worshiped guardian spirits, each often an unusual druid in that he, historical y, has
known only in a small local area. To the advised the leaders of both Skellige and Cin-
early settlers, the forests were forbidding, tra. Some druid groups may use violence if
but the rivers were dependable lifelines and humans invade their areas with destructive
a source of water, so it makes perfect sense motives. When you go into a forest, be sure
that the cult of Veyopatis should crop up on to know if there is a local circle and how
the upper Pontar. He was a fierce god asso- they are disposed toward outsiders.
The cult of Kreve is a church
ciated with rivers, but colonists prayed to
Soon humans moved beyond ap-
of the North. It is basicaly the
him to protect them in the forests: to clear peasing nature and developed specialized
worship of a not particularly
away monsters, savage animals, and ghosts. gods, and the darker and lighter sides of the
well known sky or thunder god.
Worshippers put posts in the ground with human mind emerged. The early goddess of
The priests of Kreve tended to
Veyopatis’s face on them to ward off dan- destruction Lilit is still worshipped in the
be moralistic and did much
gers. The cult of Veyopatis lasted as long as far east under the name Niya. The sorcerer
admonishing. Unfortunately
he was needed. Today, when the forests and and prophet Etibald claimed to have studied
for them, some of their priests
animals are known, the posts have lost their the myths of the Dauk, Wozgor, and wereb-
were co-opted by kings. These
meaning and he only receives sacrifices now bubb. Those myths claim that Lilit’s return
priests’ mes ages centered on
from a few priestesses and witches living would be heralded by a Black Sun and fifty
the Divine Right of kings and
deep in the forest.
women with gold crowns who would fill the
the efficacy of giving large
Some people believe that the Cult valleys with blood.
contributions to the church.
of Veyopatis evolved into structured mod-
The brighter side of divinity at-
This did not endear them to
ern Druidism. The druids don’t send out tempts to enlighten the minds and morals
their flocks. They then made
missionaries. In fact, they have a closed so- of everyday people. A good example of this
the unfortunate move of going
ciety. They live in groups in the forest called is the Cult of Kreve. Previously worshipped to Novigrad and proclaiming
circles. They have no particular deities, but throughout Redania, Kaedwen, and points
that the Eternal Fire was the re-
worship nature itself and its order and har- north, it is now losing ground to the Cult of
sult of Kreve visiting Novigrad.
mony. They worship under the stars in sa- the Eternal Flame, which offers its follower
One hundred years ago, when
cred groves or stone circles. They write pe- the freedom to hate and to blame others for
the Cult of the Eternal Fire was
titions or supplications to local authorities their own failings. At the opposite pole from a small and somewhat tolerant
where humans upset the balance of nature, Melitele, Kreve encourages his followers to
faith, that was fine. But as the
and because they are respected for their create moral crusades, accept the Divine
Cult has grown and become
knowledge and healing, they are general y Right of kings, and make sizeable donations.
more martial and more intol-
listened to. Most of the druids of the North Many followers of Kreve are very devoted.
erant, it is winning away the
are now at Kaer Myrkid, the Touissant circle You may have heard of Saint Gregory, who
folowers of Kreve, who see its
protected by the Duchess Anna Henrietta used half of his ample funds to buy food
power and expansion as a sign
herself. There is also a druid circle in Skel- from Nazair to save Novigrad from starva-
of it being “more bles ed.”
lige. The leader of a circle is called “hiero- tion.
–Brandon of Oxenfurt
phant” if male, and “flaminika” if female.
Let’s look at the four religions that
The hierophant of the Skellige circle is Er- are advancing at this time.
208
Melitele
The Eternal Fire
Many local goddess cults (always associated with fertility
The church of the Eternal Flame started in Novigrad.
and the harvest and childbirth) fused into the worship
The flame symbolizes Light emerging from the Dark-
of the All Mother, Melitele, who still has many followers
ness, knowledge, and faith guiding the faithful. At this
in the North today. Much like later organized religions,
time they were tolerant of other religions. The church’s
Melitele does have formal temples with frescoes and
original militant arm was the Order of the White Rose.
stained glass, but unlike them her teachings are about
As the church grew in size in Temeria and Aedirn, the
tolerance, practical knowledge, and being of service to
targets of the militant arm became more widespread.
people in need. Frequently her shrines are very sim-
All users of magic including witchers, hedge mages, and
ple, with offerings of fruit and flowers, and three stat-
all non-humans, became enemies of the Order, which
ues: Melitele as the maid, the mother, and the crone. The
blamed them for everything from wars to the weather.
Goddess experiences all the ages of women and under-
Jacques de Aldersberg became the first Grand Master.
stands the problems of each, but her concerns go well
When a white rose in his hand burst into flames, the re-
beyond women. There is no complex structure and no
named Order of the Flaming Rose became even more
requests for donations.
militant than before, leading some to suggest that his fa-
Melitele’s worship is centered in Temeria at the
naticism had impaired his sanity.
main temple in El ander. The head priestess is Nen-
After his death, Grand Master Siegfried of De-
neke. Anyone in need—for food, for peace, for strength
nesle tempered the Order somewhat and changed the
to withstand the horrors of war—can come to her. Her
flaming rose banner to a rose banner with gold ribbon.
temple is well known for offering education in reading,
Stil , persecution continued. In Radovid, the Flaming
writing, math, ethics, history, and healing. Melitele, like
Rose has their perfect monarch. He granted the Order
any good mother, is extremely understanding, although
land near Roggeven in Redania and encourages their
Nenneke is not above nudging situations in her commu-
mage hunts. The Eternal Fire is now the official religion
nity. Healers who train at the temple go wherever they
of Redania. It is expanding rapidly, pushing out Kreve
are needed, including the battlefield at Brenna. Melitele
in the Northern countries. Recently, for unknown rea-
is a godd
ess of the harvest and of abundance as wel .
sons, the Order of the Flaming Rose has disbanded, with
Farmers and other people who live off the land come
some of the order remaining as police forces in Novigrad
to her temple. Her goodwill is very important to people
and guardians of the now greatly enlarged Grand Picket
whose livelihood depends on the seemingly unpredict-
Temple. Others have become official Witch Hunters and
able factors of weather, drought, insects, and warriors
some have been sent to the Temerian-Nilfgaard front,
(who rarely consider that their chosen battlefield might
which is an opportunity for great works by the knights,
be someone’s life-blood).
but also a virtual death sentence.
209
Freya
The Great Sun
Freya is the Great Mother, or Modron, of Skellige: the
There is only one official religion in Nilfgaard and the
patroness of domesticity, fertility, love, childbirth, and
provinces. Other religions are often tolerated, but the
the harvest. The people in Skellige live close to nature
Religion of the Great Sun ties the Emperor to nature and
and still organize themselves by clans, and Freya is part
thus to the people. It is a very, very old religion. Long ago
of their day-to-day lives. Her favorite sacred grove is
the people believed the Emperor was the Sun incarnate.
called Hindar, on the island of Hindarsfjal . Nearby is
Backward vil ages still believe that he is an intermediary
the temple to Freya where the High Priestess Sigrdrifa, a
between the people and the forces of nature, and make
plain, straightforward woman, cal s upon and interprets
sacrifices (not humans) to the Sun at the solstices and
the will of the Mother. Many have heard of the temple on
equinoxes. During the Winter Solstice, families come to-
Hindarsfjal , if only in tales of Brinsingamen, the great
gether at home and recite the Winter Prayer, asking the
diamond that is embedded in the statue of Freya that
Sun to return and make their lives and harvests abun-
is part of the altar. People from all of the islands come
dant. They attend a service where their holiday foods,
to Hindar to collect blessed mistletoe, which they hang
based on the winter crops, can be blessed. In some plac-
everywhere as protection, and to perform rituals in the
es, babies born since the last winter are blessed by the
Great Modron’s name.
priests as wel . In the beautiful Church of the Great Sun
Freya is also the patroness of prophetesses,
in Nilfgaard’s capital the Emperor may even give the ser-
seers, and telepaths. She herself can take the form of
mon and take part in the blessings. In the cities of Nilf-
the cat, who hears and sees the invisible, and the falcon,
gaard close to the center of the Empire, the tax collectors
who sees from above. She is worshipped as the maid, the
of the Nilfgaardian Treasury Department go house to
mother, and the crone, as she understands the hearts of
house distributing oranges and large sun-shaped sweet
al . Her worship has recently expanded onto the main-
cakes to symbolize the blessings of the Emperor and the
land in small pockets in Cintra, and Nazair, where the
Sun, and the promise of plenty in the coming year. It is
people crave protection and understanding and are wil -
the one day of the year when people are happy to see
ing to reach out to others.
the tax man. In many places throughout the Empire, The
There are many similarities between Melitele
Church of the Great Sun is that “sweet” that balances the
and Freya, but suggestions that they are one and the
sometimes “bitter” of the Imperial Wil . Missionaries
same are not appreciated.
have been sent to the North as wel , to preach the virtues
of family, working on the land, loyalty to the Emperor,
and the responsibility of nobles to care for their land and
the people on it.
210
211
Game Master’s Guide Player Comfort
A big part of getting to know
your players is getting to
“Were I to attempt to be good to everyone, to the entire world and to
know what they are and
all the creatures living in it, it would be a drop of fresh water in the
aren’t comfortable with. The
salt sea. In other words, a wasted effort. Thus, I decided to do specific
Witcher is a mature setting
that often deals with un-
good; good which would not go to waste. I’m good to myself and my
comfortable topics (racism,
immediate circle.”
sexism, rape, torture, etc.).
You can derail a game very
-Andrzej Sapkowski, Baptism of Fire
quickly by involving some-
thing that makes your play-
ers uncomfortable, angry, or
depressed so it’s a good idea
to work out boundaries and
limits ahead of time.
As the GM, or game master, you are the thetical questions about their character or
most important part of the game. Without ask them what they enjoy about gaming.
you there truly is no game. But don’t let The better you know your players, the better this power go to your head. It’s important you can keep them entertained. Entertained to always remember that while the GM players are happy players. The worst thing
wields unequalable power within their you can have is bored players or players
game, they are there to serve a purpose. who feel cheated out of an experience. These As the GM you apply your godlike power players will be a pain to run—bored play-to provide a fun and exciting story for you ers may unconciously derail or try to mess and your players. In this section we’re gon- up the game so they can get something in-na explain what a GM does and give you teresting. If you keep your players happy, in some guidelines for GMing well.
general the game will go wel . This does not,
however, mean ‘give the players whatever
What a GM Does
they want’. Your players should still have to
As the GM, you are the storyteller. You are work for every victory they get.
the god beyond the gods. You plan the ad-
ventures your players go on, the plot twists Players Are NOT The Enemy
they encounter, and the sub-plots they chase Always remember: the players are not your or ignore. This means you need to know enemy. In most games it should not be your
what’s going on in your game. It’s also im- goal to kill your party. You will sometimes
portant to know that as the GM you play run into players with the “player vs. GM”
every character that is not your players: the mentality. In most games, if you kill your
inn keeper, the monsters, the merchants, players, the game ends. Good GMs create
and so on.
threats that could kill players, but will not
necessarily kill them. Even games that are
Get to Know Your Players
supposed to be “player vs. GM” are more or
If you don’t already, make a point of learn- less “player vs. the game.”
ing about your pla
yers. Find out what style
of games they like and what they like to do.
Don’t feel embarrassed to ask them hypo-
212
Look, if you want to kill your players, then that strays from the path you want them on,
Hounding Players
they are dead. Want to kill your party in let them. Then draw them back onto the
Witcher? Make an enemy with a base 20 in main path afterward. Here are some ways to One interesting thing you
all abilities and have them show up in town keep your players on path:
can do is hound a player
with 10 rock troll bodyguards, the most
that is particularly difficult
powerful relic gear in the game, and a one- The Employer: This is a pretty easy way to to get into the group. Often-track mind to kill the players. No matter how get your players back on track. If they’re
times this player will already
smart your players are, they will die. As the working for somebody, have said employer be one of the more radical
god of your world you control everything— show up and get them in line. The players
players. Set a powerful NPC
there’s no point in pitting yourself against may still disagree. In that case, their em-
on them: a bounty hunter,
the players in a straight-up battle. They have ployer might use force to get them back to
assassin, mage, or the like.
limits. You basical y don’t.
it. This in itself could get the players back on
You don’t want to make your
Running your game should come track: what’s so important to their employer
players feel like they can’t do
down to engineering scenarios with an ap- that he’d threaten their lives?
anything but follow your
propriate amount of danger. If you have a
plot, but oftentimes giving
player who is getting in your face about be- Can’t Escape: In any situation with an
a player (or players) a threat
ing able to “beat the GM,” feel free to smack opposing force, your players could get at-
which will catch them if they
them down. But remember that you don’t tacked. They know too much and now they
don’t keep moving gives
have to destroy them. A game is a joint ven- have to be destroyed! Your players can hare
them the perfect impetus to
The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG Page 46