The “Look for clues in the almshouse’s abandoned wing” objective in A Dubious Gift stops a lot of players because the wing has no visible door. The way in is a bookcase on the upper floor, and it only moves after Coen has spotted a set of scratch marks on the floorboards beside it.
Quick answer: Head to the almshouse’s upper floor, go through the door to the south into the small back room, use Focus Mode to reveal the scratches on the floor next to the bookcase, inspect them, then push the bookcase aside to expose the passage.
Where the almshouse is in Svartrau City
A Dubious Gift begins at Svartrau Cathedral, where the Deacon asks you to track down Radu, the cathedral’s caretaker. Radu was last seen around the almshouse attached to the cathedral complex.
Move around to the west side of the cathedral and go through the iron gate into the complex. Cross the courtyard past the well and take the door in the northeast section to get inside the almshouse. Tracking the quest puts a marker on the map if you lose your bearings.
Paying the Asylum Resident to mark the abandoned wing
The clue objective only becomes useful after you have asked around on the ground floor. The Nun points you toward the residents, and one of them will name the abandoned wing upstairs for a fee of 100 denarii.
| Who to talk to | Where | What to choose |
|---|---|---|
| Nun | Ground floor, just inside | “I’m looking for the caretaker.” → “Talk to me, and I might help you.” → “What do you mean?” → “You think differently?” |
| Asylum Resident | Ground floor, to the left | “I’m looking for the caretaker.” → “Any idea where he is?” → “Here you go. (give 100 denarii)” → “And is it?” |
Once the resident has been paid, the objective updates to look for clues in the abandoned wing and the search area moves upstairs.
How to open the hidden passage to the abandoned wing
Z. Moving it costs one time segment, so make the input count.How to confirm the objective is complete
A “Quest Updated” banner appears the moment the passage opens, and the journal entry for A Dubious Gift switches to “Investigate the almhouse’s abandoned wing.” If the tracker still reads “Look for clues,” the scratches have not been inspected yet.
If the scratches or the bookcase won’t respond
- The interact prompt on the bookcase only appears after the floor scratches have been inspected, not before.
- Without Focus Mode active, the scratches are nearly invisible against the floorboards.
- You need the right room. The bookcase is behind the south door on the upper floor, not in any of the open dormitory spaces.
- If the Asylum Resident has not been paid the 100 denarii, the wing is not marked and the clue objective is not yet active.
A Dubious Gift quest reference
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Quest location | Svartrau Cathedral and its almshouse |
| Quest giver | Deacon |
| Requirement | Have A Monk and a Saint active and agree to look for Radu |
| Cost to enter the wing | 100 denarii, plus 1 time segment to push the bookcase |
| Reward | Library Key and 150 XP |
What waits behind the bookcase
The abandoned wing is a short descent. Inspect the skeletons, then follow the stairs down past the claw marks on the wall, picking up the Empty Bottle on the lower floor and the Precious Brooch one level below that. The Almshouse Monstrosity waits at the bottom, an undead brawler that telegraphs a scream and a slow two-handed swing, both worth dodging rather than blocking.
Grab the Blood Vial from the corner after the fight, then use those items as catalysts for a Compel Soul ritual on the corpse nearby. That is how you learn what happened to Radu, and taking the news back to the Deacon at the cathedral hands over the Library Key.
Note: if you only need the library and it happens to be night, Shadowstep gets you in without the key. The almshouse detour is still worth doing for the XP and the story behind the caretaker’s disappearance.
