Alyssa

So, today we're going to be discussing "The Witcher," which, as I said, is the first short story in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Last Wish. Part I starts:

A stranger enters an inn in the town of Wyzim. He’s not old, but his hair is entirely white and, unconventionally, he carries his sword strapped on his back. He asks for a room at the inn and is denied. Overhearing the stranger’s accent, some of the patrons in the inn start a brawl, which the stranger ends quickly and lethally. Guards come into the tavern and attempt to threaten the stranger into surrender. Instead, the man uses magic to hypnotize the guards into leading him to the town’s castellan.

Chris

So, my first thought was, "That was a situation that went from 1 to 10 very quickly." I think what was interesting the most about the whole section was just how you… go into it thinking that, "Oh, there's going to be a fight," and it just descends into a complete massacre.

Alyssa

Yeah, absolutely. I think the interesting thing about this part is that we really don't know anything about this character that walks into this inn. We kind of see that, from the perspective of the people in the inn, the innkeep, etc. he's coming into their town and as soon as he does, he, kind of, keeps to himself, but even while doing so, a brawl starts up around him. It's not the kind of thing where it's, like, a fist fight that gets taken outside. You know, someone goes to slice someone up and then suddenly half the room is dead.

Chris

Yeah, for me, personally, that was just completely unexpected. And I also think what was very interesting about this section was how well it gets you immediately involved into wanting to know more about this character, especially as you witness him being, like, targeted, marginalized. So, I think what was really interesting about the scene also is that in the very beginning, you just are immediately drawn to this character to understand why there's so much bias against him. Because obviously, as they go, they–they’re talking about Rivians and you're wondering, first of all, who are Rivians? And you immediately understand, though, that they're not looked upon favorably. You immediately get a sense of sympathy for this main character and you’re–and you kind of want him to go out and have a fight, but what ends up happening is he just straight up kills them. So, for me, personally, it was like a, "Oh, woah," moment.

Alyssa

I think the other thing to note here is that you really don't have any idea of… if this is something that that character has experienced before. This stranger that's now in Wyzim… is this the way that he always acts? You know, with, kind of, very minimal prompting, where he just starts massacring everyone. You really have no understanding of his backstory at this part of "The Witcher."

Chris

Yeah, I mean, for me, personally, like, one of the most interesting sections was where there's so much detail being involved in the description of what's happening, that it really puts you in that frame of mind and that sense that you are there. And a particular line that I found very interesting, or very detailed, rather, was:

[Reading] The stranger retreated toward the wall, tense and alert. He held the sword in both hands, sweeping the blade through the air. No one moved. Terror, like cold mud, was clear on their faces, paralyzing limbs and blocking throats.

So the use of, you know, "tense and alert," "Like cold mud," uh, which was very interesting, I would never have come up with that.

Alyssa

From the passage that you read out, it makes it really clear that this kind of massacre isn't something that people are used to. Like, it's not like we get dropped into the story and it's clear that this is the status quo. We actually get the opposite, that a lot of people are surprised and scared by this reaction from the stranger and about the fight that breaks out, which I think sets a really nice tone for the rest of the story.

Chris

Yeah, leaves a lot of questions unanswered. I don't think anybody, anywhere would expect a scene like this to unfold.

Alyssa

No. [Chuckles] And we do get a lot of questions answered, though, in the next part. [Laughs]

Chris

…Tune in next week!

Alyssa

In Part II, Velerad, the castellan of Wyzim, speaks with the man, who introduces himself as Geralt of Rivia. As it turns out, Geralt is in town to inquire about a royal proclamation for a witcher’s job with a large reward. Velerad the castellan gives Geralt the details of the job: Foltest, King of Temeria, Pontar, and Mahakam; got his younger sister, Adda, pregnant. Neither the baby nor Adda survived the birth and were buried in a double sarcophagus beneath the palace. Seven years later, the infant became a striga, a monster, and began terrorizing Wyzim. It’s been seven years since then and Foltest seeks someone to reverse the curse on his daughter, the striga. The castellan also tells Geralt that a group of noblemen would be willing to pay the witcher for killing the striga outright.

So, we learn a lot in this chapter, we get, kind of, a lot of exposition through Velerad, the castellan, and the man, who we now know is named Geralt. When we first meet Velerad, the castellan of Wyzim, he is… playing with a heavy mace and in my headcanon—this isn't in the books—but in my headcanon, he also has his feet up on the table. And it's just, like, this very bold, non-verbal power move of just playing with this mace and talking to a stranger who just killed three to four people in his town.

Chris

That is a good point to bring up. Because even if there's lacking detail in the story, it does evoke in you an imagery of–of what's happening in the scene. I really like the visual—the visualization behind here. Especially for, like, noting for you, you kind of added visualization in your head, which I think is indicative of how well the story knows where to provide detail. For me, personally, I'm imagining, sort of, this big, burly guy who, like you said, either has his feet up on the table or on the chair.

Alyssa

Yeah.

Chris

And just, kind of, like, looking offhandedly with the mace, just, kind of, like, twirling a little bit… what is it called… uh, like a little dreidel.

Alyssa

[Laughs] I don’t know if you can—I don't know if physics supports the idea that you can twirl… a mace like a dreidel.

Chris

I think you could. Because, because the mace has points. So, it's also a very interesting thing to imagine as a–as a balancing act. Because those points are sharp. So if you can balance it well enough, you could, kind of, like, spin it with your hand, but also if you mess it up, it's going to land, like, on your crotch and then you just "maced" yourself.

Alyssa

[Snorts] "Maced" as a verb, not for the spray, but rather for the very heavy… medieval… weapon. [Laughs]

Chris

Very heavy. Have you ever actually tried to lift one?

Alyssa

I have not. But I can be damn sure that it doesn't twirl like a dreidel. [Laughs]

Chris

It is utterly, like, amazing, like, the type of weapons that exist. I'm imagining people holding them and wielding them, like, a mace—there are, like, smaller maces, but, like, the full-sized ones that were meant to, like, hit people. That was it. That's like something else.

Alyssa

If there's anyone around that can fact check if you can spin a mace like a dreidel… let us know, write to us. But in my mind, he's, kind of, playing with it as you would a bat. So, he's got it in one hand and he's just, kind of, like, tapping it against his other, just… laying with his feet up on the table—almost like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast—and just, you know, whacking it around in a way that's, kind of, meant to make a presence for him.

But anyway, now that we've spent so much time on… Velerad’s mace, we do learn a lot more about the witcher, Geralt of Rivia, and also the purpose for why he's here in Wyzim.

Chris

Yeah, and I think there's a lot of interesting points in terms of, like, emphasizing the kind of person that Geralt actually is. Uh, we still don't know a lot about him, but we're starting to slowly form ideas. We're already carrying this sort of pre-existing notion that he's a very violent, potentially violently tempered person based on the fight that happened before that escalated, but we also see him in this scenario where he's very calm, collected, and very patient. And it, kind of, evokes in you a sense that… is this person, some sort of professional? What is it exactly that he does? He's obviously well-trained in fighting so, it must be something in terms of some form of combat. So, in my mind at least, when I was reading this, the first thought that I was entertaining was, "He is here for some sort of adventure," and it kind of prepares you to be, like, "What exactly is this adventure?" And that's when we, sort of, find out more about the striga, which by the way, I really like as a word. Really rolls off the tongue nicely.

Alyssa

[As if having ate a soprano frog.] Stri-ga.

Chris

It sounds very cool.

Alyssa

It does. It does. And we learn a lot about what a striga is from Velerad's initial description in this part of the chapter.

Chris

I think it's interesting to, sort of, go into the overall description and detail that is provided by Velerad. It's just, it's amusing to imagine Geralt is there seriously trying to listen and get as much information as possible and Velerad is, kind of, just very dismissively being like, "Hey, you know, this is the situation, but [psh] good luck. It ain't–it ain't happening."

Alyssa

So, for some more robust detail about what Velerad tells Geralt: Velerad gives Geralt the history that prompted this proclamation from King Foltest. King Foltest, in his youth, got his younger sister, Adda, pregnant and neither the baby nor Adda survived birth. Thus was born a striga. So, after the striga started terrorizing Wyzim, the town brought in a lot of sorcerers and mages and all sorts of people in order to figure out what to do about it. A lot of people offered ways to kill it, but there was one person who told Foltest that it would be possible to reverse a curse that had been placed on the striga in order to turn the striga back into his daughter. And this is, kind of, what prompts Foltest to continually send out this proclamation to find someone to reverse this curse. Velerad notes that Foltest will not allow the striga to be killed.

So, at this point, Chris, what is your impression of the situation from Velerad's telling?

Chris

I'm thinking of it in the perspective of, like, as you–as a reader, what are you thinking about… of this character, Foltest? Because you–you discover and find out that he has an incestual relationship with his sister; he had a child with her. The child is… who knows what's going on there. The only person whose word-of-mouth you have right now is Velerad and the whole situation is–it just–it sounds messed up. That's–that would be my immediate impulse: is to think this Foltest character he's–he must be a messed up person. Because anything that has incestual connotations, and especially in light of, like, there's this striga character has been killing people for, what, over seven years?

Alyssa

Yeah, seven years at this point.

Chris

Right. And it seems like people are, kind of, trying to do something, but at the same time, it's, like, it's been seven years. Are people actually trying to do something? It's sets a good framework of what the scene looks like and also provides a bit of pre-context on some characters that we haven't yet met.

Alyssa

Absolutely. At this point, we really do only see Velerad's side of the story and we really don't have any other insight into any of the other players in Wyzim.

Ultimately, Geralt asks Velerad, you know, "Have any other witchers been here?" Velerad says that for the most part, a lot of the witchers—when they heard the curse on the striga was to be reversed and that she wasn't to be killed—a lot of them just shrugged and left. Velerad here tells Geralt about a proposition that some noblemen in Wyzim offered that previous witcher. In the text, he says:

[Reading] “You see, Geralt, there are some wise men in Wyzim, in high positions, who’ve had enough of [the] whole affair. Rumor has it these men persuaded the witcher, in secret, not to fuss around with spells but to batter the striga to death and tell the king [that] spell had failed, that his dear daughter had been killed in self-defense—an accident at work. The king, of course, would be furious and refuse to pay an oren in reward. But that would be an end to it.”

As it turns out, those men offered that witcher one thousand orens, which is the local currency in Wyzim and in Temeria. As Geralt, kind of, presses Velerad for more details, Velerad admits that witcher, kind of, ran off as soon as he saw the striga. Geralt then asks Velerad if those men still have that money pooled.

[Chuckles] I kind of love this move on Geralt's part, where it's just, like, this super Cash Money Power Move™ and he, kind of, just takes advantage of the fact that there's just a free market around "witchering" [Chris and Alyssa chuckle. Turning nouns into verbs is fun sport.] in–in this area right now.

Chris

You–you really see his Harvard Business School education right now.

Alyssa

[Laughs] Velerad offers Geralt 800 orens in order to do it, then a thousand. And Geralt, in this moment—I think this is so epic—he replies:

[Reading] “Just in case, the wise men should be thinking about how to save me from the king’s anger and get those fifteen hundred orens, of which rumor speaks, ready.”

Velerad responds:

[Reading] “It was to be a thousand.”

And Geralt says:

[Reading] “No, Lord Velerad. The witcher who was offered a thousand ran at the mere sight of the striga, without bargaining. So the risk is greater than a thousand. Whether it is greater than one and a half remains to be seen.”

[Mimics explosion] It's so good. And he just… I think it's a really good moment of deduction on Geralt's part.

Chris

No, it's like you said, it's an absolute power play.

Alyssa

Yeah, well, he's refusing to be taken advantage of by Velerad in this moment.

Chris

I’m–I'm wondering if it's "being taken advantage of" or if it's just Geralt, kind of, coming in and being like, "Well, you know, I'm a professional. I know what I'm doing. You guys obviously don't."

Alyssa

Right. And for these noblemen, it's… Geralt is definitely a pawn in their larger plan, which Velerad, kind of, hints at when he tells Geralt that there are people in Wyzim that have had enough and they just want the striga done Foltest be damned.

Chris

I think what's also interesting is, sort of, the transition of the relationship between Velerad and Geralt. So, in the beginning, Velerad is treating him with this, sort of, level of distrust, you know, using his mace, you know, spinning it around, trying to look… impressive. And then towards the end of this conversation, he's, like, having him [sit] next to him and offering him a beer.

Alyssa

And that's definitely something that we see, you know, throughout the story. Despite our first impression of this character, Geralt, in the inn where he, kind of, you know, slaughtered half the patrons—

Chris

I was about to bring that up too.

Alyssa

Yeah, we—

Chris

I was gonna ask. It's like–it's like very interesting how that kind of gets overlooked towards the end.

Alyssa

Yeah.

Chris

What's interesting to–for me to think about that is… I wonder what's going on in Velerad's head, in thinking, "This guy wants to come take on this–this creature that we haven't been able to face for seven years. I just saw him, you know, just mercilessly execute, like, three, four guys." So, in his mind he's probably thinking, "Maybe this person has a chance." So, you kind of have this notion of that's why it's getting overlooked.

Alyssa

I mean, I have a feeling it's so low-risk for Velerad at the same time. It's like—

Chris

It's also weird, ‘cause he just murdered a bunch of people. People are obviously going to be freaked out talking about it and he, Velerad, is just kind of like, "Don't do it again."

Alyssa

Right. But you know, if he kills the striga, then great. If he doesn't, from Velerad's point of view, it's, kind of, no skin off his back. It's just another person who, kind of, bit the dust trying to get this job done and things will, kind of, continue in Wyzim as they have for the last seven years.

In Part III, King Foltest and his group of advisors meet the witcher. Foltest questions Geralt about his experience as a witcher before leaving Geralt to be debriefed by Velerad, the castellan; Lord Ostrit, the magnate; and Lord Segelin. The king’s advisors give the witcher further details about the task and the striga.

So, now that we've gotten, like, a general background on the history of Wyzim and the striga in it, we finally get to meet the infamous King Foltest. And—

Chris

All too pretty.

Alyssa

[Laughs] He's so pretty! Um, Sapkowski—

Chris

I love that little subtle inclusion. "What a pretty man. A little too pretty…"

Alyssa

[Laughing] No need to be jealous.

Chris

Touché.

Alyssa

So now that we've heard this setup from Velerad about all of these players in Wyzim, what did you think now that you, kind of, get this first impression of Foltest?

Chris

So I think it's, like, really interesting to put, like, face to name—or whatever that phrasing is. I–I don't remember. Because you, kind of, go in knowing these things about Foltest and you, kind of, want to go in hating him, because the things that he did are, well, obviously, of incestual nature. You get to see him in his natural state, you get to, sort of, come in being, like, "Oh, this guy's going to be, you know, a jerk. He's gonna be mean—”

Alyssa

Or just weird. [Laughs]

Chris

Or just weird. You don't really know what to expect with him going in there. But you also kind of get the feeling that there might be something more going on behind the scenes, like, why is this whole situation of such great importance to him? Like, why doesn't he just go and kill the striga?

Alyssa

Right, right. Yeah, you don't really get too much insight into Foltest's values yet. You just know that this is something that he demands: is that the curse on the striga be reversed and that she's not to be killed. That's, kind of, as much as he says or questions Geralt about before leaving himself.

There's just something so silly. There's this one line that I just think is so odd. When Foltest is meeting Geralt for the first time, he asks:

[Reading] “What made your hair so gray? Magic? I can see that you are not old. That was a joke. Say nothing.”

[Chuckles] And I feel like it's one of those things that you totally expect someone who's medieval royalty to say.

Chris

I think he's just somebody who's, like, kind of, like, out of their mind in a way. It's very absurdist.

Alyssa

Yeah.

Chris

I like it, because that's the way I talk. [Alyssa laughs] In case, you haven't, you know, picked [up] on that.

Alyssa

"That was a joke. Say nothing." So iconic. [Laughs]

Chris

It's–it's–yeah, this… it's great because it's, like, you can't say anything to it. But it also, kind of, is, like, who is this person?

Alyssa

Exactly. So after Foltest leaves, all of his advisors… kind of, let down their guard a ton. And, you know, one climbs into his chair; they all, kind of, relax now that the king is gone. Geralt now has the time to learn a little bit more about the striga from this panel of advisors, which consists of Velerad, the castellan; Lord Ostrit, the magnate; and Lord Segelin. The theory that they present to him, which Geralt more or less confirms, is that it's possible to break the spell on Foltest's daughter, the striga, by catching her outside of her sarcophagus at the third crowing of the cock.

We get a lot more detail about, you know, the physicalities of this striga from Velerad and Segelin specifically. Velerad, as we, kind of, got the feeling before, is so frustrated [chuckles] about this whole entire thing. He tells Geralt:

[Reading] “The princess looks like a striga! Like the most strigish striga I have heard of! Her Royal Highness, the cursed royal bastard, is four cubits high, shaped like a barrel of beer, has a maw which stretches from ear to ear and is full of dagger-like teeth, has red eyes and a red mop of hair! Her paws, with claws like a wild cat’s, hang down to the ground!”

And he's just so frustrated with this, like, presentation and fanfare and falsehood of, like—or what he believes is a falsehood—of calling the Princess “a princess” because he just believes it's absolutely ridiculous to say that it's anything other than the striga that it is.

Chris

It just, kind of, a fair assessment though because, you know, it's been [chuckles] seven years. I feel like I say this a lot, but if I was a peasant living in this kingdom, I'd be like, "Geez, seven years. Couldn’t get anything done." Well, I don't know. We live in New York and the subways haven't been fixed. [Alyssa laughs] So, really, I guess it's normal.

Alyssa

Right.

Chris

Are the subways our striga? I just thought about that.

Alyssa

I think the Hudson River tubes are probably our striga. [Chris lets out a rare, punctuating laugh.] Considering that they were destroyed during Sandy in 2012. That was seven years ago.

Chris

Subways are our striga. [Alyssa laughs] You can see the metaphor in the story, which is why I like it.

Alyssa

We get a lot more detail from Segelin, who does seem to be the most level-headed of the group. And he tells Geralt:

[Reading] “…the princess moves with incredible speed and is far stronger for her height [and build] than one would expect.” He also tells Geralt, “Within the palace walls people always die, irrespective of the moon’s phase. But she only ventures out during the full moon, and not always then.”

So we learn that the striga here doesn't do any daytime attacks, and that most if not all of her attacks are really centered around the old palace which Foltest had abandoned once the striga became active.

Chris

So, I actually had a question about this part because I was–I was interested to know. It's interesting to me–to me that they have so much detail about this character, but nobody's really survived an encounter with it. Especially, I highly doubt Segelin or Velerad or Ostrit have actually seen it firsthand. So, it was interesting where this information is coming from.

Alyssa

That is a perfect segue. [Laughs] So we do actually—

Chris

I come with a plan.

Alyssa

We do at the end of Part III learn that two people have survived attacks by the striga in the past, a miller as well as a soldier.

In Part IV, we're brought to Geralt's private chamber where a hooded soldier brings one of the survivors of a striga attack, a miller, to Geralt and the witcher inspects his scars to learn more about the striga and its capabilities. When miller leaves, the hooded soldier is revealed to be King Foltest himself, who talks to Geralt one-on-one to understand the theories about his daughter. Geralt tells the king the spell might be reversed by spending a night at the palace and believes the third crowing of the cock, as long as it catches the striga outside of her sarcophagus, will end the spell. The witcher acknowledges that he can’t guarantee the princess’ normalcy if the spell is reversed, but commits to Foltest that he will try.

Chris

Foltest comes off as such an interesting character. Everybody's going to have preconceptions of him, but we see him here coming in as, sort of, this, you know, inconspicuous hooded soldier obviously wanting to get information.

Alyssa

Yeah.

Chris

You know, contrasting with his previous attitude where he was kind of, like, "You guys deal with it. Tell him every–all the information, all the details, I'm going to be, you know, doing something else. I don't know, finding another sister or whatever." [Alyssa chuckles v. awkwardly.] That a bad–that was inappropriate joke. I apologize.

Alyssa

You know Foltest, kind of, takes things into his own hands. As a king, he comes off as surprisingly self-aware in this moment and not only self-aware, but also vulnerable, seemingly despite everything that we've learned about him from his advisors up until this point.

Chris

I can't help but imag–like, you know how you, like, went ahead and visualized that Velerad just putting his feet up with the mace, just twirling it?

Alyssa

Yeah? [Laughs]

Chris

I can't help but, like, visualize Foltest as, like, this weird, like, I'm like, "SoCal" guy who's, like, comes in and you just see, like, with the witcher, like, sitting talking to the miller and then the miller leaves and then the hooded soldier, you know, lets him out, turns around, puts his hood down and is like, "'Sup, son!"

Alyssa

[Laughs] Just completely "Punk'd." [This is said much too cheery for the content of what was said. But there you go.]

Chris

[Laughs] There's cameras everywhere with—

Alyssa

[Laughs] Oh my god. It's like that—what is that show that's, um… Undercover Boss!

Chris

Oh.

Alyssa

Undercover Boss.

Chris

So you [laughs] you think Foltest, like, turns around with a fake mustache, pulls it off, like, "I heard you complaining about paternity leave."

Alyssa

[Laughs] I think I almost imagined—like, now that we're here. In this conversation. I'm, kind of, wondering what had to happen before Foltest got into that room.

Chris

You mean, how did he get set up to escort the miller?

Alyssa

Like, he just, like, got dressed in a soldier's uniform. [Chris lets out a “ha!”] I wonder if he stole it. And he had to go meet this miller who, I guess, didn't know what Foltest looked like, I'd imagine that you don't always see your kings and queens or your royalty as a peasant. It would be very rare.

Chris

Which, actually, I mean–I mean, that would work in his favor, because he would just tell you know, all the guards. He'd be like, "Back off, I got this."

Alyssa

Right.

Chris

"You. Give me your uniform. Take it off right now, because I need it." [Alyssa laughs] He definitely seems like the kind of character who would just walk up to a soldier and be like, "What size are you?"

Alyssa

Ooh, that's a personal question. [Laughs]

Chris

…way to take it to another level.

Alyssa

As I do.

As I said earlier, like, in this moment, you kind of see how self-aware Foltest seems to be. You know, contrary to what we've assumed up until this point, he seems very aware that there are noblemen who have some sort of plot against him. And he kind of bares himself in a moment of vulnerability to Geralt. Where, turns out he does have insecurities about this whole situation. Like, "Is this whole thing my fault, because Adda was my sister?" You know, despite almost the protective layer of royalty that he has, his conversation with Geralt really brings about his humanity and I think it's so funny that you have a character like Geralt. We see very different sides of him depending on who he's with, but he always brings about, kind of, this truth to the characters that he's speaking to and Foltest acknowledges this, actually. He tells Geralt that there's, you know, something about him that inspires trust.

Chris

Foltest shows up with his performance of, like, you know, "punking" Geralt and being like, "Yo, I'm your boss undercover. Haha." [Alyssa laughs] And, like, there's so much character development that goes on behind Foltest. One, you have all these preconceptions, obviously. I'm going to say that at least six more times in this podcast, by the way.

Alyssa

[Laughs] We love the word "preconceptions."

Chris

Yeah, I do too. Anyways, you go in with these preconceptions and you see Foltest somewhat behaving, like, similar–like, when you first see him, you're like, "Oh, he's kind of, like, a childish character. You know, obviously, probably, out of his mind in some way." And then you see him with this, sort of, clever, cunning strategy of coming in to talk to the witcher himself. He wants to find out more details; he wants to find out more information. What he says to Geralt is very enlightening, because one, he's threatening Geralt. Telling him, you know, I know about the whole plot of councilmen and the wealthy individuals who want to just see the striga dead so they'll pay whoever's on the side. But he's, like, "I obviously already, eh, found out about that, because I am the Undercover Boss and I've been watching everybody!" So he's, you know, he tells Geralt it would be a foolish endeavor for anybody to come in with that attitude because I will just kill them.

My favorite section was when Foltest's attitude, kind of, changes towards Geralt. So when Geralt essentially tells him, "In the case that your daughter comes back, here's what you must do." You can see Foltest's attitude immediately shift toward Geralt. And I think–and additionally, like, the detail that comes in with this section it–it allows you to visualize. There's a lot of depth to this character because the way that it's described is:

[Reading] Foltest grew pensive. “I thank you for your advice, witcher. I will pay heed if—And now listen to me carefully. If you find the case is hopeless, kill her. […] Do not worry, you have nothing to fear from me. I’ll shout at you in front of others, banish you […], nothing more.”

So, you see him with this level-headedness, this well-rounded individual who is capable of, like, intimidating you because he obviously gets Geralt… uh, I forget the exact description, but essentially Geralt gets, like, a little bit nervous when he tells him, like, "I'll just kill whoever kills her without trying."

Alyssa

Right.

Chris

But he also displays this, sort of, understanding and just nature, which is, you know, if–if there's nothing that can be done, do what you must.

Alyssa

Right. As a follow up to that excerpt that you read, Chris. Foltest tells Geralt about the subplot against him that it would be really convenient and cheap for those nobleman, because the king will order the witcher beheaded or hanged and the gold will remain in their pockets. He tells Geralt that:

[Reading] "I won't punish anyone who kills her in self defense, but I will not allow her to be killed without trying to save her."

We learn a little bit more, I think, about what Foltest values in this situation.

Chris

He sounds like, uh, what would make a bad husband and a bad father, but what he displays here, is this, sort of, parental, caring attitude.

Alyssa

There's an opportunity here to contrast, you know, what people believe are Foltest's incompetencies with what we, kind of, see Foltest himself doing. We hear about this in detail from his advisors, that there is kind of tension among the commonfolk when it comes to Foltest, because of how long the striga situation has been going on for.

Chris

Sorry, I just like to imagine that this episode of Undercover Boss has been going on for seven years.

Alyssa

[Laughs and sighs] You know, maybe. Honestly. I wonder if he's, kind of, gotten us that—maybe that is how he's gotten all of his information about, like, the pending uprising that could happen.

Oh, man. Do you think he wears a mustache and, like, fake eyebrows?

Chris

Yeah, we talked about this. He takes–he pulls off his fake eyebrows. He pulls off his fake mustache. Looks at Geralt and says, "Guess what?!"

Alyssa

We don't get this description in this book. But in a different book, we learn that Foltest has a profile that's so perfect that it could be stamped on the side of a coin. I can imagine that someone who has that distinct of a profile would totally need, like, a fake nose if they were on Undercover Boss. You would absolutely need, like, a prosthetic face… to pull that off.

Chris

I want–I want to–I want to imagine that he gets one of those like Groucho Marx masks where it's, like, you know, the big glasses and, like, a big nose and, like, the little fake mustache? [Alyssa laughs] But, like, it's not like everyone knows who it is. But in this world, like, he wears it on and Velerad is like, "Who are you? You're a different person. I don't know who you are."

Alyssa

So, in the show notes, I think I'm going to put a link to SNL's parody of Undercover Boss with Kylo Ren from Star Wars, just so you can, kind of, get an idea of what I'm personally talking about if you're unfamiliar with the series.

Chris

And I'm going to post the one to the Key and Peele episode because that one, in my opinion, is better.

Alyssa

Okay, we're gonna include both links in the show notes. So check out breakfastinbeauclair.com, click the "Listen" button, find Episode 01: The Witcher.

Chris

And vote for mine.

Alyssa

[Laughs] So before we move on, Chris, you did have one more thing to say about this part with Foltest?

Chris

Yeah, I think one of the interesting bits about this is–is it leaves you wondering how deep Foltest's character goes. With the descriptions, you can imagine him as a person, as a character. But at the same time, you, kind of, feel like you're not imagining the whole person you want to know more about him. And it sets you up real—as you brought up before—it sets you up really nicely to, sort of, want to read more and find out more about his character in, you know, later series.

Alyssa

Right, right. Yeah, Sapkowski does a really nice job of providing depth and three-dimensional characters. The Witcher in general is this huge, huge, huge ensemble cast. The short story was, you know, meant to be a standalone and it's really incredible, you know, the amount of character development that Sapkowski packs into this one short story. And we learn a lot more about, like, these secondary characters in the next part, Part V.

In Part V, Geralt, alone in the abandoned old palace, prepares for battle by taking vials of potions and readying his silver blade. He hears footsteps on the grounds and it’s Ostrit, the magnate, who offers the witcher a thousand orens to leave immediately. He wants everything to stay as it is so Foltest can be removed from the throne. Ostrit threatens Geralt and Geralt knocks him out.

Chris

Ostrit's such a… jerk.

Alyssa

[Laughs] Tell me how you really feel, Chris. [They laugh]

So, at this point in the story, we are now finally seeing Geralt at work. He's done all his research about the job-at-hand and now we're seeing him, kind of, alone in his element preparing for the upcoming battle. He takes vials of potions, which he's pre-prepared. They heighten his senses, put him in a place physically and mentally where he's ready for this upcoming battle. He hears footsteps on the grounds and he notes that this can't be the striga and he, kind of, goes out to confront whoever this is. And turns out to be Ostrit who has shown up at the old palace in order to try to bribe the Witcher into just leaving outright. So, in this huge moment of exposition we learn from Ostrit that he loved Foltest's sister Adda. He admits that he's the only one who wants Foltest dead, which—Eugh! Aah!—this is kind of gross considering that he's in love with Foltest's sister who has been gone for fourteen years. He holds this grudge, wants Foltest offed. Off of the thrown. Off of… life. Eugh? And—

Chris

"Off of life." I like it.

Alyssa

"Off of life!"

Chris

Yeah.

Alyssa

To Geralt, Ostrit is relatively non-threatening, especially because Geralt's souped up on vials of potions. Ostrit threatens the witcher. He tells Geralt, like, "I have this talisman, which is meant to protect me," and Geralt—I think on the inside—just, like, laughs in his face, because he knows that this is dumb. He just smacks Ostrit with a gloved hand and just completely knocks him out.

Chris

What it sounds like to me is, like, when you're super drunk to the point where you're just, like, your eyes are closed. You can't open it. [Alyssa laughs, but she’s been sober for three and a half years and cannot relate] And you're just standing there and someone's trying to, like, hassle you and be like, "Yo, let's go. Let's go. Let's go." And you're trying to, like, stand there and just be, like, bigger than them, trying to intimidate them, trying to like back off. But in actuality, you're, like, "Please don't touch me. Please don't do anything. I might projectile vomit on you [She laughs because she can relate to this] if you–if you come close." I think it's important to note, also, how, like, he's–he forces himself to speak very slowly because of his heightened senses.

Alyssa

Geralt forces himself to speak very slowly, yeah.

Chris

Right. When he's talking to Ostrit.

Alyssa

Yeah. I think it's also funny to note the amount of superstition that Ostrit displays here. That he has this talisman—

Chris

That doesn't do anything.

Alyssa

And Geralt, again, like, in his head makes fun of it before knocking him out. I think it sets up a little bit more about the world as a whole and, like, the beliefs that people have, you know, whether they're peasants or whether they're, um, noblemen. You know, this is a world where magic exists. I think it's interesting to note that Ostrit has that belief.

Chris

Ostrit kind of comes off as the bad guy and Foltest comes off as, you know, the good guy who's, kind of, being victimized.

Alyssa

At this point in the story, yeah.

Chris

It sounds like Ostrit is just as [lovestruck]—just wealthy individual, who was, I guess, in some ways, mistreated and wants to get justice for it, but the way it comes off as, is that he, kind of, is the bad guy in all of this. I don't remember how well the book detail goes into it, but, sort of, like, the way that Adda felt about Ostrit and Foltest.

Alyssa

How Adda felt about Ostrit and Foltest?

Chris

Mmhm. Because was it just like a one-sided love? Was it, uh…

Alyssa

I mean… [Chuckles, because incestual consent is the entire plot of this story and Chris has momentarily seemed to forget that.] Adda—

Chris

I–I know they had like a striga baby. But, you know.

Alyssa

I mean, Adda clearly didn't have a child with Ostrit.

Chris

That's the thing is, like, was that purely circumstantial? Or was it–did she want that to happen? You know, it raises that question, like, what was–what was that? What did that relationship actually look like?

Alyssa

Yeah, you know, throughout conversations with each of Foltest's advisors, we hear that, you know, Foltest and Adda had always spent a lot of time together. And their mother, the queen, had just, kind of, like, witnessed this relationship blossom. One of the advisors notes that, like, they were always together, but we didn't really expect this until all of a sudden Adda was pregnant. So, I would imagine that whatever incestual relationship that Foltest and Adda had, it was mutual and it was long enough and hidden that I don't think Ostrit would have been, you know, on her radar. Obviously, because Adda's dead, we don't really hear anything about her side of the story and it doesn't seem that Foltest knows about Ostrit's feelings toward Adda.

Chris

Right. So that's what's curious, I think, through the section for me at least.

Alyssa

So, at this point, Geralt has prepared himself for battle. He has knocked out Lord Ostrit in the old palace. And before we get to the battle, we're going to take a break and when we come back, Chris and I will continue our discussion of "The Witcher."