Smoke and Ashes is the first quest the journal files under The thirty days, and it is where Coen wakes up after the prologue with no idea what he has become. The chapter note is explicit that the valley is open here and nothing forces its quests in any order; this one simply happens to be listed first. It sits in Laslea Glen, whose NPC band remains the game’s lowest at roughly levels 1–8. The introduction is a run of questions: “What happened? I’m alive – but how? Did Brencis turn me or not? And where’s my family? I need to find them, and soon.”
Where the quest sits
The quest is a return to the ruins of the prologue’s village, with Anca as the companion the journal keeps sending Coen back to. Two of its nine entries are about Anca’s Compel Soul magic, which is the quest’s real teaching moment — the journal records both the spell and the fact that specific objects make a corpse more forthcoming. Brencis is the named figure behind it all, though he does not appear.
Journal objectives
The journal records these nine entries, in this order:
- Go to Laslea with Anca — “I need to find out what happened to my family, where to look for them.”
- Cast Compel Soul on the dead soldier — “Anca taught me something – I now know a spell that can make the dead talk. I find it hard to believe… But let’s try.”
- Find items of importance to the dead soldier — “The dead soldier spoke – but briefly, haltingly. Anca says I need to find objects the deceased man either owned or was looking at as he passed.”
- Search your family home — “Laslea is sacked, but my house is still standing. Maybe there’s someone there – hiding?”
- Remove the rubble blocking the gate — “My family has been captured – and time is running out. I need to act. First obstacle – the rubble blocking my way out of Laslea’s ruins.”
- Return to Anca — “No sign of my family. What I am supposed to do now? I’d better consult with Anca.”
- Search your family home — “Laslea is sacked, but my house is still standing. Maybe there’s someone there – hiding?”
- Go to the village gate — “I won’t find anything more in Laslea – I need to get out of here.”
- Cast Compel Soul on the dead soldier and use the catalysts — “Anca said that those items of importance might make the corpse talk a bit more. Time to see for myself if that’s true.”
Before you go
There is no prerequisite other than finishing the prologue, and no boss to prepare for. The useful thing to bring is patience with the day-night cycle: Compel Soul is a daylight tool, and the quest’s investigation is written as a night-and-day routine. The mid-game walkthrough explains how this chapter is structured, and the 30-day timer guide is the reference for what the days cost.