Frostmere Crypt is an ancient Nordic tomb southwest of Dawnstar, close to the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon, northeast of The Lord Stone and directly south of Mzinchaleft. A bandit gang has moved in and turned the upper crypt into a bunkhouse, but something stirs in the lower level, Frostmere Depths. The whole place is built around the quest The Pale Lady, and it tells its story surprisingly well if you take your time.
What you’ll find
- Two levels: Frostmere Crypt, with bedrolls and dressers left by the bandits, and Frostmere Depths, an underground forest area.
- Leveled bandits and the Pale Lady are the only enemies – no draugr this time.
- Only a couple of traps; watch for the arrow trap in the corridor leading to the submerged room.
- Two hidden chests: a master-locked one in the Depths (go left just before the altar and follow the path round), and an adept-locked one at the bottom of the submerged room, next to a table with a leveled weapon.
- Two end-of-dungeon chests in the Depths: one by the exit, and one past the sword stand – turn left, cross the water and climb the hill, hidden behind a pillar.
- A skeleton slumped against a tree with a battleaxe and shield, past an uprooted stump and under a fallen log.
- Ore veins: silver near the entrance to the Depths, iron in the room after the drawbridge, orichalcum in the northeast of the Depths.
Quests
- The Pale Lady – the whole quest plays out here, involving Eisa Blackthorn, Ra’jirr, Kyr and the cursed Pale Blade.
- Shalidor’s Insights – a possible location for the book.
Notable items
- The Pale Blade.
- Word Wall: Ice Form, in Frostmere Depths.
- Skill book The Red Kitchen Reader (Sneak), plus A Dance in Fire, Book I.
- Quest notes: Eisa’s Journal, Kyr’s Bounty, Kyr’s Log and Ra’jirr’s Note.
- Ingredients: blue, purple and red mountain flowers, glow dust, imp stool, torchbugs and wisp wrappings.
Tips
Sneak through the upper crypt and eavesdrop – the bandits gossip about Eisa, Ra’jirr stealing the boss’s sword, and an eerie feeling coming from below. It’s free backstory and a nice bit of foreshadowing. Don’t rush the Depths: two end chests and a hidden one are easy to miss. If a steel greatsword is floating in mid-air near the Word Wall, shoot it with an arrow and it should drop.
Good to know
The forest section counts as outdoors, so you can fast travel straight out of it. The bandits here also don’t respawn, so once they’re gone the crypt stays quiet.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Great Lift at Mzinchaleft, Dimhollow Crypt, Hall of the Vigilant, Mzinchaleft, Red Road 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.
