Ancestral Tomb Guide
What are Ancestral Tombs?
Ancestral tombs, also called Velothi tombs, dot the landscape and can be found in every corner of Vvardenfell. These tombs were built and used around the time of the apotheosis of the Tribunal up until the construction of the Great Ghost Fence at which point the Tribunal suggested that the remains of loved ones be turned over to the Temple to power the Ghost Fence. At that point most tombs became neglected and fell into ruin.
These tombs are both places of rest and places of worship. Temple iconography can be typically found all over tombs and prayer stools and religious texts are frequently found near alters and ash pits. Even the tomb guardians are holy; the reanimated corpses of ancestors protect the tomb from intruders and grave robbers, though not always successfully.
More information on specific tombs can be found here.
Current Inhabitants
Bandits - Graverobbing is a lucrative business for the brave and foolhardy, but usually we just call them bandits. Bandits will often be found robbing tombs, either for general treasures or occasionally for specific important artifacts. Bandits rarely attempt to make a permanent base out of a tomb, but it is not impossible.
Daedra - For various reasons tombs are a common target of Daedra attacks. Daedra usually are found vandalizing and destroying tombs and their guardians, but not exactly robbing them. As ever, their motivations are elusive. A full list of Daedra can be found here.
Vampires - A surprisingly common inhabitant of tombs are covens of vampires, sometimes belonging to one of the three clans (Aundae, Berne, Quarra), but just as often being independent of any of the clans. Vampires are the most likely to be attempting to turn a tomb into a long-term base, both keeping cattle in the tombs and killing the tomb guardians.
Tomb guardians - Probably the most frequent inhabitant of the tombs are their own guardians; skeletons, ancestral ghosts, lesser and greater bone walkers, and bone lords are created by the still-living members of a clan to watch over their tomb and kill any would-be grave robber.
Designing Your Tomb Layout
Tombs are entirely underground in all cases, the only above ground structures being the doorways and occasionally some steps or similarly subtle construction. This means tombs are pretty open for whatever layouts you can imagine, however please stay reasonable. Larger tombs are perfectly fine, but be aware of just how large you're making them.
While the tombs are dungeons for the player to navigate and survive, don't forget they were also meant as places to honor one's ancestors and lay one's family to rest. Except for places in which the architecture has crumbled, most places should be accessible on foot, or with a ladder or something.
The tombs were in use after the Tribunal came to power, don't have statues of any of the good daedra out in the open, or anything besides Tribunal worship. Hidden statues can be discussed with the leads, but should be extremely rare.
Over the years tombs have fallen into disrepair, and in some cases ruin. Throughout the tomb make sure to clutter your rooms with disheveled floor bits, dust, dirt, and cobwebs unless there is a good reason to have a room be "pristine". Additionally, be careful with your placement of ruined sections. The more remote a tomb the more likely it will be to have fallen into ruin that cuts off segments of the tomb or otherwise changes the traversable layout of a tomb.
Clutter Usage
Tombs, obviously, are the final resting place for generations of Dunmer dead, and this can take a number of forms as Dunmer are in a lot of ways a death-obsessed culture.
Ash pits - the most well known example, Dunmer are fond of cremation and placing the ashes with past cremains in large, prominent ash pits. These are found in tombs and Tribunal Temples both. Often bones are scattered in the ash as well, exactly why is unknown. Along the rims of ash pits one can often find prayer stools, valuables, religious texts, devotional items, and presumably items important to the deceased.
Urns - Some dunmer will instead be interred in urns, either special urns in prominent places or collections of urns flanking altars or ash pits.
Skeletons - A few dunmer will have had all their flesh removed and instead be placed in alcoves or upon altars as full skeletons. These skeletons will often be paired with items that were important to the individual in life. Any artifacts they may have carried, their weaponry and armor, jewelry, as well as mundane items such as prayer amulets and scrolls and devotional texts.
It is also important to consider how intruders may have modified the interior. For example, bandits may have ransacked the tomb and are stockpiling the treasures they find for easy transport. Vampires may have converted parts of the tomb into "living areas" as best they can.
Trapping Your Tomb
We have a small collection of traps for tombs, these are all self-resetting and non-destructive to the tomb itself.
Soul Gem Turrets
Spear traps
False walls releasing enemies
Dart throwers
Flame/Lightning/Frost throwers
Magical runes
In the case of temporary vampiric or bandit inhabitants also feel free to use:
Bear traps
Swinging mace traps