The Blood of Dawnwalker: How to Reach the Almshouse in A Dubious Gift

The “Go to the almshouse” objective in A Dubious Gift drops a wide marker on the Svartrau City map and leaves you to work out the rest. The almshouse sits on the cathedral grounds, but the entrance is not on the main street level, and the door you need is tucked behind a metal gate up a set of stone stairs. Getting there takes about a minute if you know the route.

Quick answer: From the Cathedral complex, run northeast through the streets, climb the stone stairs past Nish, open the metal gate, and enter the wooden door. Inside, speak to the Asylum Resident and pay 100 Denorius to advance the objective to the abandoned wing.

Before you get the almshouse objective

A Dubious Gift only starts once you agree to help the Deacon inside Svartrau Cathedral. He is standing near the middle of the cathedral during the day, and he asks you to find out what happened to Radu, the missing caretaker. Say yes, and the almshouse marker appears.

This is the quest that hands you the library key, which is why most players pick it up while chasing St. Mihai’s sword in A Monk and a Saint. If you have not spoken to the Deacon yet, the almshouse door will not lead anywhere useful.

Route to the almshouse from the Cathedral complex

Open the map and start from the Cathedral complex in Svartrau City. The objective marker sits just northeast of the cathedral itself, on the same church grounds rather than out in the wider city.

Svartrau City map with the yellow A Dubious Gift objective marker beside the Cathedral complex — The map view of Svartrau City, with the almshouse objective marked next to the Cathedral complex.

Close the map and run northeast through the narrow streets. Keep the quest tracker visible so you can watch the distance to the marker count down as you go.

Quest tracker showing the A Dubious Gift almshouse objective 36 meters ahead — The tracker counts down the distance to the almshouse as you move northeast.

Climb the stone stairs at the end of the route. A short cutscene with Nish plays partway up. Once it ends, keep climbing the next flight past him instead of turning off.

Open the metal gate at the top of the stairs, then interact with the wooden door behind it. That door is the almshouse entrance, and stepping through updates the objective to “Ask about the caretaker at the almshouse.”

Coen approaching the almshouse doorway with the A Dubious Gift objective on the HUD — The wooden almshouse door sits directly behind the metal gate at the top of the stairs.

Who to talk to inside the almshouse

Two people on the ground floor matter here. The Nun near the entrance gives you context and can be skipped if you are in a hurry, while the Asylum Resident is the one who actually knows where the caretaker went. He is to the left once you are inside, and Focus Mode highlights him if you lose track of him among the other residents.

Speak to the Nun and work through “I’m looking for the caretaker,” “Talk to me, and I might help you,” “What do you mean?” and “You think differently?” if you want the extra background on the building.

Head left and talk to the Asylum Resident. Pick “I’m looking for the caretaker,” then “Any idea where he is?”

The highlighted Asylum Resident with the talk interaction prompt on screen — The Asylum Resident stands out under Focus Mode, with the talk prompt ready.

Choose “Here you go. (100)” to hand over 100 Denorius, then follow up with “And is it?” He tells you the building is haunted, which points you toward the sealed section upstairs.

You will know it worked when the objective changes to “Look for clues in the almshouse’s abandoned wing.” If it has not changed, you either walked away before paying or picked a dialogue branch that ended the conversation early. Talking to him again lets you pay.

Inside the almshouse after the objective updates to search the abandoned wing — Inside the almshouse, where the caretaker’s trail leads to the sealed wing upstairs.

Where the abandoned wing objective takes you next

Go upstairs and open the first door you come to, on the south side. Inside is a small room with a bookcase and scratch marks on the floorboards. Switch on Focus Mode, inspect the marks, and Coen works out that the bookcase has been dragged over a doorway. Push it aside to open the sealed wing.

Beyond that point the quest turns into an investigation and then a fight. You pass skeletons of plague patients, claw marks on the wall, an Empty Bottle and a Precious Brooch on the way down, and finally the Almshouse Monstrosity in the basement, which is Radu himself transformed into a Muhron. Save before you engage it.

Objective	What it requires
Go to the almshouse	Head northeast from the Cathedral complex, up the stairs past Nish, through the metal gate and wooden door
Ask about the caretaker at the almshouse	Pay the Asylum Resident 100 Denorius on the ground floor
Look for clues in the almshouse’s abandoned wing	Inspect the floor marks upstairs with Focus Mode
Push the bookcase	Move the bookcase to open the sealed doorway
Tell the deacon about the caretaker’s fate	Return to the cathedral and report back for the library key

Note: the almshouse route above assumes a daytime visit, which is when the cathedral doors are open and the Deacon is available to hand out the quest in the first place. Finish the chain by returning to him with “I know what happened to the caretaker” and “It was all Xanthe’s doing,” and the library key plus 150 XP are yours.