Velen
Velen
War runs rampant in Velen, a region also called No Man’s Land. It is home to a number of villages and strongholds, including Crow’s Perch, which now serves as a home to Philip Strenger, aka The Bloody Baron. “Velen” is also the word for the autumnal equinox–an interesting contrast, given the celebratory nature of the equinox and the current state of the area.
Velen: Drahim Castle
Drahim Castle
Drahim Castle was once occupied by Prince Adrien, the last member of the Sea Cats dynasty. After seizure by the Redanian king, the abode was eventually left to rot.
Velen: Coast Of Wrecks
Coast Of Wrecks
The coast is a dangerous obstacle for any sailor, particularly given the popularity of drink on all parts of the continent. Not only do these wrecks provide potential sustenance for nearby villagers, but they also harbor treasure for adventurers willing to dive deeply enough.
Velen: Hanged Man’s Tree
Hanged Man’s Tree
Corpses dangling from this massive tree serves as a constant warning to locals, who constantly live in fear of the Nilfgaardian army, whom they call “black ones.” Geralt has a complex relationship with the Nilfgaardian emperor, Emhyr var Emreis, who gave his daughter Ciri to the witcher as payment for a life debt.
Velen: Crookback Bog
Crookback Bog
Crookback Bog is home to a woman called Gran, who cares for the orphans local parents cruelly send into the murk, coaxing them with a path of sweets. Gran is a troubled woman who suffers at the hands of men and beasts alike who see her only as a means to an end.
Velen: Est Tayiar
Est Tayiar
It was once a bustling Elven city. Now, it is a perilous ruin, its wonders swallowed by the ground after King Maeglor cursed it, fearing for his life and his legacy after his people succumbed to a mysterious plague.
Velen: Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Some time ago, King Radovid IV’s cousin died in when his vessel crashed into the coast during a storm. The king demanded a lighthouse be built to warn future travelers. As an aside, Radovid IV was known as “The Bald,” though his baldness certainly didn’t make him less popular with the ladies: he bore a son, named Heribert, who would later place a tax on magic spells.
Velen: Fyke Isle
Fyke Isle
One of The Witcher 3’s most moving side quests occurs on Fyke Isle, where a ruined tower hides secrets to the island’s terrible past. When the Bloody Baron’s troops approached Crow’s Perch, the castle’s previous occupant, Vserad, fled here.
Novigrad
Novigrad
Novigrad is a busy trading port and the largest city Geralt explores during The Witcher 3. Though it is not a friendly environment for magic-users, Triss Merigold has been able to make a home here, serving as a leader to disenfranchised sorceresses. Dandelion, too, is making a name for himself in the city, though it takes Geralt some effort to discover his whereabouts.
Novigrad: Docks
Docks
The game’s description of Novigrad’s docks helpfully refers to the area as a “den of dirt and depravity.” Novigrad is certainly no stranger to organized crime, and when it comes to assisting the city’s downtrodden, making friends in low places is often the best way to avoid the eyes of witch hunters.
Novigrad: Elector’s Square
Elector’s Square
Novigrad’s history owes much to the politicians that governed its rise to prominence, and it’s for them that the square is named. It lies at one end of St. Gregory’s Bridge; at the other end, you’ll find Novigrad’s primary brothel, which, for all its depravity, features lovely landscaping.
Novigrad: Hierarch Square
Hierarch Square
You can buy all manner of sundries in Hierarch Square, though you won’t find many mages: the witch hunters have driven them underground, leaving their homes abandoned and easily ransacked. King Radovid V is the ruler who has spread the hate for magic in recent times, and he proves to be as clever as he is wholly mad.
Kaer Morhen
Kaer Morhen
This keep, nestled in the chilly mountains of Kaedwen, is where witchers once trained their skills. Years ago, anti-witcher fanatics stormed the fortress, killing every witcher that was present but one: Vesemir. The witchers not present at the time of attack, including Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert, continued to carry the torch.
Royal Palace In Vizima
Royal Palace In Vizima
Vizima, the capital city of Temeria, is now occupied by the Niflgaardian emperor, a man who once called himself Duny after being cursed by a usurper to the Nilfgaardian throne. (See Hanged Man’s Tree for more information about the great and terrible Emhyr var Emreis.) In the original Witcher game, Vizima serves as a primary locale.
The Skellige Isles
The Skellige Isles
This archipelago is home to a number of clans, each of which is led by a jarl. One of the Witcher novels, The Tower of the Swallow, closely mirrors the events of The Witcher 3, and details Skellige culture, which harks back to Gaelic-Norse society. The name “Skellige,” in fact, likely refers to Irish island Skellig Michael.
Skellige: Gedyneith
Gedyneith
Another important tree, this one a sacred oak worshiped by druids and other Skelligers. It is here that the isles’ leader is crowned, though when Geralt first arrives in The Witcher 3, King Bran has just passed on, leaving his successor uncertain.
Skellige: Eldberg Lighthouse
Eldberg Lighthouse
There’s always a lighthouse. There’s not much to say about this one: it’s just pretty.
Skellige: Freya’s Garden
Freya’s Garden
Like so many other abandoned landmarks in this world, Freya’s Garden was once alive with colorful plant life. Freya, by the way, is the goddess of love and fertility, though the nearby residents of Lofoten do not welcome visitors with the same kind of love you may expect from those that worship the goddess.
Skellige: Kaer Trolde
Kaer Trolde
Kaer Trolde is a fortress and the political center of the isles, nestled in the mountains of Ard Skellig, the regions’ largest island. It is here that a game of thrones (as it were) begins after King Bran’s death. It was established by Crach an Craite, King Bran’s nephew, a man who has an important role to play in the shenanigans that follow Bran’s demise.
Skellige: Tor Gvalch’ca
Tor Gvalch’ca
Tor Gvalch’ca is an ancient elven tower rising towards the clouds from one of Skellige’s many islets. Like other elven towers, such as the fabled Tor Zireael, it contains portals to places known and unknown.
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