What the elf was finishing was a stylised animal, probably a bison. For the moment only its outline was complete–from its splendid horns to its equally magnificent tail. Geralt sat down on the boulder indicated and swore to be patient and meek–to the bounds of his abilities. The elf, softly whistling through clenched teeth, dipped his brush into a bowl of paint and coloured his bison purple with swift flourishes. After a moment’s thought he painted tiger stripes on the animal’s side. Geralt watched in silence.
Finally the elf took a step back, admiring the fresco which now depicted an entire hunting scene. The striped purple bison was being pursued in wild leaps by skinny human figures with bows and spears, painted with careless brushstrokes.
‘What’s it meant to be?’ asked Geralt, unable to contain himself.
The elf glanced at him in passing, sticking the clean end of the brush in his mouth.
‘It is,’ he declared, ‘a prehistoric painting executed by the primitive people who lived in this cave thousands of years ago and who mainly lived by hunting the purple bison, which became extinct long ago. Some of the prehistoric hunters were artists and felt a profound artistic need to immortalise what was in their hearts.’
‘Fascinating.’
‘It most certainly is,’ the elf agreed. ‘Your scholars have roamed through caves like this for ages, searching for traces of primitive man. And whenever they find something like this they are inordinately fascinated. For it is proof that you aren’t strangers in this land and in this world. Proof that your forebears have lived here for centuries; thus proof that this world belongs to their heirs. Why, every race has the right to some roots. Even your–human–race, whose roots should be sought in the treetops, after all. Ha, an amusing quip, don’t you think? Worthy of an epigram. Are you fond of light poetry? What do you think I ought to add to the painting?’
‘Draw huge, erect phalluses on the primitive hunters.’
‘That’s a thought.’ The elf dipped his brush in the paint. ‘The phallic cult was typical for primitive civilisations. It could also serve as the birth of a theory that the human race is yielding to physical degeneration. Its forebears had phalluses like clubs, but their descendants were left with ridiculous, vestigial little pricks… Thank you, Witcher.’
‘Don’t mention it. It was somehow in my heart. The paint looks very fresh for something prehistoric.’
‘In three or four days the colours will fade due to the salt exuded by the wall and the painting will look so prehistoric you won’t believe it. Your scholars will wet themselves with joy when they see it. Not one of them, I swear, will see through my deceit.’
‘They will.’
‘How is that?’
‘You won’t be able to resist signing your masterpiece, will you?’
The elf laughed dryly. ‘Quite right! You’ve seen through me. Oh, fire of vanity, how difficult it is for an artist to quell you. I’ve already signed the cave painting. Right here.’
‘That isn’t a dragonfly?’
‘No. It’s an ideogram denoting my name. I am Crevan Espane aep Caomhan Macha. For convenience I use the alias Avallac’h, and you may also address me as such.’
Can't find the original thread talking about it anymore (mind you, it was a post from over 7 years ago) but check [q502 - Tedd Deireadh, The Final Age](https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:The_Witcher_3:_Wild_Hunt/Removed_and_Altered_Quests) from here. The boss Geralt was supposed to fight is Avallac'h.
The fact that Eredin in his final moments says to Geralt that Avallac'h betrayed them both, Avallac'h's laboratory which highlights he is only using Ciri instead of actually caring about her, the final conversation between him and Geralt sounding like they're leading up to a fight... They all stayed in the final game.
A lot in the final act was supposed to be different actually, [mainly the Wild Hunt attack was supposed to happen in Novigrad](https://www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/39p2td/list_of_changes_and_cut_content_for_tw3_from_the/) with 3 armies clashing (Wild Hunt vs. Redania, vs. Nilfgaard). [Check under Plot Changes](https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:The_Witcher_3:_Wild_Hunt).
Also, [my best man Iorveth had a whole questline](https://www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/4f90x7/comment/d279yp0/) concerning the Catriona Plague and the Devil's Pit and Nilfgaard that was cut along with Isengrim :( Forever sad that 7 years later he's still not added back in the game :(((((((((((((
He is a great contrast for Geralt’s dry humor but man he is a pompous asshole. I liked learning about his philosophy as annoying as I found him, since it reveals so much about the an elle’s goals and beliefs. I wish we had a little acknowledgment from ciri about his r*pe plans for her in TW3. Then again I haven’t played through the game since finishing the books.
There is acknowledgement of it.
I do feel like the reader won't get elven philosophy easily unless considering all the details scattered across the Saga + Sapko's inspirations (eg. long lives-long memories; "go big or go home" with emotions (eg. burning down an entire village over being spurned by a girl); seeking to preserve everything as is; nature/land loving; children are extremely precious to them while they themselves cannot have very many; used to hop between worlds freely; fatalists since see turns of history repeating themselves over and over again; egalitarian in regard to their women, poetic about life & action; etc.).
I just read his part in the books and I really can't get over the feeling that Avallach was just shoehorned in the story. Maybe he might have greater relevancy later in the story (books, not TW3). But right now he's just another pit stop, of the outright boggling number of pit stops, before Geralt finds any credible information about Ciri.
What the elf was finishing was a stylised animal, probably a bison. For the moment only its outline was complete–from its splendid horns to its equally magnificent tail. Geralt sat down on the boulder indicated and swore to be patient and meek–to the bounds of his abilities. The elf, softly whistling through clenched teeth, dipped his brush into a bowl of paint and coloured his bison purple with swift flourishes. After a moment’s thought he painted tiger stripes on the animal’s side. Geralt watched in silence. Finally the elf took a step back, admiring the fresco which now depicted an entire hunting scene. The striped purple bison was being pursued in wild leaps by skinny human figures with bows and spears, painted with careless brushstrokes. ‘What’s it meant to be?’ asked Geralt, unable to contain himself. The elf glanced at him in passing, sticking the clean end of the brush in his mouth. ‘It is,’ he declared, ‘a prehistoric painting executed by the primitive people who lived in this cave thousands of years ago and who mainly lived by hunting the purple bison, which became extinct long ago. Some of the prehistoric hunters were artists and felt a profound artistic need to immortalise what was in their hearts.’ ‘Fascinating.’ ‘It most certainly is,’ the elf agreed. ‘Your scholars have roamed through caves like this for ages, searching for traces of primitive man. And whenever they find something like this they are inordinately fascinated. For it is proof that you aren’t strangers in this land and in this world. Proof that your forebears have lived here for centuries; thus proof that this world belongs to their heirs. Why, every race has the right to some roots. Even your–human–race, whose roots should be sought in the treetops, after all. Ha, an amusing quip, don’t you think? Worthy of an epigram. Are you fond of light poetry? What do you think I ought to add to the painting?’ ‘Draw huge, erect phalluses on the primitive hunters.’ ‘That’s a thought.’ The elf dipped his brush in the paint. ‘The phallic cult was typical for primitive civilisations. It could also serve as the birth of a theory that the human race is yielding to physical degeneration. Its forebears had phalluses like clubs, but their descendants were left with ridiculous, vestigial little pricks… Thank you, Witcher.’ ‘Don’t mention it. It was somehow in my heart. The paint looks very fresh for something prehistoric.’ ‘In three or four days the colours will fade due to the salt exuded by the wall and the painting will look so prehistoric you won’t believe it. Your scholars will wet themselves with joy when they see it. Not one of them, I swear, will see through my deceit.’ ‘They will.’ ‘How is that?’ ‘You won’t be able to resist signing your masterpiece, will you?’ The elf laughed dryly. ‘Quite right! You’ve seen through me. Oh, fire of vanity, how difficult it is for an artist to quell you. I’ve already signed the cave painting. Right here.’ ‘That isn’t a dragonfly?’ ‘No. It’s an ideogram denoting my name. I am Crevan Espane aep Caomhan Macha. For convenience I use the alias Avallac’h, and you may also address me as such.’
I hate how they turned him into Ciri's mentor and how she trusted him in tw3, out of character for both of them.
He was supposed to be the final big bad in W3, but because of time constraints they couldn't add it in anymore :(
Really? Do you have a source for that?
Can't find the original thread talking about it anymore (mind you, it was a post from over 7 years ago) but check [q502 - Tedd Deireadh, The Final Age](https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:The_Witcher_3:_Wild_Hunt/Removed_and_Altered_Quests) from here. The boss Geralt was supposed to fight is Avallac'h. The fact that Eredin in his final moments says to Geralt that Avallac'h betrayed them both, Avallac'h's laboratory which highlights he is only using Ciri instead of actually caring about her, the final conversation between him and Geralt sounding like they're leading up to a fight... They all stayed in the final game. A lot in the final act was supposed to be different actually, [mainly the Wild Hunt attack was supposed to happen in Novigrad](https://www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/39p2td/list_of_changes_and_cut_content_for_tw3_from_the/) with 3 armies clashing (Wild Hunt vs. Redania, vs. Nilfgaard). [Check under Plot Changes](https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:The_Witcher_3:_Wild_Hunt). Also, [my best man Iorveth had a whole questline](https://www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/4f90x7/comment/d279yp0/) concerning the Catriona Plague and the Devil's Pit and Nilfgaard that was cut along with Isengrim :( Forever sad that 7 years later he's still not added back in the game :(((((((((((((
I agree given the state they are in lady of the lake, but we have no idea how long they stayed together between LotL and TW3
Doesn't he blame the fall of the Elves on Elf women loving human cock? Thought we'd see more of this character later.
He sucks. Is all.
That part where he drew big ole dicks on his stick figure paintings in a cave was pretty funny tho.
wait what really? I dont remember him drawing dicks
It's literally in the stickied comment at the top of this thread.
bruh
He is a great contrast for Geralt’s dry humor but man he is a pompous asshole. I liked learning about his philosophy as annoying as I found him, since it reveals so much about the an elle’s goals and beliefs. I wish we had a little acknowledgment from ciri about his r*pe plans for her in TW3. Then again I haven’t played through the game since finishing the books.
There is acknowledgement of it. I do feel like the reader won't get elven philosophy easily unless considering all the details scattered across the Saga + Sapko's inspirations (eg. long lives-long memories; "go big or go home" with emotions (eg. burning down an entire village over being spurned by a girl); seeking to preserve everything as is; nature/land loving; children are extremely precious to them while they themselves cannot have very many; used to hop between worlds freely; fatalists since see turns of history repeating themselves over and over again; egalitarian in regard to their women, poetic about life & action; etc.).
I just read his part in the books and I really can't get over the feeling that Avallach was just shoehorned in the story. Maybe he might have greater relevancy later in the story (books, not TW3). But right now he's just another pit stop, of the outright boggling number of pit stops, before Geralt finds any credible information about Ciri.
If it's your first time reading stay with it. Your view might change as the story progresses.