Denerim - Captured! | Denerim Dragon Age: Origins Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Received from: automatically after ending up in the prison [Denerim - Fort Drakon]
Description: This mission will start immediately after completing Saving the queen quest (M79, 1) and only if you chose not to fight with Cauthriern or lost the battle to her. Begin by talking to a prisoner in the other cell. Choose your answers carefully, because they'll affect the rest of the quest. If you tell him that you'll escape on your own you'll remain here, but if you tell him that you'll wait for someone to rescue you things will get more interesting.
Escaping the prison on your own:
If you prefer to act alone then you'll have to escape the cell (M79, 1) without anyone's help. There are a couple of ways for you to get rid of the prison and the most obvious one would be to use your lockpicking skills to open the cell door. If you can't do that talk to the guard once he's close enough to the gate (wait for him to approach the metal bars). You can now snap his neck or perform a persuasion attempt to invite him to spend an intimate moment in the cell. Either way you'll have to get out and I would also recommend that you free the other prisoner.
Thankfully you won't have to run around the fort half-naked, because you'll find your things in a nearby chest (M79, 2) and the main character will automatically wear them. You may now proceed to the next room (M79, 3) where you'll have to defeat a guard and two mabari. This may be a difficult fight for you if you're not playing as a warrior, but the good news is that no one else will show up. Once you've won move on to the next corridor and don't forget to save your game frequently.
You'll soon end up standing in a long corridor and you should check the first room found to your right. Notice that you're now standing inside a small armory. Click on a nearby armor stand (M79, 4) and the main character will automatically put on a disguise. This is an excellent opportunity for you, because otherwise you would have to be dealing with A LOT of enemy units on your own.
Proceed to the other end of the main corridor and choose the door on your left which is going to be colonel's office (M79, 5). Start the conversation and listen to what your superior officer expects from you (thankfully you won't be recognized by him as the prisoner). Leave the office and proceed to the eastern room which is going to be the storage area (M79, 6). Locate two guards here and talk to them to find out that the local quartermaster is mad at them.
Use your personal map to find the officers' armory. Here you'll have to talk to the quartermaster (M79, 7). There are a couple of ways to acquire the swords needed for the next mission. You can rely on persuasion, intimidation, pay him for the swords or give him a few bottles of poison if your character has any. Either way once you have the sword return to the colonel (M79, 5) and you'll take part in an inspection and in a debriefing.
You may now proceed towards the door leading to the large northern room. Notice that the door is being guarded by two soldiers (M79, 8), but thankfully during the conversation one your allies will tell them the correct password. Keep heading north until you've reached the exit (M79, 9). Return to [Denerim - Arl Eamon's estate] (M71, 2) where you'll be allowed to resume the main quest (The landsmeet).
Waiting for rescue:
In this case during your conversation with the other prisoner (M79, 1) you would have to choose who should arrive in the fort. You can pick two members of your team. I would recommend choosing Wynne and one of the warriors (Oghren, Alistair or Sten). Your team will appear near the main entrance to the fort (M79, 9). Naturally you could attack enemy units right away, however I would recommend playing it safe for a few more minutes.
Start off by heading south until you're stopped by guards standing next to a door leading to the southern room (M79, 10). Wynne can now convince them that she brought gifts. You would have to wait for the captain to show up and to tell him about your peaceful intentions. If you've played it all out correctly you'll gain access to the large hall.
Keep moving south until the members of your team notice that the next door is being guarded by a single female guard (M79, 11). If you want to resolve this problem peacefully you can convince her (persuasion) that she should ask for a more important job than to guard a door. If you can't convince her you'll have to attack her along with the rest of the guards and I would recommend using nearby ballistae.
Sadly even if you convince the female guard to go away without starting a fight you're still going to be stopped by the guards in the next room (M79, 8). This time attacking them will be your only option. Don't forget to heal your warrior using Wynne's spells, because the warrior have to defeat them alone. Once the area is clear head south, turn west and then start moving towards a room located in the north-west (M79, 12).
You'll have to eliminate two other groups of enemy units along the way. The first group (guard and two mabari) will be waiting for you in the large room (M79, 3) and the second group (two guards) will be guarding the cells (M79, 13). Make sure to check bodies of both guards to collect a cell key. Use this key to rescue the main character (M79, 1) and the other prisoner. You'll now have to return to the area where you've started exploring the fort (M79, 9) and you won't encounter any new enemies at first, however a large group will surprise once you're close to the exit (M79, 10). Defeat them and return to [Denerim - Arl Eamon's estate] (M71, 2) where you'll be allowed to resume the main quest (The landsmeet).