#more semi ritualistic rites of passage where large numbers of participants die

[akilah12902]

Creature Feature: Leshen

Don’t go into the woods. Harm no trees.

The leshen, inspiration clearly drawn from the Leshii/Leshy of Slavic mythology, is our creature today.

Check the tags for your warnings and find more below the cut!

We never hunt in these woods. Never. Even if it means the whole village starves. – Mulliver, ealdorman of Hoshberg in lower Aedirn Leshens dwell in dense, primeval woods. Fiercely territorial creatures, they hunt with stealth and cunning as their only companions. They use their inborn magic to control the plants and animals within their territory – and so, when stalking them, half the battle is merely getting near enough to strike. Leshens old enough to earn the appellation "ancient" wield advanced skills and tactics that make them particularly dangerous.

Witcher 3 Bestiary

Humans have long been fascinated by the wild wood — living in its vicinity was the source of tales about creatures ferocious and benign, friendly and hostile. As they started to settle deeper and deeper into the forests, respect for the unknown diminished. Lumber was gathered, stone abodes were built. As the pestilence that was humanity grew bigger, so did the forest's and its inhabitants' wrath. At the heart of the forest lies a secret. In a place born of darkness and primeval nature, resides a mighty and terrifying guardian. Immune to human steel, it is believed the leshen is nature's way of protecting the forest and the animals that live within it from the threat humans started to pose upon their ravaging expansion deeper into the lands. Along with the animals it commands, the leshen became a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes worshipped, this creature can heal other woodland animals and summon nekkers or crows to protect the forest. Its attacks are slow, but deadly — be cautious not to get shackled by its underground roots.

A Witcher 3 Official Website Description

Please be warned, huge personal opinions rant incoming. Skip to the bolded allcaps “anyway” to skip the In The Heart Of The Woods quest info and my rant.

The most story-intensive Leshen encounter is bullshit. Yes, I said it. The writers managed to create plenty of other fairly difficult choices, but in this one, they just completely cut off one of the endings without a genuine resolution and are pulling that ‘enforced tragedy and reminder thereof’ to try and make you feel SAD. Well fuck you, whoever came up with this, I would have been MORE SAD restricting every fucking person in this village to hunting with knives and only then if they manage to appease this monster and don’t get fucking killed on their first hunting trip because it doesn’t think they’re worthy. AND NO AMOUNT OF REFUSING TO DESPAWN DEAD BODIES SO THAT VILLAGERS ARE ETERNALLY CRYING OVER THE BODIES OF THEIR ELDERS KILLED BY THE GUY WE BACKED, BOOHOO, IS GOING TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE, AND NEITHER IS NOT GIVING ME THE OPTION TO FIGHT THE GUY WE’D BACKED OR REPORT HIM TO ANY OF OUR JARL FRIENDS FOR COMMITTING MULTIPLE MURDERS!!

Ahem.

We've offended him, Sven. The Woodland Spirit seeks revenge. This here is him saying we've strayed from the old paths. –Harald of Fayrlund Some monsters are so powerful local populaces begin worshiping them as gods. Such was the case with the leshen dwelling in the woods near the Skellige village of Fayrlund. The elders were absolutely convinced the monster watched over them by defending them from their enemies and training their hunters. The witcher had his doubts, however. Leshens are mean, self-serving creatures - and the ancient one living in the woods near Fayrlund was surely no exception. Geralt knew freeing the villagers from their supposed protector's grasp would be no easy task - if he decided to even try. The leshen known as the Woodland Spirit was so powerful as to have mastered the art of marking. This meant the monster had inserted his essence into one of the residents of Fayrlund. As long as this unfortunate soul remained alive and near the settlement*, the leshen would always be reborn near its lair. Yet even with the marked one eliminated, killing the leshen would be no easy task. The monster commanded the obedience of the denizens of the woods - it could thus call on wolves, ravens or even the trees themselves for help. Luckily, it had a weakness as well: it was vulnerable to fire, that born of the Igni Sign in particular. If Geralt lets it live: In the end, however, there never was a battle between Geralt and the Woodland Spirit. Geralt knew that the leshen was surely less benevolent than the elders thought - but he also knew killing it would do more harm than good. If Geralt kills it: The Witcher managed to kill the leshen, ending the murders terrorizing the woods around Fayrlund. Yet this did not mean the villagers' troubles were over...

That “training” they’re talking about? Yeah, that’s a very high chance of ending up dead for going hunting. And the Leshen takes offense for hunters using hunting tools other than, like, knives. Did none of the writers read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson?

On the other hand, the group who wants Geralt to kill the Leshen takes advantage of him being gone and the probable death of the Leshen to accomplish their real goal—that is, to slaughter the Elders and take over control of the village. And the game just ends the quest there. “Can’t attack this target”, the game says if you try to attack them. No option to tell anyone in authority about it. And the village is forever stuck with the bodies on the ground and people crying over them.

It’s bullshit.

* This should be alive OR near the settlement; one of the minor choices is whether to kill the marked one or just exile them from the village.

ANYWAY.

There are several more places where you can run into Leshens—there are at least two logging camps where the loggers were all slaughtered by angry Leshens, and a couple more Leshens you can find in big old woods. They can teleport in flights of crows and smoke and summon wolves to aid them in battle, and will often kill with sudden explosions of tree roots as well as with their claws or their summoned animals.

Use of Quen, Igni, relict oil, and bombs that cause fire damage are helpful; so too are Moon Dust bombs to keep them from disappearing. I believe Dimeritium Bombs can be used for this purpose as well.