Read Ladies of the Wood after the Keira ruins sequence to begin the next Velen lead. Follow the shrine’s Trail of Treats to Crookback Bog, gain access to Johnny through the children, and help restore his voice. This story chain also advances the Baron’s missing-wife investigation.
Book to Crookback Bog
If Family Matters says to investigate the remaining leads, compare your progress in this quest before looking for a new Baron marker. The book and the swamp chain are part of the story dependency. Use the journal to select the active step rather than switching repeatedly between completed Baron objectives.
Reach Johnny and recover the voice
At the orphans, distract Gran through the children’s sequence. Track Johnny to his burrow with Witcher Senses. His voice is connected to a bottle at the raven’s nest; recover it and return to him before expecting him to arrange the next conversation.
- Finish the children’s objective.
- Follow the tracks to Johnny.
- Recover the bottle and return it.
- Return to Gran and continue toward the Crones’ request.
Continue the village request
The Crones send you to Downwarren’s ealdorman and the Whispering Hillock problem. That branch has consequences, so keep a save before deciding the spirit’s fate. This page provides the progression route rather than promising that one spirit choice produces every preferred Baron and orphan outcome.
After the village objective, return through the quest’s indicated contacts. The Ciri sequence is an escape, not an invitation to defeat endless enemies. For the Baron’s next checkpoint, use Family Matters: remaining leads. These are legacy dependencies, not evidence that a new Remastered patch causes or fixes a missing marker.
Sources and version limits
- GameBanshee: Ladies of the Wood — Original-game walkthrough; checked October 4, 2026. Quest route, not a verified 5.x playtest.
Sources checked October 4, 2026. We have not personally tested these steps on your save or hardware. Historical mechanics and reported fixes retain the limits above.