Ragnvald is the ruin of an ancient Nordic city in a deep mountain pass north of Markarth, directly southwest of the Dwarven ruin Bthardamz. Long ago it was ruled by Otar, a chieftain who went mad and became a dragon priest. Two heroes, Saerek and Torsten, could not kill him, so they sealed him in a sarcophagus and kept the keys. They are still on guard duty – just a lot less alive. Refreshingly, this is one of the few ruins around Markarth without a single Forsworn in it.
What you’ll find
- Three linked areas: Ragnvald Temple, Ragnvald Crypts and Ragnvald Canal.
- Plenty of draugr, from patrols to a pack of four in a main hall of the crypts.
- Classic Nordic traps: swinging blades (with a lever to stop them), pressure plates, pools of oil with hanging lamps, and a booby-trapped chest.
- A table with two slots in the temple, which reveals what you are up against.
- Guardian Saerek in the crypts and Guardian Torsten in the canal. Each awakens when you lift his skull from a pedestal, and each drops a skull key.
- Otar the Mad, sealed in the sarcophagus in the main chamber. He favours shock magic such as Chain Lightning and Thunderbolt, can conjure Storm Atronachs and toughens up with Ebonyflesh.
Quests
Unlock the Sarcophagus in Ragnvald – Activate either slot on the table in the temple’s lower level to start this miscellaneous quest. It marks the way to the two skull keys you need to open Otar’s tomb.
Notable items
- Otar’s dragon priest mask and a Staff of Chain Lightning, dropped by Otar.
- Saerek’s and Torsten’s skull keys – you may keep them after the sarcophagus is open.
- The Mystery of Talara, Book II, on the table behind the trapped chest in the crypts.
Tips
You can skip Saerek’s fight entirely: drop an item of similar size on the pedestal before picking up the skull, a classic tomb-raider swap. In the crypts, the two parallel hallways lead to the same place – the right one has a patrolling draugr, the left one has pressure-plate traps, so pick your poison. Use the oil pools to your advantage with a fire spell, and bring resist-shock gear or potions for Otar, who hits hard with lightning.
Good to know
Otar’s mask is one of the eight named dragon priest masks you need to collect if you want to restore the dragon priest shrine.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Reach Imperial Camp, Markarth Stables, Bthardamz, Salvius Farm, The Lover Stone.
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.
