Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is full of realism, intrigue, and the occasional desperate struggle to prove your innocence. The main quest Lion’s Den is one of the game’s most gripping objectives which drops you into a medieval murder mystery. Playing as a Prague soldier, your task is to infiltrate Sigismund’s camp, gain the trust of his men, and most importantly, reveal the truth behind the murder of Chertan, a high-ranking Cuman officer. If you don’t play your cards right, the blame could fall on you, and in a world without save scumming, that’s a death sentence.
But who killed Chertan? What poison was used? How do you survive the trial without ending up on the wrong side of a sword? Our KCD 2 guide explains everything you need to know to complete the Lion’s Den quest.
How to Start The Lion’s Den Quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
The Lion’s Den quest begins after surviving the attack of the Jewish Quarters in Exodus when Henry and his allies decide they need a massive cannon (nicknamed The Finger of God) to destroy Maleshov. But the problem is that the cannon is currently in Sigismund’s camp, surrounded by enemy soldiers. Go to Zizka who is sitting outside on the bench and talk to him. Before you can proceed, you’ll need to complete The Devil’s Pack quest to recruit members of Dry Devil to get a few extra companions for help. If this quest is still unfinished, Zizka will give you a task to do and end it first before you progress in The Lion’s Den.
Once The Devil’s Pack is finished, you need to talk with Zizka. If Samuel hasn’t arrived yet from Kollin, you need to wait and skip the day to have the conversation with them including your gang. During the meeting with everyone present, the party agrees on a plan—Henry will go undercover and enlist in Sigismund’s Prague Regiment.
Talk to Katherine
After you have planned everything in the meeting with Zizka and the gang, you are now on a mission to find a way into the camp. But before that, visit Kathrine at night following the “D” map marker, and talk to her. She has been keeping a close eye on the camp and she will tell you to meet Stephen Crow to join the Sigismund’s army. She will also tell you to only visit him at noon because the area is off-limits during the day.
You can’t just walk straight into the camp as the entrance is guarded, and if you try to stroll through, the guards will get very aggressive. There are a couple of ways to handle this. If you have spare money, bribing the guard with 500 Groschen is the easiest way. Otherwise, if you have confidence in your persuasion skills, you can try to talk your way in without spending a penny.
Join Sigismund’s Army
Upon arrival at the camp, you need to meet Stephen Crow by visiting him on the marked spot, a grizzled soldier, to allow you to enlist in the Prague army. Even if you fail a few dialogue skill checks, Crow will still introduce you to Commander Ditrich Katz. However, Katz isn’t someone who can just let a random recruit walk in without proving their worth.
To earn his trust, you must find the Lost Charter – this important document has gone missing along with a group of Sigismund’s soldiers. For that, you need to deal with the deserters who have set up camp in Old Lhota. You can either fight them or use Persuasion to retrieve the charter. After obtaining the document, return to Katz to hand over the charter. It will earn you a hefty reward, a celebratory drink, and a front-row seat to the aftermath of Chertan’s murder.
Find the Missing Document
The charter was last seen with a group of Sigismund’s soldiers, but they mysteriously vanished and never returned. Henry is the lucky guy who gets sent to track them down. The only real clue is that one injured soldier, Myshek, managed to drag himself back to camp before collapsing. Unfortunately, he is unconscious and in no condition to spill any information about it. So, you need to visit the camp’s resident healer, Musa, and talk to him.
Meet Musa and Help Myshek to Recover
Musa is an experienced physician, well-traveled and wise, but at this moment, he has his hands full trying to keep Myshek alive. When Henry asks if there’s any way to wake him up, Musa suggests a potion—Strong Cockerel. This is a special alchemy brew that when made correctly, has the power to revive Myshek long enough to talk.
But you have to brew Strong Cockerel yourself as it’s not available in any merchant shop. There’s an alchemy bench behind Musa’s tent you can use for it. To make the potion, you need:
- 1 Valerian
- 2 Mint
- Spirits as a base
The brewing process has to be followed precisely, and using fresh ingredients improves your chances of success. If you mess up by making a basic or Weak potion, it won’t work, and Myshek will die. Once you give him the right medicine, he wakes up and, through his groggy state, mutters something about Old Lhota.
If you weren’t able to get the potion, don’t worry—you can still find the missing soldiers by talking straight to Musa about it. Helping this soldier to heal is optional but if Myshek recovers, he eliminates the search process for you by telling you the exact location.
Find the Lost Soldiers
With the clue in hand, heads to Old Lhota, a sawmill located on the southern side of the Kuttenberg map. You can fast travel or travel on a horse to save time. As expected, the missing soldiers have deserted the army marked with “Q” on the map and decided to set up camp here. Now, you have a choice—deal with them through stealth, persuasion, or brute force. If you want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed or don’t have the confidence to win against them, approach one of the soldiers and pass a Persuasion check with these dialogues:
- “Myshek told me about it (Lie).”
- “I just need one document.”
- “Katz sent me.”
- “Give me the charter and I’ll be on my way.”
If succeed, they will hand over the key to the chest containing the charter. If checks fail, you can fight them instead. Be warned, these guys are trained soldiers, and taking on five well-armed deserters at once isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
There is another way to get the document without combat which is to wait until nighttime. While they’re sleeping, you can quietly slip inside the main house, pickpocket the key from the soldier in the middle bed, and unlock the chest upstairs on the right. Inside, you’ll find the Lost Charter for King Sigismund along with 300 Groschen.
Return to Commander Kratz
With the charter in hand, head back to Commander Kratz. Upon delivering it, Henry receives 250 Groschen and a Praguer’s Hemmed Waffenrock, which symbolizes his new status in the regiment. To have celebrations, Kratz invites Henry and Musa to have a drink. To add more fun, you can even challenge him to a game of dice for a shot at winning 600 Groschen.
Investigate Chertan’s Murder
Shortly after you gain Katz’s trust and enjoy drinks with him and Musa, chaos erupts when someone reports that Chertan has been attacked. Henry rushes to the scene with Kratz and Musa, only to find Chertan barely clinging to life. His body is riddled with stab wounds, but something feels… off. Despite the brutal injuries, it wasn’t the blade that killed him—he had been poisoned.
Suspicion immediately falls on Musa, the camp’s healer, but something doesn’t add up. It’s up to you to dig deeper. With no time to waste, you are tasked to get to the bottom of this murder case before things spiral further out of control. You first need to examine the crime spot where Chertan’s dead body was found. The important clues include:
- Blood on the ground – Suggesting he was attacked on the spot.
- A tub of water – Possibly used to wash away evidence.
- Chertan’s tent – A locked chest inside contains Lord Borumlaca’s Bond, a letter proving that Grozav, one of Chertan’s fellow officers, owed him a huge debt. That’s a possible motive right there.
Ask Katherine to Distract the Guard
During your talk with the commander in his tent, if you choose the dialogue option, “A girl from the baths will help.” Then you can visit Katherine and ask her help to distract the guard standing outside the Musa’s camp. But she will first ask your help to get rid of someone who is following her secretly. Exhaust all the dialogue options and get all the details about that mysterious person. It triggers The Stalker quest which you need to complete first and again return to Kathrine – she will agree to distract the guard. If you choose the conversation option I will talk to him to leave you in peace, you need to meet Chakan and ask him to not bother the bathhouse lady anyone.
Talk to Musa and Examine Charter’s Body
When talking to Musa, he insists he is innocent and suggests a better approach to solve the murder. He asks you to examine Chertan’s body to find out exactly what poison was used. The body’s symptoms are clear: his skin is red and blistered, muscles locked up in spasms, and—unpleasantly—he seems to have lost control of his bowels before dying.
Inside the infirmary, you’ll find The Book of Poisons next to Chertan’s body in the locked chest. Reading through it reveals many poisons, but only one matches Chertan’s symptoms:
- Kiss of Death – Causes spasms, reddened skin, and a loss of bodily functions.
- Ingredients: Arsenic, Oak Bark, Rose Water, and Red Copper.
Return to Musa and tell him all you find. After looking at it, it now looks like Chertan wasn’t only stabbed in the stomach—he was deliberately poisoned. With the type identified, you now have a solid lead. Someone in the camp must have had these recipe items, so you need to snoop through suspicious people’s tents.
Find the Real Murderer: Who Killed Charter?
There are four suspects to search their places for clues:
- Stephen Crow – His tent contains Oak Bark, Rose Water, and an iron nail, all key ingredients for Kiss of Death. If that’s not incriminating, I don’t know what is.
- Grozav of Borumlaca – Given that Grozav owed Chertan money, he is a strong suspect. But inside his tent, all Henry finds is a Copper Plate and some wine—hardly enough to point the finger at him for murder.
- Musa – Many suspect him, but he has no reason to kill Chertan. Musa is already accused, so Henry checks his tent just in case. He finds some alchemy supplies and potions, but nothing that connects him to the poison.
- Adalbert and Radovan (the guards) – These two were the first guards on the scene, so their tent couldn’t be left to search. However, the only thing of interest is some cheap alcohol and a broom—nothing even remotely poisonous.
At this point, all signs point to Stephen Crow as the Charter’s killer. He had the same ingredients required to brew Kiss of Death, and his presence at the crime scene aligns perfectly with the evidence. But knowing the truth is not enough, you have to prove it in court and declare Musa’s innocence.
Defend Musa During the Trial
After passing the two days, Musa is on trial for Chertan’s murder, and Henry must convince the tribunal of the real killer’s identity. If you fail three speech checks, you will be declared a killer, and it’s game over.
- “Musa is innocent!”
- “He was with us at the time of the stabbing.”
- “The real killer is Stephen Crow.”
- “Crow poisoned the wine while Musa wasn’t looking.”
- “You brewed a poison called Kiss of Death.”
Once Crow is exposed realizing the jig is up, Crow panics and does what every guilty man in a medieval court does—he draws his weapon and attacks. After taking him down, the trial is over. Musa is cleared of all charges, and you earn the respect of the Prague Regiment. To sum up the whole case, the answer is Shepherd Crow killed Charter with poison.
Set Ambush
With the trial over, you need to report back to Katherine, who informs Zizka that Sigismund’s army is preparing to move. This leads to a massive ambush where Henry and his allies defeat the remaining Praguers. Once the dust settles, you have a choice to spare Commander Katz or kill him. Either way, the Lion’s Den quest will end in KCD 2, and the story moves to the next objective.
