Shadows in the Woods is the bridge between Mert the miller’s information and the manumits themselves. The journal files it under The thirty days and records Briar Sloughs as its journal region — an NPC band of roughly 5–12, one of the lowest in the open valley. The introduction states the lead: “According to Mert, a girl named Sara is the contact for the manumits. However, she may have already been captured by soldiers at the rendezvous point in the nearby woods.”
Where the quest sits
Sara is the quest’s focal figure and Crake is the name she is meant to lead to, which is where The Firebrand and the later manumit quests continue. The step list is short but it carries both outcomes of the rendezvous: rescuing Sara and following her, or arriving to find the manumits’ contact point already wiped out. One entry also repeats the weapons-confiscation beat from the Stoneward Post quests.
Journal objectives
The journal records these seven entries, in this order:
- Reach the rendezvous point — “I found the bridge that the miller pointed out. Now, I must head southeast to reach the rendezvous point.”
- Rescue Sara — “I should rescue her from Brencis’s goons. And if I do, she might lead me to Crake, the leader of the manumits.”
- Find the rendezvous point — “I am finally about to make contact with the infamous manumits.”
- Figure out what happened to Sara — “Instead of Sara, I found only a pile of corpses at the rendezvous point. I need to figure out what happened to her.”
- Go to the bridge near Stoneward Post — “Mert told me how to find the rendezvous point used by the manumits. I must go to the bridge near Stoneward Post and then head southeast.”
- Follow Sara — “I have rescued Sara, and she has agreed to lead me to Crake.”
- Retrieve your weapons — “The soldier at the gate of Stoneward Post confiscated my weapons. I need to retrieve them.”
Before you go
A 5–12 band makes this one of the safest regions in the chapter, and the quest is short: the real prerequisite is information from Mert, which comes out of the Stoneward Post quests. If you have not dealt with the miller yet, run The Firebrand first. The Stoneward Post guide covers the location, and the mid-game walkthrough covers how the chapter is routed.