The Blood of Dawnwalker: Shadows in the Woods Walkthrough

Shadows in the Woods starts when Mert asks Coen to find Sara, a contact for the manumits. It is a short quest with a single tricky stretch, and the outcome is the same either way: Sara walks free and Coen gets a lead on joining the manumits.

Quick answer: Head to the bridge near Stoneward Post, south of Briar Sloughs and Bear Shallows, clear the guards and the Vrakhiri Banneret, cross the bridge, then move southeast into the woods until you find Sara tied to a tree. Either pay 100 denarii or kill the two guards, then follow her until the cutscene plays.

How to start Shadows in the Woods

The quest is not something you stumble into. It sits at the end of a short chain that begins after the prologue. Finish The Firebrand, which branches into Under Watchful Eyes, and free Mert. During that conversation, Mert tells Coen about Sara and asks him to get to her before the regime does.

Once the objective Go to the bridge near Stoneward Post appears in your journal, the quest is live and you can open the map to place the marker.

Where to find the bridge near Stoneward Post

Open the map and look at the area south of Briar Sloughs and Bear Shallows. The wooden bridge sits below both, and the yellow quest marker drops directly onto it.

Map screen open over Briar Sloughs with the yellow quest marker on the bridge — The map marker for the bridge sits south of Briar Sloughs and Bear Shallows. Image: Rebel Wolves

Travel to the bridge and expect a fight before you can cross. Several guards patrol the approach, and a minor boss, the Vrakhiri Banneret, joins them. Clear the area before you step onto the planks.

Cross the wooden bridge. The objective flips to Reach the rendezvous point, which confirms you took the right crossing.

On-screen objective reads Reach the rendezvous point while Coen runs toward the waypoint — After the bridge, the tracker switches to the rendezvous point objective. Image: Rebel Wolves

Run southeast into the forest and follow the marker into the highlighted search area. The distance counter on the marker ticks down as you get close, and the last stretch is a short push through trees.

Coen moving through the woods with the objective marker showing 12 meters away — The marker distance drops to a few meters once you are inside the search area. Image: Rebel Wolves

Rescue Sara: Pay the guards or fight them

Sara is tied to a tree with two soldiers standing over her. The objective updates to Rescue Sara, and you get a choice here that decides whether this turns into a brawl.

To talk your way out of it, pick these lines in order:

That girl is my sister.
Not sure. Maybe these coins hold an answer?

The second option costs 100 denarii. Pay it and the guards let Sara go without a fight. If you would rather keep the money, refuse and kill both of them instead. Neither route changes what happens next.

Quest Updated notice for Shadows in the Woods during combat with a highlighted guard — Refusing to pay leads to a two-on-one fight with the soldiers guarding Sara. Image: Rebel Wolves

With the guards dealt with, walk up to Sara and take the talk prompt. Tell her Mert sent you, then choose I want to join the manumits to set up the rest of the storyline.

Talk with Sara interaction prompt appears as Coen walks up to her in the forest — The talk prompt appears once Sara is free. Image: Rebel Wolves

Follow Sara and the manumit dialogue choices

The objective becomes Follow Sara. Stay behind her through the forest for a short walk until a cutscene triggers. The manumits show up and take Coen prisoner, which is scripted and not something you can avoid by fighting.

During the interrogation that follows, these responses move the conversation along cleanly:

I wish I knew.
I don’t.
Any option at the next prompt.
Forget it. You won’t believe me anyway.
What now?
Very well. I’ll meet you in Svartrau.

Quest completion and rewards

You know it worked when the QUEST ENDED banner appears on screen and Shadows in the Woods moves out of your active journal entries. Where Loyalty Lies starts immediately afterward.

Detail	Value
Starts from	Mert, at the end of Under Watchful Eyes
Location	Bridge near Stoneward Post, south of Briar Sloughs
Optional cost	100 denarii to free Sara without fighting
Rewards	XP and 1,000 denarii
Unlocks	Where Loyalty Lies

Note: time moves forward as you take on quests, and the coronation counter keeps ticking. Clearing the bridge and the rescue in one trip avoids burning extra time segments on the trek back and forth.

What to do before Where Loyalty Lies

The follow-up quest asks Coen to actually join the manumits, and they will not take him until his notoriety hits level four, the Notorious milestone. Attacking the regime’s forces is what raises it, so target the operations run by Ambrus, Bakir, and Xanthe. Camps, outposts, and blood transports all count.

A practical route is to clear out Ambrus’s holdings first, which tends to provoke him into challenging Coen to a duel and opens the Gilded Gauntlet quest. Beating Ambrus usually leaves notoriety around level three, so mop up some of Bakir’s or Xanthe’s troops to close the gap.

Check your progress in the Court tab, where the notoriety bar sits below the faction list. Once it reads level four or higher, Where Loyalty Lies is ready to go and Sara’s offer is back on the table.