A Bridge Too Far

Benkelham is a collection of sagging huts and a giant windmill, on a hillside along the eastern side of Velen, and speak to a refugee sitting by a ruined cottage. He hopes you can find out more about a missing merchant caravan. They hired some of the villagers to guide them to a bridge, and the boys haven’t returned. Barter a price for your services if you wish, then remember the name Thomil—the man’s brother who lead the men.

Take the main road north from Benkelham, following its winding path downhill until you discover an upturned cart. Use your Witcher Senses as you take in the scene of this crime. Locate the following:

• Evidence that somebody was bound, but quickly freed using a dull blade.
• Somebody left footprints from a barrel of spilled wine.
• There are claw marks on a nearby rock.
• Someone was running quickly, panicked, and their footprints end suddenly.

You summize that a flying entity swooped down and grabbed the victim, leading you to believe the monster is a wyvern or forktail. The smell of Kaedweni wine lingers for hours, and a trail of this stench leads you uphill, heading roughly northeast.