Chapter Summaries

Lynn secured Eithné’s help and the Water of Brokilon for his witcher apprentices before preparing to leave Brokilon with Aglaïs. In Novigrad, Lynn’s allies discussed how Whoreson Junior’s attack on Dudu had halted their businesses and risked drawing the city into a wider conflict.

• Eithné agreed to send Aglaïs with Lynn to Kaer Morhen and let him take as much Water of Brokilon as his enchanted item could hold.
• Lynn promised to send witchers to fight for Brokilon once they had grown stronger, then asked Eithné to have her dryads warn human civilians with arrows aimed in front of them.
• Lynn found Aglaïs caring for his griffin and agreed to wait a few days before departing for Kaer Morhen; Aglaïs explained that diluted Water of Brokilon could accelerate the griffin’s growth and strengthen its bond with Lynn.
• Drake, Roche, Chappelle, and Letho met in Novigrad and learned from Letho that Dudu was hidden safely in the city.
• Drake objected that Whoreson Junior had targeted Dudu, while Chappelle explained that Dudu’s expanding businesses had made Whoreson Junior jealous.
• Roche and Chappelle warned that confronting Whoreson Junior could unite the three major gangs against Lynn’s people and give Redania an excuse to occupy Novigrad.

Lynn returned to Novigrad and learned that Whoreson Junior had been using intimidation, sabotage, and rumors to undermine Dudu’s businesses. As the group weighed how to stop him, Drake offered to kill him, while the Syndicate’s records gave them a way to predict his movements.

• Lynn arrived during a meeting and asked Chappelle to explain the trouble with Dudu’s businesses.
• Chappelle described how Whoreson Junior had tried to bribe Dudu, then harassed his workers, disrupted operations, and spread rumors that Dudu was helping Toussaint take over Novigrad.
• Chappelle explained that Dudu had sent his workers home on a month of paid leave, but the group needed a lasting solution before the leave ran out.
• Drake offered to bring Lynn Whoreson Junior’s head and said the Syndicate could predict the gang boss’s movements with over ninety percent accuracy.

Lynn refused to let the Syndicate kill Whoreson Junior, then visited Carlo Cleaver Varese to propose a nonaggression agreement. Carlo challenged Lynn's identity and motives, and Lynn questioned whether Carlo's supposed neutrality toward Whoreson Junior was genuine.

• Lynn rejected Drake's plan to have the Syndicate assassinate Whoreson Junior, wary of exposing its intelligence network.
• Lynn gave Drake two greatsword diagrams to take to Master Tyensail and left with Roche and Letho.
• Lynn claimed to be Baron Brandon and gained entry to Carlo Cleaver Varese's compound, where Carlo's dwarves surrounded him.
• Carlo said he doubted Lynn's identity and questioned why a baron would seek an agreement while his businesses were struggling.
• Lynn proposed a nonaggression agreement and asked Carlo why he called Whoreson Junior by an insulting nickname instead of Mr. Cyprian Wiley.

Lynn secured neutrality from Carlo and the Cutups, leaving Whoreson Junior as his only gang rival. He then arrived at Wiley Manor to meet Mr. Wiley, and was welcomed inside.

• Carlo agreed not to help either Lynn or Whoreson Junior, and advised Lynn to win the Cutups' neutrality as well.
• Lynn met with the Cutups, who agreed to a nonaggression pact after he said Whoreson Junior was his only target.
• Lynn told Roche and Letho that they would visit Whoreson Junior next.
• A day later, Lynn arrived at Wiley Manor in the rain and identified himself to the guards as Baron Brandon of Toussaint.
• A butler apologized for leaving Lynn in the rain and escorted him and his two attendants into the manor to meet Mr. Wiley.

Lynn entered Cyprian Wiley’s fortified estate and met the gang boss, who warned him against behaving boldly in Novigrad. Cyprian recounted how he had drowned a city councilor who urged him to help the poor, then asked Lynn why he had come from Toussaint.

• Lynn assessed the Wiley estate’s defensive layout as the old man escorted him inside.
• The old man separated Lynn from his two attendants, and guards surrounded the pair in the hall.
• Lynn met Cyprian Wiley and insulted his worn appearance, but Cyprian laughed and cautioned him to rein himself in.
• Cyprian and Ed described how Cyprian had drowned a councilor who pressed him to donate money to Novigrad’s poor.
• Cyprian asked Lynn what important business had brought him from Toussaint.

Lynn questioned Cyprian Wiley about targeting his businesses, and Cyprian explained that he had wanted to meet and propose a wine-distribution partnership. Their conversation revealed that Cyprian hoped to use ties with Nilfgaard to rise from commoner status.

• Lynn asked Cyprian why he had gone after his businesses despite knowing he was a baron.
• Cyprian apologized and said he had provoked Lynn to secure a meeting and discuss a partnership.
• Cyprian offered to distribute Lynn’s Toussaint Rosé wine in Novigrad for thirty percent of the profits, with a chest of gold crowns as compensation.
• Lynn suspected Cyprian had another motive and asked whether he wanted to connect with Nilfgaardians.
• Cyprian said he had heard commoners in Nilfgaard could rise to nobility and did not want to remain a commoner.

Lynn learned that Cyprian Wiley planned to sell information to the Nilfgaardians, then killed him and his men. The chapter ended with Cyprian dead beneath Lynn’s boot.

• Cyprian Wiley revealed that he planned to offer the Nilfgaardians information from Novigrad in exchange for a business relationship with Lynn.
• Lynn declared their cooperation over and attacked Cyprian’s guards and sorcerer with Aard before killing the sorcerer and two guards.
• An old man fired a hand crossbow at Lynn, but the bolt broke against his sword, and Cyprian fled.
• Lynn threw his greatsword into Cyprian’s back, caught up with him, and crushed his head beneath his boot.

Lynn, Letho, and Roche killed the armed men at Wiley Manor, while Cyprian escaped and sought refuge at a Wiley's Gang casino. Cyprian nearly told the casino manager about the attack but changed his mind, leaving his next move uncertain.

• Letho and Roche attacked Cyprian's guards after hearing a disturbance upstairs, and Lynn joined them once the hall was clear.
• The three killed the armed people remaining in Wiley Manor but left ordinary workers alone, then decided not to pursue Cyprian's missing son.
• Cyprian fled Wiley Manor after watching the attackers kill his father and the household's men.
• Cyprian reached a Wiley's Gang casino, where manager Kasno welcomed him and offered him a bath.
• Cyprian began to explain that Wiley Manor had been attacked, then changed his words and accepted Kasno's offer.

Cyprian returned to Wiley Manor, discovered his father was dead, and was killed by Kasno, who revealed he was Cleaver’s mole. Lynn later received Cyprian’s severed head as a gift from Carlo and concluded that a mole inside Wiley’s Gang had arranged Cyprian’s death.

• Cyprian waited before returning to Wiley Manor, then found his father and the manor guards dead.
• Cyprian celebrated his chance to take over Wiley’s Gang, but Kasno revealed he was a mole working for Cleaver.
• A thug struck Cyprian from behind, and Kasno ordered his head taken to Boss Cleaver while his men left the manor.
• Lynn went to Dudu’s shop in Baron Brandon’s appearance and received Cyprian’s severed head from Cleaver’s envoy.
• Lynn told Letho he believed a mole in Wiley’s Gang had killed Cyprian after he fled to Cleaver.

After Cyprian Wiley’s death, Lynn arranged for the Eternal Fire to take advantage of Wiley’s Gang’s internal power struggle and seize most of its territory. He left a small portion to Cleaver’s Gang and the Cutups, then planned to stabilize the city and expand the Eternal Fire’s influence.

• Lynn burned Cyprian Wiley’s head and explained that Cleaver had sent it as an apology and a sign of cooperation.
• Lynn summoned Chappelle and ordered the city guards to clear the streets while Wiley’s Gang fell into a violent struggle over leadership.
• After Wiley’s Gang fought through the night, the Eternal Fire’s Temple Guard attacked its territory and offered safety to those who surrendered.
• Chappelle reported that the Eternal Fire had taken most of Wiley’s Gang’s territory, while Cleaver’s Gang and the Cutups had claimed a small portion.
• Lynn let Cleaver’s Gang and the Cutups keep their share and ordered Chappelle to restore public order and punish criminals.
• Lynn planned to stabilize the city before extending the Eternal Fire’s control over Cleaver’s Gang and the Cutups.

The Eternal Fire gained influence in Novigrad by helping the poor, while Lynn reassured Vesemir that he deserved to enjoy his peaceful life with Earl Mignole's Wife. Lynn then returned to Kaer Morhen with Gerd, Mousesack, and Aglaïs, where Gerd was overcome by memories of his lost home.

• Under Chappelle's leadership, the Eternal Fire gave food, clothing, and practical help to poor believers, earning their trust in Novigrad.
• Lynn visited Earl Mignole's Wife's residence and found Vesemir uneasy about enjoying his comfortable life.
• Lynn told Vesemir he had worked hard enough to deserve his retirement and chose to leave him in Novigrad for New Year.
• Lynn traveled back to Kaer Morhen with Gerd, Mousesack, and Aglaïs, leaving Letho behind to protect Novigrad.
• When the group saw Kaer Morhen, Gerd remembered his lost home, Haern Caduch Castle, and felt melancholy.

Lynn welcomed Mousesack to the restored Kaer Morhen and explained that he had hired people to repair the castle. As the group arrived, he greeted Zoltan and the other dwarves warmly, while Mousesack considered the dangers Lynn would face if he tried to rebuild the Order of Witchers.

• Lynn let his young griffin fly freely in the Blue Mountains and fed it when it came down.
• Lynn told Mousesack that rumors of Kaer Morhen's decline had been true, but he had hired people to repair the castle.
• Mousesack reflected that monsters would return and the world would always need witchers, but sorcerers and northern kings might suppress a united Order.
• Lynn's party approached Kaer Morhen, where the dwarves raised the portcullis and lowered the drawbridge to welcome them.
• Lynn joked with Zoltan and greeted the other dwarves by name, making them laugh.

Lynn returned to Kaer Morhen with Gerd, Mousesack, and Aglaïs, where Vesemir’s coming retirement left Lynn to lead the School of the Wolf. He visited the children training there and learned that Yennefer believed Kasja had the talent to become a sorceress.

• Lynn introduced Gerd, Mousesack, and Aglaïs to Zoltan and explained that Vesemir would not return for the winter.
• Lynn reflected that Vesemir was preparing to retire and leave Kaer Morhen’s leadership to him.
• Lynn and his companions entered the courtyard, where Lambert supervised the children’s training.
• Lynn greeted the children from Holopole and considered the responsibility he carried for their futures.
• Lambert told Lynn that Kasja was spending her days with Yennefer, who thought she could become a sorceress.

Lynn welcomed the guests at the castle and spent the day with the children, while Kasja began studying magic with Yennefer. As they headed to dinner, Lynn helped Lambert reflect on his strict teaching and encouraged him to be patient with his students.

• Lynn was relieved that Kasja had shown a talent for magic and decided he would not let her undergo the School of the Cat’s dangerous mutations.
• Lynn left Kasja to study with Yennefer, arranged hot baths for the weary guests, and listened to the children talk about their lives and training.
• Lambert called the children to dinner, and they complained to Lynn about his demanding sword-training exercises.
• Lynn reminded the children that monsters would not spare them and told Lambert to train them patiently over time.
• Lambert admitted he had been impatient and acknowledged that he had once been immature in his arguments with Vesemir.

Lynn reunited with Lambert and the residents of Kaer Morhen, then hosted a feast for the guests he had brought. After introductions, he asked Tissaia for an update on the Secondary Mutation, and she hinted that she had good news.

• Lynn helped Lambert get the children to apologize for their behavior, and Lambert reflected on how he had changed.
• Lynn, Lambert, and the children arrived at the great hall, where the residents and guests of Kaer Morhen had gathered.
• Geralt and Eskel teased Lambert about his manners and his temporary role as grandmaster while Vesemir was away.
• Tissaia explained that Yennefer and Kasja were away in the tower for several days of special training.
• After the children left for the library, Lynn introduced the guests and residents, including Mousesack and Aglaïs, to one another.
• Lynn asked Tissaia how the Secondary Mutation was progressing, and she said she had good news.

Three months before Lynn's time in Skellige, Tissaia and Yennefer presented their improved secondary mutation method to the witchers at Kaer Morhen and asked for a volunteer to test it. Several witchers from different schools stepped forward, and Geralt finally claimed he should undergo the procedure.

• Tissaia and Yennefer completed and reviewed their improved secondary mutation method, then summoned Kaer Morhen's witchers to explain it.
• Lambert volunteered first, and Eskel joined him, saying the School of the Wolf did not leave a brother behind.
• Auckes and Serrit volunteered to test the method before Eskel and Lambert, hoping to secure influence for the School of the Viper.
• George of Kagen stepped forward on behalf of the School of the Griffin, citing its chivalrous principles.
• Geralt declared that the others should step back because he should be the one to test the mutation.

Geralt insisted on undergoing the secondary mutation, and Yennefer and Tissaia prepared and administered it. After waking from two days of unconsciousness, Geralt felt stronger than ever and began testing his enhanced abilities.

• Geralt argued that his endurance made him the best choice to undergo the secondary mutation, despite Yennefer's objections.
• Geralt drank the herbal juice Yennefer had prepared and lost consciousness during the procedure.
• Yennefer told Geralt he had been unconscious for two days and had shown no abnormal reactions.
• Geralt ate more than usual, then joined Yennefer, Tissaia, and the witchers at the training grounds to test his physical abilities.
• Geralt found his usual sword too light, so Eskel brought him a two-handed sword.

Geralt underwent physical and magical tests that showed his enhanced strength, endurance, and Signs. The tests ended with Geralt discovering a third way to cast Quen: a delayed, charged shield.

• Geralt sparred with Eskel and dominated him in speed, reflexes, and strength.
• Geralt ran for a long time in heavy Nilfgaardian full plate armor, impressing Tissaia and Yennefer and shocking the other witchers.
• Geralt cast Piercing Cold Aard, freezing and shattering armored dummies across an unusually wide area.
• Geralt cast Igni, engulfing a row of dummies in flames that could have killed heavily armored soldiers.
• Geralt tested Quen and discovered he could cast a delayed, charged shield.

Geralt’s Secondary Mutation greatly improved his abilities and rejuvenated his body, while Tissaia and Yennefer also gave the other witchers mutations tailored to their strengths. Lynn read Tissaia’s report, thanked her for the work, and reflected that he might have volunteered first if he had been at Kaer Morhen.

• Geralt tested his enhanced Signs, including a powerful Quen shield, a wider Yrden Trap, and Axii’s ability to daze George.
• Tissaia tested Geralt’s magic capacity, recovery rate, and toxin resistance, then assigned him a strict diet that left him regretting his transformation.
• Three months later, Lynn watched Geralt combine Piercing Cold Aard and Igni, then read Tissaia’s report confirming Geralt had suffered no rejection and had regained the physical condition of a thirty-year-old.
• The report said Eskel and Lambert had also improved across their attributes, while George, Auckes, and Serrit had gained improvements suited to their Schools.
• Lynn thanked Tissaia, accepted her apology for proceeding without him, and thought he might have volunteered for the first Secondary Mutation had he been at Kaer Morhen.

Lynn emerged from the secondary mutation after a much longer transformation than the others and discovered that his body had gained extraordinary enhancements across every attribute. After Tissaia and Yennefer examined him, the group went to the training ground to test his new abilities.

• Tissaia confirmed that Lynn was alive inside the mutation equipment while the witchers and sorceresses anxiously waited for him.
• Lynn opened the equipment, emerged with purple patterns that soon faded, and said he felt better than ever.
• Lynn saw that his attribute panel had granted him the Extraordinary Physique feat, and he suspected that his knowledge of multiple witcher schools had caused the broad enhancements and prolonged mutation.
• Tissaia and Yennefer examined Lynn and found him exceptionally healthy before taking the group to the training ground.
• Eskel handed Lynn a two-handed sword, and Lynn felt the same sensation he had experienced when he first gained the Brute Force feat.