Contract: Woodland Beast

Contract: Woodland Beast is a contract quest in .
: Contract: Woodland Beast
== Walkthrough ==
This quest can be picked up by reading the notice on the Border Post's notice board or Oxenfurt's, then talking to the captain nearby at the Border Post (he won't be named so use your marker to find him) who'll point out something is attacking and killing Redanian caravans along the main roads. While he can't haggle the reward, he does offer to give you a letter of safe conduct, if you haven't already gotten one from the Bloody Baron or the fake (but still effective) one from the Shady merchant nearby.
Ride out to where the marker is, at the crossroads just before the river north-northeast of Inn at the Crossroads, to find a couple alghouls around some wagons. Once you killed them off, examine the area, in particular the looted chests and the body against the fancy cart. Examining the other bodies just makes a note that necrophages were feeding on the carcasses. Using your Witcher Senses, find the footprints and follow them, where they lead towards the river and a group of drowners. Kill them off, then look for the tracks that continue up the hill on the other side.
As you near the tree, it'll cut to a Scoia'tael member in the trees, demanding why you're there. If you answer in any way other than asking to see the commander, the elves will attack. They'll also attack if you ask to see the commander but then refuse to surrender your weapon.
=== See the commander ===
If you give your weapons over, you'll then meet the commander, Vernossiel, who will explain it's not civilians but Redanian soldiers they're killing, as the soldiers also killed and tortured the Scoia'tael, and they need the supplies. You can choose to let them continue or kill them.
If you decide to kill them from the dialogue, you won't have any weapons on you. You can, however, grab the sword that was near Vernossiel and use your signs. After all the Scoia'tael are dead, retrieve your stuff from the nearby container and loot the commander's body for a squirrel tail.
If you side with the elves, you're given back your weapons along with a few miscellaneous items.
You can also choose to initially side with the elves, then after you're free to move again, attack, but this time you'll have all your weapons, just remember to re-equip as it won't default to what you were initially using prior to your weapons being taken. Note that if you do this route, you don't need to gather any of the squirrel tails as Geralt will appear to hand one over to the guard anyways.
=== Turn in contract ===
Return to the captain where you have two choices if you let them be: tell him about the Scoia'tael or say there wasn't any monster. If the latter, he'll get mad and you'll only gain 25 and nothing else. If you tell him about the Scoia'tael, he'll just give you the pass and 25 , as you didn't fully complete the job. if you go this route, the Scoia'tael leader can show up later, stating you betrayed her and will then attack you.
If you killed off the Scoia'tael though, he'll give you the pass, 25 , and 30 .
== Journal entry ==
: Monsters, like men, each have their own individual tastes and preferences. According to legend, dragons like to savor the delicate notes of virgins, while ghouls delight in the powerful flavors of rotting flesh. In the woods outside Novigrad, meanwhile, a beast had cropped up with a predeliction for Redanian transport wagons. Not surprisingly, the captain of the nearby guardpost did not appreciate this culinary choice and put out a bounty on the monster's head.
: If Geralt kills the Scoia'tael after telling them he'd keep their secret:
:: It turned out the woods did not hide a "shaggy fuck-knows-what," as the captain of the guard put it, but a band of Scoia'tael. They were the ones attacking the transports. Geralt promised not to betray their secret, but in the end he changed his mind. You might say, dear reader, that he acted dishonorable, and you'd probably be right - but those Scoia'tael were no innocents themselves.
:If Geralt kills the Scoia'tael outright:
:: It turned out the woods did not hide a "shaggy fuck-knows-what," as the captain of the guard put it, but a band of Scoia'tael. They were the ones attacking the transports. Though the witcher codex would recommend charting a neutral course in such a situation, Geralt sailed according to his own moral compass. His needle pointed decidedly towards the elves' much-deserved death.
:If Geralt leaves the Scoia'tael be:
:: It turned out the woods did not hide a "shaggy fuck-knows-what," as the captain of the guard put it, but a band of Scoia'tael. They were the ones attacking the transports. The witcher codex would recommend charting a neutral course in such a situation - and Geralt, feeling the pain of the elves' lot in his very marrow, duly followed that recommendation.
== Objectives ==
* Talk to the commander of the guardpost by the bridge to Novigrad.
* Examine the site where the transport was attacked using your Witcher Senses.
* Follow the tracks using your Witcher Senses.
* Decide to kill outright (either by meeting the commander or not):
** Kill the Scoia'tael.
** Gather squirrel tails as evidence.
* Only if Geralt met the commander and decided to kill them outright:
** Retrieve your weapons.
* Return to the guardpost captain for your reward. (25)
== Notes ==
* If you betrayed them, one possible ambush spot can be found just outside Novigrad near the Glory Gate signpost at night.
* The spot the elves are camped at is marked as a bandit camp on your minimap but will be empty if you visit prior to getting this quest.
** If you kill the elves, you can find a treasure chest at the site. If you leave the elves alone, leave the site, and return shortly thereafter, all the elves will be gone and you can still loot the chest.
* If you left the elves alone and didn't turn them in but still need a pass, you can do Fake Papers or continue the quest Family Matters to the point of learning where Tamara is.
* The items optionally received for agreeing with Vernossiel are Silk, Tracker's trousers, 6 Wolf hides and 2 Allspice.
== Bugs ==
* Regardless of the approach taken, if you loot a Squirrel tail, it isn't removed from your inventory when you talk to the captain and it can't be manually removed either.
== Videos ==
File:Vernossiel and Geralt- Woodland Beast Contract. All 3 Options (Witcher 3 - Scoia'tael Quest - Velen)
Category:The Witcher 3 contracts
ar:مهمة: وحش الغابات
de:Auftrag: Monster im Wald
fr:Contrat : monstre de la forêt
pl:Potwór z lasu
ru:Заказ: Лесное чудовище
tr:Kontrat: Ağaçlığın Canavarı
uk:Замовлення: Лісова почвара