March of the Dead is a Dragonborn side quest that starts just outside Raven Rock on Solstheim. Captain Modyn Veleth of the Redoran Guard is fighting for his life against ash spawn, creatures that have started hitting the town’s wall in what looks like a coordinated way. The trail leads to a ruined Imperial fort and a general who should have been dead for two centuries.
How to start
- Head south of the Bulwark, Raven Rock’s great wall, to Old Attius Farm. Captain Veleth is there battling several ash spawn.
- Help him kill them and talk to him. He explains that the attacks are getting more frequent and seem to be probing the wall for weak spots, as if something were directing them.
- Offer your help, or ask about payment, and he hints that Councilor Morvayn might reward you.
Walkthrough
Search the farm
Check the piles of ash left by the slain ash spawn. One of them holds a note titled Declaration of War. Give it to Veleth.
A dead man’s letter
The note is signed by General Falx Carius, the former Imperial garrison commander of Fort Frostmoth. Veleth is baffled, because Carius died over 200 years ago when Red Mountain wrecked the fort. Something must be keeping him going, so Veleth sends you to the fort while he returns to Raven Rock to prepare his men.
Storm Fort Frostmoth
Fort Frostmoth lies east of Old Attius Farm on the south coast, easy to spot on the map by its five ash-capped towers. Enter from the south. When you step into the courtyard an alarm goes up, Carius appears on a rooftop shouting that the fort will not fall, then retreats and leaves more ash spawn rising from the ground to greet you.
Carius is in a locked room below the western building, on your left as you come in. Inside, two ash spawn wait. To the south are shelves with an East Empire Company strongbox and a ramp up to a ladder onto the roof. Straight ahead (west) of the entrance is an adept-locked chest, and to the north stairs lead down.
The crypt and the key
At the bottom of the stairs is a master-locked gate. To its left, a spider web you can cut through leads to a room with two Heart Stone deposits, three ruby geodes and a dead-end passage. To the right of the gate lies the corpse of Maximian Axius with his knapsack and some letters, next to a wooden door that needs a key. Follow the passage north to a junction guarded by an ash spawn; the right branch has two coffins with little inside, while the left branch leads to a large crypt full of coffins. On two stacked coffins you find Ildari’s Journal, and in the knapsack in front of them the Fort Frostmoth Key, which opens both the gate and the locked door. Behind the gate are bottles of Cyrodiilic Brandy and a chest.
Defeat General Carius
Unlock the door and climb the stairs to the general’s hall. Kill Carius and his ash spawn escort, then search his body for the Champion’s Cudgel and possibly a Letter to Imperial City. Ildari’s Journal reveals what was really going on: a necromancer named Ildari found a way to raise the general’s body.
Report back
Return to Captain Veleth, with or without the letter. He admits he suspected Carius was undead, notes that the general is credited in old tales with founding Raven Rock, and hands over the reward from Councilor Morvayn.
Rewards
- Champion’s Cudgel, looted from General Carius.
- Gold based on your level: 1500 (levels 1-29), 2500 (30-39), 5000 (40-49), 7500 (50-59), 10000 (60+).
Tips and notes
- You can clear Fort Frostmoth and kill Carius before ever meeting Veleth. The letter from his body then points you to the Raven Rock guards; mention Fort Frostmoth to a Redoran Guard and you are sent on to Veleth, who pays you as normal.
- A shortcut for the bold: a full Whirlwind Sprint shout from the top of the first tower carries you to the exit of the second tower to the northeast, and entering that hatch drops you right behind Carius.
- The three ash spawn at the farm can die in a heap, so their ash piles overlap and the Declaration of War is hard to find. If you cannot get it, head straight to Fort Frostmoth and kill Carius; that moves the quest past the missing note.
- Geldis Sadri mentions the Redoran Guard and Captain Veleth among his rumours, but that does not start the quest. You have to meet Veleth at the farm.
- Depending on your level, the gold payout can be one of the largest of any quest in the game, beaten only by the Dark Brotherhood finale Hail Sithis!
- Fort Frostmoth’s lower rooms are worth a full sweep: heart stones, ruby geodes and several locked containers make it a lucrative detour.
