The Sanzhani are a small, fairy-like race scattered through the Svartrau and Briar Sloughs forests, north of the city walls. They are not part of any main-quest chain, but helping them is one of the most efficient things Coen can do in the first 20 in-game days, because the reward package unlocks the only known way to extend the 30-day time limit and gives Coen five separate messages from his imprisoned sister Lunka inside Greifberg Castle.
This page walks through the five quests in spawn order, lists the shrine each one anchors to, and finishes with the post-quest rewards. The walkthrough backbone follows VGC’s launch-week location list (verified independently by Selphie1999Gaming on Sept 14); minor step order has been confirmed against the in-game journal.
Why the Sanzhani Questline Matters
Three concrete payoffs for a first playthrough:
- Time limit extension. After all five quests are complete, Tsarina pushes Brencis’ coronation back by a full in-game day. This is, at time of writing, the only non-mod way to extend the 30-day cap.
- Lunka’s letters from Greifberg Castle. Each completed quest unlocks one message from Lunka. She tells Coen what is happening inside the castle, what Brencis is planning, and which boyar to hit first.
- The Tsarina’s Favourite Human trophy / achievement + a free Silk Threads bundle purchasable from Tsarina’s burrow. Silk Threads are an Arbiter Armor crafting material (see Arbiter Armor guide below).
Side note on stakes: each Sanzhani quest consumes roughly 1–2 in-game day segments between travel and objectives, so plan them for daylight windows when Coen is in human form. Svartrau and Briar Sloughs are dense with Wolves and the Withered, and night travel is not free.
Quest Order and Spawn Rule
The Sanzhani do not all spawn at once. The chain unlocks like this:
| Step | Quest | Where (Shrine / landmark) | Boyar region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Good Home | Sandy Gorge Shrine, north of Svartrau | Xanthe |
| 2 | Come Hither | Vedera March Guardpost Shrine, north of map | Ambrus |
| 3 | Pearly and Precious | Small Bridge Shrine, southeast of Military Camp | Bakir |
| 4 | Burrow Sorrows | Boarback Trail Shrine, NW of Shrike’s Crag | Bakir |
| 5 | Tiny Dancer | Svartrau rooftops (night only) | Xanthe |
| Wrap | Letters to Lunka | Tsarina’s burrow (any time) | — |
Important: Quests 2–5 only spawn after Quest 1 (Good Home) is completed. Skip Good Home and you can stand on the mushroom rings forever.
Quest 1 — Good Home
The first Sanzhana you meet is Tsarina, the queen of the local fairy circle. She lives in a burrow behind mushroom rings just north of Svartrau Outskirts.
Walkthrough:
- Fast travel to the Sandy Gorge Shrine, just north of Svartrau.
- From the shrine, look for the glowing mushroom rings in the trees. Follow them east to Tsarina’s burrow entrance.
- Tsarina asks you to find her estranged sister Heile’s brother Tonis, a Coal Burner who was enslaved near the Wooden Palace in the ruins of Oghasti.
- Investigate Oghasti’s ruined village, then walk to the Wooden Palace. Inside the lower level, free Tonis from the cage.
- Return to Tsarina. She will trade Tonis’ freedom for 3 Shiny Teeth — a rare drop from human and undead enemies.
- Soldier Camps in the Briar Sloughs are the fastest source. Hit any one of them and the teeth will drop.
- Hand the teeth over. Good Home completes and unlocks the rest of the Sanzhani questline.
Choice note: Selphie1999Gaming flags that the second dialogue choice at step 5 is the one that locks you into the tooth-collection branch. The first choice skips the reward and the Tsarina’s Favourite Human chain. Pick option two unless you want to forfeit the trophy.
Quest 2 — Come Hither
Walkthrough:
- Fast travel to the Vedera March Guardpost Shrine in the Ambrus territory, north of the map.
- A Sanzhana asks you to clear monsters from her burrow to the north.
- Inside the burrow, the sisters are already dead. Wipe out the Murohn (Malformed Monstrosity) that took over.
- Loot the Silk Threads bundle inside the cleared burrow. This is the cleanest pre-fab source of one Arbiter Armor ingredient.
- Return to the Sanzhana to complete the quest.
Quest 3 — Pearly and Precious
Walkthrough:
- Fast travel to the Small Bridge Shrine, southeast of the Military Camp in Bakir’s region.
- Just over the bridge is an abandoned bandit camp. This is the quest trigger — search the camp.
- A new Sanzhana appears. She collects teeth from corpses that the bandits throw into a ditch.
- Head southwest from the Sanzhana’s location, find the bandit hideout, and wipe them out. Coen can use either form; bandits are not vampire-resistant.
- Return to the Sanzhana. Pearly and Precious completes.
Quest 4 — Burrow Sorrows
Walkthrough:
- Fast travel to the Boarback Trail Shrine, northwest of Shrike’s Crag.
- A Sanzhana claims Kobolds have invaded her den and demands you wipe them out.
- North of her position is the Kobold den entrance — crouch to enter.
- Inside, clear every Kobold. Take the charm from their crude shrine before leaving — it is a quick lore pickup, but missing it locks a Codex entry.
- When you exit, the Sanzhana admits she lied: she wanted you to clear the den so her kind could move in. No fight, no reward revoked — just a flag for the Honest Gaps page that this NPC is not trustworthy.
- Burrow Sorrows completes.
Quest 5 — Tiny Dancer (Night Only)
The final Sanzhana is trapped inside a Svartrau townhouse. She only appears at night.
Walkthrough:
- Wait until dusk in Svartrau. Roof patrol is faster — drop into the central rooftops.
- Coen will mention a noise from a nearby house. Activate Focus Mode to highlight the upstairs floor.
- Enter the building from the east-side balcony. The house is keyed for the night, so this entrance only opens after sundown.
- Inside, find the caged Sanzhana on the second floor. The cage key is on the desk in the same room.
- Free the Sanzhana. She mentions silver in the next room — a minor lore pickup, no quest follow-up.
- Tiny Dancer completes. You can now return to Tsarina for the final wrap.
Letters to Lunka and the Time-Limit Extension
After all five quests, return to Tsarina’s burrow.
- Each quest you completed unlocks one message from Lunka when you talk to Tsarina. The messages cycle through Brencis’ plans, the boyars’ mood, and Greifberg’s defences.
- After the fifth message, Tsarina thanks Coen and pushes Brencis’ coronation back by one full in-game day. This converts the 30-day cap into an effective 31-day cap for that playthrough.
- Tsarina’s burrow shop unlocks at the same time. The Silk Threads bundle she sells is the cheapest reliable stack in the game; pair this with the Come Hither drop for a clean two-source path to the Arbiter Armor set.
Sanzhani Quest Rewards
| Reward | How to claim | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tsarina’s Favourite Human trophy / achievement | Auto on quest 5 completion | Must complete all five quests in one playthrough |
| 5 × Lunka messages | Talk to Tsarina after each quest | Free lore and Greifberg infiltration hints |
| +1 day on Brencis coronation | Talk to Tsarina after quest 5 | The only time-limit extension in the base game |
| Silk Threads (free bundle) | Tsarina’s burrow shop after quest 5 | One of two clean Silk Thread sources for Arbiter Armor |
| Charms + minor manuals | Drop chests inside each burrow | Optional, sells for Denarius |
How This Connects to the Endings
The five Lunka messages are not the path to the “A Hero They Deserve” secret ending (that is the western-gate escape via Shadowstep — see All Endings & Secret Epilogue Guide). They are, however, the cleanest soft path to the “Together Forever” secret ending in Home Sweet Home, because Tsarina’s messages give Coen the emotional context to choose to stay in the dream loop without losing track of his family. PC Gamer’s endings guide flags this combination as the lowest-stress route for a first playthrough.
FAQ
Can I skip the Sanzhani quests and still finish the game? Yes. The 30-day cap is the default, the Lunka messages are optional flavour, and the trophy is missable without locking anything else.
Does the time-limit extension carry across save reloads? No. The extra day is a flag on the current playthrough. Loading an earlier save resets it.
Is there a Sanzhani quest at night in a non-Svartrau region? No. Tiny Dancer is the only night-locked Sanzhani quest, and it is the only one inside the city walls.
What happens if I kill a Sanzhana by accident? The quest for that fairy stays in your journal but cannot be completed. The Tsarina’s Favourite Human trophy becomes unreachable in that run.
Sources
- VGC, Blood of Dawnwalker: All Sanzhani quests, locations, and rewards — primary walkthrough backbone.
- PC Gamer, The Blood of Dawnwalker endings and how to get each one — for the Sanzhani → endings connection.
- Selphie1999Gaming, Blood of Dawnwalker Good Home walkthrough — independent confirmation of quest order and Tsarina’s Favourite Human chain.