Warding Off Evil is a 
Kuttenberg task you can start after Speak of the Devil (
Speak of the Devil). Builder Johann Parler wants magical protection for the new Church of Saint Barbara and sends you after three ritual objects to melt into a Protective Axe.
How to start
Meet Johann Parler on the upper floors of the Emperor Charles Tavern, next to the church worksite.
He explains the plan: acquire a holy nail, a found horseshoe, and a commemorative coin, then forge them into the axe.
The default route treats all three talismans as stolen. Try to wrap the thievery in one in-game day. If you wait too long or tangle with the law, guards may confiscate the items from your pack.
Steal the three talismans
Each piece is tucked in a busy part of town. Night is simplest because residents sleep, but the nail house can be done by day with distractions.
Steal the nail from the rafters
Start with the nail. It sits in a row of houses just north of the Emperor Charles Tavern. Target the house opposite the baker on the street toward the northern gate.
Enter through the gate on the right, wait until no one is watching, then take the side stairs. A townswoman may sweep the yard: crouch, stay unseen, or throw stones to pull her gaze elsewhere. The upper door is a Very Easy lock.
Inside, climb the right-hand ladder to the rafters. The nail waits on a nearby table.
Steal the horseshoe above the door
The horseshoe hangs at the tailor's block south of the fountain on western Kuttenberg.
Cross the arch. On the left are two doors. The first holds the horseshoe and stays unlocked by day. The second opens the tailor's shop itself, avoid that entrance if you only want the shoe.
Daytime tip: loungers on a bench can block line of sight. If Mutt knows Bark, place him behind them and cue a bark to scatter attention, as below.
After you slip through the first door, go left, then turn around: the horseshoe sits atop the doorframe. Cross the arch in stealth; a lone NPC may be inside but usually misses a silent crouch. You can also scout through the street window first.
If someone walks into the front room, leave and wait. Keep the main door open for vision, pick a quiet beat, then repeat the Mutt bench trick and dash in for the shoe.
Steal the coin from the tavern basement
The coin hides in Hangman's Halter near the main square. We do not recommend lockpicking through the busy tavern entrance.
Hangman's Halter: trader underground route
This path is short and does not require the Kuttenberg underground map from 
The Thieves' Code if you follow these steps.
Enter the Trader's shop a few doors west of the tavern. Its hall cellar is calmer, the hatch is unlocked, and you can descend with little traffic.
Go downstairs, move right, then pass the hardened door into the tunnels.
Follow the tunnel to a fork, take right, then immediately right through the stone arch.
Past the arch, watch for stairs with a side passage: go through that door (two barrels should face you). You are now in the Hangman's Halter basement.
Turn left to a patch of loose bricks in the wall. Interact to pry them out and grab the commemorative coin from the cavity. Aside from a few onions, the basement is bare.
Exit: retrace your steps. When you reach the tunnels after the basement door, go right, then double left toward the trader cellar. Before reopening the tailor-adjacent doors, listen: a steady broom sound usually means the coast is clear.
Forging the Protective Axe
With all three pieces, visit any Kuttenberg blacksmith station or anvil. Craft the Protective Axe. The recipe consumes the stolen talismans and clears the contraband from your inventory.
Alternative completion methods
The Thunderstone
If you finished The Thunderstone and still carry the Thunderstone, hand it to Johann immediately. He treats it as a valid ritual focus, so you can skip every theft. After the quest resolves you may pickpocket the stone back to keep its passive buff.
The work axe bluff
No interest in stealing? Bring a plain work axe and pass Speech or Persuasion so Johann believes you smelted his relics into steel. On success he accepts the tool and still pays.
Rewards
Return to the Emperor Charles Tavern and deliver the Protective Axe (or valid substitute outcome). You receive 150 Groschen and close Warding Off Evil.
Warding Off Evil FAQ
What unlocks this task?
Speak of the Devil done, then talk to Johann Parler upstairs at Emperor Charles.
Why rush the thefts?
They register as stolen. Delays or arrests risk guard confiscation.
Do I need the underground map?
Not for the trader shortcut described here. The Thieves' Code map helps elsewhere.
Thunderstone vs full theft?
Either satisfies Johann. Thunderstone skips every break-in; you can steal the stone back later.
Work axe requirements?
Bring any common work axe plus a solid Speech or Persuasion line.
Final payout?
150 Groschen for a successful hand-off at the tavern.