Windhelm has a serial killer, and the guards are too busy with the war to deal with it. Guess who is getting deputized. Let’s get into it.
Blood on the Ice is Skyrim’s best murder mystery: real clues, a red herring, one big choice and a night patrol that ends with a fight. Full spoilers below, including who the Butcher is. If you want other quests and builds after this one, the Skyrim hub has you covered.
How Blood on the Ice Starts
This is an optional Windhelm side quest with no quest giver in the usual sense. You walk into a crime scene.
- Trigger: after a few visits to Windhelm, entering the city starts a scene in the graveyard next to the Palace of the Kings. A crowd stands around the body of Susanna the Wicked, the barmaid from Candlehearth Hall.
- Who to talk to: the Windhelm guard at the scene. Offer to help and the quest begins.
- Keep them alive: Tova Shatter-Shield and Arivanya both need to be alive or the quest can fail to start.
- Key places: the graveyard, the Palace of the Kings, the Hall of the Dead, Hjerim, the House of Curiosities and the Stone Quarter.
Stop Doing This: if your last Windhelm visit ended in a murder spree of your own, I’m begging you, load an older save. The quest needs its cast.
Blood on the Ice Walkthrough
The Play: follow this order and the case closes clean.
- Question the bystanders. Talk to the guard and the people around the body. They are scared, they saw little, but the dialogue moves the quest.
- Get permission. The guard sends you to Jorleif, the Jarl’s steward in the Palace of the Kings. He signs off on your investigation.
- Examine the body. Susanna is moved to the Hall of the Dead. Talk to Helgird, the priestess there, and look at the body. The wounds are clean and precise, and Helgird has noticed the pattern across several victims.
- Follow the blood. Back at the graveyard, search for blood stains and follow the trail through the streets. It ends at Hjerim, an empty house.
- Get into Hjerim. Pick the lock or ask about the key. Tova Shatter-Shield has it, and she hands it over once you explain.
- Search Hjerim. Look for a wardrobe in the back with a hidden door. Behind it is the Butcher’s lair, with the Strange Amulet, the Butcher’s journals and some grim evidence.
- Ask around. Talk to Viola Giordano, Windhelm’s self appointed detective, and take the amulet to Calixto Corrium at the House of Curiosities. He offers to identify and buy it.
- Make the choice. The evidence nudges you toward the court wizard Wuunferth the Unliving. See the next section before you accuse anyone.
- Patrol the Stone Quarter at night. The killer strikes again. Catch him in the act, then chase and kill him.
- Report to Jorleif in the Palace of the Kings to close the quest.
The Big Choice: Accuse Wuunferth or Not?
Wuunferth is a necromancy obsessed court mage with a creepy name. Of course the clues point at him. That is the point.
| Choice | What happens | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Accuse Wuunferth to Jorleif | Jorleif has him arrested and the quest looks done | The killings do not stop, and you still have to catch the real Butcher |
| Talk to Wuunferth instead | He turns out to be investigating the murders himself | He points you to the Stone Quarter at night, the fastest route to the real killer |
Why This Slaps: the game punishes you for following the obvious suspect. Real detective work, not just a marker pointing at a boss room.
Who the Butcher Really Is
Big spoiler: the Butcher is Calixto Corrium, the friendly curio collector who offered to buy your amulet. He has been killing women to collect what he needs for a necromantic ritual tied to the death of his sister. When you patrol the Stone Quarter at night, you catch him attacking a woman. He flees, you catch him, and the case ends with a fight.
Rewards
- The amulet: keep the Strange Amulet, or sell it to Calixto and take it back from his body afterwards as the Necromancer Amulet. It boosts Magicka and Conjuration at the cost of slower Health and Stamina regeneration, so it is a mage only piece.
- Gold: if you sell the amulet first, you keep the gold and get the amulet back. GG.
- Hjerim: the Butcher’s house is one of Skyrim’s player homes. You can buy it from the steward later and clear out the evidence.
If the necromancer theme grabs you, our necromancer build or the conjuration build is the natural next step.
Pro Tips
- Quest not starting: make sure Tova and Arivanya are alive, then leave and re enter Windhelm a few times, walking in through the main gate instead of fast traveling past the graveyard.
- Lockpicks: bring a stack for Hjerim if you plan to pick the door instead of asking Tova.
- Save before choices: make a manual save before you talk to Jorleif about Wuunferth.
- Night patrol: stay in the Stone Quarter between dusk and dawn and keep walking. Waiting in place an hour at a time with the wait menu helps.
- Stuck marker: talk again to the last person you spoke to. A missed dialogue line is usually what is blocking the next step.
Blood on the Ice FAQ
How do you start Blood on the Ice?
Visit Windhelm several times. Eventually entering the city triggers a murder scene in the graveyard. Talk to the guard there.
Who is the Butcher of Windhelm?
Calixto Corrium, the owner of the House of Curiosities. Wuunferth the Unliving is the red herring.
Where is the Hjerim key in Blood on the Ice?
Tova Shatter-Shield has it. Ask her for it, or pick the lock on the front door.
Should you accuse Wuunferth?
No. Accusing him gets an innocent man jailed and the killings continue. Talk to him instead and he sends you after the real killer.
Why won’t Blood on the Ice start?
Usually because you have not visited Windhelm enough times yet, or because Tova or Arivanya is dead. Re enter the city through the main gate a few more times.
GG: one graveyard, one blood trail, one fake suspect and a night patrol that ends with a dead Butcher. Do this. Thank me later. Curious how many people are still solving Windhelm murders? The Skyrim Special Edition player count shows it live.
