Letho

Template:Character infobox Letho of Gulet, also known as the Kingslayer, is a Witcher from the School of the Viper and the main antagonist in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. His closest associates are Auckes and Serrit, also Kingslayers and Witchers from the School of the Viper. For reasons which were initially unknown, he enlisted the help of Iorveth and the Scoia'tael to aid him in his plan to kill the kings of the Northern Kingdoms. To back his claim, this man showed Iorveth a head he claims belonged to Demavend, King of Aedirn and Sovereign of the Pontar valley.

Plot

Template:Spoiler Letho is first seen in the Prologue, where he is revealed to be King Foltest's killer. In a later cutscene, he appears to have just killed King Demavend of Aedirn and comes to Iorveth's hideout seeking Scoia'tael assistance in killing Foltest.

In Chapter I, Letho attempts to betray Iorveth by trying to turn one of his lieutenants against him. However, the elf refuses and Letho kills his entire group, leaving the elf to be captured by Flotsam's guards. Geralt later brings Iorveth to Letho as a ruse to expose the latter's treachery. However, Iorveth and his Scoia'tael are attacked by the Blue Stripes, leaving Geralt and Letho to battle each other. Letho prevails in the battle with Geralt but once the witcher is down, he does not kill him. Letho explains that Geralt once saved his life, so with this small mercy they are now 'even' and leaves to kidnap Triss and force her to teleport them to Aedirn.

Geralt later learns that Letho is a Witcher of the Viper School. Geralt had first encountered him in the forests of Angren on July 25, 1270, while chasing the Wild Hunt in search of Yennefer. He had rescued Letho from death after the latter had been struck by a slyzard's tail. Letho works with two other witchers of the Viper School, Auckes and Serrit, who are the ones who attempt to assassinate King Henselt in Chapter II.

Geralt meets Letho for the final time in the Epilogue, right after the fight with Saesenthessis. The kingslayer waits for Geralt in the centre of the ruins by the Temerian Quarter. Geralt may ask about his intentions, the Wild Hunt, Yennefer and/or other major events. Geralt must then choose to either let Letho go or fight him to the death. Depending on the outcome of that choice, Letho will ultimately either leave or be killed by Geralt in their duel.

Journal Entry

Disguised as a blind monk, the mysterious assassin took Geralt by surprise. Displaying immense self-control and lightning reflexes — not to mention a talent for acting — he murdered the king before the witcher's very eyes. He then leapt out the window of the solar before Geralt could grab him. Surviving the fall unharmed, the assassin fled with the aid of some Scoia'tael.

The information in Vernon Roche's possession served to confirm what Geralt had witnessed. A man matching the kingslayer's description had been seen in the company of Scoia'tael near the trading post of Flotsam. Finding him seemed like the witcher's only chance.

The mysterious individual now had a name. It appeared that this Letho, whoever he might be, was playing his own game — one in which the Scoia'tael had become an impediment. Yet his ultimate objective remained a mystery to Geralt.

Letho had indeed been working with the Squirrels, doing their wet work for them. Geralt would soon learn the answers to many more questions.

In the ruins of the elven bath, Geralt and the mysterious assassin stood eye to eye a second time. Geralt was surprised by what he learned. Letho of Gulet had been a witcher! What is more, there were other kingslayers, and they and Letho had worked together to assassinate the two dead northern monarchs. The witcher and the assassin were also no strangers — in fact, Geralt had once saved Letho's life. Their discussion ended abruptly as arrows whistled through the air and swords clashed. Letho demonstrated his strength and skills by beating Geralt black and blue. Before leaving, he announced that he was on his way to Aedirn.

The kingslayer proved true to his word and kidnapped Triss, wounding Cedric mortally in the process. He forced the sorceress to aid him by teleporting them both to Aedirn.

The magic sent Geralt a vision and gave us another bit of information. Letho had been in the area earlier and had ordered his accomplices to assassinate King Henselt. The kingslayers had been working with Síle de Tansarville, but, just as with Iorveth, their paths had diverged. Whatever finale would conclude this story, Letho claimed it would take place in Loc Muinne.

I listened to the rest of the tale with bated breath. Led to the summit by Nilfgaardian envoys, Letho publicly accused the sorcerers of commissioning the assassinations of the northern monarchs.

The kingslayer's intricate plan was revealed too late. Letho had been working for the Nilfgaardian Empire from the very beginning — his mission, to seed chaos before the Black Ones embarked upon a new war. Taking advantage of the ambitions of the Lodge of Sorceresses, its contacts and financial means — not to mention the support of the oblivious Scoia'tael partisans — Letho had eliminated two of the Nordlings' most important monarchs, plunging their realms into chaos.

On top of that, he had thrown suspicion on the sorcerers, who were just regaining their standing. Thus was the force which had stopped Nilfgaard at Sodden dealt a truly shattering blow.

Now Geralt had only to confront the kingslayer himself, so that the man could confirm or deny the witcher's suspicions. Only Letho knew the truth of the backroom intrigue which had left the north running with the blood of kings. Now I shall tell you about their final meeting, and its conclusion...