Recaps

After leaving the villagers behind, Geralt, Witt, and Old Graz traveled to Ban Ard, where Witt examined and charged his rune-engraved crystals. Witt turned the crystals into controllable fire bombs and found himself more sensitive to fire elemental power.

• Geralt led Witt and Old Graz away from the angry villagers after they exposed Lowell as the cause of the griffin attacks, and Hayden burned Lowell's herb field.
• Geralt, Witt, and Old Graz traveled day and night, reaching Ban Ard the following evening with the help of Old Graz's magic.
• Old Graz brought Geralt and Witt to his academy residence, while Geralt took Old Graz to a tavern and Witt settled into his room.
• Witt examined five flame-rune crystals and learned that crystals with more runes could store more fire elemental power.
• Witt filled the crystals with fire elemental power, drew some back out to make them safer to carry, and stored them as makeshift magical bombs.

Witt went to sell a griffin head and met the sorceress Sabrina Glevissig, who recognized his connection to Geralt. After buying the head for her research, Sabrina asked Witt and Geralt to help her with something.

• Witt took the female griffin's head to a magic shop in the academy district to sell it.
• Sabrina Glevissig revealed herself as the shopkeeper and teased Witt about his silver-gray hair and his relationship with Geralt.
• Witt recognized Sabrina and explained that he and Geralt were traveling together and taking contracts.
• Sabrina agreed to buy the griffin head because its arachas toxin could help her cultivate giant thorn tree seedlings.
• Sabrina held back the payment and told Witt she needed help from him and Geralt.

Sabrina hired Witt to investigate reports that the succubus Filarey had caused mage apprentices to disappear, but Witt insisted on determining whether she was truly guilty before killing her. After leaving Sabrina’s shop, he encountered Hector, who was astonished that Witt had emerged unharmed.

• Sabrina told Witt that apprentices from Ban Ard had disappeared after visiting Filarey and asked him to deal with the succubus.
• Witt questioned whether Filarey had actually killed anyone and said he would investigate before deciding whether to kill her.
• Sabrina gave Witt a purse of more than two hundred crowns and offered to make him her lover, but Witt rejected her and left.
• Witt decided to return to Old Graz’s courtyard to tell Geralt what he had learned, then ran into Hector outside Sabrina’s shop.
• Hector asked whether Witt was all right after visiting Sabrina, and Witt reassured him before heading back with Hector following.

Witt returned to Old Graz's home after accepting a commission from a succubus, and Hector set out to investigate the case. Over dinner, Old Graz recognized Witt as a possible Source and urged him to become a mage, but Witt declined and agreed to provide blood for research.

• Witt told Geralt about his commission from the succubus, and Geralt agreed that succubi generally had no reason to harm humans.
• Old Graz suggested that Hector investigate the matter, and Hector left after dinner to make preliminary inquiries.
• Old Graz tried to recruit Witt as a mage and offered to introduce him to Hen Gedymdeith, but Witt said he would stay with Vesemir, Geralt, and the other witchers.
• Old Graz asked Witt for a little blood to help the Brotherhood of Sorcerers study the origins of Sources, and Witt agreed.

Old Graz gave Witt the Ring of Favor as advance payment for his and Geralt's commission, explaining how it could steady chaotic magic. Witt used the ring to cast a stronger Quen without losing consciousness, while Old Graz recognized his unusual talent.

• Old Graz offered Witt the Ring of Favor, which White Raffard had once given him, and Witt initially refused because of its value and significance.
• Old Graz told Witt to forge his own legend and offered the ring as payment for the commission from Lady Sabrina.
• Witt put on the ring and sensed the four elemental forces in the air separating into ordered patterns.
• Old Graz explained that Witt's innate magical talent made him draw chaos magic from the air, and that drawing the wrong elemental force caused him to lose consciousness.
• Witt cast Quen by drawing magic from the air, and the ring filtered out the other elements so the Sign formed a larger shield without making him pass out.

Witt and Geralt learned that Hector’s account of a succubus matched the creature’s features, but Geralt noticed the smell of sulfur on Hector and suspected he was hiding something. They split up, with Witt heading outside the city to search for the succubus while Geralt followed Hector.

• Geralt returned drunk, and Witt explained that Old Graz had already paid him his share with the Ring of Favor.
• Geralt tried the ring but found it had no effect on him, and he warned Witt not to wear it openly.
• Witt spoke with the exhausted Hector, who said his friend Zatt had described a succubus with curled horns, white markings, a seductive fragrance, and sheep’s hooves.
• Witt questioned how Zatt could have seen the succubus’s true features, and Hector said they had used counterspells before leaving to help Old Graz.
• Witt and Geralt noticed sulfur on Hector despite his attempts to mask the smell, then agreed that Witt would search outside the city while Geralt followed Hector.

Witt met Selkirk of Gulet, an important Aedirnian traveling under the guise of a merchant, and learned that Selkirk had come to Blackwater Village seeking a succubus. Witt accepted Selkirk’s commission to find her, while warning him not to pursue romantic fantasies and hinting that the succubus might be implicated in a murder.

• Witt entered Blackwater Village and went to the tavern, where he encountered an Aedirnian caravan.
• Selkirk of Gulet offered Witt ale, and Witt introduced himself as Witt of Lyria and insisted on paying.
• Selkirk asked Witt for information about the succubus, claiming he was curious about the creature after reading about her.
• Witt warned Selkirk that a succubus was a monster and could not bear him offspring, but Selkirk denied wanting that and called her an angel of love and desire.
• Witt accepted Selkirk’s commission to find the succubus and asked whether he wanted her implicated in a murder.

Witt used the Axii Sign to question the tavern keeper about Filarey and found beggartick flowers in her room, which pointed toward damp caves. He set off into the night with Selkirk and several caravan men to search for the succubus.

• Witt used the Axii Sign on the tavern keeper, who revealed that Filarey had visited the tavern at night until rumors about her being a succubus drove her away four or five days earlier.
• Witt took Selkirk upstairs to Filarey's room, where they found a strong sulfur smell and dried flowers scattered across the floor.
• Witt identified the flowers as beggartick, which grew in damp caves and helped succubi cast charm magic.
• Witt returned Selkirk's crowns and urged him to go home, but Selkirk insisted on finding Filarey that night.
• Witt and Selkirk left the tavern with several of Selkirk's caravan men to search for nearby caves.

Witt followed Selkirk into a forest, where they found a cave surrounded by the corpses of men who had been killed and moved there by magic. Witt cleared the cave entrance with an Aard Sign and discovered that Selkirk was a prince, then continued the contract by entering the cave.

• Witt led Selkirk and his men into the forest, where they followed hoofprints and other traces toward a cave.
• Witt found more than a dozen dead men and determined that their fatal wounds came from blades, not the succubus.
• Witt concluded that someone had magically moved the bodies and found signs that the succubus was inside the cave.
• Witt used an Aard Sign to clear the rocks from the cave entrance, and the blast knocked Selkirk off his feet.
• Selkirk's men called him Your Highness, but Selkirk reaffirmed the contract, and Witt entered the cave.

Witt and Selkirk discovered that the succubus Filarey and the missing villagers had been killed, and Witt suspected the mage’s apprentice Hector. As they returned to Ban Ard, a great fire erupted in the city, and Witt hurried there while Anseis led his caravan away.

• Witt and Selkirk found Filarey dead in her cave, surrounded by the bodies of missing people.
• Witt burned the bodies and discovered an intricate magic circle carved into the rubble near the cave entrance.
• Witt told Selkirk that he suspected Hector had killed the victims and meant to frame Filarey.
• Witt and Selkirk saw flames rising over Ban Ard as they returned through Blackwater Village.
• Selkirk revealed his real name, Anseis, gave Witt a horse, and rode south with his caravan.
• Witt galloped toward Ban Ard to investigate the fire.

Witt reached Ban Ard Academy and joined Geralt and the wounded Old Graz as they confronted Hector, who admitted to murdering the succubus and other victims. Witt shattered Hector’s protective necklace, but a portal opened and Hector escaped with a mysterious master.

• Witt entered the burning city and found Old Graz injured while Geralt guarded him from Hector.
• Hector confessed that he had killed the succubus and used her to eliminate apprentices, then blamed Old Graz for favoring Witt and Zatt.
• Witt baited Hector into an attack, blocked it with Quen, and struck him with the Igni Sign until his protective necklace shattered.
• Witt’s sword strike was stopped by another magical defense, and a portal opened behind Hector.
• Hector begged his master to save him, claimed he had completed his assigned task, and vanished through the portal.

Witt realized Hector Rience was working for Vilgefortz after learning Rience had stolen Idarran's Forbidden Blood Transfusion Technique. As Old Graz recovered, he revealed that Hector had also stolen Witt's blood sample, leaving Witt to reassure him.

• Witt stayed with the wounded Old Graz while Geralt went to find a doctor, and Graz explained that Hector had trapped the other mages with dimeritium magic circles.
• Sabrina arrived and revealed that Hector had stolen Idarran's Forbidden Blood Transfusion Technique and its blood transfusion apparatus.
• Witt connected Hector and the stolen technique to Vilgefortz, whom he recognized as a dangerous figure from the future.
• Sabrina healed Old Graz, then left through a portal to report the incident to King Henselt and the Brotherhood of Sorcerers.
• Old Graz confessed that Hector had stolen Witt's blood sample, and Witt told him not to blame himself.

After Old Graz discovered that Witt’s blood carried unusual elven traits and might be Elder Blood, Witt worried that Vilgefortz could target him. He calmed himself by considering Vilgefortz’s priorities and decided to pursue a plan to grow stronger and expose him.

• Old Graz told Witt that his blood showed elven vitality and magic, then warned him to keep the discovery secret after suspecting it might be Elder Blood.
• Witt realized Rience’s blood sample could have alerted Vilgefortz to his possible Elder Blood and worried he was not yet strong enough to face him.
• Old Graz reassured Witt that fate did not have to make him its prisoner, and Witt reasoned that Vilgefortz would avoid exposing himself while his plans with Emhyr remained at risk.
• Geralt returned with bread and wine and teased Old Graz, helping Witt regain his composure.
• Witt chose not to tell Geralt or Old Graz about Vilgefortz, and resolved to strengthen himself and gather stronger evidence against the mage.

Witt told Geralt he wanted to undergo the School of the Wolf's advanced Trial of the Grasses so he could choose his own fate, and Geralt agreed after warning him of the danger. They prepared to return to Kaer Morhen by way of Ard Carraigh, where the last bruxa tongue needed for the decoction was held by a mage named Laud Böll.

• Witt told Geralt he wanted to undergo the advanced Trial of the Grasses, though he would not reveal his exact reason.
• Geralt worried about the trial's dangers, but Old Graz encouraged Witt and Geralt eventually agreed to take him to Kaer Morhen after a difficult contract in Ard Carraigh.
• Geralt gave Old Graz a list of ingredients for the advanced decoction, then told Witt the complete formula.
• Old Graz returned with a vial of forktail spinal fluid and said Laud Böll had the academy's last bruxa tongue in Ard Carraigh.
• Witt said he would go buy the bruxa tongue, and Old Graz confirmed that Laud Böll was already in Ard Carraigh on an academy assignment.

Witt and Geralt left Ban Ard for Ard Carraigh, and Witt reunited with Anseis’s black horse, naming her Grape. On the fifth night, they heard villagers claim monsters were emerging from Ard Carraigh’s sewers and eating people, possibly because of experiments in the inner city.

• Witt and Geralt left Ban Ard and chose to travel overland rather than take a boat.
• Anseis’s black horse returned to Witt, and Geralt heard how Witt had met Anseis, the prince of Lyria and Rivia.
• Witt named the horse Grape, and he and Geralt rode south toward Ard Carraigh while searching for Foglets and contract work.
• Witt and Geralt reached a village outside Ard Carraigh on the fifth night and stayed there rather than enter the city.
• Witt and Geralt overheard two villagers say monsters were emerging from the city’s sewers and eating people, and one suspected the inner city’s officials were conducting experiments.

Geralt identified the sewer monster as an Idr Giant Centipede and made killing it Witt’s advancement trial. When the witchers tried to enter Ard Carraigh, guard captain Frank accused them of spying and arson and ordered his soldiers to seize them.

• Geralt questioned two drunk villagers and heard their account of a giant centipede with a human face in the sewers.
• Geralt explained to Witt that the monster was likely an Idr Giant Centipede that had reached the city through a portal in the elven ruins.
• Geralt told Witt that killing the centipede would serve as his advancement trial, and the two planned to enter Ard Carraigh the next morning.
• At the city gate, Frank refused to admit Geralt and Witt despite their offer to help with the monster.
• Frank accused the departing witchers of being spies behind the Ban Ard arson and ordered the guards to seize them.

Witt and Geralt avoided arrest in Ard Carraigh when Laud Böll intervened and revealed that Ban Ard Academy had invited them. They agreed to help Laud negotiate with the Iron Rat Gang for the bruxa tongue, while pursuing their own hunt for the Idr Giant Centipede.

• Frank ordered his soldiers to arrest Witt and Geralt, but Laud Böll arrived and stopped them with a display of magic.
• Laud told Frank that the academy had invited the witchers and that they had helped defeat the arsonist, so Frank let them enter Ard Carraigh.
• Geralt and Witt thanked Laud, who admitted that the academy's mission was not about the Idr Giant Centipede and that the Iron Rat Gang held the bruxa tongue as collateral for his unpaid brothel bill.
• Witt suggested negotiating with the Iron Rat Gang, whose local connections could also help them find a Foglet brain, and Geralt agreed.
• Laud asked Witt his name, then wondered whether witchers all made up names for themselves.

Witt, Geralt, and Laud reached the Iron Rat Gang’s underground headquarters to settle Laud’s debt, and Witt impressed Brody by swiftly overpowering an enforcer. Brody assigned the witchers to kill a giant centipede in the sewers after learning more people had gone missing, while the gang celebrated a new hundred-win arena champion.

• Laud led Witt and Geralt through the slums and underground passages to Iron Rat House, where they met the gang’s leader, Brody.
• When an enforcer threatened Laud, Witt broke the man’s hand, and he stood his ground during a tense confrontation with Brody.
• A subordinate reported that several more people, including workers who commuted from the inner city, had gone missing.
• Brody asked Witt and his companions to kill the giant centipede in the sewers to repay Laud’s debt and sent Carlson to take them to the storeroom for preparations.
• As Carlson led the witchers away, the crowd cheered the arena’s new hundred-win champion, whose bloodstained cloth was hung among the banners.

Witt and Geralt secured ingredients and equipment from the Iron Rat Gang to prepare for hunting the giant centipede. After brewing their potions and sword oil, they meditated and rested while waiting for nightfall.

• Witt and Geralt requested ingredients for their potions and sword oil, and Carlson supplied them along with several ingredients as advance payment.
• Geralt asked Carlson for an alchemy room, and Carlson arranged an empty cave and promised to take them to the giant centipede’s last sighting once they were ready.
• Witt and Geralt discussed Brody the Big Rat’s influence and decided how to divide the alchemy work, assigning Laud to assist Geralt.
• Witt and Geralt brewed two bottles each of Tawny Owl, Pops Potion, and Insectoid Sword Oil, plus three bottles of Cat Potion.
• Witt and Geralt meditated to prepare for the night’s hunt while Laud lay down to rest.

Witt and Geralt entered the sewers to track the giant centipede, but first Witt tested his homemade magic crystal bomb on a nest of drowners. The blast devastated the nest and left Geralt furious at Witt’s claim that the bomb was only about as powerful as a Dancing Star Bomb.

• Witt and Geralt followed the centipede’s tracks into the sewers, where Geralt identified drowner footprints at a fork.
• Witt and Geralt chose to deal with the drowners before pursuing the giant centipede and crept toward their nest.
• Witt charged a magic crystal with fire magic and hurled it into the drowner nest.
• The bomb exploded with tremendous force, vaporizing water and scattering drowner limbs and blood.
• Geralt dragged Witt to the ground and shouted that the bomb was far more powerful than Witt had claimed.

After Witt’s oversized magic crystal blast destroyed the drowner nest, Geralt and Witt continued tracking the Idr Giant Centipede. The explosion caused panic in Ard Carraigh, and Ashford ordered Frank to arrest the people responsible, including the witchers.

• Witt admitted he had overcharged the magic crystal, then collected drowner trophies and continued with Geralt through the other sewer passage.
• The explosion’s roar frightened nobles in the inner city, who mistook it for an attack by Nilfgaard’s army.
• Ashford told Henselt that the commotion was only an earthquake, and Henselt ordered him to deal with the monsters in the slums and the Iron Rat Gang.
• Ashford beat Frank at the city guard barracks and learned that Laud Böll had let two witchers into the city to handle the sewer monsters.
• Ashford ordered Frank to find the source of the tremor and arrest everyone there, while Frank resolved to teach the two witchers a lesson.

Witt and Geralt tracked the Idr Giant Centipede into an underground cavern and fought off its sudden attacks. They killed it with coordinated sword strikes and a Yrden Sign, then Geralt identified its venom gland as its only valuable part.

• Witt and Geralt followed fresh tracks through the elven ruins into a cavern where the Idr Giant Centipede ambushed them from underground.
• Geralt dodged the first attack, and Witt evaded the next before using an Aard Sign against the ground to knock the centipede off balance and cut it in two.
• The wounded Idr Giant Centipede escaped underground, and Geralt warned Witt that its humanlike cries were meant to lure prey and lower their guard.
• Witt cast a Yrden Sign as the centipede tunneled above them, and both witchers dodged its attack before the Sign trapped it.
• Witt and Geralt cut the trapped centipede's head into three sections, killing it, and Geralt pointed out its venom gland as the valuable part.

Witt and Geralt discovered an air-element Place of Power beneath the collapsed elven ruins, where Witt gained an air rune and Geralt absorbed elemental power. They planned to tell Vesemir and the others about the newly found place.

• A tremor collapsed the elven ruins beside the cave and reopened a passage beneath them.
• Witt and Geralt followed a white light and discovered an air-element Place of Power beneath the ruins.
• Witt entered the chamber and was lifted high by a gale released from the air rune.
• Witt used the Ring of Favor to calm the gale, land safely, and absorb an air rune into his left forearm.
• Geralt absorbed air elemental power from the stone pillar, and Witt suggested they tell Vesemir and the others about the Place of Power.

Witt and Geralt found and shut down the portal that had brought the Idr Giant Centipede into the elven ruins. Aboveground, Billy warned the Iron Rat Gang that the city guard had surrounded the dump, and Brody chose to avoid a fight and get Laud out of the city.

• Witt and Geralt traced the Idr Giant Centipede's tracks to an elven portal and discovered that air-element runes kept it active.
• Witt sensed the wind's path to a hidden mechanism, and Geralt removed its magic crystal, shutting down the portal.
• Billy told Brody and Carlson that the city guard had surrounded the southern dump and arrested Uncle Paulie.
• Brody and Carlson decided the Iron Rat Gang could not fight the city guard, and Billy tried to leave to rescue the captured residents before Brody's men stopped him.
• Brody ordered his men to return the witchers' payment and collateral to Laud and help him escape the city through the tunnels.

Witt and Geralt were ambushed by city guards after killing the sewer monster, and Geralt fought his way through them. When Frank’s men attacked with bombs, Witt awakened powerful wind magic and turned the explosives back on them before Geralt carried him into the elven ruins.

• Witt and Geralt encountered armed city guards, who mistook their potion-blackened eyes for those of demons.
• The captain ordered the soldiers to fire, and Geralt killed him and two other guards while the survivors fled in terror.
• Frank arrived with bomb throwers and revealed that someone from the Iron Rat Gang had told him where to find the witchers.
• As bombs flew toward them, Witt commanded a gale that reversed their course and sent them exploding among Frank’s men.
• Witt lost consciousness, and Geralt carried him into the elven ruins, intending to escape through the portal.