Of Monsters and Men

Of Monsters and Men is the first major quest Geralt undertakes after the Prologue (which was essentially a game tutorial). It spans the entirety of Act I and introduces several major characters.

Walkthrough
As Act I of the game opens, we see a woman, Caroline, accompanied by a child, Alvin, walking through the outskirts of Vizima in the dark. They seem to be in a hurry and Alvin is tired, but Caroline will not relent, they must reach their destination. Suddenly, they come upon some dogs seemingly intent on eating something ... but what is it?

Caroline soon realizes that these are no ordinary dogs, and orders Alvin to run as fast as his feet will carry him to the country Inn which is now within reach. Alvin barely reaches the relative safety of the palisade surrounding the Inn, but Caroline is not so lucky as the guards close the gate leaving her to the barghests.

Meanwhile, Geralt has arrived just in time to witness Alvin's dramatic entrance and the barghest attack. He quickly dispatches the hounds, but the strange happenings are not over yet.


 * Note: while killing the barghests, it is very easy to accidentally click on the guards and turn them from allies into extra enemies. While this is not catastrophic, it is much easier not to do so, but should you do so, once the battle is over, Geralt-guard relations will go back to normal.


 * Killing mercenaries (as opposed to militia or guards) seems to result in Geralt being pursued by a headhunter. This headhunter is apparently quite a tough opponent.

Just when things seem to be calming down, Alvin begins to prophesy and this will not be the last of his prophesies. It is at this point that Shani, who is also passing through on her way to Vizima arrives on the scene. She tells Geralt about Salamandra and also about the Reverend. She takes Alvin under her wing, and promises to try to find a local woman to take him in.

It is through the Reverend that Geralt will meet most of the people he meets in the outskirts. It is also the Reverend who ultimately divulges the location of the Salamandra hideout. So it is the Reverend that Geralt must please through a variety of tasks, most notably carrying the fire to the five shrines of the Eternal Flame. This lighting of the shrines can only be done during the night. The Reverend believes this will stop the barghest attacks. If it fails to do so, Geralt must talk to the Reverend again, even if it means waking him from sleep.

During the night Geralt will likely have cause to seek out Abigail the local witch. He finds young Alvin has been taken in by Abigail. It is at Abigail's that Alvin utters his second prophesy while under the influence of a tea brewed using white myrtle petals. But in order for this to happen, at the request of Abigail the petals for this must be gathered by Geralt from nearby bushes or bought from a merchant at the Inn. In order to recognise the mrytle plant, Geralt must buy an expensive (200) book from Abigail, a guide to the field plants that grow in the area. Geralt must also have acquired the Intelligence / Herbalism ability. Without both the book and the Herbalism skill, Geralt cannot recognise the bushes, and must resort to buying the petals from a Merchant at the Inn.

Over the course of the Act, Alvin will pass from Shani's care to Abigail's, briefly to the Reverend and finally to more sinister guardians.

At the very end of this quest, Geralt is faced with the first of his major moral dilemmas. Should he help Abigail, or leave her to the Reverend and his rabid followers? This decision will have lasting repercussions either way.

Geralt then fights the Beast in an impenetrable circle of fire, and the Beast summons multiple barghests. Geralt always dies in this battle unless he has previously: i) significantly developed his Ahrd casting skill; ii) obtained Specter Oil and applied it to his blade; iii) has recently swallowed Willow and/or Blizzard potions; or iv) has many Swallow potions and the dexterity to take them during battle. If he has none of these, he will die.
 * Note: there is no way to save a game before the final Beast fight, so if you have none of the above items you will probably have to go back about six hours in your savegames, and start over before the Salamader section of the plot in Act One. You will then have to play all the way through the Salamader section again.

Gallery

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 * -valign="bottom"
 * [[Image:People_Alvin_full.png|57px|Alvin]] || [[Image:People_Shani_full.png|65px|Shani]] || [[Image:People_Reverend_full.png|84px|the Reverend]] ||[[Image:People_Abigail_full.png|64px|Abigail]]
 * }

The Beasts Beyond the Gate
I must kill the creatures that attacked the woman and child before they slaughter everyone inside the palisade. I must kill the beasts that attacked the woman and child. (500 XP)

The Good Shepherd
When the Beast attacked, the boy was terrified. He went into a magical trance and uttered a prophecy. It seems the Outskirts have mysteries of their own. To fathom them, apparently I should see the Reverend. I must see the Reverend if I want to solve the mysteries of the Outskirts.

The Holy Flame


The Reverend asked me to slay the Beast. He believes that the Holy Flame should be lit in all the chapels around the village. I doubt that will help, but I've decided to do it, as a favor for him. I must visit the five chapels at night and light a flame in each. I must visit the five chapels of the Eternal Fire at night and light a flame in each.

The Dying of the Light
I lit the fires in the chapels but, as I expected, that didn't do any good. I should tell the Reverend he was mistaken. ''Lighting the fires did not drive the barghests away. I should inform the Reverend''.

The Witch
I lit the fires in the chapels but that didn't help. The Reverend wants me to learn where the Beast came from. The local witch is his chief suspect. I should call on her. I should visit the witch. (100 + 500 XP)

The Witch's Innocence
The witch claims she had nothing to do with the appearance of the Beast, denying the Reverend's charge. The witch says she is innocent.

White Myrtle Petals


The witch Abigail claims she can learn more about the Beast if she can encourage Alvin's prophetic abilities by having him drink a magical potion. I need to bring her five measures of white myrtle petals. I must bring the witch five white myrtle petals.

Myrtle Gathered
I have the myrtle and should take it to Abigail. I should see the witch again.

Brewing
I brought the witch white myrtle petals. She needs some time to prepare the concoction. I should look around for other work. ''The witch promised to brew the potion. I should return in a while.''

Alvin's Prophecy
Alvin's prophecy is clear. The Beast was born of human wickedness and evil. It will continue to haunt the Outskirts as long as those who have wronged others remain unpunished. Prophecies be what they may, Abigail decided to help me in case I need to face the Beast sword in hand. She gave me Berengar's notes, which may help me defeat the monster. It's time to report what I've learned to the Reverend. I must see the Reverend, tell him what I've learned about the beast.
 * It is possible to skip this phase, Geralt will receive Berengar's notes later in that case.

Waiting for a Solution
The Reverend promised to deal with the Beast. It's time I did what I need to do and dealt with Salamandra... ''It's time I dealt with Salamandra. There are some things I need to do...'' (200 + 500 XP)

The Witch is Cornered
I found the witch inside this cave where she's hiding from a mob of villagers who are out to lynch her. Apparently, she knew of the villagers' crimes but did nothing about them. I must go outside and pass judgment. I must face the mob of villagers outside and pass judgment.

The Beast is Dead
{|
 * width=30 |
 * Killed the beast, let the reverend lynch Abigail: I passed judgment and killed the Beast. It was a hard fight. There's nothing keeping me here now. I must see the Reverend and get a letter of safe conduct that will get me inside Vizima. (300 + 2000 XP + Berengar's notes on the Beast if you did not get them from Abigail earlier) or
 * width=30 |
 * Killed the beast, let the reverend lynch Abigail: I passed judgment and killed the Beast. It was a hard fight. There's nothing keeping me here now. I must see the Reverend and get a letter of safe conduct that will get me inside Vizima. (2000 XP + Berengar's notes on the Beast if you did not get them from Abigail earlier) or
 * width=30 |
 * Killed the beast and saved Abigail: I passed judgment and killed the Beast. It was a hard fight. There's nothing keeping me here now. I must see the Reverend and get a letter of safe conduct that will get me inside Vizima.
 * width=30 |
 * Killed the beast and saved Abigail: I passed judgment and killed the Beast. It was a hard fight. There's nothing keeping me here now. I must see the Reverend and get a letter of safe conduct that will get me inside Vizima.
 * Killed the beast and saved Abigail: I passed judgment and killed the Beast. It was a hard fight. There's nothing keeping me here now. I must see the Reverend and get a letter of safe conduct that will get me inside Vizima.

Gratitude
Abigail thanked me for saving her. It's time I was on my way. I should go to the inn and get Shani as we agreed. I must go to the inn and get Shani. (2500 XP)
 * }

Lidé a nestvůry Von Monstren und Menschen De monstruos y hombres Des monstres et des hommes Mostri e uomini A szörnyről és az emberről Ludzie i potwory О людях и чудовищах