 "Evil's Soft First Touches"
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Details | |
Type |
Main quest |
Expansion |
Hearts of Stone |
Suggested level |
32 |
Location(s) |
The Seven Cats Garin Estate Oxenfurt |
Region(s) |
Novigrad |
Source |
Travelling to Velen for the first time / Starting a new game with the option "Hearts of Stone only" |
Reward |
473 – 625  / 450 
|
Related |
Dead Man's Party Open Sesame! Scenes From a Marriage Whatsoever a Man Soweth… |
Evil's First Soft Touches is the first main quest available in the Hearts of Stone expansion.
Journal entry[ | ]
- When Geralt later told me the story which began at the Seven Cats Inn notice board, he mentioned he had felt drawn to that place, as if some strange, undefined force wanted him to appear there on that day and at that time. I didn’t give this remark a second thought until I heard the tale to its conclusion, and realized its beginning had been no accident...
- And it began like this: One day Geralt arrived at the Seven Cats Inn in search of his next contract. He perused the notices hanging there, yet found none to be of much interest, and was about to go on his way when a man came to nail a new parchment to the board. The notice announced a certain Olgierd von Everec, residing in the nearby Garin Estate, was looking for someone to kill a dangerous monster lurking in the Oxenfurt sewers. “Sounds like a job for me,” thought Geralt, and he set off to see this Olgierd and learn more about the contract. Little did he know this was to be the beginning of a great adventure, one filled with both delightful diversions and deadly dangers…
- As you might have guessed, what looked like a run-of-the-mill monster hunt, the kind Geralt had already completed countless times, turned out to be but the very tip of a very large iceberg. The first icy underwater hunk exposed itself when Geralt quite unexpectedly encountered our old friend Shani, an Oxenfurt medic, in the sewers during his hunt for the toad monster. He promised to visit her as soon as he took care of his task, and kept his promise – but not before going on quite the detour.
- When Olgierd mentioned rumors floating around that the sewer monster was an enchanted prince, the thought never even occurred to Geralt to grant them any credence. When he finally found and slew the beast, he learned the error of this disbelief. Once slaughtered, the toad revealed itself to be, as rumored, a prince. Geralt was dumbstruck – partly by this surprise twist, I’m sure, but mostly by the poisonous gasses that had escaped from the toad’s body and still filled the air. He was thus in no state to resist the unit of heavily armed men led by a mage which suddenly appeared and captured him.
- When he next awoke, he was on a ship, imprisoned with a strange man who informed him they were bound for Ofier. There Geralt was to be executed for the crime of killing the Ofieri crown prince. Geralt was wracking his brain for a way to jump out of this pot of trouble, when, suddenly, out of the shadows came Gaunter O’Dimm, a merchant Geralt had met earlier on his path, with an offer of help. The merchant charged a high price for his assistance: he left his mark on Geralt’s face and forced him to make an open-ended promise of repayment. And then… then a terrible storm broke out, flinging the ship against the rocks.
- Geralt made it out of the resulting chaos unscathed and went to meet O’Dimm. The merchant asked him to carry out three wishes for the man who'd sent him after the toad, Olgierd von Everec. Willing or not, Geralt agreed, and the two set off together to the Garin estate. Once there, they discovered the manor was on fire. The witcher decided to see what was afoot.
- Near the burning manor two of Olgierd’s men were setting up the execution of a third. Geralt decided to intervene. As soon as he did, Olgierd emerged from the manor – and did not stand idly while Geralt interfered with his orders. Instead he engaged Geralt in unrestrained combat, during which the witcher sliced off his head. This proved but a temporary setback for Olgierd, who simply placed his decapitated head back on the bloody stump of his neck. It then became crystal clear Geralt was dealing with no mere mortal.
- Soon thereafter Master Mirror appeared and introduced Geralt to Olgierd, explaining the witcher would, as his assistant, carry out Olgierd’s three wishes. This turn of events did not please Olgierd one bit, but he clearly had no choice but to agree and tell Geralt his wishes. For his first, he demanded Geralt bring him the house of Maximillian Borsodi, and for the second, he asked Geralt to show his brother, Vlodimir von Everec, the time of his life. Geralt then turned his attentions to these labors…
Walkthrough[ | ]
- Check the notice board outside the Seven Cats Inn
- Defeat your opponent. (78+2
) - Go see Olgierd von Everec about the contract (78 )
- Optionally find and read auction house letter about the sculpture Olgierd bought
- Enter the Oxenfurt sewers
- Search the sewers using your Witcher Senses
- Go to the spot where the monster attacked Shani and the Redanian soldiers
- Find the key to the lower level of the sewers and Redanian Army orders note using your Witcher Senses
- Search the lower level of the sewers using your Witcher Senses
- Find the monster's lair
- Kill the monster (216 )
- (Optional) Defeat the Ofieri warriors (72 )
- Meet Master Mirror at midnight at the crossroads beneath the willows (108 )
- Defeat Olgierd
- Go see Olgierd (144 , 450 )
Notes[ | ]
- After entering the mansion, telling Olgierd's men that they are idiots, will lead to a fist fight, yielding an additional 78 .
- After killing the monster in the sewers, Geralt is captive on a ship, ask to see the captain. Choose the 3rd option in the dialogue, to gain an additional 72 .
- Returning to the mansion to see Olgierd, Geralt can decide to help a man about to be beheaded, if so, a fight with Olgierd himself will occur. The pretty tough fight does not yield anything though.
Characters[ | ]
Gallery[ | ]
Geralt encounters Shani down in the Oxenfurt sewers, trying to save the life of a soldier.
At the end of a scent trail: Sodden letter.
Another note next to the metal gate.
Preparing the trap for the monster.
The monster turns out to be an Ofieri prince after all.
Geralt imprisoned by the Ofieris on board a ship. Master Mirror offers to help get Geralt out.
Master Mirror's mark of "debt" on Geralt's face.
The ship is wrecked in a storm. Geralt about to free himself.
Master Mirror has a request Geralt cannot refuse.
Garin Estate, ablaze.
Geralt, Master Mirror and Olgierd.
