The Die is Cast

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The Die is Cast is the twentieth main quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It starts after Henry kills (or pretends to have killed) Pious in order to pass the test to infiltrate the bandits in A Needle in a Haystack.

The player will need the strange dice from Pious or 3000 .

WARNING: This is a point of no return, and several side quests will become unavailable after entering Vranik.

Background

My spiritual contemplation in the Order of St. Benedict is over. Farewell, Brother Gregor! Now, back to those crimps - let's hope they finally lead me to the bandit encampment.

Simple walkthrough

• Go to the agreed place in the swamp by Sasau.
  • Light a fire as a signal to the bandits.
    • Find a clue leading to the bandits' encampment.
• (Optional) Report to Sir Radzig and Sir Hanush on the investigation.
• Go to Vranik and find out the foe's numbers and plans.
  • (Optional) Scout out the camp and the enemy forces.
  • Report to Erik in the camp.
    • Go and see Combat Master Vanyek.
      • Go back to Erik.
• Escape from the encampment.
  • (Optional) Try and get your own equipment back
  • Meet with Zbyshek.
  • Go and report to Rattay.

Detailed walkthrough

However the player dealed with Pious, they must now head to the meeting space in the swamp outside the Monastery. When ready, light a fire to signal to the crimps that the job is complete. After some time, Kozliek and two other bandits will appear and ask if the job was done.

Kozliek threatens Henry

Gaining Kozliek's trust

To prove to Kozliek that Pious was dealt with, the player must show him Pious's strange dice or 3000 , ostensibly from Pious's stash. If this is done, Kozliek will then ask what Henry did with Pious’s body. The player may convince him they buried it with a Speech check, or simply tell him they left the corpse at the scene. Kozliek will not care much in either case, and reveal to Henry the meeting place of the bandits: the once-abandoned fort of Vranik, located on the southern hill, overlooking Sasau. Though he himself does not know the specifics of their plans, Kozliek is sure it must be something big.

If the player fails to convince Kozliek they killed Pious, he and his bandits will attack Henry and must be defeated. Searching their bodies will reveal all three crimps were also carrying strance dice. Take at least one to make up for lacking Pious's.

Without Kozliek revealing the bandits' whereabouts, the player will need to find another informant. Back in Sasau, Henry may instead ask the innkeepers if they have seen anything suspicious. This will reveal that there have been lights at Vranik.

Reporting to the lords

Hanush and Radzig approve Henry's plan.

Once Henry has determined the location of the bandits' fort, he may head there straight away. However, it is strongly recommended to first report to Sir Hanush and Sir Radzig Kobyla, as rushing in blindly is a massive risk.

When briefed on the situation, Hanush becomes excited at the prospect of Henry infiltrating the camp. After all, this would surely secure information needed to finally defeat the bandits. Radzig however is more reserved, telling Henry not to take any unnecessary risks. Nevertheless, Henry convinces him this is the best course of action, and that he is up to the challenge.

Entering Vranik

Erik in his office

As the player approaches Vranik, they will receive a popup warning that some in-progress quests may cancel. See the Notes section for a list of these quests.

Entry to Vranik will require getting past the guard at the gate. Persuade him with Speech, Charisma, or any of the strange dice from Pious or the crimps. After successfully persuading him, the gate will direct Henry to their leader Erik, whose office is at the top of the hill. As he walks through the camp, Henry can note a broken section of wall, the strong inner walls, where the men eat their food, and their numbers - more than one hundred men, all armed to the teeth.

Speak to Erik, and he will confirm that he has heard about the player's deeds at the Monastery. He will then ask about Henry's sword skills, and send him to see Combat Master Vanyek for a test.

Sparring with Vanyek

Vanyek is surprised by Henry's skill

Coincidentally, Vanyek was the first sword trainer Henry met back in Skalitz. He even finds Henry familiar, allowing the player to remind him of Henry's identity or deny knowing him. Vanyek will not care much either way, and tell the player to kit up. If the player defeats Vanyek, he will praise Henry's skills and will give some XP before sending the player back to Erik.

If however Vanyek wins, the player will wake up imprisoned, skipping the following section.

Meeting Istvan Toth

Once the player is done speaking to Vanyek, they must return to Erik's office, where they will notice a new horse was left just outside. As Henry enters, he sees Erik accompanied by Sir Istvan Toth, the man who admired his father's sword with Lord Radzig on the day of the Skalitz attack. Henry realizes the terrible truth: Istvan is "the Chief", he is working for King Sigismund, and he still has Sir Radzig Kobyla’s Sword.

Istvan also recognizes Henry from the events of Unexpected Visit, and he chastises Erik for hiring him. When Henry lunges at Istvan out of anger, Udo, one of Erik’s henchmen, knocks him out.

Learning Henry's true identity

Sir Istvan Toth and Erik torture Henry

Henry comes to in a nearby shed, where he has been stripped of all his items and strung up by the arms from a beam. Istvan gloats over his victory, telling Henry all about his scheme. As it turns out, Istvan has been working with Sigismund to destroy the local lords and terrify the people of Sasau to weaken the region. Once Sigismund becomes undisputed King of Bohemia, he will then give Istvan all of Sasau in gratitude for his service.

Henry protests that the local lords will stop him, but Istvan mockingly reminds him that they cannot muster the men and his victory is assured. He also tells Henry that he will hold him for ransom, sure that his father will pay a tidy sum to ensure his safe return. A furious Henry reminds him that Martin is dead, along with most of Skalitz and many more, killed in attacks that Istvan himself helped orchestrate. After realizing Henry was never told himself, Istvan finally reveals that it was not Martin that sired Henry, but Radzig Kobyla himself.

Istvan begins to mockingly ask why Radzig has not already told Henry the truth, especially now that Henry is a homeless orphan. Istvan speculates that Radzig is ashamed of his bastard son. He then holds up the sword and muses that, in a way, Henry is not completely wrong - the sword after all belongs to both his fathers. Henry, still in disbelief, repeats that his father is dead, and he is going to use the sword to kill Istvan. Completely unimpressed, Istvan promises that if Radzig pays the ransom, he might just give Henry the chance to try.

Erik and Istvan depart to prepare for their attack, telling Udo to knock some manners into Henry. Udo then beats Henry into unconsciousness. Sometime later, after he has left, Henry is then woken up by another hazy figure.

An unlikely helper

Zbyshek rescues Henry

Surprisingly, the figure is none other than Zbyshek, who previously betrayed Henry to Runt so long ago during Homecoming. At first, Henry can only spit insults at the coward, but Zbyshek is quick to tell him that he intends to get Henry out of there, though not for free.

Once untied, Henry can ask Zbyshek why he is helping him now. If he is successfully persuaded, Zbyshek will elaborate that he is not fit for a bandit's life, as they task him with menial labor and he lives in fear of his own safety. He would much rather help Henry escape in return for some groschen and a pardon from Radzig for his crimes, and he reminds Henry that this will cost much less than what Istvan is likely to demand as ransom. At the end of their conversation, Henry may either agree to work with Zbyshek, or angrily insist on escaping by himself. Picking the latter option may be repeated as often as the player likes, but proceeding will require conceding to Zbyshek's offer.

Once Henry agrees to Zbyshek's help, he will tell Henry of an escape route he can use: the manure pile along the left side of the outer wall. As it turns out, the bandits have piled up their waste to the point one can easily climb on top to jump over. Even so, Henry will still need to sneak out of the camp alone, as Zbyshek cannot safely accompany him even if he wanted to. Additionally, Zbyshek will warn Henry of the danger involved in retrieving his belongings, suggesting he simply focus on getting out.

Escaping from Vranik

Once Zbyshek leaves, Henry may being his escape attempt. The quickest method is to climb the bushes behind the stable to the left, bringing the player to the outer battlements. As long as they do not run into sentries on the battlements, Henry may make his way to the manure pile and interact with it to jump out. However, this will prevent the player from retrieving Henry's belongings until Payback, and it is strongly recommended to do so before escaping despite Zbyshek's warning.

The unlocked chest in the shack next to Erik's office

Before leaving the jail cell, peek through the cracks in the walls: there will be one bandit patrolling the general area, and likely one more that will enter Erik's office. The latter will greatly complicate things, as that is where Henry's confiscated items are kept.

To help with a more involved escape, straight across from the jail cell is a dilapidated shack: this will contain an unlocked chest with some goodies: two Saviour Schnapps, one Marigold decoction, and two Nighthawk potions. Another shack to the left of the jail cell past the stables will contain a separate chest, this one with two bandages, two lockpicks, and a Knight's hunting sword.

If no bandit entered Erik's office, the player may safely enter and break into the Hard chest containing Henry's belongings. If however one went inside, he must first be defeated to safely do so.

Regardless of how the player handles this, Henry will eventually need to make his way to the manure pile near the broken patch of wall. While he may attempt to wipe out all the bandits, the camp has little loot of interest, and this will not affect the later quests involving Vranik.

Dealing with Zbyshek

Zbyshek and Henry flee to Rattay

If the player ignores Zbyshek and goes far away enough from Vranik, Henry will automatically find his way to Rattay, skipping this section. If however, he meets up with Zbyshek, the latter will prompt a conversation where the player may decide how to deal with him.

If Henry reneges on their deal, Zbyshek will be furious at him for going back on his word. He will then attack the player and must be defeated to proceed. If however Henry requests Zbyshek help, the two of them will head to Rattay.

In any case, Hanush and Radzig are waiting for Henry in Rattay, unaware of the recent turn of events. As it turns out though, Hanush is fully aware of Radzig's secret, even teasing him about it. Henry will eventually enter and reveal that he knows the truth, and Radzig does not deny it, only gently telling his son that he regrets that Henry found out from Istvan and not himself.

If Zbyshek accompanied the player to Rattay, the player will have one last chance to decide how to deal with him. If Henry declares him a traitor, Hanush will gladly lock him up for him to be hanged, while Zbyshek furiously screams at Henry for his betrayal. Otherwise, Zbyshek will get his reward and leave the realm for good.

Regardless of what happens, Hanush decides that the only chance of victory is to take the fight to the bandits before they are ready. Radzig therefore orders Henry to go to Talmberg to alert Sir Divish, thus starting Payback.

Strategies

• The chest in the dilapidated shack across from Henry's jail cell is accessible before he is actually thrown in jail. The player can therefore preemptively load all their desired belongings here before meeting Istvan to easily retrieve them later.
• The door to Erik's office may or may not be locked. The latter is possible but not guaranteed if a bandit enters. Even so, the door has a Very Easy lock and may be opened with the free lockpicks found in the shack to the left of the barn door.
• If a bandit was seen entering Erik's office, it is strongly recommended to steal another bandit's gear to stand a chance. There are two relatively safe candidates.

The lone guard behind Erik's office

• • The first is the previously mentioned bandit patrolling the general area around Henry's cell. He will never enter the dilapidated shack, but will patrol conveniently outside it and can easily be caught alone for a stealth takedown.
  • The second is another bandit guarding the inner wall. If the player continues straight from the dilapidated shack and turn right (behind Erik's office), they will see him standing atop a watchtower accessible via ladder. Since no other bandits will go near this one, he is also an easy target for a stealth takedown.
  • Both bandits will likely have full plate, so with a looted weapon of choice Henry should be well prepared to overpower the bandit guarding his belongings.
• When retrieving Henry's belongings, Erik's trunk keys can be found hidden under the small barrel on the right side of his desk.
• There will be two bandits right atop the manure pile when the player first approaches. However, they will complain about the smell and walk a short distance away after a brief conversation, allowing Henry to quickly run for the escape point.
• If the player opts to wipe out the Vranik bandits, it is strongly recommended to come prepared with a high power bow and good arrows. Most are not particularly well armored, and they will struggle to reach Henry if he shoots at them from atop any of the roofs around the camp.

Notes

• The phrase "The Die is Cast" is in reference to Julius Caesar's exclamation before crossing the Rubicon, indicating a point of no return.
• The game has no special dialogue or cutscenes for successfully retrieving Henry's items. Henry will always be addressed as if he is half dead upon his return to Rattay.
• The player's horse and dog (if they own A Woman's Lot) will not be accessible inside Vranik.
  • Because the player cannot access their horse while inside Vranik, they may also not access its inventory.
• Upon entering Vranik, opening any chest will provoke nearby bandits into attacking Henry, even if the chest was not locked.
  • If the player is knocked unconscious, the Toth and Erik cutscene will be triggered automatically. This is the same as what happens if the player is defeated by Vanyek.
• Erik's trunk keys may be picked up from his desk when first speaking to him - unlike later, they will be in the open to Henry's left, or Erik's right.
  • Taking the keys will not provoke Erik, but they will be confiscated from the player's inventory after being imprisoned.
• When imprisoned, it is possible to turn down Zbyshek's help and still jump the wall over the cart to Erik's room. Zbyshek will not leave his place unless the player agrees to meet him outside of the camp when you escape.
• If the player does not retrieve Henry's belongings during this quest, the chest containing them will be unlocked during Payback.
• The following quests are confirmed to fail once the player enters Vranik. Note that this does not happen immediately - the player will not receive the notification until completing Out of the Frying Pan:

Side Quest	Outcome	Activities	Outcome
A Friend In Need...	Safe	Chumps on the River	Safe
At Your Service, My Lady	Fail	Do Me A Favour - Punch Me!	Safe
Cherchez la Femme	Fail	Fishy Business in Uzhitz	Safe
Courtship	Safe	Rattay Tourney	Safe
Gallows Brothers	Fail	Thick as Thieves - Woyzeck	Fail
Hare Hunt	Fail	Thick as Thieves - Simon	Safe
Lost and Found	Safe	The Queen of Sheba's Sword	Safe
Lost in the Woods	Safe	Fat Profits	Safe
Miracles While You Wait	Safe	Raiders	Safe
Next to Godliness	Fail	Skin	Fail
Pestilence	Safe
Rattled	Safe
Robber Baron	Fail
Sheep in Wolf's Clothing	Fail
The Good Thief	Safe
The House of God	Fail
The Sport of Kings	Fail
Tough Love	Safe
A Place to Call HomeFTA	Safe
Band of BastardsBOB	Safe
The Madonna of SasauAWL	Safe