The TRUE Identity Of The Whispering Hillock - Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

In this video I delve into the Whispering Hillock, or the Ghost in the Tree. The identity of this individual - once known as the Lady of the Wood - is a mystery. I do my best to piece together who the Whispering Hillock is and what her relationship is / was to the Crones of Croockback Bog. Witcher 3 Velen Lore. Witches of Croockback Bog.
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[@MrAskmannen]

The baron's guards yell her name all the time: PAM PA RAAAAAM

[@aleccross3535]

That is the 2nd most annoying background noise in the game. First place goes to "its rainin', its rainin'.."

[@Engine33Truck]

Alec Cross no, the most annoying background noise is “they have sent the BEEEAAAASSSST as punishment for our sins”

[@rpg23245]

@@aleccross3535 How much do you have to play for it to be annoying because I've playing a couple days and I sing along everytime I hear it lol

[@voneverec4212]

@@rpg23245 I can't remember how many times I've played over these years and it was annoying at first but then it started to grow on me lol

[@ItsaDaPope-a]

I LOVE PAM PA RAAAAAAAAAM. I've put over 400hours in to the game and it never gets old.

[@I_Found_Jesus_On_The_Toilet]

Maybe it was the crones who drove their mother mad. Their endless banter and ill-manners are so off putting when meeting them; I could not imagine what it's like having to live with them.

[@thosebloodybadgers8499]

Or, perhaps the Lady of The Woods did go mad as they say, and her madness rubbed off on her daughters in the same way it did with the land before they killed her. After all, their taste for young meat couldn't have come naturally during the Lady's reign.

[@silent_stalker3687]

Imagine them in their teenage angst.

[@ironfoot1938]

i think its hard to say because the crones are certainly very old prob the reason for their disgusting appearance. but i do agree that in the current state they are very off puting

[@cazzt-el7741]

@@ironfoot1938 it's polymorphism. They dont really look like that. They look like the portrait. You see there true form when you get ready to take on imrelith with ciri.

[@ironfoot1938]

@@cazzt-el7741 i always thought of them the opposit way that the disgusting form is there "real" form

[@RascalandClog]

She freed the children and wiped their memories of the horrors they witnessed if you speak to the children they have no idea who you're. That kindness makes me think she is alot more kind then the stories make her out to be.

[@langthang7409]

I think the Crones make some peasant write bad about her

[@suzukirider9030]

Where do you even find these children after they escape Croockback Bog?

[@RascalandClog]

There at The Orphanage. If you don't know where that is play the game more you will get sent there.

[@ajduarte7748]

@@suzukirider9030 an orphanage in Novigrad

[@pronumeral1446]

Yeah she frees the children but she kills the village of Downwarren. If you go back later it's all wraiths. Of course the other option is to kill the spirit, which saves the village but the Crones eat the kids.

[@tonyng9]

I think the Crones killed their "mother" with the aid of the Wild Hunt. They are clearly subservient to Imlerith in the Bald Mountain quest and Imlerith has the magic acorns that can be looted from his corpse. So it seems like part of the operation is to farm these Acorns for the Wild Hunt. Also, the Crones were ordered by the Wild Hunt to keep their ears out (literally) for Ciri in case she appears in Velen. Avallac'h tells Ciri that there used to be a druid circle in Velen and the Crones corrupted the sacred tree, so that seems to match the spirit's story better than the "She Who Knows" book.

[@ladymacbeth7129]

Wait... How do you loot his body? I can never find it!!

[@Spectification]

@@ladymacbeth7129 You can return to the battle site and loot Imleriths body.

[@videoXtamer]

I should have read your comment before whatching the video to save me the 8 mins. Thank you,

[@laurivaisanen6918]

There is book in Yens room in Skellige( that has the unicorn), that says also this.

[@chimo6934]

Makes sense. You have my thanks

[@xXFrItZgErAlDXx]

The actual real identity and appearance of the Whispering Hillock has been revealed in Gwent. The "She Who Knows" card depicts her as she is creating the 3 crones.

[@widgren87]

I read a story once where the main characters discussed how to deal with spirits and other entities and it boiled down to basically 1: always be on guard and be respectful as spirits couldn't tell humans apart and you had NO idea what the last human had done or promised which could affect you. 2: ALWAYS follow the WORD of a deal made with a spirit even if you twisted the meaning of the word until it was nearly unrecognisable. 3: always remember that spirit don't think like humans, they are what they are with all that that entails.

[@chrisb9143]

The Master of mirrors would be pleased

[@urippe]

What's this story from? Is it related or just like from something else. I'm just curious it sounds interesting

[@widgren87]

@@urippe The overall theme comes from a lot of old folk-lore and myth but the story in question is a Avatar the last airbender fanfic called Embers and written by Vathara, if that is your thing I highly recommend it even if just for the authors notes and book suggestions at the end of the chapters. Happy reading if you decide to give it a chance.

[@urippe]

@@widgren87 nice thank you

[@mr.wilson9941]

Occultism in a nutshell

[@calenhoover1124]

I literally just finished this mission an hour ago, on my first ever playthrough of the witcher 3 and you randomly release a vid on it! insane.

[@sadpuckerr5359]

Next video: “Why The Crones are Idiots”

[@fajaradi1223]

Or does addicted to fisstech really worth it?

[@aleccross3535]

I freed the spirit prior to meeting he Crones but in between the Baron's quest. That choice saved Anna and Phillip ultimately, but they said the orphans would also be spared and that they'll be at the orphanage in Novigrad. But during my stay at Novigrad with Dandelion's quest to visit the orphanage, I did not recognize any of the children to be from the crookback bog. Dunno if the kids were eaten or what not. BUT I was still glad that Anna was saved, thus preventing Phillip from committing suicide. I mean he actually treated Ciri well. Like a daughter he'd always wanted. Contrary to that brat Tamara.

[@iagobroxado]

I did what you mentioned on your 1st paragraph on my 2nd run of the game and there's still a line by one of the Crones that mentions "those children you brought us were tasty" (probably saying that to Anna) or something to that effect - implying the children still get eaten if you release the Spirit before starting the Baron's quest.

[@RottenCabbage]

Just found out the crones feed the villagers their own children. If you kill the tree you can tell the alderman what you saw. Dialogue goes like this: Geralt: You trust women you have never even seen? Why? Alderman: ere the evil took root on the hillock. the ladies always helped us healthy babes were born. And once a year we get a giant pot of boiled meat Geralt: Once a year, that's it? Alderman: At the time of the feast, the ladies of the wood give us the scrapings from their table.

[@trucid2]

Jonathan Swift would be proud.

[@whitestar7641]

I have never done the quest this way so this is truly disturbing to me, makes me hate the Crones even more.

[@afaydilek]

@@trucid2 a modest man of culture, i see

[@artdidntwork]

This guy: The TRUE Identity Of The Whispering Hillock REVEALED!!! Also this guy: I just do my best to piece together who the Whispering Hillock is

[@augustocoss3687]

Does he actually give a worthwhile answer? I don't wanna waste time

[@manuxx3543]

@@augustocoss3687 Not really, basically a powerful unamed alien mage

[@michaelshowers2466]

Facts

[@xefiroth]

I flipped do hard after watching. Blatant lie in the title and a waste of time

[@AlexTBon4073]

@@manuxx3543 Isn't this the truth.

[@necrarian]

Perhaps the spirit was indeed taken by madness and her daughter's killed her for the sake of Velen, But overtime the same madness took over the crones.

[@robertpanek5944]

5:15 Wrong. That doesn't show that there is some goodness in her heart. You've clearly misinterpreted the situation. It demonstrates, that she honored her end of the deal. This is how making a bargain with a supernatural being works - both sides prefer not to face any backlash from a broken agreement. Sometimes they are straight up forced to do it by supernatural means, like magic.

[@DaLoler1]

I did the quest before meeting the crones and the kids were freed none the less. I don't remember the dialogue with the willow all too well but I remember the kids never being mentioned. She might have wanted to free the kids all along.

[@zycron2549]

@@DaLoler1 i tried it and i can say that the quest is bugged this way, cause in my dialog the children were eaten AND beeing freed.(crones say children tasted good and they say the black beauty took them)

[@BivolSorina]

the spirit wanted to free the children from the start

[@HumanB312]

If she honored her deal she is slightly good. The Crones are pure evil though. Killing Children is beyond forgiveness

[@yusafmalik5171]

@@HumanB312 I think eating then is a far worse thing 😂

[@bellilou9817]

If I am not mistaken, Geralt was tasked by the crones to kill the spirit, "the creature that was disturbing the villangers" in order to gain information on Ciri. So they had their reasons which I don't exactly know, but I think it makes sense for the crones to kill the villagers and Anna who was guarding the children, if geralt decided to free it.

[@cesarnavalon6357]

I mean… it doesn’t make much sense for Geralt to release the Whispering Hillock. Whomever it is. Just keep in mind it is impossible for him to see the whole picture in that particular moment. He has made a deal with the Crones to kill it and they’ll tell him what they know about Ciri’s whereabouts. The Crones have that as leverage. I don’t think Geralt would risk that even though sacrificing those children is a difficult choice. I always feel like he’d rather not get involved in the Crones-Velen inhabitants relationship either. He refers to Velen as an awful place several times, and shows no intention to improve it. He knows he is being used, but finding Ciri is his number one priority. Don’t get me wrong, i am not saying that killing the spirit is the right choice. I feel like releasing it is too risky, considering he doesn’t know what’s going to happen

[@marcinkrz3140]

I love how in this series, books often aren't a reliable source of information, to reflect that the were written by flooded humans, and to actual understand the subject, you must firstly take away lies. And i am almost certain, that there are people who only played Witcher 3, and think that Humans in this universe, were there before conjunction of spheres, just because first cinematic told them so.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Reminds me of Morrowind, very immersive in that respect (among others)

[@gageschmidt3208]

I thought the game mentioned that the humans came during the conjunction? Does it not?

[@marcinkrz3140]

@@gageschmidt3208 maybe, i don't remember, its been a while since i played but i remember book that call this "elvish propaganda" but i know that in both witcher 1 i 2 this wasn't mention

[@maciejpawe3700]

@@marcinkrz3140 wtf, in W2 it's clearly mentioned when going on Roche's path (quest chain with Henselt's curse and Vran's mystery in Loc Muinne)

[@marcinkrz3140]

@@maciejpawe3700 As i said last time i played any of the Wither games was long ago so i can forget about something's

[@felixthescholarlytitan4437]

So the only question I still have about this, is if you free the spirit, why doesn’t she go after the Crones as revenge for killing and cursing her in the first place. Destroying a small village that has had who knows how many generations since the supposed betrayal, is one thing, but not going after the ones that actually killed and cursed you? That seems a little suspect to me.

[@pinkpi3373]

I'm a year late, but I would figure she isn't anywhere near strong enough to face her daughters just yet. Afterall, they already killed her once. This is made all the worse by the fact that the crones have been growing from the sacrifices of nearby villages, Downwarren being one of the most subservient and reverent. By destroying the village, and possibly others like it, she weakens the crone's powerbase and becomes that much closer to her original status.

[@urippe]

I just started this game and am on this level. Freed the spirit. I think it is weak from being imprisoned and if the daughters defeated her once I'm sure they're stronger now and have something up their sleeve. Also don't know anything about this game but someone was saying how the daughters lend their ears to the enemies of the game. So they probably would have help idk. Also she wanted revenge right? Ig it wouldn't matter how many generations have passed if she's a spirit and they just honor their deals or something. Whoever was connected to her betrayal if she had the power to exact revenge she would. She did and even if it was evil whoever made those decisions against her knew the risks. If you harm someone they'll want to harm you I'd assume. Not defending the spirit it just is common sense in some aspects. She could be majorly evil idk but a lot of what is said in this video has some weight. But yes she could still be evil in her own ways I feel like everyone is and if she's some spirit with power then it's just like anyone else who would have that much power. It would go to their head but she still honored the land and people. Co existence that they chose. And they deceived the villagers in the end to eat children and probably other stuff that was asking for more from the villagers.

[@whitestar7641]

Think of the Crone worship as a weed, you can’t just break off the stem, the weed will regrow. So if the Lady went after the Crones the villagers would still worship and do terrible things, by destroying Downwarren the most faithful village, the Lady has committed a cleansing and an act of striking fear against the Crones. She has gotten rid of the root of the Crone worship and made a symbol to the Crones saying I have returned and your end is nigh. Now let’s take this one step further, the Lady is clearly something more than a Druidess, she knows things, she has a greater sight than any mage, seer, or mortal in general. I believe she knows who Geralt is and when she met him face to face, for lack of a better term, it donned on her as you, you are the one who I have awaited, the time of my insolent daughters’ destruction is nigh. She knew these events unfolding, she knew Geralt would find Ciri, and thereby Ciri would destroy two of her daughters leaving the third severely weakened and thus she would fade from power or she or somebody else would destroy her third daughter. This would mark the end of the age of the Three Ladies, and her new age would begin, thus Velen would return to beauty and glory beneath her benevolent reign once more. The Lady has a far-seeing vision, she knows things that are to come and this is why she did not act against her daughters.

[@ajibagaskara08]

Oh No, Why KZbin Why, i just Finished The Witcher 3, now You Make me wanna play or again, ahh here we go again, silver for monster, steel for human.

[@zdrug3676]

Man, I finished it 7 times together with DLCs. Every few months you will want to play it again

[@jeroenvanos9653]

I did notice though that Gerald takes our his steel sword for dogs... Or my game is buggy

[@ajibagaskara08]

@@jeroenvanos9653 yeah steel is for animal, human Silver is for monster or magic thing

[@LightingbladeShen]

Ultimately, while it costs you 5 children in a line of many, the best thing is to kill the tree thing THen beat the crones. It's sad that if you wanna kill all three, you have to let ciri die. REALLY wish there was a way to kill the third one, because for the love of all things Yen and triss, those three were ploughin' awful

[@krys2007]

Yea it would have been awesome if Geralt and Ciri could hunt down the last Crone and slay her together if you chose the Witcher route for Ciri.

[@HummelJaeger]

Maybe, just maybe, the surviving Crone is intended to have a cameo in Ciri's (rumoured) story-line in Cyberpunk 2077.

[@joeschmoe5608]

A mod released recently if you’re on PC that let’s you do exactly this. It’s called “Ciri’s Sole Memento” and it is fully voiced and very well done.

[@me5969]

It’s entirely possible she does hunt down and kill the last one if she becomes a witcher. I mean who knows what she got up to? I’d imagine she wouldn’t exactly let it go.

[@me5969]

I was also meant to say but I couldn’t remember exactly what it was but it just come back to me. Ciri wears the medallion later that Weavess took. Implying she did actually go back and get it. Ofc she could just have had a replica made.

[@rorybrown7782]

Love the Witcher videos mate you are doing a good job. I’m just starting new game+ and your videos give great insight to the alternative paths. 👍

[@ryanwinters9375]

If you free the spirit before meeting the crones or entering the village where the crones live she doesn’t offer to save children so this could be proof that she only offers to save the children in order to make you think she’s good and therefore get you to free her

[@RKDriver]

I tricked the thing after telling it I would free it and it died. I thought leaving it alive would spread more evil out among the land so I made that last second choice. Then went back with the Baron to kill some things there.

[@Absolutemooreon]

She still does it tho, difference is the crones don't blame Anna for it because she didn't get the crones to direct you to the tree which causes the children to be freed since it already happened. Freeing the spirit early lets you save everyone but downwarren

[@bavarianalex]

No, she does free the kids. The crones just don't blame Anna for "letting the kids escape"

[@whitestar7641]

@@bavarianalex Wait, really, oh thank goodness, so I’ve been making the right choice all along. I always wanted to save as many lives as I can, kind of making Geralt’s morality align more with the Griffin School. I am so glad to learn that I have been saving everybody except Downwarren because I honestly believe they must die. For Velen to be cleansed the root of the problem must be exterminated, and the Crones and Downwarren are the very root of it all.

[@MiguelSanchezDelVillar]

Ifi cant trust other mammals i cant trust a rotten tree

[@batto736]

roach is the only one you can count on no matter what and the whispering hillock turns into a horse coincidence?!

[@AngraMango]

A tree with a spiky beating giant heart attached to it too

[@TheFunky57]

I literally did this quest yesterday, great timing!

[@johndelgado8536]

In my NG+, i did the 3rd option in this quest where i saved the Spirit thus Punishing the village and (sadly) the Orphans eaten by the Crones while Keeping Anna alive.

[@DandyFinance]

Three crones were really creepy, each with its own twist, loved it!

[@elifriedman8812]

The Crones' appearance in the tapestry was likely their original appearance when they were first "created" or were younger (depending on whether they're actually created "offspring" of the Ghost in the Tree or were just devoted human followers who became powerful and eventually used witchcraft to overthrow her). This is evidenced by them remarking that their youthful appearance and the feeling of being young are made possible by their consumption of children and their blood. They're likely just humans who used sorcery to keep themselves alive over thousands of years and mutated and/or aged into their current forms due to time and experiments with magic they likely did to prolong their lives.

[@ASlapOfAFish]

The music in this quest is just on point. Makes you feel very uneasy. Fitting for the area .... 👍👍👍

[@brandonisburied]

this was the most twisted quest: .if u look from the front - saving the children seems the best choice .if u look from the back - saving the baron + villagers seems better choice your viewing angle changes everything

[@suzannepottsshorts]

I read a book about the Crones killing their mad mother and imprisoning her in a tree. I'll watch the video now.

[@randyjax09]

Has anyone noticed how The Whispering Hillock’s voice keeps changing throughout the quest? Three times to be exact. I think The Whispering Hillock is really just the Crones toying with us.

[@Rolasta]

Nah, is a independient creature, search in google "She Who Knows Gwent"

[@Near2L]

Did anyone else have the glitch where you go to the tree and couldn't hear it speak at all,every time I go to it geralt can speak,but the hillock is dead silent

[@stijngmail]

the ambiguity is really what makes this game so great, moest characters aren't good or evil, they just have things they want and ways to get there

[@viktorkovacs5873]

Well I freed her before talking to the crones. Both the children and the village people died.

[@warpdriveby]

You have done a great job collecting info, I had wondered at some of the details and despite finding and checking out most of the books I missed that she was thought to be their mother. I did find some info you didn't cover, that the Crones "trail of treats" was a method of sacrificing a child yes, but was employed during times when they were already starving to death. One of the bog area villagers says to Geralt (I don't recall the precise wording) that their ways are no harder than the times and land and that the Crones help more than hurt. It's grim, brutal, pragmatic, it's survival. He refuses to let Geralt shame him and rightly so I think. It's easy for us to find it repugnant and incomprehensible, but generally until well after the Renaissance less than half of all humans ever reached their 10th birthday.

[@musiclove3165]

We all should remember that revenge can suffocate everything, if you only feel the wanting of revenge in your heart, all other feelings will stop. It´s differently with sadness, madness or any other emotion, you can still feel them all, with the whole revenge thing you can´t, it all turns into one, I would rather be sad for a while than to truly feel the need for revenge.

[@prelldeluxe2454]

First! Last time i was this early Avarti only made Skyrim videos.

[@juliuszsedzikowski]

Can you make a part about Lambert, Lambert who is the most tragic witcher ever lived?

[@The_winds_of_change]

Lambert, Lambert, what a prick

[@hausschuh2456]

@@The_winds_of_change nice tune

[@conormartin7887]

Maybe the lady of the wood did go mad and her daughters removed her and were benevolent but whatever drove their mother mad happens to them too. So when we see them in the Witcher 3 they have already gone mad but they had each other so they didn’t get lonely like their mother and create any more daughters. Hence there was no one to overthrow them when they went mad.

[@chaoticstudent1815]

Well, there's one detail missing: If you free the spirit before the quest is given to you, she'll only destroy the village but will not safe the children. So in this case freeing her will result in the ending in which Anna and Philipp Strenger live.

[@Absolutemooreon]

The children are still freed the crones just blame you not Anna for it

[@chaoticstudent1815]

@@Absolutemooreon But why couldn't I find them in Novigrad after that?

[@Absolutemooreon]

@@chaoticstudent1815 they appear at the orphanage, the kids don't remember you no matter what and they are common reused assets so they're easy to miss

[@chaoticstudent1815]

@@Absolutemooreon I went there several times after the good ending, no one is there...

[@DevineDumbass]

@@chaoticstudent1815 did you go to downwarren before freeing the spirit and doing the quest for the crones?

[@rauliont]

my 1st playthrough, I was exploring and came across this before the crones, saved the spirit

[@serjrocks4168]

I turned the Hillock into a hellish mare because I thought I could ride on it later (:

[@chloec4009]

I always wondered about this glad I have most of an answer now. Separately, do you plan on making Cyberpunk videos when that game comes out?

[@AvartiPlaysGames]

I'll definitely do Cyberpunk videos :)

[@rodgermurphy5721]

This mission is so creepy with the music and the way horse's eyes turm red when the spirit possesses it

[@inviziblealmsivi8286]

love ur vids keep up the work, when the new elder scrolls game will be released you will be getting a big boost in subs , like the fudgemuppet guys have, just a bit of info from the futture.

[@tubthenub2488]

God dammit, after watchin your TW3 videos i got the urge to play agian, after watchin a couple of 5 min videos i now need to spend 300 hours in TW3, thx man xD

[@danielcastanosanchez8978]

This community is awesome, really love this game 🚀❣️

[@eiassalhab4320]

I entered the cave not knowing about the mission related to saving the spirit, I found something someone a ghost whomever is it asking me to free it which I did, then I found that first no children left in the orange second village was destroyed, that my actions led to the the worst results.

[@danielwester6913]

I saw some people somewhere mentioning that the spirit in the tree wasn't even human (Geralt comments on the bones he finds). I've also seen people mention that the spirit was just as evil as it also had human sacrifices, some suggesting that the sacrifices rule out the possibility of Druidism (though I may be imagining this). However, I'm just wondering if those comments are made based off of a lack of knowledge of Druids? In real historical texts, Druids were known to be in charge of sacrifices in their communities and did participate in human sacrifices. In historical texts, they had also been said to be users of magic with the ability to cast spells. Furthermore, I did some research and found some evidence of multiple accounts of shapeshifting for various reasons in Celtic mythology, for reasons of rebirth, punishment, survival, etc. One of these stories includes a Druid turning himself into a Boar. I think it's entirely possible that the reason the bones Geralt found were not human is because the Druid shapeshifted as she tried to escape the Crones, only to be murdered in that form. After all, if you free the spirit, she takes the form of a black horse, a rebirth shapeshifting, so the story already includes shapeshifting. Anyway, I truly do think the argument that the spirit is a Druid is quite strong. Not only does the above strengthen the argument, but the word druid literally translates to "knower of the oak tree", and the spirit happens to be bound to an oak tree. In more modern mythologies of Druids, they are known to be in tune with the natural world as an important part of Druidism. The spirit mentions nature's wrath when explaining the deaths surrounding the tree, implying a higher understanding of the natural world. Lastly, as Tony N commented, Avallac'h mentions a druid circle in Velen and Crones corrupting the sacred tree. It would seem quite likely that the Druid was protecting the sacred oak, the bog, and it's people through sacrifices and other common Druid practices until three Crones ironically bound the "knower of the oak tree" to the sacred oak tree in order to gain control of the region and its people. Honestly, that seems entirely like the kind of sadism I'd expect from the Crones.

[@ms-terious]

A better reason would be the fact that if you choose to spare the tree she asks you to collect her remains....from a hill due west. Only her spirit is said to be trapped in the tree so the bones are most likely to be that of whatever the thing her spirit was encased in.

[@CptSlow89]

Why the spirit is still killing the people after destroying that village? There is a part about that in the story after you finish Bloody Baron questline.

[@justinlabrosse8506]

Should do a video on the Crazy witcher that can be found underground in Novigrad there is a tunnel covered by an illusion on the cliffs around the city. In the hidden chamber is a side quest of one of the witcher gear sets and is probably one of the most sad story's of betrayal you will find in the game. You gotta read the notes that are scattered in the chamber and will explain how a mage basically tortured a witcher to insanity in his search to see how much pain a witcher could handle before death. It's pretty crazy shit.

[@johndelgado8536]

Thats Mad Kiyan of the School of the Cat. Poor Bloke's been druged up too much that drives him Mad and suffered long because of his Witcher Regen Mutation.

[@justinlabrosse8506]

@@johndelgado8536 ahh thankyou I didnt remember his name just the fact he looked like burnt man.

[@Ryan-ij3ge]

Just started a new play through yesterday! Thanks for rekindling my love of this game!

[@thewingedhussar4188]

So what is the better option to take, save the village or the town?

[@Christian-gr3gu]

Hot take right here, you should do a video on the romances, and why you shouldn't romance anyone. Yen gas lights you and blames it mostly Geralt even though he lost his memory. And Triss didn't tell her friend that her boyfriend is alive and well, and even knowingly slept with him even though she knew he couldn't have said no on the basis that he was dating Triss

[@CoolGuyMcGruff]

Lol I used Geralts magical he-pussy and manwhored every chick throughout the whole game.

[@io9671]

That's why being a loving father to Ciri is the best choice

[@alaia-awakened]

Nothing wrong with a bit of romancing Keira though

[@Tzeren-Kal]

Avarti will you make videos about the witcher 1 and 2?

[@Makarosc]

Not much lore in them

[@marcinkrz3140]

@@Makarosc have you even played them ? Abigail vs villagers, kill Leto or let him live, save Ada or not there are so many interesting choices (specialy in witcher 2)

[@Archone666]

@@marcinkrz3140 About the only really interesting video I could see out of the first two games is: "Elves in the Witcher series, is there anything redeeming about them?"

[@marcinkrz3140]

@@Archone666Yes Witcher 1 and 2 don't have that much interesting hidden lore like this. But Avarti in this series mainly makes a videos about a choices and for that Witcher 2 would be perfect

[@urippe]

Just played this part and freed the spirit. From everything I've seen now so far I think freeing her was the best option. She could be evil in her own ways like anyone with that much power could be but she chose to co exist with the people. The daughters wanted more and overruled her. The offerings they ask for is more than the mother. The mother never asked for children. The witches have to be using their power to their fullest in any way they could from the looks of it. We may not know everything but if the witches are also helping the enemy by using their gifts of ears to find ciri. And probably more since knowledge is power. Info matters. I'm assuming it's better to have some powerful spirit who once ruled in co existence and asked for less compared to her daughters that killed her would be a good ally if the time ever came. The mother and daughters are both bad in their own ways so it's just down to your personal preferences and what information you choose to acknowledge. Because in the end I only see how these beings are here and their wants and needs will always affect others and how they are will determine what your decision will be

[@jacoblathrop4227]

You should do a video on if you should kill the borsodis or not in the heats of stone hesit

[@WellEnoughToDrive]

Damn I love this game. It’s been a year since my second playthrough and damn it I think I’ll do a third right now lol. Cyberpunk has kinda dried up for me after 3 full runs and I’m just bored with assassins creed snowrunner horizon 4 Star Wars fallen order and avengers. Witcher 3 is a gem and I sincerely hope we’ll get another

[@MuricaTurkey]

Thank you, yes. I agree. I mean...the village kinda deserves it. I see releasing the Lady from the tree as the good (well, in Witcher terms lol) ending. The only ones who die are killed because they were complicit in murder to some extent. They knew their kids were being sacrificed. And Anna knew that she was to plump the kids up and care for them so they would be eaten later. This upset her/drove her mad, and she was forced to some extent, true, and that's sad...but she did enter into a contract with them of her own free will. Common sense should have told her that was a bad idea. I've been in an abusive relationship. I understand that it's difficult to leave. But she made selfish choices that led to her participation in child murder. All The Lady does when you release her is put things into balance. If you notice, no one else dies by her after that. There are no more werewolves popping up or people being driven mad to sacrifice themselves there. It's not like that continues. It could have been the crones doing that the whole time to make sure no one could get into the cave to talk to her spirit in the 1st place. Once she's released they stop enchanting the area around because she was already released. A bit "barn door after the horse" and all. To bother with keeping it up would be a waste of their power, which they would clearly need to conserve and use wisely after losing Downwarren and future children they could have gotten from there. So the focus on other villages nearby instead. Cut their losses. So, that's always been my thought process when deciding how I deal with that quest. Releasing her is the good outcome option. And I think Geralt would be savvy enough to realize that.

[@natalkasowa8703]

I mean both endings suck. If u release her the children are save but the village, baron and anna dies If u kill her only the kids die So in my opinion since we are following barons and anna's story it is better to kill the lady of the woods even if she was telling the truth. After that baron and anna get closer since baron has to take care of anna. Besides doesnt geralt kill the crones anyways later in the game? Not sure because i didnt go through the whole game yet.

[@spudssnowdrops6286]

Wait, why does the village deserve to be slaughtered? The current residents' only bad deed is sending their children to the Crones, which other villages also do. It is something that was done to their peers when they were also children, it's what they believe keeps them safe, as well as increases the food per person in an exceptionally impoverished region. This is not a justification, but to claim they deserve wholesale slaughter is hardly a fair and balanced response. The Lady of the Wood claims she was placed in that tree long ago, so it's not like she can be excused for killing the current villagers. As for Anna, it really depends on the wording to which she agreed. It may have been that she agreed to 'anything' when the Crones created the contract for her to escape the Baron and lose her own child, which caused her to lose her own mind in the process. By the time she was presented to the Crones by the fiend, she was likely too mad to fully realise what she was doing. It's hard to judge to what extent she understood what she was doing and from what point that changed. Furthermore, if the Lady of the Wood was concerned about putting things in balance, why does she only offer to free the children after you have agreed to the deal with the Crones to kill her? Why does she then not go after the Crones, who were the very people behind her death and entrapment in a tree and only the descendants of peasants who were involved? I don't think either choice is good. I think Geralt is right when he states it's a choice between two evils, and I also agree with Geralt's implication in the narrated scene where he states helping the Lady of the Wood was the greater evil. A handful of children are freed, yes, but that doesn't prevent future children from being taken. A whole village dies, Anna dies, the Baron dies, Tamara (the Baron's daughter) will suffer immense psychological pain as she was present in seeing her mother like that. The Crones carry on and the Lady just buggers off after saving kids (IF you only speak to her after the Crones) and massacring an entire village.

[@Dan-zc3ou]

Imagine the awkward family reunion

[@Primal2229]

The lady in the wood is Carnan from Shadow of War, at least in my mind because they are both two of my favorite questlines in both games.

[@benmcreynolds8581]

Sooo good!!

[@LegiyonEhellout]

Will you be doing Witcher 1&2 choices after you finish with the Witcher 3 ones?

[@GoldenBeans]

or choises you make that influence your playtrough in the sequel

[@marcinkrz3140]

@@GoldenBeans truth be told most of the choices that you make don't change that much (even important ones ) Like Radowid can be direct successor to the Temeria and be married to Foltest daughter (Ada) in Witcher 2 because of Geralt choices in Witcher 1 but none one even mentions it because Ada can also be dead and here presence could change almost everything

[@nicholasortega5876]

Anna dies if you free the hillock while doing it for the crones in the main quest if you do it before Anna does survive

[@vrolijk9865]

Always kill her. Because if you dont, eventually you can kill at least 2 of the crones, but you never get the chance to kill the lady of the woods

[@Absolutemooreon]

You only kill the last crone if ciri dies lol what

[@Gigachad6994]

I don't know what I did wrong but I freed the ghost but the baron didnt kill himself because his wife turned into the monster

[@ElrondKaresh]

Did you finish the quest? Tamara should show up there with the witch hunters at the same time you and the barons men do, if you met up with Anna prior to taking the baron to the bog. If you did all that, some more stuff will happen but I won't get into that.

[@zzergg8188]

Yeah I found a book at Bald Mountain that briefly goes over this story. It kind of pisses me off because I killed the tree spirit due to another guide saying it was a random evil spirit. Not so random after all…

[@serlistogiette4168]

Granted, I would be EXTREMELY pissed and broody if some folks who I may hqve helped or not trapped me in a damn tree for however long and there is a chance I'd bop em when I got out. But I know that's a flawed argument but hell I think I can understand where she's coming from.

[@LonksAdventures]

I never actually got the cutscene or option to spare the spirit in the tree. I walked into the room and immediately entered into a boss battle. If it weren’t for these videos I would have no idea you could spare her

[@Isilily]

Everyone says you see the children in Novigrad, but is there any actual proof they're the same kids? There are kids at the school in Novigrad regardless of if you free the tree spirit or not, and there's no extra lines that indicate they recognize you if you did. Most likely some of the children character models are reused, which isn't unusual for a game this size, and people just assumed they're the same characters.

[@maniacsangel9046]

I know this Answer comes 1 Year + later but yes there is proof Inside the School, a Note with the same Names of the Children from the Swamp. The Teacher there is one of Dandelions Girlfriends that you get from the Mission to find Dandelion. I think her Name is Marabella.

[@jacobb6435]

Please, any mysteries of the Witcher 3. Give us dialogue on that shit. Great video, keep up the good work

[@emdeejay7432]

It's the mother of the ladies of the wood is what I've come to find. On my second playthrough I found the book titled she who knows and from what I read I gathered that is their mother who they sealed away in there and it said she had gone mad and was bloodthirsty and that while the ladies demand sacrifices that they feared she would have ruined all of velen so they sealed her away. But I don't know what to think. I just know the ladies are definitely evil and she claimed to be a druid spirit or something but the horse she turned into certainly didn't look like a good spirit it looks like a horse from the depths of hell and it terrorizes downwarren shortly after and fucks the whole village up and kills some people.

[@serge470]

Just finished main story, I think I find the book in druids cave, named "she Who Knows" about crones mother. Don't think she was good, it's said there was some rituals, before they killed her. Crones just wanted have a power for themselves

[@xvgninja4806]

The true identity of the lady of the wood: no new information from the game. Just some magical being.

[@warlordofbritannia]

No one: Nobody: Not even Philippa Eilhart: The Crones: Sweet mother, sweet mother....

[@MLPDethDealr32]

The moment i came across the Lady of the Woods and heard her voice, i was like , " Yes Night mother I shall be your Listener in the Witcher universe XD".

[@dragonjoshua100]

This tree spirit might be the origin of Voleth Meir in the Witcher Series, but the one that survived was her.

[@andresmith3651]

Damn SMH I hope I didn't mess up. I ended up having to kill the hillock tree 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️ I attacked it by accident because I almost dropped the controller and trying to save it from falling I ended up throwing a freaking bomb at it😅🤦🏽‍♂️ ( typical Call of Duty mistake LMAO) but I just went with it and continued story now I'm wondering what the long-term consequence is for killing him 🤷‍♂️

[@theoutergod8666]

Well, in the question of her need for human sacrifices, it may not be her voluntary tastes, it may be her need. Perhaps human sacrifices were the only nutritious enough for her to survive. In that case, it was not really a willing choice but still a relatively fair trade considering all the circumstances.

[@Truthster772]

I am just wondering why the children are saved but Anna is punished? I’ve played both scenarios, even with lingering consequences, it seems to be over as soon as it begins and you’re left wondering why with the consequences. About ready to embark this quest here soon and wondering which scenario. It’s not like the Baron or Anna is seen again if you save them, so I wonder if it benefits better to save the children.

[@jones3887]

Anna is punished because the children were her responsibility to look over and protect the children.

[@bennysoper1517]

If she was a female version of Gaunter o Dim, it would make sense for him to "help" the witcher to get revenge for their betrayal. She honors promises just like him as well, with a terrible price.

[@michaelcrabtree7919]

So i may have just freed the black beauty but i havent gotten the quest with ciri😂

[@Rolasta]

The standalone game of Gwen has interesting information about She Who Knows, the mother of the Crones

[@BrosBGaming]

Honestly I liked the spirit more than the crones. At least she keeps her word. There's an order it follows while the crones are just chaotic evil. This made me feel it was a natural spirit but if you pay attention to fairy tales of old. Old spirits are seldom kind, but they are pillars of the world. I hate this quest because it feels like a no win scenario.

[@thebingthing8421]

Wondering if the ghost is voleth meir? Kinda different but kinda similar

[@Cepuminator]

I always loved how in the world of the Witcher any and all of 'the old' powers aren't really good nor evil. They just are. They are honorable (they hold to promises. If geralt bargains, the Lady of the Wood will save the children. If he comes across the Lady before the Crones, she won't).

[@gamingcentral4730]

By that same logic then the tree is also honourable as well

[@fliplife67]

Its weird I spare it in the game but I didnt get what was the out come.

[@vonsuu]

I think she is some form of Zmora (Mare) common in folklore all around the world en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mare_(folklore).

[@wesss9353]

Cool Witcher 3 was on steam sale last weekend

[@AndreaGiumetti]

Speacking of children amd chrones, have you noticed what happens if you pass again, diring the day, in the hut with the war orphans after you give them food?

[@bryon29able]

I was always kinda pissed we couldn't kill the crowns they would never hid from geralt

[@craigjovanovich6450]

The question to me is why do creatures go mad in her presence? Perhaps it's the blackness in their hearts? Geralt wasn't affected. The result in Downwarren may not be her maliciousness, but a result of their own behavior.

[@sharknizer9662]

There is another way in which the children are rescued and Anna is unharmed.....I just free the spirit from the tree before meeting the witches in the village outside the main quest

[@TheJuiceor]

the children got eaten though

[@magicelkiller]

So the best choice is to free to save anna?

[@yevheniishyshko7961]

Okay, I don't get it, everyone always talks about beating the crones and having saved the Baron's wife, but I never got that. Did I do something wrong? I only ever did one playthrough.

[@TheSorrel]

You need to destroy the lady of the wood. The Children will die, but the Baron and his Wife will live.

[@christianbass10]

Like this content!

[@bskilla4892]

I killed it bc I wanted there to be hope for The Baron.

[@fireroc2]

@where's the lamb s a U C E yup, i did it by accident on my first playthrough and then did it again on my second years later. You just have to do a certain order of events.

[@toornery]

I remember her saying the sisters killed her not the daughters if that means anything

[@flytie3861]

When u start the looking women's on dandelion's ledger, on novigrad a school teacher says 5 mysterious orphan children came from temeria to her doorstep

[@patriksvensson2360]

So, what of freeing her before encountering the crones? Pros and cons?

[@Eco-pu2zs]

No pros, just cons. She goes on a rampage and does not save the children. DONT DO IT. Save the kids.

[@patriksvensson2360]

@@Eco-pu2zs But what if I'm an old school Fallout player with a grudge against kids?

[@carlosleiva2825]

You can save the children and the baron’s wife if you free the spirit of the woods before the crones mission

[@leopardgeckoonsteroids7012]

The Crones shirked their duties, huh? Sounds like they're getting a beating from grelod