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Side QuestDayStealthMarat Route

Where are you stuck?

Distant Shadows Walkthrough

Marat asks you to watch Ascar in Tantari. The quest is built around following him without being spotted, then reporting the outcome back to Marat.

Go to Tantari during the day, find Ascar, and shadow him without being seen. Use the cart, barrels and haystack as observation points, resolve the soldier encounter, then return to Marat.

This quest feeds into A Closer Look, but it is not itself the Marat romance commitment.

Vale Sangora landscape used as the Tantari surveillance atmosphere for Distant Shadows
MaratMarat Questline

Quick Answers

When should I go to Tantari?
During the day.
Who am I following?
Ascar.
What matters most?
Keep your distance and use the designated hiding points.
What happens after this quest?
It feeds into the Marat route that reaches A Closer Look.
Is this the Marat romance commit quest?
No. The actual commit happens later in A Closer Look.

Marat Questline

  1. What Moves the Dead
  2. Distant Shadows
  3. A Closer Look

01 Start

Start Distant Shadows

Speak with Marat when this assignment becomes available.

Character
Marat
Route
Manumit / Marat questline
Next destination
Tantari
Required phase
Day

Distant Shadows is part of the documented Marat route leading toward A Closer Look.

02 Day

Go to Tantari During the Day

☀ Day

This objective is day-specific.

Current objective

Go to Tantari by day

Why

You need to observe Ascar during the required daytime sequence.

Ascar Isn't Appearing?

Check these before treating the sequence as broken.

  • ✓ Distant Shadows is active
  • ✓ You are in Tantari
  • ✓ It is daytime
  • ✓ The current objective is Find / Observe Ascar

Return during the day before treating this as a bug.

03 Observe

Find and Observe Ascar

The game asks you to keep Ascar in sight without being noticed.

Observe Ascar

Goal
Keep Ascar in sight.
Avoid
Ascar noticing you. Brencis's soldiers noticing you.
Use
Cover and quest-designated observation spots.

Ascar / Tantari starting area

Find Ascar here before beginning the observation sequence.

04 Shadow

Ascar Shadowing Route

Stay at a distance and move only when the objective updates to the next hiding point.

  1. Observe Ascar

    Keep him in sight from cover before you start moving.

  2. Follow at distance

    Shadow him from afar. Do not close the gap.

  3. Hide behind the cart

    Use the cart to keep line of sight without exposing Coen.

  4. Continue after Ascar

    Move only after the objective updates.

  5. Inspect his hut

    Check the hut when the objective updates before you resume the route.

  6. Find him again

    Pick the trail back up after the hut check.

  7. Follow the next route

    Stay on the updated follow objective.

  8. Hide behind the barrels

    This is one of the later observation positions.

  9. Hide behind the haystack

    The haystack is another designated hiding point on Ascar's route.

Inspect Ascar's Hut

Ascar is hiding something at home. Check the hut when the objective updates before continuing the shadowing sequence.

05 Encounter

When the Soldiers Confront Ascar

Be ready for the sequence to turn into combat.

Objective

Defeat the soldiers

After combat

Continue the quest and prepare to report back to Marat.

Can Distant Shadows Fail?

Distant Shadows has multiple recorded quest outcomes, including failure states. Do not automatically treat every failed outcome as proof that Marat's later romance is permanently locked unless the later route state confirms it.

06 Return

Return to Marat

Once the Tantari sequence is resolved, return and report what happened.

Marat Romance

Distant Shadows

Route progression

A Closer Look

First kiss + romance commitment

Distant Shadows is not the romance commit point. The confirmed commitment occurs later in A Closer Look when the player chooses [kiss him back].

Check My Marat Romance Status

Following Marat's route?

Continue to A Closer Look →

Distant Shadows Outcomes

3 recorded quest resolutions

Quest Outcome ≠ Game Ending. These are journal resolutions, not separate full-game endings.

Reveal quest outcomes
  1. I followed Ascar to his encounter with the soldiers. Now, I must report what happened to Marat.
  2. I was never able to take care of the task Marat had for me.
  3. I have failed the manumits. That path is closed to me now.

Quest Details

Title
Distant Shadows
Character
Marat / Ascar
Area
Tantari
Phase
Day
Objectives
26 recorded
Recorded outcomes
3

Rewards

500 XP · 25 Coin · 1 Skill Point

Journal description

Marat wished to speak with me about something. It seemed rather important.

View all 26 journal objectives
  1. Speak with Marat
  2. Go to Tantari by day
  3. Check if Ascar is at home
  4. Observe Ascar
  5. Go after Ascar
  6. Hide behind the cart
  7. Inspect Ascar's hut
  8. Find Ascar
  9. Follow Ascar
  10. Hide behind the barrels
  11. Talk with the woman
  12. Follow Ascar
  13. Find Ascar
  14. Check the hut window
  15. Check Ascar's hut
  16. Follow Ascar
  17. Find a spot to hide
  18. Hide behind the rocks
  19. Find Ascar's hut
  20. Inspect the beehive
  21. Follow the snares
  22. Avoid being noticed
  23. Hide behind a haystack
  24. Return to Marat
  25. Defeat the soldiers
  26. Observe Ascar without being seen

Quest Not Progressing?

Most stalls on this quest come from the day requirement, losing Ascar, or leaving cover too early.

FAQ

When can you do Distant Shadows?

The Tantari observation sequence is day-specific.

Where is Ascar?

The quest sends you to Tantari and updates through several observation and follow objectives.

How do you follow Ascar without being seen?

Stay at a distance and use the quest's designated cover points, including the cart, barrels and haystack.

Should you fight the soldiers?

The quest contains a confirmed soldier-combat objective. Avoid treating a specific choice around this encounter as a guaranteed romance lock unless the later route state confirms it.

Does Distant Shadows affect Marat romance?

It belongs to the Marat questline leading into A Closer Look. The confirmed romance commitment itself occurs later in A Closer Look.

What comes after Distant Shadows?

A Closer Look.

What are the rewards?

500 XP, 25 coin and 1 Skill Point are recorded for the quest.

Continue

Characters in this quest