Recaps

Lynn accepted Istredd’s offer to guard his caravan from Aedd Gynvael to the Principality of Talgar and asked to bring Geralt along. Lynn suspected Istredd was the exiled Thyssen heir preparing to reclaim Kovir and Poviss, and the two witchers agreed to join his journey.

• Istredd introduced himself as a merchant from Kovir and offered Lynn a well-paid caravan guard job.
• Istredd described his route through the Mahakam Mountains, Dorian, and Novigrad to the Principality of Talgar, offering two hundred crowns and covering expenses.
• Lynn accepted the commission and asked Istredd to hire another witcher.
• After Geralt finished his meal, Lynn told him about the job, and Geralt agreed to join.
• Lynn concluded that Istredd was likely Istredd Thyssen, the exiled heir who would later reclaim Kovir and Poviss.

Lynn and Geralt joined Istredd’s caravan, where they fought off monsters and Lynn won dozens of crowns playing Gwent. The next morning, Istredd assigned Geralt to the front of the procession and Lynn to the rear, and Lynn declined Yarpen’s invitation to play again that night.

• Lynn and Geralt left Aedd Gynvael with Istredd’s caravan, and Istredd gave Lynn a Kovir steed.
• Lynn and Geralt killed the Ghouls and Nekkers that attacked the caravan during the journey.
• Yarpen Zigrin introduced Gwent to the caravan and charged players a crown to use his decks.
• Lynn played for stakes with his own Gwent cards and won dozens of crowns from other players.
• Istredd rearranged the caravan’s positions for a forest route, placing Geralt at the front and Lynn at the rear.
• Yarpen asked Lynn to play Gwent again, but Lynn declined to avoid causing trouble with the caravan’s men.

Lynn and Yarpen discussed the Scoia'tael and whether humans, dwarves, and elves could live together peacefully before the caravan came under attack from archers in the woods. After rescuing Yarpen and taking a Blizzard Potion, Lynn charged toward the hidden attackers, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Lynn and Yarpen talked about the Scoia'tael, and Yarpen explained why he and his companions did not support the elves' rebellion.
• Archers ambushed the caravan from the woods, killing a guard and knocking Yarpen from his pony.
• Lynn pulled Yarpen to safety, then took cover with him behind a covered wagon as the guards returned fire.
• Lynn judged that the caravan was outnumbered and feared Geralt might be left behind if he fled.
• Lynn drank a Blizzard Potion, told Yarpen to stay under cover, and charged toward the woods, where an attacker spotted him.

Lynn used his Witcher Senses and swordsmanship to attack the Children of Freedom inside the forest while Istredd's caravan fought them outside. After Lynn killed four elves, a messenger warned commander Coinneach da Leo that a formidable human was cutting through his men, and Coinneach gathered his fighters to confront him.

• Lynn dodged a volley of arrows, entered the forest, and used his Witcher Senses to locate nearby enemies.
• Lynn killed four elves in quick succession, using his reflexes and swordsmanship to evade their arrows and blades.
• Lynn sensed more Children of Freedom squads in the forest, including two moving to flank the caravan, and relied on Istredd's men to keep fighting outside.
• Coinneach da Leo worried that his ambush was failing and that an Aedirnian patrol might discover the battle.
• A messenger reported that Lynn had killed several elves and could not be stopped, so Coinneach kicked him down and ordered the nearby elves to follow.

Lynn fought Coinneach and his elves after they attacked a Kovir merchant caravan, using his witcher skills to kill or disable several attackers. He trapped Coinneach with a Master-Level Yrden Trap, leaving the commander slowed and vulnerable.

• Coinneach recognized Lynn as a witcher and ordered his elves to kill him after their argument over the caravan attack.
• Lynn dodged an archer’s ambush with help from his medallion, then returned the arrow and killed the archer.
• Lynn burned three charging elves with Igni and fought Coinneach with swords as the Blizzard Potion’s effects faded.
• Lynn gained the upper hand with a sudden sword assault, but Coinneach defended and retreated until he stepped into Lynn’s Yrden Trap.
• The Master-Level Yrden Trap enveloped Coinneach and slowed his movements.

Lynn killed Coinneach and helped defeat the Scoia'tael attacking the caravan. After Istredd thanked Lynn and Geralt, he asked them to keep the battle confidential, a request connected to the elven sorceress Francesca.

• Lynn lured Coinneach into a Yrden Trap and killed him with a sword strike.
• Lynn prepared to fight the three blinded elves, but Geralt, Yarpen, and Istredd arrived with the humans and turned the battle against the Scoia'tael.
• The three surviving Children of Freedom surrendered, but the humans killed them under orders to take no prisoners.
• Istredd thanked Lynn for protecting the caravan and promised that he and Geralt would be rewarded upon reaching the Principality of Talgar.
• Istredd asked Lynn and Geralt to keep the battle secret, and Lynn recognized that the matter involved Francesca.

Istredd's caravan reached Mahakam, where Yarpen and the other dwarves stayed behind because they could not return to their homeland. Istredd used a badge from Great Elder Brovar Hogger to gain entry, then offered the guards a barrel of spirits as thanks.

• Lynn warned Istredd that others in the caravan might reveal Francesca's ties to the elven rebels, but Istredd said he trusted his guards and would pay Yarpen to keep quiet.
• Istredd's caravan made its first stop at Mahakam to trade daily necessities for dwarven weapons.
• Yarpen and the other dwarves asked to remain in the village at the foot of the mountains, and Istredd agreed.
• Geralt explained that dwarves who left conservative Mahakam were considered traitors and could not return.
• Istredd showed the fortress guards his badge from Great Elder Brovar Hogger, gained permission to pass, and offered them a barrel of spirits.

Lynn and Geralt traveled with Istredd's caravan into Mahakam, where the great elder summoned the witchers for an unspecified commission. The chapter ended as they reached Carbon Mountain, Mahakam's towering cliffside capital.

• Istredd gave barrels of Mahakam spirits to dwarves at checkpoints, and Geralt explained how the clans provided for ordinary dwarves while controlling their wealth.
• The caravan passed the final checkpoint and entered Mahakam's vast, sunlit valley of mines, foundries, and armories.
• A dwarven captain told Lynn and Geralt that the great elder wanted to hire witchers for a commission, and they agreed to hear the details.
• Istredd arranged to discuss future plans with Lynn after the caravan's three-to-five-day stay in Mahakam.
• The captain led Lynn and Geralt past a castle and pointed out Carbon Mountain, whose towers climbed high along a sheer cliff.

Lynn and Geralt met Great Elder Brovar Hogger, who planned to discuss a monster-hunting contract after they rested. While seeking food at night, they overheard dwarf soldiers discussing a lord’s plan to challenge Brovar and used Axii to control two patrolmen.

• Lynn and Geralt rode a lift to Carbon Mountain’s summit and met Great Elder Brovar Hogger in his throne hall.
• Brovar welcomed the witchers and postponed discussing the dangerous-monster contract until after their rest.
• Thor escorted Lynn and Geralt to their guest rooms, and Lynn noticed a fleeting odd expression on the captain’s face.
• Hungry, Lynn left his room and met Geralt in the corridor; they set off together to find the dining hall.
• Lynn and Geralt overheard two dwarf soldiers discussing a lord’s plan to challenge Brovar, then used Axii to control two soldiers on patrol.

Lynn used the Axii Sign to question two dwarven soldiers and learned that a conspiracy against Great Elder Brovar might be underway. He and Geralt agreed to warn Brovar, but Lynn was awakened the next morning by a noisy fight outside the guest rooms.

• Lynn questioned two dwarven soldiers under the Axii Sign and learned that a dissatisfied group opposed Brovar and followed an unknown lord.
• Lynn and Geralt decided to warn Great Elder Brovar rather than pursue the soldiers' cousin themselves.
• Lynn and Geralt ate in the dining hall and returned to their guest rooms for the night.
• Lynn woke to the sound of two dwarves fighting at a training ground beside the guest rooms.
• Lynn confronted a dwarf about the noise and complained that the fight had interrupted his sleep.

Lynn joined a dwarven sparring circle in Mahakam and easily defeated Regan, earning the dwarves' respect. Muradin then stepped forward to challenge him, hoping a victory would help him earn a position in the clan.

• A dwarf explained to Lynn that Mahakam's inhabitants settled disputes with their fists and described the rule that dwarves could spend a year in human society after turning fifty.
• The dwarf invited Lynn to demonstrate his skills, and Lynn agreed to spar with the dwarves using blunt weapons.
• Regan challenged Lynn, but Lynn dodged his hammer and struck him down with the pommel of a training sword.
• Lynn helped Regan up, and Regan thanked him respectfully for going easy on him.
• Muradin stepped forward with a blunt axe after the crowd praised his reputation for killing a dozen bandits, hoping to impress the clan.

Lynn defeated Muradin in a sparring match, then reassured the dwarves after Thor arrived and warned them not to interfere with the grand elder’s investigation. Lynn later met Brovar privately, clarified the rumors about witchers taking assassination jobs, and persuaded the grand elder to dismiss his guards so they could speak in secret.

• Lynn defeated Muradin, and the watching dwarves became eager to challenge him but none stepped forward.
• Thor arrived with guards and warned the dwarves that interfering with Lynn’s investigation would offend the grand elder; Lynn said they had only been exchanging pointers.
• Thor told Lynn that Brovar wanted him and the other witcher to rest and discuss the commission the next day, but Lynn asked to see Brovar immediately.
• Brovar questioned Lynn about rumors that witchers accepted assassination jobs, and Lynn explained the different schools’ practices and why he had no reason to target anyone in Mahakam.
• Brovar accepted Lynn’s explanation, apologized for his suspicion, and ordered his guards to leave the throne hall.

Lynn warned Brovar about opposition within Mahakam, then heard about a commission involving an abandoned adamantite mine where miners fell ill. Brovar offered a large reward, and Lynn sought to inspect the sick miners before deciding whether to accept.

• Lynn discreetly told Brovar that a faction within Mahakam was working against him, and Brovar said he already knew.
• Brovar explained that miners had found adamantite in an abandoned tunnel, but those who entered developed red rashes and blisters.
• Lynn suspected a plague maiden and told Brovar that wraiths were difficult to kill.
• Lynn asked to see the sick miners before deciding whether to take the commission, and Brovar promised four thousand gold orens and a fine sword.

Lynn heard Elder Brovar's offer of four thousand orens and a Gwyhyr Sword in exchange for investigating the sick miners, but he withheld his decision until he could examine them and speak with Geralt. He entered the quarantine area, calmed the miners with Axii, and prepared to question them.

• Brovar offered Lynn and Geralt four thousand orens and a Gwyhyr Sword to help restore the mine's income.
• Lynn told Geralt about the offer and said he had not agreed, choosing to examine the sick miners and consult his companion first.
• Geralt decided to investigate the abandoned mine while Lynn went to the quarantine area with a dwarf guide.
• Lynn entered a dark stone house where the bandaged miners begged for help and struggled toward him.
• Lynn used the Axii Sign to calm the miners, then began asking them questions.

Lynn confirmed that a curse from the abandoned mine was sickening the miners, and he and Geralt accepted Brovar’s commission to destroy the Plague Wraith. After preparing their witcher supplies, they entered the mine and paused in a cavern to ready themselves for what lay ahead.

• Lynn questioned the quarantined miners and found traces of a curse on each of them, concluding that the Plague Maiden in the abandoned mine was responsible.
• Geralt reported that the mine’s guards remained healthy, supporting Lynn’s belief that the curse afflicted only those who entered the cursed area.
• Lynn and Geralt accepted Brovar’s commission and asked him to provide materials for blade oils, potions, and alchemical bombs.
• Istredd arrived to wait for Lynn and Geralt while they prepared to deal with the Plague Wraith.
• After the dwarves gathered the materials, Lynn and Geralt made their supplies and entered the abandoned mine with Thor and a squad of guards escorting them to the entrance.
• Lynn and Geralt reached a cavern with several deep tunnels and stopped to drink potions and apply blade oils before continuing.

Lynn and Geralt prepared to hunt the Plague Wraith in the abandoned mine, but Thor arrived and tried to pay them to leave. When Lynn confronted him over his plot against Brovar, Thor attacked, claiming a Turtle Stone would protect him from witchers.

• Lynn and Geralt coated their silver swords with Specter Oil and took potions to prepare for the mine.
• Thor arrived with a torch and offered them five hundred orens to leave the mine.
• Lynn rejected the money and accused Thor of plotting against his father, Brovar, by keeping the mine's danger unresolved.
• Thor admitted his hostility, drew his battle-axe, and claimed he had brought a Turtle Stone to defeat the witchers.
• Lynn dodged Thor's axe and struck him under the chin with an uppercut.

Lynn and Geralt explored deeper into the mine and found the preserved diary of Casti, leader of the Order of Benevolent Apothecaries. Casti’s account revealed that the Red Miasmal caused the plague, trapped the order underground, and left her alone in the darkness.

• Lynn bound the unconscious Thor and left him for Brovar to deal with.
• Lynn and Geralt traveled deeper into the mine and found a violet magical barrier protecting several manuscript pages.
• Lynn read Casti’s warning that the plague came from a dangerous entity in the mine and that its victims became Aberrations.
• Casti wrote that the Red Miasmal infected her order, sealed her sorcery circuits, and that Great Elder Otto’s guards refused to open the mine entrance.
• Casti recorded that Elma killed herself, Andy and Randy vanished in the mine, and she was left alone, unable to remember who she was.

Lynn and Geralt investigated the abandoned mine, finding evidence of a centuries-old plague and confronting a deformed miner infected by the Red Miasmal. Deeper inside, they encountered a decayed female physician who resembled someone from Casti’s manuscript.

• Geralt read the manuscript and concluded that Lynn and he had less than a day to remain in the mine before risking infection.
• Lynn opened the mine tunnel, and he and Geralt found bones behind a sealed wall, confirming that the patients had been trapped alive centuries earlier.
• A deformed dwarven miner attacked Lynn and Geralt, and they killed it before identifying it as a victim of the Red Miasmal.
• Lynn and Geralt found a female physician working over an Aberration’s corpse, and Lynn chose to speak to her instead of letting Geralt attack.
• The physician turned to reveal decayed skin, bandages covering most of her face, and a scalpel embedded in her throat.

Lynn and Geralt entered the mine to fulfill Casti’s unfinished wish and put the dead apothecaries to rest. They battled Casti and a horde of Aberrations, using free alchemical supplies from Grand Elder Brovar as they fought their way into the tunnel.

• Lynn discovered that the physician posing as Elma was an evil spirit and killed her with his silver sword before burning her body.
• Lynn and Geralt prepared for the final battle by checking their potions and readying their alchemical bombs.
• Lynn confronted Casti in the cavern, and Geralt’s Grapeshot Bomb killed Andy and Randy but left Casti alive.
• Casti’s howl summoned the cavern’s Aberrations, and Lynn and Geralt fought the horde with swords and Signs as they retreated into the mine tunnel.
• Lynn ignited a Dragon’s Dream Bomb with Igni, burning at least a dozen Aberrations, while Geralt marveled at their plentiful supplies from Grand Elder Brovar.

Lynn and Geralt defeated the Red Miasmal in the abandoned mine, and Lynn emerged with the bound Thor. While Lynn went to report to Brovar, Geralt headed to the quarantine facility to check on the sick miners.

• Lynn and Geralt engulfed the mine entrance and cavern in alchemical fire, killing the swarming aberrations.
• The Red Miasmal emerged from the charred corpses and attacked Lynn and Geralt, but Lynn blocked its strike while Geralt cast Yrden to bind it.
• Lynn drank a Blizzard Potion and repeatedly struck the trapped Red Miasmal until it burned to ashes, gaining attribute points.
• Lynn and Geralt cleaned up the battlefield and brought the bound Thor out of the abandoned mine.
• Lynn went with the dwarven guards to see Brovar, while Geralt headed to the quarantine facility to check on the miners.

Lynn brought Thor before Brovar, who exposed the dangers and history behind Thor’s plan to ally with the Children of Freedom. Thor was led away with his ideals shattered, whispering an apology as he passed Lynn.

• Lynn brought the captured Thor into the throne hall, where Brovar confronted him about conspiring with the Children of Freedom.
• Thor accused Brovar of siding with humans, and Brovar explained that an alliance could bring a human blockade or invasion that Mahakam could not withstand.
• Brovar reminded Thor that elves had conquered lands and fought other elder races long before humans arrived.
• Brovar revealed that Nilfgaard had created the Children of Freedom’s slogan and was using the group to advance its ambitions in the north.
• The guards led Thor away, his fervor gone, and he whispered an apology as he passed Lynn.

Lynn received four thousand orens and the adamantine Gwyhyr Sword from Brovar after completing the contract in Mahakam. Geralt gave the sword to Lynn and went to find Istredd, while Lynn vowed to restore the glory of the witchers and preserve the School of the Wolf.

• Brovar rewarded Lynn with four thousand orens and Gwyhyr, which Lynn tested against his steel sword and found undamaged.
• Lynn told Brovar about the Order of Benevolent Apothecaries, and Brovar promised to recover their bodies, bury them properly, and erect a monument.
• Geralt returned from the quarantine ward and reported that the sick miners' rashes and blisters were fading.
• Lynn gave Geralt two thousand orens, but Geralt refused to keep Gwyhyr and insisted Lynn take the sword.
• Geralt left to tell Istredd they could set out together, while Lynn vowed to keep the School of the Wolf from falling apart and restore the witchers' glory.

After the feast in Mahakam, Lynn inspected the Red Miasmal’s valuable remains and considered traveling to Toussaint to pursue a second mutation. Two days later, he and Geralt joined Istredd’s caravan to Dorian, where the group prepared to travel down the Pontar River toward Novigrad.

• Lynn examined the Red Miasmal’s specter dust and stored it to sell to a sorcerer.
• Lynn identified the Red Miasmal’s drop as a greater red mutagen and thought about seeking a second mutation in Toussaint.
• Lynn and Geralt left Mahakam with Istredd’s caravan after recovering from the battle in the abandoned mine.
• The group picked up Yarpen and his companions at a village below the Mahakam Mountains and traveled to Dorian.
• Istredd hired a boat in Dorian to carry the group downstream along the Pontar River to Novigrad.

Lynn and Geralt stocked up on alchemical supplies in Novigrad before the caravan continued north into Talgar, where they learned the history of Lady Benigna and the Curse of the Black Sun. The chapter left the travelers approaching a lamplit inn on a dark road to Talgar City.

• Lynn and Geralt spent nearly fifty orens in Novigrad on alchemical ingredients and silver sword repairs.
• The caravan left Novigrad by ship, crossed Praxaeda Bay, and landed in the Principality of Talgar.
• Lynn recounted how the Curse of the Black Sun had led sorcerers to persecute girls, including Renfri and Lady Benigna.
• Lady Benigna escaped imprisonment, seized power in Talgar, and reportedly ruled harshly.
• Istredd told Lynn and Geralt that scouts had found an inn, and the caravan continued toward its lamplit doors.

Lynn woke to find the inn plunged into darkness and killed an intruder who had crept into his room. Meanwhile, King Lettenhove’s armored assassin ambushed Istredd and revealed that the king had arranged the attack using informants in Talgar.

• After the caravan reached the remote inn, Istredd assigned three men to guard the horses and wagons while Lynn and Geralt bathed and went to sleep.
• Lynn woke in darkness, noticed the stable torches had gone out, and killed a man who dropped from the rafters into his room.
• A towering armored knight attacked Istredd, discovered his bed held only pillows, and seized him after knocking away his dagger.
• The knight told Istredd that King Lettenhove had sent him a message for Istredd’s father, Baldwin Thyssen.
• The knight’s ambush had been arranged after King Lettenhove’s informants in Talgar learned when Istredd would return.