Stepping Forward With Sven: Snuffing Out The Woodland Spirit

Choose Sven’s way, and begin a meticulous search of marked villagers. Sven isn’t correct about Harald. In fact, it is the washerwoman Hilde. You’ll usually find her near the irrigation stream to the north of the village, that bears the leshen’s mark. Return to Sven, who’s making unsubstantiated claims about the village elders mating with beasts. He’s taken aback when you reveal the marked villager is Hilde. His hubris shrivels away, and he agrees to the banishment you recommended. However, if you told Sven that they need to get rid of the marked person, and he doesn’t know it’s Hilde, she is taken away and killed. You are now free to destroy the leshen’s three totems (see below).

Enter the woods again, and search for the three small objective areas. Beware of wolves; they are a constant nuisance during your search and destruction. When you reach a totem (a collection of animal bones and skulls fashioned into a fetish), utilize your Igni Sign and burn each into cinders. The leshen has sensed you and sends tree roots to stab and wound, and more wolves to waylay you. Keep moving and dismantling totem as you go.

When the third totem is burning, locate the objective area, and use your Witcher Senses—the echoes of the angered leshen can be “seen” as gray circular pulses. Approach them and the leshen duly appears.

Out of the forest a giant, skull-faced spirit summons its flock of ravens, three ravenous wolves, and attacks with tree roots and a variety of slashing from its mighty claws. Use trees for cover as you defeat this hardy opponent.

Sven’s Way: Usurper

Return to Fayrlund. Meet Sven at the tree carved totem in the middle of the village, where he has murdered Harald and the elders. Not to worry, your agreement still stands and your coin is awarded. Other villagers are shocked at the bloodshed.

You can:

• Tell Sven you can’t let this murder slide, and that everyone saw it happen. You must thenleave them, and stay out of his business.
• You can stay out of Sven’s business.

Either way, the quest concludes.