Skyrim:Darkshade

Cave: Darkshade (view on map)
# of Zones	1
Clearable	Yes
Dungeon	Yes
Respawn Time	10 days or 30 days
Level	Min: 6
Occupants
Trolls
Important Treasure
Orsinium and the Orcs
Console Location Code(s)
DarkshadeExterior01, DarkshadeExterior02, Darkshade01
Region
Falkreath Hold (see bugs)
Location
East of Whiterun North of Hillgrund's Tomb
Special Features
# of Fishing SuppliesCC	1
Ore Veins
# of Gold	3

Darkshade

Darkshade is a small cave east of Whiterun containing trolls. It contains only one zone, Darkshade.

Related Quests

• Animal Extermination: Fulfill a contract given to the Companions to clear out a beast den. (radiant)
• Dungeon Delving: Do a favor by retrieving an item from a cave. (radiant)

Walkthrough

Exterior

The entrance to Darkshade is easily spotted due to it being on the bank of the White River near the base of the waterfall east of Valtheim Towers. A collapsed wooden platform is just to the right of the entrance. The cave appears to have been either a bandit lair or a mine before being attacked by the trolls who now inhabit the cavern. The corpses of a bandit and a Nord lie in front of the entrance. A gold ore vein and a fallen tree with a second dead Nord leaning against it are to the right of the entrance. The tree stump slightly farther along the bank has a patch of mora tapinella growing on it. There is also a patch each of blue and red mountain flowers on a small island in the middle of the river opposite the entrance.

Darkshade

Darkshade interior

The entrance leads into a short tunnel, which takes a couple of turns and has gory humanoid remains scattered along its length before opening out into a chamber which contains what was once a campsite with a troll lurking about. There is a pickaxe and a fur cuirass on the ground, on the left as you enter the chamber. Immediately on your left when entering this chamber is a collapsed table, with an iron sword, an iron greatsword, a bowl of bone meal, three food sacks, and a knapsack concealed by a fern, that all seem to have fallen from it. The chamber is overrun with flora, but little that can be harvested. There are four unowned bedrolls on the ground and on the right is an earthen ramp leading up and around to a ledge behind some broken wooden scaffolding. There is a gold ore vein on the rear wall (see bugs), another pickaxe on the ground, near a tree stump, which has a patch of mora tapinella growing on it. By the broken scaffold is a broken table with an empty strongbox, a thistle, a sheaf of wheat, and a bottle of wine on top. A dead Argonian can be found lying under an evergreen tree, with a passage heading north to the left of it. To the southwest is another fur cuirass, a pair of fur shoes, a deer hide, and six food sacks scattered among humanoid detritus. High on the wall is a small ledge, which you can use as a shortcut back to the exit.

After a few paces the passage turns to the east, there is an iron mace by a lit lantern on the ground. There is another troll roaming the next chamber, which contains a gold ore vein on a raised section to the northeast. There is a dead Wood Elf to the west under another ledge with an earthen ramp leading up to it. The cave system continues to the north and after another short passage opens out into another chamber. It contains two trolls, one wandering up and down a series of ramps on your right and the other backwards and forwards along the far side of a stream bank to the left. The stream is formed by a waterfall falling down the cavern wall to the west. Climbing the ramps on the east side of the cavern leads to another narrow passage and a small chamber containing a dead goat, a dead bandit, and a novice-locked chest covered in blood.

Returning to the larger chamber, the stream forms a pool at this end, which appears empty, with paths along both banks. The northern bank has several piles of firewood, one of which has a woodcutter's axe on top. With the Fishing Creation installed, some Fishing Supplies can be found here; fish from Underground waters can be caught here. On the left of this path is a huge tree stump with a patch of mora tapinella growing on it. Just beyond this are some support beams and an old extinguished campfire. The second of the trolls will be found in this area. There is a round wooden table holding a gourd and a dead rabbit, with two baskets on the ground nearby; one holds two fillets of horker meat. Beyond these is an unowned bedroll with an iron mace beside it, as well as a copy of the Heavy Armor skill book Orsinium and the Orcs and a gold ore vein also on the ground nearby. There is an empty ledge along the north wall that can be reached via rocks to the right of the waterfall.

The southern bank of the stream has an overturned cart that contained a pickaxe and an iron dagger, among several shovels. There is another ledge along part of the southern wall with only a broken tree trunk and an empty brazier stand on top. To the left of the waterfall is a dead bandit with a random potion of healing and an iron warhammer beside him and a bear trap hidden in the vegetation. There is a passage heading south, which has a small coin purse on the ground along it. This leads to a final chamber containing one more troll. Opposite to the south is a ledge with a passage heading away. In front of this is a dead elk and a dead Redguard. This chamber is full of many bones and skulls from humanoids, mammoths, and other animals. By the start of the ramp leading up to the ledge is a dead Dark Elf. At the top, to the right of the passage, is an unlocked boss chest, with five loose coins on the ground around it.

Notes

• The world map refers to this location as "Darkshade", but the local map and entries in your journal refer to it as "Darkshade Copse".

Bugs

• Although Darkshade is geographically located within the borders of Eastmarch, in the game data it is identified as being within Falkreath Hold.
  • The Unofficial Skyrim Patch, version 1.2.2, fixes this bug.
• You may not be able to mine the exterior gold ore vein.
  • The Unofficial Skyrim Patch, version 1.0, fixes this bug.
• You may not be able to mine the gold ore vein in the first chamber, even after leaving and re-entering the cave.
  • The Unofficial Skyrim Patch, version 1.0, fixes this bug.

Maps

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  Darkshade