Contract: An Elusive Thief

Contract: An Elusive Thief is one of the quests in  The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Journal entry

 * ''A Novigrad merchant by the name of Sylvester Amello had hung a notice on the Novigrad board asking for help in tracking down a thieving imp. It seemed the merchants' guild was being pestered by a mysterious creature who kept stealing wares from its members stalls. Geralt accepted the job.


 * The thief's trail took Geralt to Novigrad's extramural paupers' district. The thought of venturing into that tough quarter makes me wince. Not so much because of the danger - I have braved much meaner places - but because of the smell, which can be so rank as to bring vomit to one's lips upon strolling within ten paces of it. Geralt, however, braved the worst and soon determined the imp was in fact a doppler, one who changed his form more often than other men change their knickers - although, given the hygienic habits of men in this particular district, that was not saying much.


 * The doppler had no choice but to seek salvation in flight. It seemed Geralt was in for a footrace.

If Geralt spares the doppler:
 * Geralt has a soft heart. Though this does not always move him to mercy, this time it led him to spare the thieving doppler - under the condition that the shapeshifter leave the city at once. After that was settled, Geralt talked to the merchant who had issued the contract and brought the matter of the doppler thief to a close.

If Geralt kills the doppler:
 * To this day I think Geralt did wrong in killing that doppler. In my opinion, his crimes did not match the punishment meted out to him - but, in the end, I am no witcher, and so it is not my place to judge. The merchant Sylvester was, unlike me, thrilled with how the witcher resolved the matter and gave him the promised reward without a second thought.

Walkthrough

 * Go to the marketplace during the day and talk to Sylvester Amello.
 * Follow the imp using your witcher senses
 * The tracks will lead Geralt to a house in the outskirts of Novigrad, close to Amello's market stand.
 * Search the house. A short letter from a Louis to a Janne can be found on a table.
 * After that, Geralt should follow the strong scent of lavender. He'll soon run into an elf and a temple guard having a friendly chat. The thief, finding himself trapped, will change his appearance again and flee.
 * Follow the thief and catch him.
 * Geralt either can kill the "imp" - who is actually a Doppler - or talk him into leaving Novigrad
 * Geralt can receive the Diagram: Gnomish Gwyhyr from the "imp", if he convinced him to leave. Geralt also will gain 25
 * He'll also receive 215 from the Doppler.
 * While Mr. Amello promised to pay Geralt's price earlier, he is not satisfied with the result, because Geralt comes without any proof. Geralt has his ways in convincing the merchant, who'll pay up half the sum finally. The Witcher has lost a client, though.

Note

 * Letting the doppler go results in only half the reward money.
 * This quest is a nod to Geralt's meeting with the doppler Dudu in the short story Eternal Flame (Wieczny ogień) in the book Sword of Destiny. In particular, the imp takes on Geralt's shape, but in the end, despite having the same skills as the witcher, he does not have the killer instinct necessary to defeat Geralt.

Video
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