Skyrim:Silverdrift Lair

The ruin is inhabited by draugr. It contains one zone: Silverdrift Lair.
thumb|right|Inside Silverdrift Lair
 

Related Quests
 
 

Walkthrough
Exterior
There are two bandits guarding the entrance of the ruin.

Silverdrift Lair
Two dead bandits flank a cooking spit in the first room. There is a large urn and a set of shelves holding an iron helmet against the south wall. There are empty wine bottles and tankards throughout this ruin. A passage heads east, with a dead bandit by a T-junction and a hanging rack holding two rabbits and a pheasant above. The passage to the east is blocked by a barred door. On the left, among some rubble, is a large coin purse and some random armor. The passage to the north is patrolled by a draugr, and leads to an iron door. 

A draugr will greet you on the other side of the door. There are sets of shelves to the north and two to the south holding mainly clutter, except for a random potion of healing on the upright shelves to the south. There are two sideboards by pillars near the middle of the room, with a dead bandit on the floor between them. The right-hand sideboard holds an iron mace, and an iron shield leans against it. An embalming table opposite the door adorned with candles holds another random potion of healing, a random potion of magicka, and a copy of the Two-handed skill book Words and Philosophy. 

The next room has multiple levels, and is accessed by a raised walkway starting to the left of the embalming table. This walkway links with others that lead to the far side of the room and with spiraled wooden ramps that descend to the lower level. A matching walkway to the right of the table has collapsed. There is a caged walkway far above running east-west. A draugr magic-user patrols the lower level near a campfire and a throne. There is an apprentice-locked chest beside the campfire, with a rack with two more rabbits and another pheasant to the left. There is another dead bandit beside the fire. If you look west from the fire, under the balcony you came down from, you'll see a wooden wall on a slightly raised platform. Behind this wall is a bed roll and an unlocked chest. Northeast of the fire, you'll find two urns and another barred wooden door. From here, you can either take the detour for more loot through a concealed door on the ground floor to the west, or head directly for the word wall via the second-level walkway to the east.

In the middle of the west wall is a short passage with an oil slick and an oil lantern hanging above. There are two rune totems, one showing a snake, and the other a whale; each has a handle near the top. The answer is high on the wall concealed by the oil lantern. Pulling the whale opens a concealed door, while pulling the snake releases the lantern which ignites the oil slick. You can also disarm this trap by igniting the oil before stepping into the area. Behind the concealed door is a tunnel that twists and turns.

The tunnel is covered in light cobwebs that can be walked through, and ends in a room containing two upright sarcophagi in the middle that release draugr when approached. There are three further upright sarcophagi around the walls, none of which contain draugr. On the floor in front of the sarcophagus to the north are three loose septims. A sideboard in the northwestern corner has a random potion of extra magicka on top. A doorway to the east leads to typical brightly lit catacombs, with two upright sarcophagi on either side of a central pillar patrolled by two leveled draugr. A table to the southeast holds an expert-locked chest, a random pair of boots, and a random cuirass.

A northeastern doorway leads to the next room, which has three two-room sections. One room of each section has a handle that opens a rotating door into the other room. The northern handle reveals a small room with a chest with some minor loot, as well as a random greatsword, a random shield, and three coin purses. The middle handle opens the way to a draugr. The southern handle leads to a hallway that turns south and ends at a door with a bar blocking it. Raising the bar and opening the door leads back to the multi-level room with the campfire. 

Crossing the walkways to the east leads to a second balcony. Take care, as there are two pressure plates that trigger spike wall traps. There are also two draugr just past the traps, one of whom is leveled and equipped with a leveled bow and may also possess a melee weapon. With correct timing and planning, the spike walls can be used to help take down both of the draugr. In the center of the east wall is a doorway blocked by spears; the handle to lower these is on a stone post on your right as you approach. Before passing through the doorway, to the south is a pedestal with an enchanted helmet on a weight sensitive plate. Taking the helmet triggers a spear trap from the floor. To avoid damage, either knock the helmet off with a bow or ranged magic or use Telekinesis to retrieve it. 

Through the doorway to the east is a short passage leading to an iron door. Through the door is a room guarded by a draugr. There is an unlocked chest and a random potion of healing on a stone table, with a dead bandit lying on a bed roll to the right. There is an iron shield on the floor beside the bandit. To the left of the table is a small empty alcove blocked by an adept-locked gate. To the south is a gate that is raised by pulling a chain to the left. Stand to the side when pulling the chain, as opening the gate will trigger a battering ram from behind the gate.

left|thumb|ThiefThrough the gate, the passage turns first west then north, while ascending several flights of stairs. At the top is a room with a long dining table with benches along both sides and a couple leveled draugr. There is a leveled sword (which may be enchanted) and a charred skeever hide on the table, with a dead bandit to the right of it. To the north is another passage which takes a couple turns as it climbs more stairs. A draugr is guarding the room at the top, which contains a wooden table with a random potion of stamina and a random shield on top and a sideboard holding an unlocked chest. To the right of this is a copy of the Pickpocket skill book Thief on the ground, between two skeletal hands with a skull above. There are two bed rolls in the room: one on your right as you enter, the other under a dead bandit between the table and chest. The exit is in the southwestern corner.

The passage descends several flights of stairs to an unlocked gate at the bottom. Through the gate is a caged walkway high above the main chamber. A leveled draugr possessing a leveled bow and a melee weapon will be waiting on the far side of the bridge. On the far side, the passage turns south, and heads up more stairs. The iron door at the top leads to the room containing the word wall.

The room is guarded by two draugr; one is a leveled draugr, while the other is a leveled boss draugr or dragon priest. The boss draugr will almost always be located in front of the word wall. There are two flame spout traps and two dead bandits on the floor between you and the wall. The second draugr is on a raised platform to the left as you enter. To reach it, you must climb stairs on the right, passing two opened upright sarcophagi and crossing a bridge. There is a third open sarcophagus by the second draugr containing a lootable skeleton and a random helmet. The boss draugr may raise the bandits to assist in the fight. There are several plinths around the room, but they only hold ruined books.

Once you manage to defeat the draugr, the word wall teaches a word for the Disarm shout. There is an iron door to the west leading to a passage to a small room containing two large urns and an unlocked boss chest. A gate on your right is opened by a chain to the left of the chest. Stairs lead down from here and around the corner to the other barred door found previously, which opens into the first hallway you entered.

Notes
This location only has the "Loot" shadowmark with The Gray Cowl Returns! Creation installed.
Two quicksilver ore veins are located 200 ft northwest of the lair, on a cliff (head to the right when exiting the lair and stick to the rocks to your right until you see a path up to the small plateau).
The empty wine bottles and tankards along with the slaughtered bandits, many in their beds, suggest that the bandits passed out after they had a drunken bash in what they thought was a safe crypt. Their drunkenness would also explain why some of the crypt's skeletons are arranged in a comical manner.

Bugs
 
Summoning an atronach beneath your feet, should you become trapped in this space, may slowly push you out with creative jumping and a little luck, allowing you to escape.
 
 
  The wall should teach a word for the "Disarm" shout. Check your shouts to confirm whether you knew the shout already, and if so, which word(s). Use the console command   to acquire the first word, or the command   to acquire the second word, or the command   to acquire the third word, as needed.
  You can clear the "The Words of Power" quest if received from the Greybeards by using the console command  .
  You can clear the "Shout - learn about word wall" quest if received from a friend by using the console command  .
 
Fast travel to another location to escape.