The Toll is Not Enough – Drakensang: The River of Time

This Guide is for a quest in the Thurstone Tollgate area of Drakensang: The River of Time. It’s complete with a map, map legend, and overview of the varying points of interest.

Map Legend

1 – Head Tollkeeper Tashman
2 – Entrance
3 – Great Hall
4 – Hidden Treasure
5 – War Dogs
6 – Jailer
7 – Bodyguards
8 – Commandant Bloomfold
9 – The Kraken Newt
10 – Return to the Thalaria

Background

Cano or Forgrimm joins you to make the group complete for this, the second half of the Toll is Not Enough. It is clear by now that something is very wrong in Thurstone, and you need to reach the commandant.

1 – Head Tollkeeper Tashman

Tashman is waiting for you here, along with 5 tollkeepers. Tashman will tell you they have been working with the pirates, and order his men to attack. With a fast talk check you can get them to abandon the fight. Defeating Tashman nets you 8AP and the Key to the main tower. Be sure to loot him as he is carrying a Longsword and 4D 3F.

2 – Entrance

Once again Cano and Forgrimm suggest different paths, but this time the group will stay together for whichever path you choose.

3 – Great Hall

12 deserting tollkeepers are lying in wait here. If you do not run into the hall they will not all engage at once, but instead allow you to fight them in smaller groups. Once they’re dead you can freely head up.

4 – Hidden Treasure

Locked chest containing 4D 4F 5T, 1x Amulet of Constitution, 4x Bearskin, 12x Oneberry, 5x Oneberry Juice.

5 – War Dogs

The jailer runs off and leaves you to fight four war dogs.

6 – Jailer

The jailer locked himself up to keep safe from you. There’s no convincing him to give up the key, but you can unleash the animals using the appropriate levers, to your left.

The problem is the animals don’t even generally leave their cage, and only two cages can be open at the same time. To solve this puzzle (of sorts), first release the boars and wolves (left and right) and they will attack one another. Then close their cages and open the bear’s cage, and the jailer will beg to be let out. Use the bottom lever to let him out and receive the dungeon key. You can kill the jailer, let him go or lock him up.

7 – Bodyguards

The bodyguards will let you through unless you pick the “no bloodshed” option both times, in which case they attack you. They’re not worth fighting as they net only 2AP per head, but one of them is carrying a Ferdok Heraldric Shield you might want.

8 – Commandant Bloomfold

Bloomfold seems unimpressed you reached him, and little threatened by your presence. It soon becomes apparent why as he drops you down a shaft to fight his baby, a Kraken Newt. This conversation nets you 60AP and opens up the quest Elves in Danger.

9 – The Kraken Newt

The Kraken Newt attacks with four tentacles, each of which have 100HP. His main body has 200HP, and is too far away to be attacked by anything except Bow, Crossbow, and spells. It is best to leave the main body be and attack the tentacles, as they seem to have lower RS and damage from the tentacles is carried over to the main body with a slight decrease. Fire-based damaged does not work on the Kraken Newt. His special attacks are a sweeping blow that has a chance to knock you down, and spitting ink over the entire area. The ink gives you 12s of -1 Intuiton, -2 Agility, as well as -3 attack and -5 on ranged combat.

When the Kraken Newt hits 66% and 33% of his health, he retreats and 3 morfu appear to fight you. When you defeat them, the Kraken Newt reappears but usually does not attack immediately. Use this pause to recover AE, ED and heal any characters that were knocked out.

When you bring the Kraken Newt down to 10% of his health, he lashes out in rage, bringing down and eating Bloomfold, and collapsing the structure on himself, killing him and netting you 100AP. This also nets you the quest items a Wooden Leg and a Strange Artifact. You should check the slimy skeleton for another quest item, a Golden Ring, which nets you a further 100AP. The Wooden Leg and Golden Ring are for the quest Missing. The Kraken Newt yields some broken arrows and the like, as well as a Kettle Helm and Steel Knee Plates, though who would want to wear them…

10 – Return to the Thalaria

Cano and Forgrimm realize Ardo is in danger. Head back to find he has been poisoned in a cowardly attack by the sneaky character you saw skulking around, though he did manage to kill the man. This closes the Toll is Not Enough, netting you 100AP, and opens Find Healing for Ardo, which leads you to the Isle of Forgetting next. That quest’s circumstances may have you believe there’s a big hurry to finish it, but in fact you have all the time of the world, and several subquests are now unlocked in all available locations (including the Tollgate when you leave and return).