Darklight Tower is an old, crumbling watchtower southwest of Riften, almost on the border, directly south of Goldenglow Estate. It’s now home to a coven of witches, hagravens, frostbite spiders and the odd troll. One resident is different: Illia, a young mage who wants the coven – and its leader, her own mother – gone.
What you’ll find
- A hag and a hagraven in the courtyard, witches throughout the tower, plus spiders and skeevers.
- Illia, who can become a follower, and Silvia, the coven leader, at the top.
- Two interiors: Darklight Tower and the Darklight Chambers, with a spike pit and a hagraven chamber along the way.
- A key-only closet with a couple of leveled potions, and a master-locked chest in one room.
- An alchemy lab and an arcane enchanter.
- The largest cluster of Scaly Pholiota anywhere in the game.
Quests
Repentance: Illia asks you to help her kill her mother Silvia, who leads the coven. Finish it and Illia can join you. In the radiant Arniel’s Endeavor, the tower is also a possible location for Keening.
Notable items
- Horror of Castle Xyr (Destruction) – on a table at the tower’s apex.
- Mystery of Talara, Book III (Destruction) – in a locked chamber overlooking the spike pit.
- 2920, Sun’s Dawn (Illusion) – in a hagraven chamber.
- Staff of Hag’s Wrath – taken from Silvia at the top.
Tips
Don’t kill the hag and hagraven in the courtyard before talking things through – they’re tied to the story, and taking them out early can scramble the quest. The Darklight Tower Closet Key is in Illia’s inventory. Trouble finding the place? On the world map, find the three larger islands in the big lake near Riften; the tower sits directly south of the lower-left one, and you can also spot it from Largashbur. Leave your horse behind: one door inside only opens from the entrance side.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Ruins of Rkund, Crystaldrift Cave, Largashbur, Snow-Shod Farm, Goldenglow Estate.
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.
