The rise of the Scoia'Tael and their rebellion created an imbalance of power in the North.
Extremist elves, dwarves, and other elder races had no equivalent on the human side
of the barricade. But humans hate to be outdone by anyone. The Order of the Flaming Rose was
humanity's answer.
It formed out of the Order of the White Rose, a military order that gained infamy for its
focus on material wealth at the expense of their devotion to religious matters. A thousand
Novigradian crowns bought the title of knight. Sons of moneylenders and traders filled up
the ranks and it crumbled, its knights more interested in whores than piety.
Jacques de Aldersberg rekindled the fire within the Order. It is said that during the Conclave
a white rose he held suddenly burst into flames, filling the attendees with awe and fear. He
was chosen as the next Grand Master of the Order and began to implement his reforms.
A man of piety and a fervent believer in the Eternal Fire, Jacques named the new order
after the rose that earned him his position.
The Order changed, focused towards a single goal: Helping all humans and protecting them
from monsters that lurk in the night. Monsters which include the Scoia'Tael.
The Order of the Flaming Rose helped spread the belief in the Eternal Fire through its
selfless actions. Fanatical devotion to the creed helped convince many to adopt the faith.
Every knee bent before the holy fire gave the Grand Master more power and influence.
Redania realized that fanatics made for dangerous bedfellows and explicitly refused to allow
it to set up its headquarters within the country. The Grand Master turned to Temeria and Aedirn
as a result. As the Order cracked down on the Scoia'Tael, it embedded itself into the
structures of power, including acquiring territories that allowed it to launch attacks on the Elven
Kingdom of Dol Blathanna.
There was more to this than just racism. Jacques de Aldersberg was haunted by terrible visions
of the future. He believed that the only way for humanity to survive the coming Ice Age
was to unite under a single banner and destroy all who would oppose it, including the Elder
Races.
To this end, he would form alliances behind the scenes, waging a secret war against the
Sorceresses of the Lodge and anyone else who could threaten his plans for humanity. He
allied himself with a clandestine organization known as the Salamandra, to harness the powers
of the witchers and use them for his goals. Through intense research, Azar Javed, one
of Alderberg's many allies, mastered the process... And even... perfected it.
The new army of fanatical, merciless troops spurred the Grand Master into action. Open
persecution of the elder races and brutalizing of the Scoia'Tael by members of the order
provoked them. Under Yaevinn, a veteran leader of the Scoia'Tael and survivor the second
Northern war, the uprising of the non-human population in the Temerian capital of Vizima
began.
Unknowingly, he played right into the plans of the Grand Master. By starting the largest
uprising of non-humans since the war, he would give Aldersberg the excuse to acquire control
of the Temerian army, depose King Foltest, and begin uniting humanity. The mutant soldiers
and fanatical knights would be the hammer of humanity, and with their might behind him,
Aldersberg would preserve humanity through the coming apocalypse.
All his plans were for not... Enter Geralt of Rivia. Geralt accepted the
contract for the Grand Master's head after having stopped Salamandra, and exposing Aldersberg’s
plans. When he confronted him in the central monastery of the Order in Vizima, de Aldersberg
made a last ditch attempt to convince him by showing the witcher his apocalyptic vision
and confronting him on the battlefield of his own mind.
He failed. When they were found, Jacques de Aldersberg lay dead. Geralt was standing above
the Grand Master's corpse. In his hand was the small, worn dimeritium amulet de Aldersberg
habitually wore. The same one he gave just a few days earlier to Alvin, a small boy under
his care. A boy who disappeared. A Source.
The death of the Grand Master broke the Order's might, reducing it to sellswords fighting
for whomever was willing to pay. They lost their strongholds and support of the people.
Their latest employer was the King of Redania, who used them for security during the summit
at Loc Muinne... And an insurance policy, if need be.
Speculation about Aldersberg's death continues to this day. There are some who say that they
saw the Wild Hunt that day... They say that Geralt confronted the King of the Hunt in
a battle for the Grand Master's soul...
But that- is a story for another day...