The Witcher 2 Walkthrough Part 47: A Summit of Mages

Note before you read the rest of this guide that, as an end-game guide, there are spoilers throughout this material. If you have not beaten this quest and want to keep yourself clean of spoilers, it is best to simply play through the mission yourself, as there are too many to really touch upon the key tenets of the mission without spoiling something. If you have already played the quest, or if you don’t mind a few spoilers, and you want to get the best results, read on.

After you have either saved Triss or looted the enchanted dagger from Philippa, you will undertake the A Summit of Mages quest. This will cover the conference, and will lead into the final mission of the game, Enter the Dragon. Because of this, you should finish off any side quests that you intend to complete right now, as you won’t have another chance before the game ends. This quest will begin in different locations depending upon which missions you completed during the last leg of Act 3. If you opted to save Triss, head over to the entrance to the Nilfgaardian camp to meet up with her. If you decided to lead Philippa back to her house instead, you will have to meet up with Iorveth by the entrance to the sewers where you snuck in to find Philippa in jail.

No matter who you ended up saving and meeting up with, you will have to head to the entrance to a large amphitheater with them. This will be located on the left side of the city, behind a few barricades and shops. Along the way, if you decided to spare Stennis during Act 2, you will encounter a noble talking about how Stennis was able to become King of Aedirn. If you killed Stennis, you will find no nobles. Once you reach the entrance, head inside with your companion to initiate the summit. The talks will begin, and you will be immersed deeply into the politics of the area. Constable John Natalis will begin by saying that Temeria has been and is currently being divided by the various barons and rulers, and that the country will quickly wither and fall under its own weight if a rightful heir to the throne cannot be found. Henselt and Radovid will join in on the discussion to oppose Natalis. They will claim that Temeria can only survive as a group of provinces. This, they claim, would ease the burden of leadership on whosoever ends up in charge of Temeria at the end of all this. Of course, they would say this, being Kings of their own provinces themselves. This will lead into a discussion of Upper Aedirn. This is where Saskia will speak up. She will still be under Philippa’s influence, though, no matter which of the previous options you chose; you will not have had the chance to shove the enchanted dagger into Philippa’s heart just yet. Because she is still under Philippa’s spell, she will ask that she be recognized as a queen of one of the provinces, and that Philippa be appointed her advisor. To you, Iorveth, and Triss, this will be an obvious ploy for Philippa to gain power, as she would control everything that Saskia did from her seat of power. For the others, however, this will seem a perfectly rational demand. The events that will follow Saskia’s demand will depend upon who you brought to the summit.

If you brought Iorveth…

Shilard will barge into the conversation, claiming to have knowledge of the Lodge of Sorceresses and all of its members. He will accuse the Lodge of attempting to assassinate the Kings, including Foltest in the very beginning of the game. Although you will not have been able to speak with Triss before this quest if you came with Iorveth, rest assured that this claim does in fact have basis in truth, although Triss herself was never privy to the details of the plans and is, in essence, innocent. It is not entirely true that the Lodge are the ones responsible for the assassinations, though, as they are merely a piece in a much larger machine. Recognizing this, Letho will take to the floor as a witness. Shilard will ask Letho who hired him, and he will respond by saying that it was the Lodge. In fact, it was not the Lodge who hired him, but Shilard will be trying to place the blame on someone else.

At this admission, the Knights of the Flaming Rose will storm the peace conference. At Sile’s behest, the dragon from the beginning of the game will appear and begin to fight off the soldiers. You will now know that the dragon is actually Saskia, and if at all possible you should avoid killing her until she has been freed from Philippa’s spell, so that you may know her true intentions. Saskia will torch the area in dragon form and pick up Sile, carrying her to one of the tall towers above. You will gain 500 experience points and unlock the quest Enter the Dragon, which you should head off towards the tower to complete immediately.

If you brought Triss…

You and Triss will interrupt the conversation and accuse Sile and Philippa of plotting the assassinations. They were the ones who were really using Letho. This won’t even give Shilard the chance of leveling his accusation. You claims will throw the summit into disarray. Radovid will call in the Knights of the Flaming Rose, cutting the peace talks short. Sile will call in Saskia in dragon form to battle the knights. The dragon, just like before,k will torch the area and kill the soldiers. It will then grab Sile and fly off to the peak of a tower in the distance. You will have to climb up this tower in order to challenge Sile and Saskia. You will receive 500 experience points for attending the peace summit, and your next quest, Enter the Dragon, will be initiated.