Halldir’s Cairn is the resting place of Halldir, a cave found southwest of Falkreath – follow the road southwest and you’ll soon hit the border with Hammerfell. The welcome is grim: right inside the entrance, three dead bandits lie around a column of blue light. A journal next to them explains that a ghostly voice made them take their own lives on a bloody cairn. Sounds like a great place to go poking around.
What you’ll find
- Draugr and ghosts guarding the passages.
- A pillar puzzle at an intersection that opens the way forward.
- A room with three thrones, and a final chamber where Halldir himself waits. A lever behind the throne opens a door.
- Halldir, the boss: during the fight he splits into copies, and you’ll have to deal with them before he goes down for good.
- Two iron ore veins and seven soul gems scattered through the cairn.
Quests
- Find Rjorn’s Drum – a Bards College task; the drum is in the chest in Halldir’s chamber.
- Find Runil’s Journal – a possible location for the journal.
- Trouble in Skyrim – a Companions job from Farkas to kill the cairn’s leader.
- Amulets of Night Power and Ancient Power (Dawnguard) – possible location of an amulet or of an elder vampire’s remains.
Notable items
- Halldir’s Staff – two of them: one from his ash pile and one that falls from his hand.
- Rjorn’s Drum, Agrius’s Journal and seven soul gems.
- Huge piles of mushrooms: Imp Stool, White Cap, Namira’s Rot, Blisterwort, Fly Amanita and Bleeding Crown.
Tips
If the pillar puzzle refuses to turn, leaving and reloading the cave usually sorts it out. Because several quests point here, try to start Rjorn’s Drum before grabbing the drum – picking it up early can leave that quest impossible to finish. When Halldir splits, take the copies down one at a time and keep healing handy. And if you’re an alchemist, bring an empty bag: the mushroom count here is frankly ridiculous.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, Cracked Tusk Keep, Falkreath, Roadside Ruins, Angi’s 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.
