Chapter Summaries

Lynn led Yarpen and his dwarves through the Blue Mountains to Kaer Morhen, explaining why the witchers kept their fortress hidden and deflecting questions about its repairs. When the group reached the ruined stronghold, Yarpen agreed that the dwarves would help restore it, but a shout from the walls interrupted them.

• Lynn and Yarpen discussed the Blue Mountains’ harsh climate and why witchers needed to hide their headquarters from hostile outsiders.
• Paulie asked whether the castle repairs meant the witchers planned to take on apprentices again, and Lynn claimed he wanted to make the ruins warmer and safer.
• Lynn kept his larger plans secret as the group continued through increasingly cold mountain terrain.
• Lynn led the group along a narrow mountain path and through the valleys until Kaer Morhen appeared before them.
• Yarpen praised the fortress and promised that his dwarves would help repair it, but a loud shout came from the walls.

Lynn arrived at Kaer Morhen with a group of dwarven friends, where Lambert welcomed him and introduced them to the witchers. Vesemir took Lynn aside in the kitchen to ask why the dwarves had come.

• Lambert recognized Lynn, lowered the drawbridge, and greeted him with a tight hug.
• Lynn introduced Yarpen Zigrin, Zoltan Chivay, and their companions to Lambert.
• Lambert told Lynn that Geralt had not returned and mocked Berengar for being absent.
• Vesemir welcomed the dwarves into Kaer Morhen, sent Lambert to help Eskel fish, and asked Lynn privately whether they had come to collect a debt.

Lynn hired dwarven craftsmen to repair Kaer Morhen and told Vesemir he intended to revive the witchers by training new apprentices. Vesemir warned him that others had failed and the path would be difficult, but admired Lynn’s resolve and did not try to stop him.

• Lynn reassured Vesemir that the dwarves were workers he had hired to repair Kaer Morhen, then showed him a chest of gold.
• Vesemir warned Lynn not to tell Lambert how much he had earned or lend him money, and Lynn learned that Lambert owed money to Vesemir, Geralt, and Eskel.
• Lynn told Vesemir about his contracts and explained that repairing Kaer Morhen was preparation for training witcher apprentices.
• Vesemir cautioned Lynn that past efforts to restore the witcher schools had failed and asked whether he had considered the hardships.
• Lynn declared that he would devote his life to reviving the witchers, and Vesemir responded with admiration rather than opposition.

Lynn questioned Vesemir about the witchers’ neutrality and the fall of Kaer Morhen, while Vesemir explained the obstacles that had kept the School of the Wolf small. The chapter left Lynn suspecting that sorcerers had helped Kaedwen destroy the castle, a suspicion Vesemir confirmed.

• Vesemir decided not to discourage Lynn’s effort to revive the witchers and told him that Kaer Morhen had once housed twenty-three witchers and forty apprentices.
• Vesemir explained that kings and sorcerers had restricted witcher recruitment to the Law of Surprise and encouraged public resentment toward witchers.
• Lynn asked why the castle library contained no account of the siege, and Vesemir revealed that he had survived by hiding among the dead.
• Vesemir described Kaer Morhen’s former defenses and confirmed Lynn’s suspicion that Ban Ard had substantially aided Kaedwen’s army in taking the castle.

Vesemir warned Lynn about the challenges of restoring the witchers and offered the School of the Wolf’s support. After a feast, the group worried that Geralt had not returned, and Eskel asked Lynn about his connection to the dwarves.

• Vesemir explained that Lynn would need apprentices, a safer Trial of the Grasses, a resident sorcerer, funds, land, and a plan for dealing with the Brotherhood of Sorcerers.
• Vesemir offered his help and said the other members of the School of the Wolf would fight for Lynn’s plans.
• Lynn, Vesemir, Lambert, and Eskel served a feast, and Yarpen praised Vesemir’s cooking.
• After four hours of eating, Vesemir noticed that Geralt had not returned, and Lambert and Eskel said his absence was unusual.
• Eskel reassured Lynn about Geralt and asked how Lynn had met the dwarves, suggesting their relationship went beyond employment.

Lynn and the witchers shared stories over dinner before they heard someone arrive at Kaer Morhen. Lynn recognized the unconscious visitor as Berengar and called off the alarm.

• Lynn recounted how he and the others had guarded a caravan, and Yarpen praised Lynn's bravery against the elven commandos.
• Lambert and Eskel discussed their past experiences, and Eskel's scar briefly cast a gloom over the gathering before Lambert lifted his spirits.
• Vesemir and the witchers sensed someone approaching, armed themselves, and split up while the dwarves fell silent.
• Lynn and Lambert rushed outside after hearing something fall and found an unconscious witcher beside a horse.
• Lynn recognized the man as Berengar and told Lambert to lower his sword while Eskel informed Vesemir the alarm was over.

Lynn and Vesemir treated Berengar’s severe monster-inflicted wounds, and he recovered enough to rest safely. The next morning, Geralt learned that Lynn had spent the witchers’ earnings on repairs to Kaer Morhen, while Lynn hinted that the castle would not remain deserted.

• Lynn and Vesemir cleaned and treated Berengar’s wounds with Superior White Raffard’s Decoction and Superior White Honey Potion, then left him to recover.
• Yarpen and the dwarves offered to clean the hall, and Lynn returned to his room after leaving water by Berengar’s bed.
• Geralt returned during the night and asked Lynn why dwarves were measuring the castle.
• Lynn explained that he had hired the dwarves to repair Kaer Morhen, and Geralt questioned spending their earnings on the ruins.
• Lynn warned Geralt not to criticize the castle around Vesemir and said it would be less deserted in the future, but Geralt thought he was joking.

Lynn brought Berengar food and offered him work forging swords at a smithy in Novigrad, hoping to give him a life beyond the prejudice he faced as a witcher. Berengar woke and asked whether Lynn’s offer was real.

• Lynn and Geralt ate breakfast and discussed Berengar’s return to Kaer Morhen.
• Lynn considered why Berengar hated being a witcher and had stayed away from home.
• Lynn brought Berengar his meal, redressed his wound, and recognized that he was pretending to sleep.
• Lynn offered to handle the costs and paperwork for a Novigrad smithy if Berengar would forge swords there.
• Berengar sat up despite his wound and asked Lynn whether the offer was true.

Lynn persuaded Berengar to open a smithy in Novigrad with his backing, then recruited Geralt and the other witchers to clear monster nests near Kaer Morhen. The work began with a growing team as they discovered the Blue Mountains were crowded with monsters.

• Lynn offered to arrange a smithy for Berengar in Novigrad and assured him he did not judge him for leaving a witcher's duties.
• Berengar agreed to work with Lynn, proposing a thirty-percent share, but Lynn insisted they split the profits equally and promised to cover the costs.
• Lynn reflected that Berengar could eventually teach apprentices and help build a broader rebellion beyond a force of warriors.
• On their second day at Kaer Morhen, the dwarves began working, and Lynn took Geralt into the Blue Mountains to clear monster nests.
• Lynn and Geralt found monster nests throughout the mountains and recruited Eskel and Lambert to help, with both joining the hunt.

After helping Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert clear the monsters around Kaer Morhen, Lynn took Geralt to meet the trolls and won their friendship with harpy meat, a home-cooked meal, and beer. The trolls promised to help the witchers if they ever ran into trouble.

• The witchers cleared the monster nests near Kaer Morhen and burned the remains and belongings of the siege dead, freeing the wraiths trapped in a ruined tower.
• After a week, Lynn asked Geralt to accompany him somewhere alone, and they headed to the trolls' mountain.
• Lynn persuaded the rock troll guarding the mountain to take them to the trolls' cave camp, assuring him that Geralt was a friend.
• Lynn gave the three trolls the harpy carcasses he had stored in his magic-patterned leather bag and cooked some over an Igni fire.
• Lynn brought out Redanian beer, and the trolls shared a meal with the witchers before promising to help them if they ever needed it.

As Kaer Morhen’s repairs continued, Lynn, Geralt, and Berengar left for Novigrad, and Geralt explained that he had promised to take a task from Carolina Roberta, the duchess of Toussaint. Lynn and Geralt joked about the assignment while Berengar remained grim and distant.

• Lynn continued building a relationship with the trolls while the witchers and dwarves repaired Kaer Morhen.
• By mid-February, the castle’s repairs had progressed, and Vesemir, Eskel, and Lambert stayed behind to oversee the dwarves’ work.
• Lynn, Geralt, and Berengar left Kaer Morhen together, with Berengar following Lynn after agreeing to join him.
• Lynn invited Geralt to come to Novigrad, but Geralt declined because he had promised someone a task the previous year.
• Geralt told Lynn that Carolina Roberta, the duchess of Toussaint, had given him the task, and the two joked about finding her granddaughter a prince.
• Lynn noticed Berengar’s stiff expression and teased him when his forced laugh failed to match their good mood.

Lynn and Geralt discussed the contract to investigate Duchess Caroberta’s coma before traveling with Berengar to Novigrad. The chapter ended with Geralt heading to the Passiflora while Lynn gave him gold to cover his expenses.

• Geralt told Lynn that a knight-errant had offered him a contract to investigate Duchess Caroberta’s coma after an assassination attempt, and Lynn wondered whether court politics were involved.
• Geralt explained that he had postponed accepting the contract and planned to meet the knight-errant in Midcopse, in Velen.
• A month later, Lynn, Geralt, and Berengar arrived in Novigrad, where Lynn told the others to wait at his villa while he visited Vivaldi Bank.
• Geralt asked Lynn for directions to the city’s best brothel, and Lynn pointed him toward the Passiflora near St. Gregory’s Bridge.
• Lynn tossed Geralt a pouch of gold crowns so he would not have to work off debts before they left Novigrad.

Lynn reunited with Kasja in Novigrad and arranged to buy a villa from Vimme Vivaldi, who also promised to protect Kasja and the house. Lynn enlisted Vimme to find a lower-city shop for a smithy and agreed to buy its raw materials from him at a discount.

• Kasja eagerly reunited with Lynn, who apologized for staying away and promised to bring her to Kaer Morhen for the winter.
• Lynn thanked Vimme for caring for Kasja and asked after Yarpen, Zoltan, and the other dwarves.
• Lynn bought Vimme's villa at the agreed price, paying with elven gold coins.
• Vimme offered to guard Lynn's house and Kasja for free while Lynn was away.
• Lynn asked Vimme to find a suitable lower-city shop for a smithy, and they agreed that Vimme would supply its raw materials at a ten percent discount.

Lynn welcomed Geralt back to his villa, explained that he would not risk putting Kasja through the Trial of the Grasses, and reunited with Triss, who brought him a translated elven military manual. After studying the Phoenix Guard’s archery techniques and practicing them, Lynn mastered Phoenix Archery and prepared to continue his journey.

• Geralt returned to Lynn’s villa, where Kasja greeted him and helped put away his swords before he shared dinner with Lynn and Berengar.
• Lynn told Geralt he would teach Kasja martial skills but would not make her undergo the dangerous Trial of the Grasses.
• Triss visited Lynn and gave him her translation of an Elder Speech notebook, then spent the night with him.
• Lynn read the notebook and discovered it contained a Phoenix Guard drill manual describing advanced elven archery techniques.
• Kasja quietly brought Lynn tea and pastries while he studied the manual through the night, and he concluded he would need to practice to unlock its skill.
• Lynn bought a hunting bow and arrows, practiced in the courtyard, and used his attribute points to raise Phoenix Archery to mastery.

Lynn left Novigrad with Geralt after Triss gave him a fine Fadlan-wood longbow, and the two traveled to Velen to meet a knight from Toussaint. In Midcopse, they learned that Maksymilian Norrington Maclnory had recruited Geralt to help save the duchess, while the villagers seemed frightened of the knight himself.

• Triss gave Lynn a master-crafted Fadlan-wood longbow before he left Novigrad with Geralt.
• Lynn and Geralt crossed into impoverished Velen and rode south toward Midcopse Village.
• Geralt and Lynn arrived in Midcopse and found Maksymilian addressing fearful villagers about fighting bandits.
• Maksymilian recognized Geralt, welcomed Lynn as another witcher, and said their help could save the duchess.
• Lynn followed Geralt and Maksymilian into a spacious house and noticed the villagers feared the knight rather than trusting him.

Lynn and Geralt accepted Maksymilian's request to investigate the curse keeping Duchess Carolina Roberta unconscious, then agreed to help him confront the bandits terrorizing a village. When the bandits arrived, their leader appeared to surrender but instead offered the witchers a commission.

• Maksymilian told Lynn and Geralt that Duchess Carolina Roberta had been attacked and remained unconscious, and that even the court mages could not lift the suspected curse.
• Lynn and Geralt accepted the job after Maksymilian promised a reward and assured them they would not be blamed if they failed.
• Maksymilian explained his oath to bring five hundred criminals to justice and asked Lynn and Geralt to help him drive away the village bandits.
• The three prepared for battle, then confronted the bandits when they raided the village the next day.
• Maksymilian identified himself and the two witchers, demanded the bandits surrender, and their leader pretended to yield before asking the witchers to accept a commission.

Lynn, Geralt, and Maksymilian wiped out a bandit gang in Velen, then continued south toward Toussaint. After reaching the Principality of Maribor, they lost their way under Maksymilian’s guidance.

• The bandit chief offered Lynn and Geralt payment to kill Maksymilian, but Lynn refused and the bandits attacked.
• Lynn, Geralt, and Maksymilian killed the bandits, and Lynn shot the fleeing chief from nearly four hundred meters away.
• Geralt explained that Velen’s villagers feared armed strangers as much as bandits, and Maksymilian left without receiving their thanks.
• The three traveled through Brenna and headed toward Dillingen, planning to continue south by barge toward Toussaint.
• Maksymilian admitted that he did not know where they were or which way to go.

Lynn, Geralt, and Maksymilian encountered a mysterious figure in an ancient graveyard, which turned out to be the barber-surgeon Regis rather than a Wraith. Regis introduced himself, while Lynn recognized him as a higher vampire.

• Lynn and Geralt reassured Maksymilian that the old graveyard was unlikely to contain monsters.
• Maksymilian spotted a dark shape by a headstone and insisted it was a ghost.
• Lynn and Geralt approached the headstone while Maksymilian stayed behind, and they noticed the scent of herbs.
• Regis emerged from behind the headstone, apologized for frightening them, and introduced himself as a barber-surgeon from Dillingen.
• Lynn recognized Regis as a higher vampire, and Geralt asked why he was in the graveyard.

Regis invited Lynn, Geralt, and Maksymilian to his hidden cottage after meeting them in the cemetery, where he served them his mandrake liquor. The group shared drinks and Lynn’s roast meat, leaving them as guests at Regis’s cottage.

• Regis explained that he gathered herbs in the cemetery each summer and invited the others to spend the night at his nearby cottage.
• Regis showed the group his cottage and its elaborate alchemical equipment, which Lynn recognized as a still and related apparatus.
• Maksymilian tasted Regis’s mandrake distillate, praised it, and poured some for Lynn and Geralt.
• Regis declined to drink, explaining that he avoided stimulating beverages as a matter of principle.
• Lynn shared roast meat from his runic leather pouch, and Regis praised his cooking.

Lynn told Geralt, Maksymilian, and Regis the tragic ending of Eddard Stark’s story, then Regis agreed to join their journey to investigate the unconscious duchess’s suspected poisoning. The party traveled south through Sodden toward Rivendell Valley, where they found the land deserted amid competing royal claims and elven raids.

• Lynn finished recounting Eddard Stark’s execution, prompting Maksymilian to curse, Geralt to fall silent, and Regis to reflect on the story’s unexpected turn.
• Maksymilian described the duchess’s condition to Regis, who suspected poison and agreed to join the party to investigate.
• Lynn reassured Maksymilian that Regis’s expertise would help, and Maksymilian resolved to have bards sing of the witchers’ deeds.
• The party left the cottage after a night of drinking and traveled by barge through Sodden, later buying Regis a horse in Kagen.
• As they rode toward Rivendell Valley, Regis and Lynn explained that rival kingdoms’ claims and elven commandos had left the fertile region deserted.