Overview
The Warble of a Smitten Knight is a Blood and Wine secondary quest that appears right after the battle with the shaelmaar in The Beast of Toussaint. In the medic’s tent at the Tourney Grounds, Guillaume de Launfal asks Geralt for help. He believes that Vivienne de Tabris, the lady hosting the tournament, is under a curse. Guillaume is too badly hurt to compete, so Geralt must take his place to get close to her.
Enlisting
Geralt can practice before signing up, which is well worth doing for the race. At the scribe’s desk he enters either as Geralt of Rivia or as Ravix of Fourhorn, his two knightly titles. The name changes the coat of arms on the reward gear and decides which rival confronts him later. Entering as Geralt also opens one way to earn a Proof of Honor for There Can Be Only One.
The competitions
- Shooting range. Shoot all the red targets before your rival hits the blue ones. Palmerin de Launfal offers a game of gwent to swap places, though it changes nothing. A win earns a crossbow from Vivienne, and Geralt’s medallion stirs in her presence.
- Vivienne’s tent. With Guillaume keeping watch, Geralt searches her tent. Claw marks and an oriole feather hint at something unusual before he is chased out.
- The race. A timed ride where striking dummies and shooting targets buys more time. Leaving the track or using explosive bolts counts as cheating. A win earns a saddle.
Confrontations
At the tavern, an old enemy shows up. As Geralt, it is Prince Anséis, who holds a grudge from the books, and he demands a mounted duel; winning it counts as a Proof of Honor. As Ravix, it is Arthur Tailles, who starts a fistfight with two thugs while Guillaume fights at Geralt’s side.
Following the oriole
That night, Geralt follows an oriole out of Vivienne’s empty tent, past panthers and, if he takes the cave shortcut, a wight and a barghest. At the end he finds Vivienne herself, half woman and half bird. She expects to die, but Geralt offers two ways to lift the curse: pass it to someone else, where it would be much weaker, or use an oriole’s egg, which could shorten her life to that of the bird.
Back with Guillaume comes the real choice. Keeping her secret leaves only the egg ritual and counts as a Proof of Honor. Revealing it leads Guillaume to offer to take the curse himself.
The final battle
Staying in the tournament leads to a five-on-five mock battle in which Signs, bombs and the inventory are disabled, and only quick-slot potions can be used. If Geralt also won the shooting and the race, he then faces last year’s champion, Gregoire de Gorgon. Winning the tournament counts as a Proof of Valor and earns a sword and the tourney champion’s laurels.
Lifting the curse
Whatever happened at the tournament, the ritual goes ahead after Geralt kills a panther at the clearing. With the egg, Vivienne is freed and decides to spend her remaining years traveling, leaving Guillaume heartbroken. If the curse goes to Guillaume, it works only because their love is true, and the two become a couple.