SIDE QUEST · DAYTIME RITUAL
The Price of Magic Walkthrough
Investigate the unmarked stone circle southwest of The Swamp Menhirs Shrine, reconstruct the dead mage’s ritual and survive the spectres it summons. Bring Coen during the day: Compel Soul and the final working require his human Witchcraft.
You can discover and inspect parts of the circle at night, but you cannot finish the corpse conversation and ritual without daytime Witchcraft. Completion costs 3 time segments and awards 100 XP + the epic light bracers Mysterious Bracelet.
The Price of Magic starting location
Fast-travel to The Swamp Menhirs Shrine in The Silts and travel southwest. Look for an unmarked stone circle in a foggy clearing near the ruined tower. The quest starts when Focus Mode reveals the dead body and the remains of an unfinished ritual.
There is no quest giver or prerequisite conversation. Make a manual save before committing the 3-segment ritual, then clear any nearby threat so the investigation prompts are easier to follow.
Use this checklist to line up the visit: what each step asks of you, what it gives back and why it matters.
| Item | Reward | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Day visit | Compel Soul prompt | You cannot finish the corpse conversation or the final working without daytime Witchcraft. |
| All five ritual clues | The journal changes | Search the circle before you use Compel Soul so every object prompt is available. |
| Compel Soul on the corpse | The interrupted ritual rebuilt | Use the pendant, note, torch, book and bracelet evidence to reconstruct it. |
| Astral Communion on the central pillar | The spectre fight | This commits the quest’s 3 time segments, so heal and arrange your active abilities first. |
| All spectres defeated | 100 XP + the Mysterious Bracelet | The result completes The Price of Magic once the last enemy falls. |
Collect all five ritual clues
Search the circle before using Compel Soul. The relevant objects sit close together but can blend into the dead grass and stone:
| Item | Where to look | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Pendant | Directly beside the corpse. | A personal catalyst for the dead mage’s memory. |
| Note / torn page | Behind the central pillar. | One half of the ritual instructions. |
| Burned-out torch | Behind the central pillar near the note. | Another object tied to the failed working. |
| De Vocatione et Ligatione | To the right of the central pillar. | The summoning-and-binding book matched to the loose page. |
| Bracelet | In front of the central pillar. | The unfinished defensive charm and eventual quest reward. |
Use Focus Mode behind and to the right of the pillar. The loose page and De Vocatione et Ligatione are separate pickups; finding one does not satisfy the other.
Use Compel Soul on the corpse
- Return to the moth-marked body during the day.
- Cast Compel Soul and work through the available object prompts.
- Use the pendant, note, torch, book and bracelet evidence to reconstruct the interrupted ritual.
- Wait for the journal to change to “Complete the ritual to create a defensive charm.”
If Compel Soul is unavailable, confirm that Coen is in human form and that it is daytime. Waiting beside the circle until night will not unlock a vampire substitute for the Witchcraft step.
Complete the ritual with Astral Communion
Interact with the central pillar and choose Astral Communion. This starts the working and commits the quest’s 3 time segments, so heal and arrange your active abilities before confirming it.
The ritual summons several spectres around the circle. Stay out of the middle when they arrive, isolate one target at a time and interrupt any long wind-up or recovery behavior. The quest does not end at the incantation: every summoned enemy must be defeated.
Mysterious Bracelet reward
After the last spectre falls, inspect the result to complete The Price of Magic. Coen receives 100 XP and the Mysterious Bracelet, an epic light-bracer reward linked to the defensive charm. Any manuals or loose valuables found around the circle are site loot, not part of the guaranteed completion reward.
Ritual troubleshooting
- No Compel Soul prompt: return during the day and inspect the moth-marked body.
- Book objective remains: check the pillar’s right side for De Vocatione et Ligatione.
- Page objective remains: search behind the pillar near the burned torch.
- Ritual prompt remains: use Astral Communion on the central pillar, not on the corpse.
- Quest does not complete: search the edge of the circle for a surviving spectre.
Search the list below when the quest stalls:
| Item | Where | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Compel Soul missing | the moth-marked body | Return during the day and inspect the corpse again. |
| Book objective remains | the pillar’s right side | Look for De Vocatione et Ligatione there. |
| Page objective remains | behind the pillar | Search near the burned torch. |
| Ritual prompt remains | the central pillar | Use Astral Communion on the pillar, not on the corpse. |
| Quest does not complete | the edge of the circle | Search for a surviving spectre. |
This page covers the stone circle only, so the rest of the swamp route sits in the wider walkthrough hub, while build and ability planning belongs to Skills & Builds.
