Statue puzzle. Take note of the statues in the guardhouse, from the top floor down. Frob the statues in the puzzle room in that order. The angel on the left is your first frob. The floor plates do nothing more than turn the lights off and on. Just a bit of disconcerting effects. It opens the wall behind the tapestry at the top floor in the guardhouse. Forest. After killing the ape beasts, shoot vine arrows strategically so you can jump from vine to vine. If you drop to the forest floor ... you will most likely be killed. Save save save. Stronghold proper. ~ Investigate the electricity/water areas first, and climb the ladder in the water room corner. ~ No matter what method you use to get down through the four levels, you can always resort to Shieldbreaker. It is a spoiler in itself.