Dead Man's Party

Shani had been a diligent student – she not only had heard of the von Everec family, but also happened to be in the possession of a tome indicating the location of their family crypt. She and Geralt decided to journey there together. Shani was to bring a censer with her, which Geralt intended to use to perform the ancient ritual of Blood Summoning to bring forth the ghost of Olgierd’s dead brother.

Thanks to the Blood Summoning (which, as is the norm during witcher adventures, did not go off without certain complications), Geralt was able to summon the ghost of Vlodimir von Everec. Vlodimir, delighted at the prospect of enjoying a “cracking good time,” stated that to do so, he would need a body… and then promptly possessed the witcher’s, despite the latter's heated resistance. From that moment till Vlodimir had had his fun, Vlod’s ghost accompanied Geralt everywhere the witcher went. And it so happened on that day, he was going to a wedding, where he was to meet Shani. Vlodimir was thrilled at this, for he had taken quite the liking to the young medic, but, learning that she meant something special to Geralt, he promised to keep his hands off her. Yet something about his manner left room to doubt he’d keep this promise…

Thanks to the Blood Summoning (which, as is the norm during witcher adventures, did not go off without certain complications), Geralt was able to summon the ghost of Vlodimir von Everec. Vlodimir, delighted at the prospect of enjoying a “cracking good time,” stated that to do so, he would need a body… and then promptly possessed the witcher’s, despite the latter's heated resistance. From that moment till Vlodimir had had his fun, Vlod’s ghost accompanied Geralt everywhere the witcher went. And it so happened on that day, he was going to a wedding, where he was to meet Shani. Vlodimir was thrilled at this, for he had taken quite the liking to the young medic. It seemed they were all in for a night to remember.

Once Geralt and Vlodimir arrived at the wedding, the ghost jumped into Geralt’s body and threw himself headlong into a whirlwind of merriment, mirth and amusement.

Hearing Geralt recount that night's festivities, I realized it was a great shame I had not been able to attend. Not only would I have graced the guests with a performance worthy of the occasion, but also I would have witnessed its wonders first-hand, the better to now convey them to you, dear reader… Yet I consider my chance to craft an epic nuptial ballad merely delayed, not missed, for Shani caught the garland during the capping, meaning I will surely be a guest of honor at her wedding in the near future. Vlodimir, I hear, enjoyed himself tremendously, though he was forced off the stage and into the netherworld in a rather unpleasant manner by Master Mirror at the end. Before that happened, he wrote a letter to his brother in his own (that is to say, Geralt’s) blood, thus providing proof that the witcher had fulfilled Olgierd’s wish.

As the witcher had suspected, Olgierd would not simply take Geralt’s word for it that Vlodimir had not only risen from the dead (temporarily, at least), but had also had a splendid time. Yet the letter Vlod wrote in blood effectively resolved all Olgierd’s doubts. The task was deemed completed.

As Master Mirror forewarned, Olgierd von Everec asked Geralt to perform several tasks for him. One of these was to show his brother, Vlodimir, the time of his life. As I know from many pleasant personal experiences, the witcher, grim as he may sometimes seem, is more than capable of arranging a fantastic night out. Yet in this case, there was one particularly tricky catch: Vlodimir was dead. As a first step to overcoming this obstacle, Geralt decided to go see Shani, who, as a Redanian subject, an Oxenfurt resident and a woman of great learning, might just have some information about where Vlodimir is buried.