Frans Torquil was a constable who was investigating on a strange series of murders happening in the surroundings of Rissberg and Tukaj Foothills. Indeed, 36 between coalmen, lumberjacks and farmers were killed in terrible ways while they were working. Frans, suggested to the mages of Rissberg to hire a witcher, since the creature that was performing all those murders was without a doubt a human. The mages accepted Frans' advice and hired the witcher Geralt of Rivia.
In his efforts to find the person(s) responsible for all the settlement massacres in the area, he quickly became noticed as a possible thorn in the side by the Rissberg mages, especially as they approved of Sorel's inhumane methods. Thus, they sent word to the Chapter that Torquil was overzealous and taking an "inappropriate interest" in the matter; i.e: he was learning too much about what Rissberg was trying to cover up. Thus, they asked the Chapter to do something to get him to back off, whether to just defame him or do something enough to get him out of the picture.
Later, Frans was injured by a crossbow bolt to his leg, shot by Pastor. The medic Messer Luppi was about to amputate his leg when the witcher stepped in and healed it with his powerful elixirs and with the help of the local herbalist.
While Frans' leg was saved, he'd go lame the rest of his life and not be able to ride on a horse again. However, this didn't stop his quest to learn the truth and by early August he was able to force his superior, Gors Velen's baliff, to take action. News reached the royal council and then the Chapter, forcing them to take action and force almost all of Rissberg's head mages to step down or leave.
Notes[]
- He wore a hat very similar to Dandelion's one but instead of a heron feather, it was decorated with a pheasant's one.
- It's never directly stated if the medic that was about to amputate his leg was acting in the Chapter/Rissberg's interests to stop Torquil in his quest to learn the truth or just a coincidence he happened to be badly injured.