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Welcome to Let's Play The Witcher. Let's hope this attempt lasts a bit longer than the three previous threads.
The intro is also available as a video (w/o comentary):
The Northern Kingdom nursed their wounds for five years after the Great War. Plague and famine raged, the death toll unknown. A few surviving elven and dwarven units sought refuge amidst forests, where they prepared for a final, desperate fight.
Abominable beasts ruled backwoods, highways, and former battlefields alike. In cities and villages, folk were left wondering: What had happened to the witchers?
The Blue Mountains in the north of Kaedwen. The year is 1270 - five years after the Great War.
A white-haired man ran through the forest. He was tired, disoriented and his posture gave away his pain.
There was no one to be seen around, yet he knew that he was being pursued. He could hear them.
A multitude of distorted voices resonated in his skull. They all repeated his name and blended into an unbearable cacophony which pierced his fragile mind.
He knew he couldn't last much longer.
His own legs refused to carry him any further. He collapsed to the ground.
As he struggled to retain consciousness, the man caught a glimpse of a silhouette emerging from the fog; the stranger seemed unaffected by the chase which was soon to be over.
Then he blacked out.
The exhausted fellow was Geralt, also known as the White Wolf, one of the greatest witchers of all times and a true legend. He had been dead for several years.
Now, however, he returns as the protagonist of this fine game. How is it possible? Was he really dead? No one knows for sure. Geralt suffers from amnesia and can't remember anything, not even his best friends. It will be our mission to help Geralt regain his lost memory.
Also, the whole memory-loss decision allowed the developers to make the game accessible even to those unfamiliar with the Witcher saga (currently consisting of at least five novels and two story collections). This way we begin the game as a blank slate and get to meet all the pivotal characters of the world as if we never had anything to do with them.
Geralt woke up on a crude wagon, apparently unharmed and unrestrained. There was a man walking alongside the carriage. Even though he was well-armed, nothing in his demeanor suggested he presented any danger. As he turned to face Geralt, he revealed his terribly scarred face.
Everything's all right. I've no idea where you've been. The important thing is you're alive and among friends. Though you look like you just left your grave.
Geralt was too exhausted to reply.
Nevertheless, it was clear that the mysterious stranger was not an enemy. His name was Eskel and he was one of the witchers - superhuman monster slayers.
The carriage reached the end of the woods and barged over a small creek. The loud clatter of its wheels shook Geralt up.
Finally, he uttered few words.
I remember nothing.
We'll speak soon enough. We're nearing Kaer Morhen.
Kaer Morhen is an ancient witcher academy. Not so long ago, it used to be a wealthy and powerful fortress where most witchers of the Northern kingdoms (including Geralt) underwent their training. Today, however, only two people actually reside there. A handful of other surviving witchers joins them occasionally. As a result of this sad development, the castle is in a terrible state of disrepair and a mere shadow of its former glory.
We will learn more about the downfall of witchers and Kaer Morhen a bit later.
Kaer Morhen really isn't a pleasant and welcoming place - the human skulls scattered around its entrance alone should give you a slight impression to that effect.
Eskel was joined by Vesemir, an old witcher mentor and the caretaker of the fortress.
Vesemir was there, at Kaer Morhen, when witchers were feared and respected, he remains there even now when they are merely tolerated at best.
To the right, with his back turned to us, stands Lambert, the youngest of the witchers currently present at Kaer Morhen.
Leo, get Triss. We are home.
Leo is the only known witcher adept.
Before returning to the castle, Lambert turned around cautiously, as if he had heard something...
While a dodgy figure observed from the moat.
TWO DAYS LATER
While Geralt did feel greatly rejuvenated, the long rest did not help his memory in the slightest. In the courtyard below, fellow witchers were fencing.
I keep repeating this! Pirouette, always followed by a back cross parry! Always!
Triss Merigold stood by his side.
Triss is a sorceress. In the witcher universe, magic is a talent of incredible power. And I mean actual power - mages and sorceresses are not mere murder-machines, they are usually members of the highest echelons of society. They tend to spend more time scheming than studying. Intelligent, strong, dangerous, independent - they truly make for great politicians and diplomats.
Their power, however, comes at a cost. Kings and lords don't like being intimidated and there is often a very thin line between a peaceful coexistence of the state and the Circle of mages and an open war.
Barely two days have passed since they found you.
I owe my recovery to you. Thank you, Triss.
Remember anything?
Not much. Look below... I know the moves: pirouette, parry, cut...
I can't explain it, but I feel a bond when we speak. I know you were important.
Suddenly, Triss was stratled by a flock of birds.
Something wasn't right...
I need to think.
Time flows slowly at Kaer Morhen.
Something felt wrong besides Geralt's face.
Lambert apparently shared Geralt's concerns and decided to scout the situation. Others, however, were too busy training.
Not bad, take a rest. What do you think, Geralt, is Leo ready for the path?
A band of poorly armed thugs was lurking right in front of the gate.
They attacked furiously, but their crude weapons and unrefined violence were no match for Lambert's skills.
As more attackers closed to the gate, Lambert decided to retreat.
I'm shutting the gate! Geralt, grab a sword off the training forms!
The grate was lowered and most bandits were trapped outside.
And so we get introduced to the gameplay. Since the Prologue is essentially a tutorial, this first fight is extremely easy. It is also very short and followed by another cutscene.
Careful, Lambert, this could hurt!
Anyone knows who the intruders are?
Ordinary bandits would never attack Kaer Morhen!
(Actually, they would - that's how it got destroyed.)
That we know, Merigold. You could use some of your famous magic.
In due time, Lambert.
Enough. We need to check the other possible passages. To the Upper Courtyard.
On the way up Vesemir casually mentioned that humans hate mutants.
Witchers are mutants - their strength and agility come from both an extensive training and from a series of chemically-induced mutations they undergo during the puberty. The process is very painful and dangerous (most children do not survive it) and leaves the subject infertile. On the other hand, it grants the witcher longevity, greatly increased resistance against poisons and diseases, abnormal reflexes and so on.
The invasion suddenly seems a bit more serious than it initially appeared.
Shit! What is that?
A frightener. One mean beast.
Frighteners are magically created creatures. It was obvious there was a mage amongst the attackers. And indeed, a grotesque figure emerged from the angry mob.
Savolla! I know him. A mage - as ambitious as he is insane.
There's more! They are entering the Upper Courtyard.
The situation was becoming dire, a horde of angry thugs - that they could handle. But a mage on top of that? Insanity!
Amongst the bandits approaching from the top, two figures were prominent.
There was the bespectacled, scrawny man we had seen a bit earlier.
The one in the glasses is the Professor. Murder for hire.
Fun fact: The Professor is based on a minor character of the same name that appeared in one of the books. He was a pseudo-intellectual mercenary who got killed by Geralt after few pages of verbose-heavy dialogue. This Professor, however, is apparently a different person.
You mean another one?
Yup, this funky individual is a sorcerer. And a powerful one, too.
The mysterious duo entered the upper portion of the fortress. The inner gates closed behind them.
The Professor is wanted in Redenia, Temeria and Kaedwen. A real maggot.
I don't recognize the sorcerer.
Merigold, I'm interested in whether you can disarm Savolla. The rest is witcher's work.
They are coming.
The frightener is very dangerous, but it's vulnerable to loud noises.
The bells in the Upper Courtyard!
Exactly! Eskel, Lambert, you'll help me stop the frightener and the bandits. Leo, stay behind us. Geralt, you open the gate to the Upper Courtyard.
When we are there, Triss can stop Savolla and his pet while we prepare to deal with the Professor and the unknown mage.
Let's do this! Geralt, follow the wall and break through to the tower where there is a passage to the Upper Courtyard.
Alone? (Geralt isn't the most eloquent chap.)
They're just bandits, though one might be infamous. You must open the gate. We'll be waiting, Wolf!
And so Geralt got thrown into the action. All alone. He used to be famous for being a lone wolf, however since he had his memory erased, I guess this was a new experience for him.
No need to mention that the unfortunate shirtless guy didn't last too long.
What follows is a prolonged combat sequence. A great time for discussing the combat mechanics. The basics are covered in the following video / few paragraphs of text.
I've heard a lot of people complaining about the combat in The Witcher. I understand them. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean I agree with them. Combat works this way: Geralt uses (almost exclusively) a heavy longsword - ranged combat is practically non-existent. You order him to attack bad-guys by clicking on them. As Geralt attacks them, the cursor changes its shape. When it turns into a flaming sword, you are supposed to click again - then Geralt begins another set of attacks in a combo. As long as you can keep the clicking in a certain rhythm, Geralt's attacks become stronger and stronger. When you level up, you can invest skill-points into better and longer combos. That's it.
Besides this basic click-fest, there is the need to adjust your fighting style to the kind of enemies you are facing. You can choose between Strong, Fast and Group styles, all with pretty self-explanatory applications. As you progress in the game, new possibilities unlock - you get magical abilities, new specialised weapons, grenades, potions and so on. Combine that with the fact that you are going to be facing overwhelming odds most of the time and combat can suddenly become both intense and tactical at the same time.
In short, I like it and I don't care if you think otherwise. 
Anyway, while I was talking, Geralt reached a group of archers who were firing arrows at him. He decided to bypass them.
A chase ensued which didn't turn out well for the enemies.
In few moments, Geralt reached the gate.
His friends were taking good care of themselves, when an uninvited guest ruined the party.
They took the only reasonable course of action.
They ran for their lives.
Well, that seems like a good place to cut the update. Hope you enjoyed it.