Svartrau

Overview

Svartrau is the capital and largest settlement in Vale Sangora. It is the center of Brencis's political authority and the only true city in the game. Smaller settlements like Laslea are villages. Svartrau is where the political power, specialized merchants, and most of the population concentrate. It was established because of the silver in the surrounding mountains, with rocky slopes pockmarked with mine entrances visible from the city walls.

Districts

Silberkreis is the wealthiest district, sitting closest to Greifberg Castle. The name has Germanic roots, "Silber" (silver) and "Kreis" (circle/district). Other districts include market areas, residential blocks, and public spaces shown during the Gamescom 2025 demo. The city is large enough that navigating it (especially at night using rooftop routes) is a significant part of gameplay.

Greifberg Castle

Greifberg looms above Svartrau on crags near the Silberkreis district. It was Skender Dragosti's seat before the vampire takeover. Skender used silver mine proceeds to expand the dungeons beneath it, and the walls were stained with blood. Brencis now rules from Greifberg, inheriting both the castle and its infrastructure.

The cathedral

Svartrau's cathedral is a grand but foreboding structure. Chronicler Albertus Taurinus described it as embodying "the wrath God displayed towards sinners." The cathedral contains hidden crypts beneath its floors, including the tomb of Saint Mihai, the patron saint who turns out to be a Dawnwalker buried alive centuries ago. Frescos on the cathedral walls contain hidden clues.

The Gamescom 2025 hands-off demo was set in and around the cathedral. The daytime version involved investigation through NPC dialogue and using the Compel Soul hex to speak with the dead. The nighttime version of the same quest required stealth infiltration of the underground catacombs using vampiric abilities, encountering a murohni called "The Almshouse Monstrosity" and another Dawnwalker as a boss.

Day vs. night

Svartrau changes dramatically between day and night. During the day, it is a medieval city. Merchants sell goods, citizens move through the streets, and Coen can interact, shop, and pursue quests through social means.

At night, vampire patrols take to the streets. Coen's Vampiric Powers give him rooftop and wall-climbing routes that don't exist during the day, but detection by guards or civilians triggers consequences. If Coen undermines vampire operations in the city, Brencis can respond by increasing patrols or initiating lockdowns that restrict player movement.

Role in gameplay

Svartrau is the primary hub for shopping, information, and faction interactions. Specialized merchants are only found here. Many political storylines play out in the city, since it's the center of both vampire authority and human resistance. The city's verticality (rooftops, walls, tunnels beneath the cathedral) makes it a different place depending on whether you're navigating it as a human or a vampire.