Direct answer
Objectives follow journal display order. Some depend on your choices; follow the active objective in the game.
Result
Novigrad was once famed as a place of tolerance and the rule of law. That is why it attracted mages from all over the world, those persecuted by Radovid and Emhyr alike. The Free City did not live up to their hopes, however, and rather than being a safe haven it became their slaughterhouse. Triss Merigold, with whom you, dear reader, are already well acquainted, decided to evacuate all mages still alive to a place far removed from the front lines - Kovir. This was no simple task, and so the sorceress asked the witcher for help. Geralt agreed out of concern for the persecuted mages' fate - and Triss' fate most of all...
