Left Hand Mine is a small mining community sitting just off the road southeast of Markarth, close to the river and barely a stroll from the city gates. Its stone houses share the same carved, Dwemer-inspired look as the city and its stables, so it feels like a little suburb of Markarth rather than a frontier camp. Right now it is more crowded than usual: miners who fled Kolskeggr Mine after the Forsworn overran it have washed up here with nowhere else to go.
What you’ll find
- The mine itself, with five iron ore veins inside. One sits at the end of the first passage on the right, two more are in the large room past the table (one at the entrance, one up the ramp), and the last two face each other in the room at the far end.
- A smelter outside the mine entrance, so you can turn that iron into ingots on the spot.
- Four buildings: Daighre’s House, the Miner’s Barracks, Pavo’s House and Skaggi’s House.
- Skaggi Scar-Face, who runs the mine, and his wife Sosia Tremellia.
- Daighre and her daughter Erith, plus a handful of working miners.
- Pavo Attius and Gat gro-Shargakh, the two Kolskeggr survivors, who will head back to their own mine once it is safe again.
Quests
Clear Kolskeggr Mine – The first time you arrive, you will likely walk straight into Skaggi and a few locals talking things over with Pavo and Gat. Either Skaggi or Pavo can hand you the job of clearing the Forsworn out of Kolskeggr. Pick the right line of dialogue and you volunteer to deal with the problem yourself.
Notable items
- A Gold Diamond Necklace.
- Five iron ore veins and a smelter right outside.
Tips
If you are levelling Smithing on a budget, this is one of the most convenient iron runs in the west: mine all five veins, walk out the door, smelt, and you are a few minutes from Markarth’s merchants. Taking the Kolskeggr job is worth it too, since it gets the refugees out of everyone’s hair and sends Pavo and Gat home. Just do not expect a cart ride here – this spot never shows up as a carriage destination, even if you hire a driver for a homestead (Hearthfire).
Good to know
The Miner’s Barracks has a reputation for one odd glitch: walking in can occasionally drop you into a strange pale-blue void where everything keeps falling. Stepping back out through the door and re-entering sorts it out.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Salvius Farm, Markarth Stables, Hag Rock Redoubt, Purewater Run, Kolskeggr Mine.
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.
