In this walkthrough, we will take you through the Black Tar Prophecies quest in Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. This quest has you meet some fascinating characters and make crucial decisions that influence the direction of the story. We will guide you on what to do, the various routes you can follow, and some advice on how not to get bugs and problems along the way.
Black Tar Prophecies Quest
Following a conversation with Jann Heber, he’ll inform you that you must look for someone who has actual knowledge of druidic magic. Your next destination is finding Drest.
When you locate Drest, you have to persuade him to assist you. The easiest way is by giving him some food. After he agrees, he’ll ask you to meet him at the Ancient Cromlech, where he’ll start a mysterious ritual. In the course of the ritual, a mysterious woman will show up, and you will be presented with an alternative.
Choose Your Path with the Mysterious Woman
You now have three options on how to approach the situation:
Path 1: Attack Immediately
Select the dialogue option to attack. The woman will resist. Kill her, and Drest will be sad for her death and look back at the past. Talk to him afterwards for some additional backstory. The ritual ground will then be purified.
Path 2: Learn More, Then Attack
Choose the “Speak with her some more” option to find out more, then choose to attack anyway. The result is the same: she turns hostile, you fight and kill her, and Drest relates more of the history before the site is purified.
Path 3: Speak with her some more, then attack anyway.
Select to learn more again, but this time, carry on the conversation and say the site must be purged. The woman, Iona, will give you an opportunity to side with her. If you side with her and tell Drest has to pay for his past, he’ll instantly die, no battle required.
Loot Drest prior to speaking with Iona, or you will miss your opportunity. He is gone after you finish speaking. Drest is required for some other quests, so if you kill him at this time before you complete them, it might change the way things go or even prevent you from completing them. Therefore, it’s best to complete them first.
Then Iona will turn to you one last time, thank you for giving her an opportunity, and disappear. Go back to Jann Heber to complete the quest. You’ll gain 1100 XP and x1 Druid’s Talisman for the completion of the quest.
Bugs in The Black Tar Prophecies Quest
There are some bugs in this quest currently. Sometimes, when you approach Drest to meet him, the cutscene doesn’t start. If that occurs, simply save your game and reload it and that tends to resolve the issue. And you’ll also receive a side quest to speak with Hob in the Sunken Village or go to the Tomb of the Good Druid, but that doesn’t appear to have any impact, and that bit will fail anyway if you speak with Drest.