Dragonborn:Kolbjorn Barrow

Nordic Ruin: Kolbjorn Barrow (view on map) (lore page)
# of Zones	1
Clearable	Yes
Dungeon	Yes
Respawn Time	Never (storage is safe)
Level	Min: 30
Occupants
Ahzidal, Albino Spiders, Draugr, Poison Spiders
Important Treasure
Ahzidal's Mask, Armor, Boots, Gauntlets, Helm and rings
Console Location Code(s)
DLC2KolbjornBarrow01, DLC2KolbjornBarrowExterior01
Region
Solstheim
Location
Southeast of Raven Rock
Special Features
Word Wall	Cyclone
# of Emerald Geodes	1
# of Stalhrim Deposits	2

Ficheiro:DB-place-Kolbjorn Barrow.jpg

Kolbjorn Barrow

Kolbjorn Barrow is a Nordic ruin southeast of Raven Rock containing draugr. The entrance is initially buried, and the ruin cannot be entered until part of it has been excavated during the quest Unearthed.

Ficheiro:DB-place-Kolbjorn Barrow 02.jpg

The excavation camp

For historical information about Kolbjorn Barrow, see the lore article.

Related Quests

• Unearthed: Assist Ralis Sedarys in his search for the relics of Ahzidal in Kolbjorn Barrow.
• Black Book: Filament and Filigree: Learn the Black Book's hidden knowledge.

Walkthrough

Exterior (Visit by chance or because of a rumor) Ficheiro:DB-npc-Ralis Sedarys 02.jpg Ralis Sedarys When you first arrive at the site you will find Ralis Sedarys busy working away with a pickaxe in the middle of some stone arches. The top of a Nordic barrow just visible around the edges with a hay pile right there in the middle of the dig, beside it is a pickaxe and The Journal of Ralis Sedarys - Volume 19-taking this and each future journal is not counted as theft and they will disappear if not taken while you are there each visit. Talking with him will prompt him to explain that he is on a dig for some antiquities for a financier, but he doesn't have the funds to hire miners to excavate the site as he gets nothing until delivery. He's looking for a donation of 1,000 septims for a share of the treasure. Once you pay the gold he will say that he will manage the dig if you can manage the gold and that he will send word to you once progress has been made-see the relevant quest page for more details. In the immediate vicinity there are five scathecraw and five trama root plants and to the east-southeast is a heart stone deposit.

Exterior (Visit after first letter, during Unearthed quest) Ficheiro:DB-quest-Unearthed 07.jpg Ralis Sedarys Upon receiving a letter from Ralis Sedarys asking you to return as they have run into some difficulty. You will find that to the southeast of the barrow two small and one large tents have been erected with a bench outside the large tent and a campfire lit in front of them. All three tents have hay piles inside for sleeping on. On the bench you will find volume 20 of his journal. To the left of the tent is a large table with a map of Solstheim and various pots, plates, and bowls etc on top. There is also a copy of Ahzidal's descent. To the left of the table is an open chest with a few more minor artifacts. The small tent furthest from the large tent has a knapsack just inside. The inside of the barrow edge now has a series of wooden ramps down to the entrance. On the wooden structure are two crates and a sack with a pickaxe on one of the crates. There is an empty cart at the bottom, to the right of the iron door which is the entrance. Ralis will explain that the dig has disturbed some of the draugr and that he thinks all the hired miners are dead. He requests you go and deal with the draugr and also to see if you can find a way to proceed as he's stuck.

Kolbjorn Barrow (Visit after first letter, during Unearthed quest) Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow.jpg Kolbjorn Barrow Upon entering you are on a short flight of stairs leading down to the northwest and staggered to the left, past a large urn. You will hear a draugr wandering nearby-Deal with it as you go, you will pass a small stone table on your left with a pickaxe on top. The tunnel twists and turns but is linear. You will come to the top of a flight of stairs down with lit a lit brazier on each side of you. There is a leveled draugr stood behind a stone table in the middle of a room in front of you and a dead miner at the top of the stairs beside you. There are a total of six draugr in this room including the one standing behind the table when you entered. Any fighting in this room will alert the remainder who are slumbering in alcoves around the room. At the bottom of the stairs there are raised areas on either side of you and another dead miner just before the stone table. On the table is a third dead miner, a pickaxe and a skull on a weight sensitive plate, if it has been knocked off you will need to activate the plate again before the way forward will open. The skull itself is unique as it has been engraved and is worth 50 gold instead of the normal 5 gold. To the left of the stone table as you enter is a bowl on the floor. Behind the table there are two more raised areas with lower paths between each. In the eastern corner of the raised area on you right as you enter is a random sword among some rubble. On the raised area on your left is a broken large urn containing two empty petty soul gems and one empty random soul gem. On the rear raised area on your left is a burial urn and an adept locked chest, right in the western corner in an alcove with a skeleton is a random shield. The rear right raised area has a random helmet by another alcove. There are stairs leading up to each of the raised areas. Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow 02.jpg Ahzidal's Boots Upon taking the skull a rotating door at the rear of the room will spin and open revealing another room with a plinth in front of you. On the plinth are Ahzidal's Boots of Waterwalking. The room is in a shambles with pillars knocked down or damaged and the ceiling sagging, not to mention that it is nearly full of ash. Upon collecting the boots you need to return to Ralis who will ask for 2,000 gold this time to hire new miners to continue.

Exterior (Visit after second letter) Ficheiro:DB-quest-Unearthed 02.jpg Kolbjorn Barrow camp Once you receive the second letter from Ralis asking you to come straight away. Upon your return you will find that there are now two additional small tents opposite the first two across the fire, there is a random sword and sack in one of them. You will find The Journal of Ralis Sedarys - Volume 21 is on the bench in front of the large tent and there is an iron dagger just inside the large tent. Ralis himself will be poring over the map on the table again. There is an unlit brazier to the right of the map table and urns either side of the open chest. There is more bowls, cups, plate, etc on the table as well and also two extra sacks and extra crates on the wooden ramp on the way down to the entrance. Ralis will comment that you both should have expected more draugr in a crypt. He will complain that at least six of the miners are dead and the rest ran off, he suggests that you've had some luck previously dealing with the draugr and could you deal with them again and also search for the missing miners.

Kolbjorn Barrow (Visit after second letter) Through the entrance door you will find that there is now a second path to the right that descends a couple of steps and end with a novice locked chest. Back the other way and you will find a dead miner at the top of the stairs by the large urn. As you descend into the room, the site of the previous battle with draugr you will hear at least one draugr breathing, using the Aura Whisper dragon shout will show there to be four stood, one on each of the raised areas with two more slumbering in alcoves. Once they are taken care of you will find the eastern corner has been dug out revealing an unlocked chest in an alcove. There is also a dead miner on this raised section. A third dead miner is just in front of the doorway into the next room that was previously full of ash. Now there is a broken walkway ahead with a leveled draugr stood by a pillar. to the right of the pillar is a dead miner with another off to the left on the ground. The room has been partially dug out and as you approach the pillar you will hear the sounds for a word wall. To the northwest there is a doorway into catacombs with yet another dead miner just in front of it. Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow 03.jpg Kolbjorn Barrow There are two draugr in alcoves in the first room of the catacombs, one immediately on your left as you enter and the other diagonally opposite. Any attacks, even sneak attacks on these will alert a third draugr who will coming running from the next room, this one is a magic user. Once they have been dealt with you will see one of the missing miners, Bradyn dead to the west. He will be laying against a broken table. To his left is a random war axe. Into the second room in the catacombs and you will see a chain in front of you with rotating doors to either side. You can hear another draugr nearby. The chain activates the rotating door to the northeast. There is a leveled draugr in this room and another chain in an alcove with a bowl and two goblets underneath. There are two more rotating doors, to the northeast and southeast. This pull chain opens the other rotating door in the first room to the southwest, there is another draugr behind this door. In the corridor to the next room is a leveled greatsword.-(see bugs). Climb the stairs to enter the room, but be careful as there is a tripwire that triggers a battering ram and there is a spellcaster trap in the room on the left, to the southeast. To the northwest there is an upright sarcophagus that is still partially buried in rubble and ash, while ahead is a lit brazier with a burial urn beside it-(see bugs). There is a pressure plate between this room and the room with the spellcaster trap, it activates a battering ram in the first room and the spellcaster trap that shoots a firebolt at you, The spellcaster trap uses a filled common soul gem and there are two other random, filled soul gems in the alcove with it. In the spellcaster trap room is a lowered gate blocking stairs up to the northeast. There are four handles to the right of the gate. The third handle down triggers a poison dart trap across in front of the gates. To open the gate pull the 2nd handle from the top and then the bottom handle as there are actually three gates in a row. Ficheiro:DB-quest-Unearthed 03.jpg Mireli Through the gates, as you pass the last one it will drop trapping you and four draugr will converge on you. Once they have all been killed both the gate back and also a gate to the southeast will open. In the center of this room is the body of Mireli, other second missing miner. To the northwest is a dead end with a random battle-axe high up amongst some rocks or on the ground. To the northeast a short corridor with five loose coin and a filled petty soul gem on your right on a shelf. On the back side of the shelf is a handle. The handle operates a rotating door behind you to the northeast, it open to reveal a small room with a plinth. On the plinth is Ahzidal's Ring of Necromancy. Back to the room with Mireli and take the doorway to the southeast provides a shortcut back to the partially ash filled room near the beginning.

Exterior (Visit after third letter) Ficheiro:DB-quest-Unearthed 04.jpg Kolbjorn Barrow Once you receive the third letter from Ralis asking you to return to the barrow. Upon your return Ralis will be found wandering around near the map table again. He will tell a similar story as last time: that there are yet more draugr, and that this time they have killed all the mercenaries that he hired. He'll ask you to "make the draugr good and dead again." Around the barrow there have been more improvements.Inside the large tent is now a small table and chair holding The Journal of Ralis Sedarys - Volume 22 and a cooked beef on a wooden plate. There is a large sack under the table. You can now fully enter this tent and at the back is a single bed, with an unlocked chest beside it. There are also two crates, three more sacks and a pile of firewood stacked inside the tent. Ficheiro:DB-quest-Unearthed 05.jpg Kolbjorn Barrow On the map table are more pots, plates, bowls etc and also an urn. Two barrels are to the right of the table. To the left, behind a bench is a second camp fire with four more small tents around it. The tent second to the left of the large tent has a random helmet in and all the small tents have hay piles for beds. There are two miners that are also wandering around the camp complaining that the mercenaries weren't worth much.

Kolbjorn Barrow (Visit after third letter) Once through the entrance you find that there are two draugr, one either side of the first junction, the path to the right that previously ended with the chest now links up with the other path and continues into the first large room, the site of the first battle with the draugr. There is one leveled draugr in the doorway opposite and as soon as you step into the room he will rush forward towards you, even if you are sneaking and completely hidden. Once he is taken care of, if you used the Aura Whisper shout you will find that there are no more draugr in this room, however you will see plenty of "hot spots" ahead. Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow 04.jpg Dead Kolbjorn guard To the right of the doorway into the next chamber is a Kolbjorn Guard, dead and surrounded by blood splatters. Through the doorway you enter the second chamber that was previously nearly full of ash, but has now been dug out and wooden ramps installed to get down to the lower level, you can hear the word wall music. There is a second dead guard on the wooden bridge that crosses to the stone pillar ahead. Behind the pillar is the shortcut out taken the last time you cleared it of draugr. There is a draugr stood just back from the doorway. Once this one is dealt with turn to the southwest and descend the stairs in the next area there is a dead miner and there is an expert door in front of you and a path to your right. Ficheiro:DB-quest-Unearthed 06.jpg Albino spiders Through the iron door you can hear spiders moving about. Upon opening it you will be faced by up to four spiders, two albino, one flame cloaked, and one poisonous cloaked spider. Once they are dealt with the room contains an albino spider pod on your left with a set of shelves to the right of it. On the shelves are two petty soul gems, one empty, one filled, an urn, a leveled potion of healing and a random poison. In front of you is an expert trapped chest that activates a spear trap from the ground in front of you, stepping back as soon as you empty the chest avoids any damage. On your right is an emerald geode and further to the right a damaged albino spider pod. There is also a random sword on the floor. Turning to the right there is a previously buried upright sarcophagus opposite, that will burst open and a leveled draugr will attack. After dealing with it the path turns to the northeast and descends a few more steps. At the next junction the path splits, continuing to the northeast and to the southeast. Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow 06.jpg Ahzidal's gauntlets Turning to the southeast, at the next area there is a draugr on your left in front of an iron door. There is a dead miner in the doorway to this area and a second draugr on your left in an alcove slumbering. There are shelves opposite the slumbering draugr containing two potions, one a leveled healing potion and the other random. There is a rotating door on your left and a chain in an alcove on your right. Pull the chain and back track to the previous junction where you couldn't continue to the northeast. Now to the northeast a rotating door will have opened giving access to a plinth with the Ahzidal's Gauntlets of Warding. There is weight sensitive plate under the gauntlets that when you remove them activate a poison dart trap from in front of you. You can easily avoid any damage by stepping back as soon as you take them. Taking the gauntlets also opens a second rotating door to the right that joins with the area that had the draugrs, the chain you just used and an iron door. Beyond the iron door there is a tripwire trap just through the doorway. This activates a falling boulders trap in front of you on the stairs leading down. There are two draugr on the stairs and the trap is likely to kill or damage them both, depending on your level. It will also alert two further draugr who will come to investigate, followed shortly after by the final two highest level draugr who emerge from their sarcophagi and investigate the fight with the previous two. At this point you will receive an update confirming that the barrow is again cleared of draugr and to speak to Ralis. At the bottom of the stairs there is a lit brazier and burial urn in front of you and a dead miner on your right. The path turns to the southeast and ascends a long flight of stairs. All four of the draugr come and investigate regardless of tripping the trap or not, or even fighting the previous draugr. Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow 08.jpg Timed tile puzzle At the top of the stairs is an open wooden door with a large room behind. There is blood all over the floor and dead miners and guards in every corner. There are what look like flame spout traps across most of the flooring with a untrapped area in front of the door and leading to the southeast and southwest around the edges of the room. They are in fact timed pressure plates and you need to compress all of them to open the gate to the flooded area. Using Slow Time dragon shout can help, but it is fairly easy without it. Behind the gate area is a deeply flooded small area with a broken stone bridge leading to a plinth. On the plinth is Ahzidal's Ring of Arcana and at the bottom of the water is a medium coin purse, a burial urn and a random battleaxe. Back in the main room, there are two open upright sarcophagi against the northeast wall with the gated area between them and a dead miner by the gate. There is a raised section to the southeast with a dead miner leaning against the steps. Upon the raised area there are stone benches to either side, with a second dead miner next to the one on the left. In front of you is a stone altar with a dead guard laid on it. There is blood all over the altar and a leveled dagger and bowl containing three petty soul gems, two empty and one filled. Against the southwest wall is a flight of stairs leading up, at the bottom is a dead guard and underneath is a broken sideboard with an apprentice locked chest, a random pair of gauntlets and a random potion of invisibility. To the left is a set of shelves containing a random helmet, a random mace and three loose coins. Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow 07.jpg Swinging blade trap At the top of the stairs there is an unlit brazier with an empty and a filled random soul gem inside. Following the ledge to the northwest to find a burial urn. There is a gated doorway to the southwest with the chain to raise the gate on the left. The corridor turns to the northwest and climbs a flight of stairs, as soon as you enter this corridor you hear swinging blades trap moving ahead. At the top of the stairs the corridor turns back to the southwest and you see the three swinging blades in front of you in a short corridor ending in a gate. There is also a large coin purse on the floor on the right. There is room to stop between each of the blades and space at the far end to stop and find the mechanism to open the gate. The chain is above the gate hanging from the ceiling, the gate opens, the blades stop and a wooden bridge drops into place giving access back to the second large room that has been dug out since your previous visit. Crossing the bridge to the stone pillar you can jump across to the wooden ramps leading up and out or down to the ash level. Going down you will find another dead miner under the bridge that you've just crossed and a pickaxe. Following the ramp up you find yet another dead miner at the bottom of the second to last ramp.

Exterior (Visit after fourth and final letter) Ficheiro:DB-place-Kolbjorn Barrow 03.jpg Kolbjorn Camp Once you receive the fourth letter from Ralis simply stating You're Needed. Upon your return Ralis will be nowhere to be found, but there are dead miners and a guard and blood all over the camp. Inside the large on the small table is The Journal of Ralis Sedarys - Volume 23, a bowl of apple cabbage stew, a bottle of wine, a bottle of alto wine, a goblet and jug. The tent still has a single bed, with a respawning unlocked chest beside it. There is a small sideboard, two crates, and a sack. On the sideboard is a silver necklace, a goblet, a copy of The Lusty Argonian Maid, v2 and an empty open crate. Ficheiro:DB-place-Kolbjorn Barrow 04.jpg Kolbjorn Camp II Outside the large tent, laying partially on the wooden bench, is a dead miner with blood splattered everywhere. All the campfires have gone out. There is a second dead miner to the southeast of the large tent. in the small tent nearest the large tent and the barrow (on your left as you look at the front of the large tent from the campfire) is a copy of Ahzidal's Descent. To the right of this is another dead miner. By the side of the large tent the long wooden table is full of more pots, bowls, goblets, etc and the two barrels are still to the right and an urn to the left, with a wooden bench beside it. Behind the large tent is still a cold campfire with three tents around it. In the first is a mead barrel and in front of the third is a dead Kolbjorn guard. To the south of the large tent is a new campfire (gone out like the others) with three small tents arranged around it. In the first of these is an open crate containing a pair of random gauntlets and a medium coin purse. In the third is a red apple with another dead miner in front of the tent. As you approach the barrow by the start of the wooden structure to get down and at the bottom of the first wooden ramp are two more dead miners.

Kolbjorn Barrow (Visit after fourth and final letter) Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow 09.jpg Central Room, Kolbjorn Barrow You enter into the now familiar corridors and begin descending, when you reach the room that was the site of the first battle you find a dead miner laid out on the stone table in the middle. Continuing through the doorway at the end into the now cleared room that was originally full of ash. There is a draugr to the right stood in the doorway below you. To the left, at the bottom you can see that the word wall is in this room. Descend the ramps to the bottom and then squeeze past the wooden structure to approach the word wall and learn a word to the Cyclone shout. There is nothing else of interest down here, so climb the ramp back up one level and proceed to the northeast, around the pillar and across the wooden bridge you exited over on your last visit. On the other side is a draugr unless you dealt with them from above. Once you cross the bridge you will hear another draugr approaching. Follow the corridor forward and as it turns to the southeast there is another draugr at the bottom of a short flight of stairs. The corridor turns back to the northeast and exits into the room with the puzzle tiled floor, you can hear several draugr moving around before you can see them as you are on a balcony above the room. There are three draugr including one magic user. There is a dead miner to the southeastern end of the room on a stone altar and a second dead miner in the flooded pit, where you retrieved Ahzidal's Ring of Arcana. Exit the room via the door in the northwest wall and follow the corridor as it descends, past the stairs on your left that you came down last visit and straight ahead to a newly excavated area. There is a doorway in front of you with a raised gate. Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow 10.jpg Thrones in Kolbjorn Through the doorway you can see two draugr sat on thrones in the next room. As soon as you cross the threshold the gate will descend, blocking retreat. There is a third draugr in the southern corner of the room that isn't visible from the doorway, because of a pillar with two eagle symbols on it that is against the southern wall. In addition to the gated doorway that you entered here is a second one in the southern corner, behind this you can see Ahzidal's Armor of Retribution on a plinth. There are two rotating doors with chains to the left of them, one in the northeastern wall and the other in the southwestern wall. At the rear of the room behind the two thrones originally seen are two rune totems and a lever. Finally in the center of the floor is a trap door that is blocking access to a wooden spiral staircase descending below. Pulling either of the chains will start the rotating door, pull it a second time when the doorway is lined up to reveal a whale symbol. Repeat for the other chain. Turning the rune totems both to whales and pulling the lever will open the gate giving access to the armor. Once collected turning both totems to eagles and pulling the lever again will open the trap door and allow you to continue. Any other combination will cause a poison dart trap to activate and fire from the backs of the two thrones. Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow 11.jpg Oil Slick At the bottom of the stairwell there is a sideboard containing a plate, a random dagger, a random helmet, a leveled healing potion, a leveled resist element potion, a random potion and a random magicka potion. Under the stairs, behind a lit brazier is a burial urn. Through the doorway to the northwest is a catacomb area. A draugr immediately on your right will start to rise as soon as you reach the bottom. There is a flight of stairs down, at the bottom three more draugr will have started to rise, one of which is a magic user. They are all stood in an oil slick with an oil lantern hanging overhead. Once they are dealt with to your right is a gated doorway with a rune totems on either side and a chain to the right of the gate. Through the gate you can see Ahzidal's Helm of Vision on a plinth. Set both totems to snakes and pull the chain beside the doorway. Pulling the chain with any incorrect symbols will cause several flame spout traps to blast the area in front of the gate. Be careful as there is also a pressure plate trap on the floor in the doorway that will activate a spear trap between the doorway and the plinth holding the helm. Removing the helm from its pedestal will activate another flame spout trap that is aimed back at the gate. Ficheiro:DB-interior-Kolbjorn Barrow 12.jpg Final Room, Kolbjorn Barrow Opposite the stairs you just descended is a stalhrim deposit in an alcove. The path continues to the southwest and rises to an unlocked iron door. As you approach you can hear Ralis chanting "Master Arise" over and over. As soon as you enter the center of the room will glow red and a disturbance in the middle will knock Ralis flying and Ahzidal will arise and attack. He will raise the dead miners or dead draugr to attack you. Two draugr will attack from upright sarcophagi around the room, being replaced as you kill them. Concentrate on Ahzidal as there are eight sarcophagi and he will replace them as you defeat the draugr. Once you defeat Ahzidal the remaining draugr will all die. There are seven dead miners around the room. Once Ahzidal is dealt with you will be prompted to confront Ralis, speaking to him he will say that he doesn't remember, but he's been hearing whispers ever since he's got to Kolbjorn Barrow and imply he's been under Ahzidal's control. Eventually you need to choose between letting him live and killing him. If you let him live he will return to The Retching Netch and be available as a follower. To the south, behind a pillar, to the left of an unlit brazier is a pair of random boots. When the sarcophagi burst an exit was revealed behind the back of one of them to the southwest. The path twists and turns, along the path there are two empty petty soul gems and one empty random soul gem on the ground. A short way after these you find the boss leveled chest by a lit brazier. At the end you come to a gate with a chain to the left and a circular room behind with the Black Book Filament and Filigree in the center. To the southwest is an unlocked chest with a random shield leaning against it, a leveled healing and random potion in front, a random war axe to the left and several pots and bowls around it. Opposite the chest is a doorway that leads to a small room with a large perfectly smooth circular stone in front of you and a sarcophagus to the left that is filled with stalhrim, to the left of this is a random set of armor. Mining this reveals a dead draugr that can be looted. In the southeast corner of the room is a lever that raises the center of the room to reveal a staircase leading up, that provides a shortcut back to the ground level of the large multi-leveled room with the wooden ramps.

Notes

• Do not leave anything stored in the camp prior to entering after receiving the fourth letter. When you return the whole of the camp will have been packed away, and disappear if you leave Ralis alive.
• This location also appeared in the Bloodmoon expansion for Morrowind.
• You can use telekinesis to grab the ring and other pieces of the armor set through the door.

Bugs

• A burial urn in the northwest section of the barrow cannot be interacted with.
  • This bug is fixed by version 2.0.3 of the Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.
• Either the greatsword during your second visit or the one-handed sword in the spider room may float in the air, despite supposedly being stuck in the ground, and you may not be able to interact with them. ^?