Question Regarding Olgierd's Wishes and Sequence of Events

[Pug.]

Question Regarding Olgierd's Wishes and Sequence of Events

One nagging question that I still have is the sequence in which everything unfolded. I'll lay this out, and you can correct me if I'm wrong.

Olgierd is born to a wealthy, noble family and is betrothed to Iris. Olgierd's family falls on hard times due to poor harvests and bad investments. The auction company steps in and confiscates their assets, leaving Olgierd's family destitute ...

Here is where things start getting confusing. I distinctly remember a scene from the painted dream world in which Iris' parents say that they are going to pay off the debts of Olgierd's family so as not to bring shame upon their household. Olgierd was obviously none too pleased, and I assume this is right around the time when he struck the bargain with Gaunter O'Dimm.

Fast forward in time, and Olgierd's heart of stone - a side effect of his wish for immortality - causes him to become distant and estranged from his wife. Iris' family annuls the marriage - as depicted in another memory sequence within the painted dream world - and Olgierd loses his temper, killing Iris' father in the process (I assume that the man he slammed against the pillar was her father, at any rate).

They continue to live on in this state of marital hell for an indeterminate time, until Olgierd eventually decides that his presence just brings pain to Iris, so he takes it upon himself to leave. Iris can't cope with his absence and eventually dies from grief, but her spirit or mind lives on in this painted dream world as part of Gaunter O'Dimm's "gift" of immortality.

A couple of questions:

• Geralt learns that, as part of his bargain with Gaunter O'Dimm, Olgierd had to sacrifice the life of his brother. Was that in order to acquire the first wish, namely wealth and immortality for himself and Iris?
• When and why did Olgierd enter into a bargain with Gaunter for another three wishes? Is this a separate deal that they struck after he had already received riches and eternal life? Or was it part of the original contract, e.g. "I'll grant you and Iris immortal life and riches in exchange for the life of your brother, and oh, by the way, here's another three wishes thrown in as a bonus, as long as you give me your immortal soul upon their fulfillment."

 

[dragonbird]

I'm not sure if it's ever clearly stated in the story, but Gaunter doesn't appear to be a djinn, so there's no limit to the number of wishes he can grant. He simply enters into contracts whenever he chooses.

So yes, I think he made two separate contracts in this case.

 

[Pug.]

I'm not sure if it's ever clearly stated in the story, but Gaunter doesn't appear to be a djinn, so there's no limit to the number of wishes he can grant. He simply enters into contracts whenever he chooses.

So yes, I think he made two separate contracts in this case.

I suppose that makes sense. Olgierd seems to have been under the impression that Gaunter would never be able to fulfill the three wishes under the terms which were set, so maybe the second contract was just Olgierd's way of messing with the Man of Glass, perhaps as punishment for what he did to Olgierd and Iris.

 

[Aaden]

It's no second contract, it's all a single one:
"I wish for:
- Immortality for myself and my loved one, Iris in exchange for my brother's life
- something about wealth or success or something, I think
After that is granted I pledge my soul to Gaunter O'Dim upon the fulfillment of the following conditions:
- Fulfillment of three more wishes, defined by me, asked for by and fulfilled by a proxy
- Meeting Gaunter on the moon of my own free will"

The last two clauses were indeed added by Olgierd to ensure it would never, ever come to that.

 

[Pug.]

It's no second contract, it's all a single one:
"I wish for:
- Immortality for myself and my loved one, Iris in exchange for my brother's life
- something about wealth or success or something, I think
After that is granted I pledge my soul to Gaunter O'Dim upon the fulfillment of the following conditions:
- Fulfillment of three more wishes, defined by me, asked for by and fulfilled by a proxy
- Meeting Gaunter on the moon of my own free will"

The last two clauses were indeed added by Olgierd to ensure it would never, ever come to that.

That too makes sense. Not sure which interpretation to go with.

I don't think every pact with the Man of Glass has to end with him collecting your soul. He promised to save Geralt's life when he was a prisoner, and in exchange he only asked that he complete three tasks as his proxy.

So I guess you're saying that Gaunter required the life of Olgierd's brother as a gesture of good faith, but intended to collect his soul down the road as the real prize.

 

[Aaden]

So I guess you're saying that Gaunter required the life of Olgierd's brother as a gesture of good faith, but intended to collect his soul down the road as the real prize.

Yeah, something like that. Maybe it was to make Olgierd more confident in his plan to deceive Gaunter - making Olgierd think that Gaunter is giving up on Olgierd's soul due to the impossible conditions and thus demands a different prize, i.e. his brother's soul. We don't know the details of their negotiations, just the results.

 

[Yeiiow]

I also have a related question:
When was Iris supposedly engaged to the Toad Prince? It does not seems to match any time-frame based on the painted world memories, etc.

 

[Pug.]

I also have a related question:
When was Iris supposedly engaged to the Toad Prince? It does not seems to match any time-frame based on the painted world memories, etc.

Well, if you read the journal entry on Olgierd, it says that after his family fortunes turned sour along with their reputation, Iris' parents withdrew their consent and decided that they were going to wed her off to a prince from Olfieri. It was somewhere around this time that Olgierd signed his contract with the Man of Glass. After the deal was struck, he managed to win back Iris' hand and gain her parents approval temporarily. Unfortunately, the unanticipated side-effect of his deal - a heart of stone - caused him to become distant and estranged from Iris. Her parents stepped in, said that they were going to annul the marriage, and you know how the rest plays out from there.

 

[whitewoof]

http://forums.cdprojektred.com/thre...Pact-(MEGA-SPOILERS!!!)?p=1943832#post1943832

I do wonder though, stoned heart Olgierd doesn't seem to be enjoying life, looks miserable in my opinion, even calls his immortality a curse. So why did he make it so damn hard for O'Dimm to get his soul, not like he had anything to live for. Difference between his story and other Faustian/Pan Twardowski types are those other guys actually seem to enjoy the power and wealth given to them, while Olgierd sounds like he really would prefer death

 

[Pug.]

So why did he make it so damn hard for O'Dimm to get his soul, not like he had anything to live for.

Probably because he feared the prospect of his immortal soul spending an eternity with O'Dimm. It's not like the Man of Glass would just collect his debt and then Olgierd would peacefully die. I'm sure that he had some exquisite torture in mind that would make the heart of stone look like a parlor trick. Watch the alternative ending where Geralt doesn't intervene on Olgierd's behalf. It's pretty rough stuff.

 

[dragonbird]

Of course, the Toad Prince is another wish that was fulfilled.
I'm guessing that the deal was something like "Make all my wishes come true until you meet the specific terms of the contract, i.e. three by proxy and standing on the moon"

 

[Pug.]

Of course, the Toad Prince is another wish that was fulfilled.
I'm guessing that the deal was something like "Make all my wishes come true until you meet the specific terms of the contract, i.e. three by proxy and standing on the moon"

Yeah, where the Toad Prince fits into the sequence of events is another thing that I find confusing. They said that Olgierd got drunk one night and in despair blurted out some curse that resulted in this transformation. I always thought that this happened before he struck his bargain with the Man of Glass, because Olgierd has a passing familiarity with the mystic arts.

Another question for you or anyone else reading this thread: Geralt enters the painted dream world, and in one of the memories, sees Iris' parents offering to buy out his debts lest they bring shame on their family name. Olgierd becomes furious and throws the papers in the fire. Why do Iris' parents have to make this offer? It's pretty clear that Olgierd had already struck his bargain with the Man of Glass, since in the very first memory he refers to Iris as his wife. They only let him go through with the marriage when his reputation and fortune had been restored. Were these just some left over debts that O'Dimm's money had not been able to cover? Also, Iris' grandparents refuse to visit the newlyweds, I assume because they look down on Olgierd, but he's a man of substance again.

Edit: Iris' mother does refer to Olgierd as "a ruffian and a boor who keeps the company of bandits." I guess they just generally disapprove of his character (understandable), even after he has regained his power and influence.

 

[tamilse]

The true and real information which I have been searching for all these times, thanks a ton for sharing this in here.

One nagging question that I still have is the sequence in which everything unfolded. I'll lay this out, and you can correct me if I'm wrong.

Olgierd is born to a wealthy, noble family and is betrothed to Iris. Olgierd's family falls on hard times due to poor harvests and bad investments. The auction company steps in and confiscates their assets, leaving Olgierd's family destitute ...

Here is where things start getting confusing. I distinctly remember a scene from the painted dream world in which Iris' parents say that they are going to pay off the debts of Olgierd's family so as not to bring shame upon their household. Olgierd was obviously none too pleased, and I assume this is right around the time when he struck the bargain with Gaunter O'Dimm.

Fast forward in time, and Olgierd's heart of stone - a side effect of his wish for elixir of immortality - causes him to become distant and estranged from his wife. Iris' family annuls the marriage - as depicted in another memory sequence within the painted dream world - and Olgierd loses his temper, killing Iris' father in the process (I assume that the man he slammed against the pillar was her father, at any rate).

They continue to live on in this state of marital hell for an indeterminate time, until Olgierd eventually decides that his presence just brings pain to Iris, so he takes it upon himself to leave. Iris can't cope with his absence and eventually dies from grief, but her spirit or mind lives on in this painted dream world as part of Gaunter O'Dimm's "gift" of is immortality possible.

A couple of questions:

• Geralt learns that, as part of his bargain with Gaunter O'Dimm, Olgierd had to sacrifice the life of his brother. Was that in order to acquire the first wish, namely wealth and how to become immortal for himself and Iris?
• When and why did Olgierd enter into a bargain with Gaunter for another three wishes? Is this a separate deal that they struck after he had already received riches and eternal life? Or was it part of the original contract, e.g. "I'll grant you and Iris immortal life and riches in exchange for the life of your brother, and oh, by the way, here's another three wishes thrown in as a bonus, as long as you give me your immortal soul upon their fulfillment and to know what are dreams about"

 

[Jobbert.907]

Of course, the Toad Prince is another wish that was fulfilled.
I'm guessing that the deal was something like "Make all my wishes come true until you meet the specific terms of the contract, i.e. three by proxy and standing on the moon"

If I remember correctly, Geralt can ask if turning the prince into a toad was one of Olgierd's wishes, but this wasn't the case. Olgierd turned him into a toad without O'Dimm's help, meaning that Olgierd has some knowledge of arcane arts.