Defending Kaer Morhen



Defending Kaer Morhen is the very first quest of the game and it spans the entirety of the Prologue. It is the game tutorial.

Walkthrough
In this quest, our hero learns (or re-learns) to use a sword, fight bad guys both big and small, not to mention groups of them, cast signs, brew potions and skin monsters. He learns the basics of what he can do and gets a taste for what he could do. All this as he and his fellow witchers try to fend off an attack on the keep by the nefarious Salamandra organization.

After being found, unconscious in the woods outside Kaer Morhen, Geralt is taken back to the fortress and nursed back to health. The witcher is just beginning to get his bearing when the fortress is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang led by at least one mage and a notorious outlaw known only as the "Professor". This wanted criminal has promised 50 orens for every witcher killed, so his hired crew is quite keen on getting a bit of extra cash.

Knowing there is not time to lose and that no resources should be wasted, Vesemir presses Geralt into service, telling him to simply grab a sword from one of the training forms and help fend off the assault. The witchers, with the help of Triss, manage to hold off the onslaught long enough to reach the gate to the inner courtyard

Beyond this point in the game, Geralt must choose whether to save the lab with Triss, fighting Savolla along the way, or with Vesemir and the other witchers against Savolla's creation, the frightener.

A Sword
I must remove the sword from the training form. I need the sword that's in the training form.

The First Sword
I need to help the witchers kill the bandits! I need to attack the bandits!

Assault on Kaer Morhen
The other witchers and I managed to kill the bandits. Though I lost my memory, I'm certain of one thing: the bandits were after me and my friends. I should follow Vesemir, the oldest and wisest of us all. I should follow the witchers.

The Gate is Shut!
The bandits have closed the gate to the Upper Courtyard. We are cut off from the keep. I need to lift the gate. Vesemir suggested that I follow the fortress walls to the tower. ''I must get to the courtyard, climb the stairs and run along the top of the wall to the tower. When I arrive in the Upper Courtyard, I can try to open the gate from inside.''

Opening the Gate
I disposed of the bandits guarding the gate. Now I need to open it. I must open the gate.

Preparing to Fight
We're safe for now. Vesemir told me to drink the potion he gave me and to check the fortress interior. I must drink the Thunderbolt potion and explore the fortress interior.

A Potion
I drank the Thunderbolt potion. Now I need to enter the fortress and find the underground laboratory. I should pass through the main hall before descending the stairs. ''I drank the Thunderbolt potion. Now I need to enter the fortress and go to the underground laboratory.''

The Aard Sign
One of the bandits is a mage. He cut off our way out. Leo will lead me to the Circle of Elements, where I can learn the Aard Sign, a telekinetic spell that will help me clear the exit. I must follow Leo and learn the Aard Sign.

The Circle of Elements
I learned a Sign called the Aard. I can use it to remove the stones blocking the passage. I should use the Aard Sign on the stones blocking the exit.



Moving Inside Kaer Morhen / The Courtyard

 * Triss: Triss and Vesemir argued, and I backed the sorceress - we should defend the laboratory. We ran inside Kaer Morhen to see what was happening. or
 * Vesemir: I must kill the frightener in the courtyard. It's susceptible to sound... Those bells and siege cauldrons should produce some noise if I target them with the Aard Sign. I must slay the frightener in the courtyard. I can use sound to kill it.

To the Laboratory!

 * Triss: I killed Savolla. Now I need to get to the laboratory. I must run to the lab. or
 * Vesemir: I killed the frightener. I must run to the laboratory, see how Triss and Eskel dealt with the intruders. I killed the frightener. I must get to the laboratory. (2000 XP)

Revenge

 * Triss: The bandits who attacked Kaer Morhen shouted the word "Salamandra" - probably the name of their organization. I won't let Salamandra get away with attacking the witchers. I'm a witcher myself. I'll avenge Leo's death and recover the secrets stolen from Kaer Morhen. I aim to avenge Leo's death and punish those thieves called Salamanders who stole the witchers' secrets. (4000 XP) or
 * Vesemir: The bandits who attacked Kaer Morhen shouted the word "Salamandra" - probably the name of their organization. I won't let Salamandra get away with attacking the witchers. I'm a witcher myself. I'll avenge Leo's death and recover the secrets stolen from Kaer Morhen. I aim to avenge Leo's death and punish those thieves called Salamanders who stole the witchers' secrets. (4000 XP)

This concludes the quest.