Bannerlord Dragon Banner Quest: 3 Pieces and Paths
Short answer: visit both sages. Istiana in Epicrotea and Arzagos in Marunath each know the location of only one Dragon Banner piece, so seeing just one of them leaves you stuck at two pieces out of three. Hearing them both out does not lock in your path — you choose after all three pieces are in hand.
This guide reflects v1.4.8, the stable build released on 10 August 2026. The v1.5.0 line is still beta and is not covered here.
The main questline in order
Everything up to assembling the banner is linear. The branch happens at step 5.
| # | Quest | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Establish Your Clan | Found your clan. The investigation quest starts automatically once this is done |
| 2 | Investigate 'Neretzes' Folly' | Question nobles. After ten of them you are pointed to the two sages |
| 3 | Meet the two sages | Istiana in Epicrotea, Arzagos in Marunath |
| 4 | Find the two banner pieces | Clear the hideout each sage marks |
| 5 | Assemble the Dragon Banner | Hold all three pieces, then pick a sage |
| 6 | Create or Support a Faction | Imperial or non-Imperial, founded or joined |
| 7 | Unify the Empire / Weaken the Empire | The route goal |
| 8 | The rival sage's conspiracy | Runs on both routes |
The quest to find your siblings runs alongside this. The investigation opens as soon as your clan exists, so you do not have to finish the family line first.
Why you must see both sages
Two of Neretzes' former servants survived: Istiana, his spymaster, who wants the Empire to survive, and Arzagos, his bodyguard, who claims Palaic descent and wants the Empire gone.
When you reach their town, open the settlement screen and look at the notables list — they are added there. You do not need to wander the streets looking for them.
Each sage knows about one piece only. Agreeing with one of them reveals that piece's location but does not commit you to their ending. Collect from both, then decide.
For both the nobles and the sages, the fastest method is the in-game encyclopedia: search the name and travel to their last known location. Nobles keep moving, so the entry refreshes each time you enter a settlement.
Collecting the pieces, and how hideouts actually work now
There are three pieces. You already hold one by the time this quest opens; the other two sit in bandit hideouts.
Most guides still say hideouts are night-only. That changed in v1.3.13. The official patch notes describe two approaches:
- Assault — available during the day. Needs at least 8 troops, and up to 15 join the fight
- Sneak In — the night option. The minimum was lowered from 25 troops to 20
v1.4.5 then split the rewards: only the stealth approach opens the hideout stash. Assault does not. Stealth also no longer requires killing the sentries first, and reaching the campfire without killing or alerting anyone grants bonus Roguery experience. Assault when you are in a hurry; sneak in when you want the loot.
Four routes, two goals
- Give the banner to Istiana and create your own Imperial faction. Meet the four requirements below, then found your empire. Your goal becomes Unify the Empire: hold two thirds of Imperial-culture towns and castles. This is the longest path
- Give the banner to Istiana and support an existing Imperial faction. Serve the Northern, Southern or Western Empire and hand the banner to its ruler. The goal is the same two-thirds threshold, but your faction pursues it, so you carry none of the administration
- Give the banner to Arzagos and create your own non-Imperial faction. Found a kingdom of any non-Imperial culture. Your goal becomes Weaken the Empire: reduce the Empire to fewer than four settlements
- Give the banner to Arzagos and support an existing non-Imperial faction. Serve Battania, Sturgia, Vlandia, the Khuzaits or the Aserai and hand the banner to its ruler. The goal is the same sub-four threshold
The non-Imperial goal does not require you to take those settlements yourself — any faction chipping away at the Empire moves it along. The Imperial goal asks for far more territory, so it is the longer campaign.
Requirements to found your own kingdom
- Your clan belongs to no faction — leave your liege first if you are sworn to one
- Clan Tier 4 or higher
- At least 100 troops in your party
- Own at least one town or castle — the quest log states this with a culture attached, e.g. "own an imperial settlement" on Istiana's route
The fourth is where people get stuck. Owning a settlement is not enough on its own; it has to line up with the culture you are founding. Holding only Imperial towns will not advance Arzagos' route.
There may be an exception, and the sources disagree. The community wiki's walkthrough says an Imperial settlement is not necessary provided your main character is Imperial and you pick Imperial rules when proclaiming, while the quest-goal list on the same page still requires owning an Imperial settlement. We could not confirm from official notes which applies in v1.4.8. Treat the condition shown in your own quest log as authoritative.
Once the conditions are met, appoint a companion or family member as governor, then declare your kingdom inside that settlement's keep. If you hold settlements of several cultures, you pick which one the kingdom takes.
If you are leaving a liege to do this: keeping your fiefs forces a war and costs you standing with every clan in that kingdom. Giving the fiefs up on the way out is the cheaper exit.
The conspiracy is unavoidable
Whichever sage you side with, the other one works against you. The conspiracy has a strength value, and if it reaches 2000 the quest fails and several major powers declare war on you at once. Completing the counter-quests pushes the value down; failing them pushes it up.
There are three counter-quests: cutting a supply caravan bound for the conspiracy, raiding a hideout your spy has located, and defeating raiders that appear near one of your own towns. They are announced by an alert on the right of the screen, which is easy to miss while campaigning. You do not have to clear every one of them if the strength value has room.
Note that reaching your goal does not spare you the war. Unifying the Empire ends the conspiracy but triggers a coalition against you instead. Either way, plan for fighting most of Calradia.
Common ways to get stuck
- Stuck at two pieces — you only met one sage. Go see the other
- Sage or noble not in the town — check the notables list; if absent, search their name in the encyclopedia to see where they were last seen
- Cannot declare a kingdom — usually the culture-matching settlement requirement
- Waiting for night to raid — unnecessary now, but Assault needs 8 troops or it will not appear as an option
- Check the quest log for a deadline — older builds put a time limit on finishing the questline up to founding or joining a kingdom. We could not confirm in official notes whether that limit still applies in v1.4.8, so check your own quest log for remaining days rather than assuming you have forever
Sources
Version scope and hideout mechanics come from TaleWorlds' official patch notes.
- War Sails Modding Kit Release & Patch WS v1.2.8 / BL v1.4.8 (10 August 2026) — the stable build this guide targets
- Patch Notes - WS v1.1.1 / BL v1.3.13 (24 December 2025) — daytime Assault, 8 troop minimum with 15 in the battle, Sneak In lowered to 20
- Patch Notes - WS v1.2.5 / BL v1.4.5 (21 May 2026) — stash access limited to stealth, sentries no longer required
Quest stages, kingdom requirements and route goals were cross-checked against the community-run wiki below and against the in-game text. This is not an official wiki.
- Investigate 'Neretzes' Folly' — Mount & Blade Wiki — starts right after clan creation, ten nobles, encyclopedia tracking
- Assemble the Dragon Banner — Mount & Blade Wiki — three pieces, both sages, the branch quest names
- Create an Imperial Faction — Mount & Blade Wiki — Clan Tier 4, 100 troops, independent clan, Imperial settlement
