[Schmooples]

Blothulfur said:

Considering old Vaska will gift you with the book "Hymns of madness and despair" it's possible that she's worshipping something very real, Dagon himself. ›››

Though the funny thing is that Geralt gets the info he needs to slice and dice Dagon from this book

Chapter I : This is how you worship Dagon, the great Lord!

Chapter II: Ten little tips for making tasty stew from the great Lord!

Chapter III: Valuable parts of the great Lord to be sold in the market!

[Bloth]

That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange eons even death may die.

[Jobbert]

CD Projekt probably made the biggest Lovecraftian easter egg ever and it manages to make sense too. Damn much respect.

[Seboist]

Damn, TW1 is deeper than I thought. I never figured Vaska could be the woman or Gramps the apprentice.

[Corylea]

Kindo said:

It definitely fits the bill if she has become aware of her own wickedness, through the worship of the Water Lords. Then it's a common theme that the person in question completely separates themselves from who they were before; referring to themselves in third person like that, confusing those around them. There are a lot of things in this world that can drive a person crazy. ›››

I mostly agree with what you're saying here, and here's an example that Dragon's Dream might recognize: Lots of times people here on the forum will say, "I just did something really stupid, help me fix it," and one gets the sense that saying that what they did was really stupid is a way to prove that although they were stupid enough to do [whatever it was] once upon a time, they've wised up, and they're now smart enough to know that that thing they did was stupid.

I get the same sense from Vaska, that an older Vaska now realizes that she was wicked and that her asking the mage for things that were too hard for him to do was taking advantage of his might. And by saying those things, she's trying to prove (to herself, if to no one else) that she has changed and no longer is wicked and no longer takes advantage of people. BUT she still does take advantage of people, because she gets Geralt to work for her by promising him payment, then confesses that she can't pay him. Same old Vaska.

I saw the Water Lords less as the agents of her wising up and more as a symptom of her disgust with her younger self. After she'd realized just what she'd done, she needed some sort of relief from the horror and self-loathing that produced, and losing herself in worshiping something greater than herself provides that. Of course, Kindo's take on the Water Lords may be the correct one -- the game doesn't provide enough evidence to decide -- but one of the things I love about The Witcher is that it provides enough latitude for us to think about stuff like this.

I don't know what she sounds like in other languages, but I love her English voice actress, and the tone of voice when she says "Unimportant" when Geralt asks her who the woman was convinces me that yeah, it was Vaska, all right.


I've always done the stuff Vaska wanted right away, so I've never gotten the conversational branch where Vaska says she doubts that the card ever left the swamp and Geralt says he'll ask around. Has anybody else ever gotten that?

[Kindo]

Corylea said:

I saw the Water Lords less as the agents of her wising up and more as a symptom of her disgust with her younger self. After she'd realized just what she'd done, she needed some sort of relief from the horror and self-loathing that produced, and losing herself in worshiping something greater than herself provides that. Of course, Kindo's take on the Water Lords may be the correct one -- the game doesn't provide enough evidence to decide -- but one of the things I love about The Witcher is that it provides enough latitude for us to think about stuff like this. ›››

Ah, that also holds water and goes a bit deeper, at the same time. I'm very intrigued, and just like you, this is an example of what makes me love this game so much. Even if there is something like "the truth," good writing like this will keep that truth open for interpretation, anyway. It's been years since the game was first released, and I bet a lot of people reading this (myself included) will have more to think about the next time they're dealing with these characters. Remarkable...

Corylea said:

I've always done the stuff Vaska wanted right away, so I've never gotten the conversational branch where Vaska says she doubts that the card ever left the swamp and Geralt says he'll ask around. Has anybody else ever gotten that? ›››

Same here, I'm afraid. Always too eager to please, and to do side-quests, before going too far into the main story.

[Schmooples]

RPG's definately need (more) very good writers. Also everything doesn't need to be explained from the ground up to the players.

Corylea said:

I've always done the stuff Vaska wanted right away, so I've never gotten the conversational branch where Vaska says she doubts that the card ever left the swamp and Geralt says he'll ask around. Has anybody else ever gotten that? ›››

Kindo said:

Same here, I'm afraid. Always too eager to please, and to do side-quests, before going too far into the main story. ›››

Same here.

[Glaroug]

Thanks for your Holmes intellect and posting these findings Bloth. As I sit here, studying moss its hard not to think about the Witcher (swamp you know?). Playing through it again myself and just completed this part. Just about to post some question then found this gold mine!

Subtleties like this, I swear between between the Witcher and Dark Souls (hard to be this fellow on the subtlety from though )...

[Gilrond]

I had only one problem with identifying Vaska as the women from the story with the mage - from all the sources it sounds like it happened way in the past (as was discussed here http://en.thewitcher...he-mages-tower/).

[AserPik]

You just put yet another concept that I never pictured from the witcher. Damn that's both absolutely fascinating and down right annoying.

[mariobros777]

Vaska might be the mage's lover. Many people suspect and discuss that. But gramps... I do not know. Has been a lot of help. Five places in the swamp and he knew not only about them, but also about their history, and/or potion recipes, useful information and game lore fillers.

Could never bring myself to kill him. I always had a thing for necromancers, and rude grandpas living alone in jungles and marshlands (like alkor in diablo 2) and helping you out unexpectedly in general. Plus he offered to treat us to some meat, because we were skinny and unhealthy looking.

Also, he is a lot of help. Gramps is gramps. We do not know who he is, we do not need to know, and we should let him be in peace. After all he spares children and healthy adults. And seems to be a damn fine cook, too!