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About this mod
After reading the Witcher books I realised the CDPR scar on Ciri's face did not accurately reflect what was described. Other mods have tried to create more accurate scars, but these also fail to adhere to certain details in the books. This is an attempt to get it right.
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- Donations
Ciri Scar - Lore Accurate - Lore Friendly - Book Inspired
NEXT-GEN COMPATIBILITY - This mod works on both Next-Gen and 1.32.
Andrzej Sapkowski describes Ciri's wound in quite precise detail. This mod is designed to get the scar as close to the book description as possible, while also taking into account that the scar has had time to heal and:
Evidence from the book and me being pretentious:
More book evidence and more of me being pretentious:
Installation:
Install with Witcher 3 Mod Manager or
Extract files into your Witcher 3 mods directory
Highly Recommended Mod: I recommend getting Immersive Real-time Cutscenes so it doesn't revert to the vanilla scar in cutscenes (some cutscenes can't be changed unfortunately, but that mod makes most realtime and therefore uses whatever textures, clothing etc you have for each character).*
My Other Mods:
Showroom Chandeliers for Corvo Bianco - for much brighter lights inside Corvo Bianco so it is easier to see your armor stands, weapons and so on.
Subtle Bombs - if you think vanilla bombs are too colorful.
Dismount Icon Gone - for removing the dismount icon when you get off Roach. (Best used with other mods for removing HUD elements, e.g. Friendly HUD).
Beard Growth Extender - for up to 3 extra stages of beard growth.
Recommended Mods:
Immersive Real-time Cutscenes (to make the most of this mod)
Lore-friendly mods used in screenshots:
Ciri Grey Hair
Realistic Eyes Fixed (Book-Friendly)
Cat Armor for Ciri
*One problem with Immersive Realtime Cutscenes is that if Ciri has the wrong armor on before the Battle of Kaer Morhen cutscene, she will only be a head, and no body for one shot. I don't know how the game decides which armors will and won't work, but some do (e.g. I can get the Cat armor to work, but not the Ursine armor. Vanilla armor should be fine, but maybe not the optional DLC). So you might need to play around until you get something you're happy with.
NEXT-GEN COMPATIBILITY - This mod works on both Next-Gen and 1.32.
Andrzej Sapkowski describes Ciri's wound in quite precise detail. This mod is designed to get the scar as close to the book description as possible, while also taking into account that the scar has had time to heal and:
Spoiler:
Show
Ciri said Avallac'h healed the scar a bit
Evidence from the book and me being pretentious:
Spoiler:
Show
The Tower of Swallows - David French translation
Ch1: Vysogota diagnosing the injury:
"Diagnosis: vulnus incisivum, an open wound, dealt with great force using an unidentified sharp instrument, probably a curved blade. It encompasses the left part of the face, beginning in the infraorbital region, running across the cheek and extending as far as the parotid plexus and masseter muscle. The wound is deepest–reaching the periosteum–in the initial part beneath the orbit on the zygomatic bone."
Ch10: Skellen inflicting the injury.
"The girl spurred her mare, fleeing from Silifant and Mun. Skellen came up stealthily and wolf-like from the left, and swung an arm."
"From the bandolier slung across his chest he took out another orion, the same kind of steel star he had wounded the girl’s face with a moment earlier."
So Vysogota was wrong that the wound was caused by a curved blade - at least not a curved sword or dagger. Rather, it was caused by a throwing star. This star is later described as having six points.
Since Ciri was riding a horse when she was hit and since Skellen was on the ground and threw from her left, the trajectory of the orion would likely be diagonally left (when facing Ciri) and upwards. The throwing star would have entered in the parotid-masseteric region, slicing through the zygomatic region before exiting through the infraorbital region. It could be that much of the wound in the infraorbital region is due to tearing. I suggest this because if the star had been cutting far through the infraorbital region it seems likely it would have gone on to slice the bridge of the nose, but Ciri does not sustain an injury to her nose. It makes sense that the wound is deepest beneath the zygomatic bone as this is the area that protrudes the most and therefore most exposed along the trajectory of the throwing star.
All this indicates that the CDPR version of the scar does not adhere to the book description. CDPR's scar doesn't end in the infraorbital region, instead ending in the orbital region. It is also a curved scar. But a throwing star is unlikely to create a curved wound like this as it slices along a fairly straight trajectory. If anything it would curve in the opposite direction, though only slightly. Perhaps an upward curve could occur if Ciri moved her head abruptly as she was hit. But even so, it would have to curve through the regions Vysogota described, and this would most likely mean a straight line or curving downwards slightly.
Ch1: Vysogota diagnosing the injury:
"Diagnosis: vulnus incisivum, an open wound, dealt with great force using an unidentified sharp instrument, probably a curved blade. It encompasses the left part of the face, beginning in the infraorbital region, running across the cheek and extending as far as the parotid plexus and masseter muscle. The wound is deepest–reaching the periosteum–in the initial part beneath the orbit on the zygomatic bone."
Ch10: Skellen inflicting the injury.
"The girl spurred her mare, fleeing from Silifant and Mun. Skellen came up stealthily and wolf-like from the left, and swung an arm."
"From the bandolier slung across his chest he took out another orion, the same kind of steel star he had wounded the girl’s face with a moment earlier."
So Vysogota was wrong that the wound was caused by a curved blade - at least not a curved sword or dagger. Rather, it was caused by a throwing star. This star is later described as having six points.
Since Ciri was riding a horse when she was hit and since Skellen was on the ground and threw from her left, the trajectory of the orion would likely be diagonally left (when facing Ciri) and upwards. The throwing star would have entered in the parotid-masseteric region, slicing through the zygomatic region before exiting through the infraorbital region. It could be that much of the wound in the infraorbital region is due to tearing. I suggest this because if the star had been cutting far through the infraorbital region it seems likely it would have gone on to slice the bridge of the nose, but Ciri does not sustain an injury to her nose. It makes sense that the wound is deepest beneath the zygomatic bone as this is the area that protrudes the most and therefore most exposed along the trajectory of the throwing star.
All this indicates that the CDPR version of the scar does not adhere to the book description. CDPR's scar doesn't end in the infraorbital region, instead ending in the orbital region. It is also a curved scar. But a throwing star is unlikely to create a curved wound like this as it slices along a fairly straight trajectory. If anything it would curve in the opposite direction, though only slightly. Perhaps an upward curve could occur if Ciri moved her head abruptly as she was hit. But even so, it would have to curve through the regions Vysogota described, and this would most likely mean a straight line or curving downwards slightly.
More book evidence and more of me being pretentious:
Spoiler:
Ch1:
"Vysogota removed the last stitches three days later. He had every reason to be pleased and proud of his work–the line was even and clean, there was no need to fear a tattoo of dirt embedded in the wound. However, the satisfaction of the surgeon was spoiled by the sight of Ciri, in sombre silence, contemplating the scar in the looking glass held at various angles and trying vainly to cover it by pulling her hair over her cheek. The scar disfigured her. It was simply a fact. Nothing could be done. Pretending that it was different could not help in any way. Still scarlet, bulging like a cord, surrounded by needle punctures and marked with the scars from the stitches, the scar looked truly horrifying. There was a chance of it undergoing gradual or even rapid improvement. Vysogota knew, though, that there was no chance of the disfiguring scar vanishing."
You might think that this text means the mod is not gruesome enough. But remember that this is describing the wound when it is still fresh - it has had a lot of time to heal since then. As Vysogota suggested, it could undergo gradual or rapid improvement. On the other hand, Ciri only lay low to heal for a limited time. The scar would not have fully healed by the time she returned to battle. So it's plausible that some fights knocked the wound around a bit. I hope I've captured something that suggests a wound that is disfiguring, that has been healing for several years, but got knocked around a bit in the early months of healing.
Show
Ch1:
"Vysogota removed the last stitches three days later. He had every reason to be pleased and proud of his work–the line was even and clean, there was no need to fear a tattoo of dirt embedded in the wound. However, the satisfaction of the surgeon was spoiled by the sight of Ciri, in sombre silence, contemplating the scar in the looking glass held at various angles and trying vainly to cover it by pulling her hair over her cheek. The scar disfigured her. It was simply a fact. Nothing could be done. Pretending that it was different could not help in any way. Still scarlet, bulging like a cord, surrounded by needle punctures and marked with the scars from the stitches, the scar looked truly horrifying. There was a chance of it undergoing gradual or even rapid improvement. Vysogota knew, though, that there was no chance of the disfiguring scar vanishing."
You might think that this text means the mod is not gruesome enough. But remember that this is describing the wound when it is still fresh - it has had a lot of time to heal since then. As Vysogota suggested, it could undergo gradual or rapid improvement. On the other hand, Ciri only lay low to heal for a limited time. The scar would not have fully healed by the time she returned to battle. So it's plausible that some fights knocked the wound around a bit. I hope I've captured something that suggests a wound that is disfiguring, that has been healing for several years, but got knocked around a bit in the early months of healing.
Installation:
Install with Witcher 3 Mod Manager or
Extract files into your Witcher 3 mods directory
Highly Recommended Mod: I recommend getting Immersive Real-time Cutscenes so it doesn't revert to the vanilla scar in cutscenes (some cutscenes can't be changed unfortunately, but that mod makes most realtime and therefore uses whatever textures, clothing etc you have for each character).*
My Other Mods:
Showroom Chandeliers for Corvo Bianco - for much brighter lights inside Corvo Bianco so it is easier to see your armor stands, weapons and so on.
Subtle Bombs - if you think vanilla bombs are too colorful.
Dismount Icon Gone - for removing the dismount icon when you get off Roach. (Best used with other mods for removing HUD elements, e.g. Friendly HUD).
Beard Growth Extender - for up to 3 extra stages of beard growth.
Recommended Mods:
Immersive Real-time Cutscenes (to make the most of this mod)
Lore-friendly mods used in screenshots:
Ciri Grey Hair
Realistic Eyes Fixed (Book-Friendly)
Cat Armor for Ciri
*One problem with Immersive Realtime Cutscenes is that if Ciri has the wrong armor on before the Battle of Kaer Morhen cutscene, she will only be a head, and no body for one shot. I don't know how the game decides which armors will and won't work, but some do (e.g. I can get the Cat armor to work, but not the Ursine armor. Vanilla armor should be fine, but maybe not the optional DLC). So you might need to play around until you get something you're happy with.