Volskygge



 is a Nordic ruin located west of Solitude.

In the first area, there are numerous bandits (×7) and a copy of Surfeit of Thieves. The final room in this area contains a puzzle. All the information required to solve the puzzle is in the book on the pedestal in front of the locked gate, The Four Totems of Volskygge.

Opening the gate provides access to the Volskygge Passages.

Volskygge Passages
This area is full of draugrs (×11) and frostbite spiders (×7).

Volskygge Peak
It is here that the dragon priest Volsung is found. There is also a word wall with one of the words from Whirlwind Sprint, either Kest (Tempest) or Nah (Fury).

The Puzzle
The path is blocked by a gate, and a pedestal holds the The Four Totems of Volskygge book. There are four plaques with the animals snake, wolf, bear, and fox/badger. Obviously the order in which the switches near the plaques have to be flipped is the issue to solve. Flitting the switches in the wrong order will unleash a maximum of two draugr.

The passages in the book are the clue: 1. one fears all, 2. fears one, 3. eats what can, preferably 1., and 4. ''fears 2. when alone''.

Some logic gets you there mostly: The weakest animal fears all, so the snake is 1. Then what fears 2. when alone, its the wolf as 4., since as a pack they will attack anything. What do single wolves fear, the bear who is 2. Finally and this one is a bit iffy, who eats all he can, its the scavenger fox. Do foxes really eat snakes? (Or was that the icon of a badger and not of a fox?)

Solution: 1. snake, 2. bear, 3. fox/badger, 4. wolf. Pull the switches in that order and each time you get it right another flame will burn above the central column, to finally unlock the gate.

Items of Note
Inside complex: Passages: Peak:
 * Outside the complex is a round structure to the east: Urn ~300 value (L52).
 * Outside in room with trap: potions ×3, burial urn ~160 value (L52).
 * Chests ~300, ~570, ~510; urns ~150, ~160 value (L52).
 * Orichalcum Ore Vein and urns ~130, ~150; burial urn ~190; chests ~830, ~310, ~2810 value (L52).
 * One dead draugr in the crypt contains a Daedric Bow.
 * The last chest may contain Kahvozein's Fang.
 * Do not forget to get the Volsung mask from the priest.

Volskygge