Soljund’s Sinkhole

Moonstone mine east of Markarth near Old Hroldan Inn that broke into a Nordic crypt full of draugr, with traps, a skill book and a quest.

Soljund’s Sinkhole is a moonstone mine just north of Old Hroldan and east of Karthspire Camp, roughly halfway between Markarth and Rorikstead. The miners dug a little too deep and broke straight into an ancient Nordic crypt, and now the tunnels are crawling with draugr. Come for the moonstone, stay for the unpaid pest control job.

What you’ll find

  • Perth, the mine’s owner, and his worker Tuthul outside the entrance.
  • A guard posted at the mine who always wears the old green local armor, whichever side currently controls the area.
  • Around ten leveled draugr and a high-level leader at the end. At high player levels the leader may even be a dragon priest.
  • Five moonstone ore veins: one right before the shaft into the main crypt, two in a room on the immediate left when you enter that area, and two in the final room.
  • Loose moonstone ore on a table and haystack on a platform above that room’s entrance, plus two refined moonstone on a bookshelf in the room with the water pool.
  • Plenty of traps, including a lever room and a fire-shooting statue.

Quests

Clear Soljund’s Sinkhole of Draugr – Perth warns you about the undead problem. Kill the leader in the final room and return to him for a leveled gold reward. The draugr come back every 10–15 in-game days, so the job is repeatable.

Notable items

  • Jornibret’s Last Dance – Light Armor skill book, in the room on the left when you enter the crypt area.
  • An enchanted leveled sword and a ruby on the table on the top level of the final room.
  • A chest with random loot under the floorboards of the lever room, reached by swimming through the gap near the exit.

Tips

In the room with the levers, pull only the ones on the left and right – the one in the middle fires an arrow trap at you. For the boss, one cheeky trick is to lure him into the tunnel across the room, sneak next to the fireball-spitting statue and pepper him with arrows when he returns; he can’t reach you there. You can also try to knock him into the big hole by the exit passage. Shout fans with two words of Whirlwind Sprint can hop a ledge near the start and land right next to the boss, but players warn that Perth and Tuthul tend to wander in and die to the draugr you skipped.

Good to know

The entrance guard doesn’t respawn if he dies, and he keeps his old allegiance even if the region changes hands – which means other guards may attack him on sight.

Nearby

Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Karthspire Camp, Red Eagle Redoubt, Old Hroldan, Karthspire, Bleakwind Bluff.

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

Perth in Skyrim: the Breton miner who runs Soljund’s Sinkhole, asks you to clear out the draugr, buys moonstone ore and is a marriage candidate.

Quests that lead here

Dawnguard Quest
A repeatable Volkihar job: Fura Bloodmouth or Garan Marethi sends you to destroy a powerful vampire at a random location.
Side Quest
The miners at Soljund’s Sinkhole broke into a Nordic crypt full of draugr. Clear them out so Perth can reopen his mine.
Side Quest
Earn the title of Thane of the Reach: win the Jarl’s favour, help five people of the Reach and buy Vlindrel Hall in Markarth.

Creatures you will meet

Dragon Priests are Skyrim’s deadliest undead mages. Where to find them, how to fight them and why their masks are worth collecting.
Draugr are the undead Nords guarding Skyrim’s ancient tombs. Variants, shouting Deathlords, and how to survive a barrow full of them.

Weapons found here

Armor found here

Items found here

Moonstone Ore in Skyrim: mine it at Soljund’s Sinkhole or Mzulft, buy it from smiths, and smelt it into Refined Moonstone for Elven and Glass gear.
Refined Moonstone in Skyrim: smelt moonstone ore from Soljund’s Sinkhole, or buy from blacksmiths. Used to craft Elven gear and parts of Glass items.

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Village
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Cave
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Dragon Lair
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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)