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!! This article contains major spoilers. Read at your own risk.!!
This article covers the route I personally chose and the outcomes I was able to confirm. Branches resulting from other choices are still being tested.
The Firebrand Overview
At Vladimir’s Hut, Coen discovers that the rebels had been transporting a large shipment of silver arrowheads disguised as sacks of flour.
Hoping to make contact with the manumits and gain them as allies against Brencis, Coen heads for the mill.
After dealing with the Brencis soldiers occupying the mill, Coen learns that its former owner, Mert, was taken to Stoneward Post for aiding the rebels.
Coen fights his way through Stoneward Post and frees Mert from the dungeon.
According to Mert, however, Coen will need to make contact with someone named Sara before he can reach the rebels themselves.
It looks like establishing an alliance with the rebels is going to take a little more time.
Starting Conditions and Location
The quest begins when you approach Vladimir’s Hut in Laslea.
Mert’s Survival Time Limit and Time Cost
This quest has a time limit.
I went straight through the quest myself, so I did not get the chance to personally test what happens when the deadline expires.
For reference, according to PowerPyx’s walkthrough for this quest, once Step 6 below gives you the objective to “Go to Stoneward Post,” Mert will be executed 64 Time Segments later if you have not reached him in time.
Story Choices and Endings Guide: Family and NPC Survival Conditions
The Firebrand Rewards
- 75 XP for defeating the Brencis soldiers at the mill
- 75 XP for speaking with Renna
- 75 XP for completing the quest
If you wipe out the enemies at Stoneward Post, you can also obtain a large amount of equipment as well as all three Master Fencer Manuals.
(The perk unlocked by these rebels increases the number of Swordmastery Ability Slots available to you. With the rebels obtained here, you can unlock the perk upgrades needed to expand your ability slots all the way to the maximum of four.)
The Firebrand Walkthrough
- Search Vladimir’s Hut in Laslea.
- Examine the letter and the large quantity of flour inside the hut to learn that the rebels appear to have some connection to the mill.
- Speak with the Brencis soldiers at the mill. (Costs 1 Time Segment.)
- Optional: Kill the Brencis soldiers. If you leave them alive, it appears that Step 5 can only be completed during the daytime.
- Speak with Renna, the wife of Mert, the mill’s former owner.
- You will be told to head to Stoneward Post to save Mert. From this point, it appears that Mert will be executed unless you reach him within 64 Time Segments.
- Get through Stoneward Post. I chose the straightforward nighttime approach and simply fought my way through the Brencis soldiers.
- Enter the tower at the back of the post, obtain the key leading to the dungeon, and head downstairs.
- Defeat the guard by the cells and obtain the cell key.
- Speak with Mert in the cell directly in front of you and rescue him.
- The quest is completed.
- The quests Under Watchful Eyes and Shadows in the Woods automatically begin.
Things to Know Before Starting The Firebrand
If you storm Stoneward Post head-on at night, you can obtain skill manuals, a large amount of equipment—none of it is especially powerful, but getting more options for rings and amulets is nice—as well as plenty of food.
On top of that, you can save 3 Time Segments compared with the non-combat route.
……There is, however, one fairly major problem.
The fighting is extremely difficult.
Even while wearing heavy armor, I had to go through four consecutive battles against groups of roughly two to four enemies, some of whom could take away around 80% of my health with a single hit.
It is a brutal sequence of fights.
According to PowerPyx’s walkthrough, approaching during the daytime allows you to avoid combat and progress through negotiation instead, but doing so appears to cost an additional 3 Time Segments.
So the choice is yours:
Fight your way through while accepting that the battle will be extremely difficult, or negotiate with the Brencis soldiers while accepting the extra time cost and the opportunity cost of missing out on the skill manuals.
Go with whichever approach makes the most sense for your playthrough.
Combat Tips
A lot of the attacks flying your way are powerful enough to practically kill you in one hit, so the safest approach is to repeat a very simple rhythm:
Block reliably → land one attack → block reliably again → repeat.
Take your time and gradually wear the enemies down.
The two attacks you especially need to watch out for are the Brencis soldiers’ unblockable ranged attack and their two-hit horizontal spinning slash.
Stay calm and dodge the ranged attack when necessary.
For the two-hit combo, make absolutely sure you have blocked the second strike before trying to counterattack.
Related Quests
- Under Watchful Eyes
- Shadows in the Woods |Choices and Rewards
Related Factions
Manumits |The Blood of Dawnwalker
Related NPCs
- Mert
- Renna
- Sara
Related Enemies
- Brencis Soldiers
