The Ogre Matron

 is a main quest in.

Synopsis
There's an ogre camp in the ice caves near Stalwart. The clan is led by a matron known as Beregan. Renengild wants the Watcher to kill Beregan and her followers to remove the threat to Stalwart. Beregan is also believed to have the previous expedition's goods and gear. Those items may help with Durgan's Battery.

Walkthrough
You automatically get this quest when you first talk to mayor Renengild in her house in Stalwart Village for the Durgan's Battery quest. She asks you to deal with a clan of ogres who threaten the village.

Travel to Russetwood (a wilderness area west of Stalwart), make your way to the top-left corner of the map, and enter the Flames-That-Whisper Caverns – which is the head-quarters of the "Flames-That-Whisper" ogre clan, and is guarded by crag ogres both outside and inside the caverns.

Matron Beregan is in the Scrying chamber at the west end of the first level of these caverns, but the chamber's door is locked and can't be picked. To get in, you first have to make a detour to the lower level of the cavern, which you can get to via...


 * the stairs near the north-east edge of the map, or
 * the ice chute near the south edge of the map (straight east from the entrance); on the scripted way down you can find an item.

Once in the lower level, there are two ways to gain access to the Scrying chamber above:


 * Through the back door
 * Near the north-west edge of the map, there is another set of stairs leading straight into the Scrying chamber, bypassing the locked door. However, to get to these stairs you need to cross two very nasty high-level wire traps. (11 Mechanics to disarm / POTD: 12)


 * Find the key
 * In the larger chamber in the south-west of the map (just west of where you enter if you took the ice chute), there is a body of a dead ogre near some lagufaeth with a key on him. You can loot it, go back up to the first level, and use it to unlock the door to the Scrying chamber.

Once inside the Scrying chamber, approach Matron Beregan and she will initiate conversation. Your goal is to get the equipment of the previous expedition that attempted to enter Durgan's Battery Fortress, as you will need it for the Durgan's Battery quest. You have two options:


 * Kill Beregan
 * It can be a difficult battle. Once she's dead, loot the equipment off her body.


 * Convince her to hand them over peacefully
 * Resolve 12: "I can't agree with that, but I swear that no harm will come to you from Stalwart or the Battery" can make Beregan give you the equipment without fighting.
 * Intellect 17: "Stalwart's barely surviving. The last thing they want is further trouble with you - or anyone else" is another alternative for Beregan handing the equipments on a peaceful manner.
 * Lore 6 can be used to point out that the Battery causes kith to degenerate into infighting, which will appease her (she will assume that the villagers will inevitably wipe each other out if they seize it)
 * If you avoid skill checks and don't use the above lines, focusing on why you're here and not antagonizing the Matron, she will eventually let you go but demand that you give up on the Battery. With Intellect 13 or Resolve 12 you can point out that uncovering the Battery's secrets will free her clan from fear or swear that no harm will come to her from the Battery or Stalwart.
 * (The advantage of this peaceful solution is that Matron Beregan will help you defend Caed Nua during The Battle of Yenwood Field as well as offers her help against the Eyeless later on.)

If you want, you can also loot her treasure chest (needs Mechanics 10 to unlock) for some additional equipment (Archer's Gloves, Belt of Bountiful Healing, gems). If you didn't kill the ogres, you will need to use stealth to get to it while the patrolling ogres temporarily step away.

Leave the caverns with the previous expedition's goods in your stash, and the quest completes.