- When you can free Ryn from her cage, you'll know it. If you actually attempt to follow her related quests through you'll run into the bolded
this is far as this quest progresses for now message that tells you that it's, y'know, incomplete.
- Having Brint or Brienne in the party adds a lot more dialogue to Khor'minos scenes, yes. It's not essential (except for content that
requires their presence like visiting their home) but it's generally beneficial in the same way that bringing Ryn to the Frostwood adds more dialogue to the map tiles or bringing either her, Azzy or both adds a lot of dialogue to High Ground.
Also, you know there's a subforum
specifically for questions, right?