[This post will naturally contain spoilers regarding the lynching event.]
'Royal Blood' / 'Suspect: Thorak' / 'The Walls Have Ears'
Prior to triggering the event (i.e. before you hand in Triss' bandanna to Philippa), you must have completed the first step of the quest 'Hunting Magic.' After you have found the dream in the harpies' nest, outside Vergen near the catacombs, you can later convince Cecil to open up the closed-off section of the quarry, in order to hunt down a more powerful dream to be used in the cure for Saskia. Collect all the dream stones and view them, and you will find one that starts the quest 'Baltimore's Nightmare.'
At this point, I think you can start the lynching event if you want to, but just to be safe, find the door you saw in the dream, then talk to Thorak nearby about taking a look inside. Once inside, find the hidden clues that continue this quest, then go outside and tell Thorak whatever (I usually lie and say I'm just curious). Now, hand in the bandanna to Philippa, and get the lynching event started.
Once the appropriate cutscenes have played, you are told there's a time limit. This time limit is handled in a way that it counts how many and which people (groups of people) you've talked to, so it's important to not waste your time talking to people who won't add much to the investigation. Now, ignore everyone outside the prince's room, and go outside to where the Scoia'tael are guarding the servant who is behind the accusations. By now, the quest 'The Walls Have Ears' should have been added to your journal. From interrogating the servant successfully, (using Axii or Intimidate), you find out that he had heard reverend Olcan speak to Stennis, and they had said some suspicious things to each other. Your next task is to find his old quarters - you can find it on your own, but if you talk to Cecil (or the lone noble leaning against a wall outside Stennis' room), they can add a map pointer for you.
Once inside Olcan's room, search the place until you find a piece of paper with some designs of what looks like a goblet - a goblet with a striking resemblance to the one Saskia drinks from. Knowing that such fine handiwork as is Saskia's goblet, must have come from the dwarves, you can go talk to the group of dwarves outside Stennis' room. Questioning them about said goblet, you can find out that one of them did indeed craft Saskia's goblet, as a gift for her. Asking him if it can be duplicated, you find out it's more or less impossible, but the only one who might be able to come anywhere near its design, would be Thorak.
'Suspect: Thorak' is added to your active quests, at this point, so head on over to him to confront him about the goblet. He will deny everything, of course. Now, you must continue the previously-started quest 'Baltimore's Nightmare.' Following the clues given when you searched his old workshop, you should eventually find his hidden secret: A second workshop. Once inside, you'll be confronted by Thorak (or attacked immediately, depending on what you told him). Don't believe his lies, and instead chop his head off when things turn violent. Search his body for a key, and the nearby chest for the proof needed for the quest.
Thorak's key, not surprisingly, opens up something in his house, so head on back to Vergen. Inside his house, you can now open up the locked chest, containing proof (in the form of a receipt) that he had the fake goblet made at Olcan's request. By now, it is clear that Olcan intended to use the goblet to poison Saskia, and Thorak was in on the game (probably only motivated by greed, however). Stennis' guilt is still not clear, but there's not much more you can find out. If the final cutscene doesn't trigger automatically as you return to Iorveth and the mob outside the prince's room, the only remaining conversation that is at all illuminating, is to speak to Stennis himself (you might have to talk to Dandelion and Zoltan first, before you can persuade the guards to let you inside). In his own, non-obvious way, Stennis might end up trying to bribe you, further incriminating himself as guilty.
No matter what you do next, and how you handle the final conversation between Stennis and the angry mob, there's no evidence you can put forth that will prove without a doubt that he is guilt of being behind the poisoning. To the player (and Geralt as well), it's fairly obvious at this point, but we simply don't have the material evidence to back it up. We can choose to let him be lynched, but this might have serious political ramifications; but so does saving him from the lynching and locking him up. If you let him be lynched, he is judged and executed without first being tried officially, even if we know him to be guilty. I'm pointing all this out because I want to further compliment the brilliant writing in this game - everything you do has consequences, even if you're acting for good. :)
Anyway, both 'The Walls Have Ears' and 'Suspect: Thorak' should at this point be tagged as complete (and 'Royal Blood' will have entered its final stage). Due to a bug, however, they will be read as failed at the end of the chapter, anyway. This has no effect on the game, though, so there's nothing to worry about.
Post edited July 28, 2011 by Kindo
