The Crown of Barenziah for the "No Stone Unturned" quest.
Sublocations
Tolvald's Cave
Upon entering the cave, there is a small bandit camp consisting of three bed rolls and an apprentice-locked leveled chest. There is a hunter's journal to read on the stool between two of the bed rolls.
Turning the corner, there will be a Snow Bear or Frost Troll. Follow the tunnel beyond it to the left, being aware of the bone "tripwire". A short distance down the tunnel another Snow Bear or Frost Troll will be in an alcove to the right. Continuing forward, the tunnel goes off to the right opening into a small cavern with another troll or bear in it. A tunnel on the opposite corner leads to a Dwemer door. Through the door, there is a raised platform with a trapped chest on it. The trap cannot be disarmed. Search the chest; poisoned arrows will fly from the walls, and two hidden doors will open, allowing three Falmer of varying levels will come out. Two are melee, one is ranged. At higher levels, 6-8 Falmer can appear, mostly being melee.
Take the either path to a room containing multiple Alchemy Ingredients around the room as well as an Alchemy Lab. There is a dead hunter in the gated area to the left.
Continue onto the next room where there is a Falmer camp. There are three Falmer in this room and another slain hunter on a table. One of the Falmer has a Shaman's Key; be sure to loot it. There is a leveled chest on the left side of the room next to the tanning rack.
The Falmer camp continues into the next room and overlooks two Frostbite Spiders. Following the path through the camp, there are three or four Falmer. There is an adept-locked chest behind the first tent on the left and another found in the right tent with a door. The tunnel in between the tent leads to Tolvald's Gap.
Tolvald's Gap
Upon entering Tolvald's Gap a large cavern opens with water running from the ceiling. In the cavern, there are several Falmer and skeevers. One of the Falmer drops a Shaman's key, be sure to loot it.
Heading down the ramp, up the bridge to the right is one of three chests under the waterfall to the right. Continue on this path into a small room to find a few more Falmer, lots of mushrooms, and another chest inside the tent. Head back out of the room past the stream. Head down the land-bridge and follow the river downstream, turning right towards the waterfall to find the last (apprentice-locked) chest.
Following the stream into the next room, there are two Frostbite Spiders and a few Falmer (some of which are hiding in an alcove to the right). Keep following the stream to a tunnel, containing a skeever, which leads to a circular room with a few Falmer and some Chaurus and/or Chaurus Hunter FledglingsDG inside the gated enclosure to the right. There is an ore vein inside and several egg sacs to harvest. Go up the ramp where there is an adept-locked chest before heading into the tunnel.
The tunnel leads back to the main chamber and more Falmer. The tent on the left contains a leveled chest. Follow the ledge to into the tunnel on the right and eventually the stream appears again. Follow it upstream this time and exit to Tolvald's Crossing.
Tolvald's Crossing
A short way down the tunnel, there is one powerful leveled Falmer next to a waterfall on a dwemer bridge. A little past the waterfall on the right there is an astral vision that fades into a skeleton and a Faded Diary.
Keep following the tunnel until it divides into two paths. To the right is a small clearing with another astral vision with a skeleton and a Tattered Journal. Besides the skelton is a magic staff. Opposite is an apprentice-locked leveled chest.
The left path has a tripwire that can be deactivated. Just past the trap to the right are a few skeletons, an expert-locked chest, and some books including the Destruction Skill Book, Mystery of Talara, v 3. If collecting the Crown of Barenziah to complete the quest "No Stone Unturned," continue on into the next chamber. Amongst the debris there are swords, armor, and the crown. The ghosts of three elven guards will appear, guarding the crown in death as they did in life. They may attack each other but they are not hostile towards the Dragonborn.
A little further down the tunnel is a ramp which doubles back to a Falmer and a master-locked chest. Back down the ramp, follow the path to a small room with two tiers of Falmer. The tent on the second level holds a chest.
Head through the gate down the tunnel to a larger dwemer room with several Falmer and a skeever. Upon entering the room another astral vision quickly disappears. On the table at the base of the ramp is a skeleton and a Ruined Trailbook along with some loot. Up the incline, there is a table with 2 Human Flesh on it. Follow the ledge to the left until you reach the first tunnel to the right. There is a Falmer inside with a chest. Back out to the ledge, continue to the next tunnel and follow it into a room with several Charus and/or Charus HuntersDG before a river.
Cross the bridge to the center platform and take either bridge the rest of the way across. There are a few Falmer and another Charus or Charus HunterDG or two. There is a dwemer chest the structure to the left. Go through the gate and follow the tunnel to find more mushrooms and a moonstone ore vein on the right. Upon reaching the dwemer floor over the river, go to the far side and walk on the ledge down and around and then across the dwemer pipes. Follow the tunnel back to Tolvald's Cave.
There is a wall chain to open a secret door back into the hunter camp.
Quests
Alchemy Ingredients
- Abundance of Glowing Mushrooms and Chaurus Eggs, a full clear will yield at least 200 of each.
- Many various Mushrooms (leveled).
- No less than two Human Flesh
Notable items
In Tolvald's Cave
- Two iron ore veins
- One silver ore vein
- One Hunter's Journal in first room on stool between two beds
- One gold ore, 1 potion, and a Coin Purse right in front of the trapped dwarven chest on the table as you proceed through the dungeon.
- Various amounts of food items throughout the dungeon
- Apothecary's Satchel
- Various leveled chests
In Tolvald's Gap
- One quicksilver ore vein - inside of the gated area that has three Chaurus in it
- Various leveled chests
In Tolvald's Crossing
- the Crown of Barenziah;
- a Gold Necklace around the wrecked cart to the left of the table with the Battle of Red Mountain
- Several books including:
- The Real Barenziah (v1, v2, v3, v4, and v5)
- Short History of Morrowind
- On the Great Collapse
- The Firsthold Revolt
- The Hope of the Redoran
- Block Skill Book: Battle of Red Mountain
- Mystery of Talara, v3
- Destruction Skill Book Ancestors and the Dunmer
- The Hope of the Redoran
- Tattered Journal
- Ruined Trailbook
- Faded Diary
Amenities
- 3 Tanning Rack (2 in the area where you first encounter the Falmer huts; a third to the right after going up the ramp where you find the Ruined Trailbook book)
- Alchemy Lab (in area where you first encounter the Falmer)
Gallery
Trivia
- Directly east of this location, up in the mountains, lies the ancient Nordic tomb of Skuldafn, which is only accessible during the quest "The World-Eater's Eyrie".
- The cave seems to have been used as a route for the Dunmer escaping from Morrowind, as both Keening and the Crown of Barenziah were said to have been lost in Tolvald's Cave from Morrowind.
- This cave is a possible location for the book and quest item N'Gasta! Kvata! Kvakis!.
- The path to the Crown of Barenziah is not accessible until you have talked to Vex about the Crown.
Bugs
- 360 PC The secret doors near the trapped chest may fail to open. Re-loading save points do not help, and it is unknown if this is able to be fixed. -- If this happens, a chain next to the left hand door can be used. (Patch 1.4)