Under Saarthal Under Saarthal is a quest available in . The quest serves as the second quest in the College of Winterhold ' s quest line . Tolfdir meets the whole class outside the ruin , before they start the expedition . Walkthrough . Saarthal excavation . Tolfdir ' s class meets outside the ruins of Saarthal before beginning an academic exploration of the ruins . The Dragonborn may travel there with the other students as a group , and they will help deal with any bears or trolls encountered on the way . After some touring inside , Tolfdir will ask the Dragonborn to find Arniel Gane ( one can simply run ahead to the quest marker and speak to Arniel without waiting for Tolfdir ) . The Dragonborn must now find several artifacts , one of which is the Saarthal Amulet . The others are very small and hard to see , but clearly marked on the quest indicator as long as they are taken before the Amulet , or else the quest markers will disappear . The artifacts do not have to be returned to Arniel and can be kept . Retrieving the Saarthal Amulet will trap the Dragonborn . Escape can be achieved by equipping the amulet and casting any spell ( Shouts such as Unrelenting Force are also effective ) on the tablet from which it originally came . ( Tolfdir will approach outside the trapped area and suggest using the amulet if the Dragonborn should try to return to Arniel . ) The tablet will break into pieces , revealing a passage and removing the blocking gates . Tolfdir will then take the lead . When he gets to the room at the end of the passage , there will be a vision sequence , which only the Dragonborn will be able to see . After talking to Tolfdir about the vision , the Dragonborn will have to deal with draugr that appear from the three coffins in the room . The draugr can be killed with little or no risk of injury using archery ; Tolfdir cannot be killed , so an effective tactic would be to shoot the draugr attacking him . If Tolfdir is knocked down the draugr will likely switch their attacks to the Dragonborn until Tolfdir gets up again . The Dragonborn should then follow Tolfdir to a barred gate in a room . The lever to open the gate is on the right ; the room beyond holds more draugr to be dealt with . Tolfdir will pass through the middle coffin into a large room where four draugr will arise from their wall crypts . The Dragonborn will help Tolfdir slay all of them ( again , good Sneak and Archery can help the Dragonborn remain unnoticed and unharmed ) . The two chains , one on each side of the gate , open the way to the next area . Saarthal itself . There are a number of inconveniently placed traps that have the potential to provide a great deal of problems for some of the Dragonborn ' s followers , especially dogs . Most are pressure pads , so they can be avoided with some caution . The swinging pendulums are also difficult for followers to navigate , so keep healing spells handy or be ready to wait . Ideally the Dragonborn should proceed alone , killing draugr as necessary . In a large room , there is a draugr , a rune trap , and two more draugr . An effective tactic would be to kill the first draugr and get the attention of the next two , so that when they approach , the trap can be triggered to damage them . Pillar Puzzle 1 . After several more rooms and traps , there will be a door on the second floor near a broken coffin . Beyond there is a puzzle with six different movable pillars . The correct position for each pillar is shown on the wall directly behind and above them . This fact could easily be missed if the Dragonborn were not up close to the pillars . The Candlelight spell ( or Night Eye ) makes them easier to see . Once the pillars are properly set , the lever can be activated to open the gate . In the next room there are two wooden ramps . As the Dragonborn nears the top of either one , a Draugr Deathlord , Draugr Wight or Draugr Scourge ( level dependent ) arise . An effective tactic would be to lure the draugr back to the pillar puzzle room and shut the gate . The Dragonborn would then be able to shoot arrows at the enemy whenever it appears from around the corner . The nearby coffin also makes a fine obstacle against melee , though you need to then pursue and kite him back to the coffin as he attempts to recover . Alternatively , a high Sneak skill and a potion of invisibility could be combined to sneak through the door near the top of the ramp , and close it . Provided the Dragonborn were quiet , the draugr would almost certainly remain unaware . There is a chest and other items to loot here . Beyond an iron door , there are two rune traps to pass . Activating either trap using a shout or magic will make noise and attract the draugr , while walking over the traps will not . The first rune trap can be easily avoided by walking around it , while the second rune trap in the doorway can be avoided by using any type of magic on it , or jumping over it . Passing over the second trap means the draugr is ultimately evaded . Pillar Puzzle 2 . There are four pillars that give you the solution to the spinning puzzle pillars ahead . The second pillar on the left should be turned to whale first ( because it turns the other three with it . ) Then , the first pillar on the left should be turned to snake ( that will turn the two on the right . ) Next , the second pillar on the right should be turned to eagle ( that one will turn the last one . ) And finally , the first one on the right should be turned to whale . Final battle . After passing through the gate , Tolfdir will reappear . There is an Alchemy Lab in the north side of the room . Take caution , however , as there is also a poison dart trap trigger in the center of the floor . Through another iron door , in the final room , approaching the glowing will summon the draugr - shape of Jyrik Gauldurson . Initially , Jyrik is invulnerable , but after about 30 seconds , Tolfdir is able to weaken Jyrik by casting a spell on the glowing orb in the room , allowing the Dragonborn to deal damage . Jyrik can be a very difficult foe for a lower - level Dragonborn , as he knows a variety of Destruction spells , and wields an Ancient Nord War Axe with a frost enchantment on it . Jyrik Gauldurson is powerful , on the level of a Draugr Deathlord . If the Dragonborn possesses good sneaking and archery skills , he can be defeated without risk . The Dragonborn should stay on the balcony , standing close enough to see the floor below without standing near the balcony ' s edge , and shoot Jyrik with arrows . He will run up to the balcony , but will only run along the edge and will fail to spot the Dragonborn ; enough arrows and he will eventually perish . Last steps . Jyrik ' s corpse bears a fragment of the Gauldur Amulet and the Writ of Sealing . The writ , when read , will start the quest " Forbidden Legend " , if it has not been previously started . The Dragonborn should talk with Tolfdir to advance to the next stage of the quest ( Return to the College ) . The Staff of Jyrik Gauldurson , which is on the altar , is an artifact worth collecting . Through the door behind the artifact and down to the garden is a Word Wall with the Dragon shout Ice Form , as well as a chest with leveled loot . Upon finally leaving Saarthal , the Dragonborn should travel back to the college to find the Arch - Mage ( Savos Aren ) and inform him of the discovery . The Arch - Mage will reward the Dragonborn with the Staff of Magelight , and the quest " Hitting the Books " will start .