How to Save and Escort Mert in The Blood of Dawnwalker

In The Blood of Dawnwalker, players encountering Mert the Miller find him locked inside the Stoneward Post jail. While freeing him is not strictly mandatory if you only require his information on the rebels, breaking him out is a key objective tied to quests such as The Firebrand and Take Back What's Mine, as well as the Under Watchful Eyes quest. Stoneward Post is heavily fortified with soldiers who confiscate player weapons upon entry, making a straightforward assault a difficult challenge.

To initially gain access to Mert without resorting to immediate violence, players can approach the post during the day and choose any of the three entrance dialogue options—visiting a prisoner, delivering a message for the commander, or enlisting. After giving up your weapons, you can speak with individuals outside the main stone tower to learn about corrupt guards. Confronting Yenno the merchant leads you to accomplices Friedo and Cerbus, and confronting Friedo inside the tower grants you permission to descend and speak with Mert through his cell bars.

For players looking to break Mert out rather than just gather information, tackling the task at night using vampire abilities offers a significantly stealthier approach. Returning after moonrise allows players to utilize skills like teleportation, planeshift, Shadow Dweller, and Dimension Reach to bypass the heavy daytime guard presence. By approaching the back of Stoneward Post, players can scale the tower or use the Prison Keyring—stolen from Friedo's office or found hanging on the wall—to unlock a back door and secret entrance, minimizing open combat.

Unlocking the Miller's cell takes three time segments, making early-night execution vital to avoid turning back into a human mid-mission. Escaping requires dealing with obstacles such as the tower miniboss Rayko the Incorruptible, outside guards, and dogs. Exiting through the back locked gate with the keys avoids the heavily guarded main entrance. Once successfully escorted out, players can later find Mert at the Almshouse in Svartrau to the south, netting rewards such as early-game loot and 250 XP.