Background
Coen (voiced by Will de Renzy-Martin) is the protagonist of The Blood of Dawnwalker and a Dawnwalker, a being stuck between humanity and vampirism. He was born to a peasant family in Vale Sangora as the oldest of four children. His youngest sister is Lunka, and his other siblings are Yanna and Mirto. His father Pieter, a former mercenary, later took to the silver mines to feed the family, and Coen joined him there from childhood. Years underground gave him calloused hands and chronic silver poisoning. Silver dust in his lungs, traces of the metal woven into his blood and bones.
He was curious and intelligent, the kind of kid who wanted to see what lay beyond the mountains. But he never left. His family needed him, and Coen is the type who stays. That loyalty is the emotional center of the entire game. Everything he does over 30 days comes back to the people he couldn't abandon.
The Turning
When Coen's sister Lunka contracted the Black Plague, the family faced a choice no one should have to make. Brencis, the vampire lord who controls Vale Sangora, offered to cure her with vampire blood. It worked. Lunka survived. But what looked like generosity turned into a trap. Brencis used the debt to take Coen's entire family hostage.
Brencis then attempted to turn Coen into a vampire. The turning ritual requires a vampire to pull out one of their own fangs and pierce it through the target's heart. The fang then sprouts like a seed, unfurling thin tendrils that penetrate the entire body and remodel it from the inside. Under normal circumstances, this produces a full vampire. But the silver poisoning in Coen's body disrupted the process. The fang couldn't finish its work. The result was something that neither humans nor vampires had a name for, a Dawnwalker.
Dawnwalker Nature
As a Dawnwalker, Coen exists in two states. During the day, he is mostly human. He fights with his sword Peregrini Aurorae and can use Hex Magic runes carved into the skin of his left arm that channel supernatural energy. His health doesn't regenerate naturally; he has to eat food like any person. He can talk to people, trade, and solve problems through diplomacy.
At night, the vampire takes over. His claws extend, his rune scars seal shut as vampiric regeneration kicks in, and he gains access to Vampiric Powers: Shadowstep (teleportation), Plane Shift (walking on walls and ceilings), Plague Shift (transforming into a swarm of bats), and Voracious Bite (draining enemies for health). The trade-off is stealth. He has to avoid being seen by guards and civilians, and his Blood Craving intensifies. If it gets bad enough, he can lose control entirely.
Dawnwalkers age significantly slower than normal humans. This detail has been confirmed by the developers, who hinted it could carry implications for potential sequels.
Acquiring New Powers
Coen obtains new vampire abilities by draining other vampires. Each vampire possesses distinct powers, and when Coen drains them, he absorbs what they had. For example, Xanthe's Blood Whips can be obtained this way. This creates a progression system tied to the enemies you defeat rather than a generic skill shop.
Motivation
After the prologue, Coen has 30 days and 30 nights to rescue his family from Brencis and his inner circle of Vrakhiri the ancient vampires who each control a territory in the valley. There is no single path to achieve this. The factions you support, the missions you prioritize, and the parts of the valley you explore all feed back into the central objective. You can approach it from dozens of angles, or fail entirely.
If the 30 days expire without rescuing the family, the game does not simply end. It continues, but with consequences for what happened to Coen's family during that time.
Combat style
Coen's combat changes with the clock. By day, he uses Peregrini Aurorae with a four-directional attack and parry system. He learned swordplay from his father. Dealing damage builds activation charges, which power hex abilities like Burning Blood, Feral Mind, and Compel Soul, or execution moves like Artery Attack. He can also fight barehanded.
The combat animations were designed to reflect that Coen is at the start of his journey. Lead Gameplay Animator Daria Bury-Zawada has noted that the team deliberately added a touch of uncertainty to his early movements, since he is neither a sword master nor a seasoned vampire. As players progress, new combos open up, including claw strikes and biting attacks. The fight choreography across the game was led by motion-capture performer and action designer Maciej Kwiatkowski, who has spent more than two decades working in the field.
At night, the sword goes away and the claws come out. Night combat is faster and more aggressive. Shadowstep allows instant repositioning. Biting enemies heals him, creating an incentive to stay on the offensive. The skill system splits across three trees (Human, Vampire, and Shared) letting players lean toward whichever side of Coen's nature they prefer.
Family
Coen’s love for his family is the emotional anchor of The Blood of Dawnwalker. The Road to Launch reveal in late April 2026 introduced his immediate relatives, and a June 30, 2026 lore bulletin titled "Coen’s Roots" named them in full. Coen is the oldest of four children. His father is Pieter, his mother is Esme, and his three younger siblings are Yanna, Mirto, and Lunka. The family lives in the hills of Laslea, Coen’s home village, and the entire household is captured by Brencis and the vrakhiri during the events of the prologue.
Coen was born and raised in Laslea, a secluded village in the hills ruled by the human lord Skender Dragosti. As the eldest child he took on responsibility early. In secret he studies Latin, holding onto a quiet hope that one day he might leave that life behind.
Member | Relation | Description |
|---|---|---|
Pieter | Father | A former mercenary with a troubled past he rarely speaks of. Strict, emotionally distant, yet protective, Pieter taught Coen the basics of swordsmanship and once worked the silver mines to support the household. |
Esme | Mother | Has always put her family first, often at the expense of her own well-being. Since Brencis rose to power in the valley her health has worsened drastically; she no longer speaks, eats, or sleeps properly as the family struggles to hold together. |
Yanna | Sister | The second-oldest child, mature beyond her years. When Coen and Pieter are away she takes responsibility for caring for Mirto and Lunka, determined to keep the family united even when her patience runs thin. |
Mirto | Brother | Once a quiet child, Mirto has grown increasingly restless as his parents became emotionally absent. Yanna believes it is only a phase. |
Lunka | Youngest sister | The sibling Coen protects most fiercely, and the two share a particularly strong bond. Bright and perceptive but the most sheltered of the children, she contracted the Black Plague and was cured with vampire blood by Brencis, a debt that became the leverage used to take the entire family hostage and the spark for the events of the game. |
Relationships
Three romance options are confirmed. The specific characters have not been named, but creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz has said romances affect Coen's personal story and may unlock unique quests and items. They do not alter the macro-level narrative outcome.
Personality
Coen is not a chosen-one archetype. He is a working-class man whose world collapsed. He's resourceful rather than powerful, practical rather than heroic. His dialogue leans toward directness. He doesn't have time for posturing. Creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz has said that players who frequently kill and harvest blood will see Coen change in response, contending with a different protagonist than those who show restraint.