A Fortress Besieged

Objective
Wyrm Hunt

''Goblins have seized the Stone of the Southwest. Reclaim this vital bulwark against the dragon.''

Details
To obtain this quest speak with Ser Maximilian in the Noble Quarter and select the quest "Rout a monster infestation".

The goal of this quest is to reclaim The Shadow Fort. You must travel there and defeat the Goblins that have taken over the fort.

Speak with the Captain
 * Travel to the Stone of the Southwest and join the force sent to recapture the hold.

Open the Gate
 * Infiltrate the fortress and lay open its main gate from within.

Rout the Goblins
 * Assist the soldiers in the battle to reclaim the Stone.

Defeat the Goblin Chieftain
 * Enter the fortress through the main gate and vanquish the goblin leader.

Report Your Victory
 * Journey back to Ser Maximilian in Gran Soren and inform him that the campaign was a success.

Quest Successful
 * You gave a full account of the operation to Ser Maximilian. Quest reward received.

Walkthrough


Note: It is useful to combine this quest with Guardsman Sought as they have the same destination.

The goal of this quest is to travel to The Shadow Fort and reclaim it from the Goblins that currently hold it. If you have not been there before, traveling to The Shadow Fort means going through the Ancient Quarry. It is best you prepare well for this quest if at low levels as the battles here can be quite challenging.

Speak with the Captain
In order to reach The Shadow Fort it is best you exit Gran Soren through the south entrance and then take the road north past the first archway. Here you will take the path west leading through the Estan Plains.

Following the path leads you to a fork in the road close to a Miner's Hut. The area here is filled with Goblins. At the fork take the path south and you will end up at the "Ancient Quarry North Entrance" where you will find Alon who's in trouble because the door is closed and the Quarry is overrun by monsters. Accepting his offer will start the quest Of Merchants and Monsters and although it is not required to complete this quest to advance it is highly recommended as it clears the mine of monsters permanently and opens Alons shop which contains some high level equipment.

Whether or not you choose to complete the quest you must travel through the quarry and open the gate here to advance. Be prepared to fight Bandits, Goblins and Ogres while traveling through the quarry.

Once you have made your way through the quarry you will find yourself in Devilfire Grove. Your Pawns will mention a resting area not far from here. You can find this by taking the south road. This is not however on the path to your final destination. In order to reach the Fort take the western road through the forest. There will be some Goblins and Hobgoblins on the way there.

Note: To reach the fort alternatively take the Manamia Trail path southwest of The Encampment towards Vestad Hills. If you stick to the north of the path leading west through the Verda Woodlands you will eventually reach the resting area mentioned earlier. This is an alternative path, but by no means faster or easier.

When you arrive at The Shadow Fort, talk to Ser Robert, who is in charge of the mission. He will explain the bulk of the mission, which involves you and your party going into the fortress and opening the gate so the main force can enter and reclaim the fort.

Open the Gate
Once Ser Robert has given you your assignment you are to infiltrate the fort. Take the cavern opening down and travel to the end of it to reach the cellars of the left tower. Here you will have to fight some Goblins and Hobgoblins. Make your way to the top of the tower, ignoring the door on the first floor for now. At the top of the tower on the back wall you will find an empty hole which requires a lever. This is the location from where you must open the gate. In order to do so you must find the lever.



Optional: jump over the broken bridge to the other tower and dispatch the Goblins here. This tower has access to a Balllista and if you're lucky you can take out one or two of the Ballista's on the other side of the courtyard. Be warned however, the opposing ballista's fire accurately at stationary targets and can do quite a bit of damage. Once your Ballista has taken enough damage it will be destroyed. You can also use a bow with keen or lyncean sight to shoot the goblins off the ballistas.

Make your way down the tower and enter the courtyard. The courtyard is filled with Goblins and to make matters worse there's also two Cyclopses here. While you are in the courtyard two ballista's (unless you have destroyed them) on the opposing ramparts of the castle will fire spears coated in fire at you and your party capable of doing considerable damage and setting you or your pawns ablaze. It is best though to defeat the Cyclopses here. If they pose a threat when combined with the Ballista's you can either lure them behind the stone building in the left area of the courtyard or lure them to the front of the castle near the gate, where it is easier to avoid the ballista fire.

Once the courtyard has been cleared of enemies make your way to the ladder on the stone building in the courtyard. From the top of this building jump down inside. You may now also unlock the barred door to allow easy access into this area. Take the closed door down into the dungeons. Below you'll find Goblins guarding a chest containing the Shadow Fort Lever.

With the lever in your inventory travel back to the first tower you were in when you entered the Fortress. Take the stairs to the top of the tower and put the lever into place and use it to open the Gate. Once you use the lever a cutscene will trigger showing Ser Roberts men entering the courtyard.

Rout the Goblins
Ser Robert and his men have now entered the courtyard. In order to get the best outcome, assist them in fighting off the remaining Goblins that spawn here (bottled Spring Water will heal you, your party, and all of Ser Robert's men). Once you have killed enough Goblins, a cutscene will trigger and the door to the main castle will open.

Note: New Goblins spawn from the many small holes in the area in front of the main castle. Make sure you defeat those as well. They may get stuck when trying to exit the holes.

Defeat the Goblin Chieftain
The gate has now been opened. Before entering the castle make sure Ser Robert and his men are safe and not engaging any enemies. If they are not fighting, you will see them holding their ground with their shields raised. This will allow them to block ballista fire as well.

Enter the fortress through the main gate and take the stairs to the left. The stairs wind up towards the tower. Beware though. At the top of the tower you will find another Cyclops and this one can be rather tricky. The walkway is small and he can knock you or your pawns off the rampart, most likely causing death as the fall is quite high. Lightning weapons or magick will aid considerably in this fight. You may also switch to ranged weaponry and shoot from inside the tower, as the Cyclops will not be able to reach inside the tower.

Once the Cyclops has been taken care of, make sure you pick off any remaining Goblins and that the Ballistas are no longer under their control.

To reach the Goblin Chieftain, you must go down the stairs in the tower opposite of where you came up. This is slightly confusing as the map indicator shows the Goblin Chieftain closer to the other tower. The left tower is, however, the only way to reach the chieftain. Make your way down, fighting still more Goblins, and enter the room when you are ready - this will trigger a cutscene.

Once game control reverts to you, battle the Chieftain. Once he has taken enough damage (you cannot kill him here), he will flee through the window. It is possible to follow the chieftain and kill him before he escapes, but it is not required in order to successfully complete the quest. If you wish to pursue, the only way is to jump from the window and follow him into the caverns which lead towards the Frontier Caverns. Once he takes a few steps into the caverns, he will trigger a cutscene and escape, ending the mission, so you'll have to be quick to catch him. A single hit will kill him now.

Whether or not you slew the Chieftain, the quest will update and say you did so, and a cutscene of victory in the courtyard will play. If Ser Robert survived the assault, he will congratulate you, and a quest reward will be offered. If he died anytime during the assault, the quest will have failed.

Report Your Victory
Once you are done travel back to Gran Soren. If you succeeded, Ser Maximilian will let you know what a great job you did and give you your reward.

If the assault ended with the Ser Robert's death, Ser Maximilian will remark that, although it is a shame that the fortress was lost, your very presence and willingness to fight has boosted the morale of the army, and the duke will appreciate your efforts regardless.

You will receive coins and experience and the quest will be counted as complete no matter which ending occurs.

Quest Successful
After speaking with Ser Maximilian the quest is completed. You may select another Wyrm Hunt Quest if he has them available or choose "Hear the duke's directive" to advance the story line afterwards.

Rewards
Success:
 * 10,000 G at Shadow Fort
 * Ferrystone


 * 18,000 G from Ser Maximilian
 * 20,000 EXP x2