Woe to the Vanquished

Woe to the Vanquished is a quest in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Geralt witnesses conquering soldiers mistreating the inhabitants of the village within the walls of the La Valette Castle, and may decide to intervene.

Walkthrough
After Geralt, Triss, Vernon Roche and King Foltest escaped from the dragon, Foltest asks the witcher to find another way to enter the castle temple. Then you start to wander in the village, where Temerian soldiers are mistreating the citizens.

This quest is divided into two halves. The first being when you witness a woman fleeing from a house, and she is shot in back from a crossbow bolt. The latter half when you speak to the force commander, setting a fire to burn a house, with people trapped inside. Note that this quest fails if you enter the underground passage, leading to castle sewers before solving it, as returning is not possible.

For the first half of the quest, upon venturing into the house from where the woman was shot, you must persuade the guards to leave. You can do it by using Axii, Persuasion, or Intimidation. All these methods have a chance to successfully convince the soldiers to leave. Then, talk to the civilians you just rescued from death. You can request a payment as thanks and you get 30 experience points and 10. If you refuse the payment, you gain 50 experience points.

For the second half, you must defeat the force commander in a duel. In a few steps' distance, you can hear the screaming of some people locked inside one of the houses. In front of it, there is a group of soldiers setting the fire. Speak with the commander and then fight him until he surrenders. You can use Yrden. There is no way to kill him. After this, enter the door on the left side, next to the corner and free the group of civilians. Again, you can request a payment, and you obtain 75 experience points and 20. You have to successfully intimidate them for it. If you refuse the payment, you will be granted 100 experience points.

Being selfless here is the best way to go, as it will result in more experience points and eventually more orens.

Note

 * If you refuse payment, you are approached in Chapter I by grateful family members and offered another reward which you can accept/refuse. The reward is a Heavy leather jacket and 50.
 * If you fail to persuade the soldiers in the house, they will kill the civilians, and even if you complete the second half, ultimately the quest will be marked as "Failed"
 * It is possible to do the quest in the reverse order. If you walked around the right side through the hidden alley you will still be able to finish both halves of the quest. If you successfully complete both parts the entire mission will be marked as completed.

Journal entry
Prologue
 * An easy victory behind them, Foltest's soldiers grew cocky. They brazenly terrorized the town's inhabitants. Geralt watched their acts of cruelty with growing disgust.


 * When Geralt saw a soldier shoot a fleeing woman, it proved the last straw and the the witcher intervened. He had often taken the side of the oppressed, and this time was no different. Clearly, something very wrong was going on inside the house from wich the woman had fled.


 * Inside, a group of Foltest's soldiers were threatening to kill some townsfolk unless they surrender their gold and valuables. The witcher managed to calm the hot-headed fighters, and it seems a massacre had been averted. Moments later Geralt learned that elsewhere soldiers were herding townsfolk into a single home. Genocide was in the air.


 * Eager for blood and booty, the soldiers intended to set fire to the house in which they had imprisoned the townsfolk. The subjects of the La Valettes were in mortal danger, and only the witcher could save them. Therefore, our hero approached the unit's commander and a sharp exchange ensued.


 * If Geralt doesn't save them:
 * Since Foltest was hardly a patient man, Geralt had to focus on carrying out the king's orders. He had no time to intervene on behalf of the townsfolk and never learned their fate.


 * If Geralt chooses to save them:
 * The negotiations grew so heated that the negotiators soon drew their swords. Geralt knew perfectly well that if he could defeat the Temerian commander in a duel, his men would stand down and refrain from killing the townsfolk.


 * And so it was. Seeing their commander yield to the witcher, the soldiers lost their zeal for tormenting civilians. They sauntered off like beaten dogs, and the townsfolk were saved.


 * If Geralt doesn't ask for reward in the end:
 * The witcher then freed the civilians trapped inside the house and - the true hero that he was - refused to take any reward. It is through such deeds that Geralt inspired me to write up-lifting ballads.

Chapter I
 * If Geralt accepts the reward:
 * When fate plays tricks on the witcher, these tricks are usually unpleasant. How surprised then was Geralt when a family of burghers saved from the soldiers at the La Valettes' castle found him in Flotsam? Geralt accepted their thanks and a pouch full of orens. That event reminded him that witchers defend people not only from monsters, but also from other people.


 * If Geralt doesn't accept the reward:
 * When fate plays tricks on the witcher, these tricks are usually unpleasant. How surprised then was Geralt when a family of burghers saved from the soldiers at the La Valettes' castle found him in Flotsam? Geralt accepted their thanks, but did not accept their money. He always reminisced fondly about that event.

Bugs

 * In the game (including the day one patch) when Geralt is prompted to enter a house following the incident with the woman and the crossbow bolt, nothing happens and the quest becomes stuck.

Video
Wehe den Besiegten Malheur aux vaincus Guai ai vinti Biada zwyciężonym