The quest begins with the player overhearing a conversation in the throne room of Varrock's palace: King Roald and Queen Ellamaria are trying to convince a veteran adventurer to do something, but the veteran refuses, saying that 'that place' is cursed. Ellamaria is furious, saying that they're wasting time and gold on 'these cowards' and that they should just send the army- she'll lead them herself if she has to. Roald reminds her that they can't pull troops away from the cities, and Ellamaria begrudgingly admits it. The player asks about what they overheard, and Roald tells them that he has a task for someone who's willing to shoulder a lot of risk for the chance of even more rewards, and asks if they want to know more.
Upon saying yes, a cutscene plays while Roald narrates: the three Saradominist kingdoms are facing a severe threat. After the famine and the Elder God Wars, they need time to recover and rebuild, but they're not going to get it: the Zamorakian forces are getting ready to attack them. Misthalin would be their first target, and the other kingdoms can't offer much help. They're not ready to fight another war, but they can't just sit around and do nothing. Nearby in the Wilderness is a vale, a site of strategic importance. He wants the player to claim it, build a fort and be ready for the inevitable retaliation. If the player can do that, the fort will be declared a new duchy of the realm, and the player will become a noble.
The player can ask questions which fill in a little more information: the vale is incredibly important, strategically speaking; it's been the site of countless battles over many years; and while multiple people have tried to hold it, none of them succeeded for long before dying. Roald won't send in the army because the Zamorakian civil war gave them a brief but much-needed opportunity to recover and establish a barrier between the Zamorakians and Varrock, but now Roald is sure that the Zamorakians will attack them again soon, and he won't pull troops away from the towns and cities. In addition, the Zamorakians will almost certainly see the fort's successful establishment as a challenge (or an insult). The player isn't the first person he's given this opportunity, and if they refuse or fail, they won't be the last. But this isn't a quest, a task, or a demand, it's an opportunity. Roald can't offer them money, support or materials- in the past, land was held by those who had the strength to defend it, and in Misthalin's political system, each duchy is meant to be largely autonomous. But, he says that the last group who tried to build a fort had an architect with them, who might have survived, and if not, the player can always recruit their own staff.
The player accepts and goes to the vale, which is overrun by armoured zombies. The only other person there is a man named Bill, the architect Roald mentioned. After killing the zombies, the player and Bill introduce themselves. Bill is understandably sour on the whole idea after being left for dead, but the player convinces him to join them with a stirring speech. They begin by building a workshop to make planks and walls, but after that, both point out a problem: the player thinks the fort needs some actual walls, while Bill thinks the fort needs more staff. He sends the player to recruit a steward, and suggests one Aster Dunnet.
The player meets Aster in the Blue Moon Inn. Aster is happy to help, but has to finish their current job at the Blue Moon. However, they have some recommendations for other staff to find. Their first suggestion is an overseer, someone to run communications and logistics, and they recommend a Fremmenik woman named Siv. The player meets Siv at Gunnarsgrunn and fills her in; Siv is fascinated by how ambitious and suicidal the plan is, and agrees to sign on. However, the player thinks they need someone to help with morale because of how grim the border is. Siv suggests finding a priest, and recommends a man called Father Flint, who can be found in Draynor Village.
In Draynor, the player finds Father Flint. After convincing him to join up, they head back to the fort and build the walls. Once the walls have been built, the player's recruits all arrive. Flint and Siv like it, while Bill and Aster are a bit more fatalistic. Flint points out that their enemies will be coming, and the player agrees, saying that they'll build up the fort's defences. Bill brings up the player's title, and Aster says that since the king declared the vale to be a new duchy, the player gets a title to match. After the player chooses from 'Duke', 'Duchess' or 'Dux', Bill says that the title is theirs as long as they can hold the duchy. Aster says that the Wilderness was formerly known as Forinthry; Siv says that the duchy could thus be known as Forinthry, and the fort is Fort Forinthry, the player completes.
With that, quest complete!
