The Witcher 3: Possession
Possession has The Witcher 3 players assisting Cerys an Craite in a quest to save a troubled jarl.
The Witcher 3: Possession
Both Possession and The Lord of Undvik are best attempted in Act Two; if you take no action regarding Skellige's succession battle before Act Three, the matter is decided for you. It is one of the necessary quests in securing Skelligan aid for Brothers in Arms: Skellige in Act Two, too.
Possession becomes available once Geralt has reached Skellige and spoken to Crach an Craite at the wake of the late King Bran in the mission The King is Dead - Long Live the King. An Craite asks Geralt to look over his two children, Cerys and Hjalmar, who have both vowed to accomplish difficult tasks in order to prove their worth to stand for election as Skellige's new ruler.
Cerys's quest is right up the Witcher's alley. Head to Spikeroog; if you haven't opened a fast travel point by buying atlases, you can sail south from Kaer Trolde harbour to reach it fairly easily.
You first stop is Jarl Udalryk's longhouse, where Cerys is supposed to be. Talk your way in to discover he's not there, but Udalryk and his seer Hjort are, and that there's something very wrong with Udalryk. Wait a moment after the pair retire and the door unlocks, then speak with Hjolt again. He suggests you visit the village.
There are three people within the village who have information on Cery's whereabouts - a fisherman by the signpost who has little to offer, a woman also quite near the signpost who directs you to Bergthora, and Bergthora herself, who thinks Cerys is with her man, Eiric.
Eiric was last seen on a beach a short trot away, so hoof it over there. He's being attacked by Drowners. When you dispatch them Eiric refuses to say where Cerys is, but you can either use Axii for the bonus XP or just tell him an Craite is worried to get the intel you need.
With that done, head up the hill to the old Udalryk home, long since abandoned. Use your Witcher Senses to check out (and loot) anything you like here, but don't worry about the locked cellar yet. You're looking for Cerys's footprints. Follow them or just stumble across her passed out in a corner of a corridor.
Cerys explains she's looking for Brokvar, the clan's ancestral sword. She believes Udalryk is haunted by the ghost of his brother, whom he may have let drown. Agree to assist her, then go back inside the house and locate the cellar key in the middle bedroom. Use it to open the cellar trapdoor in the north of the main room. The sword is pretty obvious, sitting on a table; pause a moment after you grab it and watch the wall by Geralt for an eerie interlude.
Back outside, head to the longhouse with Cerys. Speak with Udalryk to discover the location of Aki's body and how to identify it.
You can sail, swim or wade around to a sandbar right by the search area, where a couple of Drowners await you. Remember you can use your crossbow underwater for easy kills. They respawn quite quickly so get a move on and dive down with Witcher Senses engaged to find Aki's body. If you can't locate it, look for two rocks at an angle near a curving pieces of wood. Interact with the body to drop Brokvar.
When you surface you'll likely be attacked by Sirens, so get on land to bash them; use Aard to bring them down where you can hit them hard.
Meet with Cerys back at the longhouse to discover that sadly Udalryk's curse has not been lifted. Geralt and Cerys chat and Geralt hypothesises that this is something much worse than a mere haunting - it's a Hym, a demon that feeds on guilt and shame.
You can now elect to defeat the Hym in combat or trickery. I think trickery is the most satisfying, but do what you will; both options are outlined below.
Trick the Hym
Visit the abandoned house with Cerys and look around. Examine the large fireplace in the main room, then check out the middle bedroom to see an illusion. Also examine the broken wall and mirror if you like, although it's not necessary; by now, Cerys should be saying she's got an idea. Agree to trust Cerys and do as she says.
When Cerys returns, with Udalryk and his men close behind, she tosses you Udalryk's son and commands you to put him in the oven. You have a limited time to respond; remember to trust Cerys! If you comply, you'll have to fight Udalryk's men, after which the quest is resolved.
If you refuse, the quest plays out much as it would have if you'd elected to kill the Hym.
Kill the Hym
In this option, you chat with Udalryk and Hjort and explain that Udalryk must spend the night in the abandoned house so Geralt can lure out and kill the Hym. You must place four torches around the room, then get Udalryk to tell you he's ready to go.
Prep your silver blade with Specter Oil, grab any Silver Dust bombs you have handy, and be sure to have decent Axii and Igni skills equipped.
Light the four torches to commence battle. The key mechanic here is to use Axii on Udalryk whenever he loses his s**t and runs out of the room. When the Hym is close to death it vanishes and you have to follow it into the cellar to finish the job.
Udalryk is saved
If you were successful in either venture, Udalryk is saved from the influence of the Hym, and will recover in time. Cerys's reputation soars. If you have also completed The Lord of Undvik, you can now proceed with King's Gambit.
Onwards to The Lord of Undvik, onwards to King's Gambit, or back to Brothers in Arms: Skellige, or back to The Witcher 3: Skellige secondary quests.
Back to The Witcher 3 guide and walkthrough.