History Characters / TheWitcherWitchers

* BadassBookworm: Well read and up to date on all witcher knowledge, right down to memorizing and quoting it where applicable, and wanting to update it. In Price of Neutrality he also does independent research on the Curse of the Black Sun and Council of Mages in relation to Deidre Ademeyn, his Child of Surprise.
* BadassBystander: A recurring theme of his, from what we hear of his offscreen adventures outside of Kaer Morhen. Long ago in Price of Neutrality he explains that he saved the Prince of Caingorn when he was suddenly attacked by a gang of Werebbubbs, while in ''Wild Hunt'' we hear him mention saving a Knight lost in the woods from a pack of wolves, and a book can be found in the same game mentioning he intervened in some woods to kill a Basilisk that had swallowed a little girl, ala Little Red Riding Hood.

* {{Foil}}: Despite all their similarities, being considered close enough to be brothers, Eskel and Geralt have a number of pointed differences at their character cores. Geralt tends to be more of a cool JerkWithAHeartOfGold while Eskel is much more of a warm NiceGuy. Geralt is much more prone to ChronicHeroSyndrome and being drawn up in drama and politics, while Eskel is better at remaining a HeroicNeutral, not going out of his way to violate witcher neutrality and [[PunchclockHero focusing on his job]]. Where Geralt is [[HasAType drawn to sorceresses]], Eskel either actively avoids most of them or is weary and distrustful of them, barring Triss, likely as a result of his experience with Sabrina Glevissig, and the role she played in the Price of Neutrality. Where Geralt gave in to destiny and took in, raised and protected his Child of Surprise, Ciri, [[PapaWolf considering her his daughter]], Eskel [[DisappearedDad hid from destiny for years]] and avoided his Child of Surprise, Deidre, until she was older and harsher from her circumstances and came for him, and regardless of the outcome of Price of Neutrality [[DownerEnding it ends poorly]] for him, with [[LetUsneverSpeakOfThisAgain Eskel mutilated and refusing to ever speak about her again]].

* HeroicNeutral: Arguably more so than Geralt, who gets heavily involved in politics and ChronicHeroSyndrome, while Eskel remains much more focused on his witcher duties and neutrality, though will quickly lend a hand when it doesn't violate his neutrality. The only possible known time that he has was one of the outcomes of Price of Neutrality.

* KillTheOnesYouLove: One of the tragic outcomes of The Price Of Neutrality sees Eskel's Child of Surprise, Deidre, exiled from neutral Kaer Morhen, going into a rage, stabbing Eskel and slashing apart his face. After she has fled, once he is healed by Sabrina Glevissig, [[NeutralNoLonger Eskel takes responsibility]] for Deidre, forbidding the sorceress from hunting her down. Deidre proceeds to go insane and go on a two years reign of terrorizing southern Kaedwen, until she is killed by a 'mysterious man with a terribly scarred face' who doesn't collect a coin of the sizable bounty that has accumulated on her.

* OneManArmy: Naturally, as a witcher, cutting his way through even skilled Wild Hunt warriors attacking Kaer Morhen's courtyard, and in the backstory of ''Price of Neutrality'' defeating an entire gang of Werebbubbs attacking the Prince of Caingorn.

A mysterious southern school of Witchers that broke off from Bear School noted for their unpredictable, assassination-style technique when hunting monsters. When they refused to submit to the Usurper of Nilfgaard, the School of the Viper's original home of Gorthur Gvaed located in the Tir Tochair Mountains was destroyed by the Nilfgaardian army, and what few remain were scattered across the continent. The School once had quite a comprehensive library on the Wild Hunt, leading some to speculate they were created specifically for dealing with the spectral riders.

* TheSocialExpert: In comparison to other Witchers, they evidently have higher standards for social etiquette, as a more knightly based school, to the point that even after their fall villages in Kovir and Poviss continued to remember them fondly.

* SequelHook: Potentially. In ''Wild Hunt'', Eskel is the only major character of the surviving hero cast whose story and outcome cannot be effected by decisions, and is the same in every ending. The last time you see him he announces his intention to return to the Path and venture forth to [[VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings Lormark]], where nobody yet knows what adventures await him.

* OfferedTheCrown: When Deidre Ademeyn was grown up and came to Kaer Morhen seeking out Eskel for his help, it was under the wish for him to stop fleeing his destiny, to become the Prince of Caingorn [[WeCanRuleTogether to rule at her side]] after ousting her brother Roben and Sabrina Glevissig from power. Suffice to say, for one reason or another, it was not an offer Eskel ended up accepting.

* BadassTeacher: To be expected of any Witcher School instructor. Pretty much a counterpart to Vesemir for Griffin School.
* BerserkButton: His students getting answers wrong.
* GrumpyOldMan: Gives Vesemir a run for his money in this department.

* AnimalsHateHim: Downplayed. Most cats for some unknown reason despise Witchers, hissing and yowling at them, likely as a result of sensing the mutation and magical Trials Witchers are put through, that something is off about them.

* AlwaysMale: Traditionally, witcher candidates have always been male. The only canonical example of a female training to be a witcher is Ciri, and there are numerous technicalities abound with her status as one, not having undergone the mutations of the Trial of the Grasses, not being capable of casting Signs, not being trained for nearly as long as true Witchers, and seeming to be one more in spirit and romantic belief than actuality. The diet witcher candidates are on in the initial stages of their training are in all but name large quantities of hormones, which have some truly awful effects on a woman's menstrual cycle and body in general. It appears unlikely women can even biologically survive the mutagens and process of the Trial of the Grasses, and male children, who were undoubtedly the primary test subjects for the experimentation and creation of the trials in the first place, already have a low percentage of survival as it is.

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: True to how the world treats Witchers no matter how honorable they are, as he lay dying from his injuries acquired slaying a green dragon to protect the local peasants, they looted his still living body of his armor diagrams.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Eskel had his face permanently disfigured by a very unexpected but eventually fated encounter. Subverted though, in that while he has typical "evil" scars, he's a NiceGuy who's firmly on the heroes' side.

* SpikesOfVillainy: Subverted. Despite wearing some intimidating looking spikes on his clothing/armor, there isn't a drop of villainy in him.

* BadassNormal: Hasn't received any mutation courses yet he holds up against a horde of bandits through conditioning alone. {{Subverted}} then however, as he, unlike a true witcher, is unable to deflect a crossbow-bolt and pays for his bravery with his life.

* HunterOfHisOwnKind: He was paid, along with his companions to track down Aiden, a fellow witcher from the School of the Cat. ''Possibly'' subverted in the claim that Karadin was acting as a debt collector, not an assassin; Aiden was killed by accident in the ensuing confrontation.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He betrays just about every alliance he makes, including Iorveth and the Scoia'tael, along with Síle and the Lodge of Sorceresses... because of his actual allegiance to Emhyr var Emries and his promise to restore his witcher school. Subverted in the third game if Geralt chose to spare him, where he can join up with the other witchers at Kaer Morhen, and genuinely aids them.

* DumbMuscle: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. But he looks like he's one and [[ObfuscatingStupidity knows how to exploit that prejudice for all it's worth]].

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Not claiming his Child of Surprise Deidre, and all the unexpected, needless suffering, death and conflict that came from the decision as a result. Regardless of the outcome of the story, Eskel ends up mutilated, and paying [[TitleDrop the price of neutrality]]. On the bright side, he seems to learn his lesson, and years later is still using the Law Of Surprise, getting Scorpion in the process, perhaps hoping for another shot at a Child Of Destiny to do it right.

-->'''Letho''': ''"I paid the monk who treated me a lot of orens to stay silent. Actually it was only a loan 'cause I killed him later. Only the dead can keep a secret."''

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Cunning as he was otherwise, trusting Emhyr was not a smart thing, as the emperor didn't live up to his promise and betrayed Letho after the dirty work (i.e. the kingslaying) was done, just like he did to the Scoia'tael after the Battle of Brenna. Though given Emhyr's [[ManipulativeBastard nature]], Letho's choices were likely to [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse either accept the too good to be true offer or be executed]]. That said, in one path Letho will cut his way through a Nilfgaardian camp to save Triss, ending their 'alliance', implying he knew all along it wasn't likely Emhyr would keep his end of the deal, but was coerced into holding up his end up to that point. At least until he was able to exploit the chaos of Assassins of Kings' ending and escape from Nilfgaard's clutches.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: His fate in the present day is left unknown, having vanished not long after the destruction of Kaer Seren in roughly the 1160's, which he witnessed from afar along with the culprits responsible for it, before taking his notes to a cavern and leaving them there for safe keeping.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"I’m a simple witcher, Wolf. Don’t fight dragons, don’t fraternize with kings, don’t sleep with sorceresses. Unlike some."'']]

* OneManArmy: Naturally, as a witcher, cutting his way through even skilled Wild Hunt warriors attacking Kaer Morhen's courtyard.

* TheDutifulSon: After Vesemir's death in Wild Hunt, it is noted in Eskel's journal entry that the responsibility of keeping Kaer Morhen falls into Eskel's hands. Geralt meanwhile in most endings either retires with a sorceress or even dies, while Lambert can potentially die or take off with Keira Metz.

* MyGreatestFailure: While he has nothing but NostalgiaFilter toward past events in his life, he still considers his participation in making and training new witchers to be this. In practical terms, it meant kidnapping young children, torturing them with potions to recreate their bodies as witchers, and then subjecting those who survived to equally lethal TrainingFromHell.