Ruins of Surmia

The Charr have retreated, but some members of the Ascalon Army have been taken prisoner! Rescue the survivors.

Objectives
Rescue the soldiers taken prisoner by the Charr.
 * Safeguard Prince Rurik's life.
 * Free all the Ascalon captives.
 * Get to the obelisks inside the ruined academy.
 * ADDED: Cross the ravine and open the drawbridge for Rurik and Erol. (Only appears in the Mission Objectives after it is completed.)
 * *BONUS* Extinguish the Flame Temple by defeating the Flame Keepers.

Walkthrough
For the first part of the mission you need to follow Rurik. He is a quite capable tank, but sometimes he will rush ahead of you and become overwhelmed. If he dies, the mission is over. Free the numerous Ascalonians along the way, including Erol, who will join you for the rest of the mission.

Once you arrive at a closed drawbridge, you will have to leave Rurik and Erol behind while you find a way to lower the drawbridge for them. You can get to the other side by following the tar pit that flows underneath the bridge. You can enter this pit from the north-east of the bridge. Follow this path to the other side of the bridge and activate the lever to rejoin with Rurik and Erol.

Follow Rurik again until you free several mages. Place them on the obelisks at the end of the mission or keep them close to you while you defend Rurik at the final stand.

Bonus
The goal of the bonus is to defeat some Charr at a nearby temple, before they are able to finish their unholy ceremonies. Since these opponents are behind a locked gate, you can miss out on the bonus under certain circumstances (detailed below).

After leaving Rurik and Erol near the closed drawbridge, head south, then east down the slope across the tar pit. On your left you should see a Charr boss guarding an Ascalonian soldier named Breena Stavinson at point 2 on the map. Kill the boss and talk to Breena. She will tell you that the Charr occasionally bring new fire to a nearby flame temple to keep the flame burning. Afterward, four Charr Ember Bearers will spawn nearby, immediately heading west to the locked gate at point 4.

Do not kill the bearers until they open this gate; if they die, you will not be able to complete the bonus. If you accidentally aggro them, quickly run away; they will not chase you far and as long as at least one survives, he will open the gate.

After the bearers open the gates, head to point 3, where four Charr Flamekeepers are guarding a small flame temple; kill them to complete the bonus.


 * Alternative method

If you bring Necrotic Traversal, you can avoid depending on the Ember Bearers to open the gate. Go around to the north, through the tar and under the bridge and follow the path to the back entrance to the temple area. You will find a second gate with a couple of Charr nearby; after killing one of them, you can traverse to his corpse and then proceed as above. However, since the gate remains locked, the only way to exit the area is to lure another foe nearby (and re-traverse) or sacrifice yourself and have a teammate or hero pull you across using Rebirth or a similar skill.

Hard mode
Kill the first Devourer boss you meet and be prepared for Prince Rurik to run ahead. Keep up with him and make sure he lives or you will fail the mission. After several groups of Charr, Rurik will stop rushing ahead. At this juncture there is usually a group with a Flame Wielder and 2 Fire Callers not far away. This group can almost always be avoided by staying out of their aggro. Rurik won't start running again until you get closer to one of the prison cells containing the Ascalon Prisoners.

Leave Rurik and Erol at the drawbridge, make your way around to the other side.

If you are doing this with henchmen or heroes, be careful when dealing with Charr Fire Callers and Charr Flame Wielders, as their Meteor Shower can easily kill your casters. Make sure you move them away from the spell AoE in case they are targeted by the group. It is also advisable to prioritize Plague Devourers when you face Devourer groups to eliminate the possibility of corpses being exploited for Putrid Explosion. Note that the Charr Chaots and Charr Mind Sparks use Power Block which can shutdown your party's casters.

Before you enter the area containing the obelisks, a small group of Charr containing a shaman will attack from behind. Attack the shaman first to avoid endangering Rurik.

When you reach the area containing the obelisks, you'll see a boss protecting the entrance. It is advisable to leave him alive while you take the groups that patrol below. They are packed tightly together, and you may not be able to pull properly, especially if you are using a minion master. The boss will provide a chance to recharge your resurrection signets, if your party overaggroes.

Skill recommendations
It is a good idea to take Pain Inverter to take care of the Fire Callers and Flame Wielders when combined with a minion master.

Ebon Vanguard skills and title can be used for added damage and armor.

The Charr Ash Walkers/Charr Ashen Claws use Lingering Curse with several degeneration hexes, which can be difficult for a monk at full energy, much less one burned out from keeping up with Rurik. Convert Hexes is recommended on any secondary monks as support here. Consider disabling the hex removal skills on your heroes during the first half of the mission, since the only hex your party will encounter is Parasitic Bond from Plague Devourers, which may be counterproductive to remove.

Allies
Humans
 * 10 (20) Prince Rurik
 * 7 (20) Ascalon Prisoner
 * 7 (20) Erol
 * 7 (20) Mage
 * 4 (20) Breena Stavinson

Foes
Charr Devourers
 * 8 (23) Charr Axe Fiend
 * 8 (23) Charr Blade Storm
 * 6 (23) Charr Blade Warrior
 * 8 (23) Ember Bearer
 * 8 (23) Charr Hunter
 * 6 (23) Charr Stalker
 * 5 (23) Charr Martyr
 * 7 (23) Charr Shaman
 * 6 (23) Charr Ash Walker
 * 8 (23) Charr Ashen Claw
 * 8 (23) Charr Chaot
 * 6 (23) Charr Mind Spark
 * 6 (23) Charr Fire Caller
 * 7 (23) Flame Keeper
 * 8 (23) Charr Flame Wielder
 * 4 (22) Carrion Devourer
 * 8 (23) Carrion Devourer
 * 4 (22) Whiptail Devourer
 * 7 (23) Whiptail Devourer
 * 3 (22) Plague Devourer
 * 8 (23) Plague Devourer

Bosses
Charr Devourers
 * 9 (27) Puugh the Slasher
 * 7 (26) Fling Bloodpelt
 * 9 (27) Scaar Sternclaw
 * 9 (27) Burr Mankiller
 * 9 (27) Scint the Malign
 * 9 (27) Slaug Firehide
 * 9 (27) Gnash Underfoot
 * 9 (27) Hurl Foulspine
 * 9 (27) Fester Fang

Initial dialogue

 * Prince Rurik: "Quickly! This way! Follow me. Our countrymen suffer while we dawdle."

Intermediate dialogue
After fighting the first Charr group.
 * Prince Rurik: "As a boy I spent much time in these lands. Look at them now."
 * Prince Rurik: "Instead of ponds and streams we have pools of bubbling tar and rivers of sludge. It saddens me to see Ascalon in ruins."

After rescuing the first group of prisioners.
 * Prince Rurik: "These men can head back to the Wall by themselves. We must continue on and release the others. There is no time to lose."

After rescuing the second group of prisioners.
 * Prince Rurik: "These men can head back to the Wall by themselves."
 * Prince Rurik: "There are still others we must free before our mission is complete."
 * Prince Rurik: "Follow me."

Intermediate cinematic

 * Prince Rurik: "Gods! How long have you been out here, man?"
 * Erol: "I don't know. Since my unit was taken at the end of the last Guild War. Since the sky rained fire and destroyed Ascalon."
 * Prince Rurik: "You've been here since the Searing? That's over two years!"
 * Prince Rurik: "Are there others?"
 * Erol: "Yes. The remnants of my unit, the Flaming Scepter Mages."
 * Prince Rurik: "Soldiers who have been slaves since the end of the war?"
 * Erol: "They're being held in the ruins of the old capital, Drascir."
 * Prince Rurik: "Then we go to Drascir."
 * Erol: "My Lord, night is falling. If we don't head for the Wall now, we may all be captured."
 * Prince Rurik: "I understand the dangers, but Balthazar be damned if I allow those soldiers to remain slaves to the Charr."
 * Erol: "I can show you where they are being held."
 * Prince Rurik: "Very good."
 * Prince Rurik: "We head north then. To Drascir."

Intermediate dialogue
When reaching the drawbridge.
 * Prince Rurik: "The bridge is up, but it looks as if it can be lowered from the other side."
 * Prince Rurik: "I'll wait here with Erol."
 * Prince Rurik: "You find another way across and lower the bridge for us."

After rescuing Breena Stavinson.
 * Breena Stavinson: "Thank the gods you're here. I've watched this road for ten years."
 * Breena Stavinson: "The beasts come by around this time with a fresh brazier of fire to take to their temple."
 * Breena Stavinson: "Find the Charr Flame Corridor and the Flame Keepers."

After crossing the drawbridge.
 * Prince Rurik: "This is a fight we cannot win."
 * Prince Rurik: "We must avoid a confrontation with that group at all costs."
 * Prince Rurik: "Come with me. I grew up in this city, and I know a way around them."
 * Prince Rurik: "Our only chance is to run for the obelisks in the ruins of the Royal Academy."

After rescuing the Flame Scepter Mage and reaching the academy.


 * Prince Rurik: "Bring those men. I have a plan."
 * Prince Rurik: "As a boy, I studied at this academy. It's been some time, but if you can hold off the Charr I can activate the old runes and open a gate that could save our skins."
 * Prince Rurik: "Come to the fore, O sons of Ascalon."
 * Prince Rurik: "We fight once more, the battle lines are drawn."
 * Prince Rurik: "Now join the men who live to guard us all."
 * Prince Rurik: "Go and defend atop the Northern Wall."
 * Prince Rurik: "Fear not the cost, whether in blood or gold."
 * Prince Rurik: "Mourn not the lost, though they will not grow old."
 * Prince Rurik: "If here they fall, we know they shall live on,"
 * Prince Rurik: "When e'er you call or cry, For Ascalon!"
 * Prince Rurik: "For Ascalon!"

End cinematic

 * Prince Rurik: "Quickly, this way."
 * : "That was close!"
 * Prince Rurik: "Yes, closer than I'd hoped."
 * Prince Rurik: "This portal will take us to the Academy at Nolani."
 * Prince Rurik: "From there we can make it to the Wall and cross over to Rin."
 * Prince Rurik: "We should hurry though, the magical wards will hold back the Charr, but not for long."
 * Erol: "Wait, my lord. Come, look at what I have found."
 * Prince Rurik: "Is that...?"
 * Erol: "Yes, my prince. I believe it is the mouthpiece for the fabled horn, Stormcaller!"
 * Erol: "With this weapon we could destroy the Charr once and for all. Ascalon could be saved."
 * Prince Rurik: "I have heard the stories of the horn's magic, but let us not be too hasty."
 * Prince Rurik: "If this is what you say it is, then we must get it to Rin. We'll see for ourselves how much power this Stormcaller has."
 * Prince Rurik: "Come. We'll take this to my father, King Adelbern."
 * Prince Rurik: "Surely he will know if discovering this weapon is our salvation...or simply too late."
 * Prince Rurik: "Either way, staying here will surely be the death of us."
 * Prince Rurik: "Quickly, through the portal!"