The Blood of Dawnwalker: How to Visit Stoneward Post in The Firebrand

Stoneward Post is the fortified camp holding Mert the miller, and reaching it is the middle objective of The Firebrand in The Blood of Dawnwalker. Getting inside is not a fight if you do it during the day. The gate guard will talk to you, take your sword, and wave you through.

Quick answer: From Renna’s mill in Briar Sloughs, travel roughly 300 meters southwest to the front gate of Stoneward Post, then speak to the Post Guard and agree to leave your weapons behind. The objective flips to “Speak to the overseer” the moment you are inside.

Where Stoneward Post is on the map

The objective “Go to Stoneward Post” appears after you finish talking to Renna at the mill, which happens once you have searched Vlad’s hut and followed the letter about the flour sack. Renna tells you her husband Mert was arrested and is being held at the camp.

The Firebrand quest tracker in the corner of the screen listing the Go to Stoneward Post objective — The quest tracker updates to “Go to Stoneward Post” once you leave the mill. Image: Rebel Wolves

The camp sits south of Stelan’s Redoubt, in the same stretch of Briar Sloughs. If you open the map from the mill, the marker is a short walk to the southwest, close enough that fast travel is not worth the detour.

The Briar Sloughs map screen with the player marker south of Stelan's Redoubt — The map over Briar Sloughs, with the player marker sitting just south of Stelan’s Redoubt. Image: Rebel Wolves

The route from the mill to the front gate

Leave Renna’s yard and run southwest, following the objective marker. The path cuts through forest before opening into rocky ground, and there is no fixed road to follow here.

Keep the marker centered as you climb over the rocks. Wild strawberries grow along this stretch, so grab a few on the way if you want cheap healing before you commit to anything.

Running southwest toward Stoneward Post with the optional kill the soldiers objective listed — Heading southwest toward the post, with the optional “Kill the soldiers” objective still on the tracker. Image: Rebel Wolves

Follow the palisade around until you reach the front gate. A single Post Guard stands there during the day. Walk up to him and start the conversation rather than drawing a weapon.

What to tell the Post Guard at the gate

The guard asks what you want, and you get three answers. All three get you through the gate, so the wording is flavor rather than a gate check.

Cutscene of the Post Guard standing in front of the gate and questioning Coen — The Post Guard blocks the entrance and questions Coen before letting him through. Image: Rebel Wolves

Dialogue option	Result
I’m here to visit a prisoner.	You get in, but you must hand over your weapons.
I have a message for the commander of this post.	You get in, but you must hand over your weapons.
I… I want to enlist!	You get in, and you can keep your gear by replying “What? A soldier without a weapon?”

The enlisting line is the only one that lets you walk in armed. If you take either of the other two and refuse to surrender your weapons, the guard simply will not open the gate.

Tip: If you do give up your sword, stash your good equipment at a nearby shrine first. That way you can pick it back up without fighting your way back to the gate later.

Daytime entry vs. arriving at night

Time of day completely changes how the post behaves. During the day the gate is a conversation. After dark it is a fight, because the guard attacks on sight instead of talking.

Arrival	What happens
Day	The Post Guard questions you, offers three replies, and lets you inside once weapons are surrendered.
Night	The guard turns hostile immediately. You can circle the palisade to the tower, shadowstep onto the wall, and drop in front of the door instead.

There is one argument for going at night anyway. Since the guards only take your normal weapons, Coen still has his vrakhiri claws and vampire abilities after dark, so being disarmed at the gate costs you very little. That matters if you expect the visit to end in a brawl.

How to confirm you got in

Once the gate cutscene ends and you step into the entrance yard, the tracker swaps “Go to Stoneward Post” for “Speak to the overseer.” That objective change is the confirmation that the travel portion is done.

Inside the entrance yard of Stoneward Post after the gate guard grants entry — Inside the entrance yard, where the objective switches to speaking with the overseer. Image: Rebel Wolves

If the objective has not updated, you are still standing outside the gate. The usual reasons are refusing to hand over your weapons, backing out of the guard’s conversation, or approaching at night and killing him without ever stepping through the entrance.

The four-day deadline on this objective

“Go to Stoneward Post” starts a timer. You have four in-game days from the moment the objective appears to reach the camp and actually speak with Mert. Miss that window and he is hanged, the overseer tells you that you arrived too late, and his body ends up dumped behind the tower.

Getting to the gate does not stop the clock on its own. The quest only closes out when you talk to Mert in his cell, so do not park this objective and go clear side content first.

Where to go once you are inside

Overseer Friedo is in the tower at the rear of the fort, past the inner walls. Head straight through the yards and up to him to continue the quest. Before you knock on his door, talk to the angry woman standing outside it, because what she tells you about stolen prisoner belongings opens a way to see Mert without paying a bribe.

Nothing in the fort forces a fight during the day if you keep walking. You will pass a man being beaten on the way in, and stepping into that turns the camp hostile, so leave it alone unless you came here to clear the place out.