Deep inside Lorade Castle, in the frozen reaches of the Snowfall Valley Cavity, the quest “The Castle in the Ice” puts a single hard decision in front of the Arisen. Eir leads you to an armored body seated on a stone throne and names it as Ser Rovall, the master she has traveled endlessly to restore. What you do to that body decides whether his story ends in ruin, in rescue, or opens the door to something stranger.
Quick answer: Destroy Ser Rovall’s corpse and you fight Eir, free the Fallen Dragon, and hit a game-over screen. Choose “Agree not to harm the corpse” to restore him, after which a separate path sends the Arisen into Niflhel to face the Thane of Darkness.
The choice at the heart of The Castle in the Ice
On entering the ruined chamber, the Arisen sees Eir recognize the armored remains as her master’s. She draws her sword at once and insists they be left untouched: the corpse contains his life force, she says, and destroying it would make a return to human form impossible.
The quest now asks whether to destroy the corpse, and pawn Ruby remarks on Eir’s distress. This choice determines the route ahead. There is no need to hurry: you can go to the throne and make your decision, or pause to discuss the matter with Eir.
Destroying the corpse ends the game
Walking up to the throne with a weapon drawn, past Eir’s pleading, starts the darker outcome. The Arisen strikes the body while Eir’s protests grow louder with every blow.
After the body is struck three times, Eir turns hostile and combat begins under an objective to defeat her. She apologizes to Ser Rovall as she is cut down by lightning, and one final strike on the throne reduces the remains to dust.
With the vessel gone, nothing holds back the Fallen Dragon. It wakes without a body to bind it and tears through a populated settlement in blue fire. The screen fades to “This tale has ended,” and you are left with reload options from autosave, interim save, or your last inn rest.
Sparing the corpse restores Ser Rovall
Choosing “Agree not to harm the corpse” keeps the quest on a peaceful course and opens its true resolution. Eir explains that Ser Rovall was the Fallen Dragon all along: once an Arisen, he became it after he failed to eliminate the wicked power. She sends you to seek another solution from a sage.
The Arisen retrieves the Godsbane from where it is lodged in stone. As soon as the blade comes free, red light appears in Eir’s eyes—the sign of Dragonsplague—and she falls. Later, she comes to in a wooden lodge and describes how pawns pass from one world to another. She also recalls witnessing Ser Rovall use the Godsbane to give himself up and imprison a demon in a different world. Her directions lead to the fiend’s den at Mordria Temple, past Niflhel.
In Snowfall Valley, the trail reaches a hovering purple rift with a dragon heart beating inside it. A hooded fiend addresses you in Ser Rovall’s voice, then escapes through a portal. Pouring power into the Godsbane creates a vortex; beyond it, the Arisen traverses an icy expanse as specters and the fiend appear in multiplying numbers.
When the shadowed entity falls, its corruption is cleansed from the heart; the heart becomes a shining orange orb of life energy, whose force rekindles the colossal dragon remains. At Mordria Temple, Eir gives the core the will power she had borrowed. She vanishes into black mist, then appears again purified, surrounded by golden ash, and the curse is broken. At the throne, Ser Rovall’s armored hand stirs. Eir enters with a soft smile and greets him, bringing their tale to a close as he awakens.
The secret ending: Into Rancor and the Thane of Darkness
A further ending, tracked under the objective “Into Rancor,” waits beyond the restoration. The Pathfinder appears above the beam of light and declares the Blade of Rancor complete, urging the Arisen to leap into Niflhel. Proffering the blade opens a portal, and the Arisen steps off the cliff into the chasm below.
The fall ends on a frozen, desolate plain. There, a massive horned and winged demon with three purple fiery eyes rises from the dark mist and roars. This is the Thane of Darkness, the figure the whole descent leads to.
The Arisen comes to on a bed inside a secluded wooden cabin after the confrontation. On the cliff above, the Pathfinder says that order has triumphed over chaos and urges the Arisen to go back to their own world. This final conversation confirms the secret route has reached its end: control returns to you instead of a game-over screen appearing.
