The Witcher 3 — School of the Viper

Witcher 3 School of the Viper (School of the Viper) sat at Castle Gorthur Gvaed in the Tir Tochair mountains. It started when Ivar Evil-Eye broke away from the bears. It belongs among the darkest schools on the Continent.

Overview

Ivar saw the Wild Hunt in visions and wanted to go after it. Bear grandmaster Arnaghad believed a witcher only takes monsters for coin. Arnaghad refused Ivar’s coup. Ivar and his brothers almost killed Arnaghad, but Ivar did not take over the school. He left for Tir Tochair. He hid the school’s true purpose from the students. In the keep, though, he founded a library full of volumes on the Wild Hunt. Even those who knew nothing felt the school lived for something more than ordinary contracts.

Vipers took contracts on monsters and on humans and nonhumans. Unlike the cats they did not join wars as mercenaries for one side. They killed for coin and kept their distance. In combat they bet on poisons, two blades, and quick thrusts. Stealth and tricks belonged to their reputation just like the viper fangs on the medallion.

Wild Hunt and Nilfgaard

When the Usurper led Nilfgaard, he wanted to pull the vipers into the imperial army. The vipers refused that offer. The army destroyed the keep and the library on the Wild Hunt disappeared. Later Emhyr var Emreis promised to restore the school in exchange for political assassinations. Letho and his brothers worked that off in The Witcher 2. Emhyr broke his promise and kept hunting the vipers.

In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt the school is practically dead. You can still meet individual vipers depending on choices from the second game, mainly around Letho. Gorthur Gvaed is no longer home. What remains is only the reputation of poisoned blades and a school that wanted the Wild Hunt and ended up in imperial games.

Summary

With the vipers it was about poison, the Wild Hunt, and imperial games. The school sets in the game are covered in the armor guide. More articles are on the Witcher 3 hub.