Dzagonur Bastion

Prince Ahmtur the Mighty has chosen to take a stand against the invading Kournan military and Margonite forces at the stronghold of Dzagonur Bastion. You are to support his forces and prevent the stronghold from falling to the invading forces.

This mission represents a branch in the storyline which is determined by your choice of Master of Whispers or Margrid the Sly. If you have Margrid the Sly, you may return to this mission after completing Abaddon's Gate or enter with someone who has Master of Whispers.

Requirements
You must have Master of Whispers in your party to enter the mission.

Objectives
Defeat the Margonite generals before their forces take the Citadel. Preserve the perimeter bombards to aid you in the battle. Defend the gates to prevent enemy forces from reaching the Citadel.
 * Speak to Prince Ahmtur the Mighty.
 * [3...0] of 3 gates still stand.
 * [3...0] of 3 bombards still function.
 * [4...0] of 4 generals remain.
 * *Bonus* Keep the bastion's defenses intact.
 * [6...0] of 6 defenses left intact.

Reward
The reward for this mission is determined by the number of defenses left standing at the end of the mission (See Normal mode reward/Hard mode reward for details).

Walkthrough
The aim of this mission is to make sure that the citadel is not captured. You aren't alone in this task; you have several groups of Vabbi defenders to help you out and siege support from the citadel. You start out in the citadel and use a teleporter to exit the stronghold and begin the mission.

In front of the citadel there are 3 groups of Vabbi defenders. The Disciple of Secrets which leads each group can be given instructions on where they should be defending. It is recommended that you send 2 groups to defend one side, and defend the middle with the last group.

Initially a few groups of Kournan soldiers will come towards the citadel. Focus your defense on the center with the Vabbi defenders, but you may need to travel widely to help control the Kournans. In a team with 2 or more human players, split into two teams of 4 for mobility and better defense. If you are alone it is best to stay with your team and defend the middle and the side without Vabbi defenders - Master of Whispers as a minion master is a good choice. 2 groups of Vabbi defenders will have trouble defending a side without some assistance.

After several waves of Kournan groups, four Margonite bosses (the Generals) will spawn at the far edge of the area in front of the citadel. The Chaos rifts which they control will continue to spawn groups of Kournan soldiers accompanied by a single Margonite demon as long as the boss is alive. The bosses must be killed to reduce the defensive workload for the team and complete the mission. The Generals will only come down towards the fort when each defense is broken - so the elementalist boss will come down to the East Bombard when the East Bombard is destroyed by the Kournan forces and will move onto the gate and beyond when the Kournan forces have destroyed the East Gate. The generals in order from west to east are; General Doriah, General Nimtak, General Kumtash, General Tirraj.

Go to the side which does not have the Vabbi defenders. Kill any group of Kournans which emerge after the boss spawn and then push up to take out the boss. Fall back if need be to defend the middle, but each time you attack try to kill the boss or at least one of the Margonites in the boss' group. When that boss is killed get on top of the defensive situation on the other side and middle then work on the next boss along from the one you just killed. When the second boss is killed the worst is over and it should now be easy for you to get the situation under control as the attackers and defenders are focused in the same spot. Take out the remaining two bosses to finish the mission.

Bonus
For the Master's reward on this mission only 5 of the 6 defensive structures need to remain.

If you are attempting the bonus with heroes and henchmen, it may take a few attempts to be successful. Assign all the Vabbi defenders to either the western or eastern bombard, and use your party to defend the remaining two. A minion master and/or a spirit lord ritualist are highly recommended to provide additional allies to hold the enemies' attention, as are party-wide speed boosts to enable you to cover more ground. It may also be easier to let one of the bombards fall after the bosses spawn, since this will prompt the boss at that bombard to move towards the center; you can then engage him without having to move too far away from the other bombards. However, if any other defensive structures are lost you'll have to restart the mission for the bonus. You should also keep an eye on the status of the Vabbians; while they can usually hold their own against the Kournans, you may have to come to their aid.

Skill recommendations

 * Party-wide speed boosts, such as "Fall Back!", to move between bombards more quickly.
 * Minion master, especially Master of Whispers.
 * A nuker or two will help to kill the bosses faster, especially using Searing Flames to maintain area of effect damage and burning.
 * Shutdowns to prevent Tirraj from dealing heavy damage, including interrupts and daze (along with martial players/heroes). Alternatively, damage mitigation skills, e.g. Shelter or Ward Against Elements.

Allies
Humans
 * 20 Lieutenant Murunda
 * 20 Vabbian Guard
 * 20 Vabbian Guard
 * 20 Disciple of Secrets
 * 20 Prince Ahmtur the Mighty

Foes
Demons (Margonites) Humans (Kournan military) Plants
 * 24 (26) Margonite Executioner
 * 24 (26) Margonite Bowmaster
 * 24 (26) Margonite Cleric
 * 24 (26) Margonite Warlock
 * 24 (26) Margonite Reaper
 * 16, 20 (25) Kournan Guard
 * 16, 20 (25) Kournan Bowman
 * 16, 20 (25) Kournan Priest
 * 16, 20 (25) Kournan Oppressor
 * 22 (26) Mirage Iboga
 * 22 (26) Storm Jacaranda
 * 22 (26) Whistling Thornbrush
 * 22 (26) Enchanted Brambles

Bosses
Demons (Margonites)
 * 28 (30) General Doriah &rarr; Magehunter's Smash
 * 28 (30) General Nimtak &rarr; Spell Breaker
 * 28 (30) General Tirraj &rarr; Invoke Lightning
 * 28 (30) General Kumtash &rarr; Anthem of Guidance

Opening cinematic

 * Meanwhile...
 * (Fortress of Jahai)
 * Morgahn: "Varesh! We have located the Sunspears."
 * Varesh: "The Sunspears are completely irrelevant. Everything is ready. We must move at once."
 * Morgahn: "Surely there is an easier way."
 * Varesh: "No. It all comes down to this. We must do this for the good of all Kourna."
 * Morgahn: "Varesh, I fear for the priests."
 * Varesh: "The followers of Lyssa will be unharmed. I respect your faith, Morgahn, and would never harm it, even in Abaddon's name."
 * Morgahn: "Perhaps if I spoke to them, they would let us proceed."
 * Varesh: "NO! No, let me handle this. Your precious priests are safe."
 * Varesh: "But I must ask you, old friend, where your loyalties lie - with your faith, or with your homeland?"
 * Morgahn: "My loyalty is to you, Varesh. To you and Kourna."
 * Varesh: "Thank you, old friend. Ready the troops, General Morgahn. We move out!"
 * Varesh: "Ah Morgahn. Your heart is good. It is a pity there will be no place for it in our new world."


 * Meanwhile...
 * (Citadel of Dzagon)
 * Norgu: "Good audience. We should have sold tickets."
 * Master of Whispers: "Hush!"
 * Norgu: "Excuse me Mister Big-Time-Secret-Keeper"
 * Master of Whispers: "Will you be quiet?"
 * Norgu: "At least Prince Ahmtur is attacking the problem head-on, instead of sneaking around."
 * Master of Whispers: "Norgu..."
 * Norgu: "I mean, no one even knows your real name."
 * Master of Whispers: "My task lies heavy on my shoulders. I do not engage in such frippery."
 * Norgu: "Shhhhh. Keep it down. He's talking."
 * Prince Ahmtur: "Soldiers of Vabbi! We face our ultimate foe!"
 * Prince Ahmtur: "There has not been a battle like this since Turai Ossa himself defeated Palawa Joko in the Battle of Jahai!"
 * Prince Ahmtur: "We are few, and our enemies are many. This is our greatest battle, and it may be our last."
 * Prince Ahmtur: "But let it be known we would rather fight and die than cower and hide."
 * Prince Ahmtur: "Let the bards make legends of us! For today, we defend our homes, and will not sell our lives cheaply!"
 * Prince Ahmtur: "For Vabbi! For Elona!"

Initial dialogue

 * Lieutenant Murunda: "Glad you could join us! Our finest guards await your orders. Tell the Disciples of Secrets where to station their troops before the enemy is upon us."
 * Lieutenant Murunda: "Here comes the first wave. Prepare yourselves! Don't let them reach the Citadel! Show these beasts the true strength of Vabbi!"

End cinematic

 * Prince Ahmtur the Mighty: "We have them on the run! It will be months before they can muster a credible threat!"
 * : "Perhaps now you can help us against Varesh, Prince."
 * Prince Ahmtur the Mighty: "If Varesh has been conspiring with demons, she is my enemy. She will pay."
 * Norgu: "See what I mean? Straight up kind of guy. No secrets at all."
 * Master of Whispers: "Jurah."
 * : "Pardon?"
 * Master of Whispers: "Jurah. He asked my real name. It is Jurah. I feel I can trust you with it."
 * : "Jurah. Nice name."
 * Norgu: "See? Was that so hard?"
 * Master of Whispers: "What the-?"
 * Norgu: "What is that?"
 * Master of Whispers: "It is a demonic manifestation. A part of Abaddon's world pushing into the living world."
 * Norgu: "What does that mean?"
 * : "It means we are too late. Nightfall has come to Elona."

Trivia

 * The 13 November 2008 update added to the rewards: you gain 25 Sunspear title points for each level of completion in Normal mode and 80 in Hard mode, in addition to the experience and gold rewards.