Stefan Skellen

Stefan Skellen more commonly referred to as Tawny Owl is a major antagonist in the Witcher book series. Appearing as a supporting antagonist in The Time of Contempt, and a minor antagonist Baptism of Fire. A major antagonist in The Tower of Swallows/The Tower of the Swallow and Lady of the Lake. He was Emperor Emreis’ imperial coroner and leader of a mercenary gang. Later, he made a pact with Vilgefortz, becoming one of his agents.

Background
Very little is known about Stefan Skellen other than he is the son of Bertram Skellen and was born into a Nilfgaardian aristocratic family. At some point he became friends with Vattier de Rideaux, his friendship with Vattier permitted him to climb the ladder until he became Emreis’ imperial coroner.

The Time of Contempt
After the coup on Thanedd, Rulers from both the Northern and Nilfgaardian Kingdoms began to distrust sorcerers and sorceresses, including Emperor Emreis. When the False Ciri had been brought to Nilfgaard by Rience and Schirrú. Emperor Emhyr noticed the girl was a fake and labelled Vilgefortz, Rience, and Cahir, traitors to the empire. Believing Vilgefortz has Ciri captive, Emperor Emreis tasked Stefan in locating the real Ciri, in which Tawny Owl formed a gang of mercenaries to help him.

What Emreis did not know, Tawny Owl and a group of Nilfgaardian aristocrats made secret plans to overthrow him, with promises of turning Nilfgaard from a tyrannical autocracy to a constitutional monarchy, then finally a democracy, and with promise of giving Skellen the rank of Spymaster.

Baptism of Fire
Learning of a group of highwaymen called “The Rats” and that their newest member, “Falka” resembles Ciri. Tawny Owl hired Leo Bonhart, a ruthless bounty hunter to find and kill the girl.

The Tower of Swallows/The Tower of the Swallow
Upon learning that Bonhart broke his word, Skellen and his men began to track down the bounty. In the town of Unicorn, Joanna Selborne, a telepathic woman reported to Skellen that an invisible man was spying on them and told him to prepare an ambush. Skellen and his gang throw milk and flour on the invisible man, revealing the one in question to be Rience, whom Skellen recognizes immediately. Binding the mage, Skellen proceeds to heat up a poker, as a means of torture. Seeing what awaited him, Rience blurted out that he was following Skellen on Vilgefortz’s orders, so that he may know the whereabouts of Ciri. Before more could be done and said, Leo Bonhart and Ciri rode into the town of Unicorn.

Tawny Owl and Bonhart greet each other. Bonhart revealed to Skellen that he decided not to kill Ciri was because he wanted to know who she really was. Bonhart found out that she was a Cintran princess and heiress to the throne of Nilfgaard, so he decided to take her to Skellen. Suddenly, Vilgefortz’s disembodied voice responded to Bonhart, surprising Skellen. Rience revealed to the men that he is using a xenogloss to contact his master. The men began to converse with Vilgefortz, discussing the fate of Ciri. During their conversation, Rience revealed to Tawny Owl that there was a traitor among his men. The traitor was revealed to be Neratin Ceka, he freed Ciri from her bonds and allowing her to escape on horseback.

A member of Skellen’s gang raises the alarm, Skellen and Bonhart rushed outside with weapons drawn. Outside, Tawny Owl and Bonhart briefly battle with Neratin Ceka. Skellen screamed out orders to seize and or kill Ciri, while Rience called out that she was to be brought back alive. Right before Ciri could escape her captors, Skellen threw an orion at the girl’s right cheek, disfiguring her. Leo Bonhart killed Neratin Ceka and the gang began to pursue Ciri. They eventually found themselves on the frozen lake of Tarn Mira. Rience’s xenogloss stopped working all of sudden. Skellen made the assumption that Vilgefortz had abandoned them, this worried Rience, and he tried to contact his master, but his efforts were in vain. The men attempted to trek on the ice by horseback, however, the horses’ were too heavy.

The men dismounted and began to travel on foot. Just as Skellen and his men could go any further, Joanna and several members of Tawny Owl’s gang retreated from the location, telling Skellen they had enough. The only ones to remain were Skellen, Bonhart, Rience, Boreas Mun, Bert Brigden, Ola Harsheim, Stigward, and three others. They started to walk on the ice and through the dense fog, Bonhart decided to turn around a go back for his horse. Skellen and Rience were too late to realize they were walking into an ambush. Using the fog and skates to her advantage, Ciri began to kill Tawny Owl’s gang, one by one. In a panic, Skellen threw an orion at the sound of the skating, thinking he hit her, he shortly found out he accidently killed Ola Harsheim.

Scared and angry, Tawny Owl screamed at Rience, demanding him to do something. Rience casted a spell that would cause the ice to break from where Ciri was skating, but his fingers were in the position, breaking the ice from underneath Skellen’s men. The surviving men plunged into the icy water, the men drowned, however, Boreas Mun was able to pull himself and Skellen out. Rience called out to Boreas to be saved. Skellen and Boreas watched as Ciri killed Rience.

Lady of the Lake
After Ciri escaped Skellen once again, he with Boreas and Bonhart met with Vilgefortz at Stygga Castle. There, the men ate dinner with Yennefer as a “guest.” Skellen travels to Toussaint and meets with the Nilfgaardian conspirators. They tell him they are disappointed with him, but Skellen reassured them he was still planning on assassinating Emperor Emreis. Tawny Owl told the conspirators that Vilgefortz can help them achieve their goal and gave them the location of Stygga Castle.

When Ciri finally arrived at Stygga to claim her destiny, she was greeted by Skellen and Boreas. Skellen took her to see Vilgefortz. On the way, she encountered Bonhart, who began to assault her. Vilgefortz quickly put an end to what Bonhart was doing. After conversing with Ciri, Vilgefortz and his men brought her to his laboratory. Just before Vilgefortz can conduct the experiment on Ciri, Geralt and his company arrive and begin to do battle. Geralt and company storm the castle and continue their fight against Vilgefortz. While Vilgefortz and Bonhart do battle, Skellen and his men decide not to partake in the fight, and wait for whomever is the victor. After the deaths of Vilgefortz, Bonhart, and the majority of fighters in Stygga Castle. Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri do battle with Skellen’s gang. The trio make their way it through Tawny Owl’s gang, but before they can do anything to Skellen, Emperor Emreis and his army arrive at Stygga Castle. Emreis apprehends Skellen and takes him back to Nilfgaard.

Back in Nilfgaard, Stefan Skellen was declared a traitor and was sentenced to hang on the Millennium Square. Vattier attempted to reason with Emperor Emhyr to spare Skellen’s life.

Personality
Stefan Skellen was a conniving, double dealing opportunist. Though he wanted to overthrow a tyrannical autocracy and turn the Nilfgaard into a democracy, Skellen had no problem hiring and working with those who opposed his ideas, and considered it idiotic. He was very hypocritical, when Joanna and several members of his gang decided to retreat from Tarn Mira he claimed them all to be traitors and turncoats, while he betrayed Emperor Emhyr var Emreis.