Bloodstone Fen (mission)

Objectives
Seek the truth about the White Mantle.
 * Locate Blade Scout Ryder. He'll take you to the Bloodstone.
 * Use the vine bridges to traverse the jungle.
 * ADDED Travel on to the Bloodstone on your own.
 * BONUS Awaken the Druids while preserving their guardians.

Primary
To locate Blade Scout Ryder, follow the path until you get to point A on the map. Do the bonus as described below if you want to. Now pick up one of three Vine Seeds at point A. If solo, you must return back here for the other two seeds, after you build a bridge; thus a party of 3 seed carriers is recommended. Sometimes only one or two seeds spawn; more seeds can be found at point 2 on the map (on the bonus path), and at point C on the map. At the locations marked B on the map use the seed to create a bridge that enables you to traverse the jungle. Return to seed point to fetch another seed to build another bridge. After crossing the second bridge, talk to Blade Scout Ryder (point D on the map), who will send you on your own to defeat the White Mantle. You will need a fourth seed, which you can fetch from point C on map. In order to complete the mission, you need to defeat a large group of White Mantle and their boss Justiciar Hablion.

Note that while fighting near the Bloodstone you will be under influence of the environment effect Curse of the Bloodstone, which makes resurrection skills take 4 times as long to cast.

Note: It is possible to "waste" vine seeds by dropping them on a glowing circle of a bridge that has already been grown. The worst-case scenario would be using up all the remaining vine seeds and thus getting stuck, forcing a mission restart. (There are 3 max seeds at point A and another max 3 seeds at point C.) Before you give up on mission check the lower watery area for more seeds (added patch). You can find approximately 4-7 bonus seeds.

Bonus
Do the mission as normal until you reach point A on the map. Grab a seed and go back the way you came. After a short distance, to the south of the path - in the gray swamplike area - you should notice a path leading up to a gray platform with an orange rune on it. Drop one of the seeds on the platform (1 on the map).

A druid will appear and ask for your aid in awakening the Elder Druid. You will need to free three more druids by dropping seeds on their platforms. You get the seeds from position 2 on the map and drop them at the destinations marked 3 on the map. These druids and the original will then move up to a large platform and awaken the Elder Druid.

However, while doing this you will be attacked by Jungle Guardians, which the druid says you must not kill. If you do, you will anger the spirits of the jungle, causing several Ravagers to spawn and preventing the other druids from appearing when you attempt to activate their platforms (more Ravagers will spawn instead). This means you will be unable to complete the bonus, so you must follow the druid's instructions and avoid killing the Guardians; luckily, they don't follow very far, so they shouldn't be much more than a nuisance.

If you have any henchmen in the party, use the compass flags to force them to move past the Guardians. Plant flags on the main screen, not on radar, as if you place a flag in an area that henchmen cannot reach, they'll give up on it and stop to fight. If you have any heroes, you can simply set them to "Avoid Combat" mode. Be sure to disable pets and offensive spirits, too, as a hero can still use these to kill a jungle guardian. Due to the uncontrollability of animated minions, it is strongly recommended that you let any allied minions die off and disable the skills before entering the bonus area.

Note that the druid to the east can be reached without carrying a seed past any jungle guardians if you go under the log bridge. The map currently shows the wrong path. You do have to run past jungle guardians to deliver the north seed, though. Flag any henchmen far away, as they will come a considerable distance to attack jungle guardians that attack the seed runner. Running skills, self-healing, healing over time, and very long range heals from other characters can help protect the seed runner.

Once the Elder Druid is summoned (point 4), speak to him to complete the bonus. The Jungle Guardians will remain hostile, although they will now ignore you unless you attack them first. If the group's seed runner dies while running back after dropping a seed at the last druid, completing the bonus first will make it easier to resurrect him.

If continuing on with the mission, you can either backtrack the way you came, or you can continue north past the guardians and follow an alternate route (blue path on the map) to return to the main mission path. There is one bridge you have to create. The seed for it is very close, in the water.

Tip: This bonus can be done solo. Most of the enemies on the way to the first druid can be run past with little trouble, and only the Wind Riders pose any real threat, due to health degeneration, enchantment removal, and interruption; however they are fragile. Bring running skills such as Sprint, Dodge, etc., as well as self-heals. Once you reach the Guardian area, the rest of the bonus is rather easy as long as you are careful.

Hard mode
Moss Scarabs have Verata's Gaze, which can steal minions. Minions may also attack and kill jungle guardians, causing the bonus to fail, so it may be best to avoid the use of minions.

Mobs are spread out enough to not be much of a challenge, even in hard mode. Picking a Vine Seed will make two or three moss scarabs pop up, sometimes right by the vine seed flower, and sometimes elsewhere, so don't pick them while already fighting other mobs.

The first druid often gets stuck on the first pair of Jungle Guardians. Allowing it to go ahead of you sometimes prevents this, but you may have to run around a bit to get the jungle guardians to move out of the way. Sometimes it helps to kill the spirit of primal echoes, too.

Jungle guardians have Barbed Trap, so don't run into them, as it can make getting around them harder. If you're flagging henchmen and heroes past the jungle guardians, you may have to flag them several times in order to send them wide of the jungle guardians and their traps.

NPCs

 * Human
 * 10 Chosen Villager
 * 15 (20) Blade Scout Ryder
 * 20 Saidra
 * Spirit
 * 20 Druid
 * 20 Elder Druid (bonus only)

Monsters

 * Behemoth
 * 19 (25) Root Behemoth
 * Centaur
 * 16 (25) Maguuma Warrior
 * 16 (25) Maguuma Protector
 * Devourer
 * 17 (25) Thorn Devourer
 * 17 (25) Fevered Devourer
 * Human
 * 16 (25) White Mantle Knight
 * 16 (25) White Mantle Seeker
 * 18 (25) White Mantle Abbot
 * 20 Confessor Dorian (cutscene only)
 * 16 White Mantle Ritualist (cutscene only)
 * 16 White Mantle Savant (cutscene only)
 * Plant
 * 19 (25) Jungle Guardian
 * 17 (25) Thorn Stalker
 * Nightmare
 * 20 Ravager (failed bonus only)
 * Rider
 * 12 (24) Wind Rider
 * Scarab
 * 12 (24) Moss Scarab
 * Troll
 * 18 (25) Jungle Troll

Bosses - skill captures

 * Devourer
 * 20 (29) Mossk Rottail - Deathly Chill (unavailable before Maguuma Stade or The Amnoon Oasis)
 * Plant
 * 20 (29) Tree of Winds
 * 20 Tree of Life - Scourge Sacrifice (unavailable before Copperhammer Mines)
 * Watchful Spirit (unavailable before Maguuma Stade or The Amnoon Oasis)
 * 20 Thornwrath - Aftershock (unavailable before Marhan's Grotto)
 * Rider
 * 20 (29) Hepp Bilespitter
 * White Mantle
 * 20 Justiciar Hablion
 * 20 Torr the Relentless - Dryder's Defenses (unavailable before Marhan's Grotto)
 * 20 Ramm the Benevolent - Convert Hexes (unavailable before Camp Rankor)
 * Divine Intervention (unavailable before Copperhammer Mines)
 * 20 (29) Oswald the Amiable - Order of Pain (unavailable before Port Sledge)
 * Well of the Profane (unavailable before The Misplaced Sword at Heroes' Audience)
 * 20 Nyle the Compassionate - Guilt (unavailable before The Misplaced Sword at Heroes' Audience)
 * 20 Pleoh the Ugly - Searing Heat (unavailable before Copperhammer Mines)

Dialogues
Briefing from Blade Scout Braden.

Inside the mission
Saidra: ''If you're looking for Ryder, he's gone ahead to the Bloodstone, down in that clearing. The Mantle are taking the Chosen there right now. You'll need this, if you want to catch up. Drop it on the glowing circle to grow the bridge.''

Bonus objective:

Druid: ''The jungle is in peril. The Elder Druid must be summoned. Awaken my brethren, the old Druids of Maguuma, the same way you woke me. They will summon the Elder Druid, but be careful. Do not harm the jungle guardians, or you will instead waken the ravagers.''

Finishing the bonus:

Elder Druid: ''You have a kind spirit and a gentle soul. Go with peace.''

Blade Scout Ryder: ''Look, I'm supposed to take you to the Bloodstone, but the Mantle wiped out my entire party, and I'm not going back. Go on if you want. But you should know, the stone disrupts divine energy. Those killed on top of it take much longer to resurrect.''

Intermediate cutscene
Justiciar Hablion: ''I am the scythe, the Bringer of Salvation. And I shall harvest the souls of the Unbelievers. For their stench will linger. Until the false gods have been cast from this world. Well, well. If it isn't our old friends. We thought you'd been killed by the Shining Blade. But I see we were mistaken.''

Your days of murdering innocent people end here.''

Justiciar Hablion: ''I'm afraid you're mistaken. If anyone ends here, it will be you. Get them.''



Ending cutscene


Confessor Dorian: ''The White Mantle have been called once again to arms. There are betrayers among us. Those who would masquerade as our friends only to turn and stab at our hearts. I have just received word that these traitors have murdered Justiciar Hablion.''

White Mantle Ritualist: They must pay for this!

Confessor Dorian: ''Yes, my son. When these heathens attacked the White Mantle they chose their fate. Now it is for us to deliver upon them what they have asked for.''

White Mantle Savant: Kill them all!

Confessor Dorian: ''Yes, my son. We will mete out justice and take our vengeance. Leave no stone unturned. Find the betrayers, find Hablion's killers. Kill them all.''

Follow-up

 * Upon completion of the mission players will find themselves in: Quarrel Falls, where they continue the storyline with Primary Quest:White Mantle Wrath: Demagogue's Vanguard.