Nulgath’s Portal
A Favor Called In
Nulgath summons Dirtlicker as Lore and Oversoul approach a rare alignment. He wants a lasting link between the dimensions so that he can return to Lore, and orders his commander to obtain the Hero's help. Dirtlicker drags the Hero away from another errand and introduces himself. Nulgath gave him his current name, he insists, replacing the rather grander Dominatron the Awesome. Whatever the Hero thinks of that honor, his master's demand is serious.
The recorded responses allow a Nation supporter to volunteer immediately. A Hero claiming loyalty to Good or to Dage's Legion instead refuses. Dirtlicker then invokes the contract connected to raising Gravelyn's castle against Chaos. The Hero believes killing Death completed it, but Dirtlicker says one favor remains and threatens punishment and exile of the soul into the Void. In that branch, the Hero reluctantly agrees. The scene calls in an asserted old obligation; it does not show the Hero freely signing a new contract.
Dirtlicker explains that the alignment permits a permanent passage through which Nulgath and his army can reach Lore. His account of the earlier Evil War is flattering to his master: he claims Nulgath allowed his defeat and exile because Oversoul offered a place to conquer, train and turn its inhabitants into Fiends. That is the commander's explanation of Nulgath's strategy, rather than independent proof of every part of it. The immediate task is to establish access to the Nation Stronghold, where they will build the interdimensional link.
Souls for the Link
Dirtlicker tests the Hero through combat and the collection of rewards from Lore's battlefields. The quest record calls for Doomwood Tokens and Combat Trophies from the Doomwood and Bludrut arenas; those quantities are item requirements, not a count of fights the story shows. The early chain yields a Portal Key. Once that access portal opens, Dirtlicker confirms that the Hero can enter the Nation Stronghold, then teleports away and leaves the Hero to find him at its summit. Reaching the Stronghold is a step toward the link with Oversoul, not its completion.
Legion spies have infiltrated the operation. Dirtlicker sends the Hero against them, then against former Nation generals who defected during the Evil War. He also demands relics from the war's battlefields, including blood, a crown and Laken's Saber of the Traveler. Next comes a device charged with Void energy to convert captured spies to the Archfiend's cause. Dirtlicker cheerfully excuses the coercion because his own side is doing it. These assignments strengthen the Nation's position while work on the portal continues.
Harvesting undead souls requires another spell. The Hero gathers bone marrow, mummified gray matter, ectoplasmic fruit and a skull to prepare it, then collects souls to fill the portal with energy. A High Legion Inquisitor arrives to destroy the construction, forcing the Hero to defend it. With that threat defeated, the activation scene shows the portal feeding on souls until it becomes fully active. The eleven-step ArchToken chain has reached its goal; the quest list also offers a further recruitment task after that progression.
An Archfiend's Word
Nulgath appears at the completed portal and praises Dirtlicker and the Hero. The response changes what he says about their relationship. A Nation loyalist offers continued service, and Nulgath keeps the useful servant. The Good response and the Dage's Legion response instead demand completion of the contract. In each of those two recorded branches, Nulgath agrees that it is finished and burns it. Those releases belong to the respective dialogue alternatives, not to one unconditional cancellation for every Hero.
The new link brings Nulgath's army into the portal chamber. Yet he does not remain to command the invasion personally. There is still power to gain in Oversoul, he says, and he intends to keep making Fiends and sending them to Lore until it is destroyed. Only then will he return to crush Dage. The portal has enabled the deployment; the destruction of Lore and final confrontation with Dage remain threats, not victories achieved in this episode.
Nulgath leaves Dirtlicker in charge, warning that he can be replaced if he fails. Dirtlicker celebrates the Hero's contribution and offers continued access and rewards for further work. The Hero, however, leaves to help people elsewhere in Lore. The ending establishes a functioning route for the Nation and the branch-specific settlement of the earlier contract. It does not close the portal, settle Nulgath's other bargains, or show the threatened conquest carried out.