A Dubious Gift is a small investigation attached to the cathedral: find out what happened to Radu, the caretaker the deacon wants back. The journal files it under The thirty days and records no region for it, though its own entries name the almhouse, the cathedral deacon and the library, which puts it in Svartrau. The introduction is the terms of the deal: “The deacon asked me to find the cathedral caretaker – Radu. In return, I will be given permission to enter the cathedral library.”
Where the quest sits
The journal ties the quest to Brencis and Xanthe, and the reward it dangles — library access — is the same thing A Monk and a Saint asks for when it has Coen help the deacon find Radu. That step is where the two quests meet, so treat this as the small piece of the cathedral chain rather than a standalone errand. Six entries, all of them indoors and none of them a fight.
Journal objectives
The journal records these six entries, in this order:
- Ask about the caretaker at the almshouse — “The deacon pointed me towards the almshouse. Apparently, Radu used to spend a lot of time there.”
- Look for clues in the almshouse’s abandoned wing — no journal line is recorded against this entry.
- Push the bookcase — “So Radu used to go into the almshouse’s closed-off wing… Curious. Supposedly there’s a hidden entrance, somewhere on the first floor.”
- Investigate the almshouse’s abandoned wing — “So Radu used to go into the almshouse’s closed-off wing… Curious.”
- Tell the deacon about the caretaker’s fate — “I found out what happend to Radu. Now to deliver the grim news to the deacon.”
- Go to the almshouse — “The deacon pointed me towards the almshouse. Apparently, Radu used to spend a lot of time there.”
Before you go
Svartrau’s band runs roughly 15–25 and this quest never leaves the city, so there is no travel to budget for. It pairs naturally with the cathedral content: run it alongside A Monk and a Saint and Night Terrors, whose howling well sits in the same courtyard. The Svartrau guide is the location reference, and the mid-game walkthrough covers how the chapter as a whole is routed.