The Golem in Honnleath

The Golem in Honnleath is a quest that introduces a new character, a golem named "Shale." After downloading and installing the DLC The Stone Prisoner, you are given a new area to go to, Sulcher's Pass. The merchant in this area will give you a control rod which is supposedly used to operate a golem; all you need to do is hold it up and say the command phrase. If you ask for more information, he will let you know that the last owner was located in the town of Honnleath, and that the town is overrun by Darkspawn.

Walkthrough
When you enter the town you will be attacked by Darkspawn. There aren't many and the area is fairly small, with the golem easily noticeable in a circle of stones. After killing all the Darkspawn, head to the golem and try the command phrase the merchant told you. It will not work, and you will get an update telling you to seek out the previous owner.

There will be a villager's corpse near the golem that holds a key. This key will unlock Olaf's chest and give you Olaf's Cheese Knife.

After you're done exploring the village, enter Wilhelm's Cellar. The first room has some Hurlocks and Genlocks to dispatch. A second room will quickly follow where you will find several Hurlocks and Genlocks, as well a Genlock Emissary and a Hurlock Alpha. All are focused on attacking what seems to be an energy barrier; once all the darkspawn are defeated you will be able to talk to the refugees behind the energy barrier. You will find out from Wilhelm's son, Matthias, that Wilhelm was the mage that previously owned the golem, Shale. Shale was blamed for Wilhelm's murder by his wife, and as a result she sold the control rod for the golem. If you have already tried to activate Shale, you will learn that the activation words that Wilhelm's wife provided were wrong. Matthias will agree to give you the correct words, provided you rescue his daughter, Amalia, who wandered deeper into the cellar, which also used to be Wilhelm's laboratory.

Further into the cellar, there is an area in which Lesser Shades and an Ash Wraith will ambush you. The Ash Wraith drops the Harvest Festival Ring. If you use stealth with a rogue, you will cause the enemies to appear without them attacking you. After they appear, you should kill them if you wish to loot the ring.

After you follow the path deeper into the cellar you will discover a dilemma: a Desire Demon who possessed a cat (named Kitty) was sealed in the laboratory. Amalia, Matthias' daughter, believes the demon is a talking cat and will not leave until you help free the kitty. You can attempt to kill the demon immediately, although your attempts will be in vain. Any confrontation without first releasing the seal on the doorway will cause the demon to possess Amalia, forcing you to kill them both. Your other options are to help the kitty escape by solving the puzzle in the room (See Puzzle for solution) or return to Matthias. If you choose to return to Matthias, you can either lie to him about her death or let him run toward the demon in a frantic attempt to save his daughter. If Matthias runs into the dungeon, he will be possessed by the demon instead. Based on your choice, you can vary the approval of your companions as well as which quest items you receive. (See Result for approval changes and items for each choice)

You can also lie to Kitty (if your Persuade is high enough) and tell her you are going to help her. Then after you solve the puzzle, you can say "you're not going to touch the girl" and the girl will get away unpossessed. Then you will have to fight Kitty and 4 Rage Demons.

After the first dialog with Kitty, you will be ambushed on the wooden bridge as well as in the root room by Lesser Shades. They will always spawn, even if you choose to do the puzzle and slay the demon.

Once you have the correct command phrase, head back to the village square. A ladder on the wall, in the room where you find Matthias, provides a short-cut to the surface. Once top-side, you can now activate Shale.

Items
, source: Drop Kitty , source: Drop Ash Wraith , source: Drop Kitty , source: Olaf's Chest , source: Bribe from Kitty

Puzzle
The puzzle in the room is a 5 by 5 sliding puzzle with a twist. The objective is to get the flame to travel from one corner of the board to the other by moving the tiles. Each tile has an arrow on it, pointing in the direction the flame will jump. Once the flame has reached the end tile, the seal on the door will be released and the kitty will automatically resume dialog.

From the initial board position, it is possible to solve the puzzle using the following steps. This may not be the fastest method, but it will give you the solution if you find you are unable to solve sliding puzzles.

The steps tell you which way to move a tile, not the tile to move. Therefore, left means you move the only tile that can move left, and not the tile to the left of the gap.

Up, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Down, Left, Up, Up, Left, Up, Left, Down, Left, Up, Right, Down, Down, Left, Up, Up, Right, Down

Result

 * Regardless of your decisions, Shale joins the party as a companion.

Decision Dependent Results
How you decide to deal with the demon affects some loot possibilities and how your companions react:


 * {| class="wikitable daotable"

! Choices ! Loot ! Alistair ! Leliana ! Morrigan ! Oghren ! Sten ! Wynne ! Zevran ! Details
 * Allow Possession
 * Helm & Cord
 * Let the demon possess Amalia before solving puzzles.
 * Lie to Dad
 * Lie to Amalia's father about her death.
 * Persuade Dad
 * Tell Kitty you'll think about helping her, and persuade Matthias that it is of no use.
 * Force Dad's Help
 * Cord
 * Force the father to attempt to save her life.
 * Help the Kitty
 * Wilhelm's Staff
 * Help the kitty by promising to release the girl, solve the puzzle, and allowing Kitty to possess Amalia.
 * Betray the Kitty
 * Helm & Cord
 * Help the kitty, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word.
 * Fail to Betray
 * Helm
 * Help the kitty, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word and fail the persuasion check, Kitty possesses the child and you must kill the demon.
 * Unrewarded
 * Cord
 * Solve the puzzle and allow the demon to possess Amalia without a reward.
 * Puzzle then Kill
 * Helm & Cord
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * Tell Kitty you'll think about helping her, and persuade Matthias that it is of no use.
 * Force Dad's Help
 * Cord
 * Force the father to attempt to save her life.
 * Help the Kitty
 * Wilhelm's Staff
 * Help the kitty by promising to release the girl, solve the puzzle, and allowing Kitty to possess Amalia.
 * Betray the Kitty
 * Helm & Cord
 * Help the kitty, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word.
 * Fail to Betray
 * Helm
 * Help the kitty, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word and fail the persuasion check, Kitty possesses the child and you must kill the demon.
 * Unrewarded
 * Cord
 * Solve the puzzle and allow the demon to possess Amalia without a reward.
 * Puzzle then Kill
 * Helm & Cord
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * Wilhelm's Staff
 * Help the kitty by promising to release the girl, solve the puzzle, and allowing Kitty to possess Amalia.
 * Betray the Kitty
 * Helm & Cord
 * Help the kitty, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word.
 * Fail to Betray
 * Helm
 * Help the kitty, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word and fail the persuasion check, Kitty possesses the child and you must kill the demon.
 * Unrewarded
 * Cord
 * Solve the puzzle and allow the demon to possess Amalia without a reward.
 * Puzzle then Kill
 * Helm & Cord
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * Help the kitty, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word.
 * Fail to Betray
 * Helm
 * Help the kitty, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word and fail the persuasion check, Kitty possesses the child and you must kill the demon.
 * Unrewarded
 * Cord
 * Solve the puzzle and allow the demon to possess Amalia without a reward.
 * Puzzle then Kill
 * Helm & Cord
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * Help the kitty, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word and fail the persuasion check, Kitty possesses the child and you must kill the demon.
 * Unrewarded
 * Cord
 * Solve the puzzle and allow the demon to possess Amalia without a reward.
 * Puzzle then Kill
 * Helm & Cord
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * Solve the puzzle and allow the demon to possess Amalia without a reward.
 * Puzzle then Kill
 * Helm & Cord
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * Solve the puzzle and allow the demon to possess Amalia without a reward.
 * Puzzle then Kill
 * Helm & Cord
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * Helm & Cord
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * Offer to let the demon escape, on the condition she doesn't possess Amalia. She'll try to betray you and you'll have to fight her.
 * }
 * }

Post Activation Results
After activating Shale, you can choose whether to recruit her. Shale reacts to your conversation: (Persuade) Think of it as a portable battering ram. —
 * 1) Thank you for stating the obvious. —
 * 1) I could tell it to do something else... and reaffirming you choice to recruit shale —
 * 2) I said it is coming, and that's final. —

Alistair (and presumably other companions) also might react. For example, if you thank [Alistair] for stating the obvious —.

Result Notes

 * Dog, as usual, has no reaction.
 * The choice-dependent loot includes the Helm of Honnleath and the Cord of Shattered Dreams, listed above as Helm and Cord.
 * Some characters might react differently, if they are hardened.
 * Players have not determined all possible reactions from the companions; neutral reactions are marked as.
 * Successful persuasion requires the equivalent of 22 points of Cunning, e.g. 2 points in Coercion and 12 in Cunning.
 * Alistair doesn't seem to mind if you ask Shale to attack him as your first command.
 * Oghren has no specific reactions to Golems though he likes the idea of having a Golem fighting aside him. You get +2 Approval from Oghren.
 * If Oghren is present, you can ask Shale to dwarf toss to test the control rod.
 * After deciding to take Shale with you, when you put it in your party and walk outside of the village, you'll see a short cutscene of Shale squashing a chicken.

Bugs

 * After defeating the Darkspawn, you may find yourself unable to speak to the villagers on the other side of the energy barrier. Your best bet is to go back to a previous save file, and do it over.