Shadows in the Woods is the side quest that gets Coen into the manumit rebellion. Mert points you toward a contact named Sara, who is supposed to be waiting at a rendezvous point in the woods south of Stoneward Post. She is already in trouble when you arrive, and the clock on saving her is short.
Quick answer: Cross the small bridge south of Stoneward Post, head southeast to the collapsed cabin, and free Sara within two days — tell the soldiers she is your sister, then pick “Not sure. Maybe these coins hold an answer?” to pay 100 Denarius instead of fighting. Follow her to the camp, admit to Crake that you are a dawnwalker who only drinks enemy blood, list your past deeds, and the quest ends with an invitation to Svartrau.
Shadows in the Woods quest requirements and reward
The quest sits in Crake’s chain of missions and only opens up after you have finished The Firebrand. Two other Crake quests, Under Watchful Eyes and Taking Back What’s Mine, are optional and can be skipped without blocking this one.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Side quest (Crake questline) |
| Starting location | Briar Sloughs / Stoneward Post |
| Quest giver | Mert |
| Requirement | The Firebrand completed |
| Objectives | Go to the bridge near Stoneward Post; Reach the rendezvous point; Rescue Sara |
| Fail state | Missing the time-sensitive Rescue Sara objective |
| Reward | 1,000 XP |
| Follow-up quest | Where Loyalty Lies |
The two-day timer on Rescue Sara
Once you find Sara tied to the tree, the Rescue Sara objective becomes time sensitive. You have two in-game days to get her loose. If you wander off to do something else, the quest fails exactly 32 time segments after the objective starts, and the whole Crake chain closes off with it.
Note: exploration does not burn time in The Blood of Dawnwalker, but quests do. Do not stack another mission on top of this one before Sara is free.
Route from Stoneward Post to the rendezvous point
How to free Sara without fighting the soldiers
Approaching the guards starts a conversation. Claim that Sara is your sister. They will push back and say she is working with rebels, and the next choice decides whether this ends peacefully.
Pick “Not sure. Maybe these coins hold an answer?” to hand over 100 Denarius. The soldiers take the bribe and walk away. Every other money-related reply drops you straight into combat.
If you refuse to back down or fumble the choice, both soldiers attack. They are a straightforward sword fight and killing them works just as well for the objective — the bribe simply saves the trouble and the noise.
Dialogue choices to convince Sara
Untie Sara and talk to her. She is wary of a stranger who knew where to find her, so lead with “Mert sent me here” and then say you want to join the manumits and meet Crake. She will not vouch for you herself, but she agrees to bring you in and let Crake make the call.
Follow her through the forest. She stops once to give a signal, confirms the way is clear, and keeps moving. The walk is a talking segment about who Coen is and why he wants in, and none of it can fail the quest.
The camp ambush is scripted
Walking into the rebel camp triggers a trap that drives spikes through Coen’s leg. Dragos and Sara knock him out, and he wakes chained to a tree with Crake standing over him. There is no way to avoid this and nothing you should have done differently.
How to pass Crake’s interrogation
Crake already knows something is wrong with you, most likely from Vlad, and he starts by asking what you are. Say it plainly — you are a dawnwalker, and you only drink the blood of your enemies. Denying it or dodging the question gets you nowhere.
He then wants proof you are not an assassin sent to gut the camp. The conversation opens into a set of statements about things Coen has already done, and you can work through them to build your case.
| Deed to cite | Why it lands |
|---|---|
| Freeing Mert | Ties you to the contact who sent you |
| Killing Xanthe | Direct damage to Brencis’s rule |
| The Laslea mine attack | Shows you already fought alongside rebels |
| Saving Sara | Verified by the person standing there |
Your infamy colors how Crake reacts to each answer, so a Coen with a bloodier reputation gets a colder read on the same deeds. The outcome of the quest does not change.
Quest completion and what unlocks next
Once Crake is satisfied, he tells you to meet him at the cathedral plaza in Svartrau to work out how you will help each other — their fighters for your family. The rebels then leave you chained to the tree to get yourself loose.
A short time skip follows, Coen is free, and the quest closes with 1,000 XP. Where Loyalty Lies starts immediately with the objective “Head to Svartrau Plaza by daylight” — if you see that on screen, Shadows in the Woods is finished.
The only way to lose this quest is the timer. Reach the collapsed cabin, get Sara off that tree, and everything after it plays out on rails toward the alliance.
