The “Buried Past” quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker introduces Coen to his dad’s old friend; a blind former mercenary named Volk. Now that Pieter can’t help Volk, Coen may decide to chop wood, fix the window, and scare the local wolves in his stead. Helping Volk, however, takes time, and Coen’s family needs him too. Should you help Volk or not?
Here’s what happens if you skip the optional objectives in The Blood of Dawnwalker‘s “Buried Past” quest.
[Ed. note: This guide contains spoilers for The Blood of Dawnwalker, so continue at your own risk! Feel free to follow along or bookmark this page and come back if you get stuck.]
‘Buried Past’ quest walkthrough in The Blood of Dawnwalker
The “Buried Past” quest becomes available as soon as you’ve completed The Blood of Dawnwalker‘s prologue, though it might take a while to stumble upon it. Optionally, you can start by speaking with the grocer in Maragir Crossroads, who will tell you that Coen’s father used to buy alcohol from him before heading into St. Tyna’s Grove. You can also skip this step and go straight to Volk’s home, the ruined hut northeast of Svartrau City.
To start “Buried Past,” you must inspect the ruined hut using focus mode. When you enter the shed, Volk will attack you. Whether you win or lose the fist fight, tell Volk that you are Pieter’s son, and he’ll become friendly.
Although “Buried Past” takes many in-game days to complete, as you must wait one day between each conversation, the quest comes down to three decisions:
- Decide whether to train with Volk or not.
- Find Pieter’s treasure or not.
- Decide whether to help Volk (complete optional objectives) or not.
As the third decision (to help Volk or not) is spread throughout the quest, we’ll start with the two smaller decisions. Here’s what happens in “Buried Past.”
Train with Volk in the ‘Buried Past’ quest
Upon your third visit, Volk will propose a sword fighting training session. Whether you agree or not won’t change the story outcome, but if you agree, you’ll receive an Artery Strike Manual (a swordmastery skill). It doesn’t matter what you say just before or after the fight, and it won’t matter if you win or lose. If you’d like to win, though, be sure to gear up before your third conversation with Volk, as he’s surprisingly tough to beat for a blind man.
Find Pieter’s treasure in the ‘Buried Past’ quest
After your third visit and conversation with Volk, he’ll bring up Pieter’s fortune. Coen discloses that his family never had much money, which leads Volk to believe that Pieter has buried his treasure somewhere. He’ll ask for Coen’s help, leading to a choice: Agree or refuse to help Volk find Pieter’s treasure. We’ll start with the treasure hunt walkthrough — scroll further down to find out what happens if you refuse.
What happens if you agree to find the treasure in ‘Buried Past’?
Volk keeps questioning you until you mention the glade that Pieter and the family used to visit. Travel to the quest area just north of Parlita (a village northwest of Svartrau City) and follow the trail toward the southwest. Pieter’s treasure is buried on a lookout point in the forest, next to a tree (grab the shovel left at the old campfire).
Inspect the items in the chest. You will receive Pieter’s Garb (legendary light chest armor) as a reward. To continue “Buried Past,” visit the Maragir Monastery in the northeast during the day. Speak with the monk near the font entrance to learn what happened to Pieter’s treasure. Your response (angry or proud) won’t change the story.
Return to Volk to tell him the news. He’ll be disappointed and ask you to come back the next day. What happens next depends on whether you’ve helped Volk or not (see further below).
What happens if you refuse to find the treasure in ‘Buried Past’?
If you refuse to search for Pieter’s “blood money,” Volk will ask you to return the next day to talk about it. When you return, however, a couple of soldiers will attack you. Defeat them, and Volk will come out, admitting his betrayal. You now have another choice to make: Fight Volk or spare him. If you fight him, you must kill him. If you spare him, and return a day later, you’ll find Volk’s corpse inside his hut.
How to help Volk in the ‘Buried Past’ quest
While talking to Volk, exhaust all dialogue options (press the white lines before picking a yellow line) to get optional objectives, allowing you to help Volk. If you rush through the conversation, you will miss the opportunity to help him.
Whether you complete the optional objectives or not is up to you, but know that it determines the “Buried Past” quest outcome. Here’s a list of all optional objectives and how much time they require:
- Get rid of the wolves (first visit): This costs two time segments in total.
- Chop wood (first visit): Requires one time segment.
- Give slivovitz (second visit): This doesn’t take time, but you must loot or buy the alcoholic drink somewhere.
- Gather feverfew by the riverbank (second visit): This costs two time segments. Preparing the ointment requires another time segment.
- Board up the bedroom window (third visit): Requires one time segment.
- Find Volk’s knife (third visit): Requires no time. It’s on the roof. You must inspect the pile of puke in front of the door and ask Volk about it to unlock this optional objective.
If you wish to help Volk, be sure to complete every optional objective. After a bit of testing, it seems that you won’t get the “you helped Volk” outcome even if you did everything except chop wood and bring slivovitz, for example.
What happens if you help Volk?
Upon your final visit, you will find two dead soldiers and a note from Volk informing you that he’s left his house. He’ll claim that Brencis wanted him to trap you, and he refused. You will find Volk’s Sword inside the house.
Beware that Volk’s note doesn’t disclose the whole story. If you pay your final visit during the day, you can use witchcraft to compel the corpse in the garden and learn the truth; Volk contacted the soldiers to sell you out, but since you’ve helped him, he changed his mind.
What happens if you don’t help Volk?
If you don’t help Volk, you’ll get the same quest outcome as when you refuse to search for Pieter’s treasure. Volk will ask you to return the next day, and when you arrive, Brencis’ soldiers will attack. After they’re defeated, Volk will come out, and you must face a final decision: should you kill Volk?
If you spare him, he’ll shout at you as you walk away. If you return at least a day later, you’ll find Volk’s corpse inside his hut, apparently murdered. You won’t receive any quest rewards. If you fight and kill Volk, however, you can loot Volk’s Sword and 200 denari from his body.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is a time-sensitive, narrative RPG where your actions and decisions matter. If you’re just starting out, check out our beginner’s guide. After the prologue, you’re free to explore Vale Sangora and take on Brencis’ boyars however you please, but the freedom can be a bit overwhelming. To help, here’s what we recommend doing after the prologue.
