Baltimore’s Nightmare

Baltimore’s Nightmare is a Chapter 2 side quest in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, set in and around Vergen on the Iorveth path. While projecting stolen dreams in the harpy lair during Hunting Magic, Geralt sees the dream of Baltimore, a dwarven rune master who vanished from Vergen years ago and is presumed dead.

The dwarves at the anvils tell Geralt that Baltimore’s old workshop by the closed eastern gate now belongs to Thorak, Vergen’s new rune master, who happily hands over a key. A hidden room in the workshop holds directions written as a riddle, and the trail winds past a burned village, a stone gate and a roadside shrine down to the quarry and a hidden cave. Thorak takes a very keen interest in the search, and it is not hard to guess why.

At the end of the trail Geralt finds Baltimore’s notes, and Thorak shows up with company. Whether this ends with a handover or a fight depends on how much Geralt told him earlier. Proving Thorak murdered Baltimore and reporting it to Cecil Burdon pays best, including one of the finest steel swords of the chapter.

Walkthrough

Project Baltimore’s silver dream crystal in the harpy lair during Hunting Magic.
Go to Baltimore’s workshop by the closed eastern gate of Vergen and talk to the dwarves on the ledge; Thorak gives you the key.
Inside, use Aard on the wall to open a hidden room and take Baltimore’s directions and a key.
When Thorak stops you on the way out, decide whether to tell him what you found.
Follow the clues: the well in the burned village, then the stone gate, then the crossroads shrine (take the middle path and use your medallion to reveal engraved stones leading to the quarry).
Open the chest at the bottom of the quarry with the workshop key to get a runic key.
Return to the crossroads, take the right-hand path to an entrance hidden by leaves and loot Baltimore’s notes, runes and a beaver’s cap inside.
Deal with Thorak and his two thugs, then hand the notes to Thorak or report to Cecil Burdon, depending on your choice.

Quest Consequences & Choices

Told Thorak about the workshop: you can simply hand him the notes to finish (300 XP).
Kept it to yourself: you have to fight Thorak. Killing him drops a key used in Suspect Thorak; report to Cecil Burdon for 300 XP, 60 orens and the steel sword Gwyhyr.