Watchtowers at the Encampment were destroyed by the hydra. People are still here wandering around — Reynard and Madeleine, too — but this is now a location that’s served its purpose. We leave.
Immediately outside the gate a villager stops us. “Is Quina not with you?” She went off to look for a cure for our wounds, and now she’s missing. All the Pawns tell me I should ask at the village, so down the lane we go.
The Chief, back home, tells us his daughter is gone to the Witchwood. She’s all alone in an eerie place. Can we find her?
Yes. This quest is optional, although I wouldn’t dream of passing up all of its juicy plot points. And if you don’t complete this quest before a certain point, it disappears. I’m on it.
First, though, what other quests does the village offer? A Thief is prowling at night. Can I catch him? I’m not sure he’s a plot quest, but I got him. More on the Thief later.
That’s it for the village at this point. I head out, pass the Encampment, and take a branching in the road. The Pawns can help guide, and the map function is clear enough. We’re in a new area, though, one that can be difficult. I’m so glad now that I cheated and loaded my higher-level pawns.
The Witchwood is covered in mist, including on the map overhead. Talismans dot the wood. When we destroy them, a patch of mist clears away. Right inside the area Quina waits for us. We’re to accompany her and keep her alive. Glad I have that healer with me! Quina doesn’t wander off looking for gold as Madeleine did, but she does get confused by the mist and stop.
In the center of the Witchwood is a clearing with a kind of treehouse where the witch lives. When we follow Quina in, though, only a young woman is inside. A cut scene presents Selene, granddaughter of the now dead witch. Quina asks if she can read Wyrmspeak.
Nope. In order to keep her safe, grandma told her nothing about the controversial dragon lore. The Faith knows, she says. Quina now has an answer, and will pursue any further inquiry through this game’s medieval-styled church: priests, nuns, cathedrals, a Maker.
We follow her out via a shortcut that opens onto a ledge overlooking the village gate. Point being: you can leave the Witchwood easily, but you’ve got to go in the hard way. Spoiler: we’ll be returning.