Crossing the Boareskyr Bridge - Main quest BG: Siege of Dragonspear Guide
Last update: 01 July 2016
Task will begin once you reach the inside of the Bridgefort (M11,8), using the teleportation circle found in the woods (using the Wardstone) (M11,4). It contains few large segments, which were thoroughly described in following subsections.
- Meeting important people in the fort
- Option 1 - Surrendering, and letting the crusaders inside
- Option II - Battle with the crusaders
- Reaching the other side of the river
Meeting important people in the fort
At first, you need to hear the conversation with Khalid, from you will learn more about the situation of the people in the besieged fort. Khalid will suggest you meet with two important figures in the fort to get acquainted with the details. The first person is Jegg Hillcarver, who can be found nearby. Talk with female blacksmith about the supplies remaining in the fort. Jegg will suggest to outsmart the crusaders, through destroying the supplies, and then surrendering the fort (you don't have to decide your course of action now)
The second person indicated by Khalid is Wynan Hess. You can find her in the eastern chamber. After you reach the place, and start a conversation about the defense potential of the fort, you will deconcentrate Wynan, removing the force field for a while, causing an explosion in the fort. Once you regain consciousness, go to the main room of the fort (M11,9), where you will find a magic Spellstone, which gradually weakens the fort defenders. Wynan will ask you to solve the problem. You will receive a side-quest, The Creeping Darkness, connected to this event.
Ignoring the Spellstone is not the best idea, because it further lowers the defense potential of the fort. It is best to begin with this task. Use the teleportation circle to return to the forest, and move in the direction of the crusader camp (M11,2). Once you receive the permission to entry the camp (side quest The Missing Patrol), start with its western part (M11,3). Find the mage Vichand, who is responsible for the whole situation. The plan is to force Vichand to hand over the scroll which he used to create the Spellstone. You can bully Vichand, for example through revealing your true identity. Don't try to attack the mage, and don't choose too soft dialogue options.
Return to Wynan Hess with the scroll. Give the scroll to the mage, and don't try to ask for any payment, because you can cause a very undesirable fight with the fort inhabitants. The stone will be successfully "turned off", but a monster, Wraith, will appear. Be ready to eliminate the creature, but people in the room will help you.
No matter how you handled the Spellstone affair, you need to reach the door leading outside of the fort (M11,11). Once you get to the surface (M11,12), find Khalid and talk with him. Now you need to decide how you want to handle the crusaders. Two main courses of action are:
Surrendering, and letting the crusaders inside the fort, with a guaranteed way out for the defenders. Jegg sabotages the supplies, and the enemies gain nothing from the fort takeover.
A battle with the crusaders led by Barghest. The only people fighting are the fort defenders (+ the players' party), or you can send for Flaming Fist troops stationed in Troll Claw Woods (M9)
Option 1 - Surrendering, and letting the crusaders inside
The advantage of this option, is that you avoid a major battle with the crusaders. The disadvantage is that you will make one of the later battles harder, because the crusader forces won't be destroyed, and will return to Dragonspear castle.
If you want to choose this option, choose the second or the third dialogue option during the conversation with Khalid (the negotiations will be undertaken with Khalid or without him). Once the main character reaches the drawbridge (M11,7), negotiations with Barghest, the leader of the crusaders, will begin. During the meeting, tell Barghest about the willingness to surrender the fort in exchange for free passage. Barghest will agree to this proposition, even with the voiced objections of Oloneiros. After the whole situation, talk with sergeant Dugraff (M11,1) who will tell you that the crusaders weren't happy with the fact that they found destroyed supplies in the fort. You can now move to the crusader camp (M11,3), which is now deserted.
Option II - Battle with the crusaders
The advantage of this option is that after you defeat the crusaders near the fort, you will weaken the Caelar Argent army, and in the later part of the game, you will have an easier time winning another major clash. The disadvantage is that defeating the crusaders from the camp is not an easy fight, and only a strong party will be able to complete the task.
If you want to choose this option, choose the first dialogue option during the conversation with Khalid. You need to decide if you want to fight the crusaders immediately, using only the allies found in the fort (first dialogue option) or you want to return to the Flaming Fist camp and get additional reinforcements (second dialogue option)
If you want to fight the crusaders immediately, you need to take into account that victory will be a lot harder. Combat will start the moment the drawbridge will be lowered. If you feel up to it, you can cross the bridge and attack the crusaders in their camp. Otherwise, remain in the fort and attack those enemies who will show up on the draw bridge or cross it. In both cases, watch out for strong attacks by Barghest and the enemy mages (especially Oloneiros and Vichand) - it may prove to be beneficial to improve the party resistances for magical attacks.
If you are not in a rush to defeat the crusaders, a much better idea is to return to the Flaming Fist camp to get reinforcements. Use the teleportation circle in the fort (M11,5) to leave it, get to any corner of the map, and choose Troll Claw Woods from the world map. As a reminder, the Flaming fist camp is in the left lower corner of the location (M9,1). Once you reach the camp, talk with Lieutenant Otilda and ask for Flaming Fist support. You can decide, if in the coming battle you want to accompany the Flaming Fist (first dialogue option) or the fort defenders (second dialogue option) The first variant is better, because the enemies won't be anticipating an attack from behind, and you will have more room for maneuver.
Return to Boareskyr Bridge (M11,1) and enter the crusader camp (M11,3) with the Flaming fist forces. At the same time, the fort defenders should begin their attack, thanks to this the crusader forces will be attacked simultaneously from both sides. Moreover, thanks to the approach from the southern side, you will be able to freely move around the camp, and if you need to retreat (for example, when you need to heal your party) you will have an easier time doing it. Fight until you get rid of all crusaders from the camp.
Reaching the other side of the river
Regardless whether you choose to surrender the fort, or defeated the crusader in battle, after the whole event you will meet a Flaming Fist mage, who will inform you that crusaders are planning to detonate the Boareskyr bridge. Use the newly unlocked gate in the camp (M11,14) which will lead you to the bridge (M11,15). Engage the enemies found there, and try to eliminate the mage first. After you kill the enemies, return to the camp for a while (M11,3) and talk with Bence Duncan (Skie will join the conversation if she joined the expedition earlier) You can now cross the bridge, see the new vision and talk with the Hooded Man. Once you reach the opposite shore, get to the corner of the map (M11,16), and choose the Coalition Camp (M12) from the map.