Ilinalta’s Deep is a half-sunken fort on the northwest shore of Lake Ilinalta. It used to be an Imperial outpost called Fort Ilinalta, until experiments by the mage Malyn Varen destabilised it and the whole thing slid into the lake. Locals say it’s cursed, and for once the locals are right: necromancers have moved in, and they’re busy feeding souls to something very old and very Daedric.
What you’ll find
- One way in: a trapdoor on top of the large tower sticking out of the water. A crucified skeleton greets you inside.
- Necromancers of every rank – Novice, Necromage, Arch, Ascendant and Master – plus their skeleton minions.
- A flooded room with an underwater passage to a hidden chest and dresser, and an underwater locked door behind a drop-down bridge.
- Ilinalta’s Deluge – the lower level, with six prison cells (four with Adept locks), a partly flooded sacrifice chamber and the final room with Malyn Varen’s skeleton. A ladder there leads out to the top of a tower in the lake.
- An alchemy lab and an arcane enchanter.
Quests
- The Black Star – recover the Broken Azura’s Star. Malyn Varen fled here after killing a student at the College of Winterhold and tried to make himself immortal by trapping his soul in the artifact.
- Arniel’s Endeavor and Totems of Hircine – radiant quests that may send you here.
Notable items
- Broken Azura’s Star and Malyn Varen’s Grimoire.
- Skill books: Breathing Water (Alteration, floating near the ceiling in the underwater section), The Doors of Oblivion (Conjuration, on a table in the Deluge), A Tragedy in Black (Enchanting, by the enchanter and alchemy lab) and Vernaccus and Bourlor (Archery).
- Fisherman’s Journal in a knapsack near the crucified skeleton, and A Dance in Fire, Book I.
Tips
Visit before picking up The Black Star and you’ll find the way into the Deluge blocked by a boulder – the second half only opens once the quest is active. Sneak if you can: undetected, you can overhear two necromancers coldly discussing which apprentice to sacrifice next. The last necromancer in the Deluge keeps raising the skeletons around him, sometimes even as he dies, so take him out quickly or fight from range. Low-level characters and fragile followers should come prepared.
Good to know
According to Malyn’s grimoire, enchantments are meant to keep the lake out. Judging by all the water seeping in, they’re not doing a great job.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: The Lady Stone, South Brittleshin Pass, Bloated Man’s Grotto, Half-Moon Mill, North Brittleshin Pass.
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.