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Welcome to Solstheim
The island of Solstheim is far depart from Skyrim’s nordic environment. Yep, it’s cold and snowy, but you won’t find floating Netch and stubborn Bristleback pigs charging Dunmer in Skyrim. Raven Rock is the main harbor and civilization in Solstheim; It’s a settlement bursting with adventure and interesting characters.
I remember first playing The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Dragonborn DLC. I was so excited to land on the shores of Solstheim and battle against Miraak, the new Dragonborn antagonist. However, like true Elder Scrolls fashion, that would have to wait. I got sidetracked investigating the relentless Ash Spawn undead attacks and became a P.I. investigating a plot to assassinate First Councilor Morvayn.
Key Details Up-Front
With Miraak brainwashing the entire harbor of Raven Rock and breaching the realm of Apocrypha, who has time to read an entire article? So I plucked all the key information you need to thrive in Raven Rock here:
To unlock Solstheim, the player must first complete The Way of the Voice quest by talking to the Greybeards in High Hrothgar. The player can then either wait for Cultists to attack the player within a city for context. Or the player can head straight to Windhelm docks and talk to Gjalund Salt-Sage about purchasing travel to Solstheim on the Northern Maiden ship for 250 gold.
Let’s cut to the chase. You want weapons, big weapons! You can acquire the following beefy weapons from Raven Rock quests:
- Champion’s Cudgel:Â “March of the Dead”
- Bloodskal Blade: “The Final Descent”
The Dragonborn DLC introduced new craftable Stalhrim equipment. You can mine Stalhrim deposits in Raven Rock Mine after you’ve obtained the Ancient Nordic Pickaxe from Crescius Caerellius after acquiring the An Axe to Find miscellaneous quest from Glover Mallory.
I highly recommend obtaining the Pain in the Necklace quest from Fethis Alor, as he will reward the player with five-hundred gold for every East Empire Pendant they find. In the article, I’ve included a list of all East Empire Company Strongboxes found in Raven Rock.
On a closing note, the Earth Stone located to the west of Raven Rock plays an integral role in The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Dragonborn main storyline. Inhabitants of Raven Rock can often be found worshipping the Earth Stone and unknowingly Miraak.
Key Features and Locations
- The Retching Netch:Â The only tavern found in Raven Rock, Geldis Sadri owns it. Many major characters can be found spending time here in the evening.
- The Bulwark: Serves as an ash storm barrier for Raven Rock and barracks for the Redoran Gaurd.
- Caerellius House: Crescius Caerelliu and Aphia Velothi live hear.
- Raven Rock Docks:Â An unmarked location where the Northern Maiden ship is docked. The Dragonborn can sail back to Windhelm by talking to Gjalund Salt-Sage.
- Coldcinder Cave:Â is a hidden location containing ancient nordic ruins and loot. It’s accessible through the hidden trap door in The Bulwark Jail.
- Ienth Farm:Â Raven Rock’s main source of food, Garyn Ienth and Milore Ienth, the alchemist, live here.
Player Home: Severin Manor
The Dragonborn obtains Severin Manor as a reward for saving Councilor Morvayn from being assassinated by Vendil Severin in the “Served Cold” Dragonborn side quest. The Dragonborn visits Severin Manor during the “Served Cold” quest while looking for evidence of an assassination plot orchestrated by Vendil Severin.
Unlike other residences in Skyrim, Severin Manor cannot be upgraded as the manor is already fully furnished before obtaining it. You can scratch another achievement off the list, as acquiring Severin Manor will reward you with the Raven Rock Owner achievement.
Severin Manor is complete with all the features that the Dragon needs, such as:
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Personally, I’d rate Severin Manor as a low-tier house. Its dark, eerie, and creepy Apocrypha dungeon music plays while in the house, not to mention you killed the manor’s last owner and consequently evicted his family. However, there is no alternative player house in Raven Rock.
The Dragonborn can sleep and stay at the Retching Netch but spending gold every night and lacking storage is not ideal. Therefore, if you play Skyrim on PC, I highly recommend installing the Severin Manor IMPROVED mod, as it replaces the drab furniture and creepy dungeon music. The mod improves the lighting in the manor to make it more homely.
Raven Rock Mine
Without the Raven Rock Mine, Solstheim would be no little than a spec of ash floating in the Sea of Ghosts. The East Empire Trading Company settled on Solstheim due to its abundance of Ebony Ore; However, the dream of never-ending gold and trading ended when miners breached into Bloodskal Barrow, waking an army of slumbering Draugrs.
The East Empire Trading Company sealed the mine, burying what miners were left from the Draugr slaughter, and covered up the event by closing down the mine under the ruse that the Raven Rock Mine had run out of Ebony Ore.
At the time of the Dragonborn’s arrival to Raven Rock, the miners had returned to the mine but only to uncover the East Empire Trading Company’s secret burial. The Dragonborn meets Crescius Caerellius, who tasks the Dragonborn with finding his great-grandfather’s remains in the mine in The Final Descent quest but more on that later.
Once the Dragonborn completes the quest, the Raven Rock Mine will reopen, attracting new miners and characters to Raven Rock.
Raven Rock Mine is a major location in the main Dragonborn DLC, where the player discovers the Black Book: The Winds of Change that opens a portal to Apocrypha during the Black Book: The Winds of Change quest.
Raven Rock Mine is filled with valuable items such as the Blood Skal Blade, an East Empire Trading Company Strong Box containing an East Empire Pendant. As well as Two Stahlrim deposits and nine Ebony Ore deposits! Making the Raven Rock Mine one of the most valuable mines in Skyrim.
Morvayn Manor
There are no Jarls in Solstheim, but if there were to be one, it would be Councilor Lleril Morvayn. The Morvayn Manor is a large building that’s Imperial architecture sets it apart from the Redoran pod-like buildings. Morvayn Manor is found between the marketplace and The Bulwark.
An Arcane Enchanter can be found inside the manor, and the player will most likely visit Morvayn Manor during the “Served Cold” side quest.
Raven Rock Marketplace
Raven Rock is a compact settlement with the most important buildings surrounding the Raven Rock marketplace. You will find Glover Mallory’s, House Ienth Farm, and the general goods merchant Fethis Alor.
Glover Mallory’s House should be renamed Glover Mallory’s Smithy. The house is located within the Raven Rock marketplace and is the only structure in Raven Rock containing smithing equipment, excluding Severin Manor.
After completing the Paid in Full miscellaneous quest, Glover Mallory will give you a key to unlock his “secret room” in his house. (well, thats not creepy!) Inside the room, you will find the Blackguard’s Armor, a Thief Cache, and everything a thief could want, such as poisons, potions, and lockpick supplies. There’s also a letter named “Glover’s Letter,” which can be given to Sapphire, a Thieves Guild member, found in Riften in return for an Exquisite Sapphire!
Although Milore Ienth is an alchemist merchant and Alchemy trainer, she does not have a store but can be found selling goods directly outside her farm by the Alchemy Lab.
Related Quests
Raven Rock is a frontier settlement and the main civilization on the island of Soltheim. Located on the outskirts of Skyrim and borders of Morrowind, placing it in an interesting geopolitical location. As a result, Raven Rock has a prominent Dark Elf and Imperial population. Why so much Imperial influence? Raven Rock was initially formed by the East Empire Company, a mercantile company controlled by the Imperial Empire.
Anyway, the Red Mountain erupted into a plume of ash, destroying countless cities in Morrowind and displacing thousands of Dark Elves, some of which fled to Solstheim and Skyrim.
As you can see, the island of Solstheim and Raven Rock is snap bang in the middle of some major historical events, and now a madman Dragonborn called Miraak has opened the door to the realm of Apocrypha. Not much has changed.
Dragonborn
Raven Rock plays a major part in the DLC and serves as a hub for the Dragonborn. During the Dragonborn quest (the first quest of the DLC), the player must ask the inhabitants of Raven Rock if they have ever heard of Miraak. After asking around the harbor, the player discovers that all the inhabitants of Raven Rock have heard of Miraak but can’t quite understand where from.
When asked about Miraak, Crescius Caerellius will state: “It’s so strange. I feel like it’s from a dream. Something about the Earth Stone and a shrine… That’s it. That’s all I can think of.”
The Dragonborn learns that all the inhabitants of Raven Rock have this in common. After asking around Raven Rock, the player can investigate the Earth Stone shrine nearby Raven Rock as an optional objective. To complete the Dragonborn quest, the player must visit the Temple of Miraak, located in the center of Soltheim north of the dwarven ruins of Kagrumez.
Side Quests
March of the Dead
Obtained by talking to Captain Veleth, a Dark Elf found fighting Ash Spawn at Old Attius Farm just south of Raven Rock. In this quest, the Dragonborn can get his hands on a powerful Two-handed Warhammer called the Champion’s Cudgel.
Visiting Raven Rock, you will soon learn that Ash Spawn is constantly sieging the settlement. Captain Veleth, head of the Redoran Guard in Raven Rock, will ask you to investigate the Ash Spawn problem.
The March of the Dead is a simple quest. Simply investigate Old Attius Farm for a Declaration of War note revealing that an imperial general named Falx Carius is behind the Ash Spawn attacks. However, Captain Veleth is deeply confused by the matter, stating that Falx Carius died over two-hundred years ago.Â
To complete the quest, the player must travel to Fort Frostmoth and kill Falx Carius. Fighting the Imperial general is a tough battle as Fort Frostmoth is infested with Ash Spawn, and he is equipped with the Champion’s Cudgel unique Two-handed Warhammer.
The Final Descent
Crescius Caerellius will inform the player that he believes that his great-grandfather Gratian Caerellius’s remains are buried somewhere in Raven Rock Mine. Don’t miss out on this quest, as you’ll be rewarded with the Bloodskal Blade, a unique Two-handed Greatsword that can fire arcs of light at your enemies. (Nice!)
To complete the quest, the player must obtain Gratian Caerellius’s Journal and return it to Crescius Caerellius. This is no easy task as the Dragonborn must enter ancient nordic ruins where Draugrs lie in wait behind every corner.
In this quest, the player will have to fight against many Draugr Deathlords, Draugr Wights, Wightlords, and Draugr Scourge. To make matters worse, the player must fight a Dragon Priest in Bloodskal Barrow.
For completing the quest, you’ll receive gold and allow the inhabitants of Raven Rock to reopen the Raven Rock Mine. Completing quests will also raise Adril Arano, the Dunmer second counselor’s opinion of you enough to trust you with investigating a plot to assassinate Councilor Morvayn.
Served Cold
Acquired by talking to Captain Veleth after completing both “March of the Dead” and “The Final Descent” quests. As a reward, the player is given their own piece of Solstheim land, the Severin Manor.
It turns out that Adril Arano is right to be suspicious as Vendil Severin Tilisu Severin has been conspiring to assassinate the first Councilor Morvayn, as overheard within the Ulen Ancestral Tomb.
To quickly solve this quest, sneak into the Severin Manor, collect plot evidence, and hand it over to Adril Arano. First, Councilor Morvayn will reward the player with Severin Manor in return for saving his life.
A New Debt
Mogrul, a moody Orsimer loan shark, demands that the player pay Drovas Relvi yep, the same guy you help get employed by Neloth as his new assistant in Tel Mithryn during the “Reluctant Steward” quest.
It’s best to complete this quest asap, trust me Mogrul’s got an army and will not stop sending thugs after the Dragonborn until the debts are paid, or the grumpy Orc is lying dead on the floor, even if it’s a hundred thugs; or a thousand or a…
Mogrul is usually found wandering around the Raven Rock marketplace and drinking inside the Retching Netch.
Miscellaneous Quests
Pain in the Necklace
Just when you think you’ve collected every Stone of Barenziah in Skyrim during the No Stoned Unturned quest. Bethesda drops another brain-numbing jewelry collection quest.
the Dragonborn can obtain the aptly named Pain in the Necklace quest by asking Fethis Alor if he sells any special mining gear. Fethis will reply that he used to sell East Empire Pendants until he ran out of stock. The pendants are unique trinkets that were made exclusively for employees of the East Empire Company. Fethis will task the Dragonborn with finding.
There are thirty-two East Empire Pendants to find in Solstheim (thanks, Bethesda, for being a Pain in the Necklace). Fethis Alor will pay the Dragonborn five-hundred gold for each East Empire Pendant.
Here is a list of all the East Empire Pendants in Raven Rock:
- Alor House:Â On the table in the basement.
- Caerellius House:Â On the stone shelf next to the cooking pot.
- Glover Mallory’s House:Â On the table to the right of the entrance.
- Northern Maiden:Â On the beach underneath the docks.
- Morvayn Manor:Â On the stone shelf next to the small round table on the top floor.
- Raven Rock Mine: Underneath the table in the first room upstairs. There’s a journal on top of the table.
- Raven Rock Mine:Â Found to the right of the Iron Gate.
- The Bulwark:Â Found on the table to the right. The table has rolls of paper and Alto Wine on top.
- Â The Retching Netch:Â Found behind the bar on a shelf close to the floor.
- Strident Squall:Â On the bottom shelf inside the cargo hold. Even though the Strident Squall is outside Raven Rock, you’ll be visiting to complete the First Edition miscellaneous quest.
Cleaning Sweep
Elder Othreloth will reveal that the Temple in Raven Rock has been overrun with Ash Spawn and will ask the player to clear the Ancestral Tomb in return for gold. I recommend completing this quest as although the reward is little, there are some key items the Dragonborn should not miss out on, such as an East Empire Company Strongbox and Deathbrand book that activates the Deathbrand quest.
Although Raven Rock is a small settlement, its inhabitants are diverse, and as a result, there are multiple Shrines that the player can interact with:
- Shrine of Azura:Â Bestows Blessing of Azura, increasing Magicka Resistance by 10%
- Shrine of Boethiah:Â Bestows the Blessing of Boethiah, increasing One-handed weapons damage by 10%
- Shrine of Mephala:Â Bestows the Blessing of Mephala onto the Dragonborn making bartering prices 10% better.
Fetch the Netch
Milore Ienth needs Netch Jelly to supply her Alchemy store. However, it’s too dangerous for her to explore passed the Bulwark. So she will reward the Dragonborn with two potions of Ultimate Well-being that restore a hundred points of Health, Magicka, and Stamina! (Wow, what is she putting in these things, actually I don’t wanna know)
The Dragonborn must find five units of Netch Jelly to complete the quest. You can loot Netch Jelly from Netches that roam around Solstheim. However, you don’t have to wander far; you can find two units of Netch Jelly in the Raven Rock Mine and homes.
First Edition
This is a funny quest Cindiri Arano recently sent a book to the First Edition Bookshop in the Imperial City to be rebound ( the very one found in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion). However, the Strident Squall ship sank offshore of Raven Rock, and Cindiri wants the Dragonborn to retrieve the book since it’s an old family heirloom. The book in question? the Lusty Argonian Maid Folio. (I bet you didn’t see that one coming) can be found at the Wreck of the Strident Squall.
An Axe to Find
Crescius Caerellius have pinched Glover Mallory’s Ancient Nordic Pickaxe, and he wants it back. Only to reveal that he has no use for it and gives it to the Dragonborn. The irony continues as Glover reveals that he stole the pickaxe from the Skall Village. Despite being a miscellaneous quest completing “An Axe to Find” is essential as Stalhrim Ore can only be mined with the Ancient Nordic Pickaxe.
I recommend talking to Glover before you enter Raven Rock Mine, as this will allow you to obtain the Ancient Nordic Pickaxe as early as acquiring The Final Descent quest in Raven Rock Mine.
Once Crescius Caerellius has given you the pickaxe, you can use it to mine from the Stalhrim Deposit within Raven Rock Mine to acquire Stalhrim.
Paid in Full
To obtain the Paid in Full quest, the player must have completed the Taking Care of Business” Thieves Guild quest. In this episode of thieves and blacksmiths, Glover Mallory has had his formula for creating Bonemold Armor stolen by Esmond Tyne.
You can find the formula at Castle Karstaag Caverns. Completing the quest will reward the player with Blackguard’s Armor, a set of Light Armor perfect for a thief.
Recipe for Distraction
After completing the “March of the Dead” quest, Captain Veleth will task the Dragonborn with finding eight bottles of Emberbrand Wine. You can find Emberbrand Wine in the Abandoned Building, which can be found immediately west of Glover Mallory’s House and near Ienth Farm.
The Frostmoon Hunters
Talking to Geldis Sadri of the Retching Netch, the player discovers that there’s a pack of Werewolves living in Frostmoon Crag. If the player is a werewolf and approaches the pack, Majni will greet the player and trade unique trinkets that boost the power of the player’s werewolf abilities. However, if the player is not a werewolf, they ask the player to leave.
Feeding the Addiction
Completing this quest will likely anger the Nine Divines and win you a high five from Sanguine, the Daedric Prince of a night out on the town. To complete this quest, the player must convince Geldis Sadri to let Bralsa Drel back into the Retching Netch. Geldis banned her from drinking at the inn after she became a Skooma addict and alcoholic.
Bralsa Drek can be found mining at the green Earth Stone at Raven Rock’s edge. At night she can be found sleeping in the Abandoned Building where the Emberbrand Wine is found.
Interestingly after completing The Final Descent quest, Brasla Drek will state that she’s doing much better since Raven Rock Mine reopened, explaining that she will be able to afford a house from her work mining there.
It’s All in the Taste
Geldis is that guy who orders two rounds of Jaeger Bombs on a pub crawl when everyone least expects it. (literally every time my buddy does this) Jokes aside, Geldis has brewed his own Sujamma alcoholic Beveridge and wants the Dragonborn to hand out free samples to the people of Raven Rock, much to their delight!
“Good old Geldis is always managing to keep our spirits up… and our eyesight hazy. Thank you.”– Gjalund Salt-Sage
Key Raven Rock Residents
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- Captain Veleth:Â The Dunmer Captain of the Redoran Guard.
- Councilor Morvayn:Â A Dunmer and First Councilor of Raven Rock
- Adril Arano:Â A Dunmer and Second Councilor of Raven Rock.
- Milore Ienth:Â A Dark Elf Alchemist merchant and Alchemy trainer.
- Garyn Ienth:Â A Dark Elf farmer and general goods merchant
- Crescius Caerellius: A Nord and owner of the Raven Rock Mine.
- Cindiri Arano:Â Wife of Adril Arano and the First Edition quest giver.
- Drovas Relvi:Â A Dark Elf who works at the Retching Netch.
- Mogrul:Â An Orsimer loan shark.
- Vendil Severin:Â Dark Elf conspirotor.
- Glover Mallory:Â A Breton Blacksmith brother of Delvin Mallory of the Thieves Guild.
- Geldis Sadri:Â Owner of the Retching Netch tavern.
- Gjalund Salt-Sage:Â A Nord sailor from Skyrim grants passage to Solstheim on the Northern Maiden ship.
- Fethis Alor:Â General goods merchant.
- Teldryn Sero:Â Follower for hire.
- Dreyla Alor:Â A general goods merchant.
- Galdrus Hlervu:Â Temple Priest and later Neloth’s apprentice.
- Elder Othreloth:Â Keeper of the Raven Rock Temple.
Conclusion
The Dragonborn DLC is an exciting blast from the past. The last time Elder Scrolls fans set foot on the island of Solstheim and the harbor of Raven Rock was all the way back in The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind: Blood Moon DLC.
As you can see from the article, a lot has changed since its introduction, from textures to the island’s citizens. I think Bethesda did a smashing job bringing the island of Solstheim and Raven Rock to life. This is all thanks to the world-building and tidbits of information the player receives during the Raven Rock side quests.
Yes, we’ve cleared temples from undead squatters a thousand times in the Elder Scrolls series: the Temple of Kynareth in Skyrim and the Statue to Meridia, to name a few. However, during the Cleaning Sweep quest, I learned more about Dunmer Culture from Elder Othreloth and talking to Milore Ienth revealed more information on how the Dunmer is coping in Skyrim after the Red Mountain eruption.
A part of the lore that is explored in the Gray Quarter of Windhelm but not explored nearly enough in the whole of Skyrim. Raven Rock’s details are one of my favorite aspects of the small frontier settlement. It truly is a unique location that cannot be found in vanilla Skyrim.
FAQs
Question: How Do you Solve the Bloodskal Puzzle in Raven Rock Mine in The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Dragonborn?
Answer:Â To unlock Raven Rock Mine, you must first talk to Crescius Caerellius, who will give you the key to the mine. Delving deeper into the mine, you will obtain the Bloodskal Blade. This is a unique Two-handed Greatsword that has the unique effect of launching arcs of red energy. You will need to launch the ranged attack horizontally at the specific locations surrounding the Bloodskal Barrow door. You’ll know the door is unlocked when the door begins to glow red.
Question:Â How do you Complete the Bedlam Job Thieves Guild quest in Raven Rock in The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Dragonborn?
Answer:Â In vanilla Skyrim, Delvin Mallory may task the player with completing the Bedlam Job Thieves Guild quest in Raven Rock. However, the quest will glitch if Raven Rock is selected. To fix this, you can reload a save before accepting the Bedlam Job from Delvin Mallory. Alternatively, you can install the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch mod to fix the quest.
Question: How Many Dragon Shouts are there in Solstheim in The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Dragonborn?
Answer:Â There are four new Dragon Shouts that the Dragonborn can acquire in Solstheim:
• Battle Fury: Similar to Elemental Fury, Battle Fury is a shout that increases the attack speed of followers’ attacks. Battle Fury can be used on enchanted weapons. All Words of Power can be found in Vahlok’s Tomb in Solstheim.
• Bend Will: When the Dragonborn has learned all Words of Power for the shout, they will be able to cleanse All-Maker Stones, tame dragons so they can be ridden, and force NPCs to become allies. The shout is learned at Saering’s Watch and taught to the player by talking to Hermaeus Mora.
•Cyclone: A fun Dragon Shout that, when activated, produces a cyclone in the world that ragdolls enemies into the air. Words of Power are unlocked in Benkongerike, White Ridge Barrow, and Kolbjorn Barrow.
• Dragon Aspect: When activated, the Dragonborn will significantly increase their armor rating and damage and gain both Frost Resistance and Fire Resistance. Words of Power for the shout are found in the Temple of Miraak, Raven Rock Mine, and Apocrypha.
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