History Characters / TheWitcher

* CharacterAlignment -- ChaoticGood seems to be his real [[CharacterAlignment Alignment]] when he's not posing as TrueNeutral. He's more typically ChaoticGood with Neutral tendencies. Ideally, Geralt would love to be NeutralGood but he lives in a CrapsackWorld where such an attitude would get him killed. So he tries to act in a pragmatic fashion, but usually ends up doing the right thing anyway.
** And often he comes off worse after doing the right thing, which hasn't stopped him from continuing to do so in future events.

* SummersFamilyTree -- see the entry above about Elven genetic experiments, [[MemeticMutation AND DESPAIR!]]. This Troper needed two pages to trace her ''basic'' lineage from the explanation by a knowledgeable background character in one of the books.

* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship - her [[BiTheWay first love]].

* WaifFu - Geralt arranged her (heavily modified) witcher's training, and it pays off.

* [[spoiler:ReallySevenHundredYearsOld - about four-and-half hundred, actually.]]

* AGodAmI - more like "a god I will be!"
* {{Bishonen}} -- described as "classically beautiful". Later, though, [[spoiler:gets [[GoodScarsEvilScars badly scarred]] in a magical explosion]].

* OffWithHisHead - [[spoiler: that's how Geralt killed him]]

* MoralityPet - [[spoiler: False Cirilla]] is this for him.

* [[spoiler:BigBad: Of the first video game.]]

* [[spoiler:FamousLastWords: '''That sword is for monsters'''.]]
* FantasticRacism: What else do you expect from the leader of the human-supremacist group?
* [[spoiler:KarmicDeath: Geralt kills him with the silver sword, which is better-suited for killing monsters.]]
* KnightTemplar: This describes the Order of the Flaming Rose in general. [[spoiler:However, he in particular takes it to its logical extreme.]]
* MagicKnight: The first thing we see of him is a person in platemail throwing fireball.
* [[spoiler:ManBehindTheMan: He is the one secretly pulling the strings behind Azar Javed and Salamandra.]]

* LivingMacGuffin -- due to her aforementioned legal, prophecied and genetic status, she is a critical part of [[ThirtyXanatosPileup at least two or three]] {{Xanatos Gambit}}s.

* [[spoiler: TheManBehindTheMan -- he had a hand (well, [[ThirtyXanatosPileup not exactly everything]] went JustAsPlanned, but, hey, he tried!) in just about ''everything'' that happened, although true extent of his involvement doesn't become apparent until late into the story.]]

* ThirtyXanatosPileup -- what happens when ''everybody'' (and their little dog too) have plans upon the plans, and are [[TheDeterminator determined enough]] to see to their completion.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity -- during the desert incident. She was warned [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide not to play]] with Fire magic.

* ImportantHaircut -- cuts off her braid after [[spoiler:her ConvenientMiscarriage]].

* BadassBookworm

* AntiHero

[[WMG: Geralt's posse and other supporting characters]]

* StalkerWithATestTube -- this example is even more sinister than you think it is - even the other baddies are {{squick}}ed, what he's quick to {{lampshade}}.

* TheDragon

* GoodScarsEvilScars -- has a huge burn on his cheek, from a Yennefer's fireball, and Vilgefortz's refusing to heal it.

* VillainousValor -- what really turns him on, is fighting and killing; it's quite likely that [[MadLove what he sees in Ciri]] is her fighting skills. In other words: the people he kills, he tends to kill in combat. [[spoiler: And his last words are that their fight would be [[GladiatorGames a great show]].]]

Another sorceress, a friend of Yennefer and former lover of Geralt. She befriends Ciri during her visit to Kaer Morhen, during which she starts the events of the Saga by making the witchers realise they can no longer just keep Ciri hidden in the castle.

* CoolBigSis -- to Ciri.

* TheConspiracy -- she starts one, with the [[MadBehindTheMan standard]] [[TakeOverTheWorld objective]].

* ButICantBePregnant -- [[spoiler:HalfHumanHybrid with an elf, but a ConvenientMiscarriage]].

* TheLancer

* PetTheDog -- [[spoiler:he drops TheMasquerade to]] save an innocent girl from [[BurnTheWitch burning]].

* StalkerWithATestTube -- this example is even more sinister than you think it is.

Vilgefortz's [[TheDragon Dragon]] and errand boy, a wizarding school dropout taken in by Vilgefortz to do the things not really suitable for respectable sorceror.

** In fact, he considers Geralt ''his friend'' and is still grateful to him for his role in [[spoiler: removing the spell that made him into [[BalefulPolymorph giant hedgehog knight]] in his youth]]. It still doesn't stop him from his machinations and conquests ([[spoiler: and trying to ''kill'' Geralt - nothing personal, of course, only business]]), though.

* NobleDemon -- cruel, despothical and ruthless that he is, he still has some basic decency left in him.

* TheConspiracy -- she starts one.

Another sorceress, a friend of Yennefer and former lover of Geralt.

* MarySue -- Has a special, one of a kind power? Very young, but has a witcher's combat prowess despite NOT being one? Her actions are 'always' presented as right or at least with a sympathetic POV, even when they are extremely morally questionable (the whole bandit gang business springs to mind)? Looks like a Mary Sue to me. YourMileageMayVary.

* HeroicAlbino -- "total loss of pigmentation".

* MakeYouWatch -- he does it to Ciri.

* ReplacementGoldfish -- it is implied that Geralt requested her parole because she reminnded him of Ciri.

* [[spoiler: KingIncognito -- a viscount, actually. His real name is Julian Alfred Pankratz, viscount de Lettenhove, and he's a runaway noble from a small mountainous princedom of Toussaint (accidentally, a ''Nilfgaardian'' dependency), famous for its wines. He had to run from home when in his teenage years he seduced the wife of the Prince, who then promised to CutOutHisHeartWithASpoon, and is WalkingTheEarth ever since.]]

* TheEmperor

::Angouleme

* HeelFaceTurn -- see above; he was not outright evil, only serving the bad guys.
** And even then, we just mostly see Nilfgaard from a Nordling nobility POW, for whom they are a threat to their way of life. Nordling commoners are rather ambivalent to their conquests, and it was stated numerous times that Nilfgaard is ''more'' economically and socially progressive than The North, is richer and the standards of life are significantly higher there.
*** You mean those Nordling commoners whom Nilfs slaughter by the thousand at every opportunity? Yeah, that's certain to inspire a lot of love. Nilfgaard is very intentionally PuttingOnTheReich.
**** That's a sign of a CerebusSyndrome, of which the series is guilty as charged. It started only during the second war, when Sapkowski moved from just simply [[{{grimmification}} grimmifying]] [[FracturedFairyTale fairy tales]] to making a CrapsackWorld so [[DarkerAndEdgier GRIMDARK]] that it approaches 40K levels. [[spoiler: Take an example: Dani was a pleasant young knight who suffered a misfortune. The very same person, [[TheEmperor Emhyr var Emreis]], would take calling him ''pleasant'' [[MagnificentBastard as an insult]]. And have you impaled.]]

* SophisticatedAsHell -- as much as he is prone to SesquipedalianLoquaciousness, later he grows quite fond of [[JiveTurkey specific expressions]] used by StreetUrchin SixthRanger.

** [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Isengrim Faioiltiarna]], an [[CantArgueWithElves Elven]] [[FourStarBadass spec ops commander]] from Dol Blatanna, a man of considerable fighting prowess (he once bested Geralt himself), was visibly relieved when he found that Dijkstra is non-hostile during their encounter in less fortunate times.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo -- despite his job, which includes things like a gulag-like (or - at least - that's how other characters react to it) prison, he is a rather decent guy in person, even with {{Cincinnatus}} streak.

* {{Acrofatic}} -- Oft described as a walking mountain of fat, he's nevertheless implied to be surprisingly agile for his bulk.
* GeniusBruiser -- He is described as [[DumbMuscle a polar opposite]] of stereotypical cloak-and-dagger small-crooked-guy spy, yet he runs an extensive spy network and serves as actual ruler during Redanian regency.
** [[NamesToRunFromReallyFast Isengrim Faioiltiarna]], an [[CantArgueWithElves Elven]] [[FourStarBadass spec ops commander]] from Dol Blatanna, a man of considerable fighting prowess (he once bested Geralt himself), was visibly relieved when he found that Dijkstra is non-hostile during their encounter in less fortunate times.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo -- Despite his job, which includes things like a gulag-like (or - at least - that's how other characters react to it) prison, he is a rather decent guy in person, even with {{Cincinnatus}} streak.

* TheSpymaster -- Obviously.
* StoutStrength -- He was a tall and extremely obese man, but his strength was legendary, up to the point that hardly anyone dared to test it.

::'''Sigismund Dijkstra'''

* GeniusBruiser -- he is described as [[DumbMuscle a polar opposite]] of stereotypical cloak-and-dagger small-crooked-guy spy, yet he runs an extensive spy network and serves as actual ruler during Redanian regency.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo -- despite his job, which includes things like a gulag-like (or - at least - that's how other characters react to it) prison, he is a rather decent guy in person, even with {{Cincinnatus}} streak.
* ManBehindTheMan -- of Redanian government.
* TheSpymaster -- obviously.

* SpoonyBard -- hey, he's ''the'' Bard in their world, easily the most popular and famous poet, musician and writer of his time -- and beyond.

* VillainousValor -- what really turns him on, is fighting and killing. It's quite likely that [[MadLove what he sees in Ciri]] is her fighting skills. [[spoiler: And his last words are that their fight would be [[GladiatorGames a great show]].]]

** BadassAbnormal -- thanks to his mutations.

*ChaoticGood -- his real [[CharacterAlignment Alignment]] when he's not posing as TrueNeutral.

*RedBaron - known as the White Wolf in the Nordling Kingdoms.

*TrueNeutral -- at least, what he claims to be.
** He's more typically ChaoticGood with Neutral tendencies. Ideally, Geralt would love to be NeutralGood but he lives in a CrapsackWorld where such an attitude would get him killed. So he tries to act in a pragmatic fashion, but usually ends up doing the right thing anyway.

*ActionGirl -- due to the witcher training. She's not really [[SuperSoldier modified or augmented]], just [[TrainingFromHell trained and received some drug courses]], but it still made her more than equal match to most of the fighter in the series.

* TheChick -- a male variant.

* TheDandy -- which is only natural in his line of work.
* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether - unsurprisingly, as Oxenfurt Academy was ''the'' best and most prestigious university in the North, so it's only natural that many significant character studied here, including him.
* [[spoiler: KingIncognito -- a viscount, actually. His real name is Julian Alfred Pankratz, viscount de Lettenhove, and he's a runaway noble from a small mountainous princedom of Toussaint (accidentally, a ''Nilfgaardian'' dependency), famous for its wines. He had to run from home when in his teenage years he seduced the wife of the Prince, who then promised to CutOutHisHeartWithASpoon, and is WalkingTheEarth ever since.]]
* KnowledgeBroker -- not above some little spying on the side to augment his troubadour income.
* LovableCoward
* NonActionGuy -- he's most definitely ''not'' a fighter, despite his associations.
* OlderThanTheyLook -- about forty despite looking like late twenties.

* SpoonyBard -- hey, he's ''the'' Bard in their world, easily the most popular and famous poet, musician and writer of his time -- and beyond.

*[[spoiler:OurVampiresAreDifferent]] -- there are several kinds [[spoiler:of vampires in witcherworld]]. Regis belongs to so-called "high".

One of the most talented magicians in the world, very young (less than one hundred years, which is barely our of childhood in the wizarding world), but incredibly talented. His participation in the coup during magicians' symposium on Thanedd Island revealed his Nilfgaardian backing, but his real motives are [[{{Understatement}} more sinister]].

* {{Bishonen}} -- described as "classically beautiful". Later, though, [[spoiler: gets [[GoodScarsEvilScars badly scarred]] in a magical explosion]].
* CatchPhrase -- "you have pissed against the wind".

* CompleteMonster
* EvilGenius -- easily ''the'' most smart and powerful wizard in the North, and he let it get into his head.
* ForScience -- science may be an additional incentive for his actions, but he, himself, states he is into it for [[AGodAmI power]].
* HiddenAgendaVillain -- his motives aren't what they seem at first.
* MadScientist -- almost textbook example, magic in their world being [[MagicAIsMagicA pretty scientific in nature]], but see MagicKnight below.
* MadScientistLaboratory -- has several, before he [[VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon goes into hiding]]. When one of them, deserted, is found, cue VomitingCop.
* MagicKnight -- he was the ''only'' human to soundly trash Geralt in one-on-one fight.
* MissionControl -- for Rience, whom he constantly sends out to run his errands.
* StalkerWithATestTube -- this example is even more sinister than you think it is.
* [[spoiler: TheStarscream -- to TheEmperor]].
* SquishyWizard -- averted with flying colors.
* TakeOverTheWorld -- though he [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]], saying he's a little ashamed to admit such close-to-earth motivation.
* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection -- when playing MissionControl for Rience, through an artifact that's basically a magical walkie-talkie.
* XanatosGambit -- [[spoiler: basically, the same as that of Emhyr, he just wants Ciri [[TheStarscream for himself]]]].

* [[spoiler: KarmicDeath]] -- during the battle on ice in the penultimate book. Made doubly awesome by the way it was done - [[spoiler: Ciri cut his fingers that were clutching the ice (he slipped and fell into the water) with her skates]].
* CompleteMonster -- was up to no good from the start, when he was expelled from the school for theft, if this troper remembers correctly.

* TheDragon
* ForTheEvulz -- he ''loves'' his job, what's to say.
* GoodScarsEvilScars -- has a huge burn on his cheek, from a Yennefer's fireball, and Vilgefortz's refusing to heal it.
* SmugSnake -- he loves to gloat at his victims and generally be a jerk, knowing that his boss will always support and cover him.

* BadassNormal -- he claims [[HeroKiller to have killed three witchers]], despite having the advantage of neither their mutations nor any magical abilities.
* BountyHunter
* CompleteMonster -- possibly even more than Vilgefortz. A psychic scans him once, and compares the experience to putting your head into freshly opened grave.
* ForTheEvulz -- his main motivation. He's a psychopath ''and proud of it''.
* GoodEyesEvilEyes -- empty, fishy eyes.
* ImplausibleFencingPowers -- a staple of witcher series' fans' EpilepticTrees is how would he fare in a fight versus Geralt.
* MakeYouWatch -- he does it to Ciri.
* MadLove -- he develops a crush on Ciri. In [[CompleteMonster his case]], it means he'd like to impale her on his sword [[GladiatorGames on an arena]] and feel her life leave her as her blood flows down the blade. And though it sounds like it, there's [[{{Squick}} absolutely no]] DoubleEntendre here. Though he may have liked to rape her before or after. Apart from that, he seems to be almost {{asexual}}.
* PsychoForHire -- as he claims, he's lucky like nobody, save perhaps certain whores. He's paid for work he truly enjoys.

* AffablyEvil -- he's ruthless evil emperor and he's fine with it, but he's not TheCaligula either. Though he avoids {{Complete Monster}}ship only by a sudden change of heart at the last moment.

* [[spoiler: BalefulPolymorph]] -- Geralt helped him then.
* TheEmperor
* LukeIAmYourFather -- [[spoiler:no, not Geralt's. :P]]

* [[spoiler: TheManBehindTheMan -- he had a hand (well, [[ThirtyXanatosPileup not exactly everything]] went JustAsPlanned, but, hey, he tried!) in just about ''everything'' that happened, although true extent of his involvement doesn' become apparent until late into the story.]]
* NobleDemon -- cruel, despothical and ruthless that he is, he still has some basic decency left in him.
* ThirtyXanatosPileup -- what happens when ''everybody'' (and their little dog too) have plans upon the plans, and are [[TheDeterminator determined enough]] to see to their completion.
* WifeHusbandry
* XanatosGambit -- a rather {{squick}}y spoiler: [[spoiler: to prevent the destruction of their world by an IceAge predicted by Ithlinne Prophecy, he planned to father a daughter (Ciri, that is) who was both a [[McGuffin a magical Source]] ''and'' could control the powers, then marry ''her'' to produce a prophecied Savior]]. However, EvenEvilHasStandards (the SNAFU mentioned above notwithstanding), so he backed out of it, ironically, [[CrapsackWorld dooming their world to death and destruction]]...

* GeniusBruiser -- he is described as [[DumbMuscle a polar opposite]] of stereotypical cloak-and-dagger small-crooked-guy spy, yet he runs an extensive spy network and serves as actual ruler during Redanian regency.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo -- despite his job, which includes things like a gulag-like (or at least that's how other characters react to it) prison, he is a rather decent guy in person, even with {{Cincinnatus}} streak.
* ManBehindTheMan -- of Redanian government.
* TheSpymaster -- obviously.

* TheConspiracy -- she starts one.
* EnigmaticMinion -- more like an Enigmatic Ally, since she tends to cooperate with the heroes, but she always has her own agenda.
* DoesNotLikeMen -- she did like them, only switched to lesbianism and decided to start up an all-female magicians' conspiracy. On the other hand, she is not hostile towards men, she just thinks women (read: her circle) would make better rulers.
* ManBehindTheMan -- she through Dijkstra (it's usually more like friendly deals and cooperation than manipulate, though), also her co-conspirers through similar or less voluntary means.

* AscendedExtra -- in the video game.
* CoolBigSis -- to Ciri.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated -- she fought in a battle during Nilfgaardian invasion of Cintra, got wounded and disfigured and nobody recognised her before her name got carved on a memorial. It kind of weights on her.

* [[spoiler:BigBad: Of the first video game.]]
* CanonForeigner
* [[spoiler:TheChessmaster]]
* [[spoiler:CompleteMonster]]
* [[spoiler:FamousLastWords: '''That sword is for monsters'''.]]
* FantasticRacism: What else do you expect from the leader of the human-supremacist group?
* [[spoiler:KarmicDeath: Geralt kills him with the silver sword, which is better-suited for killing monsters.]]
* KnightTemplar: This describes the Order of the Flaming Rose in general. [[spoiler:However, he in particular takes it to its logical extreme.]]
* MagicKnight: The first thing we see of him is a person in platemail throwing fireball.
* [[spoiler:ManBehindTheMan: He is the one secretly pulling the strings behind Azar Javed and Salamandra.]]
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans

*MeaningfulRename -- the "[[TheMagnificent of Rivia]]" part of his name was added by picking out of a bundle of sticks with different city names written on them. Initially did Geralt chose [[OverlyLongName Geralt Roger Eric]] [[SueDonym du Haute-Bellegarde]] as his first choice, but Vesemir "explained" it'd be [[{{Narm}} awfully cheesy]]. The point of all of this was to make his name sound more impressive, what eases contacts with important employers.

*MeaningfulRename -- the "[[TheMagnificent of Rivia]]" part of his name was added by picking out of a bundle of sticks with different city names written on them. Initially did Geralt want to give himself an [[OverlyLongName absurdly long]], [[SueDonym aristocratic name]], but Vesemir "explained" it'd be [[{{Narm}} awfully cheesy]]. The point of all of this was to make his name sound more impressive, what eases contacts with important employers.