And does the magic in the castles in this version form immediately with saving, or what?
The magic in the castles forms at the moment of starting/restarting the game/a new mission.
maybe, Orcs who shoot arrows?
no, it's Ogres, an alliance with whom was given in previous missions. But you can also do without them - how to capture the Dragon Lair is a personal matter.
Personally, I just walked through it in 6 days.
приведет в никуда. Карабкайтесь в гору чуть-чуть, только чтобы проверить, гора ли это. С вершины горы нельзя увидеть гору.