The Warble of a Smitten Knight

The Warble of a Smitten Knight

The Warble of a Smitten Knight is a secondary quest in the Blood and Wine expansion.

Note: this quest will fail if it is not completed before meeting Captain de la Tour in Capture the Castle.

Walkthrough

Guillaume de Launfal will ask Geralt to help lift a curse off Vivienne de Tabris. She will be the host of the Knight tournament that Guillaume wished to take part in but can't due to his injury, thus Geralt will take his place and investigate her case while at it. Now haggle the price if you wish and agree to help, after that Guillaume will explain the competitions to Geralt and you will have the option to practice first or not if you don't want to. You should at least take practice for the race as it's not like the other races you may have done, as Guillaume points out. After you practice or not it's time to register so go to the scribe, who is well informed and knows Geralt has 2 Knight titles. You can take part in the tournament as "Geralt of Rivia" or as "Ravix of Fourhorn." It doesn't have much significance which one you pick, only the prizes you win will be differently named and bear the coat of arms you picked but they have exact same stats. However, it's better to pick "Geralt of Rivia" as it will help with another quest depending on your choices, but it's not mandatory. Also depending on the choice you will "make a new friend" so make your pick. After that you will have to make an Oath for your competition.

Note: If you romanced either Triss or Yennefer you can swear on the love of the one you chose. If you romanced neither Geralt can still make this oath but he will say that "her name cannot be spoken"

Shooting Range

Go to the tournament grounds where you will meet Palmerin de Launfal who will offer to swap places with you if you win a game of Gwent with him, as he tells Geralt he will have the sun in his eyes which may hinder his performance, obviously the dummy has no idea how witchers eyes work. If you agree and win he will swap places with you as he promised. To win the competition you have to shoot all the red targets before your opponent shoots all of his, after you win Vivienne will award you a new crossbow that bares the name and coat you picked. Geralt will notice his medalion is reacting while she is near him, she will explain she is using perfume from a sorceress. After that Guillaume will propose to look in her tent while he acts as the lookout. You will not have time to examine everything, however you will likely make note of the claw marks, if you also check the Oriole feather Geralt will suspect she could be a Bruxa. After some more snooping Guillaume will tell Geralt someone is coming and that the next event will take place soon. However some lady will notice them and be angry, after that go to the next competition.

The Race

Before the race you will get to meet your new "friend": if you entered as Geralt of Rivia it will be Anséis the prince of Lyria and Rivia, if you picked Ravix of Fourhorn however it's Arthur Tailles, who you may remember from The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings prologue.

The race is time based and you have no opponents, your time is constantly running out, you will also have dummies to hit with your sword along the way and targets to shoot with your crossbow. Every time you hit a dummy and shoot a target you are given additional time. You must finish a full lap without all your time running out. If you hold your attack key time will slow down thus it will be more easy to hit the dummies, same goes for holding the crossbow key. If you win you will earn a new saddle bearing your coat. Guillaume will now take Geralt for a drink and he will explain his findings. Now your new "friend" will interrupt them, if it's Arthur Tailles he will pull you into a fistfight with 2 other thugs he brought, however Guillaume will help you out. If it's Anséis he will ask for a mounted duel, which you can refuse.

Important: If you agree to the duel and win it will count as "Proof of honor" for There Can Be Only One (which is why choosing to enter as "Geralt of Rivia" is a better choice)

After that Vivienne will head out into the woods and Guillaume will ask Geralt to follow her. After you reach her tent you will not find her but an Oriole which will fly off apparently showing Geralt where to go, so follow it. You will encounter Panthers along the way, eventually the bird will fly over a hill and Geralt will decide to continue through a cave, inside you will encounter a Wight and Barghest, after you are done with them use the other exit and continue to follow the bird. Soon you will find Vivienne who turns out is indeed cursed and appears like a half-human half-bird hybrid, she will be ready for Geralt to kill her and ask to make it quick. However, Geralt will refuse as she is not a monster and tell her he can try to remove the curse. There are 2 ways, first is to move the curse from her to someone else which will make it much weaker on the recipient, the other is to use the egg of an Oriole however that may shorten her life to that of an Oriole which is around 7 years. After returning Geralt will be talking with Guillaume he will wish to know what is wrong with Vivienne.

Important: If you refuse to tell him it will also count as "Proof of honor" for There Can Be Only One, however you will not be able to perform the first method to help Vivienne and Guillaume will end up a drunk

If you tell him everything he will agree to take the curse onto himself, however you can still pick the other option if you so wish. Now you will have the option to leave the tournament as you no longer have to take part in it.

Important: If you decide to remain in the tournament and win this will count as "Proof of valor" for There Can Be Only One

The Battle

If you remained in the tournament you will be taking part in a re-creation of a battle along with your team and the last man or men standing wins. The fight is not so easy as you may think, as your team members have a good chance of going down and leave everything in your hands, so dispose of as many opponents as you can when the opponents are engaged in battle with your team, before they all go down. Even worse Signs and Bombs are out, and your inventory will be inaccessible. You may use potions but only if they are in your quick slot. Undying will also not help, thus even though you may feel confident for this part it may prove very difficult especially on higher difficulty settings. This is one of the battles where Gourmet can prove to be invaluable. If you win you will now be facing Gregoire de Gorgon, the previous tournament's winner. He does not block much but his attacks are strong and unblockable. He will also use a very strong attack sometimes where he will hit the ground real hard leaving him vulnerable. A good hint is to hit him with a strong attack and them jump away, strong attack, then jump away, and you'll manage to win with no problem. However if you lose and try to reload the game you will have to do the first battle again, so best you don't lose. And remember the same rules apply as with the mock battle. Win and you earn a sword bearing your coat of arms.

The Ritual

Now you will go to help Vivienne, if you decided on the method with the egg Guillaume will be spying on you and she will tell him to leave. If you decided to transfer the curse all 3 head out to the field where you have seen her bird form. Regardless once you reach the field you will have to fight a Panther once it's dead you perform the ritual. If you used the egg Vivienne will leave to tour the world and live her life to the fullest as she may only have a few years left, if you transfered the curse then they will become a couple, regardless the quest ends here and you get your reward from Guillaume.

Journal Entry

Tradition has sanctified two codes of conduct in Toussaint: the teachings of the Prophet Lebioda and the chivalric principles which guide its knights. These latter call for young men to prove their abilities through feats of daring during tourneys. One such knight, Guillaume, sought to stand out from the rest by fighting a shaelmaar and was injured as a result.

Afterwards, he pleaded with Geralt to visit him in the medics' tent. He said he had a very urgent matter to discuss.

If Geralt decides to help:

In the charming fairytale duchy for which Toussaint commonly passes, love blooms and erupts into flames faster than in any other corner of the known world. I know what I say, for I too experienced my share of beautiful, passionate moments there, with the painfully lovely Duchess Anarietta, no less...

But to return to Geralt's adventures, he agreed to assist a young knight with his troubles in relation to a striking young lady-in-waiting named Vivienne. The youth, lacking experience in love's games, its ruses and deceits, was feverish and suspected that the lofty and inaccessible object of his love might have fallen victim to an evil spell. Wishing to help the youth get to the bottom of the matter, the witcher agreed to enter the lists and take part in the tourney's assorted challenges.

In observance of tradition, the witcher had to reveal a name to take part in the tourney.

If Geralt chooses "Geralt of Rivia":

He chose the immensely original moniker "Geralt of Rivia."

If Geralt chooses "Ravix of Fourhorn":

He chose the pseudonym he used occasionally - Ravix of Fourhorn.

While playing knight, Geralt did not dare neglect his witcherly duties. He spied on Vivienne and followed her to a forest glade, where he discovered her secret. The woman had been cursed while still in her mother's womb. Touched by moonlight, she transformed into a bird.

Geralt offered to help her, to lift the curse that held her. Yet he warned Vivienne that the ritual to break the spell could have dire consequences.

If Geralt tells Guillaume the details about the curse:

Aided by Guillaume, Geralt performed a ritual that was to lift the curse from Vivienne and transfer it to another. Though the witcher doubted it could be effective, the rite worked and the curse passed to the young knight who had valiantly agreed to shoulder its burden. It brings a tear to the eye to think how a seemingly superficial fascination for a woman's beauty can take a turn even more beautiful...

If Geralt meets the couple later:

Passed to Guillaume, the curse seemed much weakened, its symptoms far less powerful than those that had troubled Vivienne. When Geralt happened upon the couple some time later in Toussaint, they looked happy and in love. This only serves to confirm my observation regarding the unusual aura that seems to hover over the duchy. It almost inspires one to exclaim, "They lived happily ever after!"

If Geralt does not tell Guillaume the details about the curse:

Geralt performerd a ritual aimed at reversing the curse that held Vivienne. He had warned her beforehand that it could result in shortening her remaing life to but a handful of years - the number lived on average by an oriole, the egg of which the witcher used during the ritual.

Vivienne had acknowledged this possible consequence and stated that she would be grateful to Geralt. For it was through his efforts that she could finaly taste a normal life unfettered by the need to conceal her "defect".

If Geralt doesn't help:

Geralt was torn away from the tourney's entertainments by the vampires' attack. All able hands were needed to fend off this threat, meaning Toussaint's menfolk could no longer dabble in artificial feats of bravery and staged fights.
Consumed by his battle against Dettlaff, Geralt had no chance to talk to Vivienne and never learned what secret she hid, assuming she hid one at all, and the whole affair was not just the product of a young lover's imagination... These can be exceptionally fertile and prone to error, as I know very well myself, being both a lover and young, at least at heart.

If Geralt finds Guillaume's body later:

Geralt came across Guillaume's corpse in the city. It seemed the young knight had found^[sic] bravely against the vampires before ultimately dying while defending his city.

Thus death won out over love, which unfortunately can happen even in Toussaint.
As I write these words I tip a glass of Est Est in honor of the poor young man... So what, that I didn't know him -- Geralt said he was fine fellow, decent and true.
And that's enough for me.

Objectives

• Visit Guillaume in the medics' camp.
• Follow Guillaume to the shooting range.
• Follow Guillaume to the training grounds.
  • Go to the center of the arena.
  • Defeat Delwyn.
• Follow Guillaume to the race track.
• Go to the inscription tent and enter the tourney.
• Go to the shooting range.
• Use your Witcher Senses to investigate Vivienne's tent.
• Go to the entrance to the racing course.
• Win the horse race.
• [Geralt of Rivia] Defeat Anséis in a mounted duel.
• [Ravix of Fourhorn] Defeat Tailles and his thugs.
• Confront Vivienne.
• Find Vivienne.
• Follow the bird.
• Find the bird on the other side of the cave.
• Follow the bird.
• If you continue to participate in the tourney:
  • Defeat the opposing team.
  • If you won all the competitions:
    • Fight the arena champion.
• Go to the glade with Vivienne.
• Kill the panther.
• Return to Guillaume.

Notes

The player can win prizes with the name and crest of whichever moniker they chose to go with :

• Participating in the tournament gives a shield (Sir Geralt of Rivia's shield or Sir Ravix of Fourhorn's shield) and armor (Sir Geralt of Rivia's armor or Ravix of Fourhorn's armor)
• Winning the race gives a saddle (Geralt saddle or Ravix saddle)
• Winning the shooting game gives a crossbow (Geralt crossbow or Ravix crossbow)
• Winning the tournament gives a sword (Geralt sword or Ravix sword)
• There is no need to participate in the armor you are given. You can change back to your regular armor after talking with the Scribe.
• If you choose the option to keep Vivienne's secret from Guillaume, you can meet Vivienne again, later in the game in Novigrad, where she'll talk briefly of her travels so far.
• If one fails to do this quest, Guillaume's body can later be found during The Night of Long Fangs, around the archway just south of The Gran'place signpost. In this case, later Vivienne can be found crying at his grave in Orlémurs Cemetery.

Trivia

• The rhyming announcer seems to be inspired by Paul Bettany's character in the 2001 movie A Knight's Tale.