School of the Viper

The School of the Viper was a school of witchers headquartered in Gorthur Gvaed, a keep somewhere in the deep chasms of Tir Tochair mountains.      

Overview

    Training     Each student is given a pet to raise during their stay at the keep, they would form a strong emotional bond through their training. Years later, before becoming a fully-fledged witcher, they are ordered to slaughter their animal.   Characteristics   Mentors of the Viper School were especially cold and ruthless with their students. The reason for this was to prepare the would be witchers for the harsh life that awaited them. The clearest example of this ruthlessness was the final trial students had to perform before becoming witchers. Upon the boys arrival at Gorthur Gvaed they were given a pet to care for and form a emotional bond with. Years later as their final test they were ordered to kill their pet in cold blood.   The Vipers were trained on twin small blades and an assassination-based approach to killing monsters. Their fighting style featured sinuous, unpredictable movements using the two blades ("fangs"). Another style the Vipers employed was one of fast furious strikes to overwhelm their target. These blades would often be coated with poison as the school made great use of its knowledge of alchemy. Like the witchers from the School of the Cat, the Vipers did not only accept contracts on monsters. They would also accept contracts on humans and non-humans. Despite this they still maintained a form of neutrality. They would kill for coin, but would never outright join sides in a conflict.  

History

  Formation     The Order of Witchers began to see a splintering among their members, with some fighting and threatening others over contracts. One such witcher, Arnaghad, after nearly killing a fellow witcher over one such contract, led a group against the rest of the Order, resulting in several deaths but ultimately the Order prevailed and Arnaghad, along with the remains of his group, left.   They settled in the Amell Mountains where Arnaghad founded the School of the Bear. Years after the school was established, history repeated itself: this time a group of the Bear School witchers betrayed the school and nearly killed Arnaghad. These witchers then left to form their own school, which embraced the poison of the viper.   Because the Vipers not only accepted contracts monsters, but also on humans and non-humans, it was rumored that the school was founded for that purpose. The real reason however was that its founder had a great purpose in mind. He wanted to defeat the Wild Hunt. But as he couldn't do it alone, he founded a school dedicated to his purpose.   One of the southernmost offshots of the witcher caste, it was probably the most alien and secretive. The Vipers managed to collect an incredible collection of books and scrolls on the Wild Hunt, leading some of its members to speculate whether their school was founded for the very purpose of solving the riddle of the spectral riders. As a result, all Vipers were hugely knowledgeable on the Wild Hunt.   After the Usurper tried unsuccessfully to absorb the Vipers, the Nilfgaardian Army destroyed their keep.Its students scattered throughout the Empire, having been banned from entering larger cities.   Kingslayings   (For more information, see Kingslayers.)   In approximately 1270, a group of Viper witchers were arrested by the Nilfgaardian Secret Service. Emperor Emhyr var Emreis gave them a choice they could not refuse: assassinate a few kings in the Northern Realms in exchange for rebuilding the school to its former glory.   The group managed to assassinate Foltest of Temeria and Demavend of Aedirn. The emperor, however, did not keep his promise and instead of rebuilding the school, he sent bounty hunters after its few remaining members to remove any loose ends.