Shani is one of the supporting characters in the world of The Witcher. She appears briefly in the book series, specifically in Blood of Elves and The Lady of the Lake. However, she has a more involved role in the games.
In the first Witcher game, Shani plays a central role in the game’s narrative, specifically with matters involving Alvin. Though she doesn’t appear in The Witcher 2, the player can encounter her again in The Witcher 3’s Hearts of Stone DLC, where she helps Geralt on his mission involving the enigmatic Gaunter O’Dimm.
Shani in The Witcher Books
Shani’s first appearance is in Andrzej Sapkowski’s book Blood of Elves. This is the first novel in The Witcher book series, following the two short story collections. In this book, Geralt has already established a familial relationship with Ciri and is actively protecting her from the forces pursuing her. This includes a mysterious wizard named Rience, who is working under the orders of another, more powerful mage in The Witcher. Later in the book, he comes face to face with Geralt, who only managed to track the wizard down with Shani’s help.
In the events of Blood of Elves, Shani is a 17-year-old medical student studying at Oxenfurt Academy. Dandelion, whom she’s close friends with, meets up with her after a spat with Rience. The troubadour then asks her to deliver a message to Geralt of The Witcher book, who is hiding in Oxenfurt. Shani meets up with the Witcher and successfully delivers the message, but before the two can get intimate, they’re interrupted by Dandelion and Philippa Eilhart.
In the ensuing conversation, Geralt explains that he’s in Oxenfurt because he’s trying to find Rience, who had tortured Dandelion in his quest to find Ciri. It just so happens that Shani knows exactly where he is. The medical student explains that she needed more money to pay for her tuition, so she’s been stealing supplies from the academy and selling them to an individual named Myhrman. During one of her visits, she noticed that Myhrman was tending to a guest he referred to as “Master Rience.” This ultimately led to Geralt and the rest of the group’s confrontation with the wizard.
Shani isn’t mentioned again until the book The Lady of the Lake, where she works as a field medic in the Battle of Brenna. She eventually becomes the Dean of the Department of Medicine at the beautiful Oxenfurt Academy of The Witcher and lives to the ripe old age of 90.
Shani in The Witcher
Before Shani’s death in the books, she makes multiple appearances in the game series. In the first Witcher game, Geralt can find Shani working as a medic in St. Lebioda’s Hospital in Vizima, and her expertise is invaluable, as she’s the only one the player can turn to for autopsies. In the quest “Anatomy of a Crime,” Shani helps the Witcher uncover the identity of Azar Javed, one of The Witcher’s main antagonists.
Later on, Geralt will also have to decide whom he should leave Alvin with. In The Witcher, Alvin acts somewhat as a stand-in for Ciri of the original Witcher books. Like her, he is a Source, and Geralt takes it upon himself to care for the boy. In Chapter 3, the player is forced to choose a guardian for him, and this will affect Geralt’s relationship with both parties. Shani is treated as a legitimate romance option rather than a passing fling, like in the book series. She even expresses that she wants her, Geralt, and Alvin to be a family.
Shani in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Though Shani isn’t in The Witcher 2, there’s a journal entry that explains her absence (assuming that she was the player’s romance choice in the previous game). It reveals that though Shani was younger than Geralt, she was much more mature. Thus, she grew tired of the Witcher’s inability to take relationships seriously. After Geralt routinely dodged his obligations to her, she broke things off. The two then parted on good terms — Shani accepting an offer to teach at the Oxenfurt University, and Geralt undertaking missions for King Foltest, eventually ending up with Triss Merigold again in The Witcher 2.
Though, finally, Shani returns in the Hearts of Stone DLC of The Witcher 3. She’s since finished her doctorate and has opened a clinic in Oxenfurt. The Redanian army regularly calls on her for help, keeping her busy most of the time. During one mission, she accompanies a group of soldiers into the sewers to try and find a mysterious monster that has been residing somewhere beneath the city. There, she chances upon Geralt, who was hired to slay the same beast.
The two then meet again after the beast is slain, when Geralt is undertaking a mission to show the ghost of Vlodimir Von Everec “the time of his life.” Shani helps by telling the Witcher what she knows about the old Von Everec family, and even taking him along to the family crypt. Later, in the final section of the expansion’s main questline, Shani directs Geralt to Professor Premethine Shakeslock, an expert in black magic. By talking to him, Geralt can learn of a way to challenge Gaunter O’Dimm in The Witcher. If he doesn’t, however, O’Dimm wins.
If anything, this shows that Shani has much to contribute to the story, despite not being a powerful sorceress in The Witcher. She’s a wise and intelligent medic — no doubt due to her devotion to her craft. Moreover, the game showcases just how much she’s grown since she was introduced as a young medical student in Blood of Elves. As opposed to Shani’s relatively small role in the narrative of The Witcher books, her character shines more in the games, culminating in The Witcher 3, where she demonstrates just how much she’s learned during her time in both the academe and on the field.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
