White River Watch is a cave located east of Whiterun, on the road past the Honningbrew Meadery. It serves as a bandit hideout for the outfit's purpose of robbing travelers to and from the city of Whiterun.
Description
The cave has several rooms leading up to the top where the bandit chief can be found. One room has an Alchemy Lab. There are also six different varieties of fungi growing throughout the cave.
Hajvarr Iron-Hand and his crew of bandits have made this their base of operations and target either travelers or the merchant caravans that journey to Whiterun. Several bandits can be encountered at the entrance, and Ulfr the Blind, Hajvarr's uncle, is standing watch just inside, though Ulfr will not attack the Dragonborn unless provoked.
There is a character outside named Rodulf, though the character is a randomly generated male, and the only indication of his name is a note found on his body.
Two bandits can be overheard discussing their displeasure for Ulfr standing guard, and are plotting to kill both Hajvarr and his uncle shortly. The band is also trying to train a wolf but have doubts of their ability to do so. As the wolf is still feral, it can be released to aid with dispatching the bandits.
Sublocations
Located on a peak that is presumably part of the Throat of the World, the highest point of the cave is White River Overlook. Hajvarr can be found sitting here, where he can view Whiterun and any potential targets that may be traveling on the road.
Defeating Hajvarr
Hajvarr can be a difficult foe to defeat at a low level Dragonborn, but can be easily killed by using Unrelenting Force on him to throw him off of the edge. However, there are a number of other ways to kill him. At high levels, he will be much more powerful and will use Steel Plate Armor and a leveled two-handed weapon, possibly containing an enchantment. A high-level Dragonborn however, can easily defeat Hajvarr on novice to adept difficulty. He can, however, be a challenge at expert difficulty or above.
Quests
- May be a location for Kharjo's Moon Amulet.
- Amren's Family Sword may be located here.
- May be a location for Meridia's Beacon.
Notable items
- The unique Ironhand Gauntlets
- Two rare Fur Helmets
- Around sixteen Imp Stool mushrooms throughout the cave
- Around ten White Cap mushrooms
Mining
- There is an iron ore vein just above the cage with the wolf.
Gallery
Trivia
- Whiterun guards will alert the player to this location with the comment, "Careful if you cross the river to the east. Old Hajvarr Iron-Hand and his brigands are holed up in that cave, White River Watch."
- Carriage drivers will also make its location known with the comment, "Got keen eyes? Might see nasty old Hajvarr up on White River Watch. Piece of work. Jarl should just run him out and have done with it."
- Ulfr the Blind is seated at the entrance to the cave with a book in front of him. The book is called Ulfr's Book and can be "read." The pages are blank as Ulfr is blind.
- Despite claiming that they will attempt to kill Hajvarr and his uncle at dusk, the bandits will never actually do anything about it.
Bugs
This section contains bugs related to White River Watch. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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- NX 360 There is a bug which one might encounter after clearing the area. One can come back later and find another Ironhand Gauntlets and Hajvarr's Journal on him.
- It is possible for the feral wolf to get bugged and not attack any of the bandits. At the end of the battle, he will be outside of his cage howling incessantly, whilst remaining in the same place.
- 360 If Hajvarr's corpse does roll off the cliff, the game is playable after climbing down, but all way points on the HUD tell the Dragonborn to go via the back entrance of White River Watch if there are any quests active. Quit and restart the game to correct the issue.