Fort Greenwall

Fort on the road between Riften and Shor’s Stone, first held by bandits and later contested in the Civil War, with a prison, captain’s quarters and a hidden cave.

Fort Greenwall straddles the main road from Riften north to Shor’s Stone – the road literally runs through its courtyard, which makes travelling past it exciting whenever someone hostile holds it. Bandits occupy it at first, but the Civil War eventually turns it into a garrisoned fort and a battlefield.

What you’ll find

  • Bandits, and during the war Stormcloak or Imperial soldiers.
  • The main interior on the north side: bodies of the bandits’ victims, a dead alchemist in a novice-locked cage, a wall-mounted cage with more ingredients and a grindstone.
  • Fort Greenwall Prison, with frostbite spiders downstairs while bandits hold the fort.
  • Fort Greenwall Captain’s Quarters, connected to the prison, with a Shrine of Stendarr.
  • Greenwall Cave, reached through a well in the courtyard or a second entrance in the rocky hill north of the fort. It’s full of glowing mushrooms and has an expert-locked gate leading to a pool.
  • A workbench and forge in the courtyard.

Quests

The Battle for Fort Greenwall – for the Imperials, you take it from the Stormcloaks to secure Riften. If Riften was handed to the Empire in the “Season Unending” truce, the roles flip and the Stormcloaks attack instead.

Notable items

  • Mace Etiquette (One-Handed) on the floor of the Captain’s Quarters bedroom, plus a locked chest with leveled loot.
  • An apprentice-locked chest in the middle room with the bodies.
  • An unlocked chest underwater in Greenwall Cave, beneath a floating Imperial soldier, next to a letter about his story.

Tips

The cave’s outside entrance in the northern hill is your sneak route – it brings you up into the fort without walking through the front door. If you just want to get past, there’s a path around the fort to the east. Depending on your level, a bear may lurk in the cave, so don’t go swimming for the soldier’s chest half-dead.

Nearby

Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Shor’s Stone, Merryfair Farm, Autumnshade Clearing, Riften Stables, Ruunvald Excavation.

Location data (hold, map position, editor ID) read from the Skyrim game files; details checked against community wiki articles and summarised in our own words.

Characters found here

Quests that lead here

Creatures you will meet

Frostbite Spiders lurk in Skyrim’s caves and ruins, spitting venom from the ceiling. Variants, tactics and the ingredients they drop.

Weapons found here

Imperial Bow in Skyrim: a 9-damage bow used by the Imperial Legion. Not craftable, but easy to find on soldiers and guards, in Castle Dour and Imperial forts.
Imperial Sword in Skyrim: the Imperial Legion’s 8-damage gladius, found on Imperial soldiers, in Castle Dour, Legion forts and camps. Where to find it.

Armor found here

Items found here

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Sources checked: Skyrim game files (map markers, location records, read 2026-10-11); Elder Scrolls Fandom location articles (export 2026-10-11)