The Rose of Remembrance

This article is about the quest in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. For the item, see Rose of remembrance.

"Something wrong with my face?"
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The Rose of Remembrance is a quest in Chapter I of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

Walkthrough[]

(Needs Completing)

After questioning Ciaran in the barge, Triss mentions that the roses Ciaran spoke of could help restore Geralt's memory. Geralt is given the choice of searching for the roses alone, or letting Triss come with him. Bringing Triss with you opens more 'Romance' options as well as a chance to get an ability by rejecting the former; not bringing her merely speeds up this phase of the quest. Choosing to go with Triss also means that you start on the quest immediately, while choosing to go alone lets you do other things first.:

Going with Triss:[]

If you chose to go with Triss, she already knows where the roses are and leads you to them. On the way you'll fight off a few Endregas and Nekkers. She'll lead you to the top where the ruined elven gardens are. You can choose to listen to the dialogue, or pick one of the roses in front of the statue straight away.
Triss will mention how the roses are given to lovers: You can chose the more romantic option of saying the rose is for her ("Here"), or mentioning how awkward that anecdote makes the situation ("That's not fair"). Triss doesn't mind either way, and you give her the rose regardless and it doesn't change later dialogue.
Bandits appear, wanting to tamper with the elven statue, to which Triss objects. Fight off the three bandits, and watch the small cut-scene where Triss and Geralt fall into the elven baths below. (Note: You may have found these baths before, but not been able to access them, even after casting Aard from the outside.)
Either you can explore the room quickly or speak to Triss first. Be sure to get all the loot inside the chest, and use Aard on the wall behind the ivy to get some more loot from a hidden room. A book on the Wild Hunt opens up a conversation with Dandelion later. (Note: Sometimes the game forces you to speak to Triss immediately after the cutscene, but you will still have chance to explore the room, even after finishing both conversations.)
You can either tell Triss that she needs a bath (which triggers an extended romance scene) or say it's nothing and stress the need to hurry (which earns the Resistance to magic ability after leaving).
After, Triss discusses your options, trying to argue that Geralt need not go after the Kingslayer and owes no one anything. He can just regain his memories and search for Yennefer- and Triss will do anything to help. You can choose the more romantic options and agree with her or choose the more distant and goal-focused options; either way, Geralt concludes that while Triss works on the spell to regain his memories, he will go after the Kingslayer, Letho. If you agreed with her, you can bring it up with Roche later. This does not affect the rest of the game choices, but slightly changes some dialogue directly connected (e.g. if you agreed with Triss, Geralt will later mention to Roche he's no longer as concerned about Foltest).
If you rejected having 'a bath': After breaking through the wall that leads to the exit up, you'll run into some Squirrels. If you choose the diplomatic options of not wanting to fight, and use either the persuade, Axii or intimidate option (Note: it might depend on your ability level in those skills), you can leave with out a fight. Any other option leads to a fight. If you agreed with Triss, go find Vernon and speak with him. If you didn't, the quest ends here.
If you chose to have 'a bath': The Squirrels have left by the time you finish 'washing up', and you were gone so long, Vernon Roche actually grew worried and came looking for you. If you agreed with Triss on leaving, now is the time to talk to Roche. If not, the quest ends here.

Choosing to go it alone:[]

Choosing to go it alone is the more 'spartan' choice, with less character interaction and lore.
Geralt has to find where the roses are himself - if you already know where the elven ruins are (a statue of two reclining people depicted on the map) then you can head straight there, pick a rose, and bring it back to the tavern. If you're not sure where to go, Cedric can tell you the location.
After giving the rose to Triss, she'll discuss your options, trying to argue that Geralt need not go after the Kingslayer and owes no one anything. He can just regain his memories and search for Yennefer- to which Triss will do anything to help. You can choose the more romantic options and agree with her or choose the more distant and goal focused options; either way, Geralt concludes that while Triss works on the spell to regain his memories, he will keep after the kingslayer. If he agreed with her, this can be brought up with Roche later, where the quest will end. If you disagreed, the quest finishes here. This decision does not affect the rest of The Witcher 2.

Journal entry[]

If you chose to go with Triss:

Interrogating Ciaran made Geralt feel strange. Perhaps it touched a nerve, and it certainly caused anxiety. The witcher could almost hear the memories locked away in his mind calling for freedom and battering at the door that kept them from him. Seeing the witcher's behavior, Triss decided there was no time to lose and asked Geralt to find a rose of remembrance. This powerful psychoactive agent could hasten the recovery of his memory. Geralt and Triss went off to search for the flower, or, more precisely, Geralt followed the sorceress, who knew how to reach the place where the roses apparently grew.

If you chose to go alone:

Interrogating Ciaran made Geralt feel strange. Perhaps it touched a nerve, and it certainly caused anxiety. The witcher could almost hear the memories locked away in his mind calling for freedom and battering at the door that kept them from him. Seeing the witcher's behavior, Triss decided there was no time to lose and asked Geralt to find a rose of remembrance. This powerful psychoactive agent could hasten the recovery of his memory. The witcher went off to find the rose alone, even though this irritated Triss somewhat. He didn't know where to look for the flower, but he was counting on luck and on Lobinden's residents, who knew the surrounding forests like the backs of their hands. He also knew that he always could go back and ask Triss for help.

If you asked Anezka for help:

The witcher asked Anezka about roses of remembrance. The young woman admitted that she had once had one, but not because she had picked it herself. She had received her rose from an admirer.

If you bribed Cedric for help:

After some haggling, Geralt succeeded in bribing Cedric. In exchange, he got a map indicating the location of the ruined elven gardens, as well as sites where certain herbs grew and areas haunted by monsters. Without a doubt, this information was well worth the coin the witcher had spent. Glancing at Cedric's directions, the witcher sett off to find the elusive rose.

If you chose to go alone and then changed your mind and asked Triss to go with you:

Searching alone brought little result, so the witcher went to Triss and asked to accompany her. The sorceress knew where to find the flowers, so the witcher followed.

If you went with Triss:

The witcher reached the waterfall and then followed a path upwards, towards the elven ruins.

Instinct told the witcher there were roses of remembrance somewhere nearby. Indeed, Geralt soon saw the plant and could pick the flower he had seen seeking.

Out hero found a bush of roses of remembrance, leaned forward and picked what looked like an ordinary flower. "A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose," a poet once wrote, but she was wrong in regard to this one, for the flower really was the key to Geralt's memory.

The ruins' atmosphere contributed to an intimate feeling both Geralt and Triss felt, yet intruders disturbed it. A band of thugs stealing the last surviving statues appeared in the ruins. The outraged Triss provoked the plunderers and a flight ensued. Geralt had to defend both his life and that of the sorceress.

As if the bandits were not enough, the ground beneath the witcher's and the sorceress' feet caved in. The ceilings of an underground room, eroded by time, gave in and our heroes landed within. It was a beautiful bathhouse, elven-built, of course. It was still supplied in water by a clean spring! However Geralt was in no mood to admire the works of ancient masters. The witcher started looking for an exit.

You should know that Geralt and Triss had by now grown weary of missions ordered by crowned heads and of saving the world, whether in its entirety or in part, not to mention their exhaustion with pursuing secret organizations. When the witcher found the roses of remembrance, they had a long talk about private things which had until now been continuously put off. The sorceress wanted to leave it all and flee as far as possible, to keep a low profile with Geralt, somewhere away from all problems.

If the Witcher refuses Triss's offer:

The witcher, however, wanted to get Foltest's killer at all costs and didn't agree to the sorceress' proposal. The offended sorceress left^[sic], while Geralt began pursuit of the kingslayer.

If the Witcher agrees with Triss:

The Witcher, however, wanted to repay his debt of gratitude to Roche, and went to speak to him.

Notes[]

Not suggesting that Triss could use a bath (thus pre-empting the love scene) will give Geralt the Resistance to Magic attribute.
Some players report that if you have broken the wall previous to this quest (perhaps while exploring) the room bugs and you cannot escape through the exit. (Try saving and reloading the game if you can't escape.)