Pogahn Passage

Kormir has been captured! She is to be executed, but with the assistance of Margrid the Sly, you've managed to secure a set of Kournan armor and plan on infiltrating Gandara to rescue her. As her price, Margrid asks that you also help her acquire the Diadem of Lady Glaive from the base's vault. After which you will proceed to the prison, break out Kormir, and rush to the docks to escape.

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

Requirements
Margrid the Sly must be in your party to enter this mission.

Objectives
Rescue Kormir from Gandara.
 * Escort Margrid to the Gandaran treasure vault to retrieve the Diadem of Lady Glaive.
 * Free Kormir from the Kournan prison.
 * Escape from Gandara with Kormir and Shahai.
 * Optional: Escort the Sunspear prisoners to the prison.
 * Optional: Obtain the prison code for entry into the prison.
 * Optional: The demon is out of control! You can either help the guards or stand aside and let them fight on their own.
 * Optional: Take over gate duty for some guards.
 * *BONUS* Complete optional objectives.

Rewards
The reward depends on the number of optional objectives completed around the fortress before you free Kormir (See Normal mode reward/Hard mode reward for details).

Walkthrough
Speak to Jack of Truths to start the mission.

Until you break out Kormir, you will be disguised as a Kournan and will not be attacked by them. You may use this time to accomplish bonus tasks. When ready, proceed to the vault labeled on the minimap (point 5). Margrid will convince Vault Master Eijah to hand over the gem she seeks.

Proceed to the prison gate (6). Prison Keeper Shelkesh will ask for the password to enter. If you acquired the password from the guard at the entrance of the fort, you can pass through unobstructed. However, should you not have the password or choose the option to give the wrong password, the guard will attack. Since the later half of the mission is timed, players may choose to purposely give the incorrect password to dispatch these foes before the timer begins. Either way, the gate to the prison will open for you. Upon reaching the prison, dispatch the jailer and all the guards and a cinematic will ensue (7).

You now have fifteen minutes to reach the docks with Kormir and Shahai. A number of guards will confront you at the bridge and multiple groups at the stairs just past the prison gates. Watch out for overlapping patrol paths to avoid over aggro here. (The map advises staying at the top of the stairs at this point, but it may be advisable to pull the guard groups from even further back than that, especially in Hard mode.) After dispatching this group, you may either travel north through the fort or south along the docks. Either way, the paths rejoin close to the docked ship with a number of Kournan standing in the way. Captain Nebo should be dispatched as soon as possible, as the elementalist boss is capable of dealing massive damage to an area with Fire Magic spells. After dispatching this group, proceed to the end of the dock to complete the mission. Alternatively, a player may choose not to fight this last group but rather rush past the groups to lead Kormir and Shahai to the end of the dock (9).

Bonus
Before the cinematic at the prison, players may talk to a number of Kournan guards to find and accomplish 4 optional objectives for the bonus. You must complete these goals before you cross the bridge to the prison; after the prison cinematic, the entire fortress becomes hostile and any remaining bonus objectives will no longer be available.


 * 1) When you enter the fortress, talk to Guard Captain Kahturin to get the prison's password; nothing else need be done (you will not need to give the password to anyone else to get credit).
 * 2) Just inside the fortress and to the south, you'll find captive Sunspear Prisoners. Talk to Captain Nahnkos and agree to escort them to the prison, which grants you credit for the bonus. They will also fight with you after you free Kormir; they do not need to survive.
 * 3) Towards the center of the fort are two guards trying to suppress a renegade demon. As mentioned in the objectives, "you can either help the guards or stand aside and let them fight on their own"; either one will accomplish the bonus objective.
 * 4) * If the demon wins then it becomes friendly to you in your Kournan disguise, which still satisfies the requirement.
 * 5) Around the southeast of the fortress you'll find Guard Linko. Agree to take over his guard duty for this objective.

Skill recommendations

 * If your party has anyone equipped with attack skills, bring skills that remove stances or that can bypass blocking to use against the Kournan Bowman, who use Whirling Defense. Using offensive spells or hexes, such as Spiteful Spirit, will make facing the Kournan Bowman much easier without bringing skills that remove stances or bypass blocking.
 * The final elementalist boss is dangerous to the NPCs you must keep alive.
 * Ward Against Harm and/or Ward Against Elements help reduce the damage, until they move outside the wards. Shelter and Union will also help keep the NPCs alive
 * Interrupts also help against the boss. Since Margrid is required for the mission, equip her with Distracting Shot and/or Savage Shot and lock her on the boss to help suppress damage.
 * Avoid using enchantment-based builds, since Kournan Oppressors and Kournan Seers can remove enchantments.
 * Hex removal skills are unnecessary, since the only hex spells you will encounter are Enchanter's Conundrum (Kournan Seer, Lieutenant Nali) and Life Siphon (Kournan Oppressor). Enchanter's Conundrum cannot increase the activation time of your enchantments if you avoid bringing any enchantments and Life Siphon ends when the caster is killed.
 * Wait out and/or pull apart patrol groups to avoid aggroing more than one group at once; it becomes difficult to keep your NPC allies alive if you get mobbed.

NPCs

 * 20 (20) Captain Nahnkos
 * 20 (20) Guard Captain Kahturin
 * 20 (20) Kournan Captain
 * 20 (20) Vault Master Eijah
 * 20 (20) Guard Linko
 * 20 (20) Jailer Gahanni
 * 20 (20) Kournan Guard
 * 20 (20) Prison Keeper Shelkesh
 * 20 (20) Vabbi Guard

Allies
Humans
 * 20 (20) Shahai the Cunning
 * 20 (20) Kormir
 * 20 (20) Sunspear Prisoner
 * 20 (20) Sunspear Prisoner
 * 20 (20) Sunspear Prisoner

Foes
Demon (Torment creature) Humans (Kournan military)
 * 20 (29) Demon Spawn
 * 20 (20) Jailer Gahanni
 * 16, 20 (26) Kournan Guard (axe, sword)
 * 20 (20) Prison Keeper Shelkesh
 * 22 (26) Kournan Elite Guard
 * 16, 20 (26) Kournan Bowman
 * 16, 20 (26) Kournan Priest
 * 16, 20 (26) Kournan Oppressor
 * 20 (26) Kournan Seer
 * 20 (26) Kournan Scribe
 * 22 (26) Kournan Elite Scribe
 * 16, 20 (26) Kournan Phalanx
 * 22 (26) Kournan Elite Spear
 * 20 (26) Kournan Zealot
 * 22 (26) Kournan Elite Zealot

Bosses
Humans (Kournan military)
 * 24 (30) Lieutenant Nali &rarr; Enchanter's Conundrum
 * 24 (30) Captain Nebo &rarr; Master of Magic
 * 24 (30) Colonel Kajo &rarr; Cautery Signet

Opening cinematic

 * See No Me, No Kormir (cinematic)

Initial dialogue

 * Margrid the Sly
 * "Remember our deal, Sunspears. First we grab the Diadem of Lady Glaive. Then we rescue your precious Kormir."
 * "The last I knew, the Kournans stored the Diadem in the vault, which is heavily guarded. I'll handle the guards when we get there. You just keep quiet and we'll be fine."
 * "Keep your eyes open for anything that might help cover our escape while we're in the fortress. Once we break Kormir out we'll need every advantage we can get to escape from this rock."

If Zhed Shadowhoof is in your party:
 * Zhed Shadowhoof
 * "You're all mad! You may be able to dress up as Kournans, two-legs. But what am I supposed to be, your mascot?"
 * 
 * "Margrid, hand me those manacles there, will you? Okay, now I'm going to put these on you..."
 * Zhed Shadowhoof
 * "Grrrrr...ROOOAAAR!"
 * 
 * "Okay.... Margrid...you put these on him."
 * Margrid the Sly
 * "Don't worry, Zhed. I think I know what  has in mind."

Intermediate dialogue (1)

 * Guard Captain Kahturin
 * "Halt! Give me your name and rank, soldier. This is a restricted area."
 * If Zhed is not in the party:
 * "We were in General Kahyet's guard. We seek shelter and reassignment"
 * If Zhed is in the party:
 * "We're here to escort this prisoner. He's a prison transfer being reassigned from cell one-one-three-eight."
 * "Very well, soldier. But you can't just saunter in. This is a secure area. You'll need the password. Memorize it. You can't get into some areas without these numbers for verification. Twenty, one, eight, seven. You got that?"


 * Captain Nahnkos (when you go near him)
 * "Hey you! Give me some help over here!"


 * Captain Nahnkos (when you talk to him)
 * "More prisoners! These Istani seem to breed like rats! We caught this batch of Sunspears sneaking into the fortress. I'm sure they want to rescue their precious Kormir. I don't have time to deal with this riff-raff! You're heading towards the prison. Take them with you and toss them in a dark, deep cell."
 * Yes "Right away. The prison is just the place for scum like these!"
 * ingame "Sorry. We're not the guards you're looking for."


 * Guard Linko
 * "Gods, my feet are killing me. We've pulled eight straight night shifts. And, when we aren't here, we're out hunting Sunspears. We're so tired we keep falling asleep standing up. Would you mind taking over our shift?"
 * Yes "No problem. We need everyone sharp. Those Sunspears could be anywhere."
 * "Excellent. I owe you one. Here's the gate key. Guard it with your lives."
 * ingame "Sleep tomorrow. Those Sunspears aren't going anywhere."

Intermediate dialogue (2)

 * Margrid the Sly
 * "You there! General Bayel sent me for the Diadem of Lady Glaive! You'd better get it quick...before he sends one of his pet demons instead."


 * Vault Master Eijah
 * "General Bayel sent you? It must be for that ambush he's setting up.  Here is the Diadem.  Make sure it doesn't fall into enemy hands!"


 * Margrid the Sly
 * "The general will be most pleased with your quick response. We'll be sure to keep the Diadem from falling into the...wrong...hands."


 * Margrid the Sly
 * "The stories about Bayel must be closer to the truth than I thought if that little ruse worked so well. Let's get out of here before they get suspicious."

Intermediate dialogue (3)

 * Prison Keeper Shelkesh
 * "I wasn't notified of anyone that needed access besides the executioner. Unless you have the code, I'll have to clear it."
 * "We're fully authorized. We have the password. It's twenty-one-eight-seven." (This option only appears if you spoke to Guard Captain Kahturin and received the password.)
 * "Very good. We have to be careful. Those Istani are planning something. They want their precious commander back. But it's too late anyway. Her hours are numbered. Praise Versh! Hail Kourna!"
 * "Uhm, the password.... Right...hmm.... Yeah. Isn't it...er...Blue harvest?"
 * "That's not the code. Impostors! Guards!""


 * Jailer Gahanni
 * "Your time is almost up, Kormir. The executioner is on his way here to take care of you and your friend."


 * Margrid the Sly
 * "Looks like we're just in time. Lets [sic] move in before we're too late!"

Quotes
Quotes that appear when you go near certain NPCs
 * Kournan Guard (1)
 * "I hear the Sunspear leader is to be executed today."


 * Kournan Guard (2)
 * "Did you hear we are preparing to invade Vabbi?"


 * Kournan Guard (3)
 * "I'm not getting close to those demons. I hear they've eaten some of our troops!"


 * Kournan Guard (4)
 * "Sunspears have been seen near Ronjok."


 * Kournan Guard (5): "Gah. I can't believe they make us eat this stuff. It's worse then gruel. It's...it's..."
 * Kournan Guard (6): "Soylent?"
 * Kournan Guard (5): "Well, that wasn't the word I was going to use, but I suppose..."
 * Kournan Guard (6): "Don't eat the cornbread. Trust me on this one."


 * Kournan Guard (7): "I didn't know those demons could die. My hands are still shaking."
 * Kournan Guard (8): "Oh, wow! We killed it. I mean, you killed it. You'd better get out of here before Varesh finds out. She won't be happy about this."


 * Kournan Guard (9): "Istan! Can you believe it? My family's been poor for years; all our wealth appropriated to support the military. But now, Varesh is giving us lands in Istan once it's conquered. A new beginning!"
 * Kournan Guard (10): "Congratulations, my friend. I knew your loyalty to Varesh would be rewarded. Hail Kourna!"
 * Kournan Guard (9): "Hail Kourna, indeed. Any may the throne of Ossa grow to encompass Elona."
 * Kournan Guard (10): "May Varesh and her patron god...whoever that may be...bless all our houses; from now until the end of time."


 * Kournan Captain (1): "We got a report that some Sunspear stragglers are regrouping near the southern ship-docks. Do you want to assign a company to go flush them out?"
 * Kournan Guard (11): "Send a force, but tell them to watch their backs. Those Sunspears are up to something. It could be a distraction."
 * Kournan Captain (1): "I'll let them know. And...sir? Off the record? Do you know why Varesh is so concerned with the Sunspears? They're a small faction, and Istan isn't giving us any political trouble. Can't we just..."
 * Kournan Guard (11): "That's enough, soldier! Question Varesh's orders one more time, and I'll have you whipped for insubordination. And believe me, that's better than what she'd do to you if she found out."


 * Vabbi Guard: "Ow! Ow! Do you have to use that stuff?"
 * Kournan Guard (12): "Look, you got bit by a Centaur. Those creatures are filthy and disease-ridden. You could lose that arm. Now sit still..."
 * Vabbi Guard: "Ow! C'mon doc! Go easy on me."
 * Kournan Guard (12): "This is what you get for hunting Centaurs. I know we need to eliminate them, but stay out of their reach. Keep that in mind, and you'll have fewer bites to contend with."


 * Kournan Captain (2): "I hear our soldiers will reach Vabbi in just a few months. Isn't that exciting?"
 * Kournan Captain (3): "I should say so! Varesh is a visionary. With Elona united under Kournan rule, we can keep all of the cities safe, ensuring a peaceful, profitable way of life for everyone. Why the Elders in Istan are fighting her so fiercely, I'll never know."
 * Kournan Captain (2): "Some people are addicted to power. Clearly, the Istani Elders are poor leaders, clinging to power despite the benefits that merging our two countries would bring their people."
 * Kournan Captain (3): "It's sad, really. What a waste of life. Can't those Sunspears see they're being used and manipulated?"

Intermediate cinematic

 * : "Kormir! We're here to free you!"
 * Shahai the Cunning: "Sister! You've come to rescue me!"
 * : "Sister?"
 * Margrid the Sly: "Shahai! Um, of course! You think I would leave my sister to the Kournans?"
 * : "Kormir?"
 * Kormir: "Give me a moment. Night has fallen. At least for me."
 * : "What happened?"
 * Kormir: "Our hosts were... less than gracious."
 * Shahai the Cunning: "Varesh's demons blinded her. They have a taste for eyes."
 * Kormir: "I can manage. You lead. I shall follow."
 * Margrid the Sly: "Let's ditch these outfits. Now that we've sprung the prisoners, this place is going to be crawling with soldiers!"

Intermediate dialogue (4)

 * Margrid the Sly
 * "Let's get out of here! We have boats waiting by the dock. We just need to get to them...."

End cinematic

 * : "Kormir, we're going to get you back to Istan."
 * Kormir: "Istan? No, you need to go north, to Vabbi."
 * : "There's no way to get past the fortress at Jahai."
 * Kormir: "There is another way. There is a passage at the back of the Waterworks of Mahnkelon."
 * Margrid: "You told her about that?"
 * Shahai the Cunning: "So I took a risk."
 * Kormir: "The passage leads to an old smuggler's cave. The cave will lead to Vabbi."
 * : "You need a healer's attention."
 * Shahai the Cunning: "I can get Kormir to safety."
 * Margrid: ''"And I can take you to the passage, but we'll have to be quick about it
 * Margrid: "Very quick about it!"


 * Bayel: "What is your problem hound?!"
 * The Hunger: "A prisoner has escaped. The one touched by Abaddon."
 * Bayel: "Sunspears! After them!"
 * The Hunger: "All in good time, mortal."
 * Bayel: "What are you waiting for?"
 * The Hunger: "You misunderstand, little mortal. You are not my master."
 * Bayel: "You are charged to help me hunt these Sunspears. You will do as I say."
 * The Hunger: "I answer to my lord Abaddon. I answer to Warmarshal Varesh. I do not answer to you. Are we clear?"
 * Bayel: "I am Varesh's general. You should respect..."
 * The Hunger: "Varesh does not need generals anymore. She needs us. Do not make her choose."
 * The Hunger: "We are partners, at best, until all your Sunspears are slain."
 * Bayel: "And then?"
 * The Hunger: "Then? We renegotiate. I know where these Sunspears are going. Follow me."

Trivia

 * Jora, Ogden Stonehealer, Pyre Fierceshot and Vekk will not be disguised.
 * There are numerous references to George Lucas' Star Wars series:
 * Much of the dialogue involving Zhed Shadowhoof is similar to when Luke, Han and Chewbacca infiltrate the Death Star and go to the prison deck disguised as Stormtroopers performing a prison block transfer for a Wookie to cell block 1138. Zhed will prompt a dialogue and be disguised as a prisoner despite his expected protests. Later, you will end up telling Guard Captain Kahturin that you are transferring Zhed to cell block 1138. (from The 1977 film, A New Hope)
 * The incorrect answer to Guard Captain Kahturin when gaining access to the prison is "Blue Harvest", the name of the cover movie used to hide the filming site for Return of the Jedi. (1138 is also similar to Lucas' first film, THX 1138.)
 * The password for the prison transfer, 20, 1, 8, and 7 is the same as Princess Leia's cell number, 2187 (from A New Hope)
 * "We're not the guards you're looking for" from the decline option of Captain Nahnkos mimics, "These are not the droids you are looking for". (from A New Hope)
 * Other movies (and books) are also sources for other dialogue within the mission, including:
 * Soylent Green: A conversation between two guards: 5: "It's worse than gruel...it's..." &mdash; 6: "Soylent?"