Christophe

The man was wearing a new, but noticeably worn and patched leather jacket with silver inlays on the cuffs. His hands were clad in gloves, also adorned with silver inlays. He held two swords across his back—one silver, one steel. His long black hair was pulled back into a loose bun at the nape of his neck, secured with a black ribbon. He looked slightly below average. He was noticeably thin and wiry, like most witchers. Around his neck hung a medallion with the snarling face of a fox.

A reasonable, unemotional, rational person. Meticulous and pedantic.

To obtain the guild's insignia, the young witcher had to swim across the lake, pass the beast unnoticed, and persuade the guardians of the elemental circle to let him pass. To persuade him, Christoph used axium. He charged the medallion, thereby confirming his right to be called a full-fledged witcher. Now the snarling fox head became an integral part of any outfit worn by Christoph, who, incidentally, upon embarking on the witcher's path, became simply Christoph of Vicovaro. He decided not to emphasize his family affiliation.

He embarked on his journey. His, like all witchers, was not an easy one. His entire life was spent from commission to commission, earning him mere pennies, which he used only to replenish his stock of alchemical ingredients and oats for his horse. He usually ate whatever he could catch in the forest. His ability to shoot a crossbow was a great help here. His horse, which he received by exercising the right of surprise, became a faithful companion throughout his travels. Instead of a child, he received a horse by this right, because the nobleman who swore this oath discovered a young stallion brought to him as a gift at home. Kristof named the horse Vyun. Vyun became his only companion for a long time. The scar on his face was acquired during a fight with his first drowner. Numerous other scars on his body were acquired during battles with various monsters.

Christoph quickly made friends with new students, handled sparring deftly, and displayed a keen intellect in theoretical studies. Christoph loved Kaer Kraag. This entire idyll lasted right up until the moment of the mutation. He doesn't remember the mutation itself. He doesn't remember the Trial of Grasses or the Trial of Dreams (or perhaps he simply convinces himself that he doesn't remember), although he knows for sure that he felt incredibly sick (that's putting it mildly). The moment the Trial of Dreams ended was also firmly etched in his mind. He opened his eyes and then immediately closed them. The light seemed too bright, the sound too loud, and everything seemed different. Although he knew for sure that he didn't want to fall asleep again. He definitely didn't want to. Seeing Christoph wake up, the seemingly despairing sorcerer smiled triumphantly and wrote something in his notebook. Christoph finally opened his eyes and saw that he was the only one left alive. The sorcerer commented, mostly to himself, but Christophe's heightened hearing made him hear it. "One in ten... A shitty result..." Realization broke through his clouded mind. One... He alone survived from that group of boys. He knew them all, and among those ten boys were his close comrades. It was terrifying to realize that he now felt no bitterness. No joy. Nothing. An uncomfortable, prickly emptiness where feelings and emotions had once been.

Thus began his life as a witcher. With his mutations, Christoph began to make significant progress in physical training, and it seemed even his magical skills had improved. Christoph had great magical potential from the start; the sorcerer sometimes even bitterly remarked that he would have been better off as a sorcerer than a witcher. Christoph mastered enhanced signs. He also knew some simple spells, though he was reluctant to use them. A sorcerer of the Fox School repeatedly recommended that Christoph develop his magical abilities, but the then-young witcher preferred the sword.

At the end of his training at Kaer Kraag, Christophe duly passed the medallion test.

He had already seen Lonan's surprise, already understood that his payment would be a boy. Back then, still very young, Christophe understood nothing at all. He looked at his mother, looked at the man who, according to his mother, was his father, though Christophe himself didn't yet understand it. A naive, childish smile blossomed on his face. Lonan sighed heavily and handed the child over to the witcher. As Christophe left with the witcher, Helen was in hysterics, and Lonan held her by the shoulders, silently and coldly watching them depart. Only then did Christophe become confused. He waved hesitantly to his parents and set off on a journey with the strange cat-man, as he would later call his new guardian for a long time. This guardian's name was Heinrich. However, it is likely not his real name, as is the case with most witchers. Heinrich became something of a father figure to Christophe. The journey to the mountains took a long time, and Christophe arrived there when he was already seven years old. On the way to Kaer Kraag, the home of the new witcher school, Christophe read some books Heinrich had with him. It was a bestiary and something about alchemy. Christophe could never understand why a witcher would need this, since Heinrich himself claimed he knew all these books by heart and could even name the page where a particular recipe or article about a monster was listed. At first, Christophe was frightened by the engravings of the monsters. As a small child, these monsters began to haunt his dreams, causing him to wake up frequently and even cry softly, though he would quickly fall asleep again.

They were greeted warmly at Kaer Kraag. The large fortress, filled with people, reminded Christophe of his home, though many things were different. Almost immediately, grueling training and incredibly tedious, yet no less necessary, theoretical studies began. Christophe was praised. He was called a capable student, and the sorcerer of the School of Fox—Gotthard Conoli—claimed that Christophe was strong enough to survive the mutations, something he couldn't say about most of the boys brought by the witchers.

Story:
In Vicovaro, in the Valf family's ancestral castle, the firstborn of Helena and Lónan Valf was born in the absence of his father. His mother was a frail, even petite girl. Her figure resembled that of a teenager rather than a woman. Helena gave birth in the spring. The father of the family had already been away on another campaign for six months. He was a knight in the service of Nilfgaard.

The newborn boy was named Christoph, and given his full name in accordance with tradition. He was Christoph Helen Walf aep Lonan. The boy was prophesied to have a great destiny—he would serve the emperor like his father, become the heir to a very wealthy family, and bring even greater glory to the Walfs! Indeed, such a fate is predicted for every firstborn born into a wealthy family.

The boy grew. His mother doted on him. She desperately wanted to finally show him to her husband, to tell him the joyful news – he had a son! Six years passed in anticipation. Christophe was taught as befits a child of aristocratic descent. He learned spelling, reading, arithmetic, and even the basics of natural science, although perhaps that was premature. Helen desperately wanted her son to impress his father with his sharp intellect.

The father's return, which should have been a happy occasion, turned into a disaster. Returning from a campaign, the wounded and terribly tired Lonan fell under the claws of a griffin and would undoubtedly have died if not for a passing witcher. The witcher saved the knight, who allowed himself to be asked a question to which the witcher had only one possible answer: "Give me what you already have, but what you don't yet know yourself." This turned out to be a child. The knight and the witcher entered the castle, and Lonan's wife and son came out to meet him. Instead of happiness, Helen saw first surprise and then sorrow in her husband's eyes. She quickly guessed what had happened. Her frightened gaze darted from her long-awaited husband to the unexpected guest. The witcher looked at the child silently, his catlike eyes reflecting absolutely nothing.

Name: Christoph of Vicovaro (full name - Christoph Helen Walf aep Lonan)
Race: Human (Witcher)
Age: 34 years
Height: 189
Appearance: Black hair, lean build, cat-like eyes, numerous scars on his body
Skills: Fencing - Master, Light Armor - Master, Alchemy - Adept, Sorcery - Apprentice, Stealth - Adept, Marksmanship - Master.
Weapons: two swords - silver and steel, crossbow.
Strengths: Possesses magic, has enhanced senses (sight, smell, touch and hearing), is faster than normal people, has increased resistance to poisons.
Weaknesses: none in particular
Faith: Atheist
Food preferences: fish (fried, baked, stewed)
Drink preferences: white seagull
Orientation: bi
Strength: 90/100
Stamina: 90/100
Health: 90/100
Magical abilities: 70/100
Dexterity: 95/100