The Frozen Hearth is the inn of Winterhold, and these days it is pretty much the last business in town that actually turns a profit. Almost every visitor heading up to the College of Winterhold ends up sleeping here, so the owner has learned to swallow whatever he thinks of wizards and smile at the coin instead. Come for a warm bed, stay for the shady mages in the back rooms.
What you’ll find
- Dagur – the innkeeper, a pragmatic Nord who treats College business as his bread and butter. Haran and Eirid also live and work here.
- Nelacar – a mage who pays Dagur well to keep a private room for research away from the College’s prying eyes. He also takes a share of the less-than-legal deals happening downstairs.
- The wine cellar – home to Enthir‘s questionable trade, plus crates, sacks and a hidden skill book.
- Evening guests: Jarl Korir and his son Assur drop by after 7 PM, so the jarl’s court sometimes moves from the longhouse to the bar.
Quests
- The Black Star – Nelacar is your contact for Azura’s artifact. Once you recover the broken star from Ilinalta’s Deep, he is the one who can turn it into the Black Star.
- Hard Answers – during the Thieves Guild storyline Enthir stays in the cellar, and he becomes a fence for you afterwards.
- Hunt and Gather – one of Wylandriah‘s lost satchels sits on the bookshelf by the east wall of the ground floor.
- A Night to Remember – Sam Guevenne can turn up here, as in any tavern, ready to start a very long night.
- Talk to Ranmir about Haran – a small errand connected to the inn’s staff.
Notable items
- The Exodus (Restoration skill book) – in the cellar among crates and sacks on the west wall; some players find it in a bucket beside the crates.
- Staff of Arcane Authority – a unique staff on the shelves in the room to the right of the bar.
- The Black Star – only through one of the quest’s paths.
- Books: The Falmer: A Study, The Arcturian Heresy and Brief History of the Empire, Book I.
Tips
The staff on the shelf is not yours, so grab it only if your Sneak is good and your conscience is flexible. Talk to Nelacar early if you are hunting Daedric artifacts – he saves you a lot of wandering. And if you have just arrived for the College entrance test, rent a room here first: the trip up the bridge is cold enough without doing it at 3 AM.
Good to know
Enthir sets up shop in the cellar specifically because the College frowns on his side business. Winterhold may be crumbling into the sea, but its black market is doing just fine.
Details checked against community wiki articles and the Skyrim game files, summarised in our own words.