[Reaper004]

When the Grandmaster takes you to "the future" and shows you that the world is covered in ice. Whilst there you are either haunted or blessed by the choices you made throughout the game. If you pursued a love interest with either Triss or Shani, the lover you chose will appear. Now, my question is this. Is this the real Triss/Shani? Or is it simply an illusion? Are any of the people in this alternate reality that appear real? Or are they simply vivid illusions?

[Petra_Silie]

There is no clear defination and I guess it's up to the players to interpret this scene.
With Icy Plains de Aldersberg want's to convince Geralt to join him. Why should the Grandmaster send illusions of his allies into this frozen world who support the Witcher against de Aldersberg? I think… they are as real as Geralt is. Somehow they got access in de Aldersberg frozen world. They even say they are limited to move and act in this world.
Though… this is a very abstract theory… they are an illusion and sent by de Aldersberg to demonstrate, they can't help Geralt (even forsake him because they can't stay with him as he ascents to the peak?)… Geralt is alone and has no alternative than side with de Aldersberg.

[Mad Bohemian]

I may be mistaken but, Triss and/or Shani tells Grealt that his mind (Geralt) brought them into the Grand Master's Illusion.

[Corylea]

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I may be mistaken but, Triss and/or Shani tells Grealt that his mind (Geralt) brought them into the Grand Master's Illusion.

You're right, they did.  But if they're being controlled by the GM, they could be lying, and if they're illusions produced by Geralt's own mind, they'd say something he'd find plausible and/or comforting.  I think there's nothing cut-and-dried about the Icy Plains; it's all up for speculation!

[Reaper004]

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There is no clear defination and I guess it's up to the players to interpret this scene.
With Icy Plains de Aldersberg want's to convince Geralt to join him. Why should the Grandmaster send illusions of his allies into this frozen world who support the Witcher against de Aldersberg? I think… they are as real as Geralt is. Somehow they got access in de Aldersberg frozen world. They even say they are limited to move and act in this world.
Though… this is a very abstract theory… they are an illusion and sent by de Aldersberg to demonstrate, they can't help Geralt (even forsake him because they can't stay with him as he ascents to the peak?)… Geralt is alone and has no alternative than side with de Aldersberg.

Well, that's just maddeningly unhelpful!  ;) Haha, thanks anyways bro.
P.S. de Aldersberg is 2nd on my list of most well thought-out antagonists... Jon Irenicus will always be the 1st!

[Juuuhan]

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When the Grandmaster takes you to "the future" and shows you that the world is covered in ice. Whilst there you are either haunted or blessed by the choices you made throughout the game. If you pursued a love interest with either Triss or Shani, the lover you chose will appear. Now, my question is this. Is this the real Triss/Shani? Or is it simply an illusion? Are any of the people in this alternate reality that appear real? Or are they simply vivid illusions?

My interpretation.

It's an illusion based on Triss/Shanis feelings towards you (or the way Geralt believes they feel for him). Basically it's not the Grandmaster who's responsible for them being there, but rather Geralts feelings towards the decisions he'd made which now act up on this illusion to a hellhole.
This would give it away at the moment you meet Siegfried and/or Yaevinn. Based on previous dialouges they could either be slaughtered at this moment by Geralt or left alive yet they both stand there in Icy Plains. Can't do that if they're dead now can they?

Other hints to this is I hardly believe The Grandmaster had so much magic power that he could forcibly drag Abigail and Triss (as they are familiar to magic) that easy without them being able to stop it.

[Guy N'wah]

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When the Grandmaster takes you to "the future" and shows you that the world is covered in ice. Whilst there you are either haunted or blessed by the choices you made throughout the game. If you pursued a love interest with either Triss or Shani, the lover you chose will appear. Now, my question is this. Is this the real Triss/Shani? Or is it simply an illusion? Are any of the people in this alternate reality that appear real? Or are they simply vivid illusions?

My interpretation.

It's an illusion based on Triss/Shanis feelings towards you (or the way Geralt believes they feel for him). Basically it's not the Grandmaster who's responsible for them being there, but rather Geralts feelings towards the decisions he'd made which now act up on this illusion to a hellhole.
This would give it away at the moment you meet Siegfried and/or Yaevinn. Based on previous dialouges they could either be slaughtered at this moment by Geralt or left alive yet they both stand there in Icy Plains. Can't do that if they're dead now can they?

Other hints to this is I hardly believe The Grandmaster had so much magic power that he could forcibly drag Abigail and Triss (as they are familiar to magic) that easy without them being able to stop it.

The more I read your answer, the more I like it, and it raises for me the question "Whose dream is this, anyway?"

Has Geralt been drawn into the Grand Master's dream, or has the Grand Master induced Geralt's dream and intruded upon it (a la Inception)? Or is yet another party (the King of the Wild Hunt) the author?

The most sensible seems to be that this is the Grand Master's dream, into which he draws Geralt. The woman Geralt sided with when Alvin needed a home says as much. None of the allies or enemies Geralt encounters, or their recent dealings with Geralt, are unknown to the GM; he was present as Alvin for many of them, and the ones he didn't encounter as Alvin are known to him as Jacques. The woman Alvin did not live with is conspicuously absent.

It is still plausible that this is Geralt's dream, into which the Grand Master has intruded, even though this goes against what Geralt is told (that this is the GM's dream): things are rarely what they seem in dreams, and "Is this Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi?" There are problems with this view, chiefly because of the Skullheads, which Geralt has not encountered before, and the absence of the woman Geralt denied Alvin to.

But I want to suggest a third possibility, that this is actually the King of the Wild Hunt's doing. It's not much of a secret that the KotWH covets the Grand Master's soul, and he's already so much as told Geralt that Geralt will be his instrument in obtaining it. The entire progression to the showdown at the temple is an illusion cast by this Cartesian "evil daemon" to remind Geralt of how he came to this destiny and to strengthen his resolve in carrying it out. But the KotWH's plan goes all cattywampus when Geralt sees through the illusion and insists on denying him his prize.

[Juuuhan]

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The more I read your answer, the more I like it, and it raises for me the question "Whose dream is this, anyway?"

Has Geralt been drawn into the Grand Master's dream, or has the Grand Master induced Geralt's dream and intruded upon it (a la Inception)? Or is yet another party (the King of the Wild Hunt) the author?

The most sensible seems to be that this is the Grand Master's dream, into which he draws Geralt. The woman Geralt sided with when Alvin needed a home says as much. None of the allies or enemies Geralt encounters, or their recent dealings with Geralt, are unknown to the GM; he was present as Alvin for many of them, and the ones he didn't encounter as Alvin are known to him as Jacques. The woman Alvin did not live with is conspicuously absent.

It is still plausible that this is Geralt's dream, into which the Grand Master has intruded, even though this goes against what Geralt is told (that this is the GM's dream): things are rarely what they seem in dreams, and "Is this Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi?" There are problems with this view, chiefly because of the Skullheads, which Geralt has not encountered before, and the absence of the woman Geralt denied Alvin to.

But I want to suggest a third possibility, that this is actually the King of the Wild Hunt's doing. It's not much of a secret that the KotWH covets the Grand Master's soul, and he's already so much as told Geralt that Geralt will be his instrument in obtaining it. The entire progression to the showdown at the temple is an illusion cast by this Cartesian "evil daemon" to remind Geralt of how he came to this destiny and to strengthen his resolve in carrying it out. But the KotWH's plan goes all cattywampus when Geralt sees through the illusion and insists on denying him his prize.

As this is the Grandmasters doing, we can safe to assume the dream belongs to the Grandmaster. This would again be more logical, since if it were the Grandmaster who entered Geralts dream, Geralt couldn't see the icy plains. Remeber that a dream have to be a vision of what people already have seen/experienced. This is given away as Geralt now are in a place he never been before.

Personally I don't think the Grandmaster is awared of the people Geralt run into during this time. As Geralt himself are a powerful individual and clearly can interfer with the Grandmasters vision, Geralts personal feelings on decisions he have made are now acting up. Some are better and some are worse. It could be KotWH doing but if that would be the case each person who would appear, would be more deciving towards Geralts approach. (as this is debated very well by Corylea on this topic http://www.thewitche...6783#msg5426783 )
In the end I also doubt that KotWH would try to make an illusion this grand just to lure either the Grandmaster or Geralt. He is only observing, since he have an interest in them both, and when the Grandmaster is struck down he make an appearence. KotWH is more about destiny and deciving for his own personal gain. Rather than making an illusion it is more likely he have "convinced" the Grandmaster that this is the right thing to do and as this now take place, he is sitting in the background observing the outcome.