“The White Phial” is a Quest in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Locations[edit]
Walkthrough[edit]
Head to Windhelm. Go into the White Phial alchemy shop. Inside you will find Nurelion. Talk with him about the White Phial itself. This vessel held the first snows to fall on the Throat of the World. He will send you to the Forsaken Cave to find the White Phial.
The Forsaken Cave is filled with Draugr and bears that you will need to deal with.
Head inside the cave. You will find a pair of Snow Bears lounging in the first room of the cave. You can attempt to sneak attack them or you just rush in for the initiative. After that turn to the Northwest and start along the corridor leading in that direction. This will lead to an Iron Door. Take some time to search this part of the room. After that head through it to the West and turn to the North.
When you make it to the large room, head over to the East. Stay on the left-hand side of this corridor. This will help you avoid the dart trap that has been lain in it. When you make to the chest, look to the right. There is a Draugr watching over that one. Defeat it, loot the chest, then continue carefully forward.
Going up the slope, there is a chance a Restless Draugr will come patrolling by. Take them out and then follow the passage over to the left. Take it to the Northern end. You will find another Draugr patrols around here. Take them out but also be sure to get the Ancient Nord Helmet and Ancient Nord Boots. Continue to the West and there will be another Draugr (Archer this time) patrolling the area. You can search this area, but be warned there are 2 more Draugr that are hiding against the walls that can easily surprise you. If you take the first Southern turn, you will find a table with 4 Iron Ingots and a copy of The Mirror. Be careful as one of the two guarding Draugr watches this table. After that, turn to the East. You will find a locked Iron Door (Adept level). Get it open and head through to continue onward. On the other side of the door is a chest and a few urns you can loot. Time to move on.
Head to the Northwest to continue down the corridor and press on toward the entrance of the Forsaken Crypt. This leads to a large crypt area that has a number of Draugr inside it. Take your time with this section. Most will be found resting in place. Use this to get some good sneak attacks in on them or to control how many you are dealing with at once. Weave your way through this portion of the cave to the Eastern exit.
Be careful as the tunnel turns to the North. There is a floor pressure plate that will trigger a ram trap if you do not move along either side of the hall. Just to the right of the far end of that hall you will find some shelves. There you are Silver Ingot. Make your way along the last of the corridor to arrive at the entrance of the Forsaken Crypt.
Head forward into the first room. Over to the right you will see at least one Restless Draugr. Defeat them and then head over to the Eastern corridor. Proceed down it and follow its turn to the North. You will find another Draugr patrolling the area. Deal with them and continue along the corridor. It will wind its way back to the main chamber that you entered into. You will be on the second level of it now. As you make it over to the Western side you will need to watch out for a Restless Draugr that rests in its coffin. Be sure to also loot the nearby chest for whatever it can hold. Be sure to check the Southern book case for a health potion and some Silver Ingots. Head to the North after that and up the stairs into the next part of the main chamber.
In this chamber you can often find 2-3 Draugr patrolling. Keep on guard and deal with them. Be careful to stay out of the middle of the room. There is a massive floor trap that will slam you into ceiling spikes. Turn to the South and head up the stairs. This will lead to a caged walkway. There is at least 1 Draugr patrolling here. Deal with them and then head across it.
Head to the West in this next section. You will need to deal with 2 more Draugr before you can safely head to the North and then continue to the west. Before you make it out of this chamber, expect at least 1 more Draugr to ambush you as you are about to enter the next corridor.
This next corridor is somewhat tricky. You have 2 swinging axe traps that you need to avoid. This is a great time to either run past them or use Whirlwind Sprint to quickly evade them. The choice is yours. On the other side of the blades is the boss fight of this dungeon: Curalmil. This Draugr will call in a number more Draugr to aid in the fight. Like many others, this undead can use Unrelenting Force to hurl you away if you pose a strong challenge to him.
Having defeated the Boss Draugr, take a little time to loot the room. Go up the stairs. You will find a Word Wall: Marked For Death. Collect all this then head down the stairs below the word wall.
This will lead to a small room with an Ancient Bowl in the middle of it. Interact with it to pour Nurelion's Mixture into it. This will open the door to the next room. In all of it, very prominently displayed is the White Phial.
Upon closer inspection you will find that it is actually: Cracked. Time to bring it back to Nurelion so he can see for himself.
Search around the room. Inside it you will find a large quantity of various Alchemy Ingredients scattered around it. You will find the skill book: A Game at Dinner on the left-hand side of the room. After that, just make your way back outside.
Head back into the room where you fought the boss. There is a door that is now open on the Southern wall. Use it to quickly get back to the Forsaken Cave. From there you can easily get back outside. Once there, just fast travel back to Windhelm. Go to the White Phial and deliver the Cracked White Phial to Nurelion. He will be very displeased with the outcome of things. He will give you 5 septims for your efforts.
Head downstairs and talk with his assistant as instructed. When you are done talking with him, you will have 500 gold for your efforts. Things will also be set for the next quest.
