Act III, Loc Muinne Part II -- Addressing the Side Quests

Act III, Loc Muinne Part II -- Addressing the Side Quests

-- Wrapping up the Gargoyles --

Now that we have taken care of that minor matter -- and you have completed recasting your Talents -- head back to the northeast section (past where the Harpies spawn) and head into the first side-section on the left as you are headed south to get attacked by the final set of Gargoyles.  After you slay them head down the stairs to the final Rune Chamber.

When you head inside you will be attacked by a Golem -- just pin him in the corner so that he cannot back away from you and beat him to death in a succession of rapid attacks!  With him dead head over and read the clue book --

The Runes you will find translate as:

(1) The Rune of Death -- a sort of backwards-F with an additional line.
(2) The Runs of the Animal -- Half-a-Swastika with two extra lines.
(3) The Rune of Time -- Half-an-Hourglass shape.
(4) The Rune of Sky -- A Diamond-Shape.

-- Northeast Rune Chamber --
Clue: Behold the comet, It is like a wolf in times of scarceness, An evil lullaby.
Solution: (4) Sky, (2) Animal, (3) Time, (1) Death.

When you extinguish the runes in the proper order you advance the Gargoyle Quest -- now head to the chest and loot it to obtain the rest of the Manuscript and the Elcer Blood Gauntlets Diagram. You are instructed to collect your reward from Bras of Ban Ard -- and we need to talk to him about the Gauntlets anyway, so head back and say hello to him and he will grant you 150 XP and you unlock the Achievement "Pest Control" (20 G) Finish all quests involving the destruction of monster nests.

Before you take off, talk to him and ask him to craft something for you and you will learn that the Elder Blood Gauntlets require x4 Cloth, x2 Hardened Leather, and x1 Twine.

If you do not have Hardened Leather in storage you can have him make some for you by trading him x3 Regular Leather and x2 Oil.  Once you have the resources required have him craft the Gauntlets and put them on as they are not only cool looking but they also add 15 to our carrying weight limit, 8% to both Bleeding and Incineration Resistance, and reduce magic damage by 15% -- but they also have an Armor Rating (AR) of 2 which is twice what our other gloves had!

At this point if you have not already done so it is a great idea to equip the Armor of Ysgith and upgrade it with x2 Diamond Armor Reinforcement and x1 Studded Armor Reinforcement as the armor then ends up with an AR of 32, as well as 20 Vitality, 1 Vigor, 50% Reduction of Magic Damage, and 60% Bleeding, Incineration, and Poison Resistance.  It also adds 15% Vigor Regeneration during combat!  That is a sweet set of armor you are wearing mates! 

Extinguishing the last set of Gargoyle Runes 

-- Onwards through the Fog --

Right, so at this point we have completed the following side-quests: The Gargoyle Contract, Bring it On: Loc Muinne, Poker Face: Loc Muinne, A Score to Settle, and From a Bygone Era, leaving just An Encrypted Manuscript remaining.  The quest Mystic River cannot be completed as we are doing the non-Troll-killing run-through this time around, so we will get to that when we reload to do Iorveth's Path.  Of the main quests we have underway For Temaria!, Where is Triss Merigold, and The Assassins of Kings.  Note that very soon we will make a choice that branches the path irrevocably...

To obtain the brain we need to complete the side quest An Encrypted Manuscript requires that we gain access to the main sewers area, and we can only do that by advancing the main story-line quests, so set that mentally aside for the moment.  Open the quests menu and set the active quest to For Temaria!  If you have not already done so, be sure that you read all of the new books to add them to your book of knowledge.

Now it is time to follow Vernon Roche!

Talk to Roche to advance the quest and then follow him to the guarded door, where the soldiers stop you and ask you if you have been granted an official audience?  Tell the guard that you have information about the Kingslayers -- and he tells you everyone knows that would be you...   You manage to convince him to allow you and Roche to pass anyway -- you silver-tongued devil you!

You are now inside the Redanian Royal Encampment -- the area of the map we could not visit before --  and as you follow Roche you have a conversation in which observations are made.  Eventually you end up in an audience with the King, and as the CS plays out and both Roche and Geralt are acknowledged by the King.   The conversation options are very obvious, but try to be polite with him, he is royalty after all... 

There are a number of issues you can ask about -- and you may as well since it might give you information you lack -- and then you reveal Sile's role in the Regicides and he asks you how you know that?  There are three possible replies to this question:

(1) I know thanks to Dethmold's magic
(2) I found out from the dying killer
(3) You have to trust me, Sire (Uses Persuasion)

Each of these has its own built-in downside, but being honest with him is probably best.  I chose to tell him about the Assassins dying confession...  He does not take much convincing -- and he tells you news about Triss!  It turns out that the situation in Temaria is not as sound as you have been lead to believe -- the King tells you that the aristocracy is seeking to carve up the Kingdom of Tameria in to independent stats...  The King's daughter still lives but has been kidnapped.  The King has learned that Dethmold is behind the kidnapping, and that the Princess is here in the city (we knew that but it is nice to have it confirmed).

The King instructs you to rescue the Princess, and then bring her to him so that he can move to solidify her claim to the throne and thus defuse the situation...  You can ask about Aryan (we already know he is alive), or you can ask about Sile...  The King vows to punish Sile and the quest advances as the CS ends.

Follow Roche back outside where you have a chat as you head towards the gate.  Roche makes it clear to you where his loyalties are, and you diplomatically refrain from mentioning that if it is a choice between Triss and the Temarian Kingdom, you are choosing Triss!

Once you are back outside a CS is triggered in which you see a woman being followed -- she bumps into Roche and the followers depart.  He lays into her and she verbally fights back -- Roche is angry that she failed to watch over the King's children, and she is still pissed.  She demands that you escort her to the river so she can take passage out of the region -- and she warns you that there is a traitor in Roche's camp.  Roche tells you to escort her to the river and you agree to help her.  Roche says he will seek a way into the enemy camp while you serve as escort.