Moddok Crevice (mission)

Objectives
Dunkoro must be in your party in order to enter this mission.

Travel through the Bahdok Caverns to escape to Vabbi
 *  ADDED:  Defeat Bayel and the Hunger to open the passage to Vabbi.
 *  *Bonus*  Follow Dunkoro's remaining suggestions.
 * You have followed 0..4 of Dunkoro's 4..0 remaining suggestions.

Primary
At the beginning of the mission you are confronted by a band of Corsair Cutthroats led by Captain Bohseda claiming to be your guides through the tunnels. Captain Bohseda will get an exclamation mark over him and you must choose whether to trust them or not (Dunkoro will advise you not to trust them); your choice has no overall effect on the mission or bonus. If you choose not to trust them, they will turn hostile and you must kill them. If you choose to trust them, you will be led a short ways into the next cavern where a large group of Corsair Raiders will spawn, and you must kill them along with the other corsairs. If you delay and do not choose, the mission will default as if you chose to trust them.

The first cavern is filled with Mandragor. There are two exits: the shorter path to the east leads to an insect boss, while the longer path to the north has a group of corsairs at the top of the hill and a few groups of insects as it loops around to the west. Either path will eventually bring you to location 4 on the map, where there is an opening to the north. There are two paths, populated by insects, both of which will bring you around to a path that leads west and across a stone bridge.

As you approach the bridge, General Bayel appears in a cutscene, accompanied by The Hunger. After the cutscene, they will be in a small chamber beyond the bridge, with a row of 8 Kournan Bowmen stationed on an arch above the bridge and 4 more stationed at the sides of the chamber. The Kournans have a large height advantage, so trying to trade hits with them is inadviseable. When The Hunger is injured and General Bayel is within range, he will heal it and himself with Abaddon's Conspiracy, making it often impractical to kill The Hunger while Bayel is nearby.

One approach is to run under the bridge and fight from there. The bowmen can't shoot through the ground, and thus won't be able to hit you. This can be awkward to find where is safe to stand, however, and henchmen and heroes like to move around a bit, which may get them pelted by a quick flurry of arrows. If you can get safe under the bridge and have adequate line of sight ignoring damage, you can kill the bowmen from below the bridge, after which it is trivial to finish the mission.

Perhaps the simplest way to deal with the situation is to run right past all of the mobs. The bowmen won't open fire until you're nearly close enough for the bridge to block them, so they don't get much of a shot at you until you're past the bridge and running away. Use flags to ensure that henchmen and heroes come with you, as stopping to heal is suicide. Place flags on terrain directly, and not by the mini-map, as the latter may put a flag in an inaccessible location and make henchmen and heroes stop running and just wait to die.

Run all the way to the back of the chamber, out of range not only of the bowmen, but of Bayel as well. If The Hunger does not follow, you can go up the bridge and kill the bowmen a few at a time. Killing Bayel from above is then easy, and defeating The Hunger alone is trivial.

If The Hunger does follow you to the far back of the chamber, attack it there. If it runs back to Bayel, let it go, and finish the mission as though it had not followed. If The Hunger stays with you long enough for you to kill it, all of the Kournans will then rush into the back of the chamber. Step up and intercept Bayel on the bridge, and keep out of range of the dozen bowmen. If you don't aggro them, the bowmen will stay back and let you kill Bayel in peace.

Bonus
Dunkoro's suggestion #1: "I don't like the look of this passage. There are no tracks going in or out. It looks like the corsairs avoid it completely. Perhaps we should learn from them and not travel that way."

Dunkoro will say this when you reach the bottom of the northeastern exit from the watery cavern. This part will fail if you kill any boss on the northeastern path. Credit will be given when you trigger Dunkoro's fourth suggestion, but can be lost after that if you subsequently go kill an insect boss. You may need to reach the bottom of the path to trigger Dunkoro's dialogue in order to get credit.

Dunkoro's suggestion #2: "Wait a second. Notice how the path here is worn? See those footprints in the mud over there? It looks like a patrol comes through here on a fairly regular basis. Perhaps we should conceal ourselves. I spotted a waterfall to the west that should drown out any noise we make nicely."

Dunkoro will say this when you reach the bottom of the northwestern exit from the watery cavern. This part is completed by going near the waterfall, though it may not appear in your quest log until you complete Dunkoro's third suggestion. This part cannot be failed after it is completed. Whether or not you kill the Corsair patrol that Dunkoro wishes to avoid is irrelevant to the bonus.

Dunkoro's suggestion #3: "Corsair camps! There. To the west. Our best plan is to stay close to the eastern wall here and head north around the camps. If we're careful, we should be able to avoid them. Proceed cautiously."

This part is failed if you go to the corsair camps to the west. As with Dunkoro's first suggestion, it can subsequently be failed even after credit is given. Credit for success is granted when you trigger Dunkoro's fourth suggestion.

Dunkoro's suggestion #4: "We've got to get past that camp. But look. You see those two corsair runners? Their job is to alert the other camps of any trouble. If they get away from us, they'll surely bring back reinforcements."

This is by far the hardest part of the bonus. To complete it, you must kill two Corsair Runners before they can reach a camp and spawn reinforcements. Killing them after they reach the camp will still fail this part.

You will be able to see the runners before Dunkoro makes this suggestion. They will start running a short time after you see the suggestion, even if you have not yet aggroed them. Because of this, you should decide on tactics while far off in the distance, and be on the way to attack before Dunkoro gives you this suggestion. It should be noted that sometimes he does not give the suggestion until after they have already started running, as well.

One of the runners heads west through a couple groups of insects, while the other heads north across an empty path. It can cause trouble if you aggro both groups of insects while trying to kill the corsair runner who takes that route. If worried about this, it is sometimes possible to pull and kill one of the groups of insects while staying far enough away from the corsair runners to not trigger them. Alternatively, it can help to approach wide, from the southeast, rather than more directly south, to reduce the chance of aggroing bugs to the southwest of the runners. You can also try to eliminate the bugs before engaging the runners.

It helps immensely to have means to slow the runners, giving you far more time to kill them. Crippled is unreliable, as the runners can block some attacks with Natural Stride, and remove it with Antidote Signet even if you do successfully apply it. Various slowing hexes are far more reliable. Hexes also have the advantage of disabling natural stride, so that attacks to kill the runners will not be blocked.

Make sure that you have the means to slow both runners as long as needed to kill them. While there are many strategies, perhaps the easiest with only one player if you have the appropriate skills is to bring a water elementalist hero with Deep Freeze and Mind Freeze. Disable all of the hero's skills except for mind freeze. Lock the hero onto one runner, then manually make it cast deep freeze on the other. All of your party except for the water elementalist should focus fire on the first runner until it is dead. The other runner can handily be killed afterwards, as it will scarcely have moved.

After killing the two runners for the bonus you should have all four suggestions done. If not, then this is the spot where you know you have failed the bonus.

Hard mode
The first large cavern has several groups of four mandragors, some of which will wander a good distance. Stay by the entrance where the cavern opens up and pull one group to your party at a time. If you run to where they are, you may end up fighting two or three groups at a time, which can overwhelm a party.

Dunkoro's fourth suggestion is again the hardest one. The deep freeze and mind freeze strategy above may not be enough in hard mode. Mind freeze can still hold one runner plenty long enough, but some parties may not kill the first runner within ten seconds, before deep freeze wears off. If that happens, between blocking, condition removal, and speed boosts, the first runner may well get away. A second slowing hex applied shortly before deep freeze wears off can prevent this; Imagined Burden works especially well. You may also need to flag the hero with mind freeze, so that it doesn't run off with the rest of your party chasing the other runner.

Don't try to kill the Kournan Bowmen at the end from below. Instead, use the run all the way past everything strategy above. You'll probably lose a party member in running by; ignore that and keep running. The Hunger will follow your party, and completing the mission as described above still works nicely.

Monsters
Demons Humans Insects Mandragors
 * 28 The Hunger
 * Corsairs
 * 17 Corsair Cutthroat
 * 15 Corsair Raider (only if you choose to trust the corsairs at the beginning)
 * 22 Corsair Lieutenant
 * 22 Corsair Runner
 * 21 Corsair Wind Master
 * 16 Captain Bohseda
 * 23 Corsair Admiral
 * Kournan military
 * 20 Kournan Bowman
 * 28 General Bayel
 * 20 Bladed Veldt Termite
 * 20 Veldt Nephila
 * 22 Mandragor Slither
 * 22 Mandragor Imp
 * 22 Stoneflesh Mandragor

Bosses - elite skill captures

 * 24 Ranshek, Carrion Eater - Cleave
 * 24 Kehmak the Tranquil - Light of Deliverance
 * 24 Yakun Trueshot - Cruel Spear

Inside the mission
If you refuse to follow Bohseda:

Captain Bohseda: ''Ahai, friends! You must be, and I recognize Dunkoro by his description as well. We've been expecting you to come this way. We have a friend in common who asked us to escort you through these caverns to Vabbi.''

Dunkoro: ''Why do I think you're lying to us? Is it that you fail to name our so-called friend? Or perhaps it's just the way you clutch that blade? Either way, don't trust this one, .''

Captain Bohseda: ''It matters little to me whether you trust me or not. I've already been paid. But, if you want to get through these caverns alive, you'll need a guide, someone who knows the route that leads to safety...instead of the dozens that lead to death. It's your choice, .''

I don't trust you.''

Captain Bohseda: ''You're too smart for your own good! I guess we'll have to do this here....Kill them!''



If you follow Bohseda:

Captain Bohseda: ''Ahai, friends! You must be, and I recognize Dunkoro by his description as well. We've been expecting you to come this way. We have a friend in common who asked us to escort you through these caverns to Vabbi.''

Dunkoro: ''Why do I think you're lying to us? Is it that you fail to name our so-called friend? Or perhaps it's just the way you clutch that blade? Either way, don't trust this one, .''

Captain Bohseda: ''It matters little to me whether you trust me or not. I've already been paid. But, if you want to get through these caverns alive, you'll need a guide, someone who knows the route that leads to safety...instead of the dozens that lead to death. It's your choice, .''



Captain Bohseda: ''Very good. Follow me. We'll be in Vabbi before you know it.''

Captain Bohseda: ''Okay. That's far enough. You should have listened to Dunkoro.... Kill them all!''

Intermediate cutscene
This is a maze of twisty passages.''

Dunkoro: ''That way. I feel a fresh breeze. If you insist on going forward, that is.''



Dunkoro: ''We should be organizing a rebellion in Kourna. Instead we're running.''

We're going to Vabbi for help.''

Dunkoro: ''We're running. And this would be the perfect place for an ambush.''

General Bayel: You are correct there, Sunspear!



General Bayel: ''You are the last of your breed, traitors! I will bathe in the blood of you and your comrades!''

Let us pass!''

The Hunger: He does not fight alone!

The Hunger: I will feed on your bodies and feast on your souls!

Ending cutscene


Dunkoro: There was probably an easier way.

This secret passage was hardly a secret.''



Koss: ''Of course I'm coming along! You'd be lost without me!''

Melonni: ''You have led well so far. I will follow.''

Zhed Shadowhoof: ''You drag me this far, then ask if I want to be here? Typical two-leg thinking. Of course I am with you.''

Tahlkora: ''This is my homeland. There's a celebration coming up. We can meet all the princes there.''





Dunkoro: ''Yes. Of course. I will come with you.''





Morgahn: ''Warmarshal Varesh! I have news of General Bayel.''

Varesh: ''General Bayel has been slain. And The Hunger as well.''

Morgahn: ''I only got the reports just now. How did you know?''

Varesh: ''Thanks to my Lord Abaddon, I have a certain. . . affinity to things. Call it a blessing.''

Morgahn: ''We. . . We have to decide our response.''

Varesh: I have already made that decision.

Varesh: I have informed the princes that we will be pursuing Bayel's murderers into their territories with all our available forces.

Morgahn: And they agreed to this?

Varesh: ''They don't need to agree. We will be bringing our forces north in any event.''

Morgahn: With all due respect, Varesh, our military is stretched thin fighting rebel villagers, Centaurs, and corsairs.

Varesh: ''Ah, Morgahn, my old friend. Manpower is no longer a problem.''

Varesh: I have made other arrangements.

Morgahn: ''Lyssa's blood! What are these creatures?''

Varesh: ''These creatures are our new allies. Did you not say your forces are badly stretched?''

Varesh: With our new friends here we can press on into Vabbi.

Morgahn: ''The Sunspears are in Vabbi now. They may rally the princes.''

Varesh: ''It matters little. These Sunspears are only an excuse for us to do what we were going to do anyway.''

Varesh: By the time they understand what is truly going on, old friend, it will be too late!

Narrator: ''Pursued by Varesh's forces. . .''

Narrator: ''The Sunspears flee north. . .''

Narrator: To seek allies among the princes of Vabbi.

Follow-up

 * Upon completion of the mission players will find themselves in: Wehhan Terraces.
 * To continue the storyline, take the following Primary Quest: Rally The Princes.