Vran

The vrans are a humanoid race with red, ruby red eyes that take up half of their faces. They were able to ride horses. Some vrans were members of Fregenal's band known as "Koshchey's Men".

Vrans appear only in one short story, "Droga, z której się nie wraca" ("A Road with No Return"), about Geralt's mother, Visenna, which takes place before Geralt's birth. No detailed description of the vrans is given aside from a remark about their eyes.

Known vrans

 * The Operator
 * The Guardian

In the graphic novels
In the graphic novels by Maciej Parowski and Bogusław Polch, vrans are depicted as a reptillian race with scaly skin, big, red eyes and venomous fangs which they use to poison their arrows. In the comic "Droga bez powrotu", based on the short story in which the vrans originally appeared, one of Fregenal's vrans kills Korin, Geralt's father. In "Zdrada", a later comic, vrans are seen contained in a reservation, together with bobołaks. Geralt, already a witcher, seems to have a grudge against vrans by that time, as he was told about his father being killed by one. A vran is also seen living in Blaviken during the "Mniejsze zło" graphic novel (based on the short story "The Lesser Evil").

In the PnP RPG
In the Wiedźmin: Gra Wyobraźni pen and paper role playing game, vrans were going to be added as a playable race in an expansion based on the times of "Droga, z której się nie wraca". After the RPG line was cancelled, the description of vrans by Paweł Dembowski meant to have been published in that book was published online.

According to the RPG, their big, red eyes give them the ability of infravision, allowing them to see in darkness by discerning the heat signatures left behind by other creatures. Vran males and females are almost indistinguishable. They are also unable to use any form of magic and do not worship any gods. The vrans are completely emotionless, which makes them lack compassion and sympathy, but also the human tendency to use meaningless violence. According to some theories, they are a product of the Conjunction of the Spheres, but it was never proven nor disproved. The ancient elven chronicles contain no mention of the vrans.

Their original motherland lies east of the Blue Mountains and by the time the Witcher series takes place, due to persecution by humans (incited by priests of Kreve who considered vrans to be demons), most of the ones that lived in Riverdell, Upper Sodden and Lyria retreated to the east or were contained in reservations together with bobołaks and hunted down if they tried to leave them.

While there are no vrans in the game, there is one reference. In the cave in the swamp, there is a vran's sarcophagus in the central chamber which contains some valuable items.

In The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings there are ancient vrans called The Operator in the sewers of Loc Muinne and The Guardian in the central Tower in Chapter III.

At the beginning of Chapter III Vernon Roche mentions that after the elves in Loc Muinne were defeated, they found reptile bones in caves - showing marks of swords. In context with the discussion between him and Geralt it seems as if he's pointing out that elves were responsible for the vrans to have disappeared from Loc Muinne...

Gallery
Vrans Vran Vran