Haemar’s Shame is a cave just off the mountain road that links Helgen and Ivarstead, lying southwest of Ivarstead and roughly between that village and Fort Neugrad. Vampires have moved in, turned the local bandits into thralls and set up shop next to an old shrine of the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile. Most players first arrive here following a very chatty dog.
What you’ll find
- Haemar’s Cavern – snowy connected caverns with wooden structures, furniture and an alchemy lab. Slaughtered and enthralled bandits litter the place.
- Haemar’s Shame – the deeper section, starting with a frostbite spider at the entrance, with an arcane enchanter in one room.
- A large worked-stone hall at the end with the statue and shrine of Clavicus Vile, guarded by vampires including a Master Vampire.
- Behind the shrine, iron bars open onto a ledge above the road; pull the chain next to them to lower the gate.
Quests
- A Daedra’s Best Friend – follow Barbas here to reunite him with his master.
- Possible location for Onmund’s Request (Onmund), Totems of Hircine, Shalidor’s Insights, Culling the Beast and Trouble in Skyrim.
- Possible location of a Vampire Lord ring in Rings of Blood Magic (Dawnguard).
Notable items
- Destruction skill book Response to Bero’s Speech – on a table in Haemar’s Cavern.
- The Wolf Queen, Book VII on a shelf, and The Real Barenziah, Book IV.
- A possible location of Meridia’s Beacon.
- Vampire Dust, Salt Piles and Spider Eggs.
Tips
Expect a fight in every chamber, from enthralled thralls to the vampires running the place. If you poke your head in during A Daedra’s Best Friend and then leave without following Barbas, he may clear out the shrine room himself while you’re away – a very good boy indeed. The ledge gate behind the shrine is a quick exit back to the road.
Good to know
If you visit before starting the quest, the shrine statue shows Clavicus Vile together with his dog; if you clear the cave first and start the quest later, Vile stands alone – a small continuity hiccup.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Falkreath Stormcloak Camp, Alchemist’s Shack, Arcwind Point, Orphan Rock, Fort Neugrad.
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.
