Volcano Manor is Lord Rykard’s mansion on the lava slopes of Mt. Gelmir, north-west of Altus Plateau. Lady Tanith runs it as a recruiting house for assassins, and behind its halls lie the Temple of Eiglay and the Rykard fight that drops the Blasphemous Blade. There are three ways in: an invitation from Rya that teleports you straight to the lobby, a long walk up Mt. Gelmir, and a trap in the Academy of Raya Lucaria that drops you into the manor’s hidden lower area. This guide covers all three and what to do once you are inside.
| Region | Mt. Gelmir, north-west of Altus Plateau |
| Fastest route | Rya’s Volcano Manor Invitation (teleport to the lobby next to Lady Tanith) |
| Rya’s necklace | Blackguard Big Boggart at the Boilprawn Shack, Liurnia: buy it back for 1,000 runes |
| On-foot route | Altus Plateau → Bridge of Iniquity → Mt. Gelmir campsites → front door |
| Trap route | Abductor Virgin under the waterwheel lift, Academy of Raya Lucaria |
| Key item inside | Drawing-Room Key from Lady Tanith (accept her offer) |
| Bosses | Abductor Virgins, Godskin Noble, Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy |
| Final reward | Remembrance of the Blasphemous (Blasphemous Blade or Rykard’s Rancor) |
Route 1: How to get to Volcano Manor with Rya’s invitation
This is the easiest way in, and it keeps two side quests alive. You can start it as soon as you reach Liurnia.
- Meet Rya. She sits under a small stone pavilion next to a Birdseye Telescope, north of the Laskyar Ruins and east of the Scenic Isle in Liurnia of the Lakes. She asks you to recover a stolen necklace.
- Find the thief. Ride north-west to the Boilprawn Shack grace. Blackguard Big Boggart is there with Rya’s Necklace.
- Buy the necklace. Pay Boggart 1,000 runes for it. You can also kill him, but then his questline ends and you lose his Boiled Prawn and Boiled Crab shop.
- Return it. Give the necklace back to Rya and she hands you the Volcano Manor Invitation.
- Reach Altus Plateau. Use our Altus Plateau guide. Rya then waits at the top of the Grand Lift of Dectus (left of the stairs off the platform) or, if you came up through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, in the lower Lux Ruins up the stairs from the Erdtree-Gazing Hill grace. If she is missing, ride the Grand Lift up again.
- Accept her offer. Talk to Rya and agree to go. You wake up in the manor lobby next to Lady Tanith, and the Volcano Manor grace is right there.
If you reached Leyndell through Fia’s Deeproot Depths waygate instead, Rya does not appear on Altus Plateau, so use one of the routes below.
Route 2: How to walk to Volcano Manor through Mt. Gelmir
Mt. Gelmir is a tough area full of lava, Man-Serpents and campsites, but walking it opens a lot of graces you will want later. There are two approaches.
- From central Altus: head west past the Forest-Spanning Greatbridge grace to the Road of Iniquity Side Path, then cross the Bridge of Iniquity into Mt. Gelmir.
- Climb the ladders and campsite paths to the First Mt. Gelmir Campsite grace, then keep climbing to the Ninth Mt. Gelmir Campsite near the summit.
- From the Seethewater side: start at the Seethewater River grace and go north through Seethewater Terminus, Craftsman’s Shack and Primeval Sorcerer Azur to the same Ninth Mt. Gelmir Campsite.
- From the Ninth campsite, cross the ridge and go down past the Marionette Soldiers and the large guard outside the gate. The manor’s front entrance leads to the lobby and Lady Tanith.
Walking in works fine for the manor itself, but Blackguard Big Boggart’s questline will not move forward unless you also do Rya’s necklace step.
Route 3: The Abductor Virgin shortcut from Raya Lucaria
- Inside the Academy of Raya Lucaria (see how to get into Raya Lucaria Academy for the Glintstone Key), rest at the Schoolhouse Classroom grace and go to the waterwheel lift just west of it.
- Ride it to the bottom, where an Abductor Virgin waits. Let it grab you with its iron-maiden attack; you die, but you are carried away instead of respawning. Use a Sacrificial Twig or a Twiggy Cracked Tear if you do not want to lose your runes.
- You wake up in a lava cavern under Volcano Manor. Beat the two Abductor Virgins at the end of it.
- Rest at the Abductor Virgin grace. From here you can go on into Mt. Gelmir or teleport away and come back later.
This route is dangerous at low level because the area is balanced for later in the game. Many players use it only to unlock the grace and leave.
What to do inside Volcano Manor
- Accept Tanith’s offer. She gives you the Drawing-Room Key. Without it most doors stay shut and you cannot reach the bosses.
- Open the western hallway. The key opens the locked drawing-room doors, including the western hallway. From there the manor leads down to the Prison Town Church grace.
- Prison Town Church and Guest Hall. The church opens onto the ruined lava village. A lever near the Guest Hall grace lowers a bridge shortcut back to the church. An imp statue fog door nearby needs a Stonesword Key (see our Stonesword Key guide).
- Temple of Eiglay. At the end of the temple you fight the Godskin Noble. Our Godskin Noble guide covers the fight.
- Graces in the manor: Volcano Manor, Prison Town Church, Guest Hall, Temple of Eiglay, Audience Pathway, Abductor Virgin, Subterranean Inquisition Chamber, and Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy.
Tanith’s assassination contracts and rewards
Each letter Tanith gives you points to a red summon sign that invades another world. Beat the target and talk to her again for the next letter.
| Contract | Where the summon sign is | Reward from Tanith |
|---|---|---|
| Old Knight Istvan | Limgrave, north of the Warmaster’s Shack | Magma Shot (sorcery) |
| Rileigh the Idle | Altus Plateau, north-east of the lift by the Old Altus Tunnel grace | Serpentbone Blade |
| Juno Hoslow, Knight of Blood | Mountaintops of the Giants, east of the Shack of the Lofty | Taker’s Cameo (after all three) |
Finishing Rileigh’s contract also moves the Rya and Bernahl questlines forward.
How to reach Rykard from Volcano Manor
- Through the contracts: finish all three of Tanith’s contracts and she offers to take you to Lord Rykard. Accept and you are sent to the grace outside his fog gate.
- Without the contracts: go through the Prison Town Church and the Temple of Eiglay and beat the Godskin Noble. Past the altar with the Man-Serpent Ashes, a waygate on a balcony takes you to the area outside Rykard’s fog gate.
- Before the fight, pick up the Serpent-Hunter spear in the arena and read our Rykard guide. His remembrance can be traded for the Blasphemous Blade.
Volcano Manor checklist
- Find Rya near the Laskyar Ruins and buy her necklace from Boggart for 1,000 runes.
- Return it for the Volcano Manor Invitation.
- Reach Altus Plateau and talk to Rya at the Grand Lift or Lux Ruins (or walk via the Bridge of Iniquity).
- Accept Tanith’s offer and take the Drawing-Room Key.
- Clear the Prison Town Church, Temple of Eiglay and Godskin Noble, or finish Tanith’s three contracts.
- Beat Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy.
Related: the Volcano Manor area also holds one of the Seedbed Curses for the Dung Eater quest.
FAQ
Where is Rya in Elden Ring?
First she sits under a pavilion next to a Birdseye Telescope, north of the Laskyar Ruins in Liurnia. After you return her necklace she moves to Altus Plateau, at the top of the Grand Lift of Dectus or in the lower Lux Ruins.
Can I get to Volcano Manor without Rya?
Yes. Walk through Mt. Gelmir to the front door, or let the Abductor Virgin in the Academy of Raya Lucaria carry you into the lower manor. You only lose Boggart’s questline progress.
Do I have to do Tanith’s contracts to fight Rykard?
No. The contracts give a free teleport to Rykard, but you can also beat the Godskin Noble in the Temple of Eiglay and take the waygate past the Man-Serpent Ashes altar.
What does the Drawing-Room Key open?
It opens the locked drawing-room doors in the manor, including the western hallway. Those rooms lead on to the Prison Town Church, the Temple of Eiglay and eventually Rykard.
Source: routes checked against Fextralife’s Elden Ring wiki (Volcano Manor, Rya and Blackguard Big Boggart pages), the Elden Ring wiki.gg Volcano Manor page, PC Gamer and DualShockers. We left out a recommended level because the sources do not agree.
Further reading: Volcano Manor on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.