@GM4Him That a very scripted sequence. Something Bioware would do, especially in later titles, but for one I do like that Larian does allow for certain things to play out systematically - like not holding the gate will be result of gate getting destroyed during gameplay, rather then a scripted progression of battle which has to play out.
I do think it would be nicer if we could retreat to druids, if it is not an option already, forsake tieflings, and fight battle deeper in the grove.