1. (Optional) Find the Talmberg poachers.
The Master Huntsman asked me to find out about the poachers who've been plaguing the forests in these parts recently.
2. Ask around the village.
The locals won't tell the Huntsman much, so he's asked me to nose around the village and see if the folk there know anything.
3. Check out the Inn in the Glade.
The Master Huntsman also has his suspicions about the Inn in the Glade. Seems they've had venison on the table pretty often lately. I should go and look into it.
Talk to all Villagers drinking in the tavern, ask them about poacher trouble. They will give you many hints about people you should talk to in Talmberg.
A lot of helpful markers will appear on your map in this way.
3.1. I found game in the cellar of the inn.
Come near the meat hanging on the hooks in the basem*nt of the inn.
I found quite a stock of game in the cellar of the Inn in the Glade. There was no doubt about how it got there - I just had to persuade the innkeeper to tell me what the source was.
3.2. Listen to Olena’s gossip.
They say the local gossip, Olena, knows about anything that moves. It might be worth paying her a visit.
3.3. Find out what Brada knows.
The currier, Brada, has some tales to tell about the poachers. I could go and have a word with him.
3.3.1. Find out if Margaret knows something about Hanekin Hare.
I need to speak with Margaret. Maybe she knows more about the mysterious Hanekin Hare.
Convince Margaret to tell you more about Hanakin.
It began to be clear that there was more than poaching going on around Talmberg. According to Margaret's testimony, Hare himself had accosted her and wanted to speak with her, so the local stories were not so far fetched as I had thought. Jack Hare really was back. He had suggested to Margaret that she should run off with him, but she had had refused. Hare didn’t leave it at that though, and told her if she ever changed her mind, all she had to do was to hang a garland of forget-me-nots on the house and Hare would await her at their agreed place.
3.3.1.1. (Optional) Meet up with Hanekin Hare.
I told Margaret to hang that garland on the lodge as a signal to Hanekin Hare. But instead of his beloved Margaret, he'll be meeting me there!
Listen to his story.
If you belive him then a new quest will be added to your journal - Cherchez la Femme.
If you want to arrest him then ...
3.3.1.2. (Optional) Arrest Hanekin Hare.
I have to arrest Hanekin Hare and bring him to justice.
Hanekin Hare wouldn't give up without a fight, unsurprisingly, considering the punishment he faced. However, I managed to subdue him in the ensuing combat and took him to Talmberg Castle. Master Huntsman Nicholas was well pleased that the poachers' activities were over and offered me a generous reward for capturing the infamous Hare. Hopefully the poachers' fate will be a warning to others and the Talmberg game won't be gracing the banquet tables of anyone but its rightful owner - Sir Divish.
Hanekin Hare wouldn't give himself up without a fight, unsurprisingly, considering the punishment he faced. My attempt to arrest him ended in a skirmish and Hare was killed.
3.3.1.2.1. Look at Hanekin Hare’s hand.
3.3.1.2.2. (Optional) Bring Hanekin Hare’s ancestral ring to the Huntsman.
Nicholas won't believe that Hare is dead until I bring him Hanekin's signature ring. Let's hope I can still find him in those woods.
I took Hanekin Hare's signature ring to the castle as proof of his death. Master Huntsman Nicholas was well pleased that the poachers' activities were over and offered me a generous reward for capturing Hanekin Hare. Hopefully the poachers' fate will be a warning to others and the Talmberg game won't be gracing the banquet tables of anyone but its rightful owner - Sir Divish.
3.4. Speak to the innkeeper’s wife, Martha.
The tavern is the heart of every village, so it's no wonder the locals have advised me to speak to the innkeeper’s wife, Martha. She overhears all sorts while she's pouring folk their ales.
3.5. (Optional) Find out what Blacksmith’s Betty saw in the woods.
Blacksmith's Betty claimed to have witnessed some goings-on in the woods. I should ask her what she meant by that.
My investigation led me to Blacksmiths’ Betty, who witnessed some strange goings-on. Just a few days ago, in a clearing in the woods above the castle, she saw people singing and dancing around a fire. There was a scent of roast meat wafting from the clearing and a lot of merriment going on.
3.5.1. Explore the clearing where it all went on.
The clearing Betty mentioned is in the woods north of Talmberg. If I take the route past the charcoal-burners’ camp, I might come across it. I could see if the revellers left any tracks.
Dig here.
Searching around the clearing where the feast was held has borne fruit. I found what were clearly the bones of a deer concealed in a hole in the ground. Sure enough, it was the poachers feasting, or at least someone in league with them.
3.6. (Optional) Find out what happened to Thomas from the bathhouse.
Folk in the tavern told me Thomas from the bathhouse really was bragging there that he would put on a venison feast for the local girls. I should ask him in person..
Thomas will not talk too much until you find the trophies in his shed.
3.6.1. Trophy in the shed.
You can find hunting trophies in Thomas' shed.
When I found hunting trophies in Thomas’ shed, there was no longer any doubt that he was either a poacher himself or was mixed up with them.
Ask him about deer trophies.
All the clues began pointing to Thomas, a hired hand at the bathhouse. Thomas was no angel for sure, but it didn't seem he was the one behind the local poaching conspiracy. He did indeed lay on a feast for the girls, but the game he served he got from Radan the charcoal-burner.
3.7. Question Radan the charcoal-burner.
Thomas got his game from a poacher he ran into in the woods. It’s Radan, one of the charcoal burners from nearby.
I did find a fellow called Radan among the charcoal kilns in the woods. Only Thomas never told me this Radan was apparently the village idiot! It took some doing, but I finally got it out of him where the poachers met. And would you believe it, it was only a stone's throw from the Master Huntsman's lodge!
3.8. Report back to Nicholas the Master Huntsman.
I know where the poachers meet. I should report it to the Master Huntsman.
I reported to the Master Huntsman where the poachers are hiding out. When he heard how close it was to his own lodge, he was more amused than surprised at their insolence. He tasked me with going to the castle to ask Captain Robard for a few men to escort me to arrest the poachers.
3.9. Go to Captain Robard.
The Captain will let me have some men to go and catch the poachers.
Captain Robard had no objections and immediately mustered a small company of Talmberg soldiers, who I led right into the heart of the poachers' lair.
4. Catch up with Hanekin Hare.
Hanekin Hare took off like a coward. I have to catch him!
While being arrested, Hanekin Hare took to his heels like a coward and I chased him halfway across the forest. Luckily he isn't as fast as his namesake, and I caught him without much difficulty.
5. The player knows about the piper (qlog)
Betty added an interesting snippet to her tale. She also heard the sound of a piper playing in the clearing. She didn’t recognise anyone, but there’s no harm in asking around after a piper.
6. Nicholas is dead.
Quest log updated:
Master Huntsman Nicholas is dead. Of course, that doesn't mean the hunt for the poachers is over!
7. Murders in Talmberg.
Quest log updated:
Terrible things have been happening in the hamlet of Talmberg of late. There haven't been as many corpses there since the last outbreak of plague. It's a shame, and not just because they could have been useful to my investigation, which ended as a fiasco.
8. (Optional) Check out the hearsay about Thomas in the tavern.
I heard that Thomas of the baths was bragging in the Tavern that he would put on a venison feast for the local girls. I should got to the tavern and check out the story.
I heard around the village that Tom o' the Baths was blabbering in the tavern about going poaching. The innkeeper confirmed the rumour, although he puts it down to empty drunken bragging. Anyway, there's a fellow by the name of Jake Piper who's mixed up in it somehow too.
8.1. Talk to Jake Piper.
Jake Piper is mixed up in this whole affair with his friend Tom o' the Baths. It would be worthwhile talking to Jake about whether his friend kept his drunken promise or not.
Thomas' friend Jake Piper was mixed up in the whole affair, and he finally owned up to being at the feast. He and Tom o' the Baths. He even accompanied him on the poaching outing the day before, but got cold feet and left Tom on his own.
