Chapter Summaries

Arwen and Elena fought off a pack of Ghouls and a Giant Ghoul on the way to Grey Rock Mountain. Arwen suspected that a large supply of flesh and blood near the mine had drawn the monsters there.

• Arwen killed a Ghoul with Tor Zireael as more Ghouls charged the group.
• Elena and the Upper March knights formed a defensive line while Elena shot Ghouls with silver arrows and Arwen cut them down.
• A Giant Ghoul attacked Arwen from behind, but Elena wounded it with an arrow and Arwen killed it with Aard and Whirling Blade.
• The surviving Ghouls fled, and Arwen noticed the unusual number of monsters near Grey Rock Mountain.
• Elena said the mine was about two li away, and Arwen warned that the Ghouls’ presence suggested a large nearby supply of flesh and blood.

Arwen and Elena arrived in a mining town on Grey Rock Mountain, where ghouls had forced the miners to abandon the mine. After hearing Mayor Cole’s account, Arwen investigated the quiet town with Elena and left the story poised before their descent into the mine.

• Elena introduced Arwen, who went by Raven, to Mayor Cole, and Cole asked them to save the town from the monsters in its mine.
• Cole recounted how miners had disappeared or returned mad, and how an overseer’s party had found bodies being eaten by ghouls.
• Arwen identified the monsters as ghouls and agreed to stay the night rather than enter the mine after dark.
• Arwen checked his equipment and went out to walk through town, and Elena joined him.
• Arwen told Elena that Cole’s account might have been exaggerated and warned that ghouls were faster and stronger at night.
• Elena teased Arwen about his life as a witcher and the rumors about witchers in bed.

Arwen and Elena discussed Elena’s elven heritage before finding four men assaulting a woman near a haystack. Arwen killed the men, but the rescued woman had lost her sanity and mistook him for a monster.

• Elena told Arwen that she was a quarter elf and had earned her command through archery and combat.
• Arwen and Elena heard men threatening a woman near a haystack and went to confront them.
• When one of the men attacked Arwen with a pitchfork, Arwen swiftly killed all four men with his greatsword.
• Elena said the men deserved a worse fate, while Arwen turned to help the woman.
• The woman panicked at Arwen’s cat eyes and raved about her husband Piers, and Arwen found that Axii could not calm her.

Arwen and Elena led a group of knights into the mine to hunt the Ghouls threatening the village. After an intense fight left corpses piled in the tunnels, more Ghouls continued to swarm toward them.

• Mayor Cole explained that Ralph and his thugs had tormented Mana, whose husband Piers had died in the mine, and Elena covered the grieving woman with her cloak.
• Arwen promised Cole he would deal with the mine’s monsters after daybreak.
• Arwen drank the Cat and Tawny Owl potions and entered the mine with Elena and two knights while Sir Zachary guarded the entrance with the others.
• Arwen followed the scent of rot through the twisting tunnels until the group found rotting flesh and bones, confirming that Ghouls were nearby.
• Ghouls charged the group, and Arwen, Elena, and the knights fought them for over ten minutes as more creatures kept coming.

Arwen and Elena fought through an overwhelming Ghoul nest, then Arwen unleashed the Dracolizard Golem to burn down their pursuers. He gained enough mutagens to synthesize new traits and installed the Giant Ghoul Mutagen, leaving the battle’s outcome unresolved.

• Arwen and Elena retreated through the cave as Ghouls and Giant Ghouls attacked, with Arwen and Elena killing several to protect the group.
• Arwen chose a narrow passage toward the mine entrance, but a Giant Ghoul collapsed the rock wall and split the group apart.
• Arwen used Aard to bring down the passage supports, crushing a Giant Ghoul, then prepared to face the approaching horde with Elena.
• Arwen summoned the Dracolizard Golem, which unleashed fire through the narrow passage and killed numerous Ghouls and Giant Ghouls.
• Arwen synthesized the accumulated mutagens and installed the Giant Ghoul Mutagen, gaining the Corpse Feeding Feedback talent.

Arwen and Elena descended into the ghoul hatchery, where Arwen confronted a newly hatched Bloodthorn Ghoul King. Arwen decapitated the monster, leaving the clearing’s remaining threat defeated.

• Arwen and Elena pressed deeper into the mine after deciding not to regroup, despite the gunpowder smell that made fire dangerous.
• Arwen and Elena discovered a ghoul hatchery, where Arwen destroyed several scab eggs while Elena supported him with silver arrows.
• A Bloodthorn Ghoul King hatched from a larger egg and attacked Arwen as immature giant ghouls emerged around them.
• Elena killed the approaching giant ghouls while Arwen slowed the king with Yrden and wounded it with Tor Zireael.
• Arwen trapped the king with a silver chain, knocked it off balance with Aard, and decapitated it; Elena killed the last ghoul.

Arwen protected Elena from the Bloodthorn Ghoul King's self-destruction and installed its mutagen after surviving the blast. He discovered a tunnel full of dead miners from Grey Rock Mountain and found a silver tag bearing the name Piers.

• Arwen warned Elena and shielded her from the Bloodthorn Ghoul King's explosion with the drake golem and a Quen Sign.
• Elena knocked away a falling rock that threatened Arwen, breaking her forearm in the process.
• Arwen confirmed Elena's injury, then installed the Bloodthorn Ghoul King Mutagen and gained Rotthorn Toxin.
• Arwen found a hidden mine tunnel filled with the corpses of at least a hundred miners from Grey Rock Mountain.
• Arwen discovered a silver tag on a young miner and read the name Piers.

Arwen emerged alive from the mine after Cole betrayed the Upper March men and prepared to flee with stolen ore. He accepted Mana’s contract to hunt the monsters, facing Cole and his bandits outside the mine.

• Cole revealed that he served the Hengfors League and had killed the miners with black powder to hide his thefts.
• Cole ordered the captured Upper March men hanged, Mana abused, and the mine blown up.
• Arwen killed the bandit dragging Mana with a thrown dagger and emerged from the mine alive.
• Mana begged Arwen for help and described the monsters and the slaughter.
• Arwen accepted the monster-hunting contract and drew his greatsword.

Arwen rescued Elena, Zachary, and the other knights by killing Cole and all twenty-two bandits, then returned to Grey Rock Town with the captives’ stolen riches. The townspeople learned the truth about the miners’ deaths and celebrated Arwen as their newly ennobled baron and savior.

• Arwen deflected the bandits’ arrows with his sword and Quen Sign, then slaughtered all twenty-two bandits with his greatsword and Rotthorn Toxin.
• Arwen caught Cole as he fled, crushed his ankle, and killed him despite his threats and offers of money.
• Elena emerged alive from the mine, and Arwen freed the five knights before gathering the wagons’ ore and gems as spoils.
• In Grey Rock Town, Elena exposed Cole’s crimes, and the residents celebrated his death while Zachary announced that Arwen was a baron ennobled by King Miodrag.
• During the town’s celebration, Arwen treated Elena’s broken arm and accepted venison from a little girl who showed no fear of him.

After four peaceful months at Grey Rock Mountain, Arwen improved his skills, received an enchanted elven longbow from Elena, and set out for Temeria. At the Temple of Melitele, he learned that Mother Asumpta had died and Nenneke had become high priestess, then agreed that Ellander should be the goddess’s followers’ new refuge.

• Arwen trained in archery with Elena and gained a talent that improved his accuracy, while also strengthening his witcher skills and learning spells.
• Elena gave Arwen an enchanted elven longbow, and he left Grey Rock Mountain the next morning after they said goodbye.
• Arwen returned to the Temple of Melitele and found Nenneke arranging flowers for Mother Asumpta, who had died four nights earlier.
• Nenneke told Arwen that she had become high priestess and that the Temple’s followers needed a safer refuge as tensions along the northern border grew.
• Arwen told Nenneke that he had come back to help, and named Ellander as the place for their new refuge.

Arwen and Nenneke’s caravan encountered elves who barred their passage through the forest near Shaerrawedd. After Arwen subdued their band, Toriel recognized him as the witcher who had saved her, and the elves invited the caravan to their camp.

• Mia told Arwen that her injuries had left her unable to bear children, and the caravan continued south toward the Pontar River.
• Elves fired warning arrows and confronted Arwen and Nenneke, demanding that they stay away from Shaerrawedd.
• When the elves aimed their bows, Arwen charged and subdued the five-member squad without seriously injuring them.
• Toriel recognized Arwen as the witcher who had saved her, and her brother Galar apologized and thanked him.
• Galar offered the caravan shelter, water, and supplies at the elves’ camp, and Arwen got Nenneke’s agreement before accepting.

Arwen accepted the elves’ request to investigate the disappearance of their children and learned that Earl Rupert Mansfield’s son Edmund and the sorceress Freyja had also vanished. After Arwen prevented a clash between the elves and Rupert’s soldiers, the Earl entrusted him with a magical pendant that could track Edmund.

• The elven elder told Arwen that eight children had disappeared and asked him to find them, offering his help with swordsmithing in return.
• Arwen questioned the elder, learned the children vanished silently after midnight in fog, and accepted potions and insectoid sword oil from Nenneke.
• A raven alerted Arwen to an armed party led by Earl Rupert Mansfield and the gnome Lorik approaching the camp.
• Rupert told Arwen that his son Edmund and Freyja had disappeared, and Arwen explained that the elves were also missing children.
• When elves confronted Rupert’s soldiers, Arwen persuaded both sides to hold back, and Rupert gave him Freyja’s magical pendant to help locate Edmund.

Arwen followed the ruby pendant into a Kikimore-infested cave while searching for the Earl’s missing child. He and his companions defeated the first swarm, and Arwen gained a new mutagen, but the search continued deeper underground.

• Arwen, Galar, and Lorik found a newly dug cave marked by corrosive slime, and Arwen identified the creatures inside as Kikimores.
• Arwen prepared with potions and insectoid oil before leading Galar and Lorik into the cave after the pendant’s signal.
• A swarm of Kikimore Workers and Warriors surrounded the group, forcing Arwen, Galar, and Lorik to fight their way through.
• Arwen used his silver sword and Igni Sign to kill the Kikimores, while Galar’s arrows and Lorik’s fire bombs helped defeat the creatures behind them.
• Arwen installed the Kikimore Worker Mutagen and gained Carapace Armor, then finished off a wounded Kikimore Warrior.

Arwen and his companions confronted and killed a blue-robed wizard in the underground passage, then reached the wizard’s laboratory. They found the elf Galar’s niece dead, but discovered several children imprisoned nearby.

• Arwen saved Lorik from an earthen spike and spotted a blue-robed wizard who accused them of killing his Kikimore children.
• The wizard attacked with earth magic, but Arwen broke through his spells, killed him, and learned that Earl Rupert’s child and the elf’s child had been eaten by his creatures.
• Arwen rescued Galar and Lorik from sinking ground, collected the Kikimore remains, and led them deeper into the cave.
• Arwen and his companions entered the wizard’s laboratory, where Galar found Nisha bound and dead with Kikimore eggs inside her.
• Galar saw several children in a cage, and one pointed-eared boy recognized him as Brother Galar.

Arwen rescued five children from a cave where a wizard had experimented on them with kikimore eggs, and discovered evidence linking the Hydra cult to a gathering in half a month. The group prepared to travel to Hydra Canyon, while Francesca Findabair learned of the cult and asked to meet Arwen in four days.

• Arwen freed five children, healed them, and found an experimental journal describing kikimore eggs implanted in children and a captured sorceress who might have been Lady Freyja.
• Arwen discovered a snake-headed mask bearing the Hydra cult’s symbol and a message announcing a gathering of wizards in half a month.
• Arwen returned with the children and the victims’ bodies, reunited Edmund with Earl Rupert, and told the elves and humans what he had found.
• Nenneke identified the mask as the symbol of Hydra, and Arwen revealed that the cult might be gathering at Hydra Canyon, where Lady Freyja could be held.
• Earl Rupert and the elven elder agreed to prepare an expedition to Hydra Canyon, while the elder promised to forge Arwen’s weapons with help from Francesca Findabair.
• Francesca learned about Hydra and the missing sage Ida Emean, sent Arwen’s weapons into the pool for forging, and asked to meet him in four days.

Arwen crafted and tested enhanced alchemical bombs, then met Francesca Findabair, who presented him with a reforged greatsword. Francesca began to reveal another reason for seeking him out.

• Arwen and Lorik made an enhanced venom bomb, and Arwen gained the Alchemy Extraction talent.
• Arwen and Lorik tested their bombs in the forest, where Arwen used his Signs to greatly amplify a Northern Wind Bomb's destructive effect.
• The elven elder led Arwen to meet Francesca Findabair, who had forged his weapon.
• Francesca gave Arwen his reforged greatsword, enhanced with star-meteor steel and an armor-piercing rune.
• Francesca told Arwen that she had another reason for coming to see him.

Arwen accepted Francesca’s commission to find the missing elven sage Ida Emean and received a mask that could conceal him and let him impersonate its former owner. After two days of marching, Arwen’s party reached a village in Hydra Canyon where humans, elves, dwarves, and even a Kikimore Worker lived together; Arwen disguised himself as the green-robed mage and went down to investigate while the others waited for his signal.

• Francesca explained that Ida Emean had disappeared near the Kestrel Mountains and asked Arwen to find her, promising her friendship and a reward.
• Francesca enchanted the hydra mask so it could conceal Arwen’s presence and transform him into the green-robed mage whose appearance she had divined.
• Arwen joined Earl Rupert’s soldiers and Galar’s elven archers on a difficult march through the forest toward Hydra Canyon.
• Arwen’s party discovered a village where humans, elves, and dwarves lived together peacefully, and a Kikimore Worker calmly pulled a wagon with an elven child riding it.
• Arwen ordered the others to hide at the forest’s edge, gave Lorik instructions to distribute dimeritium and wait for a bomb signal, then disguised himself as the mage and walked toward the village.

Arwen entered a village where magic influenced the residents and discovered that the sorceress Freyja Natavren was being held in the manor dungeon. There, he recognized the blue-robed mage Meng as Mage George of Ban Ard and knocked him unconscious after learning he was hunting a black-haired witcher.

• Arwen entered the village and noticed its villagers behaved unusually, while the wolf-head medallion on his chest vibrated in the dense magic.
• Jared told Arwen that a sorceress had injured villagers and that two emissaries had stopped her, then led him to the dungeon where she was held.
• Arwen met the blue-robed emissary Meng, who joined him in visiting the captive Freyja Natavren.
• Meng demanded that Freyja reveal the whereabouts of a black-haired witcher, and Arwen realized he meant the newly appointed baron.
• Arwen offered to trade the witcher's location for a magical item, then identified Meng as Mage George of Ban Ard and knocked him unconscious.

Arwen rescued Lady Freyja from Hydra Canyon and learned that a cult led by a bishop planned a ritual involving nine wizards and the Elder Blood secret hidden in Atamont's ring. After killing George, Arwen disguised himself as a wizard and led Freyja toward the Kikimore Queen beneath the castle.

• Arwen freed Lady Freyja from her dimeritium shackles, and she recovered her magic.
• Freyja used mental magic to break George's resistance, and he revealed that Atamont's ring was connected to the Elder Blood.
• George described the bishop's plan to gather nine wizards for a ritual to summon the Hydra God and named the Kikimore Queen as the bishop's creation beneath the castle.
• Arwen killed George after questioning him and decided to deal with the Kikimore Queen before venturing deeper into the canyon.
• Arwen disguised himself as a blue-robed wizard and led Freyja past the guards, convincing the guard captain to accompany them to the Kikimore Queen.

Arwen and Freyja entered the Kikimore cave, where Arwen killed the guards who tried to leave and fought through the insect colony. After discovering the Kikimore Queen and its nest, Arwen asked Freyja to restrain it while he dealt with the other Kikimores.

• Arwen killed the six guards who refused to enter the cave, hid their bodies, and disguised himself again.
• Arwen and Freyja entered the cave and fought more than a dozen Kikimore Workers and three Kikimore Warriors.
• Arwen upgraded his Carapace Armor and installed the Kikimore Warrior Mutagen, gaining the Giant Limb Armor Break talent.
• Freyja sensed a powerful life force deeper in the cave, and Arwen drank Tawny Owl before they continued.
• Arwen and Freyja found the Kikimore Queen feeding on a vast supply of corpses while its workers tended its eggs.
• The Kikimore Queen detected the intruders and turned the colony against them, so Arwen told Freyja to restrain it while he fought the other Kikimores.