Gezras of Leyda

Gezras of Leyda, born in the 11th century, was a witcher notable for founding the current incarnation of the School of the Cat.
==Biography ==
Gezras was born a half-elf, a fact that made him despised by his foster father, who considered him an abomination. At a very young age, he was sold to the mages of Stygga Castle and subsequently trained in the early Cat School to become a witcher.
Unfortunately, Gezras was selected as a test subject for a new mutation formula, part of an experimental process intended to dull the emotions of witchers even further. Contrary to the mages' intentions, the formula amplified their emotions, leaving the witchers permanently unhinged and prone to erratic behavior. Rather than addressing the well-being of their subjects, the mages caged this "spoiled batch" of witchers, determined to dissect (and vivisect) – Polish edition them in an effort to understand and correct their mistake.
When Gezras eventually regained consciousness, he found himself barely alive, discarded among a pile of corpses. He crawled out and freed his remaining brothers who were awaiting dissection. After a miraculously successful escape, they found refuge with a local group of Aen Seidhe, who provided them with sanctuary from those who still sought to eliminate them. In return, Gezras and his group supported the elves in their guerilla war.
The young witchers never forgot the excruciating experiments conducted by the mages. As they grew in numbers and strength, the Cats infiltrated Stygga Castle and slaughtered the sorcerers while they slept. The job was completed when royal armies besieged the castle, killing the remaining old witchers over three days. Having satisfied their thirst for vengeance, Gezras led the Cats north, where they could start anew, free from the shadows of their past.
Gezras decided that their new headquarters should be mobile. Instead of settling in one place, the Dyn Marv Caravan traveled across the realms, stopping at numerous hidden locations to conduct mutations and train new generations of witchers. In addition to implementing new, corrupt experimental methods, the Dyn Marv Cats accepted renegades and witchers with flawed mutations who were rejected by other Schools.
In the 1060s, the witchers of the Cat School aided Aelirenn's forces in her rebellion against human rule.
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:Scroll 1: Gezras, born a half-elf, was considered an abomination and sold to the mages of Stygga castle at a very young age. His mutations were part of a new process designed to dull the emotions of would-be witchers even more than usual. The new recipe, however, failed... spectacularly so. Instead of inhibiting emotions, the method⁠— quite ironically⁠—enhanced them, leaving Gezras and his new brothers permanently unhinged and prone to erratic behaviour.
:Scroll 2: More concerned with discovering the source of their error than the well-being of their test subjects, the mages caged their spoiled batch with the determination to dissect until a solution could be derived. Upon waking in a pile of discarded corpses, barely alive, Gezras was able to crawl out and free his remaining imprisoned brothers. Together, they somehow managed to escape into the night before the mages' labour could resume.
:Scroll 3: Over the next few years, they found refuge among the Aen Seidhe, who helped them hide from those still seeking to abolish their past mistakes. In exchange for their sanctuary, they used their skills to engage in guerilla warfare and assassinations on behalf of the elves.
:Scroll 4: Having grown in numbers and strength, the Feline witchers set forth to infiltrate the quarters of their misguided creators, slaughtering them as they slumbered. Their vengeance finally sated, Gezras led his newly-formed School of the Cat north where, free from their mired past, they could start anew.
:Chest: The Witcher School of the Cat did not have one specific home. Over the years, there were numerous hiding places in which witchers subjected their adepts to mutations. They created numerous camps where they trained together. Nevertheless, the founder of the Cats was indeed "created" in Stygga Castle, and thus—it was their first home. Not for long, however. In rebellion against those who created them, young Gezras led other witchers to escape the castle. Needless to say, they had to earn their freedom by force. After the painful experiments they were subjected to, many were more than eager to bleed the mages that had wronged them. Later, the Cats grew stronger, bolstering their ranks with badly mutated witchers who had been rejected by other schools. The outcasts gathered together to raise the next generations through corrupt experimental methods. Over time, their warped mutations and aggressive disposition earned them the disdain of other schools.
==Notes==
*As Gezras' foster father sold him to Stygga mages, it's most likely that the Feline was not in fact from Leyda; like Geralt of Rivia, the famed witcher presumably chose his moniker himself, creating a faux identity as a means to have homeland.
==Gallery==
Gwent cardart scoiatael gezras full.png
==References==
cs:Gezras z Leydy
pl:Gezras Leydańczyk
uk:Гезрас з Лейди
Category:Witchers
Category:Half-elves
Category:GWENT characters