It is a realm of great upheaval; war and bloodshed, wondrous magic, and spectacular marvel.
Those who live there know what it is to be afraid. It is a time of monsters…and monster hunters.
The world of the Witcher is home to many forms of life, but what truly sets it apart are
the monstrosities that reside there. Some kill out of hunger, others for pleasure, and
still others for more sinister purposes. When people think of monsters, they often
think of ravening beasts, but many of these fiendish creatures have capacity for reasoning
and logic. That is in fact what makes them so dangerous. That is why you hire a Witcher.
Make no mistake, not all monsters are nightmarish animals; many walk on two legs and call themselves
“human”, “elf”, or “dwarf”. They wage war, topple cities and slaughter the
innocent without mercy, or remorse. They are what some would call the true evil. The real threat.
To best understand the nature of this evil-
to best understand the world of the Witcher- one has to go back to the beginning…
Our story begins on “The Continent”, which was settled thousands of years ago by the
non-human races. First discovered by the Gnomes, the Continent would soon be populated by both
elves and dwarves as well. As is inevitably the case, war soon broke out. After the bloodshed
had run its course, the combatants established roots in various geographic locales. The Gnomes
and Dwarves created a home for themselves in the craggy mountain regions, while the
Elven race retreated to the heavily wooded forests and plains. For a time, the Elder
Races lived alongside each other, each to their own. For over five hundred years, there
was peace and coexistence…
Then- came the humans.
The emergence of humans on the face of the
Continent changed the balance of power irrevocably. So it was that it took several hundred years
for the old races to realize there was now a new threat to their way of life. Shortly,
humans had conquered the Elder Races, and Man built their civilization on the ruined
ashes of Dwarven and Elven society. The response to this abuse was the formation
of the Scoia’tael, rebels and guerilla fighters who answered the exploitation of the old races
with violence, plunder and destruction. The Scoia’tael used commando tactics, as well
as independent squads and lone operatives to battle the human kingdoms.
With the coming of the age of humans, many legends have been born.
Witchers are mutated persons who have been used to protect the human race against the
horrors of the Continent. To meet a Witcher in battle is a humbling thing, since their
conditioning makes them terrifyingly fast, brutally strong and resilient to the point
of near invulnerability. Witchers are chosen as children based on indications of potential.
They then undergo training so rigorous a full sixty percent of those selected do not survive
the process. Taught the finer points of combat, alchemy and herbalism, Witchers to be are
subjected to mysterious rituals designed to allow them to use the arcane force of magic.
These rituals also grant Witchers greater sensitivity to enchanted items and beings.
The art of magic is described as bending the power of Chaos to one’s will. This power
is harnessed by witchers, mages and sorceresses. Additionally, there are items, places and
even creatures that have been granted with aspects of magic and hold great power within
them. This harnessing of the Chaos allows users to create enchantments for healing,
teleportation, destruction, and illusion. This can come in the form of spells which
must be crafted by mages, or the more magically adept sorceresses. Chaos can also be wielded
by way of a witcher’s “signs”, which mostly require an act of will and a hand gesture.
Some children are born naturally adept at magic and can be helpful to humans as well
as distinctly destructive and dangerous. Such beings have given birth to many stories, but
these myths tend to be nothing but fairytales, and for denizens of the Continent, life is
far from a fairytale. For the vast majority life is full of fear,
sorrow and uncertainty. While the nobles squabble over petty rivalries, the poor die in the
slums and the young die in their wars. Religious zealots preach their hate from the temple,
and individuals are judged by their appearance and pedigree rather than their character.
The peasants are no better. They follow the loudest voice like sheep, and their lives
are no more honest than the lives of those who lord over them. Most people on the Continent
care only for themselves; they are all monsters in their own way. Even a Witcher doesn’t
raise his sword without the promise of coin. If you came here seeking a story of noble
heroes and fairytale endings, you have another thing coming. This is the world of the Witcher.
A world ruled by monsters.