Among the smallest cities in Skyrim, Morthal qualifies more as a town. It's easy to miss this sleepy little settlement within the misty marshland somewhere between Solitude and Markarth, but it's home to a few interesting quests that are definitely worth your time.
Quests aside, however, there's still plenty of funny and interesting details that can be found if you have a sharp enough eye. Little secrets and perhaps gameplay bugs that Bethesda left behind run rampant here as much as anywhere else, making Morthal more fascinating than it actually is.
10 Falion May Have Met The Dwemer
Falion is definitely the outsider of Morthal, due to his fascination with magic and conjuration in particular. He's partly related to the College of Winterhold, and was once a teacher there before he was replaced due to a disagreement with Savos Aren.
Like any wizard living in Skyrim, Falion is quite wise, but few would have imagined him to claim he may have once met the Dwemer. During one of the possible dialogue options with him, he implies this may have been the case, although it's unlikely this is true.
9 Hidden Restoration Book
Many of Morthal's useful loot might go unnoticed, even for seasoned players. Head over to Moorside Inn in order to find a Restoration skill book, which is titled Racial Phylogeny. For any mages specializing in healing, this is a great and easy book to pick up.
Search the rooms, and there should be one with a basket placed on top of a dresser. The book is found inside. Simply reading it and not taking it won't aggravate the innkeepers of any of the onlookers.
8 The Inn With No Customers
It's pretty obvious right off the bat that Morthal isn't everyone's favorite place in Skyrim. Few people ever wander into this city and even stay long enough to really see anything, and that's mainly because there isn't anything to see.
The best example of this is the Moorside Inn. Walking inside, there's no one there but the local bard and the innkeeper. This is a pretty rare sight in Skyrim where most inns have at least a few different loiters sitting around.
7 The Apothecary Is Always Open
While there isn't a general store in Morthal, there's a very good alchemy ingredient and magical item store known as the Thaumaturgist's Hut. It's a nice spot for some extra potions and even a few spell books, and there's an alchemy table here too.
The cool thing is, for some reason this shop never gets locked even after the shopkeeper leaves to sleep in their home. This means it's pretty easy to steal items and use the alchemy table even outside of the shop's opening hours.
6 Hidden Destruction Book
Still within the Thaumaturgist's Hut, it's not just ideal for a bit of alchemy practice and shopping for ingredients. Head on over to the second floor, to find some extra items to steal (or borrow). Unfortunately, the merchant chest can't be interacted with.
The most interesting feature here, however, is a partly hidden Destruction skill book which is downstairs on top of a tall shelf. The book is titled Response to Bero's Speech, and for anyone specialized in Destruction magic this is another easy skill boost.
5 The Jarl's Son Has A Secret
The Jarl of Morthal is a bit weird. Strange, even. That's because she's actually a psychic, and this very same gift was passed on to her son Joric, who can be seen playing around with his sister in Morthal. However, for a child, he seems a bit troubled.
Joric isn't just troubled by visions. He also has a funny secret, which can be discovered when his room is entered. By the foot of his bed, somewhat underneath it, you'll find a copy of The Lusty Argonian Maid Vol 2.
4 Jorgen's Family Fought In The Oblivion Crisis
In case you haven't activated a certain quest in Dawnstar just yet and visited a museum, you might not actually know that the completely ordinary-looking man of Morthal named Jorgen comes from an important family line.
Jorgen's ancestors actually fought against the invading Daedra during the Oblivion Crisis. His family line was in charge of hiding one part of Mehrunes Dagon's Daedric artifact, which can be found within Jorgen's home.
3 Hidden Heavy Armor Book
Surprising but true, Morthal actually does have a prison and a guardhouse. It only has one cell, but for a city this size it's probably good enough. The guardhouse is just another unassuming building most players probably wouldn't visit, but there's a small treat for any heavy armor players.
There's a heavy armor skill book which can be discovered nearby a bed, tucked away behind a barrel and a basket. The book is titled 2920, vol 06 - Mid Year, and is easy enough to quickly read. Just don't steal it in front of the guards.
2 Falion's Black Soul Gems
Enchanters will understand easily just how valuable and nice black soul gems are. They're pretty rare in Skyrim, found only in a few select locations, but they're worth finding due to being able to hold black and white souls. Black souls being always grand level souls, they're incredibly valuable.
Fortunately, there's one person in all of Skyrim who actually sells these rare treasures. Falion, the wizard of Morthal, is the only NPC from whom black soul gems can be bought.
1 Lurbuk Is The Son Of An Orc Chief
Lurbuk is an interesting and tragic character. He's probably the most hated man in all of Skyrim, all because of his terrible musical skills. He's so hated that he's even wanted dead by multiple people who contacted the Dark Brotherhood, which is why he ends up being a target.
Here's the catch: Lurbuk isn't just a nobody. He might actually be the son of a prominent orc stronghold chief. The game data itself reveals Lurbuk as Burguk of Dushnik Yal's son, and so if he's killed before the Dark Brotherhood quest, you'll have to fight of Burguk's thugs. Interestingly, if the player secretly kills Lurbuk, Burguk will deliver a message of gratitude to them. It's definitely a weird and twisted father-son relationship.