Spriggan

Spriggan is a humanoid, forest-dwelling creature, often persecuted along with dryads by humans, in particular Rangers. Danusia Stok uses the word "spriggan" as a translation of Polish "borowik".
== ==
Spriggans only appear in Toussaint. A bestiary entry for them can be obtained by reading Monster Encounters of the Third Kind, which however can only be obtained through console commands.
=== Bestiary entry ===
: I was gathering berries, as one does this time of year, when suddenly the trees shook and I saw this... this thing...– fragment of a story told by a woman returning from the woods.
: Spriggans are a subspecies of the monsters known as leshens. One is liable to come across them in inaccessible, unfrequented woodlands. They do not usually attack humans if unprovoked, but when irritated they can be quite fearsome, and, as they possess considerable strength, they are capable of doing great damage. Their appetite is such that they can devour more flesh than an army at a wedding.
: Each spriggan has mastery over plants and is inextricably tied to them. Thus if someone destroys greenery in its domain, it immediately comes to punish the disturber.
: Unobtainable without reading the book:
:: In combat a spriggan makes skilled use of its powerful limbs. When riled it attacks swiftly and forcefully, which, given its considerable mass, can prove highly problematic.
:: Its calloused hide can deflect even strong blows from a sword, and there can be no thought of parrying the spriggan's attacks. One must keep an eye out for roots, which the spriggan will attempt to use to entangle its foe.
:: It can also teleport – in such cases it suddently appears directly in front of its foe and attacks. The Aard Sign does not work against it, for no force on earth can knock it over.
=== Combat tactics ===
Like leshens, it's vulnerable to Igni, so make sure to strike it with this when possible, but note that, unlike leshens, spriggans are fast.
If taking heavy damage, it's better to focus on using Quen instead and just use relict oil on your sword. You can use dimeritium bombs as well, but note that these bombs will also block witcher signs, so use with caution.
=== Associated quests ===
* Big Feet to Fill: The Third Group
* Knight for Hire
==Behind the scenes==
===Spriggan===
Spriggans are legendary creatures known from Cornish faery lore. Spriggans were grotesquely ugly, found at old ruins and barrows guarding buried treasure and generally acting as fairy bodyguards. They were also said to be busy thieves. Though usually small, they had the ability to swell to enormous size (they're sometimes speculated to be the ghosts of the old giants).
Certainly their disposition was poor, and they caused mischief to those who offended them. They sent storms to blight crops, and sometimes stole away mortal children, leaving their ugly changelings in their place.
===Borowik===
According to a Russian legend, Baba-Yaga puts the hero in touch with magic creatures (spirits), Lesovik and Borovik, who live under a mushroom and provide the hero with magical gifts which show him the way to reach his goal. In both Polish and Russian, borowik/borovik is also the name of the boletus mushrooms.
===Borowy===
It is not entirely certain whether borowy and borowik are the same creature but the descriptions are extremely similar.
== Notes ==
* In , Lazare mentions spriggan as another name for leshy.
== Videos ==
File:What is a Spriggan? - The Witcher Lore - Spriggans
== Gallery ==
File:Reasons of State talk about leshen.jpg|Geralt and Lazare talking about the monster
de:Waldteufel
es:Busgoso
it:Borowik
pl:Borowik
pt-br:Troncoso
ru:Боровой
uk:Боровик
Category:Creatures
Category:Blood and Wine bestiary