| “ | Ciri looked up into his face and barely restrained her frightened scream. He wasn't human. Although he stood on two legs, although he smelled of sweat and smoke, although he wore ordinary human clothes, he was not human. No human can have a face like that, she thought. | „ |
| ~ Ciri after seeing Eskel, page 40 of Blood of Elves |
Summary
Eskel is a calm and reasonable witcher and Geralt's friend from his youth and, according to Ciri, he even resembled him apart from hair color and a long scar which disfigured his cheeks. They were raised together at Kaer Morhen and participated in the trials together.
Powers and Stats
Tier: 8-C, higher with Aard, even higher with Potions
Name: Eskel
Origin: The Witcher
Gender: Male
Age: Near 100 years old (Is the same age as Geralt)
Classification: Mutated Human, Witcher
Powers and Abilities:
- Base: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Longevity, Regeneration (Low-Mid, is comparable to Geralt who can regenerate a big hole in his neck in a few months. healed from getting brutally bitten in the neck by Dettlaff. Eskel explains that witcher's wounds heal much faster than normal humans'), Strong Will, Master Swordsman (Equal to Geralt who is one of, if not the greatest swordsman in the entire series, with skill matched only by a limited few. He also gained the reputation of "the best swordsman the North has ever seen"), Very proficient in unarmed combat and boxing, Enhanced Senses (Has night vision, can detect magic with his pendant, enhanced senses of smell and hearing, and can see through walls with certain potions. Should scale to Geralt who could casually notice that Scoia'tael members are aiming arrows at him and Zoltan without even seeing them, and hear them breathing. His Medallion also can sense Places of Power and nearby items. Scales to Geralt who can even see, hear and interact with ghosts, as seen when he talks with the von Everec ghosts in Hearts of Stone, and normal humans like Shani couldn't see or even hear them), Non-Physical Interaction (Scales to Geralt, who can harm the ghosts of the von Everecs, which are now mere souls and also intangible. Can also attack spirits while they are intangible with certain oils/materials), Acrobatics (Comparable to Geralt, who is incredibly agile, and can jump off castle walls with taking no damage), Limited Body Control (As written in The Witcher 3 Universe Compendium, witchers are able to regulate the speed of their pulse and the flow of adrenaline, giving them unparalleled reflexes and strength), Information Analysis and Preparation (Every witcher prepares to their fights by creating potions/sword oils and analyzing opponent's weaknesses and powers), Self-Sustenance (Type 2. Kiyan witcher who was subjected to mage experiments didn't eat anything for years and could still fight, and "eat and drink by himself"), Stealth Mastery (Comparable to Geralt in stealth abilities), Analytical Prediction (Scaling to Geralt), Magic (Can perform rudimentary magic with his signs. Is implied to be even better than Geralt at signs), Pseudo-Time Slow (with Heliotrope, can slow down time in a bubble shaped area), Forcefield Creation, Purification and Attack Reflection with Quen (Reflects 50% of the damage it takes back at the attacker. Eskel can cast Quen as a body shield and bubble forcefield as described below and can remove status effects like burning, poison or acid from him), Fire Manipulation (With Igni), Mind Manipulation (With Axii), Telekinesis (With Aard), Statistics Reduction, Poison Manipulation and Electricity Manipulation with Yrden (Yrden significantly slows down enemies. Yrden can poison and shoot lightning, as well as force spirits to become tangible), Sleep Manipulation and possibly Limited Memory Manipulation with Somne (Somne is a sign that puts enemies under sleep and can possibly erase memories of that. After Geralt used it on Nimue, she couldn't remember meeting and talking to him), Sound Manipulation (With Supirre).
- With bombs: Explosion Manipulation (With Grapeshot), Light Manipulation and Status Effect Inducement (With Zerrikanian Sun), Fear Manipulation (With King and Queen), Madness Manipulation (with Red haze), possibly Power Nullification (With Moon Dust and Dimeritium bomb, he can stop opponent's transformation and negate magic around him), Poison Manipulation (With Devil's Puffball). Fire Manipulation (With Dancing Star), Ice Manipulation (With Northern Wind that can deal additional damage to his foes)
- With potions: Statistics Amplification (Can increase his physical capabilities with various potions. Thunderbolt potion increases the strength of his attacks), Pain Manipulation (Can induce extreme pain when someone harms him with Shrike potion if his blood makes any physical contact with the opponent), Transmutation (Can turn his own blood into poison with Black Blood potion) and Perception Manipulation (Can slow down his own perception of time after killing enemies with Blizzard potion), Limited Reactive Power Level (With Wyvern and Succubus decoction, Eskel's attack power grows with every hit. With Griffin decoction, every time Eskel is damaged his resistance to physical and elemental attacks grow), Healing (With Swallow and Gadwall potions, and few others), Damage Reduction (With Reliever's decoction and many others)
- With potions: Hypnosis (With Enhanced Cat potion), Enhanced Acid Manipulation (With Bindweed potion), Stunning (With Chort decoction)
Attack Potency: Building level+ (Comparable to Geralt, had an equal duel with Caranthir Ar-Feiniel), higher with Aard (Aard can stun enemies that a witcher couldn't physically, like Earth Elementals and Golems), even higher with Potions (Potions make a witcher far stronger than their base form)
Speed: Subsonic movement speed with Massively Hypersonic+ combat and reaction speed (Comparable to Geralt, was keeping up with Caranthir), higher with Potions
Lifting Strength: Class 5, likely Class 25 (Comparable to Geralt and crossed weapons with Caranthir)
Striking Strength: Building level+
Durability: Building level+ (Took few direct hits from Caranthir), higher with Quen (Can tank magic from highly skilled mages, as well as from a Djinn)
Stamina: Immensely high. Could fight for hours during the Battle of Kaer Morhen and is comparable to fellow witchers, including Geralt.
Range: Standard Melee Range with fists; Extended Melee Range with swords, Several Meters with signs and bombs
- Grapeshot: Inflicts shrapnel damage to foes within its explosion radius. Deals a small amount of fire damage.
- Moon Dust: Contains silver splinters that temporarily prevent monsters from or regenerating and nullifies intangibility of some monsters
- Northern Wind: Freezes foes and the surrounding area. Blows landed on frozen foes deal additional damage.
- Dimeritium bomb: Releases a cloud of dimeritium cloud that blocks magic and monsters' magic abilities.
- Dancing Star: Produces a fiery explosion that ignites the surrounding area.
- Red haze: The reddish haze emitted by this bomb upon detonation causes hallucinations and aggression, leading foes which inhale the gas to fight each other.
- Stenchbulb: Upon detonation, it releases a cloud of gas with an odor so bad that not even necrophages can resist it
- Samum: Blinds opponents within its explosion radius.
- Devil's Puffball: Releases a cloud of poison when detonated.
- Dragon's Dream: Releases a cloud of gas that explodes when ignited.
- King and Queen: Upon detonation, this bomb magically evokes fear in the heart of opponents.
- Zerrikanian Sun: Upon detonation, this bomb releases a flash of light, blinding all nearby opponents.
- Swallow: Swallow significantly increases the regeneration of the witcher, It additionally has no side effect to it
- Thunderbolt: The Thunderbolt potion augments muscle power and thus damage dealt using a sword. As simple as it is effective, the brew is a more powerful version of the Rook potion. Unfortunately, Thunderbolt may cause weaker muscle fibers to rupture, decreasing both Vitality and its regeneration. These side effects can be alleviated by taking the Swallow potion.
- Tawny Owl: Tawny Owl speeds up the regeneration of Stamina. After consuming it, the witcher can parry monsters' blows and cast Signs more often. The potion is weaker than Lapwing, but generates no side effects.
- Blizzard: Blizzard is one of the most powerful witchers' potions; it improves reflexes and reaction time, allowing a witcher to better parry and evade attacks. It slows down the perception of time, making everything else slower. It is most helpful against groups of enemies and monsters that move fast or teleport, such as wraiths and various types of vampires.
- Black Blood: Black Blood turns imbiber's blood into poison; blood becomes lethal to monsters which drink it.
- Petri's Philter: Increases Signs Effectiveness and Damage
- Golden Oriole: Golden Oriole, one of the best-known witcher potions, increases resistance to special attacks, such as Poisoning, Incineration, and Bleeding. The brew also negates the side effects of the Lapwing and Brock potions, while producing no side effects of its own. Additionally, it turns poisons into a healing brew which regenerates damage taken by the witcher
- Cat: Cat is one of the potions witchers use most often. After imbibing it, the witcher is able to see in total darkness and will avoid being surprised by any nocturnal creatures. The potion allows its user to see both living creatures and those made of inanimate matter, even through walls.
- White Honey: White Honey strongly stimulates the production of purifying enzymes in witchers' mutated bodies. Thus, it frees their bodies of the effects of toxicity, though it simultaneously nullifies the beneficial effects of any potions previously consumed. White Honey does not alleviate the effects of common venoms and poisons.
- Gadwall: Gadwall helps a witcher's mutated body regenerate much faster than usual. Gadwall is a stronger version of the Swallow potion. As Gadwall courses through the veins, however, it burdens a witcher's body, causing him to deal less damage and lose Durability at an accelerated rate. These side effects can be reduced by drinking the Rook potion.
- Wolf: Witchers who drink the Wolf potion are more agile during fights. Their special attacks, like those causing poisoning or heavy bleeding, are more accurate and effective. The potion has no known side effects. When imbibed, the brew can cancel the side effects of the Virga potion.
- Rook: Rook is especially popular among witchers who believe that killing monsters quickly is their best defense. This potion increases muscular power, and thus damage dealt to foes in close combat. It is inferior to Thunderbolt in terms of power amplification but it offers less intoxication
- Tiara: This singular potion affects the witcher's skeleton, hardening bones and strengthening tendons. Each time the witcher parries an opponent's blow while under the potion's influence, he loses less Vigor than he would had he not consumed a dose of Tiara. The catch, however, is that stronger bones and joints denote stiffer limbs and weaker soft tissue. The witcher strikes with less confidence, so the sword damage he deals is reduced. His Durability also declines.
- Stammelford's philtre: This brew is readily used by witchers who rely on magic, since it augments the intensity of Signs, the damage done by the Igni, the impact of the Aard, the defenses of the Quen, and so on. Unfortunately, the potion taps the witcher's Vitality for its power, thus reducing it. Witchers compensate for this loss by consuming the Swallow potion.
- Lapwing: Just as Gadwall regenerates Vitality slowly but consistently, Lapwing restores Stamina more easily. The potion's effect is stronger than that of Tawny Owl, but it produces some side effects. Lapwing intensely weakens the body, reducing the witcher's Vitality and resistances. To strengthen themselves, witchers take Golden Oriole and Swallow together with Lapwing.
- Virga: Virga is favored by witchers who assign greater importance to safety than to mounting bold attacks. The brew increases the witcher's resistances, rendering him less vulnerable to the special attacks of monsters, including Poisoning, Incineration, and Bleeding. Virga is stronger than Golden Oriole, but it has some side effects. When focusing on defense, the witcher is limited in his ability to execute subtle attacks. The witcher thus cannot employ tactics to which he himself has become more resistant, be it Poisoning, Incineration, or oils that increase Bleeding. The Wolf potion can be used to limit this side effect.
- Bindweed: Bindweed was created specifically to counter monsters which employ acid as a weapon. Witchers also call it 'swamp potion', because monsters which spit acid or have caustic blood are most often found in swamps.
- Kiss: This potion affects witchers' mutated bodies by forcing their blood to congeal almost instantaneously. It is often consumed before taking on monsters known to inflict hemorrhaging wounds.
- Shrike: Shrike mutates the blood itself. Whosoever spills a drop of Shrike-laced blood will earn a measure of pain in return.
- Chort decoction: Provides complete resistance to the Stagger effect and reduces the Knock-down effects to Stagger.
- Doppler decoction: Increases base damage by 50%, also increases attack power from behind
- Earth elemental decoction: Increases the witcher's resistance to Vitality-depleting critical effects applied during combat. The resistance level rises the longer the critical effects is applied.
- Fiend decoction: Increases the amount of weight the witcher can carry without being overburdened.
- Foglet decoction: Increases Sign Intensity during cloudy weather.
- Griffin decoction: Taking damage raises damage resistance from physical and elemental damage
- Noonwraith decoction: Significantly limits the duration of Knockdown, Hypnosis, Stun, and Blindness.
- Reliever's decoction: Increases damage dealt and decreases damage taken against intangible beings like wraiths.
- Succubus decoction: Attack Power grows over the course of a fight until reaching a maximum threshold.
- Troll decoction: Regenerates Damage during and outside of combat.
- Wyvern decoction: Each blow landed increases Attack Power until either the fight ends or damage is taken.
- Witcher Steel and Silver Sword: This is the standard sword equipment for every witcher. Steel sword is made out of meteorite steel and it's so sharp that it can cut through steel platted Armour. It is commonly used against humans and wild animals. The Silver Sword is more fragile but it's really effective against monsters and supernatural entities as it ignores durability. Contrary to popular belief the blade it's not entirely made out of silver, only the edges are covered in a thin silver lining while the blade is made out of meteorite steel.
- Witcher Armour: Witcher armors are really light and durable which perfectly coincides with witcher's combat style and movement. Each witcher school possesses a unique type of witcher armor
- Witcher Medallions: A witcher medallion is a silver symbol of the witchers' profession. Each one is shaped to represent the school a witcher comes from. It is sensitive to magic, vibrating, and tugging on its chain when spells are being cast or magical beings, like genies, are present. This magic medallion is given to every young witcher candidate who has passed the Trial of the Grasses.
- Dagger: Used by witcher's to clear out fodders or decapitate heads of dead monsters and take them as trophies
- Oils: Before a fight, a witcher always prepares oils to strengthen their blows and give a higher chance of winning against a foe albeit it a human, an animal, or a monster. As a side effect when a blade covered in oil cuts through the skin of the opponent that oil causes poisoning
Intelligence: Gifted (Skilled alchemist and monster hunter with decades of experience. Trained and carefully developed for combat ever since he was a child)
Weaknesses: Can only use a small number of signs consecutively before needing to recharge, taking too many potions can poison and kill him. His weapons require time-to-time maintenance to work at peak condition.
Notable Attacks/Techniques:
Aard is a simple magical sign used by witchers. It is comprised of a telekinetic thrust that can stun, repel, knockdown, or disarm opponents and remove barriers and other objects.
It is the sign that the witcher uses the most. Outside of combat, Aard is most often used to clear a path, either by blowing down a wall or blowing apart a pile of debris. During combat, it can stun, knockdown, or disarm an opponent.
Igni is a simple magical sign used by witchers. It is comprised of a pyrokinetic burst that can repel and ignite opponents and start fires.
Igni is incredibly effective against foes that are weak to fire. There is also an alternative form of Igni that allows witchers to release a steady flow of fire instead of one quick burst. It can be beneficial for continuously burning enemies even after they've been ignited. Igni is hot enough to melt thick steel armors.
Yrden is a simple magical sign used by witchers. When inscribed on a solid surface, it blocks the monsters from getting closer, scaring them off. If a hostile being enters the area affected by Sign, it is visibly slowed down/paralyzed, and non-corporeal forces become corporeal.
Most foes that wander into the ring are significantly slowed or even paralyzed. Yrden is best for controlling multiple enemies in the melee range. It's also particularly effective against supernatural beings who mostly remain intangible unless caught within a Yrden circle. Yrden can poison and drain the vitality of the foes within the ring.
This sign has an alternative mode, which is a floating rune of Yrden. This mode shoots lightning bolts that damage and stun enemies at a long range and can even nullify projectiles.
Quen is a simple magical sign used by witchers. When the first form is cast, it forms a protective forcefield around the body of the casting witcher but disappears after one hit/few hits when upgraded enough. It can also be used to create a bubble-shaped field that absorbs damage and converts it into regeneration (and can also reflect 50% of physical damage back at the enemy), which is the second form of Quen. However, it's impossible to attack while keeping it still.
Witchers use it mainly to protect themselves from attacks that cover great range/omnidirectional attacks and is not necessarily using it in direct close-quarter combat.
Axii is a simple magical sign used by witchers. It is a mental wave that triggers a hex that causes an enemy to obey witchers' commands. The effect can wear off over time or be broken via damage from the casting witcher. It can also be used to disable opponents temporarily. Witchers use it rarely. And if they do, it's mainly against folks like peasants or guards to make them go away if he doesn't want to kill them or when it fits the situation, like to not get spotted by someone. However, if a witcher has no choice and Axii is one of the only ways to beat his enemy, he will go for it in a fight, like in cases when he fights a foe with far too troublesome abilities.
Some examples of lore Axii are shown here.
Heliotrope is considered the ultimate magical sign used by witchers. When cast, it forms a protective aura-like forcefield that slows down everything within its range.
However it should be noted that this sign is completely different in the books as it is more akin to Quen as it is a protective barrier sign against physical attacks while Quen is a magical one.
Somne is a simple magical sign used by witchers. It was shown in the book Season of Storms. It can put targets to sleep by drawing a sign in the air and possibly erase memories of that happening.
Supirre is a simple magical sign used by the Witchers to hear sounds or conversations that would otherwise be inaudible or undetectable to even a Witcher's enhanced senses.
This sign is most often used in crowded areas to eavesdrop some important conversation and sometimes to detect sounds that wouldn't be normally be heard otherwise. It is also a great sign for echolocation
Notable Matchups
Victories:
Losses:
Inconclusive:
Discussions
| Discussion threads involving Eskel |