Upon arriving at the Dragonspear Castle Exterior, the way into the courtyard will be blocked by several advanced members of the Shining Crusade, who will refuse to grant Gorion's Ward access unless they can prove they are members.
Completing you[]
The player can gain access to the Castle Exterior by either convincing the guards that they have important information about an impending attack, which requires a sufficiently high Charisma stat, or by acquiring a Seal of Caelar, which can be done by successfully completing the quest Slime Sickness in the Underground River. You can also get a seal from the cyclops guarding the stockade at the entrance to the underground river or you can pickpocket one from Malden Col in the allied siege camp.
Quest conflict[]
A Seal of Caelar is required to complete both this quest and the quest Accessing the Warrens. The same Seal acquired from completing Slime Sickness can be used for both, and it's possible to complete both quests with it. However, if the player completes Accessing the Warrens and then goes straight to the Warrens, they will lock themselves out of being able to visit Dragonspear Castle Exterior, as visiting the Dragonspear Castle Basement triggers the shift to the finale of chapter 10.