#arachas queen

[dukeofdogs]

Arachas Queen

Chest 1: Once native to the far south, this invasive species migrated north over the course of decades, adjusting as it went to new climates and temperatures. It finds damp woodlands and swamps most hospitable and made them its home, making use of the mulch and moss found there as cover during its winter hibernation. Arachasae often hide their unprotected, sac-like abdomens under a hollow tree-trunk shell worn on their back... Unfortunately, as a result, overlooking them is a far too common – and lethal –mistake.

Chest 2: At first glance, a stationary arachas often looks like a part of the forest undergrowth, a fact it uses to deadly advantage when hunting. It usually begins a battle by spitting venom, then tries to grab its prey with prehensile feelers in order to drag it within reach of its crushing pincers. The best defense against its tactics, you ask? There isn't one.

Chest 3: According to scholars at Oxenfurt, the hive queens of most insect and insectoid species are almost completely defenseless. Arachasae, however, are a notable exception. An arachas queen is the largest and strongest in her swarm. A single drop of her venom is enough to bring down an adult man, a swipe of their claws can cleave through a Nilfgaardian pavise as if through butter. When two arachasae swarms vie for territory and the queens battle for supremacy, all other woodland creatures flee the forest with haste, as if escaping a raging wildfire...

Scroll 1: “N’aracche aen woed endicen."\n– Elven proverb\n"Let sleeping arachasae lie." Sage advice... For where there's one, the queen is likely not far off.

Scroll 2: And woe shall befall any who strays across her path. Many monsters can be deceived, enticed, or by fire and silver scared off... Yet, an arachas queen is no ordinary monster.

Scroll 3: She is driven by raw, primal instinct. Kill, eat, breed, kill, eat, breed... In a single week, a queen can lay over one thousand eggs. If not destroyed in time, you'd be advised to find a new home. And quickly.

Scroll 4: The swarm's allegiance to its queen is absolute. Bewitched by her pheromones, the drones will do anything to serve their matriarch – rush into a blaze, dive into a chasm, sacrifice their bodies in her defense. Human commanders can only dream of such unconditional loyalty.

[dani-luminae]

Considering the (implied) timeline of Arc 2 (for fic reasons) and... so confused by the pacing of this lore.

Celestia was sunk by the Storm Titan who had been summoned to aide them against the Shadow Web/Shadow Horde. And this is framed as a really ancient event, like centuries ago.

Zafaria happens. We know Morganthe ruled here once and this was where the Council of Light had previously defeated her and buried her Deck of Shadows. If the Wizard completes Blind Whitemane’s side-quests, the blind elder tells the Wizard about these dark times... also implied to be very long ago, so long that the lions, elephants, zebra, and gorillas still lived harmoniously.

And then Avalon kinda throws a wrench in this. Morganthe’s brother is a dishonored knight, and a ghost, so that doesn’t really prove anything, but then we learn that Morganthe was responsible for Artorius turning into the Pendragon. Yet Queen Gwendolyn, presumably of a similar age to Artorius is also still alive and most of the knights who served with Artorius are still around too. So if Morganthe was a young apprentice within their lifetimes, and the people of Avalon are presumably mortal, it can’t possibly have been centuries since Morganthe’s ascension to power, the clash with Celestia, and ruling Zafaria...

The history unveiled about her in Khrysalis also confuses things. Morganthe was a student of Ravenwood recently enough to have fought with Malistaire Drake (and Sylvia is mentioned that might put Morganthe in an even stricter reference of time), and then her banishment. She sought out the astral magic of the Radiant Alcazar in Khrysalis (and tore it apart when they wouldn’t teach her... though I think it’s implied that was a second visit that she returned and destroyed it.) And we see a younger Captain Coleridge with her. We know he’s still alive. Yet the Aracha still make out like it’s been some long, grand century or two serving under Morganthe as the Shadow Queen and awaiting the moment she rewrites the Spiral.

Also, several members of the Council of Light, the same council who defeated her in Zafaria, are still alive in the present day. Some of them aren’t even all that old, like Diego or Emperor Yoshihoto.

(I don’t count Merle’s age in all this because he’s just the Sagely Old Wizard trope and it is impossible to imagine that he was ever young. Merle’s probably immortal.)

EDIT: I just realized I forgot about Azteca in all of this... but I don’t think Azteca added anything to the lore of Morganthe so... not really relevant anyway I suppose.

[mahariela]

GWENT Leaders 

MONSTERS

[that-wizard-oki]

I'd be fascinated to read an analysis of Taylor Coleridge, if you ever care to write one. I couldn't follow that part of the story very well... I assume he's based off the Rime of the Ancient Mariner?

OOO lovely ask anon, I love this rat man. He's super essential to Morganthe's character and also the events that transpire within arc 2 as well since he IS the guy that actually advises us to venture into the Black Hole and release Old Cob in order to aid us in defeating Morganthe.

As for being bases off the guy who wrote the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, you'd be right! Wizard101 is FULL of those types of references.

But as far as his character goes in Wizard101, he's honestly a super interesting one. There's not a crazy amount of lore, but what we do have leaves for some cool interpretations, so i'll share my take on this guy cause OOOOO I enjoy him a lot.

Of course, what interests me most about Taylor is how weirdly essential he is in transpiring the events that take place in Khrysalis part 2.

We first meet in on crescent beech, where we learn his entire crew had died due to his greediness for treasure. Thus, we have to make amends with the spirits before he can help us sail across the starfall sea (as I believe the context he's the only one who's really made that voyage and survived).

We also, interestingly, learn that Morganthe was a part of his crew. The ghosts of his crew also speak ill of and blame Morganthe for their deaths.

We then sail across the sea, and arrive at the Ruined Alcazar. It's here that we see a younger Coleridge within Morganthe's dream in Khrysalis. Now an important thing to note here is that, before this dream, our wizard was that Morganthe's first arrival at the Alcazar was when the Spider Magi had brought her there. However, Coleridge in her dream talks about how THEY were there before even venturing to the Hive.... which is an interesting contradiction :)))

Of course during the dream, Coleridge wishes to see what treasures the "privative" inhabitants might have, as Morganthe laments over not being able to control astral magic. Both are then ambushed by Arachna Magi, and put up a good fight- though unfortunately, are defeated. The Arachna Magus instructs that the skinner's "do what they wish" with Coleridge, but basically kidnap and wish to experiment with Morganthe. It is here that the two are physically separated, but unfortunately, become intertwined in a very complex web of deceit. (Also an important note that it's alluded to that his crewmates died via an attack from the Magi, as they claimed they were going to hang his crew up. I'll come back to this later on.)

Coleridge is definitely an odd character from the get go, but he starts acting a lot weirder from when we leave him in the Ruined Alcazar. After dueling in the Solar Arc, he just. Sort of appears in the Hive, claiming to have "known a short cut". When mentioning our desire to take down the Shadow queen, he get's very excited to aid us, saying that he's been here before, and that he'll show us how to beat her.

Of course we know that he HAS been here before from Morganthe's dream- but for him to just out of the blue claim to know how to beat her? That's.. a bold statement coming from a mad sea rat. But the wizards desperate. And so.. we follow him. Deep, deep into the dark.

Once inside the Hive, Coleridge states that "long ago, that is where I heard the Magi whisper it's secrets. Down, down you'll go. that is how you'll beat her." He mentions that a great power was locked away by the aracha magi, which is odd for two reasons: one, we now know that the magi weren't the ones to lock away this power- it was Raven imprisoning old cob. But even more odd- where the hell did he get this information from? Where was he that he heard the arachna discussing such confidential information?

This is where his crew being killed by the arachna comes up. After capturing Morganthe, the magi were instructed to do what they wish with him. So that begs the question... why kill his crew, but keep him alive? Him being kept as prisoner by the magi makes sense to where he might have overheard this critical information, but what was the point to actually keeping him alive?

And thiiiis is where my theory for Old Cob having his spindled fingers involved in all of this comes into play. I like to think that, despite the Magi clearly fearing what's down in the black hole, I think there's a literal hive-mind concept going on between them and Spider himself. Despite fearing him and his sorrowing terror, I think he has strings attached to their own will. They're his pawns weather they want to be or not. They are a part of a faded shadow web.

And more than anything, Cob wants freedom. And since Morganthe proved not to be the key to doing so, Coleridge serves at the drop that begins the ripple of events to the thing that frees him: the wizard.

This is all exposition to say that: Coleridge likely underwent the same conversion process that Morganthe and many other mantises, bumblers, and other critters were subjected to. Spider has a string on his mind.

This is further proved when Coleridge finally leads us to the Black Hole, and the guards within give us these warnings:

"With his promise of power over the shadow queen, with promise of a secret weapon. But did you forget... rats lie."

Yea. This rat has other intentions. I don't think he's helping us out of the goodness of his old heart. The Darklings clearly know his mind is poisoned.

And of course, we don't listen. We further our decent, and free old cob. Mission achieved.

After exiting the Black Hole, there's also an interesting bit where Coleridge says this:

"See, old captain Coleridge did not steer you wrong! We had to go down as deep as we could go!"

and then Old Cob Finished his sentence

Afterwards, Coleridge rather excitedly leads both Spider and the wizard onward. We first see Old Cob reverse-convert a Bumbler bee using true essence, but the more interesting thing between us three is when we're in the Recluse chamber (the very place that Morganthe and Coleridge were ambushed, no less). It's here that Old Cob uses the crystals within to "remove the shadow from your heart", essentially freeing Coleridge from some sort of power or curse... almost like.. he was infused... with shadow.. from the conversation table :)

Furthermore, once Coleridge leaves... old cob says that a "mote of my power returns". WOW... WONDER WHY... THAT IS.... HMMMMMM-

And yea... we never see Coleridge after that. He disappears almost as quickly as he appeared. He served his role, it seemed.

The only other notes that I have on Coleridge is that he does appear in Polaris (i believe we see his model in one of the bars when the world was first released). The only time we interact with him is during our start in Empyrea part 1, where we hope he'll serve as captain for our venture to Empyrea.

When we meet him, we see that he helps run a small business with his newly wed wife, Cosette. However, he denies our request to be our captain. He has a very interesting anecdote about once sailing in Empyrea purely by accident, saying "we only made it out because of a child's lucky guess."

Just fun speculation, but i think that it's high chance he could be referencing Morganthe. It's interesting to think about the wild things Morganthe, him, and their crew went on before Khyrsalis, and what kind of bond (and all the complexities that probably occurred from their ventures).

It's here that he notes a navigator he worked with in the past- and so we meet Pork and Beans. Interestingly, he also states that if Old Cob ever visits his bar, he never has to pay- an interesting look into what he might think or remember about what transpired in Khrysalis.

And... yea that's the bulk of Coleridge. I actually think he's RIGHT up there with Morganthe in being highly underrated, in that his unfortunate hand in the events of arc 2 are so tragic, yet no one seems to really remember what happened. I have a few more things I could note about him, but this post is getting pretty long and i don't wanna keep rambling unless y'all want me to lol.

I hope that clears up some stuff for you anon! Thanks for your ask, this was so fun for me to write :)

[tantumuna]

Save a Witcher Bingo - Masterlist

@save-a-witcher-bingo

below the cut, find a one stop shop for every fic I wrote for this event!

Bedtime Stories

Prompt: Bedtime Stories Pairing: Ivar/Warritt Suummary: Visions of the Wild Hunt plague Ivar's waking moments and his restful ones. On his roughest nights, Warrit is there to soothe him to sleep with stories, however real or fake they may be.

To Live Another Day

Prompt: Alpha/Beta/Omega Society Pairing: Coën/Gaetan Summary: Coën and Gaetan have been together for longer than Destiny ever planned, but they've made it work, and they've been happy. After narrowly avoiding Destiny's plans again, a new challenge rears its ugly head for them to face. This one, they almost don't make it through, but Destiny won't have her way yet. If the Battle of Brenna couldn't tear them apart, an unexpected pregnancy certainly won't.

Setting it Right

Prompt: Time-Travel (to the past) Pairing: Vesemir/Illyana, Luka/Vesemir Summary: Vesemir doesn't go out on the path much anymore, but when he does, he rarely expects to find remnants of his past. Finding a potion to take him back in time, he returns to his past to put as much right as he can, saving some and damning others in the process.

On a Wedding Night

Prompt: Marriage Pairing: Ivar/Warritt Summary: Ivar and Warritt are finally married, and Warritt has something very specific in mind for the night in the suite. Ivar, always too happy to please, makes Warritt's desires happen.

Broken Towers

Prompt: Old Ghosts Pairing: Implied Past Luka/Vesemir Summary: Vesemir returns to Kaer Morhen with four Witcher boys in tow after the fighting is done. The fighting may be over, but bodies of men and monsters still litter the keep, and it's a harder sight to see than he anticipated.

Trying to Survive

Prompt: Vulnerability Pairing: Ivar/Warritt Summary: The Usurper's army bashes down the gates of Gorthur Gvaed, and so the School of the Viper comes to an end. Against all odds, Ivar and Warritt manage to escape with their lives and the last living Viper recruit.

The Retelling of the Grand Adventures of Ser Tristan

Prompt: au: fairytale Pairing: Coën/Gaetan Summary: When Tristan was born, Jaskier wrote him an anthology of bedtime stories, all featuring him as the main character: a knight who faced the world with bravery and valor. Tristan doesn't always want to be a knight, so in a quick fix, Coën tells his son a different story about different knights who come to his rescue, all in hopes that Tristan will finally go to sleep.

Punishment for a Trainee

Prompt: kink: roleplaying Pairing: Ivar/Warritt Summary: Warritt always has the most intense ideas, and Ivar's happy to give him what he wants. This time, little trainee Warritt can't seem to get himself to behave, but Grandmaster Ivar knows exactly how to fix that.

A Purred Healing

Prompt: Witchers can Purr Pairing: Aiden/Lambert Summary: Lambert is struck by an endrega, and though the wound won't kill him, he's more than happy to act like it will. Aiden patches him back together, but finds a different type of medicine is in order once the Swallow is down.

When the Books and Swords are Put Away

Prompt: AU: Teachers Pairing: Eskel/Lambert Summary: Things are different. Ciri is still a child-surprise, Geralt is still a prodigy, but the sacking of Kaer Morhen never comes. The Wild Hunt never threatens the world with the White Frost. Lambert and Eskel live long enough to see themselves training the next class of Wolf Witchers. It's not a pleasant task, but they have each other.

This Lost, Sassy Ghost

Prompt: comedy Pairing: Aiden/Lambert Summary: Lambert runs into the forest to deal with a queen arachas without a second thought for anything, not even himself. If not for the haunting voice of a childhood friend, she would have won the fight, and another Witcher would be left dead. With this second chance and a little help from Voltehre, Lambert set things right with Aiden, because it's always about Aiden.

To Zerrikania

Prompt: Marriage of Convenience Pairing: Auckes/Letho/Serrit Summary: After faking his death, Letho finds the best way to ensure he stays out of harms way is to find a different life to lead. His marriage has nothing to do with his love for Lady Alyssa, though he finds her charming. The marriage only means that he has all the resources he needs to find his missing friends, and Lady Alyssa can rule what is rightfully hers while everyone thinks its her husband doing the work. All Letho cares about is finding Auckes and Serrit, and without Lady Alyssa's help, he never would have.

When it All Comes Together

Prompt: Sharing a Bed Pairing: Ivar/Warritt Summary: Ivar refused to acknowledge Warritt's advances until he could make it back from his first year as a Witcher. That was the only thing that would make him a Witcher instead of that wide-eyed boy Ivar remembered staring at him from across the yard. Warritt nearly doesn't make it back. At that moment, when Ivar doesn't want to close the gates and bar Warritt from Gorthur Gvaed for the winter, he realizes he cares more than he thought.

Safely Kept

Prompt: Protective Pairing: Gardis/Gweld Summary: Gardis is too smart for his own good, and he always has been. When he runs his mouth, he loses them coin. If only he knew to just let Gweld handle everything.

Released by Fire

Prompt: Abuducted Pairing: Aiden/Lambert/Kiyan Summary: Kiyan should have died in that cave beneath Novigrad, but he didn't. Steingard's plan didn't work. When the demon took Kiyan's body, she was on his side, not the mages. She saved him, brought him back to Lambert and Aiden, and now they have to repay the favor.

A Friendly Game of Gwent

Prompt: Gwent Pairing: Coën/Gaetan Summary: What was supposed to be a friendly game of strip Gwent quickly turns heated when Gaetan wins his second round and earns Coën's shirt on the floor. It's hard not to stare and even harder not to touch.

Ending the Nightmare

Prompt: Free Space Pairing: Ivar/Warritt, Gen Summary: The Wild Hunt hasn't been defeated, only warded off. Even with Imlerith dead, they still have a battle ahead of them, but no one has ever faced the Wild Hunt like this before. Geralt doesn't know how to defeat them. Thankfully, Letho knows someone who might be able to help him, not just with knowledge, but with an extra blade.

Comfort

Prompt: Bedroll Warming/Sharing Pairing: Aiden/Lambert Summary: Aiden is too wounded to join Lambert on a hunt, or so he says. Monster defeated, Lambert returns to their camp to find Aiden with a hand down his trousers and a plan in mind for their evening. He didn't help Lambert with the contract, but he'll help Lambert with the aftermath with some personalized comfort.

Keeping a Secret

Prompt: Secret Relationship Pairing: Coën/Gaetan Summary: Coën is wounded while protecting Gaetan from a griffin. They'll never make it to Kaer Morhen like this, so they take a detour to the next best thing--Dyn Marv. It's the first time Gaetan has ever brought Coën to his home, and unsure of how the other Cats will respond, everything must stay a secret. Including their child.

Making Connections

Pairing: First Date Pairing: Lambert/Jaskier Summary: Jaskier was supposed to be a one night stand, something to dull the pain as Lambert thinks about the years, but he's more than that. Being with Jaskier is easy, and after waking up without him once, Lambert never wants to do it again.

Just Us Two

Pairing: Polyamory or Open Relationship Pairing: Kiyan/Lambert, implied Aiden/Lambert/Kiyan Summary: Lambert, Aiden, and Kiyan have been together long enough, but Lambert and Kiyan have never done anything on their own. Tonight, that changes, though neither of them really know what that entails.

Before Another Trial

Prompt: Pre-Trials Pairing: Luka/Vesemir Summary: Vesemir and Luka always try to leave Kaer Morhen before another class goes through their trials. The screaming is too much to bear. A blizzard keeps them all home for the season, which means they have to find another way to avoid the sickening memories that begin on this night.

The Things We Realize

Prompt: Au: Gothic Pairing: Aiden/Lambert Summary: Aiden wakes up after being knocked unconscious by a beast and returns to camp, only to find Lambert refuses to talk to him. He can't figure out why.

To New Experiences

Prompt: Kink: Self-Cest Pairing: Luka/Vesemir Summary: Vesemir's in trouble, and ever-faithful, Luka goes to rescue him. He doesn't expect to find a Doppler is the reason Vesemir's in a tight spot, nor does he expect to find the Doppler looks exactly like he does. What the Doppler wants in return for Vesemir's release is the last thing Luka expects.

A Foundation Built on Cracks

Prompt: Viper School Pairing: Ivar/Arnaghad Summary: Arnaghad goes too far. Iwan can't take it anymore. Ivar listens and, with a small rag-tag team of Bears at his back, betrays the School of the Bear and Arnaghad with it. They leave to found their own school, one where things will be different.

[darkfascination]

@ulfhrafnx

The sword sank up to the hilt as it slid between a partition of chitinous shell. An insectoid shriek cut through the night as the Arachas Queen flailed in the last throes of life. Geralt gritted his teeth and pulled mightily backward, withdrawing the blade amidst a spurt of gelatinous ichor.

With a reflexive roll to the right he dodged a spiked limb and gave himself space from the queen’s torment. As her movements slowed he felt a familiar chill creep into his bones. A tremor ran from his legs, up the trunk of his body, veins simultaneously on fire and freezing over. He had let the fight carry on too long and now the toxic solutions which had aided him in combat had instead become debilitating. Maybe it had been one too many, hadn’t Yen critiqued him time and again over relying too much on his concoctions?

Grunting against the pain he collapsed to one knee, fingers clenching the blade so tightly he could hear the bones creak. Suddenly he caught the scent of something beyond that of acidic insect and his own sweat. There was another—close.

Dilated pupils caught the moonlight highlighting a shadowed figure, Geralt raised his sword to shoulder height, fighting against the overwhelming desire to succumb to exhaustion.

Beneath his leather armor the Witcher felt his medallion tremble.

[asweetprologue]

a dark and wicked thing

Octoberfest 8: Phobia (whumptober #18)

Geralt doesn’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late. 

They’re hunting venomous arachas - nasty business, in Geralt’s opinion. They’re exceptionally dangerous to humans and more of a nuisance to him, their toxins rendered an annoyance by his mutations. A quick Golden Oriole before engaging with a group of them makes it easy going, and he’s already cleaved through a large number of them. But the ones they’d already encountered had been small, underdeveloped, and Geralt knows that there must be a queen nearby laying eggs. He spends the better part of an hour looking for a place where she might be hiding, and thinking about what the hell he wants to do with Jaskier, before he finds the cave entrance. 

The bard is currently trailing after him, chattering away about how he’s going to find something to rhyme with chitin. Geralt turns away from the entrance to the cavern, barely a noticeable hole in the ground, and interrupts him. Jaskier’s eyebrows shoot up in an offended look, but he does have the decency to shut up and listen. “We’re going to have to follow it back to its nest,” Geralt says. Jaskier adjusts the bag on his shoulder, lute exchanged for more practical medical supplies and witcher potions. Geralt had said he could come along if he did something helpful, so he’d been manning the supplies. 

“Well, don’t let me stop you,” he says, cheerful as ever. Geralt rolls his eyes.

“You’re coming along,” he says. “Unless you want to get eaten by a stray arachas.”

Jaskier pales, probably at the idea of a giant spider making him lunch. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows heavily. “Oh. I thought you, ah, took care of those? I thought you wanted me to stay back until it was all wrapped up.”

“What, suddenly you’re not eager to follow me into the maw of certain death?” Geralt asks, shooting Jaskier a raised eyebrow. He stuck his boot down inside the small hole, testing the edge for footholds. Under the dirt the rock wall is solid, offering plenty of rough surfaces to catch himself on. He glances back up at Jaskier, who looks faintly nauseated. Strange; he wasn’t usually so adverse to delving into dangerous situations. Maybe he’s finally developing a sense of self preservation. 

“Perhaps the maw,” Jaskier says nervously, “but the belly is what concerns me.”

Geralt decides not to dignify that vague statement with a response, instead dropping himself down into the hole. It’s wide enough that he doesn’t feel worried about his swords catching on the sides, but close enough that he can lean back and brace himself against the opposite wall if needed. The bottom is only fifteen or so feet down, and Geralt drops the last five into a slightly larger area. Damp, porous stone holds him in a close embrace, and Geralt spares a moment to be grateful that he’s not claustrophobic. He has to lean over to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling, but he can hear echoes of dripping water and clattering stone down the way that promises a wider area ahead. A few scattered pieces of rubble bounce harmlessly off of his shoulder, and Geralt moves aside to make room as Jaskier slides the last few feet down into the cave. He’s slung the pack with its delicate potions around his front, and takes a moment to right it as he gets his bearings, eyes wide.

“Well this is cozy,” Jaskier says. His tone is jovial, but something about his scent isn’t right. He’s scared of something, Geralt realizes, confused. He knows Jaskier isn’t claustrophobic - the number of times they’ve had to squeeze themselves into tiny closets to avoid Jaskier’s irate lovers is testament to that. Being in close proximity makes Geralt’s heart rate accelerate for entirely different reasons, but Jaskier has never seemed bothered either way. Often Geralt has wished that Jaskier was more prone to fits of panic. He always seems to put full faith in Geralt, trusting the witcher to protect him. Geralt is pathetically grateful for it even as it fills him with terror. 

Geralt regards Jaskier intently, tracking the way his breath hitches and his eyes skirt around the narrow space. Maybe he’s afraid of the monsters they’re hunting. If he’s smart, that’s all it is. “Come on,” Geralt says. Whatever is bothering Jaskier, he’ll either come out with it or he’ll move past it once they’re out of here and the job is done. The faster they move, the quicker that will be the case. 

Geralt stalks ahead, pulling his silver sword from its sheath as he moves slowly forward into the dark. It’s awkward in the small space, but he’d rather have it in his hand than be unprepared when an arachas drops down on them. He can hear Jaskier’s footsteps after him, unsure and unsteady. Geralt frowns at the floor, trying to focus on looking for tracks instead of Jaskier’s odd behavior. 

They leave the small passage, coming into a larger area scattered about with stalactites that drip with perspiration. The smell of damp stone is a cool backdrop to the cloying stench of acidic decomposition. They’re close. 

Geralt doubles back to where Jaskier is standing at the exit of the tunnel, shoulders tense and fingers clutches the straps of the pack in a white knuckled grip. The sour fear-sweat-anxiety scent around him is more intense than Geralt’s ever experienced before. He reaches out and puts a hand on Jaskier’s arm, just above his elbow, and the bard jumps like a startled animal. 

“Sorry,” Geralt says, and means it. “I need Cat.”

Jaskier nods jerkily. Geralt’s concern grows, but he focuses on retrieving the potion. It’s hard to tell them apart in the dim light, but Geralt knows the smell of them better than he knows his own name. He downs the Cat, the world coming into sharp focus around him in shades of black and white and greenish gray. Jaskier’s face looks even more wan in the odd lighting, his eyes wide and dilated. It puts Geralt on edge. 

“They’re up ahead,” he says, giving Jaskier’s shoulder one last squeeze. “Stay here.” He turns, preparing to head in the direction of the acidic smell, but Jaskier lunges for him, gripping the edge of Geralt’s shirt clumsily. His eyes don’t meet Geralt’s searching gaze. “What?” Geralt asks, impatient. 

Jaskier’s breath puffs out between them, shaky. “I can’t see,” he says, and Geralt would have expected it to sound petulant but instead Jaskier’s voice is thin and reedy. Geralt stops, letting Jaskier take his wrist in a grip that might be bruising on a human. “It’s too dark,” Jaskier says, “I can’t see anything, I don’t know where you are, Geralt -” His voice is climbing into panic, and Geralt flounders, unsure of what to do. He’d never seen Jaskier so upset, his heartbeat pounding away in fear. 

“Jaskier,” he says, unable to mask the shock in his tone, “are you afraid of the dark?”

“Yes, Geralt, apparently I fucking am,” Jaskier hisses, and Geralt is glad that Jaskier can at least still sound pissed at him. “This isn’t dark, this is fucking - blackness, I can’t see shit. Don’t leave me, please, Geralt, I can’t.” He’s babbling, his breaths labored as they struggle out of his chest in shallow heaves. Geralt steps close again, raising a hand to cup Jaskier’s jaw. He isn’t sure what else to do. It seems to calm Jaskier to some degree, though his fingers still clutch around Geralt’s wrist.

“I can see,” Geralt says, “and I won’t let anything happen to you. I won’t, Jaskier. But I have to kill the queen.” Jaskier’s jaw clenches. Geralt can feel it beneath his fingertips, a twitch of muscle. 

Jaskier takes a deep, shuddering breath. “Okay. Okay, I’m fine. Go… do your thing.” 

Geralt can still hear Jaskier’s heart racing in his chest. He hates it, at this moment, leaving Jaskier behind. He always hates it, but he’s never had to do it when Jaskier is gasping like a fish out of water and the smell of fear is permeating the air around him. Geralt is seized by the desperate need to do something, anything to make it better, so he reaches out and pulls Jaskier to him. The bard let’s out a short gasp before he realizes what’s happening, instantly wrapping his arms around Geralt to clutch at his back. Geralt finds himself holding the back of Jaskier’s head gently, cradling his skull. 

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he says into Jaskier’s hair. He feels so solid under Geralt’s hands, chest heaving as if he’s run a great distance. Geralt pulls back and cups Jaskier’s face in both hands. “I’ll be back for you.”

“I know,” Jaskier says, shaky but full of that strange, implicit trust. Geralt pulls away and turns before he can change his mind.

It takes very little time to find the arachas nest, nestled a few chambers away from the main room. The bulbous eggs have a slight glow to them that’s almost bright to Geralt’s enhanced vision, allowing him to quickly spot the hulking form of the arachas queen crouched against the back wall. He doesn’t hesitate, launching into a brutal attack. The arachas is startled and unprepared, and Geralt gives it no time to recover or retaliate. His mind is on Jaskier, alone in the other room, panicked and unable to see a potential threat. 

His blade makes its way home faster than it has in a long time. 

A short blast of igni has both the body and the egg sacs burning away, and Geralt nearly runs back into the entrance where he left Jaskier. For a moment he doesn’t see him, and his stomach clenches with dread. 

Then he draws nearer, and he sees the huddled form against the wall. Relief sweeps through him. He tries to project his movements, stepping loudly as he approaches. “Jaskier,” he says, and the bard raises his head so quickly Geralt fears for his neck. There are tear streaks down his face, and Geralt’s heart clenches in sympathy and guilt. Crouching before him, he says, “I’m sorry. It’s done.”

Jaskier reaches out a hand, and Geralt finds himself leaning into it eagerly, reaching back. As soon as his fingers find Geralt’s chest, Jaskier lets out a relieved breath. “Can we go?” His voice is small, and Geralt hates it. 

He hums in affirmation and pulls Jaskier to his feet, allowing the bard to cling to him. “We can go,” he says. “Hold onto my shoulder.”

They make their way back through the short tunnel, Jaskier gripping Geralt’s sword holster tightly. The area just below the entrance is not entirely pitched black, and Geralt can feel Jaskier calming the closer they get. Geralt scales back up the wall first, emerging in the calm afternoon of the forest. Jaskier scrambles up soon after, using a rope that Geralt tosses down to haul their bags up first. It’s too bright up above with the Cat still running through his veins - normally he would have waited below until it had run its course, but he’s glad, now, to squint at Jaskier’s face through the intense light. Jaskier, for his part, flops over onto the ground next to him, breathing hard. 

Geralt drops down next to him, a frown furrowing his brow. “So no more caves,” he observes. 

Jaskier glares at him with bloodshot eyes, and ah, yes, there’s the petulance Geralt had been looking for earlier. “I’m certainly not doing that again,” he says with vehemence. Geralt smiles down at him, reaching out to push Jaskier’s hair back from his sweaty forehead. Their eyes meet, Jaskier’s fatigued. 

“I’m sorry,” Geralt says. “I shouldn’t have brought you along.”

Jaskier sits up so quickly they almost smack foreheads. “Oh no,” he says, pointing a finger in Geralt’s face. Geralt blinks at it, bemused. “You are not using this as an excuse to leave me behind on hunts. I refuse. I’ll follow you. I’ll tie myself to Roach.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Geralt chuckles. “Even if I have to go in a cave?”

Jaskier hesitates, but then huffs defensively. “I’ll bring a torch. You’re not leaving me behind.”

Geralt smiles, affection rising in his chest. “You’re incorrigible.”

“I try,” Jaskier says, and the grin he gives Geralt is genuine and free of fear. Geralt can hear his heartbeat, steady between them. “It would be easier if you cut me some slack.”

“Don’t count on it,” Geralt says, and pulls himself to his feet. “Now come on; we’ve gotta collect venom sacks.” He offers a hand down to Jaskier.

Jaskier makes a face, but takes the offered hand anyways. Geralt pulls him up, holding him close and steady for a moment longer than necessary. The next several hours are spent on harvesting, a job that Jaskier detests but insists on helping with. And as Geralt is watching Jaskier grimace, up to his elbows in ichor, he thinks it might not be a difficult problem to fix. Light charms aren’t cheap, but he knows a few mages that owe him favors. The look of pleased surprise on Jaskier’s face will be worth the trouble. It’s for the best, he thinks. The bard truly is a danger to himself, but Geralt is stuck with him, it seems. As Jaskier looks up to triumphantly wave a venom gland at him, Geralt thinks it might not be such a bad thing.

[mikkeneko]

oh how the turn tables: Fic recs of Jaskier saving Geralt

I’ve read a lot of good fics in the Witcher fandom -- including a prodigious and excellent amount of Jaskier whump -- but I realized that some of the ones I like best are the ones where the chairs are switched, and Jaskier has to take care of Geralt for a change. Either by easing his way through social trouble, taking care of him after a fight gone bad, or anything else that threatens to bring the Witcher low. It also doubles as an (incomplete) list of my favorite fics and authors in the fandom!

I would of course greatly  appreciate additions to this post (among others I’m certain there was another fic where Geralt took a Cat potion and then had to exit the cave immediately, and Jaskier cared for him while he was blind from it, that I’d love to find again.) Please add away!

Links only at the top, full summaries and excerpts beyond the cut.

An Incomplete Happiness -  BlossomsintheMist, M, 22k

How to Care for your Witcher -  Funkspiel, T, 13k

faith in transience -  unconscious, E, 12k

Ivy on the Hill - chaya, E, 20k

The Witcher Wolf -  im_fairly_witty, T, 10k

a dying curse (you are, as of all your kind, no more than a beast) - mikkeneko, T, 10k

home is nowhere, therefore you - Ark, E, 18k

Meet Death Sitting -  bomberqueen17, M, 46k

An Incomplete Happiness - Geralt is nearly killed while on a hunt and relies on Jaskier to drag him back to the safety and comfort of a town and treat his wounds. Complete.

“You are awfully nonchalant,” Jaskier said, a levity in his voice that sounded forced.

“Without you here, I’d be sleeping under a bush with Roach beside me for warmth,” Geralt said after a moment.  “I’d sleep there for about four days, hoping it didn’t keep raining, until the fever ran its course, and hope I had water and food enough in my pack, because otherwise I’d have to crawl far enough to find fresh water and then collapse there.  It’s happened before.”  It would again.  “And still, I’d live.  If it was worse than that, I’d let Roach find me aid, and hope I lived.”

How to Care for your Witcher - An episodic fic with each chapter focusing on another fix that Geralt gets into, that Jaskier tries to help him with. Ongoing.

Geralt licked his lips – dry and cracked, another side effect of some of his potions, Jaskier had noticed over time. The bard reached for his canteen as smoothly as he could without jarring the other man. He unscrewed the top slowly, quietly, but not entirely, and gently pressed it into Geralt’s hands. The witcher appeared as grateful for the bottle as he was for the fact that Jaskier had left the littlest bit of it left for him to unscrew on his own; the smallest illusion of self-control. Jaskier watched the way he drank from the skin of water and realized with a feeling akin to a stone dropping in his stomach that all this time Geralt had been thirsty and had not been able to see enough to find his own canteen in his pack. He had likely quenched the worst of it while cleaning himself in the river, but he had never asked for help after. Not once. And Jaskier had missed the significance of the few times the Witcher’s hands had subtly fumbled around his saddle, searching for it.

faith in transience - Geralt gets poisoned by a drug that makes him susceptible to suggestion. Fortunately, the one making the suggestions is Jaskier. Complete.

With the effects of the potions rattling his bones and the venom intertwining he can’t fucking think. He has to lie down. Meditate. Focus his energy on regulating the magic and the pain until his metabolism flushes it out. If it goes uncontrolled it could kill him.

“Geralt? Geralt, can you hear me?” The voice on the other side of the landslide is faint and thready with anxiety.

If he sleeps here he would awaken cold, starving, and exhausted, and potentially even more poisoned if these corpses bloat and pop. He would survive. But perhaps it isn’t the most efficient choice.

Perhaps it’s a choice he may have made were the bard not here. Jaskier’s voice buries deep in his gut and tugs at him like it has magical properties of its own. Like the slaughter, it’s instinctual. Go to him.

Ivy on the Hill - Geralt has been doing his best to keep Jaskier at arm’s length, but after Jaskier saves him from death by drowning or  poison or hypothermia after a bad hunt, the two become closer. Complete, with sequels.

Geralt realizes with a bolt of suppressed panic that he can't move. It's not the weight, it's the... it's something in his blood. Weight. The armored arachas was on top of him. It isn't now. This is something soft and warm, something not leaking viscera onto him.

He breathes in again. Human. Male. Sweat and fear. Underneath that, familiar musky tones. Familiar. Another image comes unbidden to his mind, of carrying Jaskier to the healer as he choked from the djinn. Jaskier's on him.

"Are you-" Jaskier lifts his head from Geralt's shoulder. His voice thrums from his chest to Geralt's, only the pendant and Jaskier's stupid chemise between them. It feels uncomfortably intimate. There's a shuffle under blankets and two warm (blessedly warm) fingers press against his throat. "Okay, that... that feels almost fast enough to be normal, which means you're awake, right?"

The Witcher Wolf - Jaskier runs across an injured wolf in a forest and is moved to help it; the wolf joins him on his travels. The wolf is Geralt, of course. Complete, with sequels.

The wolf snarled, probably just because Jaskier’s fingers had reached the matted blood.

“Alright, so here’s my terrible plan.” Jaskier said, ignoring the snarl. Another unconscious habit he’d developed from hanging around Geralt apparently. “I’m going to try and remove this arrow, which is going to hurt terribly, and then I’m going to patch you up. I’d be extremely grateful if you didn’t dismember me in any way while I do, but if you can’t help yourself I suppose that’s fair.”

a dying curse (you are, as of all your kind, no more than a beast) - When Geralt is brought low by a curse that takes his mind, Jaskier cares for him.

Geralt cocked his head to the side, a gesture so perfectly Geralt-like that he was already anticipating the snarky barb that would follow it... and nothing. Geralt said nothing. Not because he couldn't hear Jaskier, or because he had lost his voice, but...

"You can't understand me, can you?" Jaskier said softly. Geralt just stared at him, steady, wordless, empty. "You can't understand... anything."

home is nowhere, therefore you - Geralt is overwhelmed and captured by a faerie court, and Jaskier wins a boon from the queen by playing and singing all night until the sun rises. His boon, of course, is Geralt.

"Your pardon, gracious queen," Jaskier says. By the way he perspires, Geralt can tell that they're both fucked. If Geralt could groan, he'd groan. "I believe the agreement was that I might have the pick of your treasures to carry off, if I could please you with my little musics until dawn."

She narrows her eyes. Fuck. "Don't be a fool, boy. This ring will bring you fame and fortune beyond your wildest dreams."

"Be that—be that as it may," Jaskier says, and squares his shoulders, "I'm afraid I really have my heart quite set on—that." He points, his hand only a little unsteady, and indicates the low wooden footstool upon which Geralt is miserably crouched for the foreseeable future. Gasps from the watching, glittering court of riveted fairies.

Meet Death Sitting - Geralt is attacked by a particularly nasty critter and needs Jaskier first to kill it, then to find shelter for him when he’s brought low by the toxicity of the potions he took to combat it. Complete, with sequels.

“It’s a mornat,” Geralt said, nearly whispering. His eyes looked like a wounded animal’s, distant and desperate. “It gets into a living body and takes it over, kills it, and then animates it after death until it can find a new host." He had to stop to catch his breath. "If I were human it would have taken over by now, but I’m almost out of potions to hold it back. You’ve got to cut it out of me, stab the silver knife through its spine, put it in the iron pot, tie the lid on, and bury it.”

“I,” Jaskier said, staring in horror at the -- the thing , it was deforming Geralt’s torso, and Geralt looked fucking terrible, ribs standing out in a way Jaskier had never seen before. He was dying. “Won’t that kill you?”

“I might survive,” Geralt said, characteristically unconcerned. “The easier option is that you put the silver knife through my spine and then both of you run like hell.”

[terryblount]

Netflix’s The Witcher official teaser trailer released

The first official trailer for The Witcher TV series is finally here. Now we can take a quick look of what should we can expect in the first season of the show.

The trailer shows major characters like Geralt, Yen and Ciri. We can also see some locations and a bit of magic but most importantly monsters. The one in the end looked like an endrega or an arachas or a kikimore, I don’t know, so many lovely monsters in this universe. What I do know is that Geralt looks frigging awesome in that scene, with that veiny face and black eyes, probably due to intoxication (I still prefer the game look).

To be frank, I was expecting it to be worse so I am quite pleased. Of course there are several things I did not like and some others I did not understand. Like what the hell is going on with Yennefer? I have only just started the third book, so I have no clue what is going on there. I think I did recognize princess Pavetta in her birthday celebration where queen Calanthe invites Geralt, but I am not sure.

Honestly, I’ll watch the crap out this show no matter what, because I adore the games and the books. I doubt it will be as good as any of those mentioned, but I hope for the best. CDPR is worth now billions so maybe if the Netflix show fails, they could make a proper TV series someday. So far it doesn’t look bad and Henry Cavill looks great as Geralt… okay he is way too buffed but he is still great.

There is still no official release date.

Netflix’s The Witcher official teaser trailer released published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[dukeofdogs]

Master post for Gwent lore pt 1

Base set:

Monsters

Arachas Queen

Eredin Bréacc Glas

Unseen Elder

Woodland Spirit

Scoiatel

Brouver Hoog

Eithné

Filavandrel aén Fidháil

Francesca Findabair

Northern Realms:

Princess Adda 

Demavend

King Foltest

King Henselt

Nilfgaard

Emhyr var Emreis 

Jan Calveit

Morvran Voorhis 

Usurper

Skellige

Bran Tuirseach

Crach an Craite 

Eist Tuirseach 

Harald the Cripple

Year of the Wild Boar:

Thronebreaker

Ardal aep Dahy

Arnjolf

Eldain

Gernichora

Meve

Crimson Curse

Anna Henrietta

Queen Calanthe

Dana Méadbh

Dettlaff van der Eretein

Svalblod

Novigrad

King of Beggars

Cleaver

Sigismund Djikstra

Gudrun Bjornsdottir   

Cyrus Engelkind Hemmelfart   

Whoreson Junior

Iron Judgment

Merchants of Ofir

Year of the Dire Rat

Master Mirror

Grand Master of the Flaming Rose (Jacques de Aldersberg)

Sparrowhawk (Eredin)

Wrath of Brokilon (Eithné)

The Cripple (Harald the Cripple)

Emperor of Nilfgaard (Usurper)

King of Kerack (Viraxas)

Way of the Witcher

Viy

Erland of Larvik

Arnaghad 

Gezras of Leyda

Ivar Evil-Eye

Fallen Rayla

Year of the Great Oak

Stalwart Leadership

Advanced Tactics

Price of Power

She Who Knows

Duchess of Dol Blathanna

Melusine

Leticia Charbonneau

The Witchfinder

Vilgeforz

Year of The Cursed Toad

Vial of Forbidden Knowledge

Mysterious Puzzle Box

Renfri

Eltibald

Boholt

Sove & Ulula

Dagon

Svalblod Bear

Part 2

[tantumuna]

This Lost, Sassy Ghost Prompt Fill: comedy Rating: G Pairing: Aiden/Lambert CW: canonical character death, mentions of past trauma tags: ghosts, haunting, getting together __ Lambert runs into the forest to deal with a queen arachas without a second thought for anything, not even himself. If not for the haunting voice of a childhood friend, she would have won the fight, and another Witcher would be left dead. With this second chance and a little help from Voltehre, Lambert set things right with Aiden, because it's always about Aiden.

__

@save-a-witcher-bingo

my first bingo :3c