#tw3 screenshot

[witcheringways]

If you know, you know... { The Witcher 3 : Next Gen }

[onedivinemisfit]

Eskel had to help out in the kitchen so he made sure to sneak some of the treats away for his best bro~

The Witcher (c) Andrjez Sapkowski

Art: Me

[northernolddragon]

"Remember me I ask. Remember me I sing."

[silentmoonbutterfly]

Jolly Regis

[chocochipclaire]

[4theonewithoutaname]

Oh, and this one of Yennefer that I took ages ago...

[justhereforeskel]

Taking a little break during training 💜🐺

[geraltyen-of-corvobianco]

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦

They say that Toussaint is a fairytale land - and that is true even for its starry skies. And though their family already enjoys stargazing as an activity no matter which part of the continent they go to, Toussaint somehow always makes the activity feel even more magical, soothing and therapeutic. When Ciri is not around, Geralt nonetheless still brings Yennefer out on most nights, searching for the best stargazing spots together. He enjoys hearing her little sighs of happiness and relief, and watching her violet eyes glisten in the moonlight.

Yen will never admit it; her proud nature obviously forbids it - but that one year of captivity in Stygga Castle had made her feel more comfortable outdoors. Geralt could see it in her eyes - the contentedness and relaxed gaze as she looks around her surroundings. She would rather stay outdoors during the day than indoors, unless he were home. Even so, it seems they spent more time lounging outdoors then lazing indoors. Sometimes he would wonder if only he had not been such a fool, to believe that Yen had betrayed him and Ciri, and had worked harder to find her, she would not have suffered that much. Her discomfort of confined spaces might not have existed. She would not have had to wiggle her fingers unconsciously at the dinner table all the time, her eyes widening slightly, as if surprised that her fingers have been fully healed for a long time…

"Oh stop it, Witcher."

"What? I'm just calmly looking at the stars, just like you."

"You know I'll never blame you for that. I was —"

Geralt didn't let her finish. He leaned over and kissed her at the side of her head, at the same time breathing in her scent. Lilac and gooseberries. As usual, her presence calms his mind.

"I know." He said softly, "but sometimes we just can't seem to escape from what haunts us in our past."

A sad little smile played on Yen's lips. She knows it all too well.

"Your presence calms me too, you know." Yen said, as she leaned even closer to Geralt.

Just at that moment, a shooting star shone across the sky. Both their eyes lit up, feeling grateful to be able to see it that night.

"Still believe in wishes, Geralt?" Yennefer asked.

"Of course."

"Despite everything?"

"Despite everything…"

[theeflowerofcarnage]

Arpton castle ((in Sunblind lighting)) - by Simpassion001 on gallery 

[witcheringways]

In case you haven't noticed, Manticore is the sexiest armor... { The Witcher 3 : Next Gen }

[do-androids-dream-ao3acc]

[northernolddragon]

[silentmoonbutterfly]

[assassin1513]

⚜️The Witcher 3 part 5 ⚜️

[minne-cerbinna]

I'm playing TW1 again and I have thoughts about this tiny little sequence in the Chapter 2 quest "Memories of a Blade", which amounts to the only mention of Coën in the game.

When undertaking this quest, Geralt is investigating the origin of the silver sword he was given to slay a cockatrice; he mistakenly believes that it might be Berengar's sword since he knows the other witcher to have been in the area. A conversation with Thaler, from whom the sword was confiscated by the guard, will lead him eventually to speak to the Gardener outside St. Lebioda's hospital in Vizima. This man used to be a mercenary under Pretty Kitty, but has since retired and works as a gardener, and had lost the silver sword at dice poker. When interacted with, he will begin any conversation with "Look how they grow!", referring to the plants in his garden. The player can then initiate the quest dialogue with option one, "I'm more interested in silver swords".

GERALT: I'm more interested in silver swords.

GARDENER: I knew one of you would come by eventually.

GERALT: You lost it playing dice?

GARDENER: I was sure I'd win. Beware, the sharp one plays well.

GERALT: Where did you get this sword?

GARDENER: Five years ago, there was a battle near Brenna. When the dust had settled, our men had beaten the Nilfgaardians. We ceased to call ourselves an imperial province that day.

GERALT: You captured the sword during the battle?

GARDENER: Yes, it was witcher Cöen's [sic]. A strapping fellow and a rare breed. Not very talkative, mind you.

GERALT: Like most of us.

GARDENER: I gave my word the sword would find another witcher. As he lay dying, he mumbled about teeth and destiny. Then he laughed -- at his own death.

GERALT: Yet you lost it gambling?

GARDENER: I kept it hidden for five years. I lost hope I'd ever run into another witcher. Miss Shani knew Cöen [sic]. She works at the hospital.

GERALT: Thanks.

GARDENER: Good luck on the path!

The quest will lead you to speak with Shani, then Zoltan, but neither will provide further information on Coën, aside from Shani mentioning that he died on her operating table -- Shani's dialogue is to provide her backstory as a medic at Brenna and to mention Rusty, and Zoltan simply assesses the quality of the blade to ensure that it is a witcher blade of good workmanship. It has no further significance to Geralt, who, without his memory, has no idea who Coën is and has more pressing matters to deal with than to look into the past of a man who died five years ago (according to the somewhat off-kilter game timeline, anyway). But it's the only mention of Coën in the games, and I find that it's a very interesting way to manifest his presence.

I think it is reasonable to tie Coën quite closely to his sword on a symbolic level, if one considers his appearance in the novels where he not only trains with Ciri, but his prowess with a sword is unrivaled even by the other witchers to the point where she believes that he may be the best swordsman in the world. Additionally, the fact that he fought at Brenna at all means that he offered his sword in the service of the Northern Kingdoms, and when he dies, he is identified by his peers as a "master swordsman" rather than as a witcher, despite the fact that they know of his nature. As such, Coën's sword is a very important possession for him to leave behind.

And from there, there is a connection to Lambert, left unsaid. To go beyond the simple fact that Coën was Lambert's friend, someone dearly loved who was close enough with Lambert and his family to get on with the other wolves and stay a winter at Kaer Morhen, the importance lies with the sword. As with any witcher, Coën wouldn't have much in the way of worldly possessions to bequeath onto someone else in the event of his prophecied death. But he does have his swords, which are established as symbolically important to him. A steel sword could be taken up by any warrior capable enough to use it, but a silver sword belongs in the hands of a witcher, and that is what Coën asked for on his deathbed, for his silver sword to be given to another witcher. While it's very possible that this is meant in a general way, that he just wanted any other witcher to take it up, to avoid the sword being wasted, broken, or dismantled for its composite parts, it also strikes me as possible that he could have intended it for a specific witcher.

Lambert is one of the instructors for Ciri when she's first learning the swordplay and acrobatics associated with being a witcher. Lambert is the one in the first game to provide the instructional descriptions of the Fighting Styles for Geralt to regain his swordplay competencies after losing his memories. And there is another bit of dialogue in TW3 that really emphasises both Lambert's connection to Vesemir, the swordmaster of Kaer Morhen, and the idea of swords as inheritance, as a manifestation of closeness:

LAMBERT: Knew the old man couldn't live forever. Huh, even told Eskel that when it came time, I'd get his sword. Fits my hand perfectly, you know.

Which is a heartbreaking notion in and of itself upon which I could expostulate, the symbolism there in the fraught relationship between Lambert and his father figure reduced to something as simple as a hilt that fits two hands perfectly. But if this is the inheritance that Lambert wants, it makes it all the more pertinent that Coën desperately wanted his silver sword to make it into the hands of another witcher. Lambert, the son of a swordmaster, wants to take on a sword as a memento of someone he has lost, and Coën, the master swordsman, left his sword behind. Even if Lambert were not the specific intended target of the sword, he would have possibly or even likely known Coën well enough to fulfill his wishes, whatever they might be.

And yet Coën's sword never makes it home or into the hands of someone who would value it, like Lambert would, this last memory of his dear friend. Geralt makes use of the sword during his time in Vizima, and then it is lost, replaced by the gifted Aerondight. And so Coën is lost with it, never mentioned again.

[4theonewithoutaname]