There are a few essential places in the world of The Witcher 3 for you to visit during the game, and one of them is Kaer Morhen, the witcher school. You'll hear about this old fortress throughout the game but won't visit it until much later on.
The fortress and surrounding area are both home to a ton of history and significance. Kaer Morhen's story goes back centuries, and its role continues in the Witcher 3's story. Here is how you can find your way there, and a few other interesting bits of lore about the witcher school.
10 What is Kaer Morhen?
So, you've heard this name "Kaer Morhen" but have no idea what it is? That's likely, as it's referenced throughout the Witcher 3 a few times before you actually visit. At its most basic, Kaer Morhen is simply an old keep nestled into the forests and mountains of the nation of Kaedwen.
Long ago, the fortress served as the home base for the witcher school, the School of the Wolf. It has long fallen out of that role, but it still serves as a home base for many witchers, including Geralt, who is a member of the Wolf School.
It's here that many of the choices that affect the ending of the game will take place.
9 How Do You Get There?
In-universe, Kaer Morhen is highly inaccessible. Those who want to visit must take the grueling journey to the area, which is mostly impossible for the average person. For the player, it's a bit simpler.
You won't be able to visit Kaer Morhen until Act II with the quest Ugly Baby. During this quest, Geralt will venture to Kaer Morhen, unlocking the entire region around it for you to explore.
8 Fossils and the Ancient Sea
Kaer Morhen's name comes from its original title in the Elder Speech, Caer a'Muirehen, which translates to Keep of the Elder Sea. It was named this for the fact that the area used to be surrounded by a large sea.
This is revealed further by the fact that there are fossils of sea creatures in the stones of the area. It's interesting to look at the Kaer Morhen Valley and see that it is rather bowl-shaped, indicated that the entire area could have been underwater once upon a time.
7 Ciri's Training
One of the most important characters in the story of the Witcher 3 is Ciri, the young heiress whom Geralt has been searching for. At the beginning of the game, you'll have to complete a short tutorial on combat and how to play. This tutorial section will involve training with Ciri at Kaer Morhen.
Ciri actually completed much of the training to become a witcher at Kaer Morhen. Unfortunately, she never finished undergoing the required mutations.
6 Kaedwen
Kaer Morhen operates as its own regional area in the Witcher 3 in the same way that places like Skellige, Velen, and Novigrad do. But, it is actually part of another nation altogether — Kaedwen.
Kaedwen is one of the Northern Realms and the second largest country on the Continent, just behind Nilfgaard. Kaer Morhen is found in the northeastern section of the country, nestled away into the forests and mountains.
Shortly before the beginning of the game, Radovid of Redania betrayed Kaedwen, an ally, and invaded it as part of the war between Redania and Nilfgaard. This took many by surprise. As a result, when you are visiting Kaer Morhen, and as a result, Kaedwen, it's now part of Redania.
5 History
The history of Kaer Morhen is a storied one, especially in terms of its role as a witcher keep. Once, long before the events of the Witcher 3, local fanatics became scared of the power and magical ability of the witchers living in the fortress.
These locals laid siege to the fortress, killing many of the witchers, both young and old. The story goes that the true art of mutating boys into witchers via the Trial of the Grasses has been lost with the deaths of those who knew it, so Kaer Morhen no longer trains new witchers.
4 Vesemir
Interestingly, one of the only survivors of the pogroms against witchers in Kaer Morhen was Vesemir, the teacher and leader that Geralt journeys to White Orchard with at the beginning of the game.
Vesemir was, unfortunately, a master of combat and not magic, so he was no expert on the mutations necessary to create new witchers. According to Vesemir, before the deadly attack, there were 40 students and 23 witchers living in the fortress.
3 Deadly Gauntlet Trail
Those wishing to visit Kaer Morhen must endure a grueling trek through the mountains and deep forests, much of which is filled with monsters and other horrors. However, one particular trial awaits those planning to head to the keep.
Surrounding Kaer Morhen is an easy-to-miss trail called The Witcher's Trail. This path is difficult to navigate and young witchers refer to it as "the Killer." The area is meant to be impossible for the average person to reach, and the trail helps with that.
2 The Battle of Kaer Morhen
One of the main events in the Witcher 3 takes place at Kaer Morhen, and is fittingly called the Battle of Kaer Morhen. During this epic fight, Geralt and his allies take on the Wild Hunt in order to protect Ciri from them.
Throughout the game, Geralt will meet several other characters that can be recruited to help with the battle if the right dialogue options are chosen. These include Keira Metz, Ermion, Zoltan Chivay, Vernon Roche, and Triss, among others.
1 Ruins
Given its long history and lack of residents, Kaer Morhen is beginning to fall into ruin. When you visit it during the Witcher 3, you may notice that several parts of it are crumbling, falling apart, or in complete ruin.
As a result, fortifying the keep against the Wild Hunt can be a difficult task. When presented the choice between patching up the holes or digging out the armory, you can opt for the former and you'll have to face fewer foes during the battle. Hoewever, if you dig out the armory, you'll acquire a new silver sword.