Ustengrav is an ancient Nordic tomb in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The tomb is an underground area where bandits and necromancers will appear to have taken up residence. It is located directly east of Folgunthur, northeast of Morthal, and southeast of Solitude. If Hearthfire has been installed, it will also be located directly south of Windstad Manor, an added location.
History
Ustengrav is the burial site of Jurgen Windcaller, the mortal progenitor of the Way of the Voice.
Sublocations
Ustengrav Depths
Upon arriving there for the first time, one will encounter multiple bandits and necromancers fighting each other. If traveled through, a door to Ustengrav Depths will be found. The depths have leveled enemies (mostly skeletons and a few draugr), and at the base of the depths, next to a waterfall, one will find a Word Wall that will give a word of Become Ethereal shout.
In order to advance in the dungeon, one needs to solve a puzzle with three stone pillars that will glow red when walked past. As they glow, a gate ahead will open for a couple of seconds. One will need to use the Whirlwind Sprint Shout to open all three gates and pass through before they close again.
Quests
The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller
Arngeir will send the Dragonborn on a final task to retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller from Ustengrav, Jurgen Windcaller's burial site. A Dragon Soul can be gained if the horn is returned to his tomb after the quest.
Notable items
- Two small bottles of skooma just outside the main entrance (tends to respawn every ten days)
- Mystery of Talara, Book II (Restoration): in a circular room with many urns.
- There is an Arcane Enchanter in Ustengrav Depths
- Word Wall – Become Ethereal
- Leveled Spell Tome in a chest in a room behind the throne where the Horn should have been.
- Precious minerals such as gold, silver and corundum can be found surrounding the Word Wall.
Trivia
- The path will be blocked off by a cave in upon visiting Ustengrav if the quest has not been started.
- This dungeon is not clearable, and so it will not get marked or tagged "Cleared" on the map. Interior storage for this dungeon is safe as there is no respawn. The dead bandits and necromancers inside will never respawn or despawn either. Enemies outside of the dungeon usually respawn every ten days, however.
- Behind the waterfall, by the Word Wall, there is a chest guarded by a leveled draugr.
- There is a hidden room behind the small "Skeleton Court Room." (The place where one enters via a stone walkway going around a pillar). To get there, one has to jump atop the large pillars above and use the Whirlwind Sprint shout.
- There is a treasure chest at the bottom of the chamber. Standing at the Word Wall and facing due south is a ramp leading to the chest. Follow the ramp up and to the right. Against the wall is another small ramp. From there, one will see a small lighted chamber with the chest and a couple of potions.
- There is a hidden crypt containing a chest in a small room. To reach the room, go down some stairs and take a right just before a long narrow room, which contains three recessed draugr sarcophagi on the right, and a single bridge crossing above. The crypt can be accessed via a chain above a few candles, left to a table covered with gold.
- When Delphine visited Ustengrav to take the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, she appears to have taken a shortcut to its location, as the door to the chamber is covered by intact spider webs.
- When the quest "The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller" has been started, if one is sneaking and undetected, a conversation between two necromancers can be listened to in the first room:
Male necromancer: "These thralls of yours are slower than Argonians in a blizzard."
Female necromancer: "Feel free to take a pick and help them out. I prefer not to suffer myself of manual labor."
Male necromancer: "There goes another one."
Female necromancer: "Bah! Weak-willed rabble. Even in death they're almost useless."
Male necromancer: "They seem less intelligent each time you raise them. Its impossible."
Female necromancer: "As long as they can swing a pickaxe when you tell them, they're as smart as we need them to be."
Male necromancer: "You hear that? Those ones must have found something."
Female necromancer: "We'd better go see. These can tend to themselves for a few minutes."