Skyrim:Ilinalta's Deep

Military Fort: Ilinalta's Deep (view on map)
# 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
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 Imperial fort that mysteriously collapsed. It is located on the northern banks of the western side of Lake Ilinalta, 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 his 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)

Walkthrough

Zone 1: Ilinalta's Deep

Welcome to Ilinalta's Deep

Past the shackled skeleton in the entrance, you will find a larger room with a balcony 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 patrolling the room, 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. The adjoining room is a kitchen with a cooking pot, food and various ingredients. There is also a human heart on a table in the first room.

Continue through the halls, and you will soon find yourself in a flooded room where a necromancer will be ready to summon a wolf if he spots you. There is a chest along the wall on the dry side of this room, and if you dive into the flooded part you will find a submerged bedroom with a second chest and a copy of the Alteration skill book Breathing Water floating up to the room's ceiling on the left as you walk into the room.

Shortly thereafter you will enter a room with an alchemy lab and arcane enchanter, there may also be a pair of necromancers there as well. A copy of the Enchanting skill book A Tragedy in Black can be found on a table near the work stations, and you can access a couple of side bedrooms (one with an adept-level lock) holding additional loot.

A longer corridor will lead you to a partially flooded room with a raised bridge. You will have to face a few skeletons and a bandit on the side of the room you enter, and a higher-leveled necromancer on the other side of the water. You will have to jump in the water and cross to the other side in order to find a chain that lowers the bridge. A chest with leveled loot is found nearby and, if you check underwater, a locked (adept-level) door provides access to a small closet with a second chest and a few additional items. The chain lowering the bridge in this room also opens the passage to Ilinalta's Deluge, the second zone of the fort.

The corridor ahead leads to a barred door onto the balcony in the entrance of the fort; the door is barred from this side so it can be easily opened. There is also a locked (adept-level) door on the way, providing access to a few additional items. Once you are back into the entrance room, you will notice a stone column has fallen and allows a quick shortcut between the main entryway and the balcony. Opposite the entrance, on the balcony level, a door is now available to enter the next zone of the fort.

Zone 2: Ilinalta's Deluge

This level opens into a large room with a small storage room to the east. A copy of the Conjuration skill book The Doors of Oblivion is on a table in the northwest part of this room. The next hallway contains six prison cells, four of which have adept-level locks. The next necromancer is leveled too. The following room is partially underwater, with a raised area the necromancers have been using for sacrifices. Curving stairwells lead up towards the next room, or down into the water. The final room contains Malyn Varen's skeleton and Azura's Star, 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 re-enter the dungeon and it 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 (Fort Greymoor to the northwest is the closest), then fast travel back to Ilinalta's Deep. The entrance will be accessible this time.