The Sacellum of Boethiah is a Daedric shrine in the hills east of Windhelm, devoted to the Daedric Prince Boethiah. It’s the place where the quest Boethiah’s Calling plays out, and once you’re level 30 or higher it fills with Boethiah’s cultists and a priestess. Come earlier and you’ll find little more than an empty, unsettling hilltop.
What you’ll find
- The Sacrificial Pillar at the heart of the shrine, surrounded by burned bodies, bloodstains and bloody bones – clearly it has seen plenty of use.
- Boethiah’s cultists and the Priestess of Boethiah (from level 30).
- An alchemy lab, an arcane enchanter and a tanning rack.
- A permanent night sky: as you approach, the light fades to darkness no matter what time it actually is.
Quests
Boethiah’s Calling – the Daedric quest tied to this shrine. If you visit before level 30, the quest won’t activate and the sacellum will be deserted.
Tips
Getting there takes a bit of navigation. From Windhelm, follow the road northeast past Hlaalu Farm and Hollyfrost Farm, then keep heading east, bearing slightly right, until you reach the bandit hideout Traitor’s Post. At the fork there, keep right; the road doubles back westward roughly parallel to the one you came on. Watch out for a troll along the way. Alternatively, start from Narzulbur, go north to a nearby hunter’s camp and continue east.
Avoid sacrificing anyone at the pillar before you’ve actually received the quest – according to the wiki, doing so can block your progress later. And if the scorched bodies around the pillar make you uneasy, that’s rather the point – this is not a shrine that hands out flower garlands.
Good to know
The Daedric script carved on the pillar translates roughly as a creed of survival: the speaker lives because another is dead, and exists through sheer will. Oddly, even though the sky stays dark, the game still plays its daytime music here during the day. If you walk back down the hill in daylight, the sky brightens again, and turning straight back can sometimes keep it bright.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Traitor’s Post, Refugees’ Rest, Windhelm Military Camp, Hollyfrost Farm, Hlaalu Farm.
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.