De Barra recently told Radio Times that the nature of Sapkowski’s world allows showrunners the freedom to craft standalone stories, as the boundaries of his worldbuilding can be widened further:
“Sapkowski is the king of the closed-ended story, the more we read his books, the broader the tapestry of the world. So that’s the advantage of doing all these — they might be standalone pieces, but they paint another side to this world and expand it outward. That’s the fun part.”
For instance, “Blood Origin” takes place 1,200 years before the events of the Netflix series, and recounts a wholly original tale about seven heroes who band together to defeat the Golden Empire. While Sapkowski says little about the world prior to the Conjunction of the Spheres, “Blood Origin” attempts to fill in the gaps and offer an explanation in terms of the cataclysmic event and the creation of the first Witcher. Next, the showrunners intend to add to the story of the Rats, who might be briefly featured in the parent series but will be allowed their own space to blossom, if a spinoff about the criminal gang does go ahead.
So, who exactly are the Rats, and why are they important to the central story? Appearing in Sapkowski’s “Time of Contempt,” the Rats are comprised of eccentric members including Asse, Iskra, Kayleigh, Mistle, and Reef, who steal from the rich in Geso and often revel in the chaos that accompanies these attacks. After Ciri survives the Korath desert, she is caught by a gang of slavers known as the Trappers, who also happened to nab Kayleigh. When Kaleigh is in danger, Ciri uses her wit and sword skills to help her. This impresses the Rats, who arrive soon after.