New Lore from Season of Storms [spoiler free]

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New Lore from Season of Storms [spoiler free]

Alrighty.

As many of you are aware a new Witcher novel was released in Poland last year called Season of Storms. As of now, it has not been officially translated into any other language. What I present here is strictly new Witcher lore – stuff that many of you might find interesting, as it answers some questions that have been raised in this community and some that have never been raised.

Yes, I’m aware there is a book thread in the community section. And since it’s not the book I’m discussing, but just the new lore I believe General Witcher thread is the right place.

The “heaviest” stuff is in spoiler tab, the rest is spoiler-free.

Witcher swords
There is absolutely nothing extraordinary about the material Witcher swords are made of. All the myths that surround them were created by the Witchers themselves – as Geralt mentions in the book he prefers to be considered a supernatural human armed with supernatural weapon as that guarantees a better payment.

The Witcher sword used to fight people and other non-magical creatures is sometimes made of Siderite steel – one that comes from a meteorite. Geralt states in the novel that there is no difference between a sword made from such steel and one made from, say, magnetite steel. What’s more, since meteorite steel is extremely rare most of the Witchers swords are made of different steel.

The Witcher sword used to fight monsters isn’t made of silver [it’s too soft]. It’s core and edge are made of steel, it’s coated in silver and covered in magical runes. Geralt’s sword has one such magical inscription – Dubhenn haern am glandeal, morc’h am fhean aiensin, which means ‘My glitter shall pierce the night, my light shall scatter the darkness’.

New sign – Somne
Causes the target to fall asleep. That’s pretty much all it does.

New monsters


  • Vigilozaur – bred with the use of magic, this lizard is used to guard places of importance. Smaller than wyvern, about a size of Great Dane. Big head with a nasty set of teeth and a whip-like tail.
  • Leucrota – not described in the novel. Sapkowski took from Pliny the Elder ‘Natural History’
  • Vixen, also known as Aguar – creature of great magical power, able to cast powerful illusions. It’s an anerion – a creature able to shift from a form of animal into human. They kidnap elven children [and only elven, or half-elven] to transform them into vixens. Sacred in elven beliefs, they do not try to recover kidnapped children.
  • Vodyanoi – couldn’t be more different than the ones from TW1. In SoS it’s described as a river monster – huge flat head covered with algae, big mouth full of sharp teeth, fish eyes. Large enough to challenge a Sloop [it’s a ship].
  • Demons – beings from different worlds, called elemental planes. They don’t occur naturally, have to be summoned with use of demonic magic, called Goetia. Highly illegal – does not require great knowledge or ability however, all that is required is a necromantic grimoire. Demons can be forced to possess people or animals, in such cases they are called energumen. Their hosts can be killed, but the demons themselves cannot. They leave when they feel like it or when the summoner releases them.

Creation of the Witchers
It’s mentioned that the process of mutation employed In creation of the Witchers was discovered by Alzur.

Cats
Cats are Witcher whose mutations failed. Sadists, madmen and psychopaths. They wear Cat medallions. They called themselves cats, because like them they are cruel, aggressive and unpredictable.

Hybrids
Cross between a dwarf and an ogre is called a metis – it does not occur naturally as both are incompatible genetically. Very strong and forbidden magic is required to create them.

Such creatures often look like 7-feet tall dwarfs with bald heads, long beards and protruding teeth. They aren’t very intelligent.

Wizard schools
Ban Ard is exclusively for men. Aretuza for women.

Potion of Eternal Youth
It’s called Alraun decoction in the book – it stops aging, but does not reverse it. Used by sorceres to maintain their youthly apperances.


And finally a massive spoiler…

Geralt lives. Nimue meets him in the forest 105 years after the events of Lady of the Lake. It’s not said how he got there.

That's all, folks! Now I'm going to sleep... zzz...
 
Does Sapkowski consider this novel as canon in the Witcher universe or not though?

Why wouldn't he? He wrote this book.

It takes place before the events of the Witcher stories or the Saga. As a matter of fact the ending of Season of Storms ties into the beginning of the first short story from 1986, the one where Geralt lifts the curse from Foltest's daughter. It's as canon as canon can be.
 
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@Luxorek Nice work!

Something to add about Vixen- in humanoid form, she is described as a tall lady with a head of the fox. And she is a very powerful being.

I am currently rereading the book, so if I find something interesting and non-spoilery, I'll post.
 
Something to add about Vixen- in humanoid form, she is described as a tall lady with a head of the fox.

Indeed, my bad. I compiled this list back in 2013 when I first read the book. Took me almost a year to actually post it on the forums :p Laziness ehh...

I am currently rereading the book, so if I find something interesting and non-spoilery, I'll post.

Definitely do so.
 
Thank you for this! I still want to read the book in english though... (come on fan translation!)

What I found interesting, is that even if the mutations failed people still survived the mutations? So for all we know there are only 3 witcher schools; Wolf, Griffin and Viper (although viper is mentioned only in game.) Which means that the Cat school is just a collection of 'failed' witchers and not a actual school?
 
What I found interesting, is that even if the mutations failed people still survived the mutations? So for all we know there are only 3 witcher schools; Wolf, Griffin and Viper (although viper is mentioned only in game.) Which means that the Cat school is just a collection of 'failed' witchers and not a actual school?

Other Witcher schools were never mentioned in the novels. People speculated that there are other schools, because at one point in the novels medallions of Griffin and Cat are shown by Leo Bonhart, who claimed to have killed the Witchers who owned them.

Since Witcher games are non-canon, or at least Sapkowski doesn't consider them as such, CDPR is free to create their own lore in that aspect. They did create the Viper school after all.
 
This is really interesting, thank you for your post, much appreciated.
I'll wait 2 years at least to see Season of Storm here in Italy, at least I know some good stuff now (I knew about the massive spoiler and I do not regret anything).

Looking for new info. :)
 
Hopefully some community translations to English will be up in the coming years, the book sounds really cool and I unfortunately knew of the massive spoiler when the book first came out, but when it comes to reading books, I don't mind book spoilers.


However when it comes to spoilers in TV Shows, Movies, Videogames, I get really angry :p
 
Hopefully some community translations to English will be up in the coming years, the book sounds really cool and I unfortunately knew of the massive spoiler when the book first came out, but when it comes to reading books, I don't mind book spoilers.
You know how much I disagree on that point. :p

I hope for this community translation as well, but I know it is a very hard work.
 
Well, I'm gonna have to wait 5 years for the portuguese version lol. The publisher here in Brazil follows the US translation. Until now we have the 2 short stories books and the first 2 from the novels. The third will be released next year I think
 
And finally a massive spoiler…

Geralt lives. Nimue meets him in the forest 105 years after the events of Lady of the Lake. It’s not said how he got there.

Well, Geralt's return in Season of Storms is as much debatable, as his presume death at the end of Lady of the lake. Just saying.
 
Well, Geralt's return in Season of Storms is as much debatable, as his presume death at the end of Lady of the lake. Just saying.

What's to debate? Nimue meets Geralt in the forest, where he saves her life from one of those Rissberg monsters. As real as can be. He denies being Geralt of course, saying the real one died 105 years ago... but c'mon. It's him.
 
What's to debate? Nimue meets Geralt in the forest, where he saves her life from one of those Rissberg monsters. As real as can be. He denies being Geralt of course, saying the real one died 105 years ago... but c'mon. It's him.

You know Nimue could have a dream about Geralt. She was obsessed with him after all. Whole scene seems to be out of place. Witcher coming out of nowhere, fighting with two swords, 105 years after his presume death, with Roach on his side, saving her life, then putting her to sleep. I just doesn't make any logical sense. Let's not forget, that whole scene concludes when Nimue says "I had the weirdest dream". So yes, "return" is very much debatable.
 
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