Supporting a wife and three daughters, Aplegatt served as a royal messenger for the court
of Aedirn in the 13th century, trained not only to ride swiftly as he carried letters
between the allied Northern Kingdoms, but also to memorize any vital information which
could not be trusted to pen and paper and relay it word for word.
Throughout the years of his service, Aplegatt noticed a steady decline in work, as the nobility
turned more and more to sorcerers who could conjure portals and deliver messages in mere
moments.
Yet in the year 1267, as tensions mounted with the Nilfgaardian Empire of the south,
the Northern monarchs began to lose faith in their mages, no longer trusting them with
vital information.
Meaning Aplegatt the and Royal Messengers were once again in high demand.
With the threat of war looming, Aplegatt was summoned by King Demavend of Aedirn, and given
a special message for his ally Foltest of Temeria.
Making his way westward, Aplegatt stopped by an inn for the night, and in the morning
went to the stable where he ran into a beautiful black haired woman, and a pale white haired
girl with emerald eyes.
Being polite he greeted the young girl who suddenly looked at him in a daze and spoke
a vision of doom.
“Danger,” she said, “The danger is quiet.
You won’t hear it getting closer on its grey feathers.
I had a dream.
The sand…
The sand was warm from the sun…”
Snapping out the trance, the girl Ciri was called outside by the woman Yennefer, leaving
Applegat confused and disturbed as he prepared to depart.
At last arriving before the king, he delivered the memorized message: Demavend to Foltest.
All is ready in Dol Angra.
The masqueraders are waiting for orders.
Planned time of action: second night of November, after the new moon.
The boats must land on the other side of the river two days later.
Hearing the words, Foltest issued his reply: Foltest to Demavend.
First: Postpone the action.
Smartasses are preparing a convent in Thanedd.
This convent might change a lot.
Second: the search for the Lion Cub can be called off.
It’s confirmed.
The Cub is dead.
These messages referred to the preparations for war being made across the northern kingdoms,
which were preparing a false flag operation to attack a Northern stronghold with troops
dressed in Nifgaardian armor.
Using this event as a justification, the Northern Kings could descend upon the south in full
force, taking back the lands lost in the previous war.
The monarchs also agreed to search for and assassinate the Princess Cirilla, sole heir
to Queen Calanthe, as they believed the Emperor wanted her to solidify his control over Cintra.
And so in the first message from Demavend to Foltest, he explained that his men would
be ready to launch a false flag attack in November.
However in the reply he was asked to postpone the plan as the brotherhood of sorcerers were
planning a meeting on Thanedd which could have important consequences.
With his mission completed, Aplegatt returned to Demavend who then issued new orders, sending
him first to Foltest of Temeria, and then to Redania.
After delivering the new message to Foltest, Aplegatt made his way north, stopping at an
inn for a meal and there met witcher named Geralt of Rivia, watching on in shock as he
killed three mercenaries who were searching for the woman Yennefer and the girl ciri.
Continuing on his way to Tretogor, Applegat expected to meet with King Vizimir, but was
instead taken to Sigismund Dijkstra, head of Redanian Intelligence, who was authorized
to deal with these matters.
Relaying the message he said, From Demavend to Vizimir: First, the Masqueraders are ready
for the second night after the full moon in July.
Second, I will not be gracing the assembly of the Crafty on Thanedd Island with my presence,
and I advise you to do the same.
Third, the Lion Cub is dead.’
The reply came as follows: From Vizimir to Demavend.
Contain absolutely the Masqueraders.
There has been a betrayal.
The Flame has gathered an army in Dol Angra and is waiting for any excuse.
In these messages, Demavend said the false flag attack was moved to July, in order to
coincide with the Sorcerers meeting on Thanned.
However Dijkstra tells him to call off the attack completely, because Nilfgaard learned
of their plan and moved troops into the area, who were waiting for any excuse to launch
a full on invasion.
As Aplegatt spoke to Dijkstra, he also told him the story of the white wolf Geralt killing
the mercenaries, and so Dijkstra deduced that despite the belief of the monarchs, the lion
cub Ciri must still be alive otherwise the witcher would not be concerned about those
in pursuit.
Departing from Tretogor, Applegat was now in possession of a vital message which could
affect the future of the entire continent.
Yet as fate would have it, the message was never delivered, as the Royal Messenger was
spotted riding down a road by Elven rebels from the Scoia’tael, non-humans fighting
to take back their ancient homeland from the Northern Kingdoms.
Although the Elf Toruviel asked her companion not to shoot, as they were only on a scouting
mission, asking if their cause had fallen so low as to pointlessly kill passing civilians
on the road?
To which Yaevinn he replied yes, taking the shot to instantly kill Aplegatt, who then
fell off his horse leaving his face in the warm sand, dying just as Ciri foresaw.
Since Applegat was unable to deliver this crucial message, Demavend went through with
the false flag operation, starting a war with the well prepared Nilfgaardian Empire, allowing
the southern invaders to launch a massive invasion which nearly conquered the north.
Hailing from the Griffin School in Poviss, the witcher Coen was a good natured man who,
for a time, Wintered in the Wolf School of Kaer Morhen to the east.
While visiting with his Witcher coleagues, Geralt of Rivia adopted a young girl named
Ciri, bringing her to live in the fortress and train in their ways.
Growing close to the girl, Coen not only trained her in sword fighting but also took the role
of fun uncle, spending his free time keeping her company and playing games.
And while they were not together for long, he played an important role in her development,
with Ciri remembering the man and his lessons long after they were parted.
Yet as the Witchers spent more time with the girl it became clear she possessed some strange,
innate magical abilities, as one night she fell into a trance and spoke a prophecy of
doom, foreseeing the deaths of Coen who would die from two teeth, and Geralt who would fall
to three.
After leaving Kaer Morhen, Coen heard about Nilfgaard’s invasion of the North, and while
his fellows in the wolf school valued neutrality, Coen did not feel the same way, volunteering
to defend their lands from conquest.
As always Coen was quick to make friends with his comerades in arms, and together they marched
to fight in the decisive Battle of Brenna, where he proved himself a master swordsmen,
slaying many foes until caught be a pitchfork which stabbed him through the heart.
Despite the grievous wound, his witcher mutations allowed him to survive long enough for his
friends to bring him to the medical tent, but there was nothing to be done and so he
died under the care of Dr. Milo Vanderbeck.
Killed by two teeth, just as Ciri foresaw.
For 8 generations, the De Ruyter family served with honor as warriors of Redania, and so
Count Kobus de Ruyter continued the tradition, entering his first battle at the age of sixteen.
Forty years later, the veteran warrior once again led men to war, this time in the battle
of Brenna, as the armies of the North rallied to defend against Nilfgaardian conquest.
Leading the forces of Tretogor, Kobus found himself rallying his men in the midst of battle
when he spotted the Nilfgaardian Venendal Division reorganizing to defend against an
attack from Redanian Cavalry.
Realizing they needed to prevent the enemy from tightening their formation, he grabbed
the banner from one of his men and valiantly led a mad charge into enemy ranks, succeeding
in keeping them distracted and chaotic long enough for the cavalry to arrive and smash
their forces.
However Count Kobus de Ruyter would not live to see victory as he was shot with a crossbow
bolt and collapsed to the ground where the banner he was holding draped over him like
a shroud.
As Count Kobus fought and died on the battlefield of Brenna, 8 generations of de Ruyter warriors
watched from another world, and nodded in approval.
Though born into the peasant class, Iola the Second was accepted into the Temple school
of Melitele under the oversight of Mother Nenneke, a wise and influential priestess
of great repute.
During her time at school, Iola befriended a number of girls as well as Jarre, an apprentice
scholar who was the only boy on Temple grounds.
For a time, she grew closest to Eurneid and a white haired, green eyed girl named Ciri,
but they eventually had a falling out when the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg arrived
to provide special classes for the lion cub of cintra.
When the Second Northern War erupted and the armies of the northern Kingdoms were called
to battle, the Temple was summoned to do their part, sending as many healers and specialists
as they could.
Though she was sad to leave Mother Nenneke and her friends, Iola bravely went without
protest, assigned to work under the Halfling field surgeon Milo Vanderbeck in a medical
tent at the battle of Brenna.
Joining them was Shani, a medical student form Oxenfurt university, and Marty Sodergren,
a sorceress who specialized in healing spells.
Though Iola went into the battle a child, she emerged a grown woman, as the experience
was so horrible and exhausting she was utterly transformed.
Among the many broken and mutiliated bodies, Iola saw the death of the Witcher Coen, which
brought a tear to her eye, likely because she was reminded of when the witcher Geralt
came to visit Ciri and Mother Nenneke in the Temple.
At one point in the chaos of it all, she found her old friend Jarre bleeding to death, learning
that he ran away from the Temple to join the war effort.
Bringing him to the tent she ensured his survival, though the injury cost the young man his hand.
When a group of enemy elves burst into the tent and started killing patients, Iola threw
herself over one of the bodies to protect him and Dr Milo joined her, trying to stand
between them.
Yet they were no match for the soldiers who threw them both aside, only to discover the
man they were protecting was a Nilfgaardian, an ally of the elves, meaning that even though
this was a Northern medical tent, they were healing the wounded from both sides.
Shocked by this revelation, and learning that Northmen were approaching, they hastily departed,
leaving Iola huddled on the ground in tears.
When at last the battle was over, and the work was done, the four of them drank intoxicants
and tried to relax, without knowing or caring who won the battle.
Young and inexperienced, the drink affected Iola strongly, and she found herself hugging
Shani while they both laughed and cried.
With the war ended and her obligations fulfilled, Iola was expected to return to the Temple,
but too much had changed, and so she instead dedicated her life to healing, following Milo
Vanderbeck to work at a hospital in Maribor.
Mother Nenneke was proud.
When the Catriona plague struck the North and ravaged Maribor, both Milo and Iola refused
to leave the city, remaining to treat as many as they could.
What they did not know, was that this disease was actually spread by Iola’s old friend
Ciri, who had since become a witcher-sorceress of enormous power, able to travel between
dimensions and worlds.
During one of these journeys, she accidently transported diseased fleas from a foreign
world, into her own, spreading a plague which wiped out thousands.
In the end, Milo Vanderbeck contracted the illness and died in the arms of Iola the Second.
Iola, also had the disease and died four days later. Alone.