Under Siege

Important: The content featured in this article was introduced in Valine's Enhanced Edition Remake of Part One. Locations, quests, and NPCs mentioned here may not exist in Part One version 1.50.

This article is part of a collection for the walkthrough for Part One. The previous article is Missing Pia. The next article is Welcome Home.

After finding Pia at the Academy, the Princess finds herself stranded with Pia in a castle under siege.

Notes

During this quest, the Princess has an opportunity to enter a romance with Pia
Castias seems to have a bit of a crush on the Princess, but the most that can come of it is an offscreen dance
If she takes the proper path, the Princess comes away from this quest with a rod of resurrection that can be used again afterwards
This quest has places where you can lock yourself out of certain conditions. At the start, and every so often during, it's a good idea to make a hard save in a new slot so you can reload if you want to try something else. (This is doubly true if you're hoping to romance Pia.)
This quest has a lot of scripted conversations after combat, which can occasionally break if you start clicking on things before they fire. For best results: when you see a green circle under one of your companions, wait for the combat music to end and don't touch anything until they start talking to you. (If it's been a while and they still haven't started talking to you, you can try clicking on them.) This is another reason that regular saves are a good idea.

Trivia

In the 1.50 equivalent of this quest, the Ravenstowers were dragons and lived in a snowy land far away from Betancuria. You can still see hints of these origins in the cold-themed items Ice and Snow White in the Baron's treasury.

WARNING
Spoilers follow.

Walkthrough (the linear part)[]

After being teleported by Andrik, you and Pia crash down onto a table in another wizard's tower. The wizard, Terek Weminster, is not too pleased with the pair of you, and brings you before his lord Baron Ravenstower. The Ravenstower family is gathered together with some Dhorn soldiers and an emissary.

While some of those present will recognize you as looking familiar, they won't realize you're the Princess (and no one will believe you even if you tell them.) The Baron is more interested in Pia than in you, and demands that she entertain him with some bawdy songs. With both Lore and Perform, you can join the performance as well.

Eventually, Terek will escort you to a guest room (with only one bed). You'll learn that you won't be able to leave any time soon, because Castle Crossing is currently under siege by the Dhorn. Terek bars the door and leaves you two alone.

Note: If you want to be friends or lovers with Pia, do not pick the "I'll cut his balls off if he tries something funny" option in the conversation with Pia here. Even though she doesn't react to it, it loses you a whopping 10 relationship points.

Pia will want to chat for a bit and discuss the situation. Eventually, she'll suggest you two rest, and make to settle in on the floor.

If you want to deepen your relationship, don't go to bed and let her sleep on the floor - talk to her again, and suggest the two of you share the bed. (There are both platonic and suggestive options once you're in there.)

If you'd like to enter a romance with Pia, make sure you pick the "Pia...?" option as the two of you are falling asleep, which leads to another conversation where you can discuss what happened during Lesson 4.

Note: Even though this section is fairly scripted, you can still level Pia up before the first combat (if the Princess is above level 8) by choosing "What should we do now?" while Pia is sitting on the floor. This loops into her regular follower dialogue options. Just talk to her again afterwards to get the bed conversation.

In the morning, Terek will come wake the two of you and bring you before the Baron. The Baron proves obstinate about assisting you, and eventually Pia will offer him a night with her if he helps the two of you get back to Betancuria.

The Baron will eagerly take Pia up on the offer. You can request to join them as well, but he'll only accept if you've been polite so far.

If you're not joining them

You'll be left to wait in the study with the guards, who will start flirting with you. You can take them up on the offer or shut them down. (Note that accepting the guards' proposition will lock you out of romancing Pia.)

After a little while Pia will run naked out of the bedroom, exclaiming that the Baron is dead. You have a chance to quickly equip Pia while they go to investigate. When they emerge, the guards will conclude you two were responsible and attack, and you have no choice but to put them down.

If you join Pia and the Baron

You'll learn that the Baron has some rather unusual tastes. Compared to the other path, where Pia reports that the Baron wanted a nude performance, this one is quite a bit more salacious. He'll collapse dead mid-coitus.

Two guards will run in to investigate the noise and attack the two of you. You have no choice but to put them down.

After the Baron's Death

Investigate the bedroom. There's a treasure room off to the side that no one will notice if you loot, a family tree, and a secret door that leads to the exact same hallway as the main door.

Head downstairs and you'll bump into Castias. When you tell him that the Baron is dead, he'll bring you back upstairs and the rest of the Ravenstower family will arrive. Dana suggests that you be held and surrender your weapons while they look into what happened.

If you refuse to surrender your weapons, everyone will go hostile, and most of the rest of the quest will be unavailable. If you agree, the game will strip all weapons in your and Pia's inventories (except umbrellas, if you have one), and you'll be taken to a cell under the barracks.

In the cell[]

If you rest, three cloaked figures will approach your cell and attack you. A few rounds into the fight, a paladin will show up to assist.

If you don't rest and break out of the cell instead, you'll meet the cloaked figures in the hallway, but otherwise things will play out the same.

The paladin is Marcian Tennen. He needs help, and appoints you as an agent of the church to help investigate the Baron's death.

Recovering your weapons[]

Your weapons are near the cell you were just locked in. Ignore the secret door, and go into the room with a large dog cage. Your weapons are in a closet off the side.

Investigation[]

After this point, the quest becomes very open-ended. This quest has a number of possible variations depending on what you've done and who is in your party at certain events. Additionally, at any point you can choose to escape on your own and leave the people of Castle Crossing to their fate.

Given the number of variations, the quest is hard to fully cover in a typical walkthrough format. This guide will first cover the available locations and events, then give a sequence of actions that can be taken to reach the most "special" ending.

Locations[]

Castle Crossing - Exterior[]

Here are the buildings you can enter within Castle Crossing:

Barracks - On the lower level you'll find the cells and Marcian's excavation site
The Mermaid - an inn where you can rest for the night, buy food, and possibly pick up some additional muscle. Keep in mind that having extra companions around may not be a boon for everything you want to do.
Smithy - armor and weapon shop, and can improve your gear
The main castle - see below
Chapel - the crypt on the lower level is where the Ravenstower dead are buried
House - you can speak to a grouchy man here. He'll mention the kraken but doesn't have anything very useful to say.
Stables - again, doesn't seem to be anything you can do here
Terek's tower

Barracks and Cells[]

The top level of the barracks is empty.

The lower level has an entrance to Marcian's excavation site, the cells you were locked in with Pia, and a room with a large dog cage where you can recover your weapons.

Down a hole is Marcian's excavation site, where he's digging for some ancient evil.

A secret door in the hallway leads to a giant squid that helps defend the keep. While it may not be a great idea for the castle's defenses, you can fight it if you'd like. It has a fear aura and damage reduction.

Past the squid, there's a secret door into Terek's basement. (Covered later: there are more convenient ways to get there.)

The Mermaid[]

As an inn, this has a selection of food and drink, although there's quite a markup with the siege going on.

You can talk to the innkeeper about Castle Crossing and the Ravenstower family, and you'll learn that Lady Dana has died in the few hours since you were locked up in the cell. This will complete the "The Usual Suspects: Mermaid Gossip" quest.

If you ask "Are you truly sure there's no way to leave the castle?" he'll direct you to a group of travelers who are seeking the same thing, and suggest you might want to team up. The trio are Donan Davis, Lorica Wetter, and Lefur Beltiamen. They serve a fairly different function than the trio of the same names from version 1.50--more on them below.

You sleep in the common room (room with all the bunk beds) for free, or rent a private room for 50g. Assuming you don't have anyone else in the party, renting a private room and resting will start a conversation with Pia where you can initiate a romance if you're on good enough terms with her.

Chapel[]

There are two locked doors in the chapel that lead down to the crypt. Outside the crypt, you'll find a lot of blood as if someone recently bled out into the fountain. The crypt itself, where the Baron and Dana's bodies are kept, can only be opened by a Ravenstower.

Castle Crossing - Interior[]

Dhorn Emissary
- Speaking with the Emissary (as long as it's before Event - Meeting Castias for Dinner), you can learn of two hostage Dhorn boys being kept in the castle, who are the reason the Dhorn have been holding back in their attacks. You can also find some incriminating notes in the desk - mentioning these to the Emissary is not advisable and will cause him and others to go hostile.
This storage room contains the Mithril Chainmail, a medium armor with a cute skirt (+2 chainmail with DR 5/+1)
This storage room has two female Ravenstower guard armors. The sheer coincidence makes them look like disguises for you and Pia, but that doesn't appear to be the case (and if you don't both have heavy armor proficiency you can't even equip them in the first place). [Please correct if the disguise option is just very well-hidden].
There's a man named Claric Mars here. If you've found a way to get him to talk to you, please add it.
Stairs to Treasury
Stairs up to Upper Floor
Castias: the first time you enter, Castias will invite you to join him for dinner the next day (see Event - Speak with Castias)
Timin and Claile's room
In Timin and Claile's bathroom, there's a secret door that leads down to a rowboat and Terek's basement (see below)
Dana's room - on entering, you'll discover it's been recently looted
Timin is here (up until Event - Meeting Castias for Dinner - see below)
Stairs down to Ground Floor
Stairs up to Dining Room
This is where the Baron meets you after you confront Terek in his tower
This room contains two hostage Dhorn boys, whose existence you can learn of from the Dhorn Emissary. Based on their names, they are likely related to General Sigerthur who you can kill during Dhorn Slayer. You can pick the DC 55 lock for experience - but if you actually open the door, the hostages will immediately be executed and most of the castle will go hostile.
Stairs up to Baron's Bedroom
Stairs down to Upper Floor
This room contains a variety of treasure, including the unique longsword Ice and the unique armor Snow White.
Stairs down to Dining Room

Treasury[]

You can break into the castle's treasury in the basement, which is well-guarded with a variety of locks and traps. The safes at the end contain 50k gold and an assortment of gemstones and jewelry.

Even if you aren't planning to rob the treasury, it's worth getting to the end for the experience: dealing with every lock and trap down here will net you a total of 1715 XP.

Pia comments that the safes are made of beryllium to prevent them from being opened with magic, so Knock is likely ineffective to open them.

If you have the River Guide trio with you (Lorica, Donan, and Lefer) and remove the gold from the middle safe containing 50k gold, Donan will demand the gold and go hostile if you don't hand it over. To avoid this, either leave the gold in the safe, or rob the treasury before they join you or after they leave.

Terek's Tower[]

The basement of the tower has four secret doors.

One leads to the kraken (see "Barracks and Cells" above).
The northern secret door connects to the passage from Timin and Claile's room. Along this passage, there's a rowboat that you can use to escape the castle on your own at any point. You don't need to use the rowboat, unless you made everyone in the castle hostile and can no longer secure passage from someone else (or if you just want to skip this quest.)
The two doors pointing east both lead to Terek and Claile's secret love nest. The first time you're here, you'll witness Event - Terek and Claile. It will then be empty until after Event - Meeting Castias for Dinner. After that point, Lady Claile will be down here for Event - Confronting Claile.

The upper floors of the tower are empty until Event - Meeting Castias for Dinner. After that, Terek can be found on the upper level. Your reception will vary significantly depending on who else you bring with you: see Event - Confronting Terek.

Rowboat[]

Accessed through the secret passage connecting Timin and Claile's room with Terek's basement. As mentioned above, you can use this to leave and end the quest prematurely at any time (or if you've made everyone hostile.)

If you interact with the rowboat while you have Donan, Lorica, and Lefur in your party, Donan will demand that you let the three of them take the rowboat and leave. If you don't agree, they'll go hostile.

Events[]

Event - Learn about Dhorn[]

The first time you speak with the Dhorn emissary, you can persuade him to tell you of two hostage Dhorn boys being kept at Castle Crossing. These are important hostages and the reason the Dhorn haven't been able to take the castle. You can also steal two incriminating notes from the emissary's desk. The notes suggest the Dhorn were the ones who killed Lady Dana, intending to offer to resurrect her in exchange for the surrender of the castle.

You cannot do anything with the two hostages except accidentally (or intentionally) get them killed by breaking into the room on the dining room level, which will make the entire castle hostile.

Event - Terek and Claile[]

The first time you enter the secret love nest in Terek's basement (accessed past the kraken, or from Timin and Claile's room, or via the stairs down in Terek's tower), you'll witness Terek and Claile having a tryst. You'll learn that Terek killed the Baron, and they plan to kill off the entire Ravenstower family which would leave Claile (a Ravenstower by marriage) as the Baroness.

Event - Speak with Castias[]

The first time you enter Castias's room, you'll see him talking with the Dhorn emissary. He seems to be considering surrendering the castle.

Castias will tell you more about Lady Dana's death. If you've found the notes in the emissary's desk, or seen Terek and Claile in the basement, you can inform him of those things now. He'll be concerned, but won't take action immediately - he doubts your word on Terek and Claile, and while the notes impact his willingness to negotiate with the Dhorn, he needs to think about next steps.

He'll invite you to join him for dinner the following day.

Event - Report to Marcian[]

Prerequisites: Must not yet have triggered Event - Meeting Castias for Dinner

You can report to Marcian at his investigation site about the Dhorn hostages, Dana's death, and witnessing Terek and Claile. (Oddly, you can't tell him about the notes from the Emissary's desk.)

Once you tell him about Terek and Claile, he'll leave to go hunt them down.

Event - Night at the Mermaid with Pia[]

Prerequisites: Must not have Lorica, Donan, and Lefur in the party

At the Mermaid, you can rent a private room from the innkeeper for 50 gold. Choosing to rest in the private room with only Pia in your party will trigger a conversation where you can start a romance if your relationship is high enough.

Having Lorica, Donan, and Lefur in your party will prevent this scene from firing. Because you cannot dismiss them, you need to do it before they join (you may also be able to do it after they leave, whether by quest resolution or by making them hostile by interacting with the rowboat or treasury vault)

Event - Meeting Castias for Dinner[]

Prerequisites: Event - Terek and Claile, Event - Speak with Castias, must be the next day after Castias's invitation

Locks off: Ability to report to Marcian (if not already complete), ability to speak to the innkeeper to recruit the trio in the tavern (if not already complete)

Immediately Unlocks: Event - Confront Terek, Event - Confront Claile, Event - Scepter of Nine Lives

When you enter Castias's room the day after he told you to meet him for dinner, you'll find him lying dead. (If no one is there, make sure it's actually the next day and that you've seen Terek and Claile's tryst.)

When you approach the body, Terek and Timin will enter with some guards, accuse you of murdering him, and attack. Attack Terek first - he'll teleport away as soon as he takes a bit of damage. The others will fight to the death.

If you told Marcian about Terek's plot, he'll have been following Terek and show up to assist during the fight. Afterwards, he'll ask you to meet him downstairs in the Emissary's room.

If you didn't tell Marcian about Terek's plot, grab the treaty next to Castias's body.

Event - Scepter of Nine Lives[]

Prerequisites: Event - Meeting Castias for Dinner

After you've fought Timin and Terek in Castias's room, things will change in the Dhorn Emissary's room.

If Marcian asked you to meet him here, you'll find both Marcian and the Emissary gone - talk to the Dhorn guard in the room, and he'll give you a note from Marcian saying that he accompanied the Emissary to the Dhorn camp and asking you to watch over Castias's body. This will be the last you see of Marcian.

If Marcian wasn't monitoring Terek and didn't show up to the fight, the Emissary will still be here. Talk to him and convince him that Castias would have come around and surrendered the castle (with a Persuade check, you can convince him that Castias liked you enough you could have convinced him to surrender the castle, or you can show him the treaty you found near Castias's body.)

Either way, go back up to Castias' room. It's a good idea to make a save before entering if you have Lorica in the party, as she has a conversation that can be fussy about triggering.

As you enter the room, the Dhorn Emissary will show up with a Dhorn Captain and a cleric. The captain will recognize you as the Princess, and they'll attack.

If you have Lorica in the party, wait for her to speak with you after combat before looting anyone! She has a conversation here that's fussy about triggering correctly.

On the cleric's body, you'll find a Scepter of Nine Lives. Pia will comment that it can be used to bring back the dead. There's an obvious next step lying on the ground next to you in a pool of blood. (Of the people dead in the room, only Castias can be revived.)

Castias will now fully believe you about Terek and Claile. He'll also ask if you can help his father and sister like you helped him - your choice.

Event - Baron and Dana[]

Prerequisites: Event - Scepter of Nine Lives, must have revived Castias

If you want to bring back the Baron and Dana as well, go to the chapel and enter the crypt on the lower level. The door to the inner crypt will open now that a Ravenstower is present.

To revive Dana and the Baron, open the lower sarcophagus on the right and the middle sarcophagus on the left. Once you've seen who's inside, use the Scepter of Nine Lives on the sarcophagus. (The game will claim that you can't revive that object, but the Ravenstower in question will appear.)

Dana will refuse to leave the crypt until her father is also revived, so you can't proceed with only Castias and Dana. Unlike the others, you can't convince Dana she was secretly still alive.

If you want to raid the graves of the Ravenstower ancestors, do it before reviving the Baron or he'll complain.

Event - Confronting Claile[]

Prerequisites: Event - Meeting Castias for Dinner

After you find Castias's body, Claile will be hanging out in the love nest in Terek's basement where you spied on her and Terek before. She has a golem with her - it's resistant to a lot of weapons, but the +2 Morningstar you got off the Dhorn cleric can damage it. (So can the longsword Ice from the Baron's room, if you can equip it, and the Ravenstowers' weapons if you have them in your party.)

If you have the Baron in your party, she'll surrender and you can take her hostage. Otherwise, you'll be forced to kill her.

If you confronted Terek first and he escaped, Claile will already be gone by the time you reach the basement.

Event - Confronting Terek[]

Prerequisites: Event - Meeting Castias for Dinner

After you find Castias's body, Terek will be in his tower. There are a number of possible outcomes to this encounter, depending on which Ravenstowers are in your party.

No Ravenstowers: Terek will tell you he's discovered their deaths were a Dhorn plot and he's preparing to arrest the Emissary. He will insist that you leave now, and offer you passage across the river. If you decline, tell him you know about his plot, or killed Claile and tell him that, he and the guards will attack.

Castias only: Terek will convince the guards Castias is an imposter, and you'll have to fight all the guards and Terek. Terek will escape by teleporting away once his health gets low. Castias will ask you to meet him in the dining room.

Baron: If you have the Baron in your party, but don't have Claile, you don't have to fight the guards, but Terek will escape when his health gets low. The Baron will ask you to meet him in the dining room.

Baron and Claile: If you have the Baron in your party and took Claile hostage before coming up, both Terek and Claile will die. The Baron will be mollified and ask you to meet him in the dining room.

Bonus: If Lorica and the Baron are both in your party when confronting Terek, and Lorica knows you're the Princess due to witnessing the Dhorn Captain's comments, Lorica will reveal that information to the Baron when you speak with him after confronting Terek. (Or, if you've already told the Baron who you are, he'll finally believe you.)

See Resolutions for the rest.

Resolutions[]

In all of the options that get you passage across the river, you and Pia need to sneak though the Dhorn camp and then make your way back to Betancuria from the bandit castle you encountered during Lesson 7.

Only Castias Revived

As lord of the castle, Castias will reward you with 25000 gold for your help with Terek, and provide you with passage across the river.

All Ravenstowers Dead, Accepted Terek's Help

If you talk to Terek in his tower without reviving any of the Ravenstowers, and didn't provoke him into attacking, he'll provide you with passage across the river. You won't receive a reward.

Baron Revived, Doesn't Know/Believe You're the Princess

If you took Claile hostage, Terek and Claile will be dead, otherwise they will have escaped. Regardless, the Baron will provide you with passage across the river (no additional reward).

Baron Revived, Believes You're the Princess

If Lorica told the Baron that you're the Princess, the Baron will insist you remain at Castle Crossing for your protection. (This is true regardless of whether Terek escaped.) The Ravenstowers tell you they're going to throw a proper welcome for you, and send the maids to prepare Timin and Claile's old room - but suddenly things cut to you and Pia back in Andrik's room in the academy. You'll be wearing a fancy dress (-2 Dex, +4 Charisma), but will have hit your head and struggle to remember what's going on. Pia tells you that you two had a lovely bath and dinner, and you were dancing with Castias when she and you suddenly got teleported back to the academy - she theorizes that if Wizard's Revenge is supposed to send the target to hell, maybe they get sent back if the location becomes too pleasant.

This is the only way you can loot Andrik's body, since he locked the door to the room behind him when he appeared. He has an amulet that casts Flesh to Stone once a day, a magic quarterstaff, and the key out of the room.

Andrik's gear (especially the necklace) and the dress you're wearing are all quite valuable. Selling them to Sanah Senner (or another merchant with good prices) will net you more than the 25k reward you can get from Castias if you leave with him lord of the castle.

Screw This, I'm Leaving

At any point, you can abandon the quest and leave in the rowboat. There's obviously no reward for doing this.

Note: No matter what you do, Marcian will be missing at the end of the quest. Pia will comment on it when you arrive in Betancuria, but there doesn't seem to be a way to find him.

Step-by-Step[]

Here is a sequence of events that should get you the "Baron Revived, Believes You're the Princess" resolution (most unique and gives the greatest reward) and permanently deal with Terek, while making sure you don't miss the opportunity to romance Pia.

Fix Me: This path leads to a conversation about the River Guide trio having stolen Dana's jewelry, but it's referenced as an already-known fact. I couldn't find the conversation that's supposed to reveal that - if you know of one, please add conditions to trigger it

First, follow the "Walkthrough (the linear part)" section at the top. Once you get out of the cells, proceed as below. This step-by-step guide expects that you did every single listed step in the specified order. If you want to offroad, see the locations and events sections above instead.

First Day:

Talk to the innkeeper at the Mermaid
Talk to the Dhorn Emissary (ground floor of the castle, see map), and learn about the hostages being kept at the castle
Steal the two notes from the Dhorn Emissary's desk. (Don't mention them to him.)
Find the secret door in Timin and Claile's room, and follow it to spy on her and Terek.
Talk to Castias in his bedroom and get invited to dinner
After doing all of the above, go back to the Barracks and down to the cells to talk to the inquisitor at the excavation site. Fill him in on everything you learned. (You can't mention the Dhorn notes to him.)

Do any other exploration of the castle you wish to, and talk to Timin if you want. Do NOT open the guarded door on the dining room level as this will cause the hostages to be executed and castle to go hostile. Also, do not leave in the rowboat.

That evening, go to the Mermaid with Pia and ask to rent a private room. After you choose how long to rest, you'll have another conversation with Pia. If you're on track to romance her, this is where the romance will start.

The Next Day:

Before you leave the Mermaid, talk to the innkeeper and ask if he's sure there's no way out of the castle. He'll mention Lorica, Donan, and Lefer.
Go over to them and ask Lorica, Donan, and Lefer to join you. Now that they're in your party, avoid the treasury and the rowboat.
Return to the castle and go to Castias's room
As you approach the body, Timin and Terek will attack you (see Event - Meeting Castias for Dinner)
Talk to Marcian. He'll ask you to meet him downstairs in the Emissary's rooms
Go to the Emissary's room and talk to the Dhorn guard, who gives you a note from Marcian
Save here in case Lorica's conversation in a moment breaks
Return to Castias's room. The Emissary will arrive with two other Dhorn
Kill the Dhorn and don't loot anyone or touch anything until Lorica has talked to you
If you messed up step 9 and Lorica is stuck with a green circle, reload your save from step 7 and try again
Loot the Scepter of Nine Lives from the Dhorn cleric. Use it to revive Castias.
Go to the chapel, enter the crypts below, and revive Dana and the Baron
Head to Terek's tower in the southeast. Before going upstairs, go down to the basement and enter the secret door to Terek and Claile's love nest. Talk to Claile and take her hostage.
Head upstairs to the top floor of the tower. The Baron will execute Terek and convince the guards to stand down.
Talk to the Baron. Lorica will tell him you're the Princess. He'll ask you to meet him in the dining room.
Go meet the Baron in the dining room. After a conversation, you'll be teleported back to the Academy with Pia.

This sequence of events holds off on recruiting the River Trio so you don't need to worry about accidentally making them hostile while you're exploring the castle. They do chime in at various points through the quest, so if you'd rather see all their conversation, you can rest at the Mermaid with Pia before starting the "First Day" section, recruit the trio, do "First Day," and then rest again (in the private room or the common room of the Mermaid) until it's the next day. If you do it this way, make sure you don't steal gold from the Treasury or talk to the rowboat while you have the trio in your party.