Darkfall Cave Darkfall Cave is a location in . The cave is located north of Markarth in the Reach . It is inhabited by Frostbite Spiders and trolls . As part of the questline in the quest " Touching the Sky , " the Dragonborn must enter this cave to search for Auriel ' s Bow after learning its location from the Elder Scroll . At the end of the cave , they find one of the last remaining Snow Elves , Knight - Paladin Gelebor if the relevant quest has been started . The cave itself is moderately sized , and contains some water - filled areas , including one part where the Dragonborn can be briefly completely submerged . The cave is poorly lit in some areas . If the cave is accessed when the quest " Touching the Sky " is active , it leads to Darkfall Passage . Walkthrough . Inside the entrance there is a winding passage and a Frostbite Spider . The passage directly behind the spider ( it will be covered in webs , and can be cleared using any weapon / destruction magic ) , can be accessed further into the cave , and acts as an exit path , allowing the Dragonborn to leave from the furthest reaches of the initial cave . At the end of the short tunnel past the spider is a bridge over a dark chasm , leading to a dead end with a table , a pickaxe , and two moonstone ore veins . After reaching this point there is no turning back , as crossing the bridge again will cause it to collapse , sending the Dragonborn ( and any followers they might have who are on the bridge ) , plunging into a rapidly flowing stream below . The stream swiftly carries the Dragonborn deeper into the cave system , eventually bringing them into a frostbite spider den . The Dragonborn should head north from here ( killing or sneaking past any frostbite spiders which may appear ) , eventually reaching a slope to the north , which leads to a path further into the cave , and a bridge across the stream to the east which leads to a Giant Frostbite Spider lair and a chest containing random loot . Proceed along the northwards path further into the cave , which immediately forks , providing two parallel paths . The Dragonborn can take either path , as they merge into one a short distance later . Further along the path , there is a camp , occupied by a dead Breton , who has the Darkfall Cave Note , which details a massacre that occurred in the cave , and the presence of trolls further in to the cave network . In the back ( north ) of the camp there is a bed , and behind that is a pull - chain which opens a path directly to the end of the initial cave and the Chantry of Auri - El , in which Knight - Paladin Gelebor can be found if the quest Touching the Sky has been started . The path leading west from the camp is an exit path , leading to a small passageway and a spiral staircase that leads to a pull - chain activated door which brings the Dragonborn to the beginning of the dungeon , where the first frostbite spider is located . Finally , the path leading east from the camp leads down a passageway , with a trip wire which triggers a rock slide trap . Further along , the path forks , and either path can be taken . The paths rejoin a short distance later at a large water - filled cavern , containing two trolls and a chest containing random loot to the north . The Dragonborn can kill or sneak past the trolls to the west , leading to Knight - Paladin Gelebor ( if the relevant quest has been started ) . Gelebor , potentially one of the last Snow Elves remaining in the Skyrim , can be found at the very end of the initial cave , within the Chantry of Auri - El if the quest Touching the Sky has been started . If the quest wasn ' t started before the Dragonborn entered the cave , Gelebor will not appear , and one can take a passageway opened with a pull chain in the south of the camp ( the same pull - chain activated doorway in the Breton camp ) and from there take the westward path that leads to the exit .