Timeline Question (Lore spoilers)

[Hayashi.226]

I've reinstalled TW1 to get my Witcher fix and was pleasantly surprised to find some new content. I last played this maybe 10 years ago when it first came out.
Anyway, the events depicted in the opening cinematic (the lifting of Princess Adda's curse). The narrator then states that Geralt simply disappeared. Later in the prologue Geralt reappears, but amnesiac.
So what happened in the interim? Was that the time he was riding with the Wild Hunt, having offered to take Yenn's place?

 

[Draconifors]

I've always assumed the intro cinematic is a CGI'd scene from one the books as it's very similar. I've never tried to check whether that really is the case, though.

The game itself is set after the books (after the events of Lady of the Lake), and Geralt's amnesia is something CDPR came up with to make the game's story work. If my assumption is correct there's a lot of canon (=book) lore that takes place between the Adda scene and the game's starting point.

 

[Guest 3847602]

Anyway, the events depicted in the opening cinematic (the lifting of Princess Adda's curse). The narrator then states that Geralt simply disappeared. Later in the prologue Geralt reappears, but amnesiac.
So what happened in the interim? Was that the time he was riding with the Wild Hunt, having offered to take Yenn's place?

The narrator is referring to Geralt getting pitchforked at the end of the books and Ciri taking him and Yen to the afterlife. That thing about Wild-Hunt and exchanging his life for Yennefer's is something they came up with in TW2, I don't think they planned that far ahead.

If my assumption is correct there's a lot of canon (=book) lore that takes place between the Adda scene and the game's starting point.

That's correct, Adda was from the first short story from The Last Wish, there are A LOT of events between that and the ending of The Lady of the Lake.

 

[Hayashi.226]

Please excuse my questions as I've never read the books. However thanks to the games I know a little bit about the lore of the Witcher universe.
So in the books Geralt never had amnesia? And the events of Lady of the Lake end in Geralt's "death" and together with Yenn being sent to an island?
Did Geralt trade places with Yenn in the WIld Hunt, in the books? And somehow his escaping the Wild Hunt caused his amnesia at the beginning of the game?

 

[Draconifors]

So in the books Geralt never had amnesia?

Correct.

And the events of Lady of the Lake end in Geralt's "death" and together with Yenn being sent to an island?

Correct.

Did Geralt trade places with Yenn in the WIld Hunt, in the books? And somehow his escaping the Wild Hunt caused his amnesia at the beginning of the game?

No, and yes.

 

[Hayashi.226]

Thank you.

 

[SigilFey]

The narrator is referring to Geralt getting pitchforked at the end of the books and Ciri taking him and Yen to the afterlife.

The Isle of Avallach is more than a direct enough allusion to the Isle of Avalon from the Arthurian legends -- which is a place that can supposedly heal anything. In that regard, I always envisioned Avallach as a world that Ciri created for herself. As she grew to understand what her power truly meant, what her role was likely to be, she gifts the world to Geralt and Yen. A place without the pressures and complications of their home world; a place where they could heal and just be together.

 

[Guest 3847602]

The Isle of Avallach is more than a direct enough allusion to the Isle of Avalon from the Arthurian legends -- which is a place that can supposedly heal anything. In that regard, I always envisioned Avallach as a world that Ciri created for herself. As she grew to understand what her power truly meant, what her role was likely to be, she gifts the world to Geralt and Yen. A place without the pressures and complications of their home world; a place where they could heal and just be together.

Well, it's certainly open to interpretation, and I do remember reading about some CDPR employee asking Sapko about TLotL ending and he said that Geralt (and Yen) are meant to be alive on that island, but I prefer to think they both died, Ciri took them somewhere quiet and secluded and buried them, then she decided to tell Galahad the story with somewhat happy ending.
Slavic fatalism FTW

 

[Deemonef]

Well, it's certainly open to interpretation, and I do remember reading about some CDPR employee asking Sapko about TLotL ending and he said that Geralt (and Yen) are meant to be alive on that island, but I prefer to think they both died, Ciri took them somewhere quiet and secluded and buried them, then she decided to tell Galahad the story with somewhat happy ending.
Slavic fatalism FTW

That's a great thing to see it, my view on this is pretty similar. You are rght: Slavic fatalism FTW

Also... I know this is just a very little thing and is not important at all... but CDPR came up with the Island. In the fifth novel it was never told it is a island. Just a 'place'. But to be fair, an Island can be a place

What is also important for books and games, is that both have different lores. The games might seem to continue the books, but there are a lot of changes and Sapkowski himself said the games are neither a continuation to the books nor an alternative ending. The games are more like well written fancfiction, a story which has the books as some source material to use the world and the characters but it is a story which do not continue the books in a lorefriendly way.

 

[Guest 3847602]

What is also important for books and games, is that both have different lores. The games might seem to continue the books, but there are a lot of changes and Sapkowski himself said the games are neither a continuation to the books nor an alternative ending. The games are more like well written fancfiction, a story which has the books as some source material to use the world and the characters but it is a story which do not continue the books in a lorefriendly way.

Hear, hear. It's simply hilarious how many people are getting their panties in a bunch when confronted with the fact that witcher games are a fanfiction (as if that label somehow devalues them). And how many hates Sapkowski for not giving a damn about them...

 

[Deemonef]

Hear, hear. It's simply hilarious how many people are getting their panties in a bunch when confronted with the fact that witcher games are a fanfiction (as if that label somehow devalues them). And how many hates Sapkowski for not giving a damn about them...

I kinda understand him in some ways. Also he reminds me on my grandfather. Mist be the polish blood how you behave

 

[SigilFey]

Erm... (Draws his pistol. Checks the clip. A full load of marshmallows. Pulls a spare one from his belt and slides it into the chamber.) Getting a bit edgy. Respecting others. Welcoming all opinions. Avoiding any sort of political / racial / ethnic bias. (Pulls another marshmallow from his belt and munches on it.) Ya' know. That stuff.