The Band of Brethren

"The Band of Brethren" is a quest in the "Side Effects" premium module.

Walkthrough
When Geralt emerges from his first encounter with Mr. Glover, he meets a dwarf named Gunn Hargis. After a quick introduction and exchange of views. Hargis intimates that he and his "Band of Brethren" are not fond of the kingpin and would like nothing less than to help anyone who might thwart him. Our hero also discovers that the dwarf, a local blacksmith and his three colleages: Griffarin, Gruzil and Navik are all veterans of the war with Nilfgaard and call themselves "The Band of Brethren". There used to be a fifth among them, Kuna, but he disappeared after entering a mysterious portal to look for treasure and was never seen nor heard from again.

It seems this treasure is still within reach for someone as skilled as a witcher, if not the band of veterans. This treasure is offered if Geralt can prove himself worthy to Gunn's three compatriots and Gunn himself. If this condition is met, the blacksmith will reward Geralt with a magical stone which activates the portal. Set our hero sets about his newest task.

Each of the band members has his own idea of what constitutes a test of worth. Griffarin seems to trust only heavyweight drinkers, so Geralt must prove himself to the innkeeper with a drinking contest. Gruvil believes a good fistfighter would make a good addition and so challenges the witcher to a fight. Navik it seems is a talented dice player, so his test involves a little gambling.

Obviously none of these challenges is beyond our hero and he satifies all three of Gunn compatriots, but Gunn has a test of his own: swordplay. Despite Geralt's protests that a dwarf against a witcher in a swordfight is hardly fair, the blacksmith insists on the duel saying that he would love to actually see a witcher in action. And so, the fight ensues, but luckily Hargis is an able swordsman and not interested in a duel to the death. He is properly impressed by the witchers agility and swordsmanship and says as much. He also rewards him with a magical stone which permits the use the place of power in the cemetery as a portal.

He then heads off to the cemetery to find the place of power mentioned by Hargis. Several ghouls, alghouls and a trio of wraiths later, Geralt locates the place of power at the center of the ruined chapel. As he activates the power source, he is immediately teleported to what appears to be an underground elven ruin.

Only a fool would expect anything less beyond a magic portal than a few nasty surprises in addition to the fabled treasure. So the witcher is hardly surprised to find a few wraiths lying in wait. Geralt dispatches them with relative ease and finds a trunk full of the storied riches. He uses the corresponding interior place of power as a portal to return to the cemetery, which has conveniently been repopulated with the undead in their various forms.

Phases

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A Challenge
I met a dwarf named Gunn Hargis. He claims to be the leader of the Band of Brethren. Apparently, they want to help me repay Dandelion's debt, but first they want me to earn their trust. It's all a bit mysterious, but I'll give it a shot. I need to find Gruzil and Griffarin at the Hairy Bear and a man named Navik at the cemetery. Then I can go back and see Gunn at his smithy. I need to earn the trust of all the members of the Band of Brethren.

Griffarin
Griffarin challenged me to a drinking duel. If I best him, I'll earn his trust. I need to outdrink Griffarin.

Heavyweight
I managed to outdrink Griffarin. He promised to tell Gunn that I'm trustworthy. I need to beat all the members of the Band of Brethren.

Navik
Navik considers himself a dice poker champion. If I beat him, I'll earn his trust. I need to outplay Navik at dice.

Lucky Man
I managed to outplay Navik at dice poker. I have his backing now. I need to beat all the members of the Band of Brethren.

Gruzil
Gruzil is champion among the fist fighters at the Hairy Bear. I've got to knock him out if he is to think me trustworthy. I need to defeat Gruzil in a fistfight.

Iron Fist
I beat Gruzil to a pulp. He thinks me a good man now... I need to beat all the members of the Band of Brethren.

Duels
I managed to defeat all three members of the Band of Brethren at their games. They all think they can trust me now... Gunn Hargis will me my final challenge. I'll find him at his forge. Time to go see Gunn

Swords
Gunn wants to duel me to see whether i'm trustworthy - swords are his weapon of choice. I need to best Gunn in a sword fight.

Treasure
The Band of Brethren think me trustworthy enough to let me in on their secret. They also assured me they'd help me deal with Glover. I have the 'key' to their treasure. The entrance is near the Place of Power in the cemetery. Gunn warned me that the elven monster huntress is also interested in the treasure. I can try to open the passage to the treasure.

Passage / Sell the Key to Lorethiel

 * Treasure: I managed to open the passageway. The treasure is within reach. I came here for treasure - I need to find it.
 * Lorethiel: I decided to sell the passageway key to the she-elf. She offered me a good price. I'm not really sure what I'd find in the old elven ruins to which the passage supposedly leads. Five hundred orens is not a bad take on something that sounded so far-fetched.