Voren of Dillingen was a witcher from the School of the Bear and the first ever witcher to test the witcher prosthesis created by the sorcerers Barend Anselberg and Elgan of Verden during the Third Northern War.[1]
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Some fifty years before the outbreak of the Third Northern War, Voren was still a fresh and relatively inexperienced witcher, having only been on the path a few years. One faithful hunt south of Cintra would prove to be one of the most impactful events of his life. Voren had accepted a contract to kill a Fiend that had been terrorizing some villages. The witcher was lead to believe by the local hunters that the Fiend in question was still a youth and could thus be easilty dispatched. Unfortunately the hunters had been mistaken, the Fiend wasn't a youth but already a full-grown specimen. The fight that ensued was long and hard, but Voren was ultimately successful in killing the monster. But not before one of the beasts blows crushed his left arm, hand and fingers shattering the digits and fracturing the bones of his wrist.
Having already ingested several witcher potions, Voren decided not to risk drinking a Swallow potion but instead ride to a doctor in the nearest town, three days away. When he arrived his witcher healing had already taken effect, the shattered bones had been fused together. This left his lower arm twisted and made it difficult to flex his fingers without great effort. With the help of a splint and some time spent learning Voren adapted his fighting style and was once again able to make Signs.[1]
Second Injury[]
Having been on the path for one year after his injury, the witcher suffered a second injury to his left arm. An Ekimmara tore into his arm destroying the splint. Having no Swallow available, Voren had to seek out medical aid instead once again. When he found a doctor his witcher healing had once again caused more damage then it healed. The wound had already healed, trapping some of the splints debris in Voren's arm and causing it to fester and become a gangrenous infection. The doctor decided the arm had to be amputated to above the elbow. Unfortunatly for Voren, there were no anesthetics available and the doctor had little experience with amputations. The amputation was a harrowing experience and yielded a less than perfect result and caused not only physical damage, but mental damage too.[1]
Life With Disability[]
A year after his operation the witcher's life was rough. Whenever Voren arrived in towns or villages, contracts would be pulled from the noticeboards and the work he did required little skill and thus paid little. In the eyes of the commonfolk he was no longer a witcher, but a liability. Having little money and being isolated from the one thing that gave his life purposes, Voren took to sleeping rough and hunting wild animals to survive in Lyria and Rivia.
At his lowest point he met a mage, Elgan of Verden. Elgan had been hunting a Shaelmaar in Mahakam that had deprived the sorcerer of one of his legs. He promised Voren that he would be compensated greatly if the witcher aided in the hunt. Although initially reluctant at first the witcher agreed, reasoning it would be better to die in battle to a monster then to die of starvation. The pair was succesful in tracking down and killing the Shaelmaar deep in the Dwarven mines. Before they could leave however the tunnel created by the monster began to collapse, crushing Elgan under some debris. Despite the mage's protests Voren refused to leave him behind and managed to pull him from under the debris. The mineshaft collapsed further and buried them both before they were able to leave, but with the help of Elgan's magic they freed themselves by morning. Voren recieved the amount he was due, but the mage acknowledged the life debt he now owed and would repay. Some time later Elgan did repay his debt, by offering Voren a new invention, a prosthetic arm for a witcher's lifestyle to test in the field.[1]
Life With Prostethic[]
Thanks to the prosthetic Voren could once again perform signs and take on contracts worthy of a witcher. He was once again active in Cintra during the Second Northern War after having suffered his injuries there and had gotten into a relationship with a Higher Vampire.[2] Still, despite being able to work as a witcher again, Voren still suffers from the injuries he sustained those years ago. His mental wounds still haven't fully healed after years of feeling frustrated, despondent and lost with the cards he'd been given. Besides the mental scars, his physical injury still gives him chronic pain everyday and can flare up causing him to feel phantom limb syndrome where his left arm used to be. Whenever Voren isn't wearing the prosthetic he keeps it nearby, as he has been able to compensate most daily tasks using his right arm alone.[1]