#stygga castle

[hanzajesthanza]

costume design for my stage adaptation of chapter 9 of lady of the lake (stygga castle). this work was done in 2021, as the final project for my costume design class.

see the context and preliminary work for this project in this ask post.

i regret not being more fanciful and symbolic with the costumes (you can kind of see this direction in regis' designs, i was more explorative with his as he is a supernatural creature), but at the time i was more focused on accuracy to the book description, and felt i should try to 'do it justice' first: ascertain something like what they could have actually worn, just to give myself a starting point of realism.

(some noted inaccuracies: i didn't feel comfortable drawing yennefer as battered and bloody as she would have realistically been, so i didn't reflect this in my design. i also messed up on ciri's scar, because i didn't do my due diligence at the time).

i'd love to work on this hypothetical adaptation more and redesign these costumes to be more fitting with my updated vision at some point.

[blooms-in-april]

Of all the weirdly specific things to hallucinate about, my fangirl ass has been lucid daydreaming about a Witcher West Side Story where Lambert is Tony, Aiden is Maria, the rumble is the treasonous tournament between the Cat and Wolf schools, and America is a sung by Guxart (as Anita) and the Dyn Marv caravan cat witchers about how much they enjoy getting away from Stygga castle.

[dukeofdogs]

Gezras of Leyda

Chest: The Witcher School of the Cat did not have one specific home. Over the years, there were numerous hiding places in which witchers subjected their adepts to mutations. They created numerous camps where they trained together. Nevertheless, the founder of the Cats was indeed “created” in Stygga Castle, and thus—it was their first home. Not for long, however. In rebellion against those who created them, young Gezras led other witchers to escape the castle. Needless to say, they had to earn their freedom by force. After the painful experiments they were subjected to, many were more than eager to bleed the mages that had wronged them. Later, the Cats grew stronger, bolstering their ranks with badly mutated witchers who had been rejected by other schools. The outcasts gathered together to raise the next generations through corrupt experimental methods. Over time, their warped mutations and aggressive disposition earned them the disdain of other schools.

Scroll 1: Gezras, born a half-elf, was considered an abomination and sold to the mages of Stygga castle at a very young age. His mutations were part of a new process designed to dull the emotions of would-be witchers even more than usual. The new recipe, however, failed... spectacularly so. Instead of inhibiting emotions, the method⁠—quite ironically⁠—enhanced them, leaving Gezras and his new brothers permanently unhinged and prone to erratic behavior.

Scroll 2: More concerned with discovering the source of their error than the well-being of their test subjects, the mages caged their spoiled batch with the determination to dissect until a solution could be derived. Upon waking in a pile of discarded corpses, barely alive, Gezras was able to crawl out and free his remaining imprisoned brothers. Together, they somehow managed to escape into the night before the mages' labour could resume.

Scroll 3: Over the next few years, they found refuge among the Aen Seidhe, who helped them hide from those still seeking to abolish their past mistakes. In exchange for their sanctuary, they used their skills to engage in guerilla warfare and assassinations on behalf of the elves.

Scroll 4: Having grown in numbers and strength, the Feline witchers set forth to infiltrate the quarters of their misguided creators, slaughtering them as they slumbered. Their vengeance finally sated, Gezras led his newly-formed School of the Cat north where, free from their mired past, they could start anew.

[belongstocaptaindoyle]

                        ‘Blood in the breeze And I hope that you remember me.’

[tallfroggie]

Downtime.

I’m back from my hibernation with some art! Finally! This time we’re doing something set in the Witcher universe, all the way back with the Cats at Stygga Castle, wayyy before any of our beloved protagonists were born. Enjoy some future Witchers hanging out as kids, featuring two of @windflowerofskellige ‘s kids, and one of mine :) (And also Gezras of Leyda, who is an actual character from the Witcher universe)

This was the first time I’ve ever drawn a whole interior background before, and I also did some experimentation with lighting! I’m very proud of this one :)

[blooodymoon]

Lore-Only Gwent Cards Cat Witchers (General)

→ Voicelines

School of the Cat

Masterpost Card Art from Gwent.One My Edit

Card Texts under the Cut

Cat Witcher Adept Cat students hone their balance by walking a tightrope blindfolded. Failure is easy to shrug off at first, but throughout their training, the walk gets higher⁠—and more perilous⁠—as they work toward their final Trial, where failure is not so forgiving.

Cat Witcher Members of the School of the Cat are ill-famed due to their penchant for frenzy and bloodlust in the heat of battle. Even when their enemies capitulate, beg for mercy… Cats never stop killing.

Cat Witcher Saboteur Needless to say, the ill fame of their deeds hangs like a dark cloud over our reputation to this day.” ⁠— Vesemir

Cat Witcher Mentor If you fall, it’s over. Your nine lives are up, kid.

Making a Bomb You’ll probably want to follow the instructions…

Stygga Castle The Feline witchers did not stay in Stygga Castle for long. Nor anywhere else, actually.

[ofcorvobianco]

Okok hear me out... Whoreson Prison Blues but the pov is Yennefer on Stygga Castle

[hungarianbee]

The banner of “Way of the Witcher”, depicting the four founders of the Witcher Schools.

Gorthur Gvaed: “There were many scrolls and manuscipts about the legend of the Wild Hunt in the stronghold - and for a good reason.”

Stygga Castle: “The Feline witchers did not stay in Stygga Castle for long. Not anywhere else, actually.”

Haern Caduch: “Carved into the icy rock of the Amell Mountains, hidden amid jagged crags and snowdrifts, the location of the long-abandoned School of the Bear remains a well-kept secret.”

Kaer Seren: “Kaer Seren’s literary collection was its greatest treasure and the envy of a group of overzealous mages. In their attempt to seize it for themselves, they destroyed the very thing they desired most.”

[art datamined from here]