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Transylvania · 1399

For Whom The Bell Tolls — Warhorse Studios Level Design Test

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance · Level Design Test · Warhorse Studios

For Whom
The Bell Tolls

A Prequel Level · Törzburg Valley · Transylvania

Autumn 1399 · 750 × 750 m · KCD Universe

↓ Enter the Valley

◆ I ◆

Historical Context

The clouds in the south are gathering — Nicopolis has fallen, and the Ottoman tide rolls north.

Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

— John Donne, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, 1624

I · Historical Background

The World on the Edge

1394 — The Siege of Constantinople

Sultan Bayezid I blockades Constantinople by land and sea. He builds a fortress on the Bosphorus, cuts every supply line. Emperor Manuel II sends desperate appeals to Venice — the city's last maritime lifeline. Christianity's greatest city holds by a thread.

1395 — The Crossroads Burns

Hungarian-Moldovan conflict erupts on Wallachia's borders. Transylvania stands at the crossroads: Ottoman pressure from the south, instability from the east. Sigismund of Luxembourg mobilises in Buda, calling every Christian king to crusade.

1396 — Nicopolis. The Rout.

The largest Christian military gathering in a century is crushed on the Danube. Thousands executed on the riverbank. Hospitaller survivors scatter across Transylvania — without pay, without purpose, without a home. One carries a dying monk's whispered secret: a keeper hidden in the mountains holds something that was saved from the siege of Constantinople.

Autumn 1399 — Our Time

Radzig Kobyla, a young knight-errant in service of Prokop of Moravia, is escorting a merchant caravan through the Torzburg Valley — the most vital Saxon trade route between Transylvania and Wallachia. A storm. An unscheduled stop at Lord László's estate. One night becomes several days. The bell has been silent for three weeks. The hero has ridden into the centre of something he does not yet understand.

Why This Valley

The Rucăr-Bran Pass (german Torzburg) was the most heavily trafficked trade route between Transylvania and Wallachia. Törzburg Castle — built by the Saxons of Brașov 1377–1388 — served as both fortress and customs post. Whoever holds the castle holds the commerce of an entire region.

II · 2D Level Layout · Task №1

Click to enlarge

Regional Satellite View

Click to enlarge

Based on real topography of Bran Valley, OpenTopoMap data.

◆ II ◆

The Cast

No one tells the full truth. Not until the very end.

Radzig Kobyla

Protagonist · ~25 years · Knight-Errant

A young knight in service of Prokop of Moravia — excommunicated, in open conflict with Sigismund of Luxembourg. Radzig rides east escorting a merchant convoy through the Torzburg Valley. Transylvania is a foreign ground. He speaks little, observes much, and trusts no one by default. He stops at the estate for a single night. Days later he is still there, and the pass south remains closed. In KCD we will meet him as an old, silent, careful lord. This level is where that silence begins. Catholic · Kingdom of Bohemia

Lord László

Saxon Commander · Torzburg Castle

Commander of Törzburg, appointed by the Hungarian Crown. Not a soldier — an administrator. Receives Radzig with cold formality; does not ask him to stay, does not tell him to leave. His manner is correct, his welcome glacial. He explains the situation at the mill as a trade disruption. Something in the explanation is too rehearsed. He wears tolerance of other faiths like a coat he puts on for business — beneath it, another man entirely. Catholic · Hungarian Crown

Andraš

Hospitaller · Nicopolis Survivor

Survived the massacre at Nicopolis in 1396. Three years without an order, without pay, without absolution for what he witnessed. He is not a brigand. He is a soldier who still believes in his mission — and has found one. He commands six men who followed him through the worst defeat in a generation. What they want to find in the valley is not gold. His faith is absolute, and that makes him the most dangerous man in the valley. Catholic · Order of Hospitallers

Father Dimitri

Orthodox Priest · Keeper of the Valley

Has served this valley for forty years. Baptised its children, buried its dead, kept its secrets through every political change. He went to meet Andraš in forest himself — alone, unarmed, carrying nothing. He believed that a man of God could speak to another man of God. He was wrong. He has been held captive for three weeks, and he has not broken. The Relic that Andraš is looking for was entrusted to him by a dying man. That trust is not negotiable. Orthodox · Byzantine tradition

Karim

Court Servant · Agent of Mircea

Has served the castle household for years. Quiet, useful, invisible. In truth he is an agent of Mircea the Elder of Wallachia, placed here to monitor the Torzburg valley — who passes here, what they carry, what shifts in the political weather. He is not here for the Relic's spiritual value. He is here because the icon proves who controls information in this valley, and information is what Mircea trades in. His interest is not theological. It is entirely political. Muslim · Agent of Wallachia

◆ III ◆

Quest Structure &
Points of Interest

Every clue earned. Every choice consequential.

Level Layout · Törzburg Valley

Click to enlarge

Key Locations

I — Törzburg Castle · II — Village · III — Watchtower · IV — Cross on the Crossroads · V — Chapel · VI — Burned Village · VII — Old Cemetery · VIII — Ruined Watermill

The Caravan Stops

A storm in the Torzburg Valley forces Radzig's merchant convoy to halt. He rides to the nearest estate — Törzburg Castle. Lord László receives him with cold formality. He is not pleased with unexpected guests. He cannot turn away an armed knight.

Something Is Wrong

The village is too quiet. The church bell has been silent for three weeks — since a terryfying night when people in black came from the forest and burned the village in the Valley. Two days later Father Dimitri disappeared. At dinner László explains: armed men occupy the ruined mill in the western forest, disrupting trade. He asks Radzig to investigate. Strange that a lord with his own garrison needs a passing knight for this.

Two Lights in the Night

Radzig cannot sleep. From his window he sees a flash of light from the Watchtower on the southern slope above the castle — three pulses. A pause. Then, deep in the forest to the west, a faint answering flicker. Someone in the tower is signalling. Someone in the forest is answering.

The Pass Is Closed

László makes clear the following morning: the southern road remains closed until the mill situation is resolved. Radzig's caravan — and his own freedom — depend on his cooperation. It is not a request.

Points of Interest — The Triangle of Clues

Orthodox Roadside Cross

Faith · Hidden Cache · Dimitri's Map

At the fork near the Chapel in the Valley. Fresh offerings — someone prays in secret for the prisoner. After speaking with the village woman Maria, a cache opens at the base of the cross. Inside: Father Dimitri's own map of the "A" path to the mill — the route he walked himself the night he disappeared. The first true lead.

The Watchtower

Observation · Signals · Karim's Trace

The tower on the slope above the castle — the source of last night's flashing light. From its summit the old cemetery in the forest becomes visible; it cannot be seen from anywhere else in the valley. On the floor: traces of Karim. A polished signal mirror. He has been watching the cemetery — and signalling to it — for weeks.

III

The Burned Village

Destruction · Terror · The Wild Shepherd

A cluster of charred foundations west of the castle — a settlement that no longer exists. If Radzig approaches, he finds a shepherd living among the ruins, half-wild, unwilling to enter the forest. The shepherd tells him: the dead rose from the cemetery. He saw them with his own eyes, at night, walking through the trees. "The light on the old graves never goes out. Not any more." He is too frightened to say more.

The Old Cemetery

Memory · Hidden Path · Karim's Network

If the player speaks to Karim after his investigation, he discovers another clue leading to the Old Cementry in the hills. Overgrown, Orthodox, half-swallowed by the forest. Radzig meets the one who responded to Karim's signals — the Wild Man who lives in the forest. Fed and tended by Karim for years, he knows these woods better than anyone alive. The Wild Man reveals the hidden path beyond the cemetery.

The Forest Dweller — Karim's Eyes in the Woods

Somewhere in the forest lives a man who has not entered the village in years. Karim brings him food. Karim is the only person he trusts. When Dimitri disappeared, Karim used this man to track where he was taken. The forest dweller does not speak much. But he knows every path, every sound, every light in these woods — and he knows exactly where the mill ruins are.

The Brothers — Hidden Allies

László and Andraš want the icon returned to the Hospitaller Order — to restore the Order's authority after the catastrophe of Nicopolis. László was so cruel, he allowed Andraš's men to burn the village and stage a reign of supernatural terror to keep everyone away from the forest. He chose his brother's mission over the safety of his own people. He believes the ends justify it.

Karim & Dimitri — Unlikely Allies

They are not friends. Karim wants the valley stable and the pass open — a relic war serves no one's interests, least of all Mircea's. Dimitri wants the icon protected and the priest's promise kept. Their goals do not overlap — but they do not conflict. Karim can provide Dimitri's location. Dimitri can provide Karim what he needs: confirmation that no foreign religious order controls this pass. Alliance of necessity.

Three Routes to the Mill — Along the Tributary Șlaga Ursului

Route A — Dimitri's Path

The route marked on Father Dimitri's map, found in the cache beneath the roadside cross. Dense forest approach from the south. Medium difficulty. Wolves can be met on this path, that Dimitri walked himself weeks ago.

Route B — Hills Caves

The eastern route that people from Torzburg Village used to walk earlier. It to the center of the forest thorugh the cave inside the hill. The pass is extremely dangerous as a cave is where Bears live.

Route C — Western Flank

Northern ridge bypass. Full tactical overview before descent, approach from above and west. Hidden entrance known only to Karim's forest dweller — revealed only after completing the Karim questline.

🔒 Requires: Karim questline

The Cliff Overlook

Reached via Route C — a natural rock ledge above the mill ruins. From here the player can observe the entire camp and eavesdrop before acting. Veterans remember Nicopolis bitterly, speak of Sigismund's betrayal on the Danube. Young recruits boast of courage they have never tested. One quietly wishes he had never left home.

Approach Options — Combat Is Never Required

A Hospitaller cloak found in the camp grants unchallenged entry. A lone recruit separated from the group will not raise the alarm — and may be persuaded to escort Radzig inside. Karim can supply alcohol through the forest dweller to relax the guards. High Speech opens direct confrontation with Andraš, who is not an unreasonable man — only a desperate one.

⚔ Help the Brothers — Icon to the Order

The icon is delivered to the Hospitaller Order. László remains the lord of Törzburg — the castle continues under his administration, the village is stable and prosperous. Andraš returns to the Order and recovers standing within it; his gratitude takes the form of access to rare Hospitaller scrolls, recipes, weapons, and armour — at discount or freely given to the player later in the game. The south pass opens. Radzig rides on. The Chapel now has a new priest and The bell rings again in a different manner. Karim disappears from the castle that same night, without a word.

✝ Save Father Dimitri — Icon remains in the Valley

The icon is buried here in the forest. Andraš falls in combat. László is found dead shortly after — poisoned, perceived by the village as divine retribution. A new lord arrives to administer the castle. The village grows poorer without László's trade connections — all traders now have higher prices. Karim remains in the castle, now openly useful fot the player: he provides intelligence, safe passage south, and information across Wallachia and Hungary. Dimitri is freed, opens Orthodox community questlines unavailable by any other path. The bell rings again for the first time in weeks.

For Whom The Bell Tolls

The bell does not ring on its own. The player decides who it rings for. Help the brothers — and it tolls for Dimitri, for a promise unmade, for a village that traded its priest for its prosperity. Save the priest — and it tolls for László, for Andraš, for an Order that will go on waiting. Every choice carries a cost. Every cost has a name. The bell does not judge. It only counts.

◆ IV ◆

The Relic

Evacuated from Constantinople — now in greater danger than ever before.

☩

The Icon of
Constantinople

Smuggled · 1394 · During the Siege of Bayezid

IV · The Object at the Centre of Everything

An Icon From a Besieged City

The brothers' father served at the Byzantine court in the early 1390s. As Bayezid's forces encircled Constantinople in 1394, he carried this Orthodox icon out of the city — one of the last sacred objects smuggled through the Ottoman blockade before the gates were sealed. He entrusted it to Father Dimitri in the Törzburg valley for safekeeping. An Orthodox relic, in Orthodox hands, on Orthodox ground. Everyone in the valley wants it. No two of them for the same reason.

✝Catholics — The Hospitaller Order

After Nicopolis, the Hospitalier Order is shattered — its authority questioned, its purpose doubted. A relic rescued from the Ottoman siege of Constantinople proves the Order still acts, still matters, still serves God. Andraš did not come for treasure. He came for the Order's survival.

☦Orthodox — Father Dimitri and the Valley

The icon is not simply a holy object. It is a promise — made by a dying man to a priest who has kept it for five years. People gave their lives to bring it out of Constantinople. Dimitri does not distinguish between the relic and the trust it represents. To give it up is to break faith with the dead.

☽Muslim — Karim & Wallachia's Interest

Karim has no theological stake in the icon. His interest is entirely political. An Orthodox relic from the Byzantine court — contested between a Catholic military order and an Orthodox priest — in a valley that controls the most important trade pass in the region: whoever is seen to resolve this conflict controls the narrative. And Mircea the Elder wants that control.

◆ V ◆

Blockout

The Ruined Watermill · Șlaga Ursului Tributary · Unreal Engine 5

V · The Bandit Camp — An Abandoned Mountain Sawmill

Every Element Serves a Function

The blockout represents a ruined watermill converted into a sawmill — every architectural element serves a function that was once real. Logs were floated down the slope into a holding yard. Water diverted through an upper flume drove the wheel. Timber was fed to the saw, stacked on the far side, then floated downstream to the village. All of this is physically represented in the blockout.

Now occupied by Andraš's seven Hospitaller soldiers — who have built a functioning camp from the ruins, using its geography as both cover and defence.

Three Ways In

Route A (stream, east) and Route B (Dimitri's path, north via cliff) can be discovered independently by the player. Route C (western flank, above the mill) is only accessible after completing the Karim questline — he reveals the hidden entrance through the forest dweller. Each route offers distinct tactical advantages and different stealth or combat trade-offs.

Seven Opponents — Each Occupied, Each a Tactical Variable

No soldier stands idle. Every AI routine tells a story and creates a tactical consideration for the player.

⚔ The Commander — Andraš

In the mill basement. Interrogating Father Dimitri, chained to a support beam. Not torturing — persuading, theologically. The most dangerous man in camp. Never leaves the building alone.

🎣 The Fisher

At the waterfall downstream. Absorbed in his line, facing away from camp, back fully exposed. Easiest isolation — but reaching him requires passing the lower perimeter guard first.

🧺 The Washer

At the mill race, washing clothes in the current. Makes significant noise — actions near him are masked. Useful for stealth entry via the water channel.

🍲 The Cook

Over the central fire. Moves regularly between fire and supply store inside the mill. Predictable, timed route — the gap between his trips is the window for slipping past undetected.

👁 Upper Perimeter

Patrols the upper walkway and external staircase. Stops to talk with the Cook at the central fire regularly — his patrol gap is the window for Route B cliff approach.

⚠ Lower Perimeter

Controls the riverbank approach. Watches the western hidden entrance nervously — suspects something is wrong with it but has told no one. Patrols toward the ford and back.

🤢 The Sick One

By the fire, complaining loudly about his stomach. Constantly running to the latrine behind the mill and returning. His absence creates a recurring gap in visual coverage of the central yard.

Download the Playable Build

UE5 · Windows · Moore's RPG Template v2.14 · Task №2 blockout with all AI placeholder positions marked.

Download Build · Windows

For WhomThe Bell Tolls

The World on the Edge

Why This Valley

Key Locations

The Forest Dweller — Karim's Eyes in the Woods

The Brothers — Hidden Allies

Karim & Dimitri — Unlikely Allies

The Cliff Overlook

Approach Options — Combat Is Never Required

An Icon From a Besieged City

Every Element Serves a Function

Three Ways In

For Whom
The Bell Tolls