Gloombound Mine is one of only two ebony mines in Skyrim, dug into the mountainside right next to the Orc stronghold of Narzulbur, southeast of Windhelm. If you dream of black armor and have the patience to swing a pickaxe for a while, this is the closest thing Skyrim has to a jewellery store. The other ebony mine, for the record, is Redbelly Mine north of Riften.
What you’ll find
- Sixteen ebony ore veins and six iron ore veins spread over two levels of tunnels, plus a handful of loose ebony ore lying in carts and buckets.
- Orc miners working shifts throughout the day, with Dushnamub as the resident blacksmith. They won’t physically stop you from mining, but if you’re not an Orc or Blood-Kin they’ll keep telling you to get lost.
- Pockets of flammable gas in the tunnels. A fire spell or even a torch can set them off.
- A spot where loose rocks can tumble onto the level below – and onto any miners standing there.
- Outside: a small hut with an orichalcum ore vein, extra ebony ore, an ebony ingot, a skill book and a chest under the bed, plus a full set of smithing facilities.
Notable items
- Heavy Armor Forging (Smithing skill book) in the little hut to the right of the entrance.
- An ebony ingot and loose ebony ore in the same hut.
- Enough ebony in total – roughly fifty-five lumps plus an ingot, by one count – to smelt about twenty-eight ingots. That covers a full Ebony or Daedric set with a weapon and a bow or shield, assuming you have the other materials.
Tips
Getting in without starting a fight is the first puzzle. Orcs and Blood-Kin walk straight in through Narzulbur. Everyone else can earn access with the Forgemaster’s Fingers quest, sneak along the ledges on the right side of the stronghold entrance, or clear Kolskeggr Mine and speak to the Orc in the miners’ barracks there afterwards, who grants access to the strongholds.
Mine the veins, but leave the loose ore alone: picking it up counts as theft even if nobody sees you, and Dushnamub may send hired thugs after you – Blood-Kin or not. Keep torches and fire spells holstered too. If a gas explosion or a falling rock hurts a miner, that’s assault, and a tunnel full of angry Orcs is not a fun place to be.
If a miner is hogging the vein you want, wait an hour and he’ll usually move on. Dushnamub will also buy any ebony ore you dig up. Once every vein is empty the mine shows as cleared, and the ore grows back after ten in-game days.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Narzulbur, Cragwallow Slope, Mzulft, Sacellum of Boethiah, Steamcrag Camp.
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.