Skyrim:Nilheim

Nordic Tower: Nilheim (view on map)
Clearable	Yes
Dungeon	Yes
Respawn Time	Never (storage is safe)
Level	Min: 6
Occupants
Bandits
Console Location Code(s)
NilheimExterior01, NilheimExterior02, NilheimExterior03
Region
The Rift
Location
East-northeast of Ivarstead Northwest of Sarethi Farm
Special Features
# of Wood Chopping Blocks	1

Nilheim

Nilheim is a small ruined Nordic tower east-northeast of Ivarstead containing bandits disguised as guards.

Related Quests

• Telrav's Request: Escort Telrav back to his camp in Nilheim.

• This location is one of many potential targets for one or more of the Radiant quests.

Walkthrough

Nilheim's deceit

If you do not first speak to Telrav, the occupants are disguised as guards and are non-hostile. You can loot everything in the tower without any of them caring.

If you do speak to Telrav and initiate his quest to return him to his camp, all of these "friendly" guards are revealed to be bandits. Killing Telrav unprovoked without initiating the quest results in the guards being hostile when you approach. After speaking to Telrav, he will lead you across the bridge and up several flights of stairs until you reach the main camp. At this point he will reveal his true colors and attack along with the bandits in the main camp. Once they are dealt with there may still be one of the imitation guards on the second floor of the tower. He will be hostile when you approach.

Nilheim camp

The main camp consists of a campfire with three long wooden tables and benches arranged around it. One of these has a steel battleaxe, an iron dagger, a small coin purse, three loose septims, an apothecary's satchel, and a sack of food on top, the next has an unlocked chest beside it, and the third has two seared slaughterfish and two samples of slaughterfish scales on top and three food barrels beside it with a leather strip on one of these. To the north of the fire is a wood chopping block.

More stairs rise to the southwest; at the top is a ruined wall and to the right of this is a stone bridge crossing to the tower. Inside, there is a dresser opposite the door with a steel sword on top. Stairs lead from here to a wooden ramp that takes you up to the next floor, where you may find a hostile imitation guard. There is a table next to the entrance with a leveled war axe, a large coin purse, an empty random soul gem, and a leveled potion of lasting potency on top and several food sacks underneath. Farther into the room are three unowned bedrolls around an extinguished fire and several barrels and sacks of food. There are wooden stairs up with a wardrobe underneath.

The top of the tower has an unlocked chest as well as an awe-inspiring view of southeast Skyrim. On a clear day, one can see the entire Jerall Mountains that surround southeastern Skyrim, and to the north one can see farther than Windhelm. To the west the view is blocked by the Throat of the World, and Northwind Summit to the east.

There are two unnamed bodies, an Imperial and a Breton, thrown among the rocks at the base of the tower to the north. Farther down the slope on the rock cliff is the body of a bandit.

Notes

• Though the bandits are named after the standard "Bandit", they'll be stronger than the usual bandits, but won't level and be named (for example, "Bandit Marauder", "Bandit Thug").
• There is an iron ore vein a few paces to the south of the south end of the bridge to the tower.

Bugs

• When the bandits are disguised as guards, they may not be hostile even if you approach as a werewolf.
• When the bandits are disguised as guards, they are only friendly toward you, but not toward your horse or followers. They will attack and even kill your horse if you ride it to Nilheim.
• If a radiant quest sends you here after you have cleared the tower, it will be impossible to complete.
  • Reload a previous save and obtain a different location for the quest.
  • Alternatively, enter the following commands in the console to resurrect the bandit chief of the tower and teleport him to you: prid 72a8d, resurrect and then moveto player.
• If you attack Telrav to make him hostile before the quest marker, but don't kill him, the guards will only watch and Telrav will not attack you.