Vildkaarls (meaning "wild men" in Skellige jargon) are a brotherhood of warriors in the Ard Skellig highlands, independent of any clan. They live off what they hunt and exist solely to kill.
Unknown to the rest of the islanders, they secretly worship the forbidden deity Svalblod, and all the blood they spill is in sacrifice to him. The remaining priests of Svalblod submit Vildkaarls to brutal trials to ensure only the strongest survive, then transform them into werebears ("berserkers" in Skellige) through an ancient ritual.
History
In Skellige's formative years, when acolytes of Svalblod nearly drowned the Isles in blood, a short civil war erupted between the cultists and the rest of the population. During this conflict, berserkers committed mass murders and massacres until they were finally defeated. Worship of Svalblod was then forbidden, his priests and followers exiled on ships without sails and cast out to the sea, and his henges were destroyed.[1]
However, one small henge in Fornhala—the once-vibrant seat of Svalblod's cult, filled with ancient temples—survived and fell into disrepair. Secret underground caves in Fornhala provided refuge for a few priests, who began creating the Vildkaarls.[2] Since then, warriors, brigands, and lovers of violence who heard the "call of the bear" have abandoned their lives to join the brotherhood. These men hunted and raided in the summer, and according to legend, "slept with bears in winter."
While the Vildkaarls kept their berserker nature and Svalblod worship a secret, rumors circulated throughout Skellige that berserkers loyal to Svalblod were living among the populace and performing blood sacrifices at night. Tales of men turning into bears became the stuff of legend. Their secrecy came to an end in 1272. After Konung Bran Tuirseach died, his wife Birna sought to install his son, Svanrige Tuirseach, as king. To achieve this, she anonymously contacted Artis, the Svalblod priest leading the Vildkaarls, instructing him to send a number of his men to the feast at Kaer Trolde in exchange for being made the future king's advisor. The Vildkaarls themselves were unaware of what would happen at the feast.
At the feast, the Vildkaarls kept themselves busy with fistfighting until they drank mead spiked with human blood and hallucinogenic mushrooms. This caused them to hallucinate scenes of battle and bloodshed, triggering their transformation into bears. In their berserker rage, they massacred the guests at the feast, and the carnage would have continued had it not been for the intervention of the witcher Geralt of Rivia.[1]
If Geralt helped Cerys: If Geralt helped Cerys: After the massacre, Geralt aided Cerys an Craite in investigating what had happened. Together, they uncovered that the Vildkaarls had been manipulated and that the true culprit was Birna. Cerys revealed Birna's actions to the Jarls, and when Svanrige turned on his mother, she was sentenced to death.
If Geralt helped Hjalmar: After the massacre, Geralt aided Hjalmar an Craite in wiping out the Vildkaarls. Having seen them transform into bears during the feast, Hjalmar and Geralt traveled to the mountain village of Fornhala. There, they discovered the bodies of aspiring Vildkaarls and entered the underground caverns. The pair confronted Hallgrim, a Vildkaarl who tried to stop them. Hallgrim revealed that the Vildkaarls had not known the massacre would happen but expressed no regret for it. Geralt and Hjalmar then discovered Artis performing a transformation ritual on new recruits. A fierce battle ensued, and they killed Artis along with the Vildkaarls. However, they failed to uncover the identity of the person who had instructed the cult.
If Geralt walked away: Geralt decided to walk away from the massacre, he aided neither Cerys nor Hjalmar. This led to Svanrige becoming king and Artis taking up his position as royal advisor.
Some years later, during the advent of the Crimson Curse, the Vildkaarls became emboldened and began openly worshiping Svalblod once more. Many young warriors, dreaming of glory and unstoppable strength, were drawn to the cult after hearing the words of its druids. The Jarls convened to decide their next course of action: whether to lead their armies into the mountains once again to crush the cult or to forget past conflicts and see the berserkers as a valuable weapon against Skellige's enemies.[3]
Trial of the Bear's Triumph
The process of joining the Vildkaarls and becoming a berserker is a bloody one. Men who hear "the call of the bear" travel to Fornhala. There, in groups of six, they begin the trial to join the community. The first stage of the process involves the six aspirant Vildkaarls fistfighting to the death until only three remain. These three survivors are then taken into the underground caverns, where they are fed hallucinogenic mushrooms while the Svalblod priest performs a ritual.
During the ritual, the three men are devoured by bears—a process that binds their spirits to those of the animals. After consuming the men, the bears transform into the individuals they devoured, completing the transformation. The aspirants are now reborn as Vildkaarls and berserkers.
Notable Vildkaarls
Priests
- Artis
- Vorunn
Vildkaarls
Gallery
