Overview
Scenes From a Marriage is a main quest in Hearts of Stone. For his final wish, Olgierd von Everec asks Geralt to bring him the violet rose he gave his wife, Iris, the last time he saw her, many years ago. It is one of the darkest and most beautiful quests in the game. Bring weapon repair kits.
The Caretaker
At the von Everec Estate, a frightened thief is looking for his missing partner. Trails behind the house lead to the partner’s body and his killer: the Caretaker, an eyeless creature with a spade. It heals with every hit it lands and summons spirits to heal itself further, so avoid being hit, use Quen and Relict oil, and kill the spirits fast.
A talking black cat and dog then reveal that their mistress is in her bedchamber. The Caretaker’s body holds the key to the back door.
The haunted house
Iris’ voice echoes through the house, and a wraith flickers in the paintings. Upstairs, the Wraith from the Painting attacks. Hit the painting that glows green before she can heal from it. In the bedchamber Geralt finds Iris’ remains. He buries her by the easel in the far corner of the garden, with a brush, her sketchbook or a painting on the grave, and summons her spirit. She paints the manor and steps into it, and Geralt follows.
The Painted World
In the Painted World, Geralt must complete Iris’ repressed memories by putting missing objects back into frozen scenes. There are seven required memories and one optional one. Spectral arachnomorphs and swarms guard them. Together, the memories show the marriage falling apart: her family’s disapproval, Olgierd’s failed attempt to summon O’Dimm and break the pact, and finally his cold gifts of the cat, the dog and the Caretaker.
The last memory is Olgierd’s farewell letter. As Geralt reads it, Iris’ greatest fear attacks in the shape of her husband. It is six ethereal Olgierds that wake one at a time, each stronger than the last.
The choice
Iris is holding the rose, and her bond with it is so strong that taking it may end her.
- Take the rose. Iris gives it up willingly and the painted world crumbles. The freed cat and dog warn Geralt about O’Dimm, telling him to seek salvation in glass that cannot be broken.
- Leave the rose. Iris returns to her sleep, the cat and dog stay on as her guardians, and Geralt takes a painting of Iris holding the rose to Olgierd instead.
Leave the estate through the broken wall to the east of the main gate.