Kaer Morhen

"From there they could see the ruins of Kaer Morhen huddled against the stone precipices - the partially demolished trapezium of the defensive wall, the remains of the barbican and gate, the thick, blunt column of the donjon."

Kaer Morhen is an old keep where witchers used to be trained. The name is a corruption of the Caer a'Muirehen, which means "Old Sea Keep" in Elder Speech due to the presence of fossilized sea creatures embedded in the stones on which it was built. It is located in the mountains of the kingdom of Kaedwen, right off the Gwenllech river.

In older times, witchers trained and underwent mutations here, but fanatics who considered witchers an abomination attacked the keep and killed most of the teachers and students. Vesemir was the last known witcher to live in the keep, although other witchers sometimes rested here between their assignments, often during the winter, after which they set out on The Path again.

The castle can only be reached by "The Witchers Trail", which is easy to miss, and encircles the keep. It is often given a nickname "The Killer" by young witchers.

Witchers of the Wolf School

 * Rennes, leader of the School of the Wolf
 * Vesemir, fencing teacher
 * Geralt
 * Eskel
 * Lambert
 * Berengar
 * Leo
 * Aubry
 * Frank
 * Gardis
 * Gweld
 * Gwen
 * Hemminks
 * Tjold
 * Barmin, Vesemir's mentor
 * Cormac
 * Elgar
 * Varin
 * Voltehre
 * Gwidon
 * Old Witcher
 * Clovis
 * Gascaden
 * Osbert
 * Sorel
 * Klef
 * Thornwald
 * Chireadan
 * Dermot Marranga

Other witchers

 * Coën (school uncertain, said to come "from Poviss")

Non-witcher residents

 * Dagobert Sulla, supervisor of the Trial of the Grasses
 * Esteril Thyssen and Agnes of Aedirn, in hiding
 * Deidre Ademeyn, in hiding
 * Ciri

The game's prologue is set at Kaer Morhen. In the opening sequence of the game, Geralt is found unconscious and suffering from amnesia just outside the fortress. Having barely recovered from his mysterious injuries, the witcher finds himself and his companions under attack, and so the story begins.

Journal entry

 * Kaer Morhen is an inaccessible mountain stronghold which has been the headquarters of the witchers' guild for centuries. The name comes from the language of the elves — the original Caer a'Muirehen translates into Old Sea Fortress. The castle's time of greatness has passed, the battlements and moat have deteriorated, and a cold wind blows through the spacious halls. Currently, only a handful of witchers live here, but once many young boys underwent gruesome training along the infamous "Gauntlet" near Kaer Morhen.

Kaer Morhen residents

 * Eskel — Witcher with a large scar on his face.
 * Lambert — Witcher who has a biting tongue.
 * Leo — Young witcher in training.
 * Triss Merigold — Old friend of Geralt's.
 * Vesemir — Experienced witcher, trains other witchers in Kaer Morhen.

Major landmarks

 * Courtyard
 * First Floor (Ground floor for Brits)
 * Kitchen
 * Dining hall
 * Second Floor (1st floor for Brits)
 * Evening hall
 * Library
 * Armory
 * West hall
 * Upper floor
 * Triss' room
 * Basement
 * Witchers' laboratory
 * Circle of Whispering Stones

Destinations from here

 * In it is not possible to exit Kaer Morhen except when finishing the Prologue, and even then, it is achieved via a cut scene (Leo's funeral / Geralt and Triss' first parting).

The premium module "The Price of Neutrality" is set in and around Kaer Morhen. The outer courtyards of the keep are where Deidre Ademeyn, a princess allegedly affected by the Curse of the Black Sun has taken refuge, who is aided somewhat by the witchers wintering there: Vesemir, Lambert and in particular, Eskel. Due to their presence, her pursuers cannot simply march in and take her.

Journal entry

 * Kaer Morhen is an inaccessible mountain stronghold which has been the headquarters of the witchers' guild for centuries. Its name derives from its original elven appellation — Caer a'Muirehen, meaning Old Sea Fortress. The castle's times of glory have passed, its battlements and moat have deteriorated, a cold wind blows through its spacious halls. Only a handful of witchers live here now, but in past times droves of young boys underwent gruesome training along the infamous "Gauntlet" near Kaer Morhen.


 * Years ago a horde of fanatics, their hatred incited by various publications defamatory of witchers, laid siege to Kaer Morhen. The mob would not have captured the fortress nor later turned it into a ruin without the help of mages. Practically all those who were in the Old Sea Fortress during the assault perished. From among those witchers who called Kaer Morhen home, only a few survived the massacre, merely because they were out on their Paths at the time. The bones of the dead remain at the bottom of the moat surrounding the stronghold, left there as a reminder of the massacre that was born from hatred directed against changelings.

The fortification of Kaer Morhen and the surrounding valley are fully explorable in The Witcher 3. Known as the Keep of the Sea of Yore, it first appears in a dream. Geralt is rudely disturbed by Yennefer, who conjures a crustacean to snake into his bath; Geralt later tells Vesemir in the real world that Yennefer has never been to Kaer Morhen before. The armor that Geralt is wearing at the start is called the Kaer Morhen armor.

He then goes to see Ciri, who has neglected her studies to train on the pendulum, and wakes Vesemir from his snooze. After disciplining Ciri, they get to sword training with Lambert and Eskel. Ciri manages to knock a Nilfgaardian helmet off a training dummy and goes to fetch the helmet. Geralt then finds a fleshly face behind the dummy and turns around to see the White Frost covering the fortress, incapacitating everyone. The Wild Hunt then appears, and the King of the Wild Hunt declares that he's awaited this moment as one of his warriors moves to take Ciri, with Geralt helpless to act.

During the quest Scavenger Hunt: Wolf School Gear Geralt will stumble over several letters, diaries and notes left by witchers living in the fortress at the time the Wolf School Gear was created. It is heavily implied that the assault that led to the massacre of the witchers by the mob of incited peasants took place at this time.

Map description

 * The Keep of the Sea of Yore, home to the witchers of the Wolf School.

Associated quests

 * Ugly Baby
 * Disturbance
 * Kaer Morhen
 * The Final Trial
 * Va Fail, Elaine
 * The Battle of Kaer Morhen
 * Lilac and Gooseberries

Trivia

 * According to Vesemir, Kaer Morhen was home to twenty-three witchers and forty students before it was attacked.
 * Kaer or Kêr means "city" in Breton, while Ker means "city" or "fortress" in Cornish. Caer means the same in Welsh. Morlen means "Bay" in Breton. Môr hen means "old sea" in Welsh.
 * In and, you can examine the 3 tapestries inside the main hall and Geralt will comment about each one of them.
 * Oddly, he comments about the witcher George slaying a dragon, despite having no memory at that time.