Navigating through the murky swamps of Velen in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt brings Geralt into contact with some of the continent's most ancient and unsettling lore. The Ladies of the Wood quest serves as a pivotal narrative turning point, connecting Ciri's whereabouts to the mysterious Crones of Crookback Bog. Understanding how to navigate this quest and evaluating the weight of your choices ensures you achieve the desired outcome for both the region and its inhabitants.
Investigating Crookback Bog and Finding Johnny
Your journey into the heart of the swamplands begins by reading the mysterious book titled Ladies of the Wood or following trails marked by decorative shrines. Following the Trail of Treats leads Geralt directly to a isolated cottage filled with orphaned children and an elderly woman named Gran. To gain information about Ciri, you must interact with the children to distract Gran while speaking to a godling named Johnny.
Locating Johnny requires venturing into the nearby dangerous marshlands and defending him from local monsters like drowners and water hags. Once Geralt helps Johnny retrieve his lost voice, the friendly godling agrees to speak with Gran on your behalf. This interaction successfully convinces Gran to grant you an audience with the mysterious Crones through a magical tapestry.
The Task at Downwarren and the Whispering Hillock
The Crones demand a sacrifice before sharing information regarding Ciri, directing Geralt to the nearby village of Downwarren. Speaking with the ealdorman reveals that an ancient evil residing beneath the Whispering Hillock is tormenting the local villagers. Geralt travels to the spirit's lair inside a cavernous tree root system to decide the fate of this entity.
Upon reaching the heart of the tree, you encounter a trapped spirit claiming to be an ancient force wrongfully imprisoned by the Crones. The entity offers to save the orphans of Crookback Bog from being consumed by the Crones in exchange for its freedom. Deciding whether to free the spirit or destroy it represents one of the most morally complex decisions in the entire game.
Evaluating Your Choices and Long-Term Consequences
If you choose to free the spirit beneath the Whispering Hillock, it keeps its promise and rescues the children from the Crones. However, freeing this entity leads to the destruction of Downwarren and causes Gran, who is revealed to be the Bloody Baron's wife Anna, to be cursed and ultimately perish. Consequently, the Bloody Baron takes his own life due to grief over his wife's tragic fate.
Conversely, choosing to destroy the spirit results in the Crones consuming the orphans, but Anna survives her ordeal with her mind fractured. The Bloody Baron then takes Anna away to a healer in the Blue Mountains, leaving Crow's Perch under the control of his harsh sergeant. Both paths carry heavy narrative consequences, ensuring that no choice offers a clean or entirely positive outcome.
Confronting the Crones and Moving Forward
After resolving the situation at the Whispering Hillock, Geralt returns to the Crones to complete the exchange. The Crones reveal Ciri's harrowing encounter in the swamp through a playable flashback sequence, detailing her narrow escape from their clutches. Once the flashback concludes, Geralt vows to return to Crookback Bog to deal with the Crones permanently during later main story quests.
