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Fleder

Fleders are lesser vampires, but this description can be deceiving, for lesser does not mean weak and stupid. True, they are primitive and bear a closer relation to animals than to humans; but when they drop on their prey from above, they can be as dangerous as their noble cousins. Even to a witcher.

They are known by other names as well: kites and fliers to name only two.

In The Witcher computer game

Journal Bestiary Entry

"Common people believe that fleders are dead heathens who turned into vampires and rose from their graves. Being vampires, they attack sleeping people and drink their blood. According to peasants, a man bitten by a fleder becomes a fleder himself. This is nonsense, obviously."

Details

Class: Vampire
Occurrence: Fleders are lesser vampires which usually hunt in rundown city districts; they are also found near cemeteries and in the wilderness
Immunity: They are fearless and resistant to stun attempts
Susceptibility: Sensitive to silver and Vampire Oil
Tactics: They dive at opponents from the air, try to daze their victims and drink their blood
Alchemy: Abomination lymph and Wing membrane
Additional goods: Fleder fangs
Fleder

Location

Source

Notes

  • In the Prologue, Lambert claims the Strong Style is best to use against fleders, but the conversation does not result in a bestiary entry.
  • In Chapter I, an "Old townswoman" will talk to Geralt about Fleders in exchange for food, but the conversation does not result in any bestiary entry.
  • In Chapter II, you can ask Shani for an anatomy lesson as a reward for giving her the five celandine she needs. This results in either: entries for fleders or drowned dead and their alchemies.
  • In Chapter III, Geralt can speak with a neutral (blue) "Armored Guardsman" in the Trade Quarter who describes and warns him about Fleders. However, the conversation does not result in a Fleder bestiary entry. At other times, Armored Guardsmen will tell him of Kikimore Warriors and Kikimore workers; both conversations do give bestiary entries for those insectoids.
  • Geralt can loot Fleder fangs from Fleder remains without having the Fleder bestiary entry.

Monsterbook

Developer CD Projekt's characterization of the fleder taken from the monsterbook, which was enclosed with the Collectors Edition of the computer game The Witcher for Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic:

The fleder is a lesser vampire. Its appetite for blood is the only thing it shares with the noble princes of the night. A creature with animal instincts, deprived of any human, it seemed inappropriate to make him a stereotypical vampire with flat, black hair and dressed in a long black coat. These obvious attributes eliminated, we had to devise features less typical of a bloodsucker. Its head — triangular, with a flat face and horn-like protrusions — renders it similar to a vampire. The concept art and model depicted certain bat-like features, including the monster's face and ears (which became horns). With its glowing red eyes the fleder also resembles a demon, while fans of Coppola's movie may note a similarity with the aged Dracula.

The fleder is not a good flier, the membranes under its arms allowing only short jumps and attacks from above. Though not particularly smart, it knows that it gains an advantage and increases its chance of victory by suddenly attacking unsuspecting victims. Since the fleder's arms are also wings, its hands have thin extensions that enable it to pin down its prey. The long, prehensile toes on the beast's feet allow it to hang head down from the ceiling as shown in the rendered image.

"Have you ever heard of a vampire ripping its victim to shreds?"

"No, it never happens that way."

"Never with lesser vampires (... ). From what I know alps, catacans, mulae, bruxae and nosferat do not mutilate their victims terribly. Fleders and ekimmae, on the other hand, can be brutal with the corpse of their prey."
Andrzej Sapkowski, Chrzest Ognia


Gallery

cs:Fledder hu:Fléder lt:Flederis ru:Фледер