The Unforgiven

The Unforgiven is the last quest in Chapter III. It is given to Geralt by Declan Leuvaarden and sees our hero finally locate the Salamandra's base of operations.
== Walkthrough ==
Having completed Lock and Key and updated All the King's Men for Triss and Leuvaarden, Geralt goes back to the inn to discuss his next move. Declan tells him that things are actually worse than he anticipated and that it would be a good idea to bring in some backup, either from the Scoia'tael or the Order. Based on his experience with the factions leading up to this point, the witcher makes his decision.
:Scoia'tael path: The witcher decides to side with the Scoia'tael and Yaevinn, so he goes to Golan Vivaldi's house to speak to the elf, or
:Order path: The witcher decides to side with the Order of the Flaming Rose and Siegfried, so he finds the knight, who is at his post outside the Cloister, in the Temple District, where he makes a proposal.
His ally agrees to join him and the witcher then goes to inform Triss that backup has been secured. She says that she will set up the meeting at The New Narakort but that Geralt should wrap up any unfinished business first. [She really means it here! Finish anything that you still need to in Chapter III,as you will not get another chance. The second time you speak with her, the conversation will trigger the final events in this Chapter.]
He then continues on his way. Upon entering the inn, depending on his choice in the Beauty and the Beast quest:
:Spared and cured the werewolf: Geralt is greeted by Vincent Meis who tells him that the Salamandra are onto him. He and the City Guards will then help the witcher as he is attacked by Salamandra.
:Spared but did not cure the werewolf: Geralt is first greeted by Vincent in human form, who tells him that the Salamandra are onto him. He then switches to werewolf form and, along with the City Guards, helps the witcher as he is attacked by Salamandra.
:Killed the werewolf: Geralt is "greeted" by the City Guard and their Salamandra informant who positively identifies the witcher as the murderer of Captain Vincent Meis, saying he personally witnessed the whole scene, which might be a half-truth. The witcher tries to explain that Vincent was a werewolf but the guards will have none of it so he is then forced to fight the four city guardsmen and one Salamandra mage.
After the set-to and subsequent looting of corpses, Geralt heads upstairs to the reception room for the rendezvous with Triss, Leuvaarden and his ally who are busily brewing their own grand plan. Unfortunately the meeting is interrupted by Roderick de Wett and some knights of the Order. Since they have no other options, Triss utters the phrase "Alk'h imbagha, harr'a...! Dar'kh ambra der' ha DREAN!" and teleports the witcher and his ally directly to the Salamandra base.
Our hero then finds himself in a cave, the Salamandra base presumably, but alone. Oh well, better than in the middle of a crowded hall full of bad guys, but where is his backup? He looks around and sees some old roots blocking the corridor and decides to break through using a little Aard. He then fights his way through the five or six Salamandra assassins and thugs guarding the place, does a little more "shopping" among the remains, and then continues down the next corridor, hopefully to find Yaevinn (or Siegfried).
:Yaevinn: Yaevinn is indeed waiting at the end of the corridor and fills the witcher in on what has happened, including the fact that Triss cast Alzur's Shield on our hero as she teleported him. The elf then points him to the portal, making it clear that there is no time to waste, or
:Siegfried: Siegfried is indeed waiting at the end of the corridor and does the same, but blusters on about elven devices before pointing Geralt to the portal and making it clear that they must hurry.
The witcher spies the Professor and Azar Javed at the back of the cave, standing in front of a different portal (more of a round white luminous area). A large group of Salamandra, including two mages stands between him and his targets. The portal is activated allowing the reinforcements to come through. [At first it looks like only three of them come through, but it becomes obvious that more of them have arrived so the "reinforcements" are not as laughable as they initially seem].
A battle, of course ensues and once all the Salamandra assailants have been neutralized, Geralt proceeds to where Azar Javed and the Professor are standing. This initiates a chat with Azar Javed and our hero is subjected to the mad mage's explanation of the "Grand Plan". But enough posturing, he forces the issue and goes to finish off Javed. Just as he winds up to deliver his first blow, he is knocked unconscious by the mage who flees through his own portal exclaiming that he has no counter spells for Alzur's shield. Once again he leaves the Professor behind to deal with the witcher alone. The Professor is no fool and runs away down the corridor towards another cave.
When Geralt regains consciousness, he finds his allies are on the other side of a magic barrier, so he is forced to go on alone. He follows the only available corridor through what will be the first of several archways (rough-looking wooden support structures) into another cave. There he finds the Professor at the very back of the chamber with a few minions around to help protect him (as if they could!). The witcher fights his way to the scoundrel and they have a touching exchange of views, which ends with a bit more swordplay and the Professor being knocked down.
He tries to crawl away but he is on his back. He asks for mercy and some classic Witcher humor ensues. Apparently the witcher is not in a mood to be showing any mercy. The Professor then makes one last desperate attempt at demolishing the first or second construction to thwart his nemesis by shooting him with his wrist-mounted mini-crossbow. The witcher then demonstrates the he can indeed parry arrows (or bolts) in flight after all! The Professor then shoots what appears to be some of the stolen witcher equipment from the Kaer Morhen lab which triggers some sort of explosion and they both drop down into the cave below, the Kikimore queen's lair.
After picking himself up, Geralt sees that the Professor is still not dead, and is in fact "holding" the witcher's steel sword for him (he is impaled on it). Just as our hero goes to retrieve his weapon, a Kikimore queen erupts from somewhere further underground and finishes off the Professor in a fairly dramatic manner leaving our hero to deal with the gigantic creature alone.
Rather than embarking on a suicide mission, Geralt decides to run straight to the other side of the cave when the queen dives underground. She resurfaces, but luckily not before our hero makes it to the other side. He continues through the archway into the corridor, then spins around and immediately casts Aard to collapse the structure. He then sees more smaller kikimora ahead but decides to ignore them. He proceeds, each time he passes an archway he collapses it repeating the same process using Aard.
The third archway leads to a larger chamber which has a corridor leading out of it. The witcher heads for it hoping to find an exit. On the way he passes one last support post which seems to be carrying an even greater load than the others. He turns around and casts Aard on it, like the previous supports. The entire cave collapses behind him, crushing the Kikimore queen and at the same time revealing an exit.
Geralt loots the queen's remains. Since she ate the professor, anything he was carrying will probably be in her gut. He slices her open and sure enough, there are all the Professor's things. He then makes his way out of the cave and finds himself on the Vizima dike, but not alone.
There, surrounded by crossbowmen and a knight of the Order in full armor, is Adda. She condemns the witcher to immediate execution for knowing about her connection to Salamandra and the attempted coup. But, very luckily for our hero and before this can occur, he is teleported to the Lakeside - courtesy of Triss who has been watching the whole thing from wherever she is located at the moment.
This concludes this quest and the All the King's Men quests, updates Berengar's Secret and Witchers' Secrets, and causes to fail any unfinished quests obtained during Geralt's stay in Vizima, except the Won't Hurt a Bit quest. It also marks the beginning of Chapter IV.
==Killing the Queen directly==
*Although the journal says otherwise, the Queen can be defeated using critical effects like Bleeding and Poison.
**Because the damage of these effects depends on the victims own health the Queen will lose several hundred HP when first afflicted.
*The easiest way to do it is by using a combination of Quen and Yrden signs.
**For this tactic you should have Level 5 Quen unlocked as it reduces damage by 100% so even the Queen is unable to kill Geralt while he is protected by it. You also need Crippling Sign unlocked on Yrden so it has a chance to poison enemies.
**Once the Queen appears activate Quen and quickly run back to the Professor's body. Wait for the Queen to come to you, if done right none of the other Kikimore's will join combat. Next place an Yrden on the ground and move back a bit, the good news is that using Yrden is not considered attacking your enemy so it WILL NOT remove your Quen shield. If done right the Queen should get hit by the trap and will very likely get poisoned as a result. The damage should also push her back a bit and her attempts to reach Geralt will just keep her getting hit by Yrden until it runs out. If it does you can just place another to keep the poison going until the Queen is dead.
**If you are worried your Quen may run out soon you can hit the Queen with an Aard or Igni which will remove your current shield and then quickly refresh it.
**Potions that are most useful for the battle are Petri's Philter and Tawny Owl as it's a sign only tactic. You may also use Willow to make sure Geralt doesn't get knocked down. There is no need for a Swallow as Geralt will not take any damage during the battle and if he does get hit it's instant death.
*It is also possible to use Brown Oil or Hanged Man's Venom to do the job, however hitting the Queen with your sword removes Quen. So it will require a "hit and run" tactics to perform, making it much more likely to die during the fight.
*Once you search the Queen's corpse Geralt will be teleported to the end of the lair so you will have to run back if you wish to search everything. Or you can push forward and then return to the Queen's remains after you got everything.
*You can still use Aard to collapse the beams, however if you have not searched the Queen's remains yet you may block your path back to her, effectively preventing you from opening the exit and thus becoming trapped in the lair, so you will have to reload a previous save.
== Phases ==
=== A Tense Situation ===
The party's over for Leuvaarden. Things are getting tense and we need allies. I need to talk to Leuvaarden. I need to speak with Leuvaarden.
=== Allies ===
Leuvaarden wants me to find new allies. We can't defeat Salamandra alone. The elves, the Order and the Temerian state are the only potential allies I know of. Leuvaarden doubts I'll be able to convince Velerad, so that leaves the elves led by Yaevinn and the Order with my friend Siegfried. I must convince either Yaevinn and the elves or Siegfried and his friends from the Order to join us.
=== Trust ===
All have refused to help. Seems I need to win their trust. No one trusts me enough to help me. I need to win them over.
=== Siegfried's Trust ===
It seems Siegfried doesn't trust me enough to risk a mission against Salamandra at my side. I should get Siegfried to give me an important task. Maybe that's a way to win his trust.
=== Yaevinn's Trust ===
It seems Yaevinn doesn't trust me enough to help me fight Salamandra. He refuses to risk his unit until he's convinced I'm on their side. I should get Yaevinn to give me an important task. Maybe that's a way to win his trust.
=== Help from Velerad ===
Velerad refuses to help me fight Salamandra. It seems he fears the organization's wrath and doesn't want any trouble in the city. I should look for help from Yaevinn or Siegfried. Velerad refuses to fight Salamandra, I should speak with Yaevinn or Siegfried.
=== A Secret Meeting ===
=== Allies Won ===
Leuvaarden was glad to hear I found some new allies. He asked me to tell Triss about it - she's at home, busy with her research. I should tell Triss about the secret meeting.
=== Anomalies ===
Triss told me we won't be able to defeat Salamandra until she solves the problem with magical anomalies. I guess I should help her. I need to figure out Salamandra, but to do that I must first help Triss identify the nature of the magic anomalies.
=== Alvin ===
Great, Triss wants me to take care of that Alvin kid. I saw this coming. She won't help me with Salamandra until I do something about the boy. I have to finish this Alvin business.
=== Alvin is Safe ===
Alvin is all set and Triss should now help me deal with Salamandra. I should speak to her. Alvin is safe. Time to talk to Triss about Salamandra.
=== I Should Tend... ===
I should tend to any unfinished business in Vizima and prepare. When I'm ready, I'll go see Triss. I should prepare and go see Triss.
=== The New Narakort ===
Everybody's waiting for me at the New Narakort. I should join them immediately. I should go to the New Narakort.
=== A Warning / Vincent's Friends ===
Depending on your choice in the Beauty and the Beast quest
:Spared and cured the werewolf: Vincent warned me about the Salamandra ambush. He and his men aided me in the fight. Time to leave. My allies await.
:Spared but did not cure the werewolf: I was lucky to spare the werewolf's life. Vincent showed his gratitude by telling me about the trap. He even helped me fight the Salamanders. Perhaps he remains a good man? Time to leave. My allies await.
:Killed the werewolf: A terrible misunderstanding... Obsessed by a desire to avenge their captain, Vincent's people attacked me before I could explain that I killed him because he was a werewolf. More human lives on my conscience. Time to leave. My allies await.
=== The Trap ===
Salamandra set a trap for me at the New Narakort. Things are heating up. I'd better see Triss and Leuvaarden right away. I'd better see Triss and Leuvaarden right away.
=== The Salamandra Base ===
What am I doing here? I'm inside the Salamandra base, though I have no idea where it is. On top of that - where is my backup? I'm in the Salamandra base. I must locate my reinforcements.
=== The Portal ===
=== The Power Stone ===
I have the Power Stone and can now activate the portal and let in the reinforcements. I should activate the portal and let in our reinforcements.
=== A Chat ===
I managed to open the portal and let the troops in. The barrier was deactivated when I used the portal. Time to talk to the Professor and Azar Javed. Using the portal temporarily deactivated the barrier. Time to chat with the Professor and Azar Javed.
=== Azar / Alzur's Shield ===
:Azar used one of the spells from the book against me. It nearly killed me. It's a shame I didn't see through him back there in the swamp. Events would have taken a different course. The Professor and Azar... I must get them!
:Alzur's Shield, the spell Triss cast on me, scared Azar. He fled, leaving the Professor to his own devices. I put a lot of effort into learning the identity of Salamandra's boss. It was worth it. Azar and the Professor... I must get them.
=== The Confrontation ===
Finally, eye to eye with the Professor, the man who helped Azar make off with the witchers' secrets... and Leo's killer. This is the Professor's end... He will pay for his deeds.
=== The Kikimore Lair ===
I defeated the Professor, but that's hardly the end of my problems. I fell into a kikimore lair - I must defeat their queen and get out of here. I must defeat the kikimore queen and get out of here. (1500 XP)
=== The Queen ===
I succeeded in defeating the kikimore queen. Time to look for a way out. Time to look for a way out.
=== Adda ===
I found some strange notes among the kikimore's guts. It seems Princess Adda was helping Salamandra! Time to get out of here. I'll try the passage that opened with the second tremor. Princess Adda was supporting Salamandra. I need to get this information to Triss.
=== A Partial Success ===
I destroyed Salamandra's bases and rooted the organization out of Vizima. I also destroyed the kikimore queen's lair, so those monsters no longer threaten the town. The Professor is dead too, although Azar managed to escape. I managed to destroy Salamandra in Vizima, but Azar escaped. I need to leave the city too. (3500 XP)
== Notes ==
* When Geralt meets his ally (before activating Alvaro's portal), he may or may not have found the power stone at the Salamandra hideout in the restricted quarter. Not to worry, there is another one nearby. Instead of going to the left (towards Alvaro's portal), veer right first and there is a small area with a third Salamandra mage, a circle of elements (Yrden), some loot in a crate and a second power stone and a seeing stone.
* Remember to finish all side-quests and do anything you need to do in the Temple Quarter, Trade Quarter and Swamp before speaking with Triss a second time after convincing Yaevinn or Siegfried to help you fight Salamandra. You will not get another chance before being whisked off to Murky Waters and Chapter IV.
* Before chasing the professor into the second large cave, you have an opportunity to save your game. I recommend that you do. It might also be a good idea to use a Tawny Owl potion as you will need to use your Aard sign several more times shortly thereafter.
* If you got fooled by Azar in the second chapter, instead of Triss using Alzur's Shield on Geralt, Azar will use the spell on the Professor for their final fight.
* Do not forget to loot the corpse between the second and third archways when running away from the queen.
* After collapsing the last post in the kikimore queen's lair, run! Run fast and keep running as far back and to the left in the corridor as possible. The entire cave will collapse and crush the Kikimore queen (and you if you do not get away quickly enough). Loot the remains, making sure to take the Professor's report, and the the Professor's letter. Read the letters, then head through the tunnel, looting the chest on the way. When you reach the end of the tunnel, the final cut scene begins.
* One does not have to destroy any of the previous cave wooden structures before Geralt heads to the main structure. If you do, Geralt will only make a cursory comment about the cave structure. To kill the Kikimore queen, Geralt has to hit the main structure (the large open area) three times with Aard and stay clear of the cave collapse. Using a Blizzard potion makes this very easy since it slows down the reactions of all enemies within Geralt's reach. Before the main cave area collapses (after two Aard hits) Geralt will make the following comment: "The entire Salamander Base will fall on my head."
* A bug can sometimes occur in the Salamandra base, when trying to escape from the Kikimore queen. This bug results in Geralt dying, even when he has taken cover in the corridor. A workaround for this bug is to collapse all three archways before collapsing the main structure.
* The number of hits it takes to make the main area collapse varies from one to three.
* If you lack a Blizzard potion while doing this quest, there is a safe area to the right of the main area that the Kikimore queen can not reach. You can use Aard on her to safely drop her (make sure it hits her and that she falls since she will kill Geralt with one swipe) and then run and hit the main room pillars.
* If you run fast enough once you are dropped into the Kikimore queen's lair and head to the safe area to the right of the main collapse area, you should be able to save your game and try it from there.
* it is possible to delay the queens chase by passing some kikimore workers and trapping them under the fallen construction with Aard in such a way that the queen cannot go thru the tunnel as the workers are in the way while you rack up XP slaying kikimores at the last tunnel support structure. watch out not to walk too far into the last chamber (I.e. Lure them to the area where the body is) - countless skinnables!
*Bug: you can kill the queen twice. After the cutscene where Gerald falls to the lair, the queen walks to the spot near the big rock then starts digging and disappears. Geralt can chase her immediatly after the cutscene and interrupt digging with Aard. The queen will not attack Geralt and will relentlessly try to reach the digging spot. Using the sword coated with Brown Oil or Hanged Man's Venom Geralt can kill her pretty fast. After looting the corpse Gerald will be teleported to the end of the lair. He can leave the lair and finish the chapter or return back to the the chamber with queen's corpse. New Kikimore's Queen will appear near the corpse of old one. This queen will not hesitate to attack Geralt. If he kills her the corpse will contain the same loot, particularly the special ingedient Kikimore's Nerve, but it is quite useless as the Kikimore's Ire potion has no effect when imbibed a second time.
== Videos ==
File:Unforgiven Into Salamandra Base
File:Unforgiven End of Chapter 3
== Maps ==
Map Salamandra base.png|Salamandra base: 1st level
Map Salamandra base1.png|Salamandra base: 2nd level
cs:Jde to tuhého
de:Unverziehen
es:Sin perdón
fr:Aucun pardon
it:Imperdonabile
hu:A megbocsáthatatlan
pl:Bez przebaczenia
ru:Непрощенный
Category:The Witcher quests