Durgan's Battery (quest)

 is a main quest in.

Synopsis
Upon their ascension to the position of Roadwarden, lord of Caed Nua, the Watcher received a strange letter from the village of Stalwart, asking for relief.

Save Stalwart
This is the quest that starts off the expansion quest-line The White March - Part I. After you've completed Never Far from the Queen in the base game, a messenger will ask to you to return to your stronghold Caed Nua. Do so, and speak with the Steward. She'll tell you that the village of Stalwart in the White March is asking for your help. Apparently, the retaking of Caed Nua has convinced Renengild, leader of the village, that you are the right person to talk concerning impossible tasks.

When you're ready, travel to Stalwart Village. You'll find it under attack by crag ogres. Make your way west, fighting through ogres along the way, until you reach the ogre commander Darzir. Kill him. This will cause any remaining ogres to retreat.

Save people from the burning hut
Nearby is a burning building with some villagers stuck inside it. If you want, you can intervene:

Firstly you have to decide whether you, or a companion enters the burning hut. Naturally this changes who the checks are performed on, otherwise the interaction is identical. Internally, two global variables are used to keep track of the state of your character during the interaction:
 * - Denotes how much punishment the character chosen to do the interaction has taken. This variable is continuously incremented during the interaction until it reaches n_character_durability_max, at which point you are forced to leave the building. Below this is denoted as damage to avoid confusion.
 * - The maximum amount of damage the character can take during the interaction. This value starts at 5, and can be increased to 7 if you pass the Constitution 18 check below.

Ultimately you want to avoid damage as much as possible, as hitting your max will end the interaction.

As soon as you enter the house a gust of smoke will come towards the character
 * If you have Survival 5 you will have the option to duck until it passes
 * Otherwise you can continue forward, and the outcome is dependent on your Constitution:
 * Constitution 18 → Max durability is increased to 7, no damage
 * Constitution 15 → Take no damage
 * Constitution 12 → Take 1 damage
 * Constitution 9 → Take 2 damage
 * Otherwise → Take 3 damage

Following this, a beam will threaten to fall on you. This performs one of the following 3 hidden/automatic checks. You do not get to choose these options, and the first that passes is selected.
 * Perception 14, you notice that the beam is about to give way. You can then decide to:
 * Wait for the beam to fall → Take 1 damage
 * Run past (Dexterity 10), you successfully roll past as the beam crashes down → Take no damage
 * Prop up the beam with another log (Might 13) → Take no damage.
 * Doing so means you can avoid an Athletics 4 check later on.
 * Otherwise if you fail either of the above checks, you get pinned under log (see below) → Take 2 damage
 * Dexterity 18, you quickly rush past the falling beam as it crashes down
 * Otherwise the beam comes crashing down on you, pinning you to the ground → Take 2 damage
 * Push the beam away
 * Might 10, successfully do so → Take no damage
 * Otherwise → Take 2 damage, loops back to other choices
 * Call for help, or do nothing → Take 10 damage (effectively end interaction)

At this point one of the following messages will appear to indicate your current damage level (lower is better). This is repeated later.
 * (6/7) Smoke clogs your lungs, and the heat has become unbearable. You will collapse soon.
 * (5/7)  Your skin blisters with burns. You're growing dizzy and beginning to fade.
 * (4/7) The building grows hotter, but you draw on a new reserve of energy and press on.
 * (4/5) Smoke clogs your lungs, and the heat has become unbearable. You will collapse soon.
 * (3) Flames rise and lick at you. You can keep going, but not for much longer.
 * (2) A sudden flashover singes your arms. It doesn't stop you, but the pain steadily grows.
 * (1) The smoke has gotten thick. You begin coughing but are able to press on.
 * (0) Despite the smoke and flames, you remain unharmed and unhindered for the moment.

You come to a wider room, there is a man on the left who is trapped by fire, and a woman on the right, unconscious beneath some debris. Dealing with the man first is preferable, as you won't be able to pass certain checks to save him if you have too much damage, and you'll have additional checks if you are carrying the woman. In addition, saving him doesn't damage you nearly as much as the woman - giving you some more breathing room.

In approaching the man, if you have less than 3 damage remaining (5/7 or 3/5), there is no chance of saving the him, and he is engulfed by flames. Otherwise you can:
 * Use the Chanter chant Rime and Frost Followed the Footfalls of Karth.
 * If you currently have 3 or more damage, this will fail - though you won't take any further damage.
 * Cast the Wizard spell Winter Wind, or Druid ability Chill Fog.
 * If you're carrying the woman, this requires Resolve 15 to ensure you successfully cast the spell. Failing to do so does not damage you.
 * Try and reach for the man through the flames → Take 1 damage, loop choices
 * Turn away to help the woman → Take 1 damage (though not after saving the man)

Once you reach him, you will take 1 damage regardless. If you previously approached the woman and stole her ring, he will notice this and you can choose to kick him in the face (this kills him). Otherwise he thanks you and runs for the exit. At this point you can help the woman if you haven't already.

In approaching the woman, if you have already freed the man, and have less than 3 damage remaining (>= 5 of 7 or >= 3 of 5), there is no chance of saving the woman - as you hold your hand to her mouth you feel nothing. Otherwise you can:
 * Try to lift the rubble off the woman (only if you haven't freed the man). Requires Might 20 to lift the beam in one go, otherwise you take 1 damage. If you fail this check you can keep trying with a further Might 10 (failing that yields another 1 damage), or give up and set the beam back down. Either way, once the beam is lifted, you take 1 further damage.
 * Use a prybar to lift the crossbeam. In doing so you take 2 damage, but lift the beam.
 * Take the ring (Frigid Claim). Requires no checks, but you take 1 damage doing so. Loops choices.
 * Turn away to help the man → Take 1 damage (though not after freeing the woman from the rubble)

Once you have the woman, you can carry her out or turn to help the man (if you have not already done so)

Upon leaving, another message will appear to indicate your current damage
 * (6/7, Gain Critical Fatigue) Your vast reserves of endurance have dwindled, and escape has become critical.
 * (5/7, Gain Critical Fatigue) You are rapidly losing strength, sustained only by vast reserves of endurance. With every passing moment, escape becomes more unlikely.
 * (4/7, Gain Major Fatigue) Beset by smoke-clogged air and burning debris, you struggle to keep upright as the ordeal takes its toll.
 * (4, Gain Major Fatigue) Beset by smoke-clogged air, blistering heat and burning debris, you are rapidly losing strength. With every passing moment, survival becomes more unlikely.
 * (3, Gain Minor Fatigue) Beset by smoke-clogged air and burning debris, you find the ordeal taking its toll. Still you press on, determined.
 * (2, Gain Minor Fatigue) The ordeal has taken a meager toll, but you have fared well, retaining enough energy to press on.
 * (1) Despite the surrounding chaos, you have survived largely unharmed.
 * (0) You move easily through the burning house, thus far unharmed.

If you're carrying the woman, and if the beam previously crashed down, you must also pass an Athletics 4 check to avoid the debris in your way. If you fail the Athletics check, you take a further 1 damage and drop the woman. Picking her back up results in a further 1 damage, or you can leave her and sprint for the exit.

Following this check (or if the beam did not crash down - you propped it up prior) you must pass a Constitution 12 check to persist without taking damage from the smoke.

Finally you emerge into the clear mountain air, thus ending the interaction.

In order to get the best possible outcome (saving both the man and the woman and getting the ring), an optimal solution involves the following choices.
 * 1) Firstly, send a Chanter with Rime and Frost Followed the Footfalls of Karth, a wizard with Chill Fog, or a druid with Winter Wind, otherwise you won't be able to save the man.
 * 2) Avoiding the smoke when they enter (Survival 5), or better yet continue with Constitution 18 or 15.
 * 3) Notice the beam before it falls (Perception 14), and then run past it (Dexterity 10); OR rush past the falling beam (Dexterity 18)
 * 4) Save the man (on the left) first using one of the above spells
 * 5) Turn towards the woman, notice the ring (Resolve 14+) and pick it up
 * 6) Lift the beam on top of her using either a prybar or passing the (Might 20) check and then pick her up
 * 7) When leaving pass an (Athletics 4) plus a (Constitution 12)  check and not fall over to reach the exit.

Remember that consumables (scrolls, rites and food), resting bonuses and prostitute boons can help pass this difficult section. The man is Lurgolder and the woman Keydy. You'll be invited to have a drink at the tavern afterwards, to either drown your sorrows or celebrate the accomplishments.

Talk to the mayor
After you've saved the village from the ogre attack, talk to mayor Renengild in Renengild's House in the North-West of the map. She'll tell you about her desire to re-open Durgan's Battery (and its fabled forge) in order to help her village regain prosperity. She'll give you two additional main quests which you will have to complete first in order to gain access to the battery:


 * The Ogre Matron
 * The Recluse of the White March

Visit Durgan's Battery
After you have completed both of those, travel to Durgan's Battery, and make your way to the large stone gate in the fortress wall in the North-West of the map. Clicking the gate will start a scripted interaction:


 * Stone gate interaction
 * The sequence to open the gate is as follows:
 * [Option 1] [Place the anvil tile in the relief.]
 * [Option 1] Hammers of Durgan, ring loud! May the anvil's deep music resound.
 * [Option 2] [Strike the anvil relief.]
 * [Option 2] Walls of the Battery safeguard our works from marauder and wilder alike.
 * [Option 2] [Push the crenelated wall relief.]
 * [Option 2] Abydon's faithful travail by the Forge and the fires that brighten the ore.
 * [Option 1] [Examine the mouth more closely.]
 * [Option 1] [Press the dragon's tongue to light a fire in the mouth.]

Once the gate is open, this quest completes and you automatically get the follow-up The White Forge.