The Witcher 3 — School of the Manticore

Witcher 3 School of the Manticore (School of the Manticore) sits far to the east by the Korath desert. In Zerrikanian they are called Alqatil, which means killers. Nordlings barely knew about them. The game mainly got them through the Blood and Wine expansion.

Overview

When Ivar’s group broke away from the bears, Iwan disagreed with Ivar. Ivar wanted to go after the Wild Hunt. Iwan did not want that path. At the Elskerdeg Pass on the edge of Korath he split off with others and started protecting Zerrikanian caravans that tried to cross the desert west. Monster hunters became escort and road defenders.

The Zerrikanian queen saw a trade in it. She offered them a school and money in exchange for protection. Mage Nasira tried with Iwan to rebuild the mutations. Iwan did not know the full details, so he stayed careful. Attempts to mutate Zerrikanian warrior women never led to anything solid. Still they built the school around training, potions, and shields of meteorite steel and silver. Iwan later called himself Imad Asem and became the queen’s personal witcher.

The East

Manticores stuck to the desert, the caravans, and the royal contract. In combat they bet on alchemy and defense. They almost never went west on the Continent.

In the autumn of 1146 came the Day of Fire. The queen sent a caravan for her son’s marriage to a princess of Metinna. Almost the whole school rode with them, Imad too. In the Fire Mountains a giant fire elemental stopped them. Without siege weapons they stood no chance against it. Almost all the witchers fell. Half the royal family and a third of the court fell too. Zerrikania cast out the remaining witchers and looked for a safer sea route. Without the crown the school burned out.

Summary

The School of the Manticore is an eastern branch that lived off the desert and a deal with the queen. It ended at a fire elemental. School gear sets in the game are covered in the armor guide. More articles are on the Witcher 3 hub.