Forefathers’ Eve is a secondary quest in Velen that brings Geralt back to the pellar from Family Matters. The strange old man wants help performing Forefathers’ Eve, a cherished local peasant rite in which the spirits of the lost are summoned and their deeds judged. It is exactly the kind of eerie folk ritual that makes Velen feel so alive.
The rite takes place on Fyke Isle, an island with a dark reputation, and Geralt has to protect the pellar while the ceremony goes on. Water hags, drowners, drowned dead and wraiths all show up, drawn by the ritual. Then things get worse: witch hunters arrive, determined to stop what they see as witchcraft.
How Geralt handles the witch hunters decides how the quest ends. The quest is inspired by the real Slavic tradition of Dziady, known from Adam Mickiewicz’s famous Polish drama, and it is one of the most atmospheric side stories in Velen.