Prelude to War: Kaedwen is the opening main quest of Chapter 2 on the Vernon Roche path in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. King Henselt of Kaedwen is marching south to take the lands of the late King Demavend, and Saskia the Dragonslayer, backed by Demavend’s son Stennis, stands in his way. Henselt agrees to meet the Aedirnian nobles, hoping to buy them off or frighten them.
The talks collapse into a duel between Henselt and Saskia and then into open fighting. The blood spilled on the old battlefield wakes a curse: the sky darkens and the wraiths of fallen soldiers rise to fight a battle of their own. Geralt and Roche end up in the mist alongside Henselt, Dethmold and Síle de Tansarville, and Geralt has to hold off the wraiths while Dethmold gathers the Power for a protective spell.
After escaping, Geralt reaches the Kaedweni camp. Henselt calls a council with Síle and Dethmold and leaves Geralt with lance-corporal Zyvik, who shows him around before bringing him to the upper camp. When the two finally meet, Henselt questions the witcher and decides to keep him close as someone who knows how to deal with kingslayers and monsters.
