The Rise of the White Mantle

{{quest infobox }} The Rise of the White Mantle is the story of Saul D'Alessio. The mission area can be entered from a copy of Saul's Story obtained from Durmand [Historian] in Lion's Arch, Kaineng Center or Kamadan.
 * id = 925
 * name = The Rise of the White Mantle
 * image = The Rise of the White Mantle loading screen.jpg
 * map = [[Image:The Rise of the White Mantle map.jpg|256px]]
 * campaign = Bonus Mission Pack
 * minimission = y
 * section = Kryta
 * type = Mini-mission
 * given by = Durmand
 * given at = Lion's Arch, Kaineng Center, and Kamadan, Jewel of Istan
 * ingame name=The Rise of the White Mantle}
 * game link type 0=explorable
 * game link num 0=773

Requirements

 * Must have Saul's Staff equipped.
 * Must be sole party member.

Objectives

 * Defend the village.
 * Allow families to say goodbye. Gather at the gate when ready.
 * Find and kill the Charr leaders at the back of the main camp without alerting the entire army.
 * You have alerted the Charr forces to your presence. (Only added if the attention bar is filled)
 * Killing too many Charr alerts the entire army. Avoid unnecessary combat.
 * Survive Charr retribution. You have triumphed against [0..4] of 4 warbands.

Reward

 * 500

Discovery Mode
You have to complete the mission one time before this mode is available.

1. Time Trial - You demonstrated how quickly Saul might have slain the enemy commanders and driven the Charr from Kryta
 * Completed in under 25 minutes.
 * Reward: 
 * 2 500
 *  You've made a new discovery! See Durmand [Historian] for a reward.

2. Historical Debate - You determined how Saul could have protected the Krytan villagers against the initial attack
 * No Krytan villagers can die in the initial attack.
 * Reward:
 * 2 500
 * You've made a new discovery! See Durmand [Historian] for a reward.

3. Name Unknown - You explored the most dangerous path Saul may have traveled on his way into the Charr war camp.
 * Explore all 5 Charr war camps.
 * Reward:
 * 2 500
 * You've made a new discovery! See Durmand [Historian] for a reward.

Walkthrough
During this mission, you have the Saul D'Alessio disguise, 550 Health, 50 Energy, 4 Energy regeneration,

Your allies on this mission are quite low leveled and go down fast under fire, which can pose a challenge if you are not expecting it; be careful. If Saul dies, the mission is failed. Remember to keep up Mantra of Inscriptions at all times, as your signets are the main damage dealers.

Main mission
When you spawn, there is only one way to go. Proceed along to the open area where the Charr forces are massed. As you approach, they will begin to move towards you and attack. Simply kill all the Charr without dying (there are a number of helpful items that you can pick up and drop located around the clearing - use these if you are having problems).

When all the Charr are defeated, your allies will go and stand around the clearing. Go up to the gate to open it, and your allies will follow you.

An alert meter will appear. It increases slightly when you fight the Charr, and it increases significantly whenever a Charr is killed. If at any time during the mission you let your alert meter fill out, Charr groups will start spawning out of nowhere, so either avoid doing that, or, if you have filled the meter, walk around slowly or you might get easily overwhelmed. The meter will never decrease.

Continue along the path and just keep avoiding the Charr warbands (their patrols make this easy).

How to reach to bosses quickly without a single fight:


 * When you arrive to the stone bridge you'll see patrols splitting up and going to the left and right. Follow the left one until it stops at the 3-way crossing a little ahead. When you approach you'll trigger them to return to the big group just to the left of the bridge. Hurry back to the stone bridge. There will be enough space between the patrols for you to do that without getting them inside your aggro circle.


 * When the patrol has reached the group to the left move ahead along the left path. At the 3-way crossing (where the patrol stopped) turn left across a wooden bridge (a party member will alert you to that). A group with a Charr Hunter Beast blocks they way. To avoid it turn right into the small clearing and waiting for it to pass.


 * Now the way is clear to the main camp and the Charr leaders Rox Ashreign, Anrak Tindershot, and War Ashenskull. The remaining patrols will move out of your way. The map above show the location - in game, you may use the Mission Map to find the main camp, as it has the symbol of a red skull marking its location. The leaders do not have a healer, so they are easy to defeat - just focus fire on one at a time until they all go down.

After a short cutscene involving the appearance of the Unseen Ones, you must eliminate the rest of the Charr in the main camp. The mission becomes slightly harder here due to the sheer number of enemies and your low levelled allies, but for this portion you will have three Mursaat as allies and access to the Spectral Agony hex.

If you do not run right into the center of the camp, the Charr will helpfully attack in smaller, manageable waves, so you should avoid going past the camp entrance, and instead wait for them to come to you. Ensure that you stay with your Mursaat allies, as they will fight with you, but will not move from their positions. When you have defeated all the Charr, follow the Mursaat into the center of the camp to prepare for the wave of attacks.

There are in total four waves, each with enemies from one of the Charr camps in the map. Each wave is over when its Charr boss is killed:


 * First wave: Charr Ash Walkers and Charr Ash Bearers. All enemies in this wave are level 12, therefore it may be defeated very easily. It comes in two main groups:
 * 6 Ash Walkers from northwest together with 4 Ash Walkers and 2 Ash Bearers from southwest.
 * Then 5 Ash Walkers with 2 Ash Bearers and the boss, Dett Mortash,


 * Second wave: mostly Charr Axe Fiends and Charr Ash Callers. They come in three main groups:
 * 6 Axe Fiends from northwest together with 5 Axe Fiends and 1 Ash Caller from southwest.
 * Then 5 Axe Fiends with 2 Ash Callers from northwest together with 6 Axe Fiends and one Charr Hunter Beast from southwest. The Hunter Beasts are very powerful (level 28) elementalists with many point blank Area of Effect spells, able to decimate your allies in second. Consider using Spectral Agony to defeat them as soon as possible.
 * Then 8 Axe Fiends with 2 Ash Callers and the boss, Akin Cinderspire.


 * Third wave: mostly Devourers, Charr Demolishers and Charr Ash Thieves. The Thieves summon level 16 Bone Horrors from the many corpses available to them, something made worse by how this wave’s groups come before all enemies in the previous one have been defeated. Be careful to not be overwhelmed by Bone Horrors, and remember that those minions are higher in level than the Devourers – it may be best to kill the Ash Thieves first, and the Devourers later. This wave comes in three main groups:
 * 5 Devourers with 5 Demolishers and 2 Ash Thieves from northwest together with 5 Devourers and 5 Demolishers from southwest.
 * Then 6 Devourers with 6 Demolishers and 3 Ash Thieves from northwest together with more Devourers, Demolishers, Ash Thieves and one Hunter Beast from southwest.
 * Then 7 Devourers with 6 Demolishers, 5 Ash Thieves and the boss, Twang Sootpaws, from northwest.


 * Fourth (and last) wave: mostly Charr Ash Storms and Charr Sootreigners. This is the most challenging wave, as the Sootreigners may quickly defeat your allies by using Firestorm and other Area of Effect spells. Consider using Spectral Agony on these enemies as soon as possible, interrupting them with Signet of the Unseen, and using “Form Up and Advance!” to lead your allies away from Firestorm. These enemies come in three main groups:
 * 4 Ash Storms from northwest together with 4 Sootreigners from southwest.
 * Then 3 Ash Storms with 2 Sootreigners from northwest together with 4 Ash Storms and one Hunter Beast from southwest.
 * Then 4 Ash Storms, 4 Sootreigners and the boss, Magis Emberglow, from southwest.
 * Alternatively, you can make the entire fight easier to manage by moving to the right path. You will only have to fight the smaller groups of Charr, and the bosses. The Mursaat will take care of the other side on their own. This also helps greatly as the Charr Hunter Beasts only spawn to the left. This way, you never even have to fight them.

When all the waves are over, White Mantle soldiers will move to the Charr camp cheering your victory, and the mission will be complete.

Discovery: Time Trial
You must finish the mission in less than 25 minutes. This Discovery is easily done: with some knowledge of the Charr patrols in the beginning of this mission, it’s possible to finish the mission with time to spare. Consider using “Form Up and Advance!” to make progress through the beginning faster.

Discovery: Saving the Villagers
You must defeat the very first group of Charrs in the mission before they kill any Krytan villager or child (total 11; the White Mantle Knights may die, though). This Discovery may be done out of simple luck, given how some times the Charr decide to kill the knights before tackling the villagers. Some strategies to help are using “Form Up and Advance!” to lure your own allies to the Charr before they get too close to the villagers, killing the Sootreigners first (thanks to their AoE spells) and using the stun bombs nearby to knock down the enemies.

Discovery: The Charr camps
You must explore all the five Charr camps in the map. This is by far the most time consuming Discovery, as you will have to fill the alert meter, causing groups of Charr to spawn in multiple locations. The spawns do not appear when the meter is filled – rather, they appear once you have reach specific points in the map. As a result, enemy groups may often appear around you, blocking any escape path. It is important, then, to advance slowly. Each Charr camp has specific kinds of enemies linked to it; those are both the enemies inside the camp and the enemies that will spawn around it. Once you have reached the right place within each camp (see the maps below), you’ll see a message saying:


 * You’ve discovered X of 5 of the most dangerous locations Saul may have passed through on his way to the Charr leaders.

South camp
This is the hardest camp to explore. It is filled with Charr Ash Storms and Charr Sootreigners, the latter deadly to your group thanks to Firestorm and other AoE spells. There is a large army inside the camp, and four more large groups will spawn (two outside, two inside). Be careful to only trigger one group at a time, and be ready to run when necessary – triggering a spawn and running back to safety (the bridge in front of the White Mantle village) is a good strategy here.

Southwest camp
Filled with Charr Demolishers, Devourers and Charr Ash Thieves, the main danger in this camp is being overwhelmed by the large group of melee enemies. Be careful to not fight against large groups of Devourers, Charrs and Bone Horrors at the same time, and exploring this camp will be simple.

Southeast camp
This camp has a large number of Charr Axe Fiends, with a few Charr Ash Callers. Again, be careful to not aggro too many melee enemies at the same time, and be careful to not be body blocked and therefore unable to escape. Given how most enemies stay close together, Signet of the Unseen is very useful here.

Northwest camp
The easiest camp, this one has level 12 Charr Ash Walkers and Charr Ash Bearers. Just stomp through everything in your way.

Northeast camp
This is the Charr leader camp. An easy way to explore this camp is by avoiding all enemies until you kill the Charr leaders and the Mursaat come. Once you are fighting against the four Charr waves, move slightly to the west of where the Mursaat stand, and you will receive the message that the location has been found.

Allies
Followers:
 * 18 Hablion
 * 18 Thommis
 * 16 Gisinger
 * 18 Dorian
 * 16 Bryen
 * 16 Jaemes
 * 16 Rebekah

Others: Humans Mursaat
 * 5 Krytan Child
 * 10 Krytan Villager
 * 15 White Mantle Knight
 * 20 Lazarus the Dire
 * 20 Mercia the Smug
 * 20 Optimus Caliph

Foes
Animals
 * 15 Devourer

Charr Elementals
 * 16, 20 Charr Axe Fiend
 * 15 Charr Demolisher
 * 16 Charr Ash Caller
 * 18 Charr Ash Storm
 * 18 Charr Ash Thief
 * 12 Charr Ash Walker
 * 18, 20 Charr Sootreigner
 * 12 Charr Ash Bearer
 * 28 Charr Hunter Beast

Boss-like foes
Charr
 * 20 Akin Cinderspire
 * 24 Rox Ashreign
 * 20 Anrak Tindershot
 * 20 Twang Sootpaws
 * 20 Dett Mortash
 * 20 War Ashenskull
 * 20 Magis Emberglow

Dialogue
During the Charr attack
 * Saul D'Alessio: "Protect the village! Slay every last Charr!"
 * Krytan Villager: "Defend Yourselves!"
 * Krytan Villager: "Protect Us!"

After the Charr attack
 * Saul D'Alessio: "Our village is safe and no Charr survived to alert their army of our presence. Our unseen gods are with us!"
 * Saul D'Alessio: "Crusaders! Mother Kryta cries out in her hour of need. Those of you with families here, take some time to say goodbye."

After leaving Demetra
 * Saul D'Alessio: "Our time is at hand! We must make our move. Dorian, Hablion, Thommis...my most trusted followers. Should anything happen to me, you must carry on and lead Kryta in the true faith."
 * Saul D'Alessio: "The Charr leaders are in the command camp at the rear of the Charr army. We must sneak through the army encampments and avoid battle at all costs! We'll never survive if we alert the fighters."

After reaching the bridge
 * Justiciar Hablion: "This path to the left must lead to the main camp. Dawn approaches. We must move quickly."

After reaching ?
 * Saul D'Alessio: "Be cautious, friends. We are almost there."

If entering the southern sidecamp:
 * Bryen: We should not dally with these camps. Let's move on.

If entering the western sidecamp:
 * Jaemes: This camp is irrelevant to our mission. We should press on.

If entering the eastern sidecamp:
 * Gisinger: This is not the commander's camp. The path is back this way.

If entering the northern sidecamp:
 * Rebekah: The main camp is right over there. We should not waste time engaging in nuisance fights.

After reaching the entrance to the main camp
 * Saul D'Alessio: "There's the main camp. We'll find the Charr leaders to the rear, worshipping their blasphemous effigy. Though it may cost us our lives, we must slay them to disrupt their plans. Move cautiously."

While approaching Rox Ashreign's group
 * Rox Ashreign: "We launch the final assault at first light. Send word for Sootpaws and Emberglow to join me here."
 * Rox Ashreign: "What is that stench? There are humans here!"

After defeating Rox Ashreign's group
 * Thommis: "The Charr are mobilizing! We will soon be overrun. This is the end!"
 * Saul D'Alessio: "Friends, the time of retribution is at hand. We must pray to our gods. They will decide whether we live or die."

After the first cinematic
 * Optimus Caliph: "You have called us. We have come. Together, we will force these heathens from the kingdom of Kryta."
 * Optimus Caliph: "But know that our aid comes at a price. Only the truly worthy may see the Unseen and live to tell the tale. And Saul!"
 * Saul D'Alessio: "Yes, my lords?"
 * Optimus Caliph: "To you, we give our greatest blessing. Wield it with care, for its effects are devastating."

After defeating the first warband
 * Bryen: "How many are there? They keep coming!"
 * Saul D'Alessio: "The more that come, the more we kill!"
 * Gisinger: "Send more Charr! I'm not done yet!"
 * Saul D'Alessio: "Don't give up! We fight for Kryta!"

After defeating the second warband
 * Saul D'Alessio: "Stand your ground!"

After defeating the third warband
 * Saul D'Alessio: "Without their leaders, they're nothing but rabble."

After defeating the final warband
 * Saul D'Alessio: "That is the last of them!"

During the second cinematic
 * "The Unseen Ones brought Saul a great victory."
 * "But their aid came at a price."
 * "The Unseen Ones killed all but their most devoted worshippers."
 * "And Saul learned to his horror that these new gods were neither good nor kind."
 * "The Unseen Ones took Saul with them to ensure his silence."
 * "He was never seen alive again. But survivors spread the legend..."
 * "And Saul D'Alessio would always be remembered as a Champion of Kryta."

Trivia

 * This mission takes place northeast of Watchtower Coast and north of Nebo Terrace.
 * Some of the friendly NPCs are encountered later as:
 * 18 Hablion - Justiciar Hablion
 * 18 Thommis - Justiciar Thommis
 * 18 Dorian - Confessor Dorian
 * 20 Lazarus the Dire - Lazarus the Dire
 * 20 Mercia the Smug - Mercia the Smug
 * 20 Optimus Caliph - Optimus Caliph