One name inspires fear and hatred equally throughout the North: Scoia'Tael. In the Elder
Speech, it stands for “Squirrels”... But about the only thing these guerillas have
in common with their namesake are the tails they wear to identify themselves. Who are
they? Well, that depends on who you ask. The North sees them as terrorists waging an insurgent
war against humans. Nilfgaard considers them freedom fighters fighting oppression. The
truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between.
They appeared when the first Northern war started. As Imperial troops crossed Yaruga
and put Cintra to the sword, humans in Kaedwen suddenly faced a new, terrifying enemy. Warbands
composed of elves, dwarves, halflings, and other non-humans attacked human settlements.
Their goal? Nothing less than the destruction of humans and the return of the Elder Races
to their “proper” place in the grand scheme of things. Their motto? “Drive humans back
into the sea!”
And they did, part way at any rate. Not through strength of arms, of course. The Scoia'Tael
favor guerrilla tactics: Assassinations, attacking convoys, robberies, wiping out villages, encircling
and destroying human troops. Unlike their foes, they feel right at home in the wilderness.
Commando groups rarely count more than twenty heads each. Their small size ensures they
can easily move undetected, strike, then disappear. It also made it easy to form new commandos
to spread the revolution throughout the North.
From Kaedwen it spilled into Redania, Temeria, and Aedirn, fueled by humiliation and disillusionment
suffered by the young dwarves and elves at human hands. They murdered, pillaged, and
fought with humans, for freedom and liberty. Or so they thought. The Scoia'Tael were terrifyingly
effective at undermining the northern war effort – and destroying the lives of their
brethren.
Every successful raid, every dead human, every village wiped clean by the Scoia'Tael invited
reprisals, aimed at those of the elder races who tried to live peacefully alongside humans.
Many accused them of supporting the Scoia'Tael and the resulting pogroms killed hundreds
of elves, dwarves, and other elder races. Some of the survivors then joined the ranks
of Scoia'Tael, fighting against humans. The vicious cycle repeated itself.
Suspicion and resentment between humans and other races in the north benefited Nilfgaard.
In fact, it was all part of the Emperor's plan: the Scoia'Tael were used by the empire
to open a second front deep behind Northern lines. Many of them cooperated willingly.
All in return for a promise of freedom, dignity, and prosperity.
The North could offer little to match the Empire, which, in fact, did fulfill some of
its promises. The elves were granted Dol Blathanna as a sovereign kingdom during the first war.
During the second, Scoia'Tael veterans were folded into Imperial armies as elite frontline
units. The most infamous of these was the Vrihedd Brigade, led by Isengrim Faoiltiarna.
The elves served the Emperor as equals, fighting for their people. Like the commandos, they
fought with fury, committing atrocities for the greater good. They were convinced they
would write history.
Until Nilfgaard lost the second northern war.
The first defeat at Sodden was a blow to the Scoia'Tael, but it did not break their loyalty.
They continued their struggle against the northern kingdoms, fighting a war they could
not possibly win. They thought of the Empire as their ally and waited for the call to rise
up against the oppressors once more. When it came, they dutifully rose and aided the
Empire. They bloodied their hands and for their service, they were betrayed.
After Nilfgaard's military might was broken at Brenna for the second time, the Emperor
wanted peace as fast as possible and to obtain terms favorable for Nilfgaard, he had to sacrifice
pawns on the chessboard. Scoia'Tael were hit the worst. The officer cadre of the Vrihedd
brigade was surrendered to the northern kingdoms as war criminals – and executed without
mercy. Isengrim survived only because he escaped during transport.
The commando units were cut loose, denied support or aid from the Empire. Special counter-insurgency
units of the northern kingdoms, already infamous for their brutality in dealing with non-humans,
were set loose on them. For years, the Scoia'Tael were hunted down and exterminated. Only a
few managed to survive. Among them Iorveth, the most feared guerrilla in the north.
Iorveth was to Scoia'Tael what Isengrim was to the Vrihedd. A master of asymmetric warfare
and a capable warrior in his own right, the Empire's betrayal was a wake-up call for him.
Though he rebuilt his troop from scratch after it was destroyed by Temerian special forces,
he no longer believed in liberation of his people through an uprising.
Perhaps that's why he became a fervent supporter of Saskia and her plans to create an independent
state in the Pontar valley, where all would be free to live as equals, without fear of
death or persecution for their race. Elf, dwarf, even human, laboring side by side for
a common goal.
Of course, there were those who did not abandon the idea of revolution – bringing them in
conflict with some of the most powerful men in the northern kingdoms.
But that- is a story for another day…