Contract: Lord of the Wood Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Quest
Suggested level: 25
Group: Witcher Contracts
Location: Novigrad
To start this quest, read the "Devil in the Woods" contract pinned on either the Farcorners Notice Board or the Cunny of the Goose Notice Board, or find the Lumberjacks' Wagon.
A certain halfling named Brean Hotsch had hung a notice stating he was in need of a professional monster slayer. Geralt decided to see what was the matter.
...or, if you found the wagon first:
While traversing the woods outside Novigrad, Geralt came across some monster tracks that struck him as unusual. He decided it was worth his time to see what sort of beast was prowling around this close to the North's great metropolis.
Related points of interest
Cunny of the Goose Notice Board
Velen / Novigrad
Farcorners Notice Board
Velen / Novigrad
Loggers' Hut
Velen / Novigrad
Lumberjacks' Wagon
Velen / Novigrad
Kernun
Velen / Novigrad
Quest stages of Contract: Lord of the Wood
1. Talk to Brean Hotsch.
Head to the Cunny of the Goose Inn inn and talk to Brean Hotsch. You will be able to haggle with him - 260+ crowns. He'll tell you about the monster that attacked the woodcutters working for him.
2. Talk to witnesses.
Talk to the lumberjack who survived the attack of the monster. You'll find him at the other end of the tavern. You'll hear from him about the wagon he and his companions were using to carry wood.
3. Find the woodcutter's hut where Hotsch is staying. / Find the site of the attack using your Witcher Senses.
Go to Loggers' Hut and examine the traces of the wagon the lumberjack mentioned to you.
4. Use your Witcher Senses to follow the wagon tracks to where the monster attacked. / Investigate the site of the monster's attack.
Follow the tracks until you reach the place where you find an abandoned Lumberjacks' Wagon. Examine the traces of blood near the wagon and they will lead you to the corpses of two other lumberjacks lying at some distance from the wagon.
You'll find the body of the first one southeast of the wagon.
The corpse of the second lumberjack is located a little further south, on the other side of the road, next to a small camp.
Once you examine both of them, and claw marks on the rock near the wagon, you'll conclude that you're dealing with a leshen.
After a detailed investigation of the shrubbery and thicketry lining the forest floor (what exactly he looks for during such investigations is a complete mystery to me - I see nothing but endless chances to tear one's hose), Geralt concluded he was tracking a leshen. In order to defeat this elusive monster, he would first need to provoke it into attacking him. That's right, dear reader: he planned to deliberately provoke a leshen - the very thought sends shivers down my spine.
5. Use your Witcher Senses to follow the sounds and find the leshen's totem. / Lure the leshen out by destroying its totem.
There will be several places marked on the map that you should check. The correct location is the one farthest east, in the middle of the woods. When you find the totem, use a weapon or an aard sign to destroy it.
6. Kill the leshen. / Take a trophy.
After a while, Kernun will show up. Kill him and then take the Leshen trophy (5% Bonus experience from monsters), and Black Unicorn (Relic steel sword) from his body.
7. (Optional) Check the nearest notice board. / Collect your reward from Brean Hotsch.
Go back to the Cunny of the Goose Inn tavern, inform Brean Hotsch about killing the monster and collect your reward.
Once Geralt had defeated the leshen, the halfling paid up without making any fuss. There's no denying it: Brean Hotsch proved himself an honorable individual.