Crossroads of Ravens by Andrzej Sapkowski Summary: A Look at Geralt’s Early Path
Written as part of The Witcher saga, this book steps back in time to examine a character many readers already know.
The focus here is on what happens in the story and the world it builds.
Sapkowski returns to a classic era for the franchise, exploring the harsh realities a young witcher faces far from the keep of Kaer Morhen.
TL;DR: A Mentorship Forged in Vengeance
Crossroads of Ravens is a prequel focused on a young Geralt of Rivia just after leaving Kaer Morhen.
He meets Preston Holt, a retired witcher, who becomes his mentor.
The story mixes monster contracts with a deep conspiracy involving the destruction of the witcher stronghold. The main narrative tracks Geralt’s growth from a naive youth to a hardened protector.
He is ultimately forced to choose between personal revenge and his duty to save innocent lives.
- Core Plot: Young Geralt partners with an elder witcher, Preston Holt, to hunt monsters and navigate political conspiracies.
- Conflict: An ancient blood feud and a plot to destroy the witchers force Geralt into a brutal path of retaliation.
- Resolution: Geralt abandons personal vengeance at the critical moment to act as a true protector, saving children from a monster.
Crossroads of Ravens Summary: The Detailed Plot
SPOILER WARNING: This section details the full story of Crossroads of Ravens.
The story begins with Geralt saving a peasant and his daughter from a deserter near the village of Neuhold. He is wrongfully arrested for murder by the corrupt Alderman Bulava.
Before he can be punished, a mysterious elder witcher named Preston Holt arrives and rescues him. Holt proposes a partnership, and the two travel to a silver mining camp at Podkurek.
Holt sends Geralt into flooded tunnels to deal with a pack of dog-headed monsters called cynocephaly. Geralt barely survives the cave-in but fails to secure payment.
He agrees to winter with Holt at his estate, Rocamora. There, he undergoes intensive physical rehabilitation and learns advanced fencing techniques.
In the spring, Geralt begins accepting contracts under Holt’s name. He hunts a lizard-like zorril and a giant prehistoric bird called a mamutak. He also buys a chestnut mare he names Roach.
Geralt visits the Temple of Melitele in Elsborg.
The high priestess Assumpta reveals the true history of the Kaer Morhen massacre and Holt’s secret campaign of revenge against its perpetrators.
Geralt’s journey takes him to Glass Mountain, where he lifts a curse caused by a grieving dyer woman.
This draws the attention of Estevan Trillo da Cunha, the Royal Prefect. Da Cunha tries to blackmail Geralt into providing evidence against Holt. Geralt is saved by Elena Fiachra de Mersault, the security commandant of the Upper March. She brings him to Brunanburh Castellum to lift a striga curse from the Margrave’s daughter.
The graveyard duel ends with Geralt decapitating the striga, which reverts to a dead fifteen-year-old girl.
Geralt returns to Rocamora for the winter and finds the Monstrum pamphlet in Holt’s library. He identifies the author as Artamon of Asguth, the Dean of Ban Ard.
In the spring, Holt sends Geralt away to the Lakeland March for his protection. Geralt becomes entangled in an elopement plot between Ludmilla Vaikinen and Redfern Finnegan, two lovers from feuding families.
He helps them escape with the aid of a healer named Vrai Natteravn.
Geralt is lured to Artamon’s estate, Hortus Deliciarum. There, he overhears a plot to poison Holt, massacre the Elsborg priestesses, and vivisect Geralt himself.
Driven by protective rage, Geralt kills Artamon on the spot. To shield his apprentice, Preston Holt surrenders to the authorities.
He confesses to Artamon’s murder alongside his past revenges. Prefect da Cunha executes Holt on a vertical screw-gallows at Sturefors prison.
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Geralt steals Holt’s body and buries him under a yew tree.
He embarks on a brutal quest for revenge across the Northern Kingdoms. He is ambushed, caught in a steel wolf trap, and brutally beaten.
He uses Vrai’s talisman to summon the healer, who saves his life. After a long recovery, Geralt tracks down the remaining assassins. He kills Cibor Ponti in Piana and Beauregard Frick in Oxenfurt.
Geralt finally corners the last assassin, Meritxell, near the ocean.
A giant centipede-like monster, a scolopendromorph, crawls toward a group of playing children.
Geralt makes a defining choice.
He abandons his pursuit of revenge and draws his silver sword to protect the children. In doing so, he solidifies his path as a protector, not just a killer.
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Summary by Chapter
SPOILER WARNING: This section groups the 23 chapters of Crossroads of Ravens into six narrative arcs.
The Outcast’s Ascent and the Witcher’s Pact (Chapters 1–4)
Geralt’s first journey begins with his wrongful arrest by Alderman Bulava in Neuhold.
He is rescued by the aging retired witcher Preston Holt. Holt mentors the young witcher at his silver mining camp and his estate, Rocamora. Geralt accepts Holt’s proposal of a partnership, agreeing to act as his successor.
Monsters of the March and Ancient Histories (Chapters 5–10)
Wandering the Kaedwenian marches, Geralt executes contracts against a zorril and a giant mamutak bird. He faces human corruption and horse theft along the way.
Visiting the Temple of Melitele in Elsborg, he confronts the high priestess Assumpta. She reveals the tragic truth of the 1194 Kaer Morhen massacre and Preston Holt’s vengeful crusade.
Curses, Blackmail, and the Striga of Brunanburh (Chapters 11–12)
Geralt lifts a horrifying tar-slime curse in Glass Mountain by executing its creator. He then faces blackmail from Royal Prefect da Cunha.
Rescued by Commandant Elena de Mersault, Geralt is tasked with lifting a striga curse at Brunanburh Castellum. The panicked graveyard battle results in him decapitating the beast.
Intrigues of Seevalk and the Assassins’ Plot (Chapters 13–16)
At Castellum Thornhall on Seevalk island, Geralt facilitates the elopement of two star-crossed lovers from feuding families. Following his departure, he is lured to the estate of Artamon of Asguth.
There, he discovers Artamon’s authorship of the Monstrum pamphlet and overhears a plot to massacre his priestess friends. Geralt executes Artamon on the spot.
Martyrdom, Torment, and the Spark of Salvation (Chapters 17–19)
Geralt’s attempt to trade places with the imprisoned Holt is rejected by Prefect da Cunha. The elder witcher is executed to satisfy the sorcerers of Ban Ard.
After burying his mentor, Geralt tracks Artamon’s three assassins but falls into a brutal trap. Before the assassins can use him to destroy Elsborg, Geralt summons Vrai Natteravn, who teleports in to rescue him.
Relentless Retribution and the Ultimate Choice (Chapters 20–23)
Following a grueling winter recovery, Geralt initiates a bloody quest across the Northern Kingdoms. He drives Marchioness Graffiacane to a fatal heart attack and kills the assassins Cibor Ponti and Beauregard Frick.
He corners the last assassin, Meritxell, but a giant scolopendromorph threatens innocent children. In that moment, Geralt abandons his pursuit of revenge to perform his duty.
Characters In This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Geralt of Rivia | A young, white-haired witcher newly graduated from Kaer Morhen who struggles to find his path. |
| Preston Holt | A retired elder witcher who saved Geralt, became his mentor, and carried out a secret campaign of revenge. |
| Nenneke | A sharp-tongued priestess of the Temple of Melitele who assists in treating Geralt’s wounds. |
| Mother Assumpta | The high priestess of Elsborg who possesses the “objective truth” about Kaer Morhen’s history. |
| Estevan Trillo da Cunha | The Royal Prefect of the Guard who relentlessly pursues Holt and Geralt. |
| Elena Fiachra de Mersault | The quarter-elf commandant of the Upper March who protects Geralt from the prefect. |
| Artamon of Asguth | The Dean of the Academy of Magic in Ban Ard who wrote the Monstrum pamphlet. |
| Vrai Natteravn | A kind-hearted healer and enchantress who assists Geralt and saves his life at Elsborg. |
| Meritxell | A ruthless assassin in the service of the Dowager Marchioness who participates in Geralt’s torture. |
| Cibor Ponti | A crooked-nosed brigand and assassin who is later choked to death by Geralt in Piana. |
| Beauregard Frick | A master swordsman and assassin who stole Geralt’s sword and is later killed in Oxenfurt. |
| Ludmilla Vaikinen | The daughter of Margrave Vaikinen who elopes with Redfern Finnegan. |
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Have you read Crossroads of Ravens? Share your thoughts on Geralt’s early journey and the choices he faces in the comments below.
