Angarvunde is a large temple ruin, deep in the Rift's southwestern mountains, far west of Riften.
Walkthrough
An abandoned camp lies just outside Angarvunde’s cavelike entrance. An informative journal of Medresi Dran is on the table, as well as a skill book for Speech, A Dance in Fire, Book VII.
Upon entering the ruins, there will be a narrow passage leading southwest. A short walk later, Medresi Dran is encountered, who will ask for help. Agreeing to help will start the miscellaneous quest Destroy the Draugr in Angarvunde.
Wooden ramps lead down to a passageway to the southeast. The path turns right (southwest) and leads to a doorway to a small room containing many urns, most of which are broken. A path continues southwest, leading through a doorway to a larger inner chamber defended by three leveled draugr. After killing these enemies, further progress is blocked by several gates and two locked doors.
Returning to Medresi Dran, she will share the needed key, or it can be pickpocketed off of her if not wanting to help her. Now it is possible to go one of two ways: the southeastern door leads to the Angarvunde Catacombs, while the northwestern door leads to the Angarvunde Ruins.
- After heading through the Ruins, the key will open the first gate needed to advance further into Angarvunde. See the section on the Ruins below. When entering back into Angarvunde itself, a lever, when activated, will open one spear gate (the one to the northeast).
- To open the second gate, it is necessary to head through the Catacombs. See the section on the Catacombs below for more details. Pulling the second lever (found just after reentering Angarvunde) opens the second gate on the way to the treasure.
When Medresi Dran runs to get the treasure, she runs onto a round platform that raises up and kills her with spikes hanging from the ceiling. Inside the round platform, a long spiral staircase leads down to a hallway. The word of power for Animal Allegiance and a chest are at the far end of the hall.
Sublocations
Angarvunde Ruins
Angarvunde Ruins begins in a hallway. After coming down a few flights of stairs there will be a pressure plate trap that, when activated, swings blades. Avoid it and enter a room that has a draugr. There are two closed spear gates (on the northeast and southwest sides of the room) and an iron door (also to the northeast) that has two burial urns behind it. There is a table with the Illusion skill book: Before the Ages of Man. There is also an easily missed novice-locked chest behind the table. Through the open doorway to the northwest is a large, multi-level room protected by two draugrs. Across the broken bridge on the upper level is a stand with a pressure plate on it. Removing the item makes spears come out of the wall.
Through the doorway to the southwest is a hallway patrolled by a draugr. The hallway eventually leads to a set of steps up to the northeast, which led to the first small room behind the spear gate. Flipping the lever on the column between the two gates lowers the spears and allows access to a novice-locked chest. Through the other opened gate, the spear gate to the northeast is now open. Down two flights of stairs is another Draugr patrolling a hallway that leads northwest, with a pressure plate on the floor that drops a battering ram trap; this trap kills draugr instantly, so it can be used as an advantage.
After taking care of it, there is another one also patrolling past a right-hand jog in the hallway. Beyond that, the path turns right (northeast) and leads to a large room with two more draugr who appear from their coffins and another one on top on a catwalk. After taking care of these enemies there is a chest to the right of the door through which the room was entered, and a few potions that can be looted on the table by the coffins. Up the log ramp against the northeast wall is a catwalk to the left. Across the catwalk, up the stairs, across another catwalk (to the southeast) and down more stairs is a hallway patrolled by one more draugr. On the right (southwest) side is an alcove with gold on a table. Up the stairs to the right is the door back into Angarvunde.
Angarvunde Catacombs
Upon entering the door to the catacombs, there are stairs leading down to southeast. At the bottom is a hallway that leads to rough passages to the southeast, then turning right (southwest). A spiral set of steps leads down, but does not reach all the way to the floor. After taking the final step off the stairs, a draugr will enter the room. A hallway leads down stairs to the northwest, then turns right (northeast). Halfway down the hallway on the left is a staircase that leads up to a chest that is trapped. The main hallway turns left (northwest), where another draugr awaits. Continuing on, the hallway turns right, then leads to a room with a draugr resting in its hole. The path continues down stairs to the left (northwest), where another draugr awaits. At the bottom of the stairs are more resting draugr and a novice-locked chest.
The path turns right (northeast) to a large room with another draugr. The next room holds another enemy and another chest hidden on the other side of the pillar. Through the door to the northwest is a small room, and then stairs lead up to the right (northeast). However, hidden under some roots halfway up the stairs is a pressure plate which shoots arrows up from the floor on the staircase. There will be another staircase to the right (southeast) and another pressure plate exactly like the first one, as well as an enemy at the top in the doorway.
Beyond that is a vegetated area with two more draugr. There are several more stairs to climb, with sleeping draugr in the room at the top of each one. After defeating the rest of the sleeping enemies, there will be the final set of stairs, which leads to a door heading back into Angarvunde. Just before the door, on the left, is a table with the book Wraith's Wedding Dowry.
Quests
Medresi Dran and the Wandering Dead
Medresi Dran will speak to the Dragonborn when approached. It is possible to help her which will start the miscellaneous quest Medresi Dran and the Wandering Dead. If chosen not to follow this quest, the Angarvunde Key may be pickpocketed or looted from her corpse. Looting the key starts the quest Discover the Treasure of Angarvunde.
Find the Source of Power in Angarvunde
After using a dragon shout, a Letter from a Friend may be delivered by a courier.
Notable Items
- Illusion Skill Book: Before the Ages of Man
- Speech Skill Book: A Dance in Fire, Book VII
- Broken Steel Sword Handle.
- One Corundum Ore Vein.
- Black Soul Gems.
- Book: Wraith's Wedding Dowry
- Word Wall: Animal Allegiance
Facilities
- Cooking pot - in the camp outside the entrance
Trivia
- To open the gate in the central chamber, it is necessary to go through both the ruins and catacombs and open all the spike gates that lead into the main chamber. Once this is done, the main gate will open.
- There is a Lord of the Rings easter egg in the spike trap room where Medresi is killed; it is an opened chest, containing a broken sword, a gold ring (sometimes a coin purse) and a severed hand. This is a reference to Narsil, the Sword That Was Broken, which was used by Isildur to cut the Ring of Power from Sauron's hand.
- The vegetated area in the Catacombs has four of the biggest Canis Roots in all of Skyrim.
- It is possible to save Medresi by using Unrelenting Force as she gets on the platform, but she will die anyway.
- An abandoned camp outside Angarvunde’s entrance is marked as an unmarked location 9.H (Medresi's Camp: Angarvunde) at Skyrim official map guide.
Bugs
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This section contains bugs related to Angarvunde. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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- If the undead in the main hall are killed and the outlying passages explored before returning to speak with Medresi Dran, the quest will not update until both gates are open even though it still says to speak with her. Once both gates, are open the quest will advance normally upon speaking with her. Alternatively, she can also be killed and the quest will continue.
- If the Dragonborn pickpockets the key from Medresi and opens the gates before talking to her, she will not realize the gates have been opened. To fix this, the player must talk to her to so that she gives the player the key again, then exit the chamber, reenter, and close and reopen the outer gate. This process must be repeated twice, once for each gate. You have the option of killing Medresi instead, which will raise the staircase and allow you to progress.