Imperial Audience is the final quest of the prologue in The Witcher 3 and the moment the main story comes into focus. After leaving White Orchard with a Nilfgaardian escort, Geralt and Yennefer are attacked by the Wild Hunt on the road, and only the two of them reach Vizima. Geralt is made presentable and brought to the Royal Palace, now the seat of Nilfgaardian power in Temeria.

Meeting the Emperor

Emhyr var Emreis, the White Flame Dancing on the Graves of His Foes, gets straight to the point. His daughter Cirilla, Geralt’s former ward, has returned to the world and the Wild Hunt is hunting her. Yennefer’s locating spells only drew the Hunt’s attention, so Emhyr needs someone who can track her the old-fashioned way. Few people know Ciri as well as Geralt, and fewer still can follow a trail as well as a witcher.

Players who did not import a save from The Witcher 2 can set some key decisions from that game in a conversation with General Morvran Voorhis before the audience.

Three leads

After the audience, Yennefer explains what she knows. Ciri has been seen in three places: Velen, the free city of Novigrad and the Skellige Isles. Yennefer heads to Skellige herself, and Geralt is free to follow the trail wherever he likes. From here the game opens up.