Infamy in The Blood of Dawnwalker runs across nine levels, and each one hands Brencis an excuse to tighten his grip on Vale Sangora. Push it all the way to the top and you reach the Dreaded rank, which triggers the ninth and final edict, On Svartrau Defences. It is the harshest one in the game, and unlike a wanted level in most open-world RPGs, it never wears off.
Quick answer: At Dreaded, every gate into Svartrau City is locked and fast travel in or out is disabled. You can still get inside by climbing the rocky path on the east side of the city wall and jumping across into the city.
What the Dreaded rank does to Svartrau City
On Svartrau Defences shuts the city gates outright. Walk up to the main gate and you will find it closed, with soldiers turning hostile the moment they spot Coen. That aggression is not new at this stage — the level 7 edict already made every soldier in the valley recognise him — but with the gates sealed you have nowhere to retreat to.
The lockdown is not aimed at you alone. Ordinary NPCs get stuck outside too, so you will find pilgrims and travellers milling around the closed gate complaining that they cannot get in. Nobody inside is coming out to open it for you.
Every edict still in force at maximum Infamy
Edicts stack. Reaching Dreaded means all nine are live at once, which is why the valley feels so much more hostile than it did in the opening hours. Each new edict is normally proclaimed at dawn after you cross the threshold, announced in a short cutscene with a herald reading the scroll.
| Level and edict | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 — On Protection of Habitations | Extra patrols in settlements |
| 2 — On Increased Vigilance | Military checkpoints appear across the valley |
| 3 — On Prices and Tolls | Merchant prices rise valley-wide |
| 4 — On Road Safety | More soldiers on the roads; patrol commanders recognise Coen |
| 5 — On Curfew | Fewer people outdoors between dusk and dawn |
| 6 — On Civil Unrest | More checkpoints and a second round of price increases |
| 7 — On Public Enemy | Headhunters appear; all soldiers recognise Coen and attack on sight |
| 8 — On Army Reform | All soldiers become stronger |
| 9 — On Svartrau Defences | Svartrau’s gates are shut and fast travel in or out is disabled |
Fast travel will not get you past the closed gates
The obvious first instinct is to try a different entrance. It does not work. Fast travelling to Svartrau South puts you outside a second gate that is just as firmly shut, and the same crowd of locked-out NPCs is waiting there. Fast travel points inside the city are unavailable for as long as the edict is active, so there is no way to warp past the walls.
How to get into Svartrau City with the gates shut
The wall itself is the way in. There is a climbable rock formation on the east side of Svartrau’s defences that lets you gain enough height to cross over the top and drop into the city. It works in daylight, which matters because the curfew edict thins out the streets at night.
Tip: If you overshoot the ledge or land short, you will simply fall back outside the wall rather than being blocked by an invisible barrier — line up the jump and try again. Damaged sections and other gaps along the perimeter can also be used, and climbing at night keeps fewer eyes on you once you are inside.
Brencis offers a parley at maximum Infamy
Topping out the Infamy meter is not purely a punishment. Once you reach the maximum level, Brencis opens negotiations and puts a deal on the table — your family’s freedom in exchange for turning on the Manumits. Taking or refusing that offer is a story decision, and it only becomes available because you pushed the meter this far.
Infamy cannot be lowered once it is earned
There is no way to reduce Coen’s Infamy. The meter only moves in one direction, and an edict cannot be repealed once Brencis has proclaimed it, so the Dreaded rank and its sealed gates last for the rest of the playthrough. Court activities against Ambrus, Bakir and Xanthe, clearing soldier camps and defeating the boyars themselves all push it upward, with each boyar kill worth a full level.
What you can control is the pace. Avoid killing civilians, getting caught stealing and picking fights with guards in settlements, and the meter climbs only from the story work you actually need to do. Just be aware that a chunk of Infamy is unavoidable, because disrupting the Court is how the campaign progresses in the first place.
If you plan to max out Infamy, do the exploration, side content and shopping that depends on Svartrau before you cross into the ninth level. Once the edict lands, everything inside those walls costs you a wall climb.
