Deacon Quest Won't Unlock in Blood of Dawnwalker? A Dubious Gift Fix

If the Deacon won’t give you his quest, nothing is broken — the game just never tells you the three gates standing in the way. A Dubious Gift, the caretaker hunt that unlocks the cathedral library and ultimately the path to Mihai, is one of the most commonly stuck quest starts in Blood of Dawnwalker. Here is every gate, in order, and what to do once it opens.

Why the Deacon’s Quest Won’t Unlock

Gate 1: You Must Be on A Monk and a Saint

A Dubious Gift is not a standalone quest — it only exists as a branch of A Monk and a Saint, the side quest that puts the Broken Sword of St. Mihai within reach. If that quest is not in your journal, the Deacon has nothing for you. Start the chain through Anca’s questline (Echoes of Silenced Bells) or by exploring the cathedral yourself.

Gate 2: The Blood Baptism Must Finish First

The Deacon only appears at the altar podium after Father Florin’s blood baptism event has played out. Show up early and the altar is empty or occupied by the event itself. Let the scene finish, then approach.

Gate 3: The Crypt Dialogue Line

This is the gate that actually catches people. When you speak to the Deacon:

1. Ask about the crypt
2. When he claims there is no crypt, ask if it has been built over

Only that follow-up opens his request. He reveals the caretaker Radu is missing, and A Dubious Gift lands in your journal at a cost of 3 time segments.

The Radu Chain, Step by Step

Once unlocked, the quest runs clean:

1. Go to the almshouse past the cathedral well
2. Pay the Asylum Resident 100 Denarii to learn where Radu went
3. Head to the abandoned wing upstairs and use Focus Mode to spot scratches on the floor
4. Shove the bookcase aside and go down — fight for the Caretaker’s Key
5. Open the caretaker’s shed and take the Glass Shards
6. (Optional but recommended) return the shards to the Craftsman to restore the stained-glass window — its pieces carry a clue about the saint and the crypt
7. Report Radu’s fate to the Deacon, and he finally hands over the Library Key — the real prize, and the door to what waits beneath the cathedral

The full continuation — the crypt, the sealed wall, and the Mihai fight — is in the Mihai boss guide, and the whole hidden chain is mapped in secret bosses.

Quick Checklist When Stuck

• A Monk and a Saint is active in my journal
• Florin’s blood baptism has finished
• I asked about the crypt, then asked if it was built over
• I have 3 time segments free
• I am talking to the Deacon at the altar podium, not another NPC

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Deacon in Blood of Dawnwalker?

At the altar podium in Svartrau Cathedral, front and center. He only appears there after Father Florin’s blood baptism event concludes.

Why won’t the Deacon talk to me about the quest?

Almost always one of three things: you are not on A Monk and a Saint yet, the baptism event has not finished, or you did not ask the follow-up question about the crypt being built over.

What does A Dubious Gift reward?

The Library Key — and everything behind it. The chain ultimately leads to the Mihai boss fight, the Broken Sword of St. Mihai, and the Forge It Anew questline.

Is the quest missable?

No, but it is time-gated by the 30-day clock like everything else. If the cathedral chain matters to your run, start it in the mid-game window rather than the final days.

Related Guides

• How to Beat Mihai — What the Library Key ultimately unlocks
• Secret Bosses — The full hidden-encounter chain
• Hidden Quests — Where cathedral content fits the mid-game
• Best Quest Order — When to slot the cathedral in

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Source: Fextralife, GamerGuides, AllThings.how, IGN — quest gates and chain steps cross-verified across all four.