Contract: Muire D'yaeblen is a contract quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
- Craving glory and gold? Got a sharp blade and not afeared of death? Them come see Bjorg the master boatbuilder, for he's got work for you.
- It's the muire d'yeablen in the Kaer Trolde bay - they need to be killed, for they've multiplied and grown so fierce you run into them every time you leave the harbor.
- Kill the beasts, and you'll become famed throughout all the isles, and your purse'll be heavy with gold.
Walkthrough[]
This quest can be picked up a few different ways:
- from Kaer Trolde Harbor's notice board
- speaking to Bjorg directly
- finding the cave and dealing with Abaya
Talk to Bjorg and he'll tell you they have a drowner problem, however what he describes isn't typical of drowners. He'll then point you to 2 others you can talk to to learn more: his assistant Rurik, and a widow, Tove.
The assistant (labeled as Boatwright's Apprentice) is right behind where Bjorg was standing and will tell you how his cousin was pulled off the cliffs and into the sea by something. Tove, located at a nearby house, will tell you a similar story of how her husband visited the cliffs regularly and one night didn't come back, and when they found him he was torn to shreds. After talking to both you'll gain 25 
as well as 2 different locations to visit on the western coast.
Either location will get you to the next step, but if you want, you can investigate both locations to pick up a trail to follow. At the northern site, a couple drowners will attack near the shore. Kill them off and Geralt will then pick up a stench. This trail can be hard to follow, but essentially stick to the water around the shore until you're just south of the hidden treasure marker and you should see an underwater cave entrance here. You'll then have to swim quite a bit to get inside the cave. The other site is a bit easier, as you just need to examine some baskets and follow it south to the cave entrance nearby and enter it. Note: while you may avoid a fight by not visiting the northern site, there is a worthwhile chest guarded by the monsters there.
Regardless how you enter the cave, you'll come out to the same hallway, just on opposite sides (25 ). This hall has numerous bodies and a few toxic gas clouds, but what you want to examine is the bone near the water entrance and the pelvic bone near the southern entrance. Once done, head into the next room to find several drowners and, after they're dead, examine the rusted armor in the far back corner. Head to the final area, where there's more bodies to examine and, finally, the large wrecked boat on the other side. This will finally lead to Geralt concluding it's a water hag, Abaya. You'll then need to make Drowner pheromones to cover up your scent to set a trap for her (this recipe is automatically added for you when you get to this part).
Craft the pheromones, then use one of them on yourself and go to the marker behind the boats to wait. She'll appear shortly with a couple Drowned dead. With a sufficiently powered Aard she can be knocked on her back and one-shot-killed, along with her minions. Once she's dead, loot her for the Water hag trophy, Daystar, and a Water hag mutagen.
Head back and talk to Bjorg and he'll reward you. If you don't point out you deserve more, he'll only give 187 
by default (including if you dealt with Abaya before talking to him). If you instead push for more, he'll reluctantly agree though not happily and give 281 . Of course, since it's possible to haggle for around 300 in the first place, if you did and push for more, he will pay much more than that. Regardless, you'll then earn 250 , concluding the quest.
Journal entry[]
- If Geralt talks to Bjorg to start the quest:
- The sea is a source of endless riches for the inhabitants of Skellige. It offers up a near-endless bounty of fish, pearls and amber. At times, however, the archipelago's icy waters also spew out monsters whom even the fierce warriors of the island's[sic] cannot slay.
- The village at the foot of Kaer Trolde, for example, found itself plagued by some particularly aggressive drowners. The local shipbuilder promised Geralt a reward if he could solve this problem for them. Geralt, for whom killing drowners was as simple and effortless as relieving his bladder, was certain he was in for some easy coin.
- The caves under the cliffs of Ard Skellig were indeed chock full of drowners, but they were not the true danger. Far more troublesome was the water hag with which these lesser evils dwelled in close proximity. Making the most of this fact, Geralt brewed a scent from the glands, counting on it masking his own (which meant it was quite powerful indeed, I must add, having had personal experience with the strongly pungent aroma Geralt develops after several days in the saddle). After doing this, the witcher hid in the darkest corner of the lair and waited for the monster to return to its home...
- Geralt slew the water hag and returned for the promised coin. Not for the first time, he was in for an unpleasant surprise: when the bill came due, the boatbuilder regretted the generosity he had felt while drafting his notice.
Objectives[]
- If quest is started by talking to Bjorg:
- Talk to the shipbuilder near the Kaer Trolde bay.
- Talk to witnesses of the drowners' activities. (25
) - Investigate the place where the drowners were seen using your Witcher Senses.
- Search for the drowners' lair using your Witcher Senses. (25)
- Investigate the drowners' lair using your Witcher Senses.
- Prepare a potion using drowner pheromones and use it to hide your scent.
- Hide in the water hag's lair and wait for the monster to return.
- Kill the water hag.
- Take a trophy from the water hag.
- If quest is started by finding Abaya first:
- Check the Kaer Trolde notice board for information about a water hag.
- Talk to the shipbuilder near the Kaer Trolde bay.
- Collect your reward from the shipbuilder. (250)
Notes[]
- In Skellige jargon, Muire D'yaeblen means drowner.
- It is possible (or may even be a permanent change from a recent patch) that all "drowners" encountered during the quest are replaced by drowned dead.
- The Drowner pheromones potion is carried on into New Game +, but the objective marker for this quest would still tell players to craft said potion regardless.