Spooked Mare

A Peasant’s Plea

On the riverside pathway north of Crossroads, and southeast of the eastern gate into Oxenfurt, lies a peasant’s cottage with a perturbed inhabitant. He pleads with you to find his mare—a “woodland spook” made off with her. Agree to find the horse, and use your Witcher Senses on the hoofprints adjacent to the peasant.

Track the hoofprints south and southeast, across a pond, and into a forested area heading eastwards and upslope slightly. Pause for a swift fight against a pack of seven wolves, before continuing to track the prints to a makeshift pen, and a group of Scoia’tael.

Nothing Here For You, Vatt’ghern

Venture into the enclosure, and you’re stopped by the Scoia’tael commander, whose imposed stature masks the terrible state he and his brethren are in. They are gathering horses to transport their wounded, and don’t have the crowns to buy any. Your reaction to the elf marks you for the rest of this quest. You can tell the Scoia’tael:

That one of the horses is going back to its owner: The Scoia’tael’s tone turns threatening. Placate or encourage violence by:

• (100 Crowns) Paying for the peasant’s horse. You can now choose the gray mare, and ride it back to the peasant’s cottage.
• (Axii Delusion Level 2) Requesting the Scoia’tael give you the horse. Take only one horse; try to pick a different horse or more than one, and the elves turn violent.

Or start a fight with the elves.

• They need the horses more than the peasants. The elf agrees, there is no combat, but your quest fails.

If your meeting with the Scoia’tael ends violently, you have four adversaries to slay, and an additional four horses that become spooked. Calm them using your Witcher Senses, and then use Axii to calm it down, so you’re able to ride the horse without being thrown off.

End: A Bit of Horse Play

Return to the peasant’s cottage riding a horse—any horse except for Roach. If the horse is a gray mare, he thanks you for your diligence. If the horse is a Wild Horse, the peasant remarks that the beast isn’t the mare he asked for, but he pays you your reward anyway. Either way, the quest then concludes.