Chapter Summaries

Lynn and Geralt prepared to hunt the Plague Wraith in the abandoned mine, but Thor arrived and tried to pay them to leave. When Lynn confronted him over his plot against Brovar, Thor attacked, claiming a Turtle Stone would protect him from witchers.

• Lynn and Geralt coated their silver swords with Specter Oil and took potions to prepare for the mine.
• Thor arrived with a torch and offered them five hundred orens to leave the mine.
• Lynn rejected the money and accused Thor of plotting against his father, Brovar, by keeping the mine's danger unresolved.
• Thor admitted his hostility, drew his battle-axe, and claimed he had brought a Turtle Stone to defeat the witchers.
• Lynn dodged Thor's axe and struck him under the chin with an uppercut.

Lynn and Geralt explored deeper into the mine and found the preserved diary of Casti, leader of the Order of Benevolent Apothecaries. Casti’s account revealed that the Red Miasmal caused the plague, trapped the order underground, and left her alone in the darkness.

• Lynn bound the unconscious Thor and left him for Brovar to deal with.
• Lynn and Geralt traveled deeper into the mine and found a violet magical barrier protecting several manuscript pages.
• Lynn read Casti’s warning that the plague came from a dangerous entity in the mine and that its victims became Aberrations.
• Casti wrote that the Red Miasmal infected her order, sealed her sorcery circuits, and that Great Elder Otto’s guards refused to open the mine entrance.
• Casti recorded that Elma killed herself, Andy and Randy vanished in the mine, and she was left alone, unable to remember who she was.

Lynn and Geralt investigated the abandoned mine, finding evidence of a centuries-old plague and confronting a deformed miner infected by the Red Miasmal. Deeper inside, they encountered a decayed female physician who resembled someone from Casti’s manuscript.

• Geralt read the manuscript and concluded that Lynn and he had less than a day to remain in the mine before risking infection.
• Lynn opened the mine tunnel, and he and Geralt found bones behind a sealed wall, confirming that the patients had been trapped alive centuries earlier.
• A deformed dwarven miner attacked Lynn and Geralt, and they killed it before identifying it as a victim of the Red Miasmal.
• Lynn and Geralt found a female physician working over an Aberration’s corpse, and Lynn chose to speak to her instead of letting Geralt attack.
• The physician turned to reveal decayed skin, bandages covering most of her face, and a scalpel embedded in her throat.

Lynn and Geralt entered the mine to fulfill Casti’s unfinished wish and put the dead apothecaries to rest. They battled Casti and a horde of Aberrations, using free alchemical supplies from Grand Elder Brovar as they fought their way into the tunnel.

• Lynn discovered that the physician posing as Elma was an evil spirit and killed her with his silver sword before burning her body.
• Lynn and Geralt prepared for the final battle by checking their potions and readying their alchemical bombs.
• Lynn confronted Casti in the cavern, and Geralt’s Grapeshot Bomb killed Andy and Randy but left Casti alive.
• Casti’s howl summoned the cavern’s Aberrations, and Lynn and Geralt fought the horde with swords and Signs as they retreated into the mine tunnel.
• Lynn ignited a Dragon’s Dream Bomb with Igni, burning at least a dozen Aberrations, while Geralt marveled at their plentiful supplies from Grand Elder Brovar.

Lynn and Geralt defeated the Red Miasmal in the abandoned mine, and Lynn emerged with the bound Thor. While Lynn went to report to Brovar, Geralt headed to the quarantine facility to check on the sick miners.

• Lynn and Geralt engulfed the mine entrance and cavern in alchemical fire, killing the swarming aberrations.
• The Red Miasmal emerged from the charred corpses and attacked Lynn and Geralt, but Lynn blocked its strike while Geralt cast Yrden to bind it.
• Lynn drank a Blizzard Potion and repeatedly struck the trapped Red Miasmal until it burned to ashes, gaining attribute points.
• Lynn and Geralt cleaned up the battlefield and brought the bound Thor out of the abandoned mine.
• Lynn went with the dwarven guards to see Brovar, while Geralt headed to the quarantine facility to check on the miners.

Lynn brought Thor before Brovar, who exposed the dangers and history behind Thor’s plan to ally with the Children of Freedom. Thor was led away with his ideals shattered, whispering an apology as he passed Lynn.

• Lynn brought the captured Thor into the throne hall, where Brovar confronted him about conspiring with the Children of Freedom.
• Thor accused Brovar of siding with humans, and Brovar explained that an alliance could bring a human blockade or invasion that Mahakam could not withstand.
• Brovar reminded Thor that elves had conquered lands and fought other elder races long before humans arrived.
• Brovar revealed that Nilfgaard had created the Children of Freedom’s slogan and was using the group to advance its ambitions in the north.
• The guards led Thor away, his fervor gone, and he whispered an apology as he passed Lynn.

Lynn received four thousand orens and the adamantine Gwyhyr Sword from Brovar after completing the contract in Mahakam. Geralt gave the sword to Lynn and went to find Istredd, while Lynn vowed to restore the glory of the witchers and preserve the School of the Wolf.

• Brovar rewarded Lynn with four thousand orens and Gwyhyr, which Lynn tested against his steel sword and found undamaged.
• Lynn told Brovar about the Order of Benevolent Apothecaries, and Brovar promised to recover their bodies, bury them properly, and erect a monument.
• Geralt returned from the quarantine ward and reported that the sick miners' rashes and blisters were fading.
• Lynn gave Geralt two thousand orens, but Geralt refused to keep Gwyhyr and insisted Lynn take the sword.
• Geralt left to tell Istredd they could set out together, while Lynn vowed to keep the School of the Wolf from falling apart and restore the witchers' glory.

After the feast in Mahakam, Lynn inspected the Red Miasmal’s valuable remains and considered traveling to Toussaint to pursue a second mutation. Two days later, he and Geralt joined Istredd’s caravan to Dorian, where the group prepared to travel down the Pontar River toward Novigrad.

• Lynn examined the Red Miasmal’s specter dust and stored it to sell to a sorcerer.
• Lynn identified the Red Miasmal’s drop as a greater red mutagen and thought about seeking a second mutation in Toussaint.
• Lynn and Geralt left Mahakam with Istredd’s caravan after recovering from the battle in the abandoned mine.
• The group picked up Yarpen and his companions at a village below the Mahakam Mountains and traveled to Dorian.
• Istredd hired a boat in Dorian to carry the group downstream along the Pontar River to Novigrad.

Lynn and Geralt stocked up on alchemical supplies in Novigrad before the caravan continued north into Talgar, where they learned the history of Lady Benigna and the Curse of the Black Sun. The chapter left the travelers approaching a lamplit inn on a dark road to Talgar City.

• Lynn and Geralt spent nearly fifty orens in Novigrad on alchemical ingredients and silver sword repairs.
• The caravan left Novigrad by ship, crossed Praxaeda Bay, and landed in the Principality of Talgar.
• Lynn recounted how the Curse of the Black Sun had led sorcerers to persecute girls, including Renfri and Lady Benigna.
• Lady Benigna escaped imprisonment, seized power in Talgar, and reportedly ruled harshly.
• Istredd told Lynn and Geralt that scouts had found an inn, and the caravan continued toward its lamplit doors.

Lynn woke to find the inn plunged into darkness and killed an intruder who had crept into his room. Meanwhile, King Lettenhove’s armored assassin ambushed Istredd and revealed that the king had arranged the attack using informants in Talgar.

• After the caravan reached the remote inn, Istredd assigned three men to guard the horses and wagons while Lynn and Geralt bathed and went to sleep.
• Lynn woke in darkness, noticed the stable torches had gone out, and killed a man who dropped from the rafters into his room.
• A towering armored knight attacked Istredd, discovered his bed held only pillows, and seized him after knocking away his dagger.
• The knight told Istredd that King Lettenhove had sent him a message for Istredd’s father, Baldwin Thyssen.
• The knight’s ambush had been arranged after King Lettenhove’s informants in Talgar learned when Istredd would return.

Lynn rescued Istredd from a tall knight who tried to kill him, then defended their room against a group of assassins. With the attackers dead, Lynn kept Istredd inside the inn, where he believed they would be safest.

• The tall knight strangled Istredd, but Lynn burst into the room, wounded the knight’s knee, and killed him with Aard.
• Istredd urged Lynn to flee, but Lynn pulled him farther into the room and warned that an ambush might be waiting outside.
• Four or five assassins entered the room, and Lynn killed the first two with Gwyhyr.
• Lynn deflected a crossbow bolt with Quen and killed the third assassin.
• Lynn severed the final assassin’s legs, leaving him to die among the other attackers.

After surviving a night attack at the inn, Lynn, Geralt, and Istredd discovered that the attackers had poisoned the stable guards, killed the horses, and targeted Istredd’s caravan. With the inn abandoned and their transport destroyed, Istredd faced a difficult choice about how to move the valuable goods, while Lynn and Geralt examined traces near the stables.

• Istredd ordered his men to hold the inn until dawn, and Lynn and Istredd spent the night in Lynn’s room.
• At daylight, Istredd’s men found no attackers outside, then discovered the stable guards had been killed and the horses slaughtered.
• Geralt and Lynn detected fisstech in a wine bottle, and the men concluded the assailants had come to kill rather than steal.
• Istredd’s men found the inn’s missing staff dead in the cellar and suspected King Lettenhove had orchestrated the attack.
• The guards debated whether to stay or abandon the valuable weapons, while Istredd worried about the danger of traveling without horses.
• Istredd approached Lynn and Geralt as they examined traces near the stables, but Lynn warned him not to disturb them.

Lynn identified how the attackers had drugged and killed Istredd’s men, then led the group along their tracks to a camp in a grove. After waiting until nightfall, Lynn and Geralt crept toward the camp to scout it.

• Lynn explained that the attackers had arrived on horseback, drugged Istredd’s men with narcotic powder, killed them, and fled after their assault failed.
• Lynn and Geralt followed the tracks while Geralt taught Lynn how to investigate and track.
• The group found a grove with a sentry and hid on a nearby mound until nightfall.
• Geralt told Istredd to stay behind, and Lynn gave Geralt a bottle of Cat Potion.
• Lynn and Geralt used the darkness to slip past the doubled sentries and reach the edge of the attackers’ camp.

Lynn and Geralt scouted Jad Karadin’s camp, and Lynn left after devising a plan. Jad reflected on how he built a mercenary gang and criminal businesses to secure a respectable life before a sudden attack plunged his camp into chaos.

• Lynn and Geralt silently approached the camp, observed its defenses, and Lynn told Geralt he had thought of a plan.
• Jad saw a pair of cat’s eyes reflected in his broth and asked whether the messenger to King Lettenhove’s people had returned.
• Jad recalled surviving the School of the Cat’s Trial of the Grasses, killing his mentor, and becoming calmer afterward.
• Jad formed a mercenary gang and used its earnings to build illegal businesses, hoping to leave dangerous work behind.
• After his men’s attack with King Lettenhove’s soldiers failed, Jad demanded extra payment to continue the job.
• A cold gust entered Jad’s tent as shouts erupted, and he grabbed his sword and rushed into the chaos outside.

Lynn and Geralt attacked Jad’s mercenary camp with alchemical bombs, driving the men into Istredd’s crossbow ambush. Lynn confronted and killed Jad, a witcher from the School of the Cat.

• Lynn urged Istredd to ambush the mercenaries and planned to drive them toward his men with alchemical bombs.
• Lynn and Geralt used a Northern Wind Bomb, Dancing Star Bombs, and Dragon’s Dream Bombs to send the camp into chaos.
• The fleeing mercenaries ran into Istredd’s crossbowmen, who cut them down with bolts.
• Lynn recognized Jad as a School of the Cat witcher after Jad questioned the School of the Wolf’s involvement.
• Jad attacked Lynn with a hidden dart launcher, but Lynn dodged and defeated him in a sword fight.
• Lynn killed Jad before he could finish speaking.

After defeating Jad’s mercenaries, Istredd’s group learned that King Lettenhove had hired them and used a captured messenger to uncover the enemy’s next ambush plan. They chose to avoid another fight and return to the inn, where Istredd asked Lynn whether a witcher would become a king’s vassal.

• Istredd’s group questioned Jad’s prisoners and confirmed that King Lettenhove had hired the mercenaries to attack the caravan.
• The group hid in the forest and captured Rocky, Jad’s messenger, when he returned from delivering a message.
• The guard captain shared Rocky’s confession and a map showing the enemy’s rendezvous point and planned ambush.
• Lynn and Geralt advised Istredd to use the map to avoid King Lettenhove’s men and reach Talgar City safely, and Istredd agreed.
• On the way back to the inn, Istredd asked Lynn whether a witcher would object to becoming a king’s vassal.

Istredd revealed that he was Istredd Thyssen, heir to Kovir’s displaced royal family, and tried to recruit Lynn and Geralt to help him reclaim his throne. Geralt insisted that witchers must remain neutral, but Lynn accepted Istredd’s magical Eye of Nehaleni and Thyssen signet ring, leaving their allegiance uncertain.

• Lynn told Istredd that a witcher might help a rightful king in exchange for a suitable price and noble title.
• Lynn and Geralt arrived in Talgar City, where Istredd used his Thyssen signet ring to pass the guards and went to see Lady Benigna.
• Istredd visited Lynn and Geralt, revealed his identity, and explained how his family lost power and fled Kovir.
• Geralt refused to join Istredd’s political struggle, citing the witchers’ code of neutrality.
• Istredd offered the witchers gold, the Eye of Nehaleni, and his family signet ring, and Lynn accepted the two valuable items.

Lynn persuaded Geralt to accept his involvement in politics, arguing that neutrality would not protect witchers and that they needed to act to avoid extinction. He planned to support Istredd’s bid for the throne of Kovir and Poviss in return for a title and land, and the chapter ended with Lynn explaining the benefits witchers could bring to Istredd’s realm.

• After Istredd left, Geralt reproached Lynn for accepting Istredd’s signet ring and getting involved in politics.
• Lynn argued that witchers could not avoid being pulled into political conflicts and warned Geralt that their schools might go extinct if they did nothing.
• Geralt acknowledged Lynn’s planning and agreed not to stop him, though he urged Lynn to be careful.
• Lynn reflected that the old witcher code no longer suited changing times and decided to prepare for danger rather than wait for it.
• Lynn recounted that Istredd would win the War to Reclaim the Throne and promised to grant Lynn an earldom and land in exchange for his support.
• Lynn explained that welcoming witchers would help Istredd attract them to Kovir, protect rural communities, assist city guards, and defend the realm from foreign enemies.

After becoming Istredd’s vassal, Lynn traveled by barge from Talgar to Novigrad to seek witcher contracts. The voyage ended safely, and Lynn arrived in the bustling city ready to find work.

• Lynn reflected that serving Istredd was only an initial step toward his ambitions, while Istredd’s future war would take years to prepare.
• Lynn left Geralt behind to guard a haunted mine near Talgar City and rode to the waterfront docks on his horse, Nidhogg.
• Lynn boarded a barge bound for Novigrad, where the captain hired him as protection against possible pirates in the fog.
• The captain offered Lynn a long-term job, but Lynn declined and agreed only to consider sailing with him again.
• The barge reached Novigrad safely, and Lynn watched the crowds and ships at the harbor.

Lynn traveled from Novigrad to Oxenfurt to investigate Professor Sigismund Gloger's commission to find his missing student. At the university gate, a clerk recognized him as a witcher and asked whether she could pet him.

• Lynn collected his payment from the ship's captain and found Gloger's notice seeking help to locate a missing student.
• Lynn rode through the rain from Novigrad to Oxenfurt on Nidhogg.
• Lynn passed through Oxenfurt's lively streets and arrived at Oxenfurt University's main gate.
• Lynn told the university clerk he had come about Professor Gloger's commission and identified himself as a witcher.
• The clerk asked Lynn whether he carried contagious diseases and whether she could pet him.