Duke's Demesne is a location in Dragon's Dogma.
Overview
- "When you visit the castle, your pawns will wait outside and rejoin you when you leave." — In-game description
The Duke's Demesne is the inner bailey and castle of Gran Soren, accessible via the Noble Quarter via a guarded portcullis. Only those of high status, special permission, or working in the castle may enter.
The Demesne consists of an outer courtyard, with gardens, surrounded by walls on three sides. In the center is the castle's keep, containing the royal chambers and audience room. The fourth side is open to the sea, and a single tower accessible by a walkway from the keep leads to the tower.
The Arisen is admitted to the Duke's Demesne on completing at least two Wyrm Hunt Quests from Ser Maximilian, and then accepting the quest Come to Court. Access is only permitted during daytime - entering the area at Night and getting caught by the guards may end with the Arisen in the Dungeon. Upon completion of the main quest A Warm Welcome during Post-Game, the Demesne becomes inaccessible.
The Bailey
The Bailey (or gardens) contains two formal gardens, one named the Duchess's Gardens, the other unnamed. Gardeners frequent this place, as do the nobility of the castle. The wall walks of the bailey are accessible via towers, named 'observation rooms', on the north and south sides, and there is also a small stone shed adjacent to the north wall with three chests.
High quality chests in each of the formal gardens contain periapts.
The Keep
The central building in the Demense is the Keep, or Castle. It is the center of power in Gransys and contains the offices of the Chamberlaine, and the throne of the Duke.
First Floor
The first (or ground floor) contains the Duke's Audience Chamber wherein he holds court from a throne. It is occupies two stories in the center of the keep with a gallery overlooking it from the second floor.
Also on the first floor are side chambers used by the castle's domestic staff, the Treasury, and the stairs down the Dungeon.
Second Floor
The second floor is accessed by a double staircase at the head of the Audience Chamber, it contains rooms used by important officials and staff, including the Chamberlain's Office, the Visitor's Chamber and Gathering Hall; a fourth room is used as a Store Room. At the west end is the Duke's Solar, the office of the Duke himself.
A small staircase leads up to the third floor and to the tower.
Third Floor
The only accessible part of the third floor leads, via an elevated walkway, to the Duchess's Bedchamber. At the head of the stairs down to the second is a ladder which gives access to the fourth floor.
Fourth Floor
The accessible part of the Fourth Floor includes part of the flat roof of the Keep - this is an unfrequented place that gives a good view over the north side of the palace gardens. There is a small side room here, used as a Guard Station.
Dungeon
Stairs from the ground room lead down to the Dungeon, where Ser Jakob is permanently stationed - here are four locked prison cells - a not so secret passage leads from one of the cells through sewers to the Slums - this route can only be unlocked from within the Demense, but once opened allows access to the Keep without passing the main gate.
Inhabitants
Higher orders
Nobility
Retainers
Lower orders
Servants
Soldiers
Royal Guards
Knights
Guards
- Ser Elthar, treasury guard
- Ser Jakob, jailor
- Ser Pol
- Ser Tedrick
Other
Quests
The Royal Orders Quests are given by Aldous here. These are Griffin's Bane, and Trial and Tribulations; followed by Pride Before a Fall, and The Wyrmking's Ring; then finally Honor and Treachery, and Reward and Responsibility
On completion of theses quests one final quest Deny Salvation is given by the Duke.
A Warm Welcome tasks the Arisen to return to Gran Soren after The Final Battle and see if the Duke and the capital are safe.
Additionally there are quests related to Aelinore's story - Arousing Suspicion takes place here, and Duchess In Distress starts here.
Loot
There are numerous bags, crates, boxes, barrels, and chests throughout the Demense, as well as a large quantity of Ceramic Jugs, Trays and minor food items. Additionally a trawl of the worker's quarters and gardens will give a large haul of buckets, spades, brooms, and hoes. The upper areas of the keep may also have War Bugles.
There are a few notable spots of loot:
- Herb Ale and Sobering Wine lie on the lawn before the main entrance to the Keep (Stage 4, night).
- Multitude of bushes here may yield Strongwarish, Gran Soren Rubble and lesser plants.
- Two Sconces can be found here: in the Keep, at the table of dining room by the Chamberlain's Office and at Duchess's Bedchamber, on the dresser.
- Two Seeker's Tokens can be found in the Audience Chamber - one to the left of the staircase on the ground floor; and a second on the upper arcade (matroneum) overlooking the chamber in the southwest corner.
- A high quality chest in the castle ground, east of the Duchess' gardens and overlooking the sea may contain Cloudwine, or Seeker's Token.
- In the Dungeon - a chest at the bottom of the stairs contains a Skeleton Key. The route out to the Slums via the windy passage has a chest containing ether War Bugle or Harspud Juice
- On the third level floor, in the storehouse, a chest may contain: White Wine, Throwblast, Conqueror's Periapt, Dragon's Spit
- There are Airtight Flasks to be found at the far east end the servants rooms on the north side of the Audience chamber, and at the base of the northern Observation tower.
- There are many sacks around the Bailey. They may yield Throwblast, Interventive, Harspud Sauce or various amounts of coin. One the two by the Observation Room may yield Giant Coin Pouch.
- Three wood bundles scattered around the Bailey may drop treasure at night.
- The Store Room on the second floor contains a Gather spot that may give multiple Goddess Cameo
- A store shed in the northeast of the Bailey abutting the northern wall contains multiple chests containing, left to right:
- The Duchess's Bedchamber may occasionally be a source of women's clothing, and is the only place the Set of Servant's Garb can be found.
- A stack of books in the Visitor's Chamber on the Second Floor of the keep may contain the Wolf Strategy Vol. 3 scroll.
- The chest in the sewers, beyond the Dungeon may yield: Royal Banner or War Bugle.
Map
For planning burglaries, or secret meetings..