Vekel the Man has a client with an unusual taste in reading: the diary of a madman. That madman is Arondil, a necromancer who has turned the icy barrow of Yngvild in Winterhold into his private court of ghosts. Toying with the Dead sends you to collect all four volumes of his journal, and you can deal with Arondil himself while you are there.
How to start
Join the Thieves Guild, then ask Vekel the Man, the bartender at the Ragged Flagon under Riften, whether he has any work. You can also start it without being a Guild member by collecting all four journals first; picking up the fourth adds a miscellaneous objective to return to Vekel. Clearing the caves beforehand does not trigger the quest on its own, but the journals stay in your inventory.
Walkthrough
The route through Yngvild is fairly straightforward. Expect plenty of leveled draugr and Yngvild Ghosts along the way.
Arondil’s Journal, Part 1
Follow the tunnel to the first chamber, where two draugr wait in the passage on the far side. At the fork, go left: an Yngvild Ghost stands by a table with Part 1 on it. The room to the left has another ghost, a draugr and a little loot in burial urns.
The tall chamber
Back at the fork, the right-hand path with ice walls leads to a small chamber with one ghost and two half-buried dead draugr; you can skip it. Follow the remaining path to another fork guarded by a single draugr. The left branch has a ghost and what looks like a dead end, which actually hides the secret door you will use to leave later. Take the right branch to the top of a tall chamber. Jump the gap straight ahead for an Adept-locked leveled chest, then take the zig-zag path down on the left past two draugr. Another chest with gold and lockpicks sits at the bottom.
Arondil’s Journal, Parts 2 and 3
Leave the chamber through the tunnel. Where the path turns right, Part 2 lies on a table in an alcove straight ahead. A ghost and a draugr wait in a small chamber just beyond, and Part 3 sits on a table in an alcove right before the door to the Yngvild Throne Room.
Yngvild Throne Room
Arondil sits in a large cavern beside his ghostly bodyguard. With high Sneak or invisibility, you can steal the Greater Soul Gem from the pedestal behind him; this makes the bodyguard go berserk and attack Arondil. The ghost usually wins unless Arondil has a Staff of Fireball or something similarly strong. Either way, finish off whoever is left standing.
Arondil’s body carries Arondil’s Key, some gold, necromancer robes and a staff, which may be the one you need for Arniel’s Endeavor. The Alteration skill book Reality & Other Falsehoods lies on the table left of the throne next to a Greater Soul Gem. In the bedroom behind the throne you will find Part 4 of the journal and a Stone of Barenziah on the table, a Grand Staff of Charming leaning against a leveled chest, and one last ghost asleep in a bed covered in Red Mountain Flowers.
Leaving Yngvild
Take the tunnel east to a gate opened by a lever on the right-hand wall. Behind it lie the bodies of three women, a Nord, a Breton and a Redguard, with nothing valuable on them. Open the iron door on the right with Arondil’s Key or by picking its Master lock, then climb the spiral stairs back into Yngvild. An Apprentice-locked chest sits immediately to your right. Further down the passage, a lever opens the secret door, and the path beyond leads outside.
Return to Vekel
Bring the four volumes to Vekel in the Ragged Flagon to get paid.
Rewards
- A leveled weapon from Vekel
- Arondil’s staff, Grand Staff of Charming, Stone of Barenziah, Reality & Other Falsehoods and chest loot from Yngvild
Tips and notes
- Stealing the Greater Soul Gem to turn the bodyguard against Arondil can save you a hard fight.
- Note the dead end near the second fork: it is the secret exit, so you do not need to walk all the way back.
- The journals may remain in your inventory after the quest; sometimes they can be sold afterwards.
