Carla Demetia Crest

**Carla Demetia Crest** is a sorceress and one of the many famous graduates of Aretuza. She is also the author of the manuscript "The Trial of Grasses and other secret Witcher practices, seen by my own eyes". She also created the "Surge" spell, a shield of energy that could protect its users and anyone within the shield from outside hazards. She currently resides at the Witcher School of the Griffin, Kaer Seren, where she assists in the education of the Witchers there and the maintenance of their vast library. She also furthers her studies of Witchers in the hopes of future publications on the subject.

## Education and Training

Carla was brought to the academy of Aretuza after an incident that, while it resulted in the death of her entire family and the destruction of her home, indicated that she has a high level of magical prowess. The Brotherhood of Sorcerers covered her entry fee, and the girl was admitted with high expectations. The magical explosion that decimated her old life had been one of the most powerful displays of untrained magic in the last several years.

She was a pathetic little thing, skinny from starvation, caked with mud, hair in knots, with a crooked nose and wire thin lips. All of these things would eventually be corrected, as she learned that one of the greatest weapons of a Sorceress was their impossible beauty. From rags to silks and furs, from an unsightly wretch to a creature of grace and flawlessness, Aretuza changed Carla's life. As such, she would change the face of magic with her intense focus on her studies, and her particular interest in the creation of new spells.

Her specialization came in the form of combat spells, both offensively and defensively. The now infamous "Surge" spell was a product of only her first year at the academy, and gently pushed the boundaries of her knowledge. She spent days at a time in the library, forgetting to eat and sometimes almost forgetting to attend classes. She was heavily disciplined, but none could doubt her efforts would pay large returns to all magic users.

By the end of her time there, Carla had pioneered half a dozen spells, had a handful more that she was actively working on, and had written a treatise on weaponizing magic for the sieging and conquering of cities. Information that would prove useful to the Brotherhood, if only to keep it out of the hands of anyone who might use it against them. After graduation, she became a member of the Brotherhood, and immediately began searching for a new subject to catch her interest. And what she found, she certainly did not expect...

## School of the Griffin

Carla's first meeting with George of Kagen was merely by chance. He had come to Vizima following a contract, while at the same time Carla was visiting one of her alchemist colleagues. Perhaps in preparation to slay a mighty beast, George sought out the alchemist for ingredients for his concoctions, and thus Carla laid eyes on a Witcher for the first time. Where others saw a mutinous freak, she saw the profound effect of magic on the human form. So little was known about the ways in which Witchers were created, how these beings of enhanced strength, speed, and senses had come to be. She saw them as a perfect expression of the art and suddenly wished to know more about what made them into these things that they were now.

She insisted upon joining his hunt, as the beast he was to face sounded difficult and dangerous. Most Witchers were known to work alone, and George seemed unwilling to put another in harm's way. He seemed an honorable man, a contrast to the reputation of most Witchers, and she knew she would have to find another way to entice him. She offered him double what he was being paid by the contract's poster to accompany him, and he succumbed to that oldest of stereotypes: a Witcher will do anything if the price is right.

The contract took them deep into the sewers beneath the city of Vizima, where Carla further learned that George came from the School of the Griffin, who were believed to have a large library of knowledge and some sense of magical skill that exceeded other Witchers. She saw this in his enhanced signs, rudimentary spellwork, and all the makings of a passable sorcerer. Drowners infested the sewers, and George cut through scores of them with ease, though they were not his true target. A hag of some sort had befouled the depths of the sewers, dragging people away to the night and even threatening to poison the cities' water supply with her presence. They found the water hag in the very heart of the tunnels, but she was old and cunning. With claws and tongue, she tore at George's flesh, attempting to strangle him to death as he struggled against her. Carla delivered the killing blow to the monster, thus saving George's life.

When it came time to collect his payment from the King himself, Carla paid as she had promised: twice the amount of Orens a king would pay for the head of the water hag, as well as an offer. She wished to journey with him, to learn more about how Witchers fought and the beasts they killed. She wanted to accompany him back to the keep of Kaer Seren, and see the library there in all its glory. Carla wished to learn everything there was to know about Witchers, and perhaps teach the noble Griffins something else in return.

She did just that, returning with George to Kaer Seren in the winter, where he would then remain in order to train a new group of prospective Witchers. Carla began to supplement the Master Witcher's teachings with her own, adding more powerful magic to the already formidable arsenal of the Witchers there. She learned to assist in the Trial of the Grasses, saw the way it twisted the flesh of the Witchers to make them what they were. She wrote her tome about the Trial and many other things, feeding the information to the Brotherhood in secret. She plumbed the depths of the library, accessing the lost and forgotten knowledge that these wandering monster slayers had somehow amassed over all the years. She had found her calling as a sorceress, and it was to study these fascinating creatures as thoroughly as possible.