For A Higher Cause! is a quest in Chapter III of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.
Walkthrough
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You must find Philippa Eilhart in the dungeons. To do this, either attack the soldiers and get arrested (you will get arrested when your health bar drops to zero), or walk to her all the way from the sewers. The sewers is accessed via a small building entrance next to the "Mighty Numa". It should not be confused with the other locked entrance which is guarded by two soldiers. (If you get arrested, you'll have to fight unarmed).
Whichever way you choose, the executioner will blind Philippa in front of you. Then you'll have a choice: Help Philippa home to get an item that'll free Saskia from her control, or go save Triss.
If you go with Philippa, Letho will save Triss.
Journal Entry
- Behold the last part of the story about Geralt and the assassins of kings. In his search for the kidnapped Triss Merigold and the treacherous Síle de Tansarville, Geralt arrived at Loc Muinne, an ancient city once inhabited by the elves. The witcher was in the company of Iorveth. Truly, should Geralt lead a Manticore on a leash, he would attract less attention from onlookers.
- Meanwhile - the irony! - knights of the Order of the Flaming Rose made camp by the city gates. There was no way an elf, nay, one of the most famous and most wanted Scoia'tael, got through that gate without being accosted by the knights. Iorveth turned from the path in order to find another way into the city, and Geralt faced a dilemma: to follow him, or to have a look around the camp in search of familiar faces from Vizima.
- As a Scoia'tael, Iorveth was quite experienced in finding hidden passages. He did not have to search for long - a path through a cave led straight to Loc Muinne. The witcher followed the elf underground.
- Thanks to Iorveth's talent at sneaking unnoticed, our heroes got behind Loc Muinne city walls and started looking for Philippa Eilhart.
- By a stroke of luck our heroes met Temerian soldiers discussing the sorceress they sought. Waiting in hiding, Geralt and Iorveth overheard that Philippa had been imprisoned. Luckily, an elven sewage system stretched under the city and even connected to the dungeon. Our spies split up - Iorveth went to search the sorceress' house, while Geralt headed into the sewers. The witcher wasn't looking forward to trudging through sewers again and seriously considered surrendering to a patrol to get into the prison that way.
- And so, not for the first time in his career, Geralt entered sewers once more. This time, however, he was not hunting a dangerous monster, but was trying to reach a dangerous, but at the moment imprisoned, sorceress.
- The witcher finally reached Philippa, but did not expect to see what he did. Fitz-Oesterlen and Radovid were present in the cell, and the king was taking revenge on the sorceress for years of humiliation he suffered as a powerless, underage heir at her, a powerful regent's, hands. Radovid had Philippa's eyes put out and tormented her in a way not becoming anyone, especially of a king. When the tormentor left, Geralt saw his chance. He revealed himself to press Shilard for information about Triss.
- You should have seen Fitz-Oesterlen's face when he saw Geralt. Shilard would not be more surprised if the Nilfgaardian Emperor suddenly jumped out of a corner and kicked him in the arse. I heard he was white as a ghost and looked for a way out, but there was no escape from the witcher's wrath.
- However Fitz-Oesterlen was too valuable a prize for Geralt to simply kill him. The emissary was, after all, his only way to the imprisoned Triss. The witcher faced a tough choice: he could free the wounded Philippa and look out for her, or carry the stunned Fitz-Oesterlen to get Triss.