Skyrim:Labyrinthian

It is southeast of Morthal and north of Hamvir's Rest. The easiest way to get to the ruin is across the wilderness from Morthal, though it is possible to reach it from the south. Coming from the south, you must travel north between Hamvir's Rest and Silent Moons Camp into a valley which ends at the ruin.

 
Related Quests
 

Walkthrough
Exterior
Situated in a mountain pass between Hjaalmarch and Whiterun Hold, Labyrinthian is the ruins of an ancient Nord city. The outdoor ruins contain the entrance to the Labyrinthian ruins, as well as two other indoor zones: Shalidor's Maze and Lost Valkygg. The exterior is patrolled by up to four frost trolls.

Approaching from Whiterun Hold, the pass is to the northeast of Dustman's Cairn, northwest of Silent Moons Camp. The approach is made under two huge arches, followed by the first wall with a smaller arch through it. This is where the first frost troll roams. From the top of the first flight of stairs, you will see various levels around the ruins, with stairs up and down. From the bottom of the first flight of stairs, you can either climb stairs on the left to a raised area with three burial urns, or continue along the main path. Ahead is a circular building, the entrance to which is on the northwestern side. In the center is the skeleton of a Breton, beside which is a note that explains what happened to the Breton and the Wooden Mask that gives access to Bromjunaar Sanctuary. There is an Orcish dagger stuck in the Breton's ribs.

To the east of the circular building is the entrance to Shalidor's Maze, with an urn and a novice-locked chest by the entrance. To the left of the entrance to Shalidor's Maze is the exit for Lost Valkygg. Entering this door will only give access to the final room. To the west of the circular building are two empty stone huts, with a flight of stairs up to an empty raised area. Beyond this to the northwest is a ruined tower with another frost troll inside. There are two large urns and a damaged flight of wooden stairs that lead nowhere in the tower. From outside the tower, to the northwest is an arch through the northern outer wall. To the left are wide stairs that lead up to the first of several terraces that ultimately lead to the main entrance to Labyrinthian. The first terrace is devoid of anything of interest. Continuing up the next flight, there is a large urn beside the stairs. The third terrace leads around to the right to a lookout point and a burial urn. The main flight of stairs leads up to the "Ceremonial Door", which is the main entrance to the interior of Labyrinthian. The door may only be opened with the Torc of Labyrinthian. Therefore, the interior of this dungeon is inaccessible until the relevant quest has been started. Labyrinthian has a second exit named Labyrinthian, Tribune to the southeast, but a bolted door early on prevents using this as another entrance.

At the bottom of the stairs up to Labyrinthian is an empty cart, with a path to the east between two flights of stairs that leads to nothing of interest. Along the path is the third of the frost trolls beside a building that contains an urn. At the end of the path, there is an area to the left of the wide stairs. At the far eastern end of this area, underneath a bridge joining the outer wall to a raised section above you, there is an unlocked chest. The wide stairs lead up to the raised section, with a bridge to the north leading to the outer wall, and a second flight of stairs to the southeast leading to the entrance to Lost Valkygg. North of the empty cart are stairs down to a lower area. The western section of the lower area features several empty stone huts. To the east are stairs up to a level with the last of the frost trolls. At the top of the stairs is an arch with an unlocked chest underneath, next to a cave-in. Crossing the bridge from the eastern raised section to the outer wall and following it west, the second of the lookout points has a random bow lying on it. A short way farther along are stairs leading back down to the lower area with the empty stone huts. At the far western end of the outer wall is a burial urn.

The approach from Hjaalmarch is found by traveling from Morthal towards Stonehills mine. Shortly before reaching some rubble on the left-hand side of the road, there is a turnoff to the right (south). Follow this to the bottom of a set of stairs and a path leading up, passing several switchback turns until you reach the ruin's northern entrance through the outer wall. There are several cages around the entrance arch.

Labyrinthian
Upon activating the ceremonial door, the Torc of Labyrinthian is removed from your inventory and becomes a knocker on the door. You then appear inside the ruin in a large room, with several dead lootable skeletons lying about the room all facing towards the exit. There are two iron weapons among the skeletons, as well as a banded iron shield. Around the room are three large urns, and near the east wall is a stone table with stone benches surrounding it. On the table is a random resist cold potion and a random spell tome of Detect Life, Ironflesh, Waterbreathing, or Telekinesis. To the north, there are a few steps down to an unlocked iron door that leads further into the ruin. Beyond the door is a corridor, with a flight of stairs on your left up to an urn and a blisterwort fungus. Farther along, there is a burial urn on the left, and two more blisterwort fungi, one on each side of the path. At the bottom is a closed gate with a lever to the left, as well as three white cap fungi, two urns, and a burial urn.

Beyond the gate you can see several hostile skeletons, some of which are magic users, standing around a huge room. The corresponding lever only raises the gate for a few seconds; however, there is another lever on the other side that also triggers the gate. As soon as you enter and engage the skeletons, a skeletal dragon will rise from a mound in the middle of the room and join the fight. It breathes frost, so be prepared. Arrows cannot be shot through the closed gate, but some spells and shouts can. It is possible to raise the gate and shoot through the open entrance without entering. You can also stand on the other side of the gate and repeatedly conjure Atronachs until all of the skeletons have been dealt with. You can thus eliminate the skeletons and even the dragon before entering the room. In addition, the dragon doesn't fit through the gate, so if you have entered, you can retreat back through it to take cover. There are four large urns and four burial urns around the room. To the east is an exit from the room, down a flight of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs is a plinth with an etched tablet on top, from which stairs descend to the south to a pair of doors that open into Labyrinthian Chasm. There is an urn buried in the rubble in an alcove just to the north of the plinth.



Labyrinthian Chasm
This zone starts with another room with twin stairways proceeding down; however, the left-hand stairway has suffered a cave-in, with an urn and two burial urns among the rubble. Against the west wall is a set of shelves which holds nothing but clutter, while hiding behind a pillar is an unlocked chest. As you descend the right-hand stairway, you will hear the voice of Morokei, which will drain your magicka every time you hear him, and a frost spirit will spawn from a door with frost and ice around it. On your immediate right, standing in an alcove, is a slumbering draugr. At the rear of the room is an alcove with a plinth holding a spell tome: Flames. The only other items of note in this room are two white cap mushrooms. When you cast Flames at the icy door, it will open, revealing the path forward.

As you pass through the door, you will hear Morokei's voice again, and will see a natural walkway on which a draugr stands below you over a large chasm. Be careful, as there are several draugr in this area, and any fighting can alert several to converge on you. Several of them are leveled, and may include deathlords who can knock you off the walkways using shouts, resulting in a long drop that could potentially kill you. As you descend the first walkway, there is a second draugr at the end of the walkway standing by a doorway leading to the south. The walkway also continues down from here.

left|thumb|Lightning RuneThrough the doorway, you will find stairs going down, with another leveled draugr roaming at the bottom next to a lit brazier. The path enters a corridor to the left; at the corner is a damaged sarcophagus with an ancient Nord helmet and sword inside. The corridor leads to an unlocked iron door with a lightning rune on it. Behind the door is a room containing a draugr, who will normally hear you destroying the rune and come to investigate. The room contains a table with an arcane enchanter built into it and a chair drawn up in front, with the skeleton of a novice conjurer that was obviously killed where he sat in the chair. There is blood over the enchanter and floor. To the left of the table is an unlocked chest. On the table is a random filled soul gem, a copy of Immortal Blood, a copy of the spell tome Equilibrium, and two bowls of bone meal. In an alcove to the right of the table is an alchemy lab, with two bowls fire salts, a bowl of ectoplasm, a bowl of bone meal, a deathbell, and a giant lichen sample in boxes on the floor to either side of it. You will need to backtrack to the chasm to continue onward.

Following the path down the next walkway, as you approach the walkway with the arch over it, you hear Morokei's voice again. At this point, you alert another leveled draugr to your presence, even when sneaking. There are quite a few nightshade plants along these walkways. Ahead over the arched walkway is a well-lit doorway; proceed through the doorway and follow the path up and around the corner to the right. Ahead is an urn and two fly amanita mushrooms. The path turns to the left and enters a room patrolled by another leveled draugr. On the far side of the bridge, on the left, is a stone bowl containing a deer hide and a piece of gold ore. On the left by the bridge is a leveled potion of enhanced stamina and a leveled potion of the berserker. Just out of sight is a second draugr, which is standing in an alcove with a table holding a burial urn and a gold sapphire ring. At the end of the room is another cave-in, with two partially buried burial urns and a gold ore among the rubble. Stairs lead down nearby, running back towards the bridge you crossed. At the bottom is another brightly lit area, with an open door to the northeast, and three sets of shelves and an urn along the back wall. One of the shelves has been knocked over, and contains nothing of interest. The other two contain a salt pile, a sample of scaly pholiota fungus, two deathbell flowers, a bowl of bone meal, and a filled random soul gem.

Through the door, you enter a cave-like area with a path leading down to a stream flowing north to south. To the right is a ledge leading up to a dead Argonian with an ancient Nord greatsword sticking out of the corpse, and an unlocked chest and a small coin purse beside the body. Take the path down to the stream. To the north, you see an iron door at the end. To the south, you see stairs leading up; take this route to search the bottom of the chasm you've been steadily descending. There are two hanging mosses and a nirnroot on your right. At the end, opposite the stairs, is a ramp leading back up to where you previously descended.

Returning below and heading north along the stream, you will again hear Morokei's voice. At the end, the iron door leads to Labyrinthian Thoroughfare.

Labyrinthian Thoroughfare
Upon entering the zone, you are still following the stream. After a short distance, there is a closed gate ahead. Passing through the gate, you can hear a skeleton ahead around the corner. There is also a draugr that you will have to fight along with the skeleton. There is a path in the northwest corner, and a novice-locked gate in the southwest. Through the gate, on your right is a stone bowl containing a third piece of gold ore. To the left, the path heads downstream to bars blocking the way. On your right is a path that leads to two unlocked chests and two burial urns. Again there is a path on your right, which ends at a broken walkway with a path below you on the right and a doorway below you ahead. Jumping down here will take you to the same place as if you were to turn around and go the other way. 

If you return to the first small chamber, the path in the northwest corner leads to a skeleton magic user. If you jump you can ambush him as he is facing the direction you would be coming if you had backtracked. There are two Namira's rot mushrooms and a burial urn in the corner, with the path continuing to the north. Immediately on your right, behind some vegetation in shallow water, are four pieces of malachite ore. You may need to push them up out of the water in order to pick them up. The path turns to the west, then south, and meets up with the broken walkway found on the other route. The only way onward is through the doorway to the west. You can hear a troll nearby.

The doorway leads into a room with scattered bones and three barred windows on your right. You are at the top of two short sets of stairs. Behind the stairs in an alcove to the south is a skeleton that can be looted and an unlocked chest. In the western corner of the room is a bleeding crown mushroom. There are a couple more skeletons to be looted in the room. Looking through the windows to the north, you will see a large cavern, with walls partitioning the cavern, bars blocking an arch, and a walkway with several roaming skeletons. To the east in the initial room is a large urn near a corridor guarded by a troll. The corridor heads north, and after two turns enters the huge cavern seen through the windows.

You enter the large cavern at the top of a flight of stairs leading down to a bridge to the west over the cavern floor. Looking from the top step, down to the west you will see two skeletons standing guard and two gold ore veins on the ground (see bugs). From the bottom of the first flight of stairs, you can see two more skeletons standing on top of the wall with the barred arch ahead. Following the path west across the bridge leads to an area with a rock pillar in the middle. Behind the pillar is a troll, and to the right of the troll is a tunnel continuing to the west. Through the tunnel, you enter another cave with another troll, quite a bit of vegetation, and scattered bones and blood. There are three blisterwort fungi and four nightshade plants in this cave, along with an urn, a burial urn, and an unlocked chest at the back.

Return to the main chamber and approach the barred arch, where you will yet again hear Morokei's voice. The lever to open the bars is to the right of the arch. As you pass under the arch, on your right is a large urn and a burial urn, with a second burial urn near a flag and a lit brazier. In front of you are two large sculptures blocking your view of the rest of the cavern. You will need to move around these to the left. Behind the sculptures is a graveyard patrolled by three wisps. At the center of the graveyard, an etched tablet is found below the brazier. Turn around and head up some stairs to the south that lead to the top of the wall, where you will find an unlocked chest with a highly leveled magicka poison next to it. Pass through the graveyard to the northwestern corner, where you will find stairs up to a raised section across the rear of the cavern guarded by a wispmother. After defeating her, activate the wisps' remnant glow cores to collect glow dust from their remains. There is a row of coffins on shelves along the back, some of which may contain a few septims or bone meal. To the left of the coffins is an unlocked chest. The path to the east crosses a wooden bridge, which has a hanging moss growing from it, towards a door with flames covering it. This door reacts similarly to the frost door found earlier, producing a fire spirit and Morokei's voice. There are two scrolls of Ice Spike and a spell tome of Frostbite (the spell that may be used to open the door) to the left of the door.

Through the door is a corridor that ends in a cave-in, with two burial urns among the rubble. Before the cave-in is a path to the north that passes through a closed gate into a room with the start of a spiral staircase leading down; however, the staircase is blocked after a few feet, ending only with a white cap fungus. There is a tunnel heading east, with a skeleton standing guard partway along. Using a ranged weapon to deal with the skeleton will alert a spectral warhound and a spectral draugr wight. There are two white cap fungi along this tunnel. As you approach the end, you will hear Morokei's voice yet again. At the end is a trapdoor, with water cascading down into it from above. Looking down, you can see more spectral enemies below. There is a tunnel to the southeast that turns and continues down, before opening into a wider corridor. There are three blisterwort fungi and three nightshade plants growing along the tunnel.

At the bottom of the stairs is a doorway that leads into a room. As you approach, a sarcophagus will burst open, revealing a leveled spectral draugr on the left. You emerge on a raised area, with wooden stairs down to the lower part of the room. There is a spectral draugr and a skeleton standing guard at the bottom, who will be alerted while you fight the first spectral draugr. On the raised section opposite where you entered is a set of shelves containing a gold ingot and a random soul gem; behind the shelves, on a platform you can jump to, are two burial urns and two pieces of gold ore. On the lower level are three nightshade plants and one blisterwort fungus. To the west is a closed wooden door.

Through the door is a corridor that leads to below the trapdoor you previously passed, featuring two leveled spectral draugr and possibly a dead troll. There are a two urns and two burial urns around the room, and against the eastern wall is a set of shelves holding another burial urn. In the northwestern corner is a doorway into a corridor that has a bleeding crown mushroom growing in a stone bowl to the south, and an iron door to the north. This door leads to Labyrinthian Tribune.



Labyrinthian Tribune
Upon entering the zone, you are in a badly damaged catacomb area, with quite a lot of vegetation including two blisterwort mushrooms. As you descend to the west, you will pass two dead draugr that can be looted. At the bottom, at the start of a corridor leading south, is a leveled spectral draugr, with another leveled draugr and a spectral warhound around the corner out of sight. At the bottom of the corridor is a plinth with a copy of the spell tome Steadfast Ward, with an unlocked chest and two food barrels beside it. An open door to the west leads down a flight of stairs into another room. Take care, as this room has a total of five spellcaster traps. The first is on your right as you enter, the second is farther along on your left, and three more are at the far end of the room. The first and second traps fire frostbite, the central end trap fires firebolts, and the other two end traps fire flames. There is also a frost rune on the floor partway along. On your left as you enter the room is an unlit brazier holding a bottle of alto wine and a basket that contains two iron ingots, a random potion of resist magic, a random potion of lasting potency, and a random potion of extra magicka.

Through the doorway at the end where the three spellcaster traps are, you will enter what appears to be a typical tower, with stairs up on the left leading to another door exiting to a wooden ramp up to a higher level of the tower. Through the door, you can see another leveled spectral draugr; fighting this spectral draugr will alert another that is on the ramp, and possibly a third that is in the room above. Climb the ramp, harvesting hanging mosses on the way, and a nightshade plant at the top of the ramp. The room above contains a leveled spectral draugr, unless you've already dealt with it. There is an urn and several barrels in this room, some of which contain ingredients. There is a flight of wooden stairs leading up again, with an unlocked chest and a burial urn underneath. Climbing the wooden stairs to the top level, you will find an unlocked chest and a stone bowl that contains a piece of malachite ore. Return to the bottom of the wooden ramp and follow the earthen ramp down to a flooded section. Under the water, you will find either in a stone bowl or on the bottom two pieces of malachite ore and a piece of gold ore, as well as a skeleton reaching for a gold diamond ring. There is a corridor to the west.

The corridor descends a flight of stairs; as you descend, you will hear Morokei again. In front of you are two sets of shackles, one of which holds the remains of a skeleton with a random dagger among the bones. To the south is an adept-locked gate, while the passage to the north turns to the west and descends to a pair of iron doors. Through the locked gate is a small catacomb, with four alcoves behind a lit brazier. There is a leveled shield in one of the alcoves, and a random potion and a random poison in another. There is also a random potion on the ground, near an enchanted ancient Nord weapon and the Ancient Helmet of the Unburned.

Through the iron doors, you are at the top of stairs leading down to a throne with its back to you. On your left is a burial urn and an urn. The word wall that teaches you a word from the Slow Time dragon shout is in front of the throne, and a leveled spectral draugr is sitting in it. There is also a spectral warhound roaming the area, and several nightshades and blisterwort fungi growing around the room. At the bottom of the stairs, on the right is a rock pillar with a tree beside it; behind the pillar is an unlocked chest. The path continues to the west past the right-hand side of the word wall into a corridor flanked by a row of pillars on each side; before you enter the corridor, there is a skeleton in the rocks to your right with a silver sapphire necklace. There is space to walk behind the pillars, which allows you to sneak up on at least one of two spectral draugr. There are also two skeletons in this area. There is a low ledge behind the pillars on each side, with a bowl of glow dust, a sample of nightshade, three ebony ingots, a salt pile, a canis root, and a bowl of bone meal on them. At the end of the room is a doorway into a circular room, with another doorway to the south and altars to the west and north. The altars hold a random poison, a random filled soul gem, and a burial urn.

The doorway to the south leads to a corridor ending at a pair of iron doors. These open into the room with Morokei. He is protected by an energy field being cast by two enthralled mages standing on walkways above. You will need to kill/damage the mages first in order to be able to harm Morokei. Once he is defeated, don't forget to loot his ash pile for both the Staff of Magnus and the mask: Morokei. There are several hanging mosses and deathbells growing in this room. At the far end is a waterfall falling into a pool. In the pool is a slaughterfish, an unlocked chest, and five loose slaughterfish eggs, while two clusters of eggs are at the edge of the pool. Climb then descend the sets of stairs to the east to enter the area behind the wall, which features a deathbell plant, a hanging moss, a burial urn, and two unlocked chests (one slightly hidden around the side of the stairs to the west). The exit is at the rear of the room through another pair of iron doors. The doors lead to a stairway, with a barred wooden door at the top. Through this door is a tunnel, with a white cap mushroom and a large urn on the left, and stairs up on the right to a lowered gate, with the lever on the right-hand side.

As soon as you lift the gate, the door opposite opens and a Thalmor agent named Estormo enters; he stands in place, waiting for you to approach. This gives you plenty of time to prepare for battle, or just to start firing ranged weapons or spells at him. If you approach, he will ask you to hand over the staff, and will admit that Ancano wants you dead. Once you have dealt with him, there is an unlocked chest behind the table on the left along with three barrels, one of which contains ingredients. On the other table is a silver sapphire necklace on a plate.

Through the door that Estormo came through is a small catacomb area, with a burial urn on your left. On your right are stairs up to a circular room with a lootable skeleton, a knapsack by the wall on the right, and a ladder exit from Labyrinthian opposite. The exit emerges near the second of the two large arches on the approach from Whiterun Hold.

Gallery
 

Notes
To mark Labyrinthian as cleared on the map, you may need to clear and exit Lost Valkygg.
Labyrinthian is also visited in Arena, where it is noted for being a particularly large and confusing dungeon to navigate, and a location for one of the pieces of the Staff of Chaos.

Bugs