Valor Mortis: How to Complete The Oathbound Side Quest and Find All Seven Guards

The Oathbound is a hidden side quest in Valor Mortis that runs across almost the entire campaign. William has to track down seven Eternal Guards, one tucked into each of seven chapters, defeat each one, and take the emblem hidden beneath their coat. Collect all seven and a sealed chamber inside the Fortress opens, closing out the quest.

Quick answer: Beat the seven Oathbound fencers, with one appearing in each marked chapter, and gather all their emblems along with every Mysterious Stone Pyramid. In the Fortress corridor, place the Mysterious Stone Slab on the sigil, then read the Codex of the Oathbound.

How The Oathbound triggers and the Mysterious Stone Slab

No quest-giver or map icon points you toward this quest. It starts when you defeat your first Oathbound fencer, regardless of the chapter where you encounter one. Each fencer is posted near a chalk marking that signals the route.

Every fencer drops two things when defeated: their personal Emblem and a Mysterious Stone Pyramid. Once you have all seven pyramids, they combine on their own into a single Mysterious Stone Slab, which is the key to the hidden chamber. There is no time limit and you can fast travel back to any area, but a few fencers sit behind traversal and combat unlocks that arrive later in the story, so a full clear on a first pass is not possible.

Finish The Oathbound before you climb the Fortress’s High Tower. After that point the story moves on to Napoleon’s Prison and Entropy, neither of which has fast travel.

Abilities you need before clearing all seven guards

Pistol (Chapter 2) — use it to destroy the red growth concealing Valen Duroc in Chapter 1.
Use the grapple together with Nephtoglobin’s platform ability in Chapters 3 and 5 to get across the chasm and reach Etienne Vauclair.
Use Stasis Transmutation to hold the Old Mine cog still, opening the way to Jean Pierre Polnaire.
Shield Transmutation (picked up at the University) — protects you from the toxic gas on the way to Adrien Casell.

All seven Oathbound guard locations

Oathbound	Chapter	Region	Nearest lantern
Valen Duroc	1	The Battlefield	Onslaught Arch
Lucien Lafontaine	2	Valley of Ashes	Demolished Path
Etienne Vauclair	3	Fallen Village	Fields
Jean Pierre Polnaire	4	Caverns	Old Mine
Severin Susse	6	Cursed Hollow	Village Church
Adrien Casell	8	City of Orphans	Shamble Street
Bastien Beaufort	10	Fortress	Courtyard

Chapter 2 route to Lucien Lafontaine

The Chapter 2 fencer sits on a trail above the main route in the Valley of Ashes, ending in a water-filled clearing. There is no map here, so navigate by the landmarks from the checkpoint.

Fast travel to the Demolished Path lantern and head to the lower pool near the broken wagon. Pick up the Epic Catalyst Clot glowing on the ground before you climb.

Looting and ladder ascent — Grab the Epic Catalyst Clot by the pool before you start climbing. Shown at 00:06 in Ghosts of Reykjavik’s video. Image: One More Level

Climb the wooden ladder anchored to the cliff wall to reach the upper ledge. At the top, cross the makeshift wooden plank bridges laid over the dark red growths.

Traversing cliff planks — The plank bridges carry you across the growths at the top of the cliff. Shown at 00:33 in Ghosts of Reykjavik’s video. Image: One More Level

Descend along the mountain ridge on the slim stone trail. It curves by a boulder marked with a triangle and infinity symbol, a sign that you have the correct route.

Mountain path descent — The carved boulder on the descent marks that you are still on the correct path. Shown at 00:48 in Ghosts of Reykjavik’s video. Image: One More Level

Go under the slanted wooden structure to enter a clearing filled with water. Lucien is waiting there: an elite officer with a rapier, wearing a white-and-red coat, a bicorne hat, and a golden mask. Your lost catalysts return when combat begins, and he says, “Shake hands and forget about it!”

Engaging the masked officer — The masked fencer stands waiting in the flooded clearing at the end of the trail. Shown at 01:13 in Ghosts of Reykjavik’s video. Image: One More Level

Deflect his thrusts, slashes, and lunges to break his posture, then land the finishing execution that tears off the golden mask. Victory grants Lucien Lafontaine’s Emblem, a Mysterious Stone Pyramid, 1,200 catalysts, and a new journal entry. The chest nearby holds the Perfectionism amber.

Execution and quest completion — The execution tears off the mask and triggers the emblem and pyramid rewards. Shown at 01:58 in Ghosts of Reykjavik’s video. Image: One More Level

The fencer’s body comes to rest in the shallow pool beside the waterfall once the fight ends.

Loot inspection — The fallen fencer settles in the water by the falls after you collect the loot. Shown at 02:07 in Ghosts of Reykjavik’s video. Image: One More Level

The other six guards

Valen Duroc — Chapter 1, The Battlefield

At the Onslaught Arch lantern, turn around and cross the broken wooden bridge, then swing to the far side. Choose the right path at the junction, and after passing the enemies keep to the left until a glowing red growth blocks the way. Shoot it with the Pistol to proceed, then defeat the guard for his emblem and a Mysterious Stone Pyramid. The chest nearby holds the Duellist’s Focus amber.

Etienne Vauclair — Chapter 3, Fallen Village

Unlock the grapple and Nephtoglobin’s platform ability before setting out. From the Fields lantern, follow the muddy track downhill toward the chasm. Create platforms and use the grapple points to reach a concealed cave. Drop onto the ledge below and shoot the orange glowing vein; this opens a climbable wall leading to the underground camp. Beat the fencer to collect his emblem and pyramid. A nearby chest contains a Pure Transmutation Material.

Jean Pierre Polnaire — Chapter 4, Caverns

Start at the Old Mine lantern and climb the wooden walkways toward the lever. Wait for the crate to arrive at the lower platform, then freeze the cog with Stasis Transmutation. Move the crate to the upper platform and knock the ladder down to make a shortcut. Go around the bend and enter the dark tunnel. Defeating him yields his emblem, a pyramid, and another Perfectionism amber; a duplicate raises the amber’s rank.

Severin Susse — Chapter 6, Cursed Hollow

At the Village Church lantern, take the flooded route past the wooden houses and clear the enemies to keep them from following. Follow the blue wall to the boat leaning nearby, leap across it, and avoid the poison. Go around the house to find the Oathbound symbol. Defeat Severin to get his emblem and a pyramid; the chest here holds the Life Diverted amber.

Adrien Casell — Chapter 8, City of Orphans

Shield Transmutation is required for this route. Starting from the Shamble Street lantern, pass through the archways toward the yellow toxic fog. Activate the Shield and sprint across safely, then climb the boxes beyond the ambushing enemies and go in through the broken wall. Shoot the red bulb to unlock a shortcut, and drop down to the guard. Defeating him gives you his emblem and a pyramid; the chest contains Superior Firearm Parts. Beside it is a note in which Bastien Beaufort summons the Oathbound to the castle’s secret room.

Bastien Beaufort — Chapter 10, Fortress

Travel to the Courtyard lantern, then go through the stone archway and enter the ruined cathedral hall. Of the seven, Bastien is the hardest opponent, so prepare for a full duel. After defeating him, search his body for the emblem. Once you have the final pyramid, all of them automatically merge into the Mysterious Stone Slab.

Eternal Guardsman combat reference

Each Oathbound is an Eternal Guardsman, with its strength determined by the chapter where you face it. Its health and Catalyst rewards increase as its level rises, which is why later opponents such as Bastien strike much harder than Valen.

Level	Health	Catalysts
1	500	1,200
2	700	1,500
3	850	1,800
4	1,000	2,100
5	1,100	2,400
6	1,200	2,700

Crushing a vial during combat triggers a transformation that raises the fencer’s health to 3,200 in its enraged state. Ranged attacks and explosives deal 50 percent less damage; ignite and its buildup are also reduced by 50 percent, while infection is cut by 30 percent. That blunts firearm and fire damage, so sustained melee attacks are the dependable option. It takes four Stasis segments to immobilize one.

Eternal Guardsmen may leave upgrade items in addition to their emblems, including Whetstone, Deadly Rounds, Pure Transmutation Material, and Pure Blade Material. Be sure to loot each one you defeat.

Opening the hidden chamber to finish the quest

After adding the Mysterious Stone Slab to your inventory, fast-travel to the Courtyard lantern in the Fortress. Retrace the corridor where you battled Bastien.

At the corridor’s end, locate the triangular stone mark on the wall and use the Slab on it. This opens the chamber sealed behind the wall.

In the candlelit room, read the Codex of the Oathbound resting on the round table. The QUEST COMPLETE notification appears, the journal fills in the Oathbound’s story, and the We Wear the Same Colors achievement unlocks.

Quest log menu showing the main quest Revival, Chapter I, with a text entry and a sepia illustrated card of a banner and hourglass. — The Quests tab of the journal shows the active main quest “Revival” from Chapter I, with its story entry and illustrated card.

Before leaving, search all four chests in the chamber for one Empty Ferrofluid Flask, three Sands of Time, three Remnant’s Return, and one Quintessential Blade Material. The Codex confirms that these were Napoleon’s elite fencers: they rejected the plague vial and pledged to guard their cargo without surrendering their humanity. It names all seven, linking the book to the emblems collected throughout the chapters. If the entrance stays shut, check that you have all seven emblems and that you searched Bastien’s body after the last duel.