We rested while Bulgar recovered from his wounds then Scathe teleported us to Vespaden. It was freezing cold and snowing when we arrived. There was some trouble in the inn as they took a dislike to Scathe being an elf, but Bulgar intimidated them and they went away. Dandelion the minstrel arrived at the inn later and started singing. We spoke to him and he said he believed Letho was living in a hut on the outskirts of town. He told us of rumours that the Duke of Vespaden and the Emperor of Nilfgaard were now in a close cooperation, and a Nilfgaardian ambassador was seen passing through with his retinue and boarded a barge on the river towards Kaer Morhen. A man with a flamboyant grey moustache was also spotted bragging about how he had killed witchers. Probably this was Leo Bonhart.

We left the inn with Dandelion to find Letho. We stopped off at the trading outlet on the way to buy some decent cold weather clothes. Letho had done some scouting and followed a river barge the previous week. It was heavily guarded by the Duke of Verspaden's men and delivered crates to Nilfgaard soldiers at Kaer Morhen. The barges stopped at a lock near the Kaer. Letho proposed we went there and killed everyone then waited to ambush the next barge as it was trapped in the lock. We were not so keen on the killing but thought it would be good to go and find out what was happening there.

We decided to capture some wild horses so we did not have to walk there. I lassoed one but was then dragged around for a while before I managed to get it under control and tame it. Bulgar scared off the first horse he tried to catch, but was more successful with a second. Letho caught the stallion.

As Letho had his own horse he gave the stallion to Scathe to ride. Dandelion tagged along as he wanted to write a ballad so rode with Bulgar. We rode overnight to the lock. There were lights on in the building by the lock. We tied up the horses and crept closer through the woods. The building had a watchtower and we could see someone in there keeping watch.

We crept to the rear garden gate and entered the garden. The back door was locked but I quickly picked the lock. As we opened the door we saw the back of someone picking up a keg. Bulgar cast a spell, charming him. Bulgar then beckoned him over and knocked him out. We burst into the sitting room and found six men lounging about. Bulgar intimidated them and they stayed quiet and called the guard down from the tower. They were all tied up and their armour was taken so we could use them as a disguise.

We rested until morning then waited for the barge to arrive. We eventually saw it approaching and went out dressed as the guards to start operating the lock. Letho fell into the lock while running across the gate. Bulgar threw his rope to him but forgot to hold the other end and threw the whole coil in the water. I then had to threw my own rope to him then tied it off allowing him to pull himself out.

The crew on the barge was wearing the colours of the Duke of Vespaden. We waited until the barge was trapped in the lock then Bulgar pushed one of the guards on the barge into the water as Letho skewered another. Bulgar created a bolt of lightning which hit four of them, killing two and seriously injuring the others. The remaining guards surrendered and we tied them up on the bank. While I was investigating what was in the crates Letho started killing the guards we had tied up.

Scathe managed to stop him before he killed the bargeman who was running the barge. We opened a crate and found a small boy bound and gagged inside. He said they had been taken by the Duke in Vesparden. He had a brother and we released him from another crate. Bulgar told them to go to a nearly farm where they could get help and they ran off into the woods. I do not know what farm Bulgar was referring to as I could not see any farm nearby but Scathe told Dandelion to follow and help them. An inspired thing to do as the bards songs which we kept having to listen to were not great.

The bargeman agreed to help us if we kept Letho from killing him. He said he had took a mage with a creature called a frightener to the Kaer the previous week. Bulgar thought the frightener would be some sort of insectoid so I made some blade oil for him.

We took the barge to the kaer. There were Nilfgaardinan soldiers with two carts waiting. As we moored up Letho jumped off the barge and decapitated one of them and severed the arm of a second, killing him as well. Bulgar followed him and killed another. I killed another myself with an arrow and Scathe loosed a lightning bolt, killing one and setting another on fire.

I was hit and stunned by a crossbow bolt fired by one of them but the soldiers were no match for the witchers and the rest of them were quickly reduced down to two who turned and ran. The witchers took chase, Bulgar killed one of them and I finished the second with an arrow.

We loaded the carts with the crates then approached the Kaer. The gates opened as we approached and we entered without any difficulties. What I assume was the frightener was running round the courtyard. The mage was there and seemed able to control it. We parked the carts and went up to the entrance of the main building. There was a guard but I persuaded him to let us in. He said Leo Bonhart, the Duke of Vesparden and the Nilfgaard ambassador with his retinue were in the banquet hall in a meeting.

We went down to the basement where Bulgar said the library and laboratory were located. There was a barrier of red light across the entrance of the library and laboratory, and two guards. Bulgar intimidated them and one of them said "let it down" then the barriers vanished. We went round the corner where we found another individual with a lever. Bulgar charmed him then knocked him out. Scathe cast a spell freezing one of the guards solid and Letho decapitated the other.

We entered the laboratory where we found a mage deep in research. Bulgar challenged him and he said he did not need any help. Bulgar punched him and he started casting a spell so Bulgar stopped him by cutting his arm off. I stabilised him before he died in case we needed him. He was studying how to create mutagens. We took what we thought were the most important books from the library and Scathe teleported them to Letho's hut. Letho killed the mage as he thought he knew too much.

In the library I found a book called Treaties of Alzur vol 3 which had a bookmark on which was written Frightener. It was marking a chapter about the Frightener and said it was only vulnerable to loud sounds and relic oil. We decided to attack the banquet hall because killing those there would disrupt the plans. When we went up from the basement we immediately ran into a patrol. Letho charged and butchered two of the guards, and Bulgar killed a third leaving one for Scathe to pin in place with magic so stop him fleeing. Letho then cut him in half.

As the fight raised a lot of noise, we ran to the banquet hall where we found six guards with three other men. A wealthy aristocrat in black robes ( the ambassador), a man in scarlet and orange robes (The duke of Vesparden) and a tall thin man with moustache (Bonhart). Bonhart reacted with amazing speed and threw a bomb at us but Scathe threw a ball of fire back. Letho charged Bonhart and they started fighting. Bulgar attacked the guards though two of them broke off to attack myself and Scathe. The ambassador cowered behind the table but the Duke of Vesparden pulled out a crossbow and started firing at us.

Bulgar killed two of the guards and Scathe summoned illusionary images of himself to confuse them. The fight continued and Bulgar killed another guard while Bonhart and Letho exchanged blows to little effect. I managed to kill the guard fighting me but suffered a wound to my leg in the fight. Bulgar killed the last guard he was fighting and moved to help Letho who was looking a bit worse for wear at that point.

The ambassador tried to jump through the window but I put two arrows into him before the duke helped him through. I moved to the window and put a third arrow into the ambassador, killing him. The Duke shouted for help and the mage in the courtyard ordered the Frightener to attack. It moved blindingly fast and came crashing through the wall. Bonhart swore and jumped through a window, and Letho chased after him. Bulgar also jumped through the window, charging the wizard controlling the Frightener and running him through with his sword.

I jumped through the window to get away from the Frightener and fired at the Duke. Scathe followed me through the window leaving a single guard in the room which was quickly torn apart by the Frightener. The Duke ordered the trainee witchers to attack but Bulgar shouted that he was a witcher and would train them if they swore allegiance. They immediately went down on their knees to him.

Scathe examined the body of the wizard and found a bracelet which he deduced would control the frightener. He started studying the book we found to understand the ritual which would allow him to control it. Meanwhile Bulgar ordered the trainees to attack the frightener. Letho and Bonhart had disappeared.

I killed the Duke with another arrow then went to get a dinner gong in the hope the noise would affect the frightener. Scathe started casting the ritual as the frightener carved its way through the trainees. Bulgar lost his prosthetic leg again as the Frightener knocked it flying. The gong did have some effect on the Frightener and appeared to stagger it, though that only slowed it slightly. Finally Scathe succeeded in casting the ritual and gained control of the frightener, then commanded it to die. The body was harvested for components by Bulgar.

All the guards and trainees were dead, and we found ourselves in a now empty Kaer. Neither Letho or Bonhart ever returned and we were resting overnight when Melina stepped through a portal and said we were needed urgently.

Continued in Chapter 7.