Riverside Shack

Lonely shack on the White River southwest of Windhelm whose owner became dinner for a big cat or bear – holds a Light Armor skill book and Treasure Map III.

Riverside Shack is a small hut on the bank of the White River, southwest of Windhelm and east of Gallows Rock. Whoever lived here appears to have been ambushed and eaten by a sabre cat or a bear, and the animal has simply kept the house. It’s a tiny place, but it packs a skill book, a treasure map and a quest-starting book into one room.

What you’ll find

  • A sabre cat or bear that treats the shack as its den and charges as soon as it sees you.
  • The half-eaten remains of the former owner, with their clothes scattered about.
  • A tanning rack, some ingredients and a bed you can sleep in (if you can ignore the décor).
  • A stack of books on the table.
  • An apprentice-locked chest in the corner.
  • Leeks growing outside on the side facing Mixwater Mill.

Quests

The chest holds Treasure Map III, part of the miscellaneous quest The Great Skyrim Treasure Hunt. Reading The Legend of Red Eagle from the table starts a quest of the same name.

Notable items

  • Rislav the Righteous – Light Armor skill book
  • The Legend of Red Eagle (starts a quest)
  • Treasure Map III (in the locked chest)
  • Cats of Skyrim and Pirate King of the Abecean

Tips

Expect the animal to burst out the moment you approach, so have a weapon ready rather than a lockpick. Afterwards, grab the books first – the skill book is a free Light Armor bump – and then pick the apprentice lock for the map. The tanning rack makes this a handy spot to turn the former tenant’s killer into leather, which feels like justice of a sort.

Planning to use the shack as a stash? Be careful which container you trust.

Good to know

According to players, the wardrobe here keeps items safely over long periods, while the chest does not – things left in it reportedly vanish after about five in-game days. Use the wardrobe if you want your stuff to be there when you come back.

Nearby

Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Cronvangr Cave, Morvunskar, Mara’s Eye Pond, Kynesgrove, Witchmist Grove.

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

Quests that lead here

Creatures you will meet

Sabre Cats are Skyrim’s fastest early-game killers. Where they hunt, the snowy variant, and what you can harvest from them.

Weapons found here

Armor found here

Items found here

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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)