Allies Against Salamandra¶

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Go meet with Raymond-the detective, who is an eager ally in the fight against Salamandra (left). Geralt plays the waiting game so he can get the drop on some Salamanders who followed him (right).

After all that, it’s finally time to talk to the detective. Head back to the Temple Quarter and continue up Harbor Street until you find his house. Talk to him and ask him about Salamandra. When he asks you what your interest in the organization is, throw out the name Azar Javed and he’ll contribute to your investigation for free (if you’re elusive with him, he’ll charge 100 Orens.) You’ll learn about the extent of Salamandra’s power in the city, and talking to Raymond starts the quests “The Crown Witness” and “Vizima Confidential” .

At the end of the conversation, Raymond will inform you that he thinks you’re being followed. Geralt opts to make his would-be assailants wait until midnight. When he leaves, you’ll hear Azar Javed and the Professor talking-showing that Geralt’s caution was indeed very wise. Eventually the powers-that-be leave, and when only the henchmen are left Geralt makes his entrance. Use the Group Steel Style to take these assassins down without too much trouble.

Now we have all the evidence we need to exonerate Vincent Meis. Go talk to him and tell him that you have irrefutable proof that he’s not connected to Salamandra. In return, Vincent will tell us that Azar Javed is trying to take over the Fisstech trade, and that the sorcerer is an addict, himself. He’ll also give you the “City Guard Signet Ring”, which we can use to get into the Hospital (if you haven’t already bribed the guard, or if Siegfried hadn’t let us pass already.) Asking Vincent about the Salamander prisoner is a dead end, which leaves us with one option…

Talking to Thaler¶

If you let the Scoia’tael take Haren’s goods last chapter, Coleman is as good as dead the next time you enter the Hairy Bear-assassinated by Squirrels using some nasty weapons. In any event, we’ve done quite a few quests, and have explored the Slums rather thoroughly. Most of all, we’ve proven that Vincent Meis is innocent. Still, we’ve been neglecting the obvious signs pointing at Thaler-we still haven’t looked into where he got that Silver Sword, after all. Also, there’s the Salamander Prisoner. It doesn’t matter how you slice it, we need to go talk to Jethro-and we should bring some Fisstech with us… as a peace offering, you understand. Also grab some weak alcohol. If we can’t solve a problem with our swords, chances are we can solve it with dru… er… diplomacy.

Head over to the Dungeon and ask Jethro about the Salamander prisoner. He’ll outright ask for some powder in exchange for information. You should have acquired some Fisstech by now, either from Assassins that wander the nonhuman district at night, or from other Salamandra stooges. If not, you can buy some from Coleman (if he’s still alive) for 100 Orens, or better yet, you can make some through the magical goodness of Alchemy (see the Potions section of the guide for the recipe). If you had to choose, making the stuff yourself is probably cheaper than buying it from Coleman. Once you have some Fisstech, give it to Jethro and ask him about the Silver Sword to start the quest “Suspect: Thaler” . Then ask him about the prisoner and he’ll tell you that he can be found in the Hospital.

Let’s ignore the prisoner for now, as that’s a little deeper into the plot than we need to bother with at the moment. Instead, lets go talk to Thaler, our meeting has been long overdue. His house is nearby, just east of the Hospital. If he’s not in his house, he’s out wandering the streets somewhere-he should certainly be home by nightfall, however. If you want to finish up the “Suspect: Thaler” quest, it’s pretty easy to do. Any time after 21:00 you might run into a “Mysterious Man” standing just outside of-or inside of-Thaler’s House. Talk to him and he’ll run away, but you’ll get some evidence of Thaler’s extensive list of contacts.

Head into Thaler’s House and chat with him. You can listen to him gloat about being untouchable, and you can buy some books off of him (both of which are pretty useful), as well as a piece of Blue Meteorite . As for business, however, he’s not as tight-lipped about what he knows as other folks. He’ll tell you that the Silver Sword didn’t belong to Berengar, but will drop the name Coleman as the middleman he bought Berengar’s gear from (never fret, if Coleman is dead, he wasn’t too helpful anyways.) He’ll also say that Berengar was working for Kalkstein. As for the sword, he’ll tell you that he won it from a gambler at the Hairy Bear. Asking him about Salamandra will update the quest “Suspect: Thaler” but it doesn’t really provide any leads.

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Visit Thaler at night to find a “Mysterious Man” loitering around outside… his presence is evidence that Thaler might be more than he seems (left). Drink, gamble, and chat with Thaler (right) to gain a useful book, as well as information about Berengar and the origin of your Silver Sword.

Once you’re done talking business, challenge him to a game of dice. If you win, you’ve defeated your second Professional player. Last but not least, drink with him. This is why you brought weak alcohol, and you’ll have to down eight mugs to put Thaler away. For winning he’ll give you the book “Shadow People, or the Story of His Majesty’s Secret Service” . Fortunately, you can leave and re-enter Thaler’s House and rest here, to sleep off the hangover.

Depending on what evidence you’ve gathered and what order you select conversation topics, you might have to talk to Thaler several times to complete “Suspect: Thaler”. This is especially true because Thaler himself gives some evidence you need to exonerate him. If he gets pissy with you and starts saying “Not now.” just leave his house and re-enter to get him talking again. Specifically, be sure to talk to him about his dealings with Salamandra. When you get a chance to respond, say “unconvincing”, after which you should generally agree with him. Respond negatively too frequently, and Geralt will decide-incorrectly-that Thaler is guilty, ending the quest less satisfactorily. Once you complete the quest “Suspect: Thaler” the quest “What Lies Beneath” begins.