Griffin's Bane

Objective
"A griffin is stalking caravans. Join the volunteers who plan to vanquish the beast."

Royal Order Quest

Details
This Quest is obtained by speaking with Aldous after the quest Come to Court and selecting the option "Aid the Corps on a hunting expedition".

Speak with the Volunteers Join the Campaign (1) Join the Campaign (2) Pursue the Fleeing Griffin Report your Victory Quest Successful
 * Talk to the captain of the company of "elites" Ser Georg to learn of their strategy. They await you outside the southern gate.
 * Make for the battle site and assist the company in slaying the griffin.
 * Deliver bait to the company and help them lure the griffin out.
 * Trail the beast to Bluemoon Tower and help the company slay it.
 * Return to Gran Soren and inform Aldous that the deed is done.
 * You vanquished the griffin. Quest reward received.

Walkthrough
To activate the quest see Aldous in the Duke's Demesne. Choosing the option "Aid the Corps on a hunting expedition" will start the quest. Aldous asks you to meet the group of elites outside the southern gate.

Prior to starting this quest it see the list below for starting tips:
 * It is a good idea to bring 2 Ferrystones to speed up traveling time.
 * It is also a good idea to either start or finish the quest Supply and Demands on your way to Bluemoon Tower.
 * Enemies in Bluemoon Tower and the Griffin are all weak to Fire. Having a Mage or Sorcerer with fire spells and having Fire Based Weapons will aid you in the fight.
 * Bring 3 Skeleton Keys to open locked areas in Pastona Cavern on your way to Bluemoon Tower.

Speak with the Volunteers
In order to start the quest speak with Ser Georg standing outside the southern gate just over the bridge. Ser Georg and this men run towards the waycastle in the southern mountains. Follow them.

Join the Campaign (1)
On your way you will have to fight some Goblins. Make note of them and pick up the last Goblin right before the waycastle when the party turns left into the hills. Once you proceed into the hills the camera pans toward an area where you must leave bait in order to proceed. The hunting party will hide around the area to lay an ambush.

Join the Campaign (2)
"The bait" is a cryptic description at best, but you will hear your pawns speaking about Goblins. If you brought one before, the smalling camera panning will auto-drop the goblin to the ground. Pick it up before the body deteriorates. Bring the goblin to the bait area indicated on the ground with a hovering transparent ring. This will automatically summon the Griffin

If you were not able to bring a goblin from your previous fight you may find some here:
 * In the hills past the bait area. Towards the cliffs you will find some more goblins.
 * Return to where you first fought goblins before you went into the mountains. The road curves down towards Gran Soren. In the curve head exactly north and you will find two goblins near a fallen cart.
 * Spiders work as well, and there are usually a few up the hill nearby.

Once you've brought a goblin or spider to the bait area the Griffin comes to attack. For tactics on how to fight a griffin see the Griffin page.

The battle here has two possible outcomes. Slay the Griffin here or damage it enough for it to flee. You may be able to prevent the trip to Bluemoon Tower at this point, but another Main Quest later called The Wyrmking's Ring has the same destination. Choosing to allow the Griffin to live is most likely preferable, especially when combining this quest with Supply and Demands. Whatever you choose, this walkthrough assumes you are unable to slay the Griffin at the first battle site.

Pursue the Fleeing Griffin
The Griffin fled towards Bluemoon Tower. You must now make your way towards the tower in order to defeat it permanently and finish the quest.

For fast return to Gran Soren you may use the roads or a Ferrystone. If you're planning to finish up Supply and Demands make sure you have the 5 Ambrosial Meat from Julien in your inventory if you have them. First make your way towards Windbluff Tower and speak with Ser Daerio to complete Supply and Demands.

In order to reach the tower you must travel north beyond Windbluff Tower. You can follow the path that leads south of Hillfigure Knoll. At a certain point the path will curve left and go towards the Blighted Manse. The way towards Bluemoon tower is found by going between the two rocks at this turn. Snow Harpies will fly through this small corridor.

Turn right through Windworn Valley and a heavy wind will blow forcing you back. You will be required to run through it. After reaching the end you will find yourself in Pastona Cavern. Alternately you may notice the hill to the right side of the valley. you can climb to the top from around the back of the hill and make the jump to the next hill to pass over the valley without fear of harpies or high winds. this is only accessable as a staff using class as you will need to float to cover the distance from one hill to the next.

Be sure to bring Skeleton Keys in order to open the chests in this area. You'll notice many open doorways cut into the walls as you move through the canyon. They lead to rooms or rooftops with chests. One leads down into a dungeon, and the Skeleton Keys are for the three locked doors in there. You will have to fight Bandits, Skeletons, Snow Harpies and a Golem while making your way through the pass. In some spots the number of enimies can become overwhelming. half way down the pass you reach a bandit camp with balista emplacments. From Windworn Valley it is a linear path. Bluemoon Tower is found at the end of this road.

Once you get there it is advisable to use the Rift Stone just outside the entrance to create a checkpoint save in case anything goes wrong - the quest will update several times while in progress, so you cannot rely on the normal autosave if your expedition encounters disaster (like, say, pawns falling into the sea) and you wish to redo it from the start here.

Enter the gates to find Ser Georg and his hunting party engaged in battle. To the left of the second gate is a chest containing a Bespoke Longbow as a random item. Join the hunting party and make your way up the tower. Be warned, the tower is being guarded by Skeleton Knights, Skeleton Mages and Snow Harpies. The stairs are steep and narrow and there's plenty of opportunity for the enemy to catch you off guard and plummet you or your pawns to your untimely demise.

Once at the top of the flights of stairs you'll find a barred door and a closed wooden door. Proceed through the wooden door for a cutscene.

The Griffin attacks the hunting party and you are trapped between it and a closed gate. Smash the wooden log barring the gate to proceed. A second gate now stands locked. The wooden bar on this door is sturdier. There ate two ways to deal with this. Assist the party in taking down the wooden log on this side or proceed to the right smashing crates as you go to make it to the other side of the gate and open it using the lever. It is fairly possible one of the soldiers in the hunting party dies here if you take too long.

After the gate is open Ser Westley is being pulled up atop the gate and he must fend off the Griffin on his own unless you support him. You are not able to grab onto the Griffin at this time. If you're a melee vocation pray your party hurts the Griffin enough for it to leave Ser Westley alone. Otherwise aim your ranged attacks at the Griffin. When it takes enough damage Ser Westley will be saved. Saving Ser Westley is optional and has no impact on the quests progression.

When proceeding take care of where you're walking. The Griffins force breaks down parts of the tower and specifically the ground. You're now trapped between an abyss and another locked gate. You must fend off the Griffin here until it breaks the gate for you. When the gate opens walk through it. You'll notice the perspective changes. You must make it to the other side of the Tower. You can walk normally or run. Eventually the Griffin comes after you taking down all gates in the process. If you're swept up by the carnage you'll most likely fall to your death. If your pawns fall behind it is fairly certain they will not make it past this area. Make sure to reach the survivors of the hunting party by running as fast as you can while giving the "come" command to your pawns.

Make your way to through the halls in the next area and take the large stairway leading up to the top of the tower. If you wish to save do it before you head up the tower as when you reach the summit the battle starts automatically whether you are there or not.

At the summit the final showdown between the hunting party and the Griffin takes place. Use fire damage on its wings to keep it on the ground. After a while Steffen will come and assist you if you completed A Troublesome Tome. Depending on if you gave Steffen the real tome he will assist you with fire magicks. If you gave him a forgery he will not be able to cast any spells.

Report your Victory
Once the Griffin is defeated the spoils are yours. Aside from the items the Griffin drops there's a stash of Gold and items at the east en of the tower. The chests here contain a Griffin Armor and an Assassin's Mask as well as plenty of Coin Pouches.

In the middle of all the loot is a special item called a Portcrystal. This is the only one of its kind in a normal playthrough which you can obtain (unless you're playing the Dark Arisen version of the game, which adds several more findable portcrystals). It acts much in the same manner as the portcrystal circle in Gran Soren's Craftsman's Quarter, but this one is portable. You can place it anywhere as long as it is outside in Gransys - that is, you may only place it on "world map" areas, and not in towns or dungeons.

Now you have to make your way back to Gran Soren and inform Aldous of your success. Before you use a Ferrystone head outside of the Bluemoon Tower first. You may use the northern stairway to make your way back down the tower. At the entrance put down the Portcrystal you just found and then use a ferrystone to ferry back to Gran Soren. You may not put down the portcrystal inside the Bluemoon Tower. Putting down the portcrystal here will assist in another quest later in the game.

When you get back to Gran Soren speak with Aldous in the Castle to complete the quest.

Quest Successful
Once you've spoken with Aldous you can either start the quest Trial and Tribulations if you have not completed it yet or proceed with the next set of Royal Orders Quests. If you chose not to place the Portcrystal near the Bluemoon Tower you may use it to place it anywhere to create a fast-travel hub.

Enemies
The enemies encountered in this quest include the following:
 * Bandits
 * Direwolves
 * Goblins
 * Griffin
 * Snow Harpies
 * Hobgoblins
 * Skeleton Knights
 * Skeleton Mages
 * Golem (this fight is made easier by using the ballistas atop the adjacent bandit fort)

Tips

 * It is not neccesary to feed the griffin a goblin. He can be fed the corpse of any creature. Small spiders spawn close to the griffin site, and are much lighter than goblin corpses. Carrying them does not drain your stamina if you are of average weight.
 * It is possible to kill the griffin at the first battle site. It can save you time and resources if you manage to prevent it's flight to Bluemoon Tower. If necessary, seek higher level pawns to join your party to aid you in this endeavor. However, you will miss out on the loot and experience gained on the road to Bluemoon and found in Bluemoon Tower.
 * If you do kill the griffin at the first battle site, it's still possible to get the portcrystal atop Bluemoon tower. You will need to hand in the quest first, then make your way to Bluemoon Tower and the portcrystal will be at the top of the tower. (If you go before you hand in the quest, the doors leading to the top of the tower will be locked)
 * If the griffin is killed before it has "opened" the third gate in the Bluemoon Tower the top of the tower will be inaccessible, making it impossible to complete The Wyrmking's Ring unless you have a Wyrmking's Ring or it's forgery stored.
 * If the griffin flees to Bluemoon Tower, it can be a long venture to reach it. It's advised to stop at the Inn in Gran Soren and rest till morning to make the most of the daylight it will take to reach Bluemoon Tower. Aside from this, having Liquid Vim in your inventory can be helpful in keeping at a sprinting speed on your way to the quest marker.
 * If you're playing the Dark Arisen version of the game, it is a good idea to explore the road here first and place a portcrystal near the vicinity of Bluemoon Tower. This way you can immediately reach the tower during the quest without having to travel all the way on foot and worrying about exploring side areas.
 * The Bandits encountered through the crags en route to Bluemoon Tower can be formidable opponents if you aren't high enough in level or have higher level pawns recruited to assist you. Be sure to bring along plenty of curatives in the event that you find yourself outmatched or in any unsavory situation involving these enemies.
 * Avoiding second encounter: If your character is a mystic knight, you will have to be a support whether or not you've been playing as one. Enchant your sword or staff with fire and just spam the Greater Cannon skill, its cheap but effective. Even if its just hovering or about to attack you from the air, if its wings set ablaze it will fall down. Just keep it down and keep the enchantment and Greater Cannon up and unleash your button-mashing skills, your party and the "elites" will take care of the rest. Have some mushrooms to keep your stamina up.
 * Using the Maker's Finger arrow is the most effective way of preventing the griffin's escape, however it is not recommended as they can one shot any enemy you might ever have trouble with and it is better saved for later.

NotesEdit

 * The soldiers involved in the hunt for the griffin are members of the Enlistment Corps. Hence, Mercedes will have unique dialogues, depending whether the Arisen has kept all the soldiers alive or not.