Follow the shoes from the abandoned cobbler’s cart to the trolls. The captive is Thaler. In the documented peaceful route, tell the trolls you are borrowing him and will bring him back, then escort him to the cart to complete the rescue.
Reach the conspirators
Dijkstra raises the plot after Now or Never. At the Passiflora, speak to Marquise Serenity to reach the upstairs meeting with Dijkstra and Roche. Their objective is finding the missing contact, not immediately killing Radovid during this quest.
Keep a save before the meeting if you want to preserve a separate political branch. Completing this rescue is one story step; it does not, on its own, prove which faction ultimately wins the war.
Cart to cave
- Talk to Gregor at the Redanian checkpoint.
- Inspect the abandoned cart south of the checkpoint.
- Follow the shoe trail to Rogg.
- Continue to the nearby cave and speak with Ogg, Pogg and Thaler.
If the objective still concerns the missing cobbler, finish the cart investigation rather than heading directly to an unrelated cave marker. The scattered shoes are the intended route clue.
Persuasion or combat
You can use the borrowing explanation to get Thaler released, or choose combat with the trolls. The peaceful route avoids fighting the group. After resolving the conversation, accompany Thaler back to his cart; speaking to him in the cave alone is not the final escort step.
Check the quest-completion result before leaving the area. If you want a different political outcome later, preserve this checkpoint and the later political decisions separately. This guide does not claim a complete empress-ending route or a current 5.x quest-fact command.
Sources and version limits
- GameBanshee: A Deadly Plot — Original-game walkthrough; checked October 4, 2026. Quest route, not a verified 5.x playtest.
Sources checked October 4, 2026. We have not personally tested these steps on your save or hardware. Historical mechanics and reported fixes retain the limits above.