With news that the pilot script is complete, the sprawling fantasy world of The Witcher marches on step closer to television, bringing to Netflix the saga of the monsters of myth, and the slayers for hire trained to hunt them down. While most people are undoubtedly familiar with the characters and setting from the hit video game trilogy, the expansive story is actually rooted in the 1992 novel The Sword of Destiny, by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. His fantasy epic now spans eight novels, and its from those stories the planned TV series will draw inspiration.

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The Witcher was previously adapted for the screen in Poland in 2001 as The Hexer, an intended 13-episode television fantasy that was edited into two-hour feature film, before airing in its original form the following years. That attempt failed for a number issues, including drastic deviations from the novels. Thankfully, however, with Sapkowski aboard the Netflix project as a creative cotnsultant, fans of The Witcher can rest assured it will remain faithful to the world they fell in love with.

But newcomers may wonder just what this titular witcher and his world are. Maybe you're curious about what to expect from Netflix's upcoming fantasy drama, or you're thinking about picking up the novels. We're here to help with this largely spoiler-free guide.

What's a Witcher, Anyway?

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Essentially, witchers are exceptionally skilled monster slayers for hire. Each one is trained from a young age at a different school. The novels mention three schools: The School of the Cat, The School of the Griffin and The School of the Wolf. Our hero, Geralt of Rivia, belongs to the latter, situated at Kaer Morhen, a distant fortress to the north of The Continent in Kaedwen (that'll mean more shortly; one thing at a time). To become effective against the many monsters they'll encounter, witchers are made to meticulously study all creatures and curses. They're also intensely trained in alchemy, a little magic and, of course, combat.

They're also schooled in the use of a variety of weapons. However, a witcher typically will only ever carry two swords: a steel blade for men and a silver blade for monsters, as that element harms most monsters. Witchers are also each equipped with a medallion that not only symbolize the school to which he belongs but also trembles when in the presence of magic.

After completing the initial training, prospective witchers are forced to endure the torturous Trial of Grasses, when they must ingest special herbs, the Grasses, which ideally causes mutations and physiological changes. However, only three boys out of 10 ever survive the trial and gain the physical and mental enhancements that allows them to become witchers. They emerge with heightened senses, strength, speed and healing; they live far longer, and are virtually immune to all disease. In fact, their hardened physiology allows them to consume potions that would otherwise kill a human. But that's not where the physical changes end. Their eyes become almost cat-like, permitting a witcher to see more clearly in darkness. It all sounds fantastic, until you learn the Trial of Grasses also renders all witchers sterile.

Their training in magic enables witchers to cast a limited number of spells with a quick gesture, most requiring just one hand. Each Sign has a name and produces a certain effect: Igni creates a small flame, Aard a small telekinetic blast, Yrden a magical circle that ensnares hostile creatures, Quen a protective field, Axii calms a person, Somne compels them into sleep, and Heliotrop provides limited protections against other spells.

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The Life of a Witcher

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It isn't unusual for boys to be taken from their homes and forced into the life of a witcher, due to the Law of Surprise. When one doesn't have the coin to pay a witcher for his services, he may ask for the first thing you see at home but did not expect. Occasionally, that unexpected surprise is a child.

After enduring the hardships of training, a witcher is sent out into the world to travel the Path, the endless wanderings of a witcher in search of the next contract. Monsters exist in this world, but they aren't so common that a witcher can make a decent living. He can therefore usually afford very little; enough to keep fed and equipped, but not enough for much more.

Witchers are hardly appreciated by the common folk. In fact, despite being physically superior, witchers aren't viewed as anywhere near godlike. They're seen more as freaks and mutants because of their abilities and their connection to magic, which is loathed in many places across The Continent. It doesn't help that there exists a widespread belief, even among witchers, that they are incapable of feeling emotions, even though there's no evidence of that. To the rest of the world, they're sometimes just as terrible a thing as the monsters they're hired to slay.

The Monsters

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Why witchers are needed at all is because The Continent is littered with all manner of monster: werewolves, wyverns, several types of vampires, ghouls, the rare dragon. Throughout the novels, Geralt encounters a number of supernatural beasts and cursed creatures, with the majority based on a combination of fairy tales and Slavic myths. Strigas, for example, are heavily based on Slavic strzygas, the cursed dead resurrected in demonic form. Killing isn't always the only option, because oftentimes a monster may be the victim of a curse, which witchers may attempt to remove.

You'll find throughout the novels that killing monsters is difficult work that requires as much thought as skill. Still, there aren't nearly as many monsters as you'd think.

The Conjunction of the Spheres

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Where did all these monsters come from, and why are there elves running alongside humans? As the story goes, more than a millennia ago, multiple universes collided in a catastrophic event. No one knows what caused that Conjunction of Spheres, but the event unleashed magic into the world and stranded multiple races together in one universe and on one plane of existence, changing the course of history of The Continent.

The elves had traveled from their world and arrived on white ships to The Continent, where they developed their own civilization and culture, becoming the Aen Seidhe. After the Conjunction of the Spheres, The Continent, which was once inhabited by dwarves and elves, became overrun by monsters and humans, the latter of whom conquered the land and constructed their cities, like Novigrad and Oxenfurt, atop the elven ruins.

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The Continent

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Referenced previously, The Continent is the (thus far) unnamed landscape in which Andrzej Sapkowski's stories take place. It's made up of several kingdoms ruled by a number of factions.

To the north are the four Northern Kingdoms (occasionally referred to as the Northern Realms): Redania and Kaedwen, separated from Aedirn and Temeria by a major river, the Pontar. The Northern Kingdoms are inhabited by dwarves and elves as well. Because of the often-violent hatred humans harbor for elves and dwarves, a number of fighters have banded together, forming the Scoia'tael, a guerilla faction that allied itself wth the far more accepting Nilfgaardian Empire.

To the West are six islands that comprise the Skellige Isles, ruled by several clans united by one king chosen by the people. The inhabitants of Skellige are hardened raiders that live for glory and honor. To the south lies the powerful and ever-expanding Nilfgaardian Empire, feared by other nations because of its vast armies and overflowing coffers. Around The Continent, the Nilfgaardians are sometimes referred to as the "Black Ones," owing to the black uniforms, armor and shields of its soldiers.

Who's Who

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Sapkowski's world is rich, populated by complex characters. But which are the important ones in this story? First and foremost, there's Geralt of Rivia, the titular witcher. His mother left him as an infant at Kaer Morhen, where he was trained as a witcher. He mastered each skill and took to the mutagens during the Trial of the Grasses with unusual tolerance, making him a prime candidate for further mutations. Because of that, his hair turned white and his complexion grew pale, earning him the nickname the White Wolf.

Dandelion is a bard known throughout the Continent as a poet and a womanizer who travels the world with his lute, searching for adventure and inspiration. He's also one of Geralt's closest friends.

Yennefer of Vengerberg is a century-old sorceress who possesses wisdom gained through a lifetime of experience, yet, through magical means, appears as a young woman. She has a complex relationship with Geralt, yet they love each other deeply.

Unknown to Geralt, he once accepted a baby girl, through the Law of Surprise, named Ciri. It was a long time before he accepted the child into his life, but after destiny placed her in his time and again, he took her in as a daughter, with Yennefer serving as her mother figure.

Geralt has had many friends, such as his mentor Vesemir and the the dwarf Zoltan; they're like family to him. Throughout his travels, he has also made plenty of allies and enemies. Sigismund Dijkstra, once the most powerful man in Redania, falls somewhere in the middle.

Differences Between the Games and the Books

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The 2007 debut of the Witcher role-playing video game franchise, helped to propel Sapkowski's fantasy world to international popularity. But while much of games' content is faithful to the original stories, newcomers should be prepared for more than a few notable changes when switching from one to the other. There's a reason Sapkowski considers the video games outside of canon, and it's not only because he receives next to nothing in royalties.

The books depict Geralt as much more philosophical, and slightly more miserable, than his video-game counterpart, who, for the most part, is the stereotypical action protagonist with an intimidatingly gravelly voice. Dandelion, who's actually wise and helpful in Sapkowski's books, is portrayed as somewhat more jester-like.

Then there's the depiction of magic: Witcher signs are nowhere near as powerful in the books as they are in the video game series. While Igni can be used to set a half-dozen bandits aflame in the games, in the novels, it's only powerful enough to ignite objects, and little more. In fact, witchers in the books don't generally use signs half as much as they seem to in the video games.

None of that means the novels are any less captivating than the video games, which is why we're confident the Netflix adaptation -- which aims to be faithful to Sapkowski's source material -- will offer just as many thrills as the critically acclaimed video game series.