Witchers are monster hunters for hire, not guards nor judges. They’ve no inherent authority and there’s no expectation that a Witcher will care one way or another about your plight or the morality that landed you there so long as a monster isn’t involved. In spite of this, the morally dubious or desperate may turn to any armed man they can find, grasping at straws for succor… and there’s coin at stake, a Witcher may just be so inclined to take a side job as a mercenary or bounty hunter. This page will provide a walkthrough for the secondary quest The Dwarven Document Dilemma in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Quest Objectives¶
Starting The Dwarven Document Dilemma¶
Along the eastern edge of Novigrad’s nonhuman district, near the bridge that leads to the Seven Cats Inn, you’ll find a dwarf named Rostan Muggs moping about. Talk to him and he’ll ask for yourself - seems he lived up to his namesake by getting mugged, and while he was able to smash a bottle over his assailant’s head, he lost some important documents nonetheless. Agree to help and you’ll once again find yourself involved in something that doesn’t have a bit to do with Witchering!
Find a dwarf named Rostan Muggs on the eastern end of the nonhuman district to start this quest.
Follow the Scent Trail to Rostan Muggs’ Assailant¶
Follow the road north, then east across the bridge and keep your Witcher senses active to spot the broken bottle and spilled alcohol Rostan Muggs told you about. Potent dwarven moonshine leaves an easily followed scent trail, which you can follow down to the road to the Seven Cats Inn. Sure enough, sitting on a bench outside of the establishment is a man named Gerd.
(1 of 2) Find the smashed bottle Rostan told you about,
Find the smashed bottle Rostan told you about, (left), and follow a scent trail to the Seven Cats Inn. (right)
Get the Papers Back from Gerd¶
Talk to Gerd and he’ll tell you a very different story from what Rostan claimed. What was framed by a robbery was actually a case of gambler’s remorse, followed by unprovoked assault on behalf of the dwarf. You can exit the conversation with Gerd now and return to Rostan and he’ll confirm Gerd’s story, stressing the importance and value of the papers he gambled away - the value of which Gerd himself does not yet know - but this doesn’t change your options or the quest in any way, so there’s no real point in taking this diversion.
Instead, you have three options: Demand the papers from Gerd, play Gwent for the papers, or use Axii to convince Gerd to hand them over. He doesn’t know their value, but he knows better than to sell them blindly, so offering to pay won’t work.
Fight Gerd for the Papers¶
If you choose the option “Gimme the papers. Now.” Gerd will rightfully stand his ground and you’ll end up fistfighting the man. Gerd (Lv2) is a pushover by this point in the game - then again, this entire quest is bafflingly set at level two, for whatever reason. If you’ve cleared Velen and followed the main questline based on their recommended levels, Gerd should give you no trouble on any difficulty. After the fight, Gerd will forfeit the papers, making him just as much of a thug as Rostan aspired to be.
Win the Papers in a Game of Gwent¶
A little less scummy than assaulting a man and stealing his possessions, you can simply challenge Gerd to a game of Gwent. They were lost as a result of a Gwent game, so they can honorably be recovered by playing Gwent. Gerd plays a rather weak Nilfgaardian deck, even the starter Northern Kingdoms deck fresh out of White Orchard should be a match for him, to say nothing of what will happen if you strengthened your deck in Velen. Beat him and he’ll make good on his wager and hand the papers over, unlike a certain dwarf. Speaking of which, how bad must his deck be to have lost to Gerd?
Use Axii on Gerd¶
Last and not least, you can just hit Gerd with good old Axii and he’ll hand the papers over. Technically theft, but at least you didn’t beat the guy up. Let the EXP you get wash away any moral concerns, however, as this is probably the most lucrative way to go about things.
(1 of 4) Talk to a man named Gerd to learn the truth about his encounter with Rostan, then you’ll get to make a choice:
Return to Rostan¶
Now that you’ve won the papers back, return to Rostan. If you didn’t talk to him earlier, he’ll now come clean, revealing what the papers were and how losing them so stupidly was functionally social suicide. The dwarf may be a violent liar with a gambling problem, but he doesn’t cross you - you’ll get some EXP for completing the quest and he’ll give you the money he promised, a mere 20 Crowns. But least you did a good deed. Or, well, a deed, anyways.
Return to Rostan and he’ll confirm Gerd’s version of events, before rewarding you for recovering the papers he gambled away.
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"For giving Rostan his documents back 5 XP / 20 Crowns"
Not 5, but 25?