The Witcher universe has an organization called scoya'tael, which has been featured in games and books more than once. Many people in the adventures of Geralt do not pay due attention to them, but in fact they have an interesting history and motivation for action. You can learn more about this from our material.
The composition of the rebel group
There are no people at all among the Skoy'tael, for it is precisely the ideology of hatred of them because of frequent humiliation that causes the uprising. The composition of this revolutionary group includes elves, as well as red people with inferiors, who consider themselves underestimated in the eyes of people. They do not have their own states, they never held important posts in the powers, and the attitude towards them is far from the best. This applies specifically to races, because such an attitude led to the formation of rebel brigades during the First Northern War. They are also called "squirrels," because the word "scoya'tael" is translated exactly that way. They got such a nickname for the habit of wearing the tails of this animal on their hats.
Activities in books
In The Witcher books, the Scoia'tael look offended by creatures who choose to revolt but do not have a specific plan. People call them terrorists, because in most cases, members of the organization were engaged in frequent raids on settlements, military patrols and others with the aim of obtaining resources. Sometimes they created point attacks at the proper level, a riot on the island of Tanedd can be a striking example. Elves and other aforementioned races were divided into brigades that had their own leaders. This can be seen in games where the leaders of the "squirrels" often appeared in the plot. During the first offensive of the Nilfgaard Empire, the Scoia'tael followed the orders of the attacking side. Because of their hatred of the Northern kingdoms, they did not realize that they were used as consumables in various operations. It should be noted that in diplomatic negotiations, representatives of the empire always denied their connection with the “squirrels."
The beginning of their movement
The first Scoia'tael camp was founded somewhere before the start of the First Northern War. The ideology was that the elves, dwarf-humans and the lower classes are more ancient races, and therefore they have more rights to a higher position in society. Meanwhile, people greatly oppressed them, which was what the leaders of the empire Nilfgaard took advantage of. Their activity begins with the fact that small groups of rebels begin their partisan activities. They often attacked military installations, reconnaissance on tracts, and took food from farmers and ordinary residents. The movement gained momentum, and therefore the raids took place more and more often. For the Northern Kingdoms, such a rebel movement soon became a huge problem. Brigades hid through forests in a vast area from the Blue Mountains to the peninsula called Bremervoord. For the first time, “squirrels” vividly declared themselves at the moment when they stormed Fort Lade in Kaedven, where they brutally massacred all the people.
Continuation of confrontation in books
The Scoia'tael did not calculate that the people in Kaewden would respond with the same coin. And so it happened, which confirms the mass extermination of nonhumans in the capital Ard Carraig. Pogroms with the destruction of the Old Races took over the population of other large cities of the North. Elves, dwarf people, and the lower classes were massively destroyed, and state authorities even created special punitive detachments. They hunted for “squirrels”, severely punished them and obtained information about the location of other camps. The rebels also did not hesitate, who, in response, are divided into smaller units, leaving deep into the forests, where it is convenient for them to fight against their enemies. The mutual hatred of the people and the Elder Races has grown to such a level that they exchanged brutal attacks regularly. People on paths hung nonhumans, and "squirrels" answered the same coin in small settlements. Blood rivers flooded the Northern kingdoms even without taking into account the military operations of Nilfgaard.
Subsequent operations
The Skoya'tael camp in The Witcher 3 is a model of rebel life. Those who are interested in their activities should go to Novigrad, where the leader is Vernossiel. During the lull, the "squirrels" managed to mark a riot on the island of Tanned, where they greatly helped the renegade sorcerers. During the Second Northern War, the Scoia'tael again sided with the Nilfgaard Empire. The agreement to return the ancestral lands in the Valley of Flowers and the founding of their kingdom was too tempting a proposal. The invaders kept their word, and at that moment many elves and representatives of other races wanted to return to their homeland for the arrangement of the state. The Dryads in Brokilon helped heal many wounds, rest, and stand in line. The agreement did not allow them to stop the struggle against the Northern kingdoms, and therefore, in the emperor’s struggle with Aedirn and Lyria, they regularly raided the rear of Demavend and Meva. Some elves went further, joining the regular army of Nilfgaard. So did the leader himself, Isengrim Fauilthiarna, where he was commanded a brigade of brothers "Vrihedd." Under Brenna they were routed by the Allied forces of the North.
Fate after the war and appearance
In the Gwint game, the Scoia'tael are depicted on maps as described in the book. This could also be seen in other projects of the Witcher universe. In addition to caps with squirrel tails, they had special arrows with points that are located at an unusual angle. The tips of such shells were always decorated with gray feathers. The Krasnoyuds, on the other hand, invented their own tradition: members of the rebel groups wove beards in two pigtails. They could easily be recognized by their attributes. The fate of the "squirrel" after the Second Northern War is more than sad. Blood elf Francesca Findabair remained to rule in Dol Blatanne, but in the Cyntrian world she was supposed to abandon ties with the Skoy'tael. The imperial troops handed over the remnants of the Vrijedd brigade to the Nords and brutally executed them. Some managed to avoid this fate, including Isengrim. Despite all the difficulties, the “squirrels” continued their struggle against people, but not so actively.
Criticism
It should be noted that the romantic insurgent spirit, which attracted many representatives of the Elder Races, repelled just as many. Elves, dwarf-humans, and inferiority in all the settlements live side by side with people, and therefore this struggle seems senseless to them. Over the years of such a life, they have developed an adaptation strategy, and there is no desire to change anything. Moreover, such nonhumans become opponents of the rebel movement. In their opinion, “squirrels” only spoil the climate in cities, and ordinary people in the person of the same elves, dwarf people with inferiors suffer from this. This is how the more mature representatives of the Elder Races reasoned, since almost noholes who were not going to put up with contempt on the part of people became scoy'tael. Such rebel movement on the part of the adversaries is compared with the Aeliren War. The leader raised the young representatives of the Elven people to confront people. Thus, many potential brilliant personalities who could help their race were destroyed.
Appearance in the gaming industry
In the first part of the “The Witcher” game series, the Skoya'tael are given a rather important place in the central storyline. Events take place around the city of Vizima, which is the capital of the northern state of Temeria. A year has passed since the moment when the story ended in books. The main character, Geralt, has lost his memory and is now trying to restore it by investigating the mysterious attack on the refuge of the witches Kaer Morhen. In the course of history, he meets with the "squirrels" that are operating near Vizima. Their leader Yaevinn will offer Geralt at one point to join them. The player may agree to take the side of the opponent or take a position of neutrality. Staying away for a long time will not work, and therefore you should decide immediately. In any case, the “squirrels” will make themselves felt, as the last chapter of the first part of the “The Witcher” series shows.
Other games
In the Gwint game, the Sco''tael deck appeared much later, only after the release of all three parts of the Geralt saga from Rivia. It’s difficult to judge the character of the rebels. This can best be done in the second part of the Witcher line, where the player can choose the side of the new rebel Squirrel Iorvet. He will help investigate the murder of King Foltest, while pursuing his own interests. The player will go through an interesting storyline and learn a lot of information about nonhumans, as well as their life with culture. In the game The Witcher 3, the Scoia'tael are playing too small a role. It would seem that the Third Northern War is in full swing and the rebels should prove themselves. Initially, it should have been, but the developers abandoned this idea. That is why the "squirrel" can only be seen in the camp near Novigrad and in a few rare cases.