One of Skyrim’s Darkest Quests is Entirely Optional

While Skyrim is not a horror title, players can encounter a variety of frightening experiences as they explore the game’s open world. One such experience can be found inside Frostflow Lighthouse, a location that is situated between Dawnstar and Winterhold, and it would not be out of place in a traditional horror film or novel. Indeed, the events that transpired at Frostflow Lighthouse, which are revealed through Skyrim‘s Frostflow Abyss side quest, are extremely dark, and players who do not explore the map carefully may completely miss this location during their playthroughs.

Skyrim’s Frostflow Abyss Quest Tells the Story of a Family Who Meets a Horrific End

Something is Wrong at Frostflow Lighthouse

Upon entering Frostflow Lighthouse, players will find a room in complete disarray: a table broken, a chair smashed, and the corpse of a Redguard woman who has been impaled by an ax. This woman is Ramati, and she moved from Hammerfell to the lighthouse with her husband, Habd, and two children, Mani and Sudi, after saving for years. However, what was once a dream for the couple soon became a nightmare, as it was quickly discovered that there was something very wrong with their new place of residence.

At first, the problems were relatively minor, with Ramati noticing that things, like her favorite cooking pot and some keepsakes, had gone missing from the lighthouse’s cellar. While Ramati initially blamed this phenomenon on her children, who were extremely unhappy about their new living arrangements, the reality of the situation is far darker. Indeed, Sudi, the daughter, started hearing noises coming from the basement, and that is when things truly started to unravel for this poor family.

A Grisly Scene

Chalking the noises up to Skeevers, large rat-like creatures, Habd decided to head into town for some traps. While Habd’s trip was short, something truly awful happened at the lighthouse while he was away, and he returned to a grisly and frightening scene. Specifically, Habd found the lighthouse in a state much like the player did, his wife dead in the entry room.

There was some life in the lighthouse, though, as Habd found a large bug-like creature, a Chauraus, ransacking his home. After dispatching that grotesque insect, Habd determined that it must be connected to the mysterious sounds and item disappearances in the cellar, and he decided it was finally time to perform a proper investigation.

The Frostflow Abyss

While exactly what transpired as Habd conducted his investigation is unknown, one thing is made perfectly clear: he was captured by Falmer, “twisted creatures that dwell in Skyrim’s deepest reaches,” that had taken up residence in a subterranean area connected to the lighthouse’s cellar. Habd did not go easy, though, and he was bitten by a poisonous Chauraus as he struggled.

This bite made Habd feverish, and he was seemingly delirious by the time his Falmer captors deposited him in a cell with his daughter, Sudi. It is perhaps this delirium that prevented Habd from telling Sudi of her mother’s death, though he may have simply been incapable of speaking of her grisly fate.

During Habd and Sudi’s time together as captors, several events transpired. To start, the Falmer brought other captives to the cells, though their stays were short – Sudi heard their screams after they had been led away. Habd was also collected from his cell, though not before he could provide Sudi with a dagger. The daughter would ultimately use that weapon to take her own.

And with respect to what happened to Habd after his time in the cell, the Falmer took him deeper into the abyss. There he was eaten by Chaurus Reaper, and players will find his remains inside the creature. Skyrim players will then be tasked with taking those remains to the top of the lighthouse, where they will be burned, bringing an end to the family’s story and the Frostflow Abyss quest.