7 the North like fire. Non-humans were pushed farther and farther back into the hills as the humans claimed more and more land. Unfortunately, the only ones capable of putting up much of a fight against these war-born humans were the elves and the dwarves who both had little interest in fighting the humans at first. Te dwarves remained primarily in their mountain keeps, which the humans didn’t really want and didn’t dare to venture into for fear of monsters and rock slides. Te elves, meanwhile, believed that the humans would simply burn themselves out like their precursors. Some speculate that there may have been ulterior motives among the elves as well—it has been noted that the presence of humans somehow helps elves produce offspring, a process that has always been troublesome for the long-lived race. By the time the Aen Seidhe rallied their troops it was too late—they had lost too much ground to make a comeback and the Continent belonged to the humans. Tis early conflict laid the grounds for today’s human-dominated North. Centuries of bitter feelings, culminating in non-humans aiding the South in the Nilfgaardian Wars, created what we have today: a brutally racist and bigoted North, which treats any race that isn’t human as an inferior species, and non-human rebel factions like the Scoia’tael, who do the same to humans. In the end, this leaves the North solidly divided between humans and non-humans. Mostly.
Witchers & Monsters Witchers were created centuries ago to save humans rom monsters. Tey were a brotherhood o mutants, rigorously trained or years and sent out every spring to wander the Continent, hunting monsters and saving the local townsolk rom curses. While many people were thankul to see a witcher when they needed help, the bizarre and rightening nature o witchers (as well as their secrecy and penchant or neutrality in politics) oen got them in trouble, and still does. Tis became especially true a ew centuries into their existence. Witchers’ sole reason or living is to hunt monsters and break curses; their training makes them extremely efficient. In a way, they did their work too well. Witchers, and their silver and meteorite blades, made many species o monsters extinct. And as monster species ell one by one, and monsters became less and less common, witchers began to lose their purpose. Even with very little work in monster slaying and curse breaking, witchers still oen reused to work as assassins or mercenaries. Tis aggravated the kings o the realms—soon, they saw witchers as more dangerous than helpul. By the 1250s monsters were so rare that many species had allen into mythology—no more than airy tales to righten children. It was rare or anyone to see so much as a ghoul, let alone a fiend or a grave hag. Te common olk’s ear transerred onto the mutants who had once been their protectors. One by one, the once-proud Witcher Schools were assaulted and destroyed by the same humans that they protected.
Brandon of Oxenfurt I, Brandon o Oxenurt, came rom very humble be ginnings, having been the eighth child o a cobbler in Oxenurt. I learned that there was a better lie or me than being a cobbler i I attended classes at the University. At the age o 8 I used my ew crowns to make unsolicited bread deliveries to a random student in desirable classes. As no student turned down ree ood, I was admitted to the class and then managed to sit inconspicuously and listen. Proessor Eudarius o the History Department caught on quickly but allowed me to sit in his classes as long as I brought him bread. I was a quick and stealthy child, so that was not a problem. And so began my rapid ascent to scholarly ame. At age10I was copying manuscripts.By 14I was writing papers or history students and then blackmailing them or money to buy books. By the age o 16 I had written my irst controversial paper on the descent o Nilgaardians rom the Black Elves. When I started to teach classes at 16 my compatriots grew jealous, but I knew it was the price o greatness. oday I am the head lecturer in History at Oxenurt University. –Brandon o Oxenurt
