Skyrim:Ilinalta's Deep

Military Fort: Ilinalta's Deep (view on map) (lore page)
# of Zones	2
Clearable	Yes
Dungeon	Yes
Respawn Time	10 days or 30 days
Level	Min: 8
Occupants
Necromancers, Skeletons
Important Treasure
Breathing Water A Tragedy in Black The Doors of Oblivion Azura's Star Malyn Varen's Grimoire Soul SplitCC
Console Location Code(s)
IlinaltasDeep01, IlinaltasDeep02
Region
Falkreath Hold
Location
On the northwest shore of Lake Ilinalta
Special Features
# of Alchemy Labs	1
# of Arcane Enchanters	1
# of Cooking Pots/Spits	1

Entrance to Ilinalta's Deep

Ilinalta's Deep is a medium-sized fort on the shore of Lake Ilinalta that mysteriously collapsed. It is located on the northern banks of the western side of the lake, within viewing distance of the Lady Stone. It has two interior zones: Ilinalta's Deep and Ilinalta's Deluge.

In the entrance, you will find a shackled skeleton; the knapsack at its feet contains a fisherman's journal that reads: "Folks say it's cursed. Whole Imperial Fort just sank into the water one day, and they say the ruins have been haunted since."

Related Quests

• The Black Star: Help find and repair Azura's Star.
• Arniel's Endeavor: Uncover an ancient Dwemer secret. (radiant)

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

Walkthrough

Exterior

This is a partially sunken fort, with only one tower and a few stretches of wall still visible. The entrance is through a trapdoor on top of part of a wall. There are several mudcrabs on either side along the lake shore. There is also an iron ore vein, a silver ore vein and a corundum ore vein nearby to the northeast and east. A short distance east of the fort is the entrance to South Brittleshin Pass. A short distance to the north is an unlocked chest.

Ilinalta's Deep

Welcome to Ilinalta's Deep

The library

When entering, you will see a shackled skeleton with a knapsack at its feet. Past the shackled skeleton, you will find a larger room with a balcony ahead that is, for the time being, out of reach. The only passage available to you, on the left, leads to a small library. A necromancer is found sitting at a table, with a companion skeleton. If he detects you, the necromancer will call for support from the next room, and a few more necromancers will join the fight. There are four bookcases around the room holding fourteen common books, five bottles of wine, a salt pile, a bowl of bone meal, and two sacks of food. On the table the necromancer was sitting at is a random potion of healing, a random potion of magicka, a random potion of extra magicka, an iron dagger, four soul gem fragments, and a rare human heart. Next to the western two bookcases, there is a table with a soul gem holder containing two more soul gem fragments. The adjoining room is a dining room, with several long wooden tables joined in a horseshoe laid with two salmon steaks, two baked potatoes, two rock warbler eggs, and a vase with a snowberry bush growing from it. Large fireplaces are at either end of the room. Opposite the entrance is another door leading to a kitchen area guarded by a skeleton. There is a pot hanging over a fireplace to the right, and counters against the walls around the room. On the counters are two raw rabbit legs, a charred skeever hide, a potion of regeneration, a potion of health, a random potion of waterbreathing, a random potion of stamina, a loaf of bread, and a pheasant. There are two racks hanging from the ceiling holding a garlic braid, a bunch of dried elves ear, and a rabbit, as well as two food barrels in the southern corner.

Continue through the halls beyond a closed wooden door to the right of the kitchen, and you will soon find yourself in a flooded room, where a skeleton and a necromancer will be ready to summon a wolf if you are detected. There is an unlocked chest along the wall on the dry side of the room, while beside the chest is a cupboard holding a bowl of troll fat. If you dive into the flooded part and swim down a stairway to the north, you will find a submerged bedroom, with a second chest and a copy of the Alteration skill book Breathing Water floating near the room's ceiling on the left as you swim into the room. Back above water, there is a door on the far side of the room heading east. The next room is guarded by a single skeleton, and contains three unowned single beds that have been jumbled together. In the northwestern corner is a large collection of kettles with a random sword among them. A passage leads farther to the east.

Crafting station

At the end, the passage turns to the south and opens into a room with an alchemy lab and an arcane enchanter. There may be a pair of necromancers present as well; fighting the mages may alert two skeletons and a leveled necromancer (who might raise a bandit to assist) from the rooms ahead. On the left is a set of shelves holding a common book, a random empty soul gem, a random potion of magicka, and a bowl. Beside the shelves is a long wooden table, where one of the necromancers was sitting. On the table is a copy of the Enchanting skill book A Tragedy in Black, a horker tusk, three soul gem fragments, a random empty soul gem, and a random potion of magicka. There is an apprentice-locked door on the west wall, and an unlocked door opposite on the east wall. Behind the apprentice-locked door is a room with an unlocked chest, four beds, and a dresser holding three potions. Behind the unlocked door is a room with two beds and a dresser holding two potions. To the left of the apprentice-locked door is the alchemy lab. Farther along the west wall is a cupboard with an apothecary's satchel, a bowl of frost salts, and a bowl of fire salts on a shelf. Beside this cupboard is the arcane enchanter. In the southeastern corner is a bookcase holding four common books, a copy of The Aetherium Wars^DG, a sprig of snowberries, a bunch of lavender, and a random potion of magicka. To the right of this bookcase is a passage heading south. With Necromantic Grimoire Creation installed, a Soul Split spell tome will be on the arcane enchanter.

A necromancer

The passage turns to the west before entering a room on your right, with a small table holding a bottle of wine in front of the entrance. The room is split down the middle by water, with a bridge against the western wall. If the previous battle didn't alert the master level necromancer and two skeletons from this room, the bridge will be raised. There is a set of shelves holding two random potions of extra magicka on the right, while around to the left in the southwestern corner are two sets of shelves holding clutter, with five loose pieces of firewood and a woodcutter's axe between them. On the far side of the bridge is an altar holding a skeleton, a random dagger, and a random filled soul gem. To the left is the boss chest and a chain to lower the bridge. If the bridge is raised, you will need to swim across the water to reach this chain. Under the water are two skeletons that can be looted for a few septims, and an adept-locked door to the east opening to an alcove containing a set of shelves holding a random potion of healing, a random potion of magicka, a small coin purse, and two loose septims. There is also an unlocked chest in front of the shelves. In the northwestern corner of the room is a wooden door leading to a passage heading west before turning to the south.

At the end of the passage is a cupboard with various human bones on the shelves, while the passage staggers to the right. An apprentice-locked wooden door on the west wall opens into a storeroom, which features two barrels of ingredients and two sets of shelves holding a random potion of healing, a random potion of magicka, and a random potion. The passage continues south to a flight of stairs leading up. At the top, the passage turns to the west and ascends a second flight of stairs to a wooden door barred on this side. Through the door is the balcony seen in the second room at the start. To your left, a pillar has now fallen over, affording easy access to the exit. On the balcony are three empty sets of shelves and an empty long wooden table. There is a wooden door down a short passage to the north, with a stream running from beneath the door to drop into the room below as a waterfall. The door leads to Ilinalta's Deluge. This passage way will be blocked by a large boulder if you have not yet started the quest to find Azura's Star.

Ilinalta's Deluge

Ilinalta's Deep

Through the door is a passage that takes a few turns and descends a flight of stairs before opening into a large room. As you approach, you will hear two necromancers discussing a failed experiment and the requirement to find someone to sacrifice; they are both sitting at a table opposite where you enter the room. There is a wooden table on your right as you enter, with a bottle of Nord mead on top. A copy of the Conjuration skill book The Doors of Oblivion can be found on the table where the necromancers were sitting. Additionally, the two tables at the rear of the room hold a total of eleven soul gem fragments, and each has a random soul gem—one empty and one filled—as well as a random potion of magicka on top. Between the tables is a cupboard holding a random empty soul gem and three common books. There are also two barrels of ingredients and two dressers in the room. In the northwest corner is an unlocked chest. To the west is a passage, and to the east a door opens to a storage room that contains three sets of shelves; one contains three random potions of healing, magicka, or stamina, one contains two random healing potions, and the third contains seven common books.

Malyn Varen's skeleton

The corridor to the west turns to the north and descends a flight of stairs to an unlocked door. The next hallway is patrolled by a leveled necromancer and a skeleton, and contains six empty prison cells, four of which have adept locks. The following room contains another leveled necromancer, and is shallowly flooded. The necromancer will raise a few skeletons to aid him as soon as he is alerted to your presence. The room features a raised area the necromancers have been using for sacrifices; several broken skeletons are scattered about that can be looted for gold and bone meal. Curving stairwells lead up to the left towards the next room, and down to the right deeper into the water. At the bottom of the water are two more lootable skeletons. The final room contains Malyn Varen's skeleton, Azura's Star, Malyn Varen's Grimoire, several lootable skeletons, and a chest, along with a ladder that leads outside to the top of the mostly intact tower in the lake.

Bugs

• Even after starting the quest The Black Star, the path to Ilinalta's Deluge and Azura's Star may be blocked by a large boulder. Exit and reenter the dungeon and the boulder should disappear, allowing access to the door beyond.
• The entrance hatch to Ilinalta's Deep may be missing (i.e., your quest arrow points to stone).
  • A possible fix is to fast travel to another map marker (such as Fort Greymoor), then fast travel back to Ilinalta's Deep. The entrance will be accessible this time.
  • Despite the hatch not being present, you still might be able to interact with the spot where the hatch would be to enter Ilinalta's Deep (i.e., where your quest arrow points). Going back out may then cause the entrance to properly appear.