Possession

After analyzing all the evidence, Geralt came to the conclusion that Udalryk was not haunted by a ghost, as Cerys had thought, nor was he insane or touched by the gods, as many Skelligers believed. The situation was far more grave: a particularly malicious wraith, known as a hym, had latched onto the jarl. Geralt and Cerys thus faced the challenge of finding a way to free Udalryk from this evil being's power.

In the end, Geralt decided against meddling in Udalryk's personal affairs and left Cerys, whom he knew to lack neither courage nor resourcefulness, to resolve the matter herself.

Cerys hit upon an idea. They would trick the hym. Geralt decided to trust her. Cerys ran off, snatched Udalryk's infant child from its cradle and ran back towards the abandoned home, with the jarl and his honor guard hot on her heels. Meanwhile Hjort, whom Cerys had informed of her plan and asked for help, slipped into the house unnoticed.

Once inside, Cerys commanded Geralt to toss the babe into a burning stove. Caught off-guard by this seemingly-mad request, Geralt nevertheless acquiesced, hoping it was all part of the plan. To his great relief, it was. The hym, thinking Geralt an infanticide, left Udalryk to latch onto this new, even more guilt-ridden victim. Yet when it was revealed the child had survived unharmed, the evil being had to depart into the ether. Cerys' trickery and the witcher's cold blood had saved Udalryk, freeing him from his torment at long last.

Geralt decided to take care of the hym using tried and true witcher methods. This meant, as it often does, waiting until after dusk and gathering a generous supply of torches. Only then did he and Udalryk journey to the abandoned home to set about forcing the wraith to reveal its true visage. The fight lasted the entire night. Though at times Geralt feared Udalryk would not withstand the torture the hym dealt in its last throes of self-defense, by the time dawn came our heroes had triumphed and the hym had dissolved back into the ether.