Chapter Summaries

Lynn and Letho discovered that Kaedweni soldiers had massacred an elven village and were abusing the surviving villagers. After seeing the soldiers drive the elves into a line, Lynn decided to attack and rescue them, with Letho helping.

• Lynn and Letho hid in a wheat field as Kaedweni soldiers arrived at the ruined village.
• The soldiers searched the village and drove a dozen or so elven villagers outside, revealing that Kaedweni soldiers had attacked the settlement.
• Lynn told Letho they would stop the soldiers and rescue the elves, assigning Letho to guard the horses and prevent anyone from escaping.
• Lynn and Letho split up as the soldiers beat the villagers and forced them into a line.

Lynn and Letho ambushed and killed the soldiers who were terrorizing a village, then claimed their horses and salvageable equipment. The rescued villagers feared Lynn, leaving the witchers with their spoils but no gratitude from the people they had saved.

• Lynn emerged from the wheat field and killed the soldier guarding the horses before attacking the men threatening the villagers.
• Lynn fought through the soldiers with his sword and Aard, killing several and driving the survivors to flee.
• Letho ambushed the fleeing soldiers near the horses and killed them with his two short swords.
• A hidden crossbowman shot at Lynn, but Lynn cut the bolt in two and hurled the Gwyhyr into the man's forehead.
• Lynn retrieved his sword as the villagers stared at him fearfully, while Letho gathered the horses and considered the soldiers' equipment valuable salvage.

Lynn rescued a group of elven villagers from soldiers and warned them that the rest of the troops might return, so he led them away toward Kaer Morhen. Tissaia proposed taking them to Francesca Findabair, but Lynn privately rejected the idea because he feared she would turn them into Scoia’tael.

• Lynn reassured the surviving elves that he and Letho were witchers, then warned them the soldiers’ companions might come back.
• The elves asked Lynn to take them away, and he hurried them out without letting them return for their belongings.
• Lynn’s group reunited at the meeting point and continued toward Kaer Morhen with the elves.
• Tissaia suggested contacting Francesca Findabair to shelter the villagers, but Lynn said they could travel with the group for now.
• Lynn privately rejected Tissaia’s proposal because he believed Francesca would recruit the elves into the future Scoia’tael.

Lynn planned to recruit the elven refugees as loyal guards for Dudu, whose growing business could attract kidnappers. After traveling to Kaer Morhen, Lynn and Geralt reunited with Vesemir and found the castle restored, where Lynn asked whether Eskel and Lambert had returned.

• Lynn considered how the elves’ long lives and past caste system had limited their military strength, and decided their loyalty and potential suited his need for manpower.
• Lynn worried that Dudu’s expanding business would make him a target and planned to assign the elven refugees as his private guards.
• Lynn’s group traveled northeast for over half a month, reached the Gwenllech, and continued toward the Blue Mountains.
• The group saw Kaer Morhen restored as an imposing fortress, and Lynn credited the work to Yarpen, Zoltan, and the other dwarves.
• Lynn led everyone across the drawbridge into Kaer Morhen and greeted Vesemir alongside Geralt.
• Lynn noticed several horses in the stable and asked Vesemir whether Eskel and Lambert had returned.

Lynn brought his companions to Kaer Morhen, where Vesemir welcomed the guests and Lambert’s sharp tongue briefly sparked an argument. After settling in, Lynn rewarded Yarpen, Zoltan, and the other dwarves for their work, strengthening their ties.

• Vesemir told Lynn that Eskel and Lambert had returned the previous night but had gone hunting for meat.
• Lynn introduced Letho, Auckes, Serrit, George, Tissaia de Vries, and Yennefer of Vengerberg to Vesemir at Kaer Morhen.
• Vesemir invited everyone inside, and Yennefer questioned rumors that Kaer Morhen had fallen into decline.
• Lambert complained about Lynn bringing guests, argued with Vesemir, and apologized after Eskel persuaded him.
• Lynn praised the dwarves’ work, paid Yarpen, Zoltan, and the others their final payment, and gave them an extra reward.

Lynn asked Vesemir to help Tissaia and Yennefer research secondary mutation and to open the School of the Wolf’s sealed cellar to them. He also addressed Eskel and Lambert’s objections to creating new witchers, before Auckes raised a question, leaving the discussion unfinished.

• After dinner, Lynn gathered Vesemir, Eskel, Lambert, Tissaia, and Yennefer upstairs and explained why the sorceresses had come to Kaer Morhen.
• Lynn asked Vesemir to join the secondary mutation research and let the sorceresses examine the School of the Wolf’s Potion of the Grasses formula and equipment in the cellar.
• Vesemir agreed after Lynn vouched for Tissaia and Yennefer, but Lambert and Eskel objected to discussing the creation of new witchers without more care.
• Lynn promised that apprentices would volunteer and that he would not risk their lives until the Trial of the Grasses had been improved enough to raise its survival rate substantially, so Lambert and Eskel withdrew their objections.
• Auckes raised his hand and began to ask Lynn a question after glancing at Letho and Serrit.

Lynn addressed the School of the Viper’s fears that a growing number of witchers would have no work or income. He revealed that Istredd had promised him land in Kovir, leaving Letho, Serrit, and Auckes hopeful that the witchers could gain a territory of their own.

• Auckes voiced his concern that more witchers would compete for scarce contracts and become a burden on Lynn’s finances.
• Letho and Serrit shared Auckes’s worries, while Tissaia and Yennefer watched to hear Lynn’s answer.
• Lynn told the group that Istredd had promised him land in Kovir if he helped him.
• Geralt confirmed that he had joined the escort job and said he trusted Lynn’s belief that Istredd would keep his promise.
• Letho, Serrit, and Auckes imagined the witchers establishing a territory that could sustain them even if monster contracts disappeared.

Lynn secured Vesemir, Eskel, and the other witchers’ support for building a witcher school and training eight children, while Vesemir accepted Lynn’s decision to abandon neutrality. The chapter ended with Vesemir agreeing to visit Mignole in Novigrad.

• Vesemir warned Lynn that acquiring territory could invite Tissaia’s interference and urged him to establish a witcher school first.
• Lynn proposed that Vesemir, Eskel, and Lambert work with him, and Vesemir and Eskel agreed while Lambert hesitated.
• Lynn explained that Lambert would help teach eight children alongside witchers from several schools, and Lambert accepted the role.
• Vesemir privately told Lynn he supported his decision to oppose Alzur’s principle of neutrality and hoped witchers would earn the standing they deserved.
• Lynn told Vesemir that Mignole still remembered him and invited him to visit her in Novigrad, and Vesemir agreed.

The children began physical training at Kaer Morhen while Lynn learned archery and sought out the witcher schools’ secret teachings. Letho gave him the School of the Viper’s poison manual, whose Snake Eye formula led Lynn to question why the school had fallen into decline.

• The witchers began training the children with running, catalysts, and nourishing meals, while Vesemir avoided the harsh practices of an earlier grandmaster.
• Lynn taught archery to the rescued elves and studied the secret techniques of Letho, his companions, and George.
• Letho gave Lynn the School of the Viper’s Viper Poisoncraft notebook, which detailed poisons for humans, monsters, and other uses.
• Lynn read about Snake Eye, a poison invented by Ivar Evil-Eye to control its victims and replace the School of the Viper’s lost Axii Sign.
• Lynn wondered why the School of the Viper had declined despite Snake Eye’s potential, and considered how the school might have used it to gain influence without attracting the emperor’s attention.

Lynn learned that the School of the Viper could not make Snake-Eye Poison and began studying its poisoncraft alongside the School of the Griffin’s meditation method. He also trained the rescued elves in Phoenix Archery, who grew eager to serve him, and the chapter left him teaching them at an archery ground outside Kaer Morhen.

• Letho explained that the School of the Viper lacked the master-level poisoncraft and alchemy needed to prepare Snake-Eye Poison, and Lynn kept the notes for future study.
• George taught Lynn about the Griffin Meditation Method, its origins, and how it strengthened the School of the Griffin’s Signs, while warning that Lynn might see limited results starting late.
• Lynn accepted George’s warning and began studying Viper Poisoncraft and practicing the Griffin Meditation Method during the following days.
• Lynn taught the rescued elven civilians Phoenix Archery, and they trained hard and willingly offered to serve him.
• Lynn held the elves’ archery practice outside Kaer Morhen to keep missed arrows from endangering others.

Lynn investigated six Kaedweni soldiers spotted in the Blue Mountains and decided against killing them, instead planning to use Tissaia’s help to frighten whoever sent them. The soldiers were scouting for King Henselt, who sought to expand Kaedwen’s territory and secure access to iron.

• Lynn praised the elves’ archery practice and gave them food before Lambert summoned him back to Kaer Morhen.
• Lynn, Vesemir, Geralt, and Tissaia examined a crystal ball showing six Kaedweni soldiers riding through the snow.
• Lynn, Lambert, and Tissaia tracked the soldiers and watched them from a nearby hillside.
• Lambert proposed killing the soldiers, but Lynn sided with Tissaia and planned to deter their masters instead.
• The soldiers’ mission was revealed to be scouting for King Henselt, who wanted more land and iron resources for Kaedwen.

King Henselt sent Captain Kiusha and his riders into the snowbound Blue Mountains to scout for land, treating them as expendable. The riders found a remote cabin and a headless corpse that unnerved Kiusha, then took shelter as a blizzard swept in.

• King Henselt sent riders into the Blue Mountains to search for land beyond the peaks, despite the heavy snow.
• Captain Kiusha's riders found two cabins, put their horses in the stable, and discovered a headless young woman's corpse in the other building.
• Kiusha ordered the riders to carry the corpse outside and burn it after he felt something grab him and saw the dead woman's eyes.
• The riders returned to the cabin to eat and drink, then agreed they needed a fire to survive the night.
• A rider opened the door to gather firewood, but a blizzard rushed into the cabin.

Kiusha discovered that his companions and Roy had vanished without leaving tracks, and that the corpse they had tried to burn was gone. Terrified, he escaped the Blue Mountains and reached a village, where he demanded shelter, food, and bathwater from the village elder.

• Kiusha awoke to find that everyone except Roy had disappeared, and neither man could remember what had happened during the night.
• After waiting for the others to return, Kiusha ordered Roy to prepare the horses, but Roy vanished between the house and the stable.
• Kiusha searched the outdoor fire and found only half-burned wood, with no trace of the corpse.
• Kiusha fled the Blue Mountains on horseback, convinced that evil spirits had taken his companions.
• Kiusha reached a village and paid the village elder while requisitioning his house, bathwater, and food.

Kiusha was tormented by Tissaia’s concealed curse until he fainted, while Lynn learned how she planned to spread fear of the Blue Mountains among Kaedwen’s soldiers. Tissaia expected the curse to drive Kiusha away and leave King Henselt unable to persuade others to enter the mountains.

• Kiusha ate and bathed at the village elder’s cottage, then saw a headless woman in the water and accused the elder of leaving him with a ghost.
• That night, Kiusha hid beneath the bed as the headless woman searched the room, then fainted when she appeared above him.
• Lynn watched Kiusha’s ordeal outside the cottage and asked Tissaia what had happened to him.
• Tissaia explained that she had cursed Kiusha, that the curse would fade over time, and that he would leave the village the next morning.
• Tissaia said she would curse Kiusha’s released subordinates too, spreading fear through Kaedwen and discouraging future expeditions into the Blue Mountains.

Lynn helped Tissaia and Sabrina deter Henselt from advancing into the Blue Mountains, then spent two months studying and hunting monsters. After mastering Viper Poisoncraft and the Griffin Meditation Method, he gained new perks, and his mutated organs began changing again.

• Tissaia told Lynn she would use Aretuza’s influence and Sabrina’s debt to keep Sabrina from supporting Henselt.
• Tissaia spread cursed riders across villages near the Blue Mountains, and rumors of an evil spirit spread throughout Kaedwen.
• Sabrina pretended to investigate the haunting, then warned Henselt that confronting the powerful spirit could endanger northeastern Kaedwen, stopping his plans to advance north.
• Lynn studied Viper Poisoncraft and the Griffin Meditation Method while hunting monsters, accumulating 16 attribute points.
• Lynn raised Viper Poisoncraft to Master/Limit and gained the Lead-Lined Stomach perk, increasing his poison resistance by 100%.
• Lynn raised the Griffin Meditation Method to Master/Limit, gained the Magic Burst perk, and felt his mutated organs begin transforming again.

After the Griffin Meditation Method transformed his chaos-magic organ, Lynn tested his greatly enhanced Signs and discovered their increased power and efficiency. He then ventured into the Blue Mountains, planning to bring oppressed elves and dwarves from Kaedwen into his territory and protect them.

• Lynn underwent a bodily transformation and tested Aard, shattering trees from thirty meters away before his magic supply ran low.
• Lynn tested his Signs and found that Igni, Quen, and Yrden had become much stronger, while his magic organ absorbed chaos magic faster and his Signs consumed less.
• After learning Viper Poisoncraft and the Griffin Breathing Method, Lynn left the castle and traveled deeper into the Blue Mountains.
• Lynn planned to bring elves and dwarves from Kaedwen into the Blue Mountains, give them territory, and become their protector.
• Lynn reasoned that resettling nonhumans could offer him a valuable population and keep some potential recruits from joining the Scoia'tael.

Lynn sought geological expertise to explore the Blue Mountains’ mineral potential and prepared to leave Kaer Morhen after Tissaia and Yennefer judged Moreau’s secondary mutation safe but in need of improvement. Before departing, he recruited Yarpen, Zoltan, and their dwarf companions to stay on as paid guards at the castle.

• Lynn considered seeking a geological expert from the Druid Circle in the Skellige Isles because he wanted to explore the Blue Mountains for ore without revealing any discoveries to another faction.
• Tissaia and Yennefer concluded that Moreau’s secondary mutation was relatively safe but could be optimized, and Tissaia reminded Lynn of his promise to keep the witchers allied with Aretuza.
• Lynn asked Yarpen, Zoltan, and the other dwarves whether they would continue working for him after repairs at Kaer Morhen were complete.
• Lynn offered the dwarves generous wages, a weekly day off, and paid leave in exchange for helping guard Kaer Morhen.
• Yarpen’s brothers and Zoltan agreed to stay, and Zoltan pledged his and his brothers’ axes to Lynn.

Lynn returned to Novigrad with Vesemir and Letho, prepared Vesemir for a meeting with Earl Mignole's Wife, and introduced Letho to his allies. He learned that his organizations were growing steadily and that Dettlaff had found purpose teaching at an orphanage.

• Lynn left Kaer Morhen with Vesemir and Letho, leaving the others and most of the food stores behind.
• After reaching Novigrad, Lynn got Vesemir grandmaster Wolf armor and swords, then arranged a meeting with Earl Mignole's Wife.
• Vesemir met Earl Mignole's Wife at an upscale club and stayed away overnight.
• Lynn introduced Letho to Drake and Roche, then heard that the Syndicate, the Eternal Fire, and the Brotherhood Without Banners were developing well.
• Lynn learned that Chappelle had bought weapons from Tyensail and that Berengar was improving as a blacksmith under her instruction.
• Lynn heard that Dettlaff had become a substitute teacher at Novigrad's orphanage after the children grew fond of his toys.

Regis settled among the villages outside Novigrad, treating peasants cheaply and earning their gratitude, while Lynn learned that Temeria faced trouble involving the fertile lands of the vanished Kingdom of Emblonia. Keira explained Emblonia’s history and its valuable river-valley soil, leaving Lynn with the wider political situation still unfolding.

• Regis built a hut between the villages outside Novigrad and treated local peasants with inexpensive potions.
• Syanna gradually understood Regis’s generosity as villagers welcomed her and left gifts for him.
• Lynn, reassured that everyone was well, planned to sail to the Skellige Isles but received a visit from Keira Metz.
• Keira told Lynn that Triss was safe but Temeria had encountered trouble.
• Keira explained that Emblonia had collapsed decades earlier, though its fertile land in the Pontar River valley remained immensely valuable.

Keira explained that disputes between Temeria and Redania over the fertile Pontar marshes had escalated into violence, and asked Lynn to help track Redanian raiders. Lynn agreed after Keira promised to conceal his identity, and they traveled through a portal to a village near Lake Vizima.

• Keira told Lynn that Redanian raiders had crossed into Temeria and that King Foltest wanted the trouble dealt with.
• Lynn said he would help only if Keira found a way to hide his witcher identity and protect other witchers from political fallout.
• Keira assured Lynn she could disguise his distinctive features, and he chose to trust her.
• Keira took Lynn through a portal to Temeria, where he noticed he no longer suffered the usual nausea and dizziness.
• Keira led Lynn to a village tavern beside Lake Vizima, and they took lodgings.