Forgotten Vale

Forgotten Vale is a location in . It is a large glacial valley hidden deep within the Druadach Mountains on the northwestern Skyrim peaks of Haafingar and the Western Reach of High Rock.
The valley features its own unique flora and fauna and a handful of caves and subsections throughout. The area also contains a large concentration of Falmer, who have built a series of walkways and camps throughout a canyon leading to the Inner Sanctum, one of the last Snow Elf bastions left.
==Geographic features==
The valley is surrounded by vast, unscalable mountains making it completely isolated from the rest of Skyrim and a part of High Rock. It is split into two large areas which are separated by a narrow canyon. On the southwest side, it contains a waterfall that sits below a vast frozen lake. The other side, to the northeast, is a snowy forest environment dotted with exotic flora and fauna. Throughout the Vale there are many "hidden" treasures and other not so obvious points of interest, so it is recommended to search throughout the place carefully for maximum loot and satisfaction. It is also rich in several types of ore, including silver, gold, quicksilver, moonstone (mostly around the frozen lake and on the mountains), orichalcum and malachite (common along the sides of the river).
==Quests==
===Touching the Sky===
Journey through the Forgotten Vale and retrieve Auriel's Bow. The Vale must first be accessed through Darkfall Cave by going to the Wayshrine inside the Inner Sanctum during the quest, in order to gain access to fast traveling here.
==Word Wall==
To get to the word wall, go to the Wayshrine of Resolution and go south onto the frozen lake. In the middle of the lake there is a stone jutting out, with a staircase leading up one side. Upon approaching this stone, the Dragonborn will learn a word of the shout Drain Vitality. The two Revered Dragons, Voslaarum and Naaslaarum, if not previously triggered by walking around the lake, will burst from the ice and attack.
==Notable items==
===Books===
*Unknown Book, Vol. I – Venturing further into the Vale, the book can be found at the bottom of the valley, after the encounter with the frostbite spiders. It's next to a skeleton, coin purse, and an unlocked chest.
*Unknown Book, Vol. II – Found in Forgotten Vale Overlook, by using the Paragon Platform and the Emerald Paragon.
*Unknown Book, Vol. III – After the Wayshrine of Resolution, in Falmer territory, in a Falmer hut.
*Unknown Book, Vol. IV – After exiting Glacial Crevice, the book can be found in the Falmer Village, all the way at the end, in a Falmer Warmonger's hut (the largest hut).
===Paragons===
*Amethyst Paragon – On a Frost Giant at the base of the valley, on the northern end of the river, by the waterfall. Southeast of Paragon Platform.
*Diamond Paragon – Found on a Frost Giant just after exiting Glacial Crevice, to the left and up the hill past some Falmer.
*Emerald Paragon – Found on a Frost Giant northwest of the Wayshrine of Resolution, up in the hills.
*Ruby Paragon – On a Frost Giant inside the Inner Sanctum, you need to open a secret passage using the Initiate's Ewer.
*Sapphire Paragon – The Frost Giant is due east from the Wayshrine of Resolution. Go down into the valley, cross the river and take the path over the hill. Continue east past the Paragon Socket and across the next river.
===Other===
*Hidden chests – Travel to the large ice field where the two named dragons ambush the Dragonborn, Voslaarum and Naaslaarum. After the conclusion of the battle, jump into where the dragons emerged and swim around until a chest crushing a skeleton is located. Unless the Dragonborn has the means to breathe underwater, this can be dangerous, as there is a strong current under the ice that can easily pull the Dragonborn away from the hole used to enter the area. Depending on the length of the battle, the holes in the ice may be a long distance apart and difficult to find and surface at. The chest is at the lake bottom around the midway point between the Word Wall and the southern waterfall. Next, head to the waterfall located at the southernmost point. Jump into the water directly below the waterfall to find a chest among some ruins. There is a third just west of the word wall, near the edge of one of the holes in the ice the dragons made. 
*Gold Sapphire Ring – In the hand of a skeleton with a snowberry bush growing through its ribcage, on a rock above the Emerald Paragon Frost Giant. 
*Below the bridge to the Inner Sanctum on the southern side of the canyon there is a series of narrow platforms upon the last one of which there is a skeleton with a pickaxe, by a gold ore vein, two gold ores as well as one diamond and two flawless diamonds. Laying on the rock ledge next to the skeleton is a gold ruby necklace and a powdered mammoth tusk. Thirteen rock warbler eggs can be harvested from the bird's nests that populate the ledges around this canyon. The platform can be accessed either by running to the far west end of the canyon and turning around left until the Dragonborn is above the southernmost mouth of the Glacial Crevice. Run along a ridge on the west side of the fissure wall and, with a little bit of climbing, the Dragonborn can reach the gold and diamonds. Or reach it by jumping down from the southern end of the bridge. The fall may cause death, so it is recommended to do it on the west side of the bridge.
*Northwest from the cache described above, just under/behind an arch, there is a skeleton wearing a circlet which is partially embedded in the rock. On the circlet, loose, are 2 flawless rubies and 1 flawless sapphire. The skeleton also has an Elven Greatsword.
*Across from the above archway is a quicksilver vein.
*Auriel's Shield – Use the Ruby Paragon to go to the Forgotten Vale Forest, next to some ruins will be a Falmer Warmonger carrying the unique shield.
*Shellbug – As one enters the vale, along the left wall up in a corner is a cave guarded by a Falmer. Inside, follow the left wall and up an incline, is a rope pulley. This opens a door in the back of the room that leads to the mineable creature.
*The cave exit from Darkfall labeled Forgotten Vale is the only fast travel point in the entire region. Thus tricks like summoning separated companions which rely on fast travel to fix may be more easily done via wayshrine travel instead.
==Creatures==
*Frost Trolls
*Frost Giants
*Falmer, mostly in the caves and on the bridges
*Chaurus
*Chaurus Hunter
*Vale Sabre Cats, mostly in caves and on high platforms
*Frostbite Spiders
*Ice Wraiths, especially hidden along the riverbank
*Vale Deer
*The dragons Voslaarum and Naaslaarum at the frozen lake if Dragon Rising has been completed
*Two Shellbugs, in hidden locations
==Gallery==
Forgotten Vale - Foggy Entrance.png|The foggy entrance to the Vale's valley.
==Trivia==
*All sections here respawn, except for the Inner Sanctum.
==Bugs==
* When the Shrine of Sight has been activated at any point, the map marker for the Vale will permanently move to the Shrine from its location at the exit from Darkfall Passage. There is no known fix for this.
* There is a glitch when fighting the dragons on the frozen lake that you can't summon anything, even using staves or shouts. You will have to summon before you enter the lake. There is no known fix for this.
* Upon entering the frozen lake area, just before the two dragons engage the Dragonborn, the Dragonborn’s hidden status is automatically switched to searching for a brief time, regardless of sneak skill, invisibility and silent footsteps.
* Even though the Forgotten Vale is an open world area, Arvak cannot be summoned here.
==Appearances==
*
de:Vergessenes Tal
es:Valle Olvidado
fr:Val Oublié
pl:Zapomniana Dolina
ru:Забытая долина
Category:Skyrim: The Reach Locations
Category:Dawnguard: Word Wall Locations