Chapter Summaries

Witt and Geralt learned that Lowell had experimented with the Waters of Brokilon and decided to hunt down the griffins threatening the area. As Miley guided them up the mountain, she suggested Witt had elven ancestry and revealed that she herself was half dryad, prompting Witt to realize she came from Brokilon.

• Miley confirmed that Lowell had received a drop of the Waters of Brokilon, and Witt realized he had used it in failed experiments on men from White Mist Village.
• Witt and Geralt decided to go to the griffins' mountaintop nest, and Miley volunteered to guide them while Old Graz stayed behind to study the elven ruins.
• Miley questioned Witt about his childhood and suggested that his unknown mother might have been an elf because she sensed elven blood in him.
• Miley explained that male half-elves could have rounded ears and guessed Witt's mother came from the Valley of Flowers.
• Miley revealed that she was from Brokilon and that her mother was a dryad, leaving Witt stunned before Geralt helped him recover.

Witt, Geralt, and Miley found the female griffin poisoned in its nest and discovered its living egg beneath its wing. Witt destroyed the poisoned egg and killed the griffin despite Miley’s wish to keep it.

• Witt, Geralt, and Miley approached the griffin’s cave, where the female griffin lay in its nest.
• Witt and Geralt discovered that the griffin was dying from venomous arachas poison, apparently delivered in a poisoned sheep by Lowell.
• Miley found a recently laid griffin egg beneath the female’s wing and asked to keep it.
• Witt warned Miley that griffins were dangerous monsters and rejected her request.
• Witt punctured the poisoned egg and killed the female griffin.

Witt and Geralt returned from the griffin hunt with Miley, and Witt admitted he was avoiding a relationship because he feared the uncertainty of destiny. Back at the elven ruins, Miley paid the witchers and thanked Old Graz, while Witt exchanged his share of the crowns for rune-inscribed magic crystals.

• Witt told Geralt he wanted to keep avoiding his feelings for Miley, and Geralt warned him that denying his heart could be fear of the unknown.
• Miley led Witt and Geralt back to the elven ruins, where she ignored Old Graz and entered the reception room ahead of them.
• Miley thanked Old Graz for healing the wounded and gave him a magic crystal, which he paid for with his remaining crowns.
• Miley paid Geralt and Witt for the contract, and Witt returned his share to her in exchange for rune-inscribed magic crystals.
• With Old Graz's help, Witt chose five crystals that resonated with the runes on his left arm.

Witt warned Miley that Nilfgaard planned to exploit the elves and would not let them gain a lasting homeland, urging her to abandon the Scoia'tael cause. Miley resolved to return to Dol Blathanna and warn Francesca, while Witt hoped to keep her safe from the coming disaster.

• After the payment was settled, Geralt played Gwent with an elf while Old Graz recorded elven documents, and Witt asked Miley to speak with him privately.
• Witt told Miley that the coming war would bring no real opportunity for the elves and claimed a prophecy from Eithné’s Lady had revealed Nilfgaard’s plans.
• Witt argued that the elves could not establish a lasting country within Nilfgaard or Cintra and would be used as cannon fodder if they settled in Dol Blathanna.
• Miley drove her dagger into the ground and resolved to return to Dol Blathanna to warn Francesca Findabair.
• Witt believed Francesca already understood the danger and hoped Miley’s return would keep her away from the coming conflict.

After leaving the elven ruins, Witt, Geralt, and Old Graz returned to Lowell’s house and found villagers accusing Lowell of poisoning five children. When the villagers attacked, Witt unleashed an overwhelming Aard Sign that knocked them all down.

• Witt decided to lead the wounded through hidden mountain paths to Dol Blathanna to warn Francesca.
• Old Graz agreed to travel with Witt and Geralt to Ban Ard, and the three joked about Kovir and Toussaint on their way out of the forest.
• At Lowell’s house, Witt found villagers carrying away Lowell’s belongings and discovered that Roach had been injured and its reins cut.
• Hayden told Witt that five children, including his own, had died after taking Lowell’s medicine, which a traveling doctor said contained poisonous herbs.
• The villagers accused Witt and his companions of conspiring with Lowell and charged at them with farming tools.
• Witt unleashed a powerful Aard Sign that knocked down the villagers, while Geralt and Old Graz stayed upright behind Geralt’s Quen Sign.

After leaving the villagers behind, Geralt, Witt, and Old Graz traveled to Ban Ard, where Witt examined and charged his rune-engraved crystals. Witt turned the crystals into controllable fire bombs and found himself more sensitive to fire elemental power.

• Geralt led Witt and Old Graz away from the angry villagers after they exposed Lowell as the cause of the griffin attacks, and Hayden burned Lowell's herb field.
• Geralt, Witt, and Old Graz traveled day and night, reaching Ban Ard the following evening with the help of Old Graz's magic.
• Old Graz brought Geralt and Witt to his academy residence, while Geralt took Old Graz to a tavern and Witt settled into his room.
• Witt examined five flame-rune crystals and learned that crystals with more runes could store more fire elemental power.
• Witt filled the crystals with fire elemental power, drew some back out to make them safer to carry, and stored them as makeshift magical bombs.

Witt went to sell a griffin head and met the sorceress Sabrina Glevissig, who recognized his connection to Geralt. After buying the head for her research, Sabrina asked Witt and Geralt to help her with something.

• Witt took the female griffin's head to a magic shop in the academy district to sell it.
• Sabrina Glevissig revealed herself as the shopkeeper and teased Witt about his silver-gray hair and his relationship with Geralt.
• Witt recognized Sabrina and explained that he and Geralt were traveling together and taking contracts.
• Sabrina agreed to buy the griffin head because its arachas toxin could help her cultivate giant thorn tree seedlings.
• Sabrina held back the payment and told Witt she needed help from him and Geralt.

Sabrina hired Witt to investigate reports that the succubus Filarey had caused mage apprentices to disappear, but Witt insisted on determining whether she was truly guilty before killing her. After leaving Sabrina’s shop, he encountered Hector, who was astonished that Witt had emerged unharmed.

• Sabrina told Witt that apprentices from Ban Ard had disappeared after visiting Filarey and asked him to deal with the succubus.
• Witt questioned whether Filarey had actually killed anyone and said he would investigate before deciding whether to kill her.
• Sabrina gave Witt a purse of more than two hundred crowns and offered to make him her lover, but Witt rejected her and left.
• Witt decided to return to Old Graz’s courtyard to tell Geralt what he had learned, then ran into Hector outside Sabrina’s shop.
• Hector asked whether Witt was all right after visiting Sabrina, and Witt reassured him before heading back with Hector following.

Witt returned to Old Graz's home after accepting a commission from a succubus, and Hector set out to investigate the case. Over dinner, Old Graz recognized Witt as a possible Source and urged him to become a mage, but Witt declined and agreed to provide blood for research.

• Witt told Geralt about his commission from the succubus, and Geralt agreed that succubi generally had no reason to harm humans.
• Old Graz suggested that Hector investigate the matter, and Hector left after dinner to make preliminary inquiries.
• Old Graz tried to recruit Witt as a mage and offered to introduce him to Hen Gedymdeith, but Witt said he would stay with Vesemir, Geralt, and the other witchers.
• Old Graz asked Witt for a little blood to help the Brotherhood of Sorcerers study the origins of Sources, and Witt agreed.

Old Graz gave Witt the Ring of Favor as advance payment for his and Geralt's commission, explaining how it could steady chaotic magic. Witt used the ring to cast a stronger Quen without losing consciousness, while Old Graz recognized his unusual talent.

• Old Graz offered Witt the Ring of Favor, which White Raffard had once given him, and Witt initially refused because of its value and significance.
• Old Graz told Witt to forge his own legend and offered the ring as payment for the commission from Lady Sabrina.
• Witt put on the ring and sensed the four elemental forces in the air separating into ordered patterns.
• Old Graz explained that Witt's innate magical talent made him draw chaos magic from the air, and that drawing the wrong elemental force caused him to lose consciousness.
• Witt cast Quen by drawing magic from the air, and the ring filtered out the other elements so the Sign formed a larger shield without making him pass out.

Witt and Geralt learned that Hector’s account of a succubus matched the creature’s features, but Geralt noticed the smell of sulfur on Hector and suspected he was hiding something. They split up, with Witt heading outside the city to search for the succubus while Geralt followed Hector.

• Geralt returned drunk, and Witt explained that Old Graz had already paid him his share with the Ring of Favor.
• Geralt tried the ring but found it had no effect on him, and he warned Witt not to wear it openly.
• Witt spoke with the exhausted Hector, who said his friend Zatt had described a succubus with curled horns, white markings, a seductive fragrance, and sheep’s hooves.
• Witt questioned how Zatt could have seen the succubus’s true features, and Hector said they had used counterspells before leaving to help Old Graz.
• Witt and Geralt noticed sulfur on Hector despite his attempts to mask the smell, then agreed that Witt would search outside the city while Geralt followed Hector.

Witt met Selkirk of Gulet, an important Aedirnian traveling under the guise of a merchant, and learned that Selkirk had come to Blackwater Village seeking a succubus. Witt accepted Selkirk’s commission to find her, while warning him not to pursue romantic fantasies and hinting that the succubus might be implicated in a murder.

• Witt entered Blackwater Village and went to the tavern, where he encountered an Aedirnian caravan.
• Selkirk of Gulet offered Witt ale, and Witt introduced himself as Witt of Lyria and insisted on paying.
• Selkirk asked Witt for information about the succubus, claiming he was curious about the creature after reading about her.
• Witt warned Selkirk that a succubus was a monster and could not bear him offspring, but Selkirk denied wanting that and called her an angel of love and desire.
• Witt accepted Selkirk’s commission to find the succubus and asked whether he wanted her implicated in a murder.

Witt used the Axii Sign to question the tavern keeper about Filarey and found beggartick flowers in her room, which pointed toward damp caves. He set off into the night with Selkirk and several caravan men to search for the succubus.

• Witt used the Axii Sign on the tavern keeper, who revealed that Filarey had visited the tavern at night until rumors about her being a succubus drove her away four or five days earlier.
• Witt took Selkirk upstairs to Filarey's room, where they found a strong sulfur smell and dried flowers scattered across the floor.
• Witt identified the flowers as beggartick, which grew in damp caves and helped succubi cast charm magic.
• Witt returned Selkirk's crowns and urged him to go home, but Selkirk insisted on finding Filarey that night.
• Witt and Selkirk left the tavern with several of Selkirk's caravan men to search for nearby caves.

Witt followed Selkirk into a forest, where they found a cave surrounded by the corpses of men who had been killed and moved there by magic. Witt cleared the cave entrance with an Aard Sign and discovered that Selkirk was a prince, then continued the contract by entering the cave.

• Witt led Selkirk and his men into the forest, where they followed hoofprints and other traces toward a cave.
• Witt found more than a dozen dead men and determined that their fatal wounds came from blades, not the succubus.
• Witt concluded that someone had magically moved the bodies and found signs that the succubus was inside the cave.
• Witt used an Aard Sign to clear the rocks from the cave entrance, and the blast knocked Selkirk off his feet.
• Selkirk's men called him Your Highness, but Selkirk reaffirmed the contract, and Witt entered the cave.

Witt and Selkirk discovered that the succubus Filarey and the missing villagers had been killed, and Witt suspected the mage’s apprentice Hector. As they returned to Ban Ard, a great fire erupted in the city, and Witt hurried there while Anseis led his caravan away.

• Witt and Selkirk found Filarey dead in her cave, surrounded by the bodies of missing people.
• Witt burned the bodies and discovered an intricate magic circle carved into the rubble near the cave entrance.
• Witt told Selkirk that he suspected Hector had killed the victims and meant to frame Filarey.
• Witt and Selkirk saw flames rising over Ban Ard as they returned through Blackwater Village.
• Selkirk revealed his real name, Anseis, gave Witt a horse, and rode south with his caravan.
• Witt galloped toward Ban Ard to investigate the fire.

Witt reached Ban Ard Academy and joined Geralt and the wounded Old Graz as they confronted Hector, who admitted to murdering the succubus and other victims. Witt shattered Hector’s protective necklace, but a portal opened and Hector escaped with a mysterious master.

• Witt entered the burning city and found Old Graz injured while Geralt guarded him from Hector.
• Hector confessed that he had killed the succubus and used her to eliminate apprentices, then blamed Old Graz for favoring Witt and Zatt.
• Witt baited Hector into an attack, blocked it with Quen, and struck him with the Igni Sign until his protective necklace shattered.
• Witt’s sword strike was stopped by another magical defense, and a portal opened behind Hector.
• Hector begged his master to save him, claimed he had completed his assigned task, and vanished through the portal.

Witt realized Hector Rience was working for Vilgefortz after learning Rience had stolen Idarran's Forbidden Blood Transfusion Technique. As Old Graz recovered, he revealed that Hector had also stolen Witt's blood sample, leaving Witt to reassure him.

• Witt stayed with the wounded Old Graz while Geralt went to find a doctor, and Graz explained that Hector had trapped the other mages with dimeritium magic circles.
• Sabrina arrived and revealed that Hector had stolen Idarran's Forbidden Blood Transfusion Technique and its blood transfusion apparatus.
• Witt connected Hector and the stolen technique to Vilgefortz, whom he recognized as a dangerous figure from the future.
• Sabrina healed Old Graz, then left through a portal to report the incident to King Henselt and the Brotherhood of Sorcerers.
• Old Graz confessed that Hector had stolen Witt's blood sample, and Witt told him not to blame himself.

After Old Graz discovered that Witt’s blood carried unusual elven traits and might be Elder Blood, Witt worried that Vilgefortz could target him. He calmed himself by considering Vilgefortz’s priorities and decided to pursue a plan to grow stronger and expose him.

• Old Graz told Witt that his blood showed elven vitality and magic, then warned him to keep the discovery secret after suspecting it might be Elder Blood.
• Witt realized Rience’s blood sample could have alerted Vilgefortz to his possible Elder Blood and worried he was not yet strong enough to face him.
• Old Graz reassured Witt that fate did not have to make him its prisoner, and Witt reasoned that Vilgefortz would avoid exposing himself while his plans with Emhyr remained at risk.
• Geralt returned with bread and wine and teased Old Graz, helping Witt regain his composure.
• Witt chose not to tell Geralt or Old Graz about Vilgefortz, and resolved to strengthen himself and gather stronger evidence against the mage.

Witt told Geralt he wanted to undergo the School of the Wolf's advanced Trial of the Grasses so he could choose his own fate, and Geralt agreed after warning him of the danger. They prepared to return to Kaer Morhen by way of Ard Carraigh, where the last bruxa tongue needed for the decoction was held by a mage named Laud Böll.

• Witt told Geralt he wanted to undergo the advanced Trial of the Grasses, though he would not reveal his exact reason.
• Geralt worried about the trial's dangers, but Old Graz encouraged Witt and Geralt eventually agreed to take him to Kaer Morhen after a difficult contract in Ard Carraigh.
• Geralt gave Old Graz a list of ingredients for the advanced decoction, then told Witt the complete formula.
• Old Graz returned with a vial of forktail spinal fluid and said Laud Böll had the academy's last bruxa tongue in Ard Carraigh.
• Witt said he would go buy the bruxa tongue, and Old Graz confirmed that Laud Böll was already in Ard Carraigh on an academy assignment.

Witt and Geralt left Ban Ard for Ard Carraigh, and Witt reunited with Anseis’s black horse, naming her Grape. On the fifth night, they heard villagers claim monsters were emerging from Ard Carraigh’s sewers and eating people, possibly because of experiments in the inner city.

• Witt and Geralt left Ban Ard and chose to travel overland rather than take a boat.
• Anseis’s black horse returned to Witt, and Geralt heard how Witt had met Anseis, the prince of Lyria and Rivia.
• Witt named the horse Grape, and he and Geralt rode south toward Ard Carraigh while searching for Foglets and contract work.
• Witt and Geralt reached a village outside Ard Carraigh on the fifth night and stayed there rather than enter the city.
• Witt and Geralt overheard two villagers say monsters were emerging from the city’s sewers and eating people, and one suspected the inner city’s officials were conducting experiments.