Elsa

"Do you really wish to know?" — Spoilers from the books and/or adaptations to follow!

	Aye, so far. But it'd be best to know peace again. Times like these you never know what tomorrow will bring.
- Elsa on the war, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Elsa was the innkeeper at the White Orchard inn until 1272.

Biography[]

At some point Elsa gave birth to a son, but the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, choking him, though his life was quickly saved by a woman named Annie, who unwrapped the cord.^[1]

Meeting Geralt[]

In May 1272, tensions were high after a recent defeat at the battlefield in White Orchard. Elsa suffered from rumors saying she was "Nilfgaard's whore", due to her taking down the Temerian lilies, as soldiers would burn the inn if they saw it. After saving her cousin Bram, the witchers Geralt of Rivia and Vesemir met Elsa at the tavern.

If Geralt refused payment from Bram: Elsa, overjoyed, thanked the witchers for saving her cousin, and gave Geralt four roasted chicken legs.

Geralt asked whether Elsa had seen Yennefer, though she hadn't, so she recommended asking the other patrons.

Incident in the Tavern[]

Later, when Geralt and Vesemir were preparing to leave White Orchard, Annie's sister began accosting Elsa for removing the Temerian lilies from the wall. The woman became violent and grabbed Elsa by the head and proceeded to bash it against the counter repeatedly. Geralt and Vesemir intervened and attracted the attention of some local men who believed that the witchers were conspiring with Emperor Emhyr var Emreis. The men refused to back down, and thus the situation ended in a massacre. Both women became terrified of the witchers, and Elsa, cowering behind the counter, told them to leave and never return.

Novigrad[]

Unable to continue living in White Orchard after the incident, Elsa traveled for a time and eventually ended up in Novigrad. Incidentally, while she visited The Kingfisher Inn one night and finished watching Priscilla's performance, she spotted Geralt in the crowd and accosted him in front of the crowd, noting he was the one who "murdered those Temerian boys" in White Orchard. However, the rest of the patrons paid no mind to this and became annoyed that she was ruining the atmosphere.

After Novigrad, she settled down in a place called Rustone.^[2]

Associated quests[]

• Lilac and Gooseberries
• The Incident at White Orchard
• Broken Flowers

Notes[]

• Before Patch 1.04, it was required to buy Elsa's gwent cards before leaving White Orchard to avoid failing the secondary quest Collect 'Em All, as she leaves at the same time as Geralt and ceases to be a merchant. Since Patch 1.04, Elsa's irrecoverable cards are also sold by Bram as a workaround.
• Elsa buys junk items at higher prices than Bram, some even higher than Hierarch Square prices. Thus, selling junk to her before she leaves is a good way to earn extra crowns early.

References[]