Sanuarach Mine is a small but surprisingly profitable dispute in Karthwasten, in the Reach. The local mine owner Ainethach is being squeezed by Atar and his mercenaries, hired by the Silver-Blood family to protect the mine from the Forsworn. Their real job is to stop anyone working there until Ainethach gives up and sells.
How to start
Arrive in Karthwasten for the first time and you will walk in on Atar and Ainethach arguing in the village. Talk to either of them to get involved.
Walkthrough
Pick a side
There are two ways to settle it:
- Help Ainethach: convince Atar to leave Sanuarach Mine, through persuasion, intimidation or bribery. Then tell Ainethach that Atar has been dealt with.
- Help Atar: convince Ainethach to sell the mine to the Silver-Bloods, usually by persuasion or intimidation. Then tell Atar that Ainethach has been dealt with.
Whoever you side with pays you the same leveled reward. Work fast: if you take too long, Atar and his men go into Sanuarach Mine, and you will have to follow him inside to report back. Talking to Atar, then Ainethach, then Atar again (or the reverse) in quick succession finishes the quest very quickly.
Double dipping
The most profitable route goes like this: intimidate Ainethach into selling, then go into the mine and collect your payment from Atar. Afterwards, kill Atar and his mercenaries and tell Ainethach the Silver-Bloods won’t be a problem anymore. He pays you as well, so you earn both rewards plus whatever the mercenaries carry. One of them may have an Amulet of Dibella. If you would rather not kill anyone, Atar can be pickpocketed for 250 gold, and that is not a hard theft.
Choices and consequences
- Siding with Ainethach (getting the mercenaries to leave and collecting his reward) leads Lash gra-Dushnikh to send word to the Orc Strongholds that you can be trusted. This counts as an alternative to The Forgemaster’s Fingers.
- Making Ainethach sell hands the mine to the Silver-Blood family and does not earn you Orc access.
- Intimidating Atar into leaving also completes the Companions job Hired Muscle from Farkas, if you have it.
Rewards
Both sides pay the same leveled amount:
- Level 1-9: 400 gold
- Level 10-19: 600 gold
- Level 20-29: 800 gold
- Level 30-39: 1,000 gold
- Level 40+: 1,200 gold
- Access to the Orc Strongholds if you side with Ainethach
Tips and notes
- At high levels, the 1,200 gold reward plus 250 gold pickpocketed from Atar makes this one of the best-paying short quests around.
- Note that the game’s own objective text misspells the mine’s name in two different ways.
- With Dawnguard installed, Atar can turn up as a kidnap victim; if you try to rescue him he may be hostile until calmed.
