Backing The Winner

Backing The Winner is one of the quests for the Imperial Guards.

Lore

Return to Caer-Tor and discuss the situation with Paullus.

Rewards

• 25 SP
• Imperial Guards reputation +3 and House Crassus reputation -10 if you side with House Aurelian
• Forty Thieves reputation -5 and Word of Honor -1 if you promise Lowtown to Glabrio (optional)
• Forty Thieves reputation -10 and Combat +1 if you kill Glabrio (optional)
• Imperial Guards reputation +3 and House Aurelian reputation -10 if you side with House Crassus
• Imperial Guards reputation -15, Loyalty -5 and House Crassus reputation +15 if you convince Carrinas to side with Meru

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to Paullus in Caer-Tor
2. Help him make a decision
3. Talk to Carrinas (optional)
4. Travel to Ganezzar

Detailed Walkthrough

1. Talk to Paullus in Caer-Tor
2. Help him make a decision
   • Paullus will by default side with Gaelius
   • You can tell optionally tell Paullus about Meru's plan about Al-Akia
   • If your Imperial Guards reputation is at least 10, you can try to persuade him to help Meru instead
     1. Persuasion:[5], "If you side with Gaelius, you'll never be more than his guard dog."
     2. If you failed, check for Persuasion+Streetwise=[8]
     3. Persuasion:[7] or Streetwise:[6]
     4. If you failed to convince him, you have an option to go to Teron and talk with Carrinas
3. Talk to Carrinas (optional)
   1. He will only listen to you if you helped him make peace with Antidas
   2. Persuasion:[5], "You've gone too far to stop now..."
      • Persuasion:[8], "You won't have to fight him. Paullus sided with Gaelius because Meru is too weak."
      • Streetwise:[8], "I'm not suggesting attacking our brothers-in-arms..."
4. Travel to Ganezzar (Aurelian path)
   • Wait until the gates are breached
     • You and 2 Legionaries fight against 10 Crassus Legionaries
   • "I might have a way in" (if you entered Ganezzar tunnels in previous quest)
     1. If you killed Glabrio, this option fails
     2. Talk to Glabrio
        • Kill them and return to Paullus empty-handed
        • (Lie) Promise to give him Lowtown
     3. Enter secret pasage leading to Castle Ganezzar
        • Fight
        • Throw a brick and hide in the shadows, then silently take out a guard
          • Sneak+Critical Strike=[8] - Success
            • Go upstairs
              1. Sneak+Critical Strike=[10], Get closer and kill a guard
              2. Dexterity+Critical Strike=[16], Kill the other guard
            • Put on the guard's armor and helmet and go up the stairs
              1. Impersonate:[5], Get closer and kill a guard
              2. Dexterity+Critical Strike=[16], Kill the other guard
          • Sneak+Critical Strike<[8] - Failure, you lose 15 HP
     4. Go upstairs
        • You fight against two guards
        • Bar the doors and raise the gates
5. Travel to Ganezzar (Crassus path)
   1. Critical Strike - kill the legatus
      • [7] - Success, Legatus Hagnon is killed, fight against two guards
      • [4] - Failure, Legatus Hagnon loses 15 HP, fight against Hagnon and two guards
      • [3] or less - Failure, fight against Legatus Hagnon and two guards
   2. Siege is lifted. If you told Paullus earlier about Al-Akia, he will blow it up, otherwise he'll do nothing about it

Next Quest in Chain

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The Birthplace Of The Gods (Imperial Guards)	The Temple Of Thor-Agoth (Imperial Guards)