Skyrim:Reachcliff Cave

Cave: Reachcliff Cave (view on map)
# of Zones	1
Clearable	Yes
Dungeon	Yes
Respawn Time	Never (storage is safe)
Level	Min: 6
Occupants
Draugr
Important Treasure
The Doors of Oblivion
Console Location Code(s)
ReachcliffCaveExterior, ReachcliffCave01, ReachcliffCaveExit
Region
The Reach
Location
East-southeast of Markarth Northeast of Dushnikh Yal
Ore Veins
# of Iron	1

Reachcliff Cave

Reachcliff Cave is a small cave east-southeast of Markarth containing draugr. It contains only one zone, Reachcliff Cave.

The cave also features the shrine to the Daedric Prince Namira. When not on the related quest, the cave can only be partly explored.

Related Quests

• The Taste of Death: Prepare a feast for the Lady of Decay.

Walkthrough

Exterior

A path to the entrance branches to the south from the main road heading west to Markarth. The winding path starts opposite the bridge to Karthspire Camp, and branches to the west near one of several cairns along the path. The western path passes under two large intact stone arches, with three upright stones and three imp stool fungus near the cave entrance. The cave has another entrance north of Dushnikh Yal, with a map marker called Reachcliff Secret Entrance; however, this entrance doesn't exist until you use it as an exit from within the cave. Near this secret entrance are two leveled animals.

Reachcliff Cave

The entrance passage descends to the south in what appears to be a mined area, with wooden posts shoring up the sides and roof. The passage leads out onto a ledge overlooking a chamber, with an open sarcophagus on the right containing a leveled draugr, and another draugr out of sight at the top of some stairs at the rear of the chamber. The draugr will both attack as soon as they are alerted to your presence. There is nothing else of interest in this room. At the top of the stairs at the rear of the room is another passage, which descends to the east before turning south and exiting into another chamber, with a rock pillar ahead, and stairs down to the left. This chamber contains two more leveled draugr, one of which is a magic-user. There are several steps down to the bottom of the chamber, and a passage heading west into some catacombs.

At the first crossroads is a draugr slumbering upright in an alcove opposite, and a burial urn in an alcove on your right. Next to the burial urn to your right is a broken sideboard holding a random shield and a random potion of magicka. Passages continue to the south and west. To the south, the passage enters a walkway over a chamber containing two draugr, one of them a magic-user. The walkway leads out to a pillar, with a second pillar to the left with a chest beside it. The chest has a novice-level trap that triggers a poison dart trap from the pillar behind. From here, you can either drop down into the chamber, or return to the junction and follow the passage west. Heading west are stairs that lead down to a small area containing an iron ore vein, with the path continuing south through another passage that eventually enters the same chamber through the doorway to the west. The chamber holds nothing else of interest. A second doorway to the south leads directly into a room with an upright sarcophagus on the wall opposite, which bursts open as soon as you enter the room. An unlocked chest and two large urns are to your left. To your right are two burial urns to the right of a sarcophagus, with a set of shelves farther to the right holding two random potions, a random helmet, six common books, an iron dagger, and a copy of the Conjuration skill book The Doors of Oblivion. To the right of the shelves is another burial urn.

This is as far as you can go without starting the quest The Taste of Death. Everything that follows is described as when the quest is active, as this is the first time you will be able to access the below areas.

The sarcophagus to the right by the two burial urns has a loose back, which falls to reveal a tunnel. The tunnel descends to an open concealed door with a handle to the left, and enters a short passage with an iron door at the far end. On either side of the short passage are two large statues, on the left are three burial urns and a leveled potion of healing, magicka, or stamina, and on the right is another concealed door. Through the iron door is a room containing two roaming leveled draugr and a third leveled boss draugr (up to dragon priest) sitting on a throne at the far end of a long stone table. The table is on a raised section running the length of the room, with four stone benches on either side. There are many burial urns and large urns around the room, including seven large urns flanking the raised shrine to Namira at the rear of the room behind the throne, two large urns and two burial urns next to and on top of a stone table by the west wall, and three burial urns near the east wall. A set of shelves is on each side of the table; the set to the west holds a pair of iron boots, while the set to the east holds two goblets and two common books. To the right of the throne is a boss-level chest.

Once the boss draugr is defeated, the concealed door in the short passage lowers, giving access to the secret entrance to the cave, while the open concealed door you entered the passage through will have closed, with a chain to open it to the right. Eola will eventually join you inside if she wasn't previously accompanying you, and will instruct you to bring someone to a special feast as part of the related quest. The tunnel behind the second concealed door leads to another small room containing two large urns, a sideboard holding three common books, and an iron door that leads to the secret entrance outside.

When you return with Brother Verulus, you will find the long table has been laid, and a number of other guests are already sitting waiting for you. In addition to Eola, they are Banning, Lisbet, and Hogni Red-Arm from Markarth, as well as Sanyon and Nimphaneth. On the table are three bottles of alto wine, five bottles of Nord mead, two bottles of wine, three sweet rolls, a gourd, two potatoes, two loaves and two pieces of bread, two goat cheese wheels, four goat cheese wedges, two pieces of human flesh, and many gory human bones. The western set of shelves now holds two more bottles of alto wine, a bottle of wine, a goat cheese wheel, and three goat cheese wedges.

Gallery

• 

  The alternative entrance to Reachcliff Cave

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  The shrine of Namira inside Reachcliff Cave