Ashes of the Fell Grove
A stand-alone monster-hunting side quest set during Geralt’s search for Ciri. A remote village in Velen is stalked by something ancient that awakens only when the woods burn.
Scenario details
While passing through war-torn Velen, Geralt hears rumors of a settlement abandoned overnight. The villagers fled to nearby marsh huts, claiming the forest itself rose against them after soldiers set fire to the trees. The alderman offers coin and information — whispers of someone who saw a girl with ashen hair heading east.
Geralt works alone but forms a temporary alliance with Lysa, a sharp-tongued herbalist who knows the Fell Grove’s history. Some villagers distrust witchers, while a deserter from the Nilfgaardian army keeps interfering, hoping to claim the bounty himself. Geralt’s dry humor and calm resolve slowly win reluctant respect.
Velen is muddy, bleak, and split between skirmishes. Burned glades, rotting huts, and half-collapsed trenches mark the land. The Fell Grove lies deeper: gnarled oaks fused with old battlefield ruins. Ash clings to the ground like fresh snow. Signs point toward a Leshen — but the patterns are wrong, older, and tied to rituals long forgotten.
Identify the creature haunting the grove, discover why the burnings awakened it, and decide whether to kill it or break the bond binding it to the forest. Completing the contract may earn a clue leading Geralt closer to Ciri’s trail.
