Greymoor Greymoor , Black Moor , or Darkmoor is a fortified settlement located deep into the Whiterun plains of the province of Skyrim . Greymoor serves as the military bulwark of the city - state of Whiterun , but it has been used as an Estate during the time of Tiber Septim . Description . Geography . Greymoor is located in a strategic area , on the crossroad between Falkreath Hold in the south , the region of Hjaalmarch to the north , and the rest of Whiterun Hold to the east . The layout of Greymoor is the standard version that is seen throughout the other strongholds of Skyrim . The Courtyard is rather open , with several encampments for the residents of Fort Greymoor . Underneath Castle Greymoor , there is a hidden entrance leading into the inner keep and coming from a small river descending from the Western Hills . Fort Greymoor is also very isolated from the rest of Skyrim , the nearest settlement to the town is Whiterun and Sungard . The scope of Greymoor is rather small , but when Sven Advenson was named the Count , the area around the township was named the County of Darkmoor . The scope of the County is unknown , but it may have bordered the Kingdom of Whiterun considered their proximity . History . Second Era . The township of Darkmoor was given to Sven Advensen after his services in the Tiber Wars , he was named the Count of Darkmoor because of this reward . Around the same time , Tiber Septim had fought against the Dark Elves of Morrowind and had defeated the Armies of Mournhold , defeating the King and Queen of Mournhold . Amidst the battle , Symmachus , a Dark Elven General of the Septim Army had discovered the youngest daughter of the King of Mournhold whose name was Barenziah . Symmachus did not want to kill the young child , and so he left the child in the care of Count Sven in his Castle in Darkmoor . Sven and his wife , Inga had treated Barenziah as their daughter , and so she was raised as a noble , but she yearned to explore the outside world . In Darkmoor , Barenziah befriended Straw , a donkey - brained stable boy out of pity . Straw told Barenziah a seditious conspiracy against her , saying that Sven was going to sell her as a concubine to the King of Rihad . Because of this Barenziah and Straw escaped Darkmoor to the city of Whiterun . Third Era . During the Imperial Simulacrum from 3E 389 to 3E 399 , Emperor Uriel Septim VII was imprisoned along with Talin Warhaft in the Deadlands by Jagar Tharn . Tharn planned for months to capture the throne , and he was able to achieve so in the span of ten years . Tharn had a powerful weapon called the Staff of Chaos , and he split it into nine pieces and scattered them across Tamriel , the staff was the only thing keeping Uriel Septim and Warhaft in Oblivion . A warrior escaped his clutches and traveled all corners of Tamriel to retrieve the missing pieces . The hero was known as the Eternal Champion , and he assembled the staff and defeated Jagar Tharn at the Imperial Palace . The Eternal Champion had at one point visited the town of Black Moor in their quest to recover the pieces . Fourth Era . During the Skyrim Civil War in 4E 201 , the fortress of Greymoor was occupied by the Bandit s of the region , losing the significance it once had before the war . During the Civil War , the city of Whiterun was allied with the Imperial Legion of West Skyrim . Although , the Jarl of Whiterun , Balgruuf the Greater was basically neutral in the war and was more focused on his domain than the war , this had left Balgruuf in a difficult position where he had to choose in this conflict . At some point in the war , the Battle for Whiterun had commenced , and the victor is unknown . Whoever won the battle , had possession of Fort Greymoor , even though the Leader of the militia operated out of Dragonsreach , the fortress of Greymoor became the center of Whiterun ' s military force throughout the war .