Part 60 - The Witcher 3 - 2nd playthrough - Death March

I ate the magic acorn and spent the two ability points on maxing out Quen Discharge, then descended the mountain with Ciri. Next Stop: Novigrad where Yennefer and Triss are trying to gather their sorceress friends so that we have a chance against Eredin.

The grim, gray walls of the city greeted us later that day.

Non-humans burned at the stake now line the road leading to the gate of Novigrad after all mages and witches have fled the city. "Witch hunts will never be about witches. To have a scapegoat, that's the key," Geralt says in his monologue, and he is right, and he could say this in our world and would still be right...

Geralt and Ciri are staying at the tavern Dandelion inherited and named Chameleon.

Didn't Dandelion say this place would no longer be a brothel after he took over?

I was finally able to fast travel again after no less than four, long main quests so I took the opportunity and snuck off to Skellige while Ciri rested at Dandelion's tavern / brothel.

I traveled to Boxholm and rode to nearby ruins that needed to be investigated. This is my new, black Roach gifted to me by Emperor Emreis. I still wonder what happened to my old Roach, but I guess I'll never know...

After the intense main quests leading up to this point, it was nice to just stand here and stare and listen to peaceful Skellige music.

The fight with Morvudd the fiend was refreshingly easy after Imlerith.

Riding with wild horses... exactly what Geralt needed to feel better. :)

In Rannvaig, I gave Odhen the bad news about his son, then went to buy some herbs from the local alchemist. I noticed she now lived with Lothar, the man she had cursed. I heard Lothar telling her something like "I promised to live with you but not to love you..."

I moved on to the secondary quest called The Tower Outta Nowheres which I picked up on An Skellig a while back.

Inside the mysterious tower, I found a portal which led to underground ruins inhabited by a large variety of monsters apparently tasked with protecting the place from intruders.

This is one of the funnier quests. :)

At first glance, it appears to be about an unfortunate mage from Kovir who needs Geralt's help to get home.

In fact, it is a piece of anti-DRM propaganda embedded in a geniously written little tale.

The mage eventually disappeared with his tower, leaving me falling through a portal and into the sea, to the general amazement of the Skelligers watching from the shore. They rewarded me for making the tower and the storm go away, and I headed back to Novigrad.

A quick visit to a barber, and Geralt is ready for the next main quest, Final Preparations.