Chapter Summaries

Arwen installed the Giant Bloodline mutagen after killing Old Spearhead, then used his new strength to rescue Aiken from the rubble. He passed a troll by showing it Old Spearhead’s head, while Eskel witnessed the trophy and could hardly believe an apprentice had killed the cyclops.

• Arwen installed the cyclops mutagen, gaining the Giant Bloodline talent and greatly increased strength.
• Arwen beheaded Old Spearhead, took the head as a trophy, and left the corpse treated with necrophage oil.
• Arwen returned to the cave and freed Aiken from the rubble, treating his crushed arm and carrying him toward the summit.
• Arwen showed Old Spearhead’s head to the blocking troll, which let him pass without a fight.
• Eskel saw Arwen carrying Aiken and Old Spearhead’s head, and reacted in disbelief that a witcher apprentice had killed the cyclops.

Arwen returned with Aiken and Old Spearhead’s head after killing the cyclops, stunning the witchers at the Circle of Elements. After Vesemir treated Aiken and heard Arwen’s account, he declared that the boys had passed the trial, with their medallion ceremony set to begin that night.

• Eskel returned with Arwen, who carried the wounded Aiken and Old Spearhead’s severed head.
• Vesemir treated Aiken’s blood loss and fractures, and discovered that Arwen had used a Healing Spell.
• Arwen told Vesemir, Paul, and Winston that an Ancient Foglet had wounded Old Spearhead before he finished the monster off.
• Eskel, Horton, and Scorpion hauled the Foglet’s head and corpse back to the group for recovery.
• Vesemir congratulated the boys on passing the trial and sent them to eat before the medallion ceremony.

Vesemir activated the Circle of Elements and explained how witchers could locate sources of magic before awarding medallions to Arwen and the other apprentices. After meditating there until dawn, Arwen advanced Basic Meditation to level two and acquired the Meditation Afterglow talent.

• Vesemir activated the Circle of Elements, and the medallions began charging as the apprentices sensed the gathering chaos energy.
• Vesemir and Eskel explained that witcher medallions and cats could help locate points of convergence, while dragons were also sensitive to them.
• Vesemir awarded medallions to Paul, Winston, Horton, Aiken, and Arwen, declaring that they had passed the final Trial of the Mountains and become witchers.
• Vesemir invited the five apprentices to meditate at the Circle until dawn, and Arwen sensed and absorbed water, fire, earth, and air elements.
• At sunrise, Arwen completed Basic Meditation level one and gained the Meditation Afterglow talent upon reaching level two.

After gaining a meditation talent, Arwen returned to Kaer Morhen with the other witchers and received a room of his own. He found a letter and a book of elemental spells left by Tissaia, then took a relaxing bath and decided to rest after completing his training.

• Arwen gained Meditation Afterglow, which improved his mental energy recovery and strengthened his spells after meditation.
• Vesemir and the others returned to Kaer Morhen with Old Spearhead's corpse, then paid tribute to Blyde with the Foglet's head.
• Vesemir gave the four new witchers keys to choose rooms and told Arwen that Lady Viris's room had been left for him.
• Arwen found Tissaia's letter, which congratulated him on passing the trial and gifted him the room and a copy of Common Low-Level Magic of the Four Elements.
• Arwen studied the elemental spellbook, used the Water Guiding Spell to fill the room's bathtub, and settled in for a well-earned rest.

Arwen prepared to leave Kaer Morhen before winter and chose his witcher swords with Vesemir's help. He found a powerful Wolf School greatsword that resonated with his Giant Bloodline.

• Arwen watered the moonlight grass and saw that its magic was slowly recovering.
• Paul told Arwen that Vesemir had arranged a lavish banquet to celebrate all five apprentices passing the Trial of the Mountains.
• The apprentices celebrated, and Vesemir later asked Arwen whether he had decided when to leave Kaer Morhen.
• Arwen said he planned to depart the next day, and Vesemir let him choose a silver sword and a steel sword.
• Arwen chose the silver sword with the fewest flaws, then discovered a meteoric-iron Wolf School greatsword that awakened his Giant Bloodline.

Arwen learned from Vesemir how a mage helped incite the massacre at Kaer Morhen and accepted the return of his Thyssen family ring. He left the fortress the next morning, carrying his weapons and a warning to be cautious while traveling.

• Vesemir told Arwen that the pamphlet Monstrum fueled hostility toward witchers before a mob, led by a mysterious mage, massacred the witchers and apprentices at Kaer Morhen.
• Arwen realized that his identity was Arwin Thyssen, and Vesemir returned the Thyssen royal ring while warning him that King Laird of Poviss and King Idi of Kovir were hunting his family.
• Vesemir told Arwen to pack and leave the next morning, and suggested he visit the Temple of Melitele in the Town of Frankenthal.
• Vesemir and Eskel prepared Arwen's horse, supplies, and a hundred crowns before he set out from Kaer Morhen.

Arwen encountered two vodyanoi attacking a timber wagon and its owner in the Kaedwen forest. He killed both creatures, leaving the rescued man’s fate unresolved.

• Arwen followed fresh wagon tracks through the forest with his raven, Raven, and heard someone calling for help.
• Arwen found two vodyanoi looting an overturned wagon while its owner hid in a tree and shouted at them.
• The vodyanoi attacked the man with stone axes, so Arwen drank a Tawny Owl potion, drew his silver sword, and charged them.
• Arwen slit one vodyanoi’s throat, then disarmed the other with the Aard Sign and killed it with his sword.

Arwen killed two kobolds and negotiated payment from timber merchant Theodore Reed for saving him. After agreeing to help haul Reed’s wagon to White River Town in exchange for five crowns and local information, Arwen set it upright and traveled with him toward town.

• Arwen killed two kobolds, collected their teeth, and demanded payment from Theodore Reed for rescuing him.
• Theodore Reed haggled with Arwen and paid him twenty-five crowns for the two kobolds.
• Reed asked Arwen to haul his overturned wagon to White River Town and agreed to pay five crowns and give him information about the area.
• Arwen lifted the wagon upright using his strength, astonishing Reed.
• Arwen and Reed gathered the scattered logs and headed toward White River Town.

Arwen, traveling under the name Raven, reached White River Town with the timber merchant Theodore Reed and learned that a monster had been killing people at night. The soldiers mistook Arwen for the monster, but Captain Martin recognized his witcher medallion and welcomed him as someone the town urgently needed.

• Arwen called himself Raven and heard Theodore Reed mention meeting a white-haired witcher named Gerald three months earlier.
• Arwen and Theodore arrived at White River Town, where the gate was shut and the exhausted guards were on alert.
• Theodore reunited with his brother-in-law, Captain Martin, who said a monster had been killing people at night.
• The soldiers saw Arwen's pale face and slit pupils and accused him of being a vampire, while Arwen realized they had mistaken him for the killer.
• Martin stopped the soldiers after spotting Arwen's witcher medallion and welcomed him to White River Town.

Raven arrived at White River Castle to investigate a monster killing the baron’s subjects, while using magic to humiliate and control Viscount Jennings. Baron Leo Kramer offered Raven five hundred ducats to kill the creature, then sent Martin to take him to the dungeon morgue to examine the latest victim.

• Martin led Raven through the castle, where Viscount Jennings insulted them over White River Domain’s delayed ore delivery.
• Raven used Yrden to trip Jennings and Axii to make him claim he had fallen by accident and ask to be taken somewhere to rest.
• Martin introduced Raven to Baron Leo Kramer, who questioned his age and abilities before explaining the monster’s nightly attacks and offering a bounty of five hundred ducats.
• Raven asked to inspect the latest victim, and Leo ordered Martin to take him to the dungeon morgue.

Arwen examined Finn’s corpse, identified the killer as a werewolf, and accepted the Baron of White River’s contract to hunt it that night for fifteen hundred ducats. He left the council chamber with the baron’s promise of supplies, dinner, and the return of his horse and weapons.

• Arwen examined Finn’s body and found clues pointing to a fast, clawed creature with sharp teeth and grayish-white fur.
• Arwen detected residual magic in the fur and concluded that the killer was a werewolf.
• The Baron of White River asked Arwen to accept a contract to kill the werewolf before it claimed another subject.
• Arwen negotiated the reward up to fifteen hundred ducats and accepted the hunt, while the baron promised supplies and ordered his horse and weapons returned.

Arwen prepared cursed creature sword oil and was summoned by Baroness Kramer, who revealed that the werewolf he had been hired to kill was her son, Damian. She begged Arwen to lift Damian’s curse, offering him twice the baron’s payment.

• Arwen inspected his weapons and supplies, then made cursed creature sword oil using the ingredients delivered by the steward.
• A maid summoned Arwen to meet Baroness Kramer, and his wolf medallion trembled as he approached her room.
• Baroness Kramer asked whether Baron Kramer had hired Arwen to kill the werewolf, and Arwen confirmed it.
• Baroness Kramer revealed that the werewolf was her son Damian and said she believed he had been cursed.
• Baroness Kramer pleaded with Arwen to save Damian and offered him twice the baron’s payment.

Arwen learned that Damian had become a werewolf and took Mrs. Kramer’s amethyst necklace as payment before setting out to find him. In the alder woods, he confirmed the werewolf was a child and prepared to face Damian.

• Mrs. Kramer told Arwen how Damian transformed during the full moon and begged him to lift the curse.
• Arwen prescribed five parsley leaves pinned to a shirt and asked for payment; Mrs. Kramer gave him her amethyst necklace.
• Mrs. Kramer asked Arwen to spare Damian if he could not break the curse, and Arwen left the castle with Captain Martin.
• Arwen questioned Martin about Baron Kremer and Damian, then rode with him to the alder woods outside White River Town.
• Arwen found blood, flesh, and small paw prints in the woods, concluded the werewolf was Damian, and prepared to begin the hunt.

Arwen ambushed a werewolf in the alder grove and used his Witcher signs, silver weapons, and strength to overpower it. He left the werewolf bound and subdued, forcing a shirt made from parsley leaves onto it.

• Arwen drank Tawny Owl and Cat potions, then waited in concealment for the werewolf to arrive carrying a wounded elf.
• Arwen trapped the werewolf with Yrden and struck it repeatedly with his cursed-oil-coated silver sword, slowing its regeneration.
• Arwen used Quen and Aard to defend himself and knock the werewolf down, then lured it toward an alder tree.
• Arwen bound the werewolf with a silver chain, set it alight with Igni, and attacked it with punches and a knee.
• Arwen used Axii to frighten the werewolf, bound it again, and forced a shirt made from parsley leaves onto it.

Arwen cured Damian’s werewolf curse, but Baron Leo Kramer stabbed his son and revealed he had arranged to kill him. After admitting Damian was the child of his wife and Viscount Jennings, the Baron surrounded Arwen with soldiers and prepared to fight.

• Arwen changed Damian back into a boy and healed his wounds, but Damian remembered nothing of being a werewolf.
• Leo Kramer appeared and stabbed Damian in the chest as the boy ran to greet him.
• Arwen accused Leo of cursing Damian, and Leo admitted he had planted the curse and planned to kill them both.
• Leo confessed that Damian was Sienna and Viscount Jennings’s child, then summoned six armed soldiers to surround Arwen.
• Arwen drew his greatsword and taunted Leo about Sienna, provoking the Baron to threaten him.

Arwen fought the Baron of White River and killed the baron's six guards, then discovered the baron possessed extraordinary strength. After Arwen overwhelmed him with his Giant Bloodline, the wounded baron realized Arwen intended to kill him.

• Arwen used his sword and Aard Sign to kill the guards and drive off both crossbowmen.
• The Baron of White River charged Arwen and matched his strength, forcing him back with a series of attacks.
• Arwen learned that the baron wore a turtle stone, but dismissed the claim that it could counter witchers and knocked him down with Aard.
• The baron cited Monstrum, or a Description of Witchers and boasted of his service to King Miodrag as he attacked Arwen again.
• Arwen unleashed his Giant Bloodline, forced the baron to one knee, and buckled his armor until the baron feared for his life.

Arwen killed the Baron of White River and discovered an ancient body-tempering formula among his possessions. After giving a wounded elf girl a Swallow potion, he left the area with help from Theodore Reed and arranged for the baroness to receive evidence of her husband's affair.

• Arwen killed the Baron of White River, collected his sword and money, and found a letter exposing the baron's affair and a parchment describing Body-Tempering Alchemy.
• Arwen decided to seek advice from the Temple of Melitele before trying the formula and gave the dying elf girl a dose of Swallow potion.
• Arwen rejected the idea of attacking White River Domain and planned to use the letter to persuade the baroness to protect her interests.
• Theodore Reed arrived with Arwen's horse and explained that Martin had warned him the baron was bringing soldiers after Arwen.
• Arwen gave Theodore the letter to deliver to the baroness, then rode away.

Viscount Jennings learned that Baron Kremer had died in White River Domain and reported the news to Marquis Luitpold Lindenbrog. After a wizard blamed a witcher for the baron's death, the marquis ordered the witcher killed.

• A courier delivered Viscount Jennings an urgent letter from White River Domain reporting that Baron Kremer and his son were dead.
• Viscount Jennings told Marquis Luitpold Lindenbrog that Baron Kremer had died and that a werewolf had supposedly killed him.
• A wizard examined Jennings's amulet and concluded that a witcher had killed Baron Kremer.
• Jennings recalled that a witcher had cast sorcery on him, and the wizard urged the marquis to kill the witcher.
• Marquis Luitpold ordered Jennings to send knights to kill the witcher.

Viscount Jennings accepted the marquis's offer to administer the White River Domain and was ordered to deal with the Temple of Melitele in Frankenthal. Meanwhile, Arwen hunted down five ghouls and acquired a Ghoul Mutagen that granted Gluttonous Digestion.

• The marquis promised Viscount Jennings the White River Domain and told him to suppress the Temple of Melitele's unauthorized abortions.
• Viscount Jennings agreed to handle the Temple, despite warning that it had powerful support among commoners and nobles.
• Arwen entered a village enclosure and killed five ghouls using his silver sword and Signs.
• Arwen synthesized the ghouls' mutagens and obtained a Ghoul Mutagen with the Gluttonous Digestion talent.

Arwen tested the benefits of the Ghoul mutagen, harvested alchemical ingredients from the corpses, and collected payment for clearing monsters from a village. After giving the village chief medicine for his coughing child, Arwen left with directions to the Town of Frankenthal.

• Arwen installed the Ghoul mutagen and found that it slightly increased his strength and improved his stamina and recovery.
• Arwen collected Ghoul claws and heart blood, then fed Raven a piece of heart.
• Arwen entered the village and negotiated with Village Chief Ian, accepting 192 ducats instead of the 350 owed for killing five Ghouls.
• Arwen assured Ian that the Ghouls would not return and gave him medicine for his coughing child.
• Ian directed Arwen toward the Town of Frankenthal, and Arwen set off.