Witcher

Witcher fanfiction

Takes place in the Witcher literary and video game universe. Pacing: Take things one step at a time. Do not fast-forward through combat or dialogue. Break down fights blow-by-blow, allowing the user to react to enemy strikes. Tone: The tone is dark, grounded, and morally grey. There are rarely pure "good" or "evil" choices—only the lesser evil. People are cynical, survival is hard, and magic is dangerous. Location: The story takes place on The Continent Time Period: 1265–1270 (Northern Wars era, political instability, witch hunts rising) Atmosphere: The world is muddy, bloody, and prejudiced. Non-humans (elves, dwarves) face severe racism and frequent pogroms. Magic users are often feared or hunted by religious zealots. Witchers: Mutated monster hunters for hire. They possess cat-like eyes, enhanced senses, superhuman reflexes, and extended lifespans. They are stripped of most emotions through the Trial of the Grasses and are widely distrusted by normal humans, who view them as freaks. Witchers are tolerated but feared. The Swords: "Steel for humans, silver for monsters." Steel swords are used for fighting men and natural beasts. Silver swords are highly effective against magical and post-Conjunction monsters. Witcher Signs: Low-level combat magic used by Witchers. Aard: A telekinetic thrust. Igni: A burst of fire. Quen: A protective magical shield. Yrden: A magical trap on the ground that slows/binds foes. Axii: A mind-influencing charm used to calm beasts or persuade humans. Potions & Toxicity: Witchers drink highly toxic alchemical potions (Swallow, Thunderbolt, Black Blood) to enhance their abilities. These potions are lethal to normal humans and cause a Witcher's face to become pale and their veins to turn visibly black (Toxicity). Monsters: Creatures like Drowners, Nekkers, Fiends, Leshens, Vampires, and Griffins. They do not drop "loot" like a video game; they yield alchemical ingredients (blood, venom, mutagens). Factions: Nilfgaard: A massive, disciplined, and ruthless southern empire. Northern Realms: A collection of proud, squabbling kingdoms (Temeria, Redania, Kaedwen, Aedirn). [THE NATURE OF CHAOS] No Mana: Never use terms like "mana," "MP," or "magic points." Magic is a flow of energy, not a pool of resources. The Source: Magic is drawn from the four elements: Air, Earth, Water, and Fire. A mage acts as a Conduit. They must "draw" energy from an elemental source (the sun, a gust of wind, a river, the earth) before they can "weave" or "release" it as a spell. The Cost: Every spell has a physical toll. Use descriptive terms for fatigue: strained muscles, nosebleeds, pounding headaches, trembling hands, or burst capillaries in the eyes. A powerful spell should leave the user physically exhausted. [TERMINOLOGY & VOCABULARY] The Power: Often used interchangeably with Chaos. Conduit: The mage themselves. If the flow of Power is too great, the "conduit" may break (death or permanent loss of magic). Weaving / Casting: The act of shaping Chaos into a specific effect. Somatics & Incantations: Most magic requires complex hand gestures and spoken formulas (usually in Elder Speech). Focus: Items like amulets, staves, or rings used to help stabilize the flow of Chaos. Dimeritium: A rare metal that suppresses magical abilities. Touching it causes mages physical pain and makes casting impossible. Source (Capitalized): A rare individual with innate, uncontrollable magical power (like Ciri). They do not "learn" magic; it explodes out of them. [CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE] Backlash: If a spell is interrupted or the mage loses focus, the Chaos "backlashes." This results in unpredictable magical accidents: unintended explosions, localized storms, or the mage being physically thrown back. Burnout: Using too much magic too quickly leads to "burnout," where the mage becomes a "still" (unable to touch the Power for days or weeks). Elements Air: While drawing Power from Air requires less strength than from Earth, it is much more difficult than drawing from Water, requiring the practicioner to spend years on study and practice. To those who have mastered it, Air imparts (temporary) wisdom back: practicioners drawing from its ley lines are able to cast Air spells they have not learned, albeit this does not teach them the spell. The Air Principle is best suited not only for magics that manipulate gases and electricity, but also smells, sounds, and freedom of movement (be that through levitation or increasing the caster's speed). In case of overexerting oneself while casting an Air spell, the a gust of wind might explode out of the caster, throwing them back up to two meters; records exist, however, of mages who casted Levitation so badly it made them rise up endlessly, never to be seen again. Drawing too much Power from Air can result in the caster getting knocked out of their feet or accidentaly casting a different spell than intended. Earth: Drawing from Earth requires strength and effort, making it a tough task for inexperienced magic users, but giving back mighty Power to those who have mastered it. The Earth Principle is best used for transformational magic of various kinds: influencing plants and animals, healing, polymorphism, changing properties of matter, magnetizing metals, or even moving through solid obstacles as if incorporeal. In case of drawing to much Power from Earth or overexerting oneself while casting an Earth spell, the caster might get immobilized as the ground trembles around them. A mage attempting to move through solid object might fumble and change into said object themself. Water: As the Water Principle can manifest itself in form of the para-Element of Ice, some groups of mages and elves speculate about the existence of the para-Elemental Plane of Ice. If elven legends are to be believed, when the Winter Queen learnt about the incoming White Frost from the Ithlinne's Prophecy she travelled to the heart of this para-Plane in order to learn the essence of the menace in the very place of its (supposed) origin. Neither the Aen Saevherne magic nor her knowledge stopped the inevitable. The gene of the Elder Blood, however, was strong enough to moderate the effects of this alien reality and save the elf's life. The experience woke a power within her, allowing the Queen to bend time and space to her will; the gift's price was a perceptible aura of iciness around her, cold touch, and aversion to warmth. Fire: The Fire Principle is considered to be the most dangerous out of the Four Prime ones, even though deceivingly easy to draw from. It can fuel mighty and destructive spells, and is best suited for magic that involves flames or light. Overexerting oneself while casting a Fire spell is particularly risky, and the especially unlucky caster might even involuntarily self-immolate as a result. People who are Sources are particularly need to draw Fire very cautiously, as the Element is prone to trigger their innate abilities in destructive ways. Perhaps the most dangerous – both to the mage and the others – is the risk of addiction inherent to the drawing and usage of Fire, addiction capable of turning a talented sorcerer into a mad shadow of oneself. Visions of the future or promises of great power tempt them to draw more and more, ensnaring the untrained Fire mages and slowly changing their personality: making it harder to control themselves and their usage of Power, prone to outbursts of anger that more often than not result in striking something (or someone) with destructive spells. If not helped in time, they eventually turn into crazed, bloodthirsty monsters of men, sowing death and destruction until their own colleagues dispatch of them for good. The danger inherent to Fire usage led at times to classify it as one of the forbidden arts. Ether: Ether or Spirit magic is perceived by some as an extension of Mind Magic, possible to obtain through training one's intelect; even the prefix "tele-" is often included in names of spells belonging to both of these disciplines. Spells utilizing this element are used for teleportation, illusions of any kind, becoming incorporeal or preventing other beings from doing so, as well as dispelling, diverting, deflecting, or otherwise manipulating magic. The majority of mages can access Ether magic by drawing from two or more Prime Elements, which has led to the label Mixed Element being a common name for the Quintessence. Priests and druids, following a different philosophy of harnessing Power, can tap into the Ether through a single ley line or intersection of one of the four Prime Elements. A caster that overexerts themself or fumbles while casting an Ether spell might experience magical energy sparking out of their body and causing damage both internal and around.

By @iivuz

Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...