Scavenger Hunt: Grandmaster Manticore Gear

Scavenger Hunt: Grandmaster Manticore Gear is a treasure hunt quest in the Blood and Wine expansion. It is part of a series of Scavenger Hunt quests given by Lafargue to obtain grandmaster witcher gear. This particular quest has to do with finding the grandmaster set of the School of the Manticore, the only set that doesn't have any tiers below grandmaster.

Walkthrough[]

Your first location will be the ruins of Bastoy Prison Ruins, a place located south of Fort Astre Ruins. When you get here, be careful if you haven't already checked the area, as a treasure hunt quest, The Toussaint Prison Experiment, is here, guarded over by an alp. Deal with her if necessary, then look for the standing tower on the northeast part of the ruins and climb up to the room at the top. Loot the brick in the wall (near the entryway) to find the steel sword diagram (50) and the Prisoner's journal. Reading the journal will point you to your next location: a cave where Lebioda once stayed.

This cave is located southeast of Gélenser Farm and southwest of Termes Palace Ruins, with a panther typically guarding the outside. Deal with it, then head inside to find a large cavern with prayer notes all over the walls. The one you want is on the furthest wall from the entrance. Interact with them until you find Merten's prayer and read it to get the armor diagram and the third location: Lebioda's temple. (50)

This temple is located near the Prophet Lebioda Statue. When you head in, head to the furthest wall and use Aard to reveal a hidden area. As soon as you enter the new room, the Great Beggar's Ghost (a specter) will attack. Take care of it, then look around the room. Note that you can loot the skeleton for the Bones of the Great Beggar, which will start an easy secondary quest, The Words of the Prophets Are Written on Sarcophagi. For the diagrams, look for the small container on a table near the stairs opposite from the entrance to find the trousers and boots along with The Great Beggar's journal. (100) This will point Geralt to a cave known as Murky Delve, which is south of the Palace Gardens and northwest of Seidhe Llygad Amphitheater.

This cave acts like a trial of sorts, though there is no failed path, only easy fighting versus several monsters. Swim inside and you'll shortly come across a purple mist. This won't cause any harm but it will cause Geralt to hallucinate. Continue on to see what appears to be a young nude woman with another nearby. However, if you approach her, it's revealed the two are actually bruxae and will attack. You can take them out or, to avoid fighting, don't head towards her but go to the left, deeper into the cave.

The next area has 5 beggars. If it isn't obvious enough what to do, Geralt will comment that this must be a test. Give each one alms (10 each) to make them disappear. If you bypass them instead (or didn't give to each one), they'll disappear and an archespore will attack. Note: if you don't have enough coin, there's 58 nearby to loot to give to the beggars.

In the next area you'll see 3 kikimore workers attacking a hallucination of a townsman but also a treasure pile to the left. If you help him out, you only need to kill 3, but if go for the supposed treasure, you won't get any and 4 kikimores will attack. Continue on to find a blocked path, so use Aard to enter the final area. Head up the path to see another hallucination, this time of a man in prayer, Lebioda. As you approach he'll stand up before disappearing. Loot the container that was near him for the silver sword diagram and Merten's notes.. (50) Reading them will point to the final destination, the Lake of Cleansing.

The lake is northeast of Basane Farm and where a small group of bandits are gathered around a pier. If you approach from this side, they'll attack you and will lead to Geralt making an amusing comment afterwards. You can loot their chest for 100 orens and multiple valuables if you wish. Now head out to the middle of the lake (just off the pier) and use Witcher Senses to see the red marker. Retrieve it to get the gauntlets diagram and Merten's last letter, completing the quest. (50)

Journal entry[]

Only once in his life had Geralt ever seen armor made from diagrams hailing from the School of the Manticore. What's more, said suit had been incomplete and, truth be told, the worse for wear. So when the opportunity arose to assemble Manticore gear, and at a grandmaster level to boot, the witcher did not hesitate a moment before setting off in search of what was required.

I venture to say none would have expected these diagrams' owner, the witcher Merten, to convert honestly and truly to the creed embodied in the Prophet Lebioda. Geralt retraced Merten's story and stopped to think how perverse fate could sometimes prove. But he considered the matter but a brief moment, for he had in hand a complete set of diagrams needed to craft gear of the School of the Manticore, and he could now take the drawings to the right craftsman.

Objectives[]

Note: The order in which these objectives appear may differ depending on the order in which the locations are visited.

Find all the diagrams in the set: 6/6
Go to the ruins of Bastoy Prison.
- Search the ruins of Bastoy Prison. (50)
- Read the prisoner's notes.
Go to the cave where Lebioda once stayed.
- Find the place Merten traveled to.
- Search the chamber.
- Read Merten's prayer. (50)
Go to Lebioda's temple.
- Search for tracks left by Merten. (100)
- Defeat the wraith.
- Read the Great Beggar's journal.
Go to the cave with the hidden chapel.
- Search the hidden chapel.
- Search the hidden chapel. (50)
- Read Merten's notes.
Go to the Lake of Cleansing.
- Search the Lake of Cleansing. (50)
- Read the notes on a scrap of paper.

Notes[]

Despite being called grandmaster and at the same level as the other schools' grandmaster gear, the Manticore gear does not have "grandmaster" in its name.
There is a considerable amount of expensive jewelry and adornments (as well as notes, a convert's prayer and a Lebioda disciple's prayer) at the bottom of the lake where the last Manticore armor piece is. The small valuables respawn between loading saves too.

Trivia[]

In the cave, a note can be found written by Babette. In it, she writes "let me be beautiful, shapely, alluring and always youthful. And may lice gnaw on that strumpet Maria's fat hiney." This is a reference to the Dark Brotherhood of Skyrim, and the child assassin Babette who ceased to age after being bitten by a vampire.