Ruunvald Excavation is a mine-like dig site that only appears in the world once you take on the right quest in the Dawnguard add-on. It lies southeast of Tolvald’s Cave and directly east of Shor’s Watchtower. The missing Vigilants of Stendarr turned up here – just not in a state you would call healthy.
What you’ll find
- A campsite outside, with a tent holding Volk’s Journal.
- Charmed Vigilants – the lost Vigilants of Stendarr, now hostile and glowing with a red aura of mind control.
- Huskies that are aggressive but not charmed.
- Several chambers of scaffolding and wooden walkways that end at the door to Ruunvald Temple.
- Minorne, waiting in the temple, and Florentius Baenius, locked in a cage.
- Malachite – at least four veins plus loose chunks in carts and bins along the way.
Quests
Bolstering the Ranks (Dawnguard) sends you here to look for the missing Vigilants. Florentius is the prize: take the Ruunvald Key from Minorne’s body to open his cage, and the Dawnguard gains a rather unusual new member.
Notable items
- Volk’s Journal, in the tent to the left of the entrance.
- Discovering Ruunvald, Vol I–IV, spread through the dig: on a crate near the first chamber’s exit, on crates by a lean-to in the second chamber, on a desk by yellow urns in the largest chamber, and on a barrel just before the temple door.
- The Staff of Ruunvald and the Ruunvald Key, both carried by Minorne.
Tips
Here is the big one: sneak all the way to the temple and take Minorne out quietly. When she dies, every Charmed Vigilant in the excavation drops dead at the same moment, leaving only the huskies. You can then stroll back through and loot in peace. It feels a little like cheating. It is not.
The fourth volume of Discovering Ruunvald can sink inside its barrel, making it hard to pick up. Scan the barrel slowly with your cursor; a spell blast that nudges the book may help.
Good to know
Before the quest starts, the entrance is sealed, the camp is missing and discovering the spot will not add a map marker. If you side with the Volkihar instead, the excavation never opens at all.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Tolvald’s Cave, Shor’s Watchtower, Fort Greenwall, Shor’s Stone, Fallowstone Cave.
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.
