TL;DR
- Under Watchful Eyes unlocks directly after The Firebrand — promise Mert you will free him
- Location: Stoneward Post, southwest of Laslea
- Time limit: 4 in-game days — miss it and Mert is executed
- Day approach: Enter peacefully, use the corrupt merchant trick to reach Mert without a bribe
- Night approach: Use the back door, Shadowstep, and Voracious Bite to stealth through with far less fighting
- Get the Prison Keychain from Friedo’s room — this is the key to everything
- Escape through the back door, not the main gate — it is faster and skips most guards
- Keep your hunger up before the final conversation or Coen may feed on Mert
- Reward: 250 XP — plus a Crake dialogue unlock and a later reunion in Svartrau
The Under Watchful Eyes quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker is one of the first genuinely challenging missions you face after the Prologue. It asks you to break a prisoner — Mert the Miller — out of a heavily guarded military camp called Stoneward Post. The fort is full of soldiers, there is a mini-boss inside, and your weapons may be confiscated at the gate if you are not careful. There are multiple ways to approach this quest, and the difference between them is significant. This guide covers all of them so you can pick the one that fits how you play.
This quest is part of a chain. If you need background on earlier Prologue choices that shape Coen’s early game, our guide on how to improve Coen’s mother’s condition in The Blood of Dawnwalker covers the Withering Away quest. And if you are still sorting out what choices carry consequences and which ones do not, see our breakdown of whether you need to pay gold to Anca in Blood of Dawnwalker.
Under Watchful Eyes Quest Overview
- Quest Type: Side Quest (post-Prologue)
- Preceded by: The Firebrand
- Location: Stoneward Post, southwest of Laslea
- Time Cost: 3 time segments (via court activity route) — varies by approach
- Time Limit: 4 in-game days before Mert is executed
- Reward: 250 XP
- Notable Loot: Hundreds of Denarius, rare manuals, Nighttime Pendant, Well-Made Battle Sword (if you clear the camp)
- Follow-up Quest: Taking Back What’s Mine (if Mert survives)
How Under Watchful Eyes Starts
Under Watchful Eyes follows directly from The Firebrand quest. During The Firebrand, Coen meets Mert the Miller — a rebel captured by Brencis’s forces — and speaks with him in his cell. At the end of that conversation, if you promise to free Mert immediately, Under Watchful Eyes begins.
If you miss the four-day window, Friedo the Overseer will tell you that Mert has already been executed. His body can be found behind the tower. You can cast Compel Soul on the corpse to gather information — search the nearby tent for Mert’s wedding ring to use as a catalyst, which gets him to reveal a key detail: guards threatened his wife until he talked. Even if Mert dies, The Firebrand still concludes and the follow-up quest Shadows in the Woods still becomes available. But you lose the chance to see Mert’s full story play out.
Do not delay. Go to Stoneward Post promptly after picking up the quest.
Approach 1 – Day Entry (Peaceful, No Weapons Surrender Needed)
This is the most efficient daytime route. It uses the camp’s internal corruption to get you access to Mert without paying bribes or fighting your way through everyone.
Step 1 – Arrive at Stoneward Post
Travel to Stoneward Post, just southwest of Laslea. At the gate, a guard will ask what you want. You have three options:
- “I’m here to visit a prisoner.”
- “I have a message for the commander of this post.”
- “I… I want to enlist!”
All three let you inside. However: the guard will also ask you to leave your weapons at the gate. If you hand them over, store them at the nearby shrine first rather than leaving them with the guards — that way you can retrieve them without having to fight your way back through the camp to get them.
Better trick: If you say you want to enlist and the guard asks for your weapons, respond with “What? A soldier without a weapon?” and they will let you keep your equipment. This is the cleanest entry during the day.
Step 2 – Speak to the Angry Woman Outside Friedo’s Office
Before approaching Overseer Friedo, talk to the woman standing outside his office door. She is angry and will tell you about a corrupt merchant stealing prisoners’ belongings, and that the soldiers — including the Overseer — are in on it.
This is critical. If you skip this conversation and go straight to Friedo, your only option to see Mert is a bribe of either 100 Denarius or 300 Denarius, depending on how the dialogue goes. That is expensive and unnecessary.
Step 3 – Confront the Merchant
Find the merchant named Yenno inside the camp. Threaten to tell the commander about the stolen goods. He will fold and rat out his suppliers — including Friedo himself. Now you have leverage.
Step 4 – Return to Friedo and Use the Information
Go back to Friedo and tell him you know what he is doing. He cannot refuse you access now without exposing himself. He will let you into the cell to see Mert at no cost.
Optional: You can also go to the camp commander and report the merchant after you have already gained access to Mert. This earns a small cash reward. Do not do it before getting in to see Mert — your silence is your leverage, and using it too early closes off your access route.
Step 5 – Get the Prison Keychain
This is what actually opens Mert’s cell. The Prison Keychain is in Friedo’s room, hanging on the wall to the right side of the shelves. Use Focus Mode to spot it. Friedo may be facing away — sneak and take it quietly. You need this key to open the dungeon and Mert’s cell.
Step 6 – Free Mert
Head to the dungeon with the key. You will need to deal with the guard outside Mert’s cell — either through combat or by using Voracious Bite to knock him out quietly. Free Mert. There is also a woman in a cell across from him — you can open her cell too, though it does not affect anything.
Step 7 – Escape Through the Back Door
The quest marker points you toward the main gate. Ignore it. The back door escape is much faster and avoids most of the guards.
On the north side of Friedo’s tower, look for a lit alcove with a locked door. The Prison Keychain opens it. Behind that door is another locked door using the same key — it leads directly outside the fort walls. Take this route with Mert and the escape counts as successful.
Warning before talking to Mert at the end: Make sure your hunger meter is stable. If Coen is at low health and hungry when he speaks to Mert outside the fort, he can automatically feed on him — which is a bad reward for getting the man out safely. Feed on animals nearby before triggering the final conversation if you are running low.
Step 8 – Send Mert to the Almshouse in Svartrau
Outside the fort, Mert thanks Coen and asks where to go. Choose “The almshouse in Svartrau.” This sends him to safety and completes the quest. You receive 250 XP.
Approach 2 – Night Stealth Route (Fewer Fights, Vampire Abilities)
Mert will mention during your first conversation that there are fewer guards at night, making it easier to move around. He is right. The night approach cuts the number of soldiers you need to fight considerably and lets you use Coen’s vampiric abilities to slip through.
Before Going In at Night – Get the Prison Keychain First
The smartest setup for the night approach is to visit the camp during the day first and steal the Prison Keychain from Friedo’s room while he is facing away. Take it quietly, leave the camp, and then return at night. This way you already have the key you need when you go in after dark.
Night Entry – The Back Door
At night, approach from the back of the fort rather than the main gate. Circle around the wooden palisade toward the tower. Use the Prison Keychain to unlock the back door directly.
Use Shadowstep and Planeshift to Navigate the Tower
Inside, use Shadowstep and Planewalking (Planeshift) to reach the top of the tower. Walk along the battlements until you are positioned above Friedo’s office.
Use Voracious Bite on Friedo
From above, use Voracious Bite in Focus Mode to put Friedo to sleep without a full fight. Take everything of value from the chests in his office — there is good loot in there.
Deal with the Guard Below
Head downstairs. Use Voracious Bite again on the guard near the prison cells to handle him quietly. Free Mert and escape through the back door as described in the day approach above.
This route avoids the mini-boss fight with Rayko the Incorruptible and the multiple soldiers outside — though if you take a wrong turn or get spotted, you will still face them. The key is sticking to the stealth path and not triggering the alarm.
Approach 3 – Full Assault (Hardest, Best Loot)
You can also fight your way through the entire camp. Going in through the front and clearing every soldier gets you the most loot — hundreds of Denarius, rare manuals, a Nighttime Pendant, and a Well-Made Battle Sword.
The full assault involves fighting eleven soldiers, one dog, and a mini-boss named Cerbus the Scornful before you reach the Overseer. This is significantly harder at an early level and not recommended for your first attempt. But if you want the infamy points and want to count this as an Ambrus court quest completion, clearing the whole camp is the way to do it.
If this is your plan, make sure you have stocked up on healing items, your build is at least somewhat leveled, and you are comfortable with the combat system before diving in.
Named Enemies Inside Stoneward Post
- Rayko the Incorruptible — Guard captain and mini-boss. Located near the prison area. You encounter her if you do not use the stealth approach.
- Cerbus the Scornful — Part of the full assault path. Must be defeated if you enter through combat from the front.
- Friedo the Overseer — Can be handled via the blackmail route (no fight) or put to sleep with Voracious Bite at night.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline?
You have four in-game days to complete Under Watchful Eyes. If you let the clock run out, Friedo tells Coen that Mert was executed. You will find his body behind the tower.
You can still use Compel Soul on the corpse to get information, but you need a catalyst first. The bloodied pincers nearby do not work. Search the nearby tent for a sack containing Mert’s wedding ring — use that as the catalyst. Mert’s soul reveals that guards threatened his wife until he gave up information, and points Coen to a clearing southeast of the bridge.
Even with Mert dead, The Firebrand quest still concludes and Shadows in the Woods begins. But the Under Watchful Eyes quest itself will fail, and you miss the follow-up with Mert in Svartrau.
Should You Bother Freeing Mert?
Yes — it is worth doing. The consequences of saving Mert are small but real:
- When you first meet Crake, a new dialogue option opens up if Mert survived
- You can visit Mert later at the Almshouse in Svartrau (by the cathedral)
- If you made the right choices in The Firebrand quest and kept Renna safe, you can even witness Mert reunite with his wife
- 250 XP and a chain of follow-up content with Shadows in the Woods
The quest does not change the main story in a big way, but the payoff in Svartrau is a satisfying piece of world-building if you put in the effort.
Important Tips for Under Watchful Eyes
- Get the Prison Keychain during your first visit — steal it quietly from Friedo’s shelf, then leave and come back at night if you want the stealth route
- Talk to the woman outside Friedo’s office before approaching him — this is how you avoid paying 100–300 Denarius in bribes
- Do not use the main gate to escape — the back door exit with the Prison Keychain is faster and avoids most of the camp
- Manage your hunger before talking to Mert at the end — feed on animals first or you risk Coen automatically attacking him
- The night approach is easier — Voracious Bite lets you clear key threats silently and Shadowstep makes traversal faster
- Clear the full camp only if you want the loot and infamy points — it is not necessary to complete the quest
Under Watchful Eyes Quest Summary
- Promise Mert you will free him in The Firebrand to trigger the quest
- Travel to Stoneward Post southwest of Laslea — go before the 4-day deadline
- Enter the camp and speak to the woman outside Friedo’s office before approaching him
- Use the corrupt merchant angle to get access to Mert without paying a bribe
- Steal the Prison Keychain from the shelf in Friedo’s room
- Free Mert from his cell — take out the guard quietly with Voracious Bite if possible
- Exit through the back door using the Keychain — do not use the main gate
- Feed before the final conversation outside the fort
- Send Mert to the Almshouse in Svartrau to complete the quest and collect 250 XP
The Blood of Dawnwalker is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Want to know how long it takes to get through quests like this and finish the whole game? Our Blood of Dawnwalker how long to beat guide breaks down every playstyle. And if you are working through all the side content in Laslea Glen before heading out into the open world, our Live Bait quest walkthrough covers one of the other Prologue side quests you should complete before the story moves on.
