Shroud Hearth Barrow is an ancient Nordic tomb just outside Ivarstead. The villagers are convinced it is haunted, and the innkeeper is keen for someone brave – or nosy – to go and check. What you find inside is a mix of real undead, a spectral figure who turns out to be the real “haunting”, and some of the more satisfying puzzles in Skyrim.
What you’ll find
- Draugr (leveled) and skeletons throughout.
- Wyndelius Gatharian, the “ghost” behind the rumours, who carries Philter of the Phantom.
- Two puzzle doors and a drawbridge puzzle, plus revolving doors worked by a pressure plate.
- A water trap and a flame trap triggered by grabbing a gold ingot.
- Shroud Hearth Depths, the deeper section, with an Unmasked Dragon Priest whose strength depends on your level.
- A Word Wall for Kyne’s Peace in the Depths.
Quests
Lifting the Shroud starts with Wilhelm, who runs the inn in Ivarstead. Investigate the barrow, then bring Wyndelius’ journal back to him; he hands over the Sapphire Dragon Claw that opens the inner door.
Puzzle solutions
- Sapphire Claw door, outer ring to inner ring: Moth, Owl, Wolf (the claw itself shows the symbols).
- The next puzzle door: Whale, Hawk, Snake, Whale.
Notable items
- Before the Ages of Man (Illusion skill book), opposite the levers in the first room.
- Philter of the Phantom, from Wyndelius and in his room.
- Spell Tome: Oakflesh, in the first chamber past the claw door.
- Leveled greatsword, shield and coin purse in the water trap past the Sapphire Claw door.
- A locked chest hidden underwater in the Word Wall chamber, right of the final loot chest.
- Leveled greatsword, soul gem and coin purse across a broken bridge past the final chest.
Tips
That broken bridge near the end is easiest to cross with the Whirlwind Sprint shout; Telekinesis also helps with loot in hard-to-reach alcoves. If you have neither, players note that hitting the greatsword with a firebolt or arrow can knock it loose. Be careful with Whirlwind Sprint elsewhere, though: using it to skip the drawbridge before lowering it can stop the pillars from working.
If the draugr in the skill book room stay in their coffins, a blast of Unrelenting Force shakes them loose. And don’t take a nap inside after dealing with Wyndelius if you have completed Innocence Lost – you may wake up somewhere very different, with the barrow reset.
Good to know
The ghost never actually comes into Ivarstead, but the villagers are spooked anyway. Wilhelm’s reward, the Sapphire Dragon Claw, is the very claw Wyndelius was hunting for in the barrow – so you end up finishing the job he started.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Ivarstead, Pinepeak Cavern, Geirmund’s Hall, Honeystrand Cave, Nilheim.
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.