The Witcher 2 Walkthrough Part 54: The Blood Curse Part 1

After completing the first few missions in Act 2, you will learn of a terrible curse that has befallen Henselt as a result of his actions against a sorceress named Sabrina. As she died, Sabrina, Henselt’s old advisor, cast a curse on her master because he sentenced her to death. Of course, Henselt only did this because Sabrina cast a spell that ended up wiping out most of his men, as well as most of the enemy’s men, in a vicious war three years ago. Now, you and Dethmold will have to help Henselt lift the curse. During this conversation, you will be inundated with details on the curse. You will find out what type of curse it is, how it was cast, why it was cast, and how Sabrina truly died. After a long conversation with the King, you will be thrust into another lengthy talk with Dethmold. After both of these conversations were over, you will be tasked with helping them to remove the curse from Henselt. You will start this large task by visiting the pyre where Sabrina was burned to death by Henselt.

This area is very far away, so you will need to be prepared to walk a pretty long distance to reach it. From Henselt’s camp, head out into the main camp. From here, proceed through the gate on the right side of the camp, the same one that you went through to find the brothel. Turn and head to the right, towards the bridge as if you were going to the brothel. When you reach the brothel, though, keep on going. Pass the small camp here, and proceed into the valleys beyond. Go all the way to the right, and stick close to the shore. This will take you to a narrow path that winds around through the valleys, first to the south, and then again back up towards the north. Follow the narrow path as it loops downwards, and then when it begins to open up take the northern path back in the direction from which you came. This will take you to a smaller valley. Head to the upper area of the valley, the small circular area that juts out in the center. Up here, you will find the area where Sabrina suffered her cruel fate.

Along the way, you will find a pair of soldiers milling about near the site of Sabrina’s death. Speak with them to initiate the quest Lost Lambs. Agree to help them, if you wish.

For now, though, you should worry about investigating the various items around the site of Sabrina’s burning. Check out the pedestal by the outcropping, the soil itself, the wheel, and a few other miscellaneous items scattered about the site. Examining all of the items will reveal another of the square fish coins, along with a letter. Read the letter. Finally, examine the wheel to find that a nail is loose in it. Somebody has been pulling the nails recently. Examine the soil to find that only one person has been near the pedestal recently. You will find cat tracks nearby as well. Cats are very magical creatures in the world of The Witcher, so clearly Sabrina’s pyre still holds some sort of strong magical pull.

In order to remove the curse from Henselt, Geralt will determine that he must recreate the event exactly as it happened. Instead of allowing Sabrina to finish casting her spell, though, Geralt will intercept her, rendering the spell a dud. This will require powerful magic to be used on Henselt. It will also do nothing about the mist that has been plaguing the area. Head back to the cantina to find a relic salesman. Talk to him to find out about Yahon, the soldier who stabbed Sabrina to channel the power for the spell. He will send you to the Visionary in the ravines outside of the camp after you finish talking with him, and request that if you find anything out about Yahon’s spear, you let him know.

You can find the Visionary by sticking to the northern side of the ravines as you leave the camp. The path will twist and turn a little, but you will still end up finding them sooner or later. Along the way, you will encounter a group of soldiers being attacked by Rotfiends. Take the time to help them out. You will receive a quest called The Path to Visionary, which will help you progress with the story later on. Find the Visionary in the ravines. After your interactions here, you will have to head back to the cantina in the camp. Accuse him of lying about Yahon’s spear. The weapon was, in  fact, in the relic salesman’s hands the entire time. Sadly, he sold the spear earlier, and doesn’t know where it is now. You will quickly find that this isn’t true, either. The salesman does, in fact, know where the spear is. You will be presented with numerous options for forcing him to talk, including bribery, using Axii, intimidation, or persuasion. Use any of these options to get the salesman to spill the beans. It is best to not use the bribery option since the other options will work just as well. That way, you won’t be short any orens by the time this quest ends.

The salesman will tell you that the spear is in the hands of none other than Iorveth. Unfortunately, since you are allied with Roche, Iorveth will be all the way on the other side of the venomous mists that coat the land. He will be currently staying in Vergen. You can’t cross the mists alone, but perhaps Dethmold will be able to help you out. Return to the camp and speak with Dethmold in his tent. He will agree to provide you with magic protection while you cross the mists. He will hand over the Emissary’s Flag item and the De Tansarville’s Protective Amulet. You will also get Zireael’s Armor, which is particularly effective at  this point in the game. Finally, you will gain 2,050 experience points for making it this far in the quest. You will also receive the quests Hatred Symbolized and Death Symbolized from Dethmold at this point, although you shouldn’t worry about they just yet. Grab Dethmold’s grimoire and magic dust while you are there, as these will prove helpful during your quest, and then prepare to head out into the mists.