An Axe to Find is a small miscellaneous quest from the Dragonborn DLC, set in the Dunmer port town of Raven Rock on Solstheim. The blacksmith Glover Mallory is fuming because old Crescius Caerellius has walked off with his Ancient Nordic Pickaxe yet again, and he would rather pay a stranger than involve the guards. It is a short errand, but it is also one of the easiest ways to get your hands on the only tool that can break stalhrim.
How to start
Talk to Glover Mallory at his forge in Raven Rock and ask him what the matter is. He complains that Crescius has taken his pickaxe and promises to pay you if you get it back. If you keep him talking, he explains why the tool matters so much:
- An Ancient Nordic Pickaxe is the only tool hard enough to crack stalhrim, and the craft of forging them has been lost.
- Glover says he got this one from the Skaal Village in the north in exchange for some goods.
- He considers stalhrim far more than an ordinary ore, has only seen a chunk or two in his life, and points you to the Skaal if you want to learn more.
He also makes it clear he prefers to settle the matter himself rather than call the guard.
Walkthrough
Find Crescius Caerellius
Crescius is either at home in Caerellius House or down in Raven Rock Mine. Be aware that if you have not already started The Final Descent, speaking to Crescius will start it for you, and there is no way to dodge it.
Ask about the pickaxe
Tell Crescius that Glover wants his pickaxe back. The old miner grumbles that a mining tool belongs to a mining family and suspects Glover stole it from the Skaal in the first place. You then have three answers:
- It doesn’t belong to you – Crescius gives in and hands over the pickaxe, with a sour wish that Glover drops it on his foot.
- Fine. You keep it – Crescius keeps the tool and suggests you simply tell Glover it was lost.
- Let me think about this – postpones the decision.
Report back to Glover
If you have the pickaxe, give it to Glover. Somewhat surprisingly, he lets you keep it: he only wanted to teach Crescius that you cannot just help yourself to other people’s things, and the tool has not been much use to him for years. If you sided with Crescius, tell Glover the pickaxe was lost. He curses the careless old man but still pays you for your effort.
Choices and consequences
- Recover the pickaxe: you end up owning Glover’s Ancient Nordic Pickaxe.
- Let Crescius keep it and lie: you receive gold based on your level instead, but you will need to buy a pickaxe from the smith in Skaal Village or find one as random loot on Solstheim before you can mine stalhrim.
- Keep it yourself: you can also simply never return the pickaxe to Glover. It stays in your inventory as a quest item, which makes it a permanently weightless pickaxe.
Rewards
- Ancient Nordic Pickaxe (if you return it to Glover)
- Or gold if you lie about the pickaxe: 250 (level 1–9), 400 (10–19), 500 (20–29), 600 (30–39), 750 (40+)
Tips and notes
- The quest title is a play on the expression ‘an axe to grind’.
- There is some irony in Glover lecturing anyone about taking other people’s property, given his close ties with the Thieves Guild.
- The pickaxe you receive here has its own unique base ID, but like other pickaxes of its kind it cannot be improved at a grindstone.
- Unless you plan to buy a pickaxe elsewhere, returning it to Glover is the quickest route to mining stalhrim for Stalhrim armor.
