Bakir’s Pillories: Old Hand Walkthrough in The Blood of Dawnwalker

Bakir’s Pillories: Old Hand is one of three pillory activities in Bakir’s court, and it is the only one that hands you a permanent reward outside the quest log. The man locked in the stocks in front of Lunar Manor is Baltzer of Trier, an old nobleman who once taught Catalin Dragosti to fence. Protect him instead of walking away, and he becomes a Swordmastery teacher.

Quick answer: Approach the pillory in front of Lunar Manor, tell the guards “Step aside, now,” kill them, then pick “I’m not letting anyone hurt this man” to free Baltzer and start the sub-quest Bakir’s Pillories: Catalin’s Tutor.

Old Hand pillory location near Lunar Manor

The activity sits in Vale Sangora, on the approach to Lunar Manor on the hill, close to The Silo. Like every court activity, it does not appear on your map on its own. It shows up as an unknown activity marker until you either discover it in the world or reveal it from a tower, so zoom in around the manor and track the marker before you set off.

Bakir’s region is tuned for level 20 and above, so bring a sword you trust or come at night, when your claws hit harder and Shadowstep makes the climb up to the manor grounds much faster.

How to clear the guards and start the fight

Travel to the pillory in front of Lunar Manor. A small crowd is already gathered around the stocks, and getting close triggers the quest along with the objective “Investigate the pillory.”

Coen running toward the tracked quest marker at the ruins outside Lunar Manor — Following the tracked marker up to the pillory outside Lunar Manor. Image: Rebel Wolves

Talk to the soldier standing watch over the prisoner and choose “Step aside, now.” The guards refuse, and the conversation drops straight into combat against the group.

Kill every soldier around the stocks. There is no stealth or bribe route here, so the encounter only ends when the whole patrol is down.

Coen attacking a red-robed guard with the enemy health bar shown at the top of the screen — The pillory guards have to be killed outright before the prisoner dialogue opens. Image: Rebel Wolves

Speak to Baltzer once the fighting stops. The onlookers push back and argue that the man deserves his punishment, which is where the quest actually branches.

The choice that decides the outcome

Three endings exist, and only one of them leads anywhere useful. Siding with the crowd still closes the activity, but Baltzer dies with it and the follow-up never appears.

Choice	Result
I’m not letting anyone hurt this man	Baltzer is freed, introduces himself, points you to his camp, and the sub-quest Bakir’s Pillories: Catalin’s Tutor begins.
Do what you will to him	The gawkers deal out their own justice. The activity still counts toward Bakir’s anger, but the tutor is lost.
Walk away	The pillory stays as it is. Nothing is unlocked and the activity is left uncompleted.

Dialogue options shown while an onlooker argues against releasing the prisoner Baltzer — Pick the line that protects Baltzer, not the one that hands him to the crowd. Image: Rebel Wolves

Note: further dialogue with Baltzer about his role in Skender’s court and whether he really taught Catalin is optional flavour. It changes nothing, but asking “Where do I find you?” makes his camp easier to locate afterwards.

Baltzer speaking to Coen after being released from the stocks — Baltzer mentions his hideout before leaving the pillory. Image: Rebel Wolves

Rewards and how to confirm the quest ended

You will see a “Quest Ended: Bakir’s Pillories: Old Hand” banner with XP and a skill point attached, followed by an infamy increase notification. The court reward listing for this activity is 100 XP and 1 Skill Point. If the banner never appears, a guard is still alive somewhere nearby or you left the area before the dialogue closed.

Loot the bodies before you leave. The dead soldiers carry ordinary but useful pickups.

Source	What you get
Quest completion	XP and 1 Skill Point
Guard bodies	Denarius, One-and-a-Half Mead, Broken Boots, Vial of Human Blood

The activity also costs 3 time segments and pushes your infamy higher, which can trigger a fresh decree from Brencis. Curfew-style edicts thin out the streets between dusk and dawn, so factor that in if you were planning night runs through settlements.

Level up notification appearing on screen with the active quest list still visible — The level up and quest end notifications confirm the activity registered. Image: Rebel Wolves

Bakir’s Pillories: Catalin’s Tutor and the Swordmastery teacher

Freeing Baltzer opens the sub-quest Catalin’s Tutor. Track it from the journal and it marks his camp in the woods north-west of Lunar Manor. Talk to him there, ask him to teach you, and he challenges you to a duel. Win it and he permanently becomes a Swordmastery teacher, marked by a white “word” icon on the map.

His stock covers a mix of defensive and momentum skills plus two accessories.

Type	Stock
Manuals	Walking Fortress, Artery Strike (x2), Broad Swing, Growing Momentum, Renewed Focus
Accessories	Ring of the Stalwart Warrior, Swordman’s Amulet

How Old Hand fits into Bakir’s court progress

Bakir has 12 court activities in total, and you only need roughly nine of them to raise his anger enough to unlock the Lunar Game boss quest. The three pillories are the cheapest cluster to knock out, each costing 3 time segments for 9 in total, and each following the same pattern of clearing guards and releasing the captive.

Pillory activity	Where it is
Out of Love	A backyard in the middle of Svartrau City
Familiar Face	Main road in the southern part of Parlita village
Old Hand	In front of Lunar Manor

Because Old Hand stays available until you actually start it, there is no rush to trigger it early. The one thing worth doing on the spot is the dialogue, since walking away from Baltzer or handing him to the crowd closes off the tutor for good on that save.