Protagonists | The Northern Kingdoms | The Sorcerers | The Nilfgaardian Empire | Witchers | The Elves | Creatures and Supernatural Entities | Independent Characters
open/close all folders
Witchers
In General
- Adapted Out: Kaer Morhen, the School of the Wolf, is the only Witcher School on the Continent mentioned in the show, adapting out the Cat School and Griffin School from the books.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: In the books and games, the pogrom of Kaer Morhen was the result of powerful mages and priests whipping up the peasants of Kaedwen into a frenzy against the Witchers through the spread of hateful slander, and with monsters becoming more rare, most folk decided they just didn't need Witchers anymore, with the nobles and royals mostly indifferent, but offering a tepid public condemnation for the attack on Kaer Morhen. In The Nightmare of the Wolf, Kaer Morhen's downfall is the result of a single vindictive mage, with full royal backing, who unleashes a horde of mutated monsters upon it, with the angry peasants having a lesser involvement. Furthermore, it's discovered that the school was kidnapping and experimenting on innocents and turning them into monsters to ensure their Monster Protection Racket continued, the slander of the mage against them being proven correct, making the aggressors' actions far less unjustified.
- In the books the only survivors of the pogrom were those Witchers out on the Path when it happened, while here Vesemir was present for the attack and survived it, along with a batch of young post-Trials students that he then raised and trained on his own.
- In this continuity, Elder Blood is depicted as a key component to the Trial of the Grasses, when there was no such implication in the source material. Furthermore, in the books and games the secrets of mutation died with the sorcerers who ran the school, while here Vesemir is depicted as knowing how to perform Witcher creation, despite only being a fencing instructor in the source material.
- Adaptational Villainy: In The Nightmare of the Wolf the old leadership of Kaer Morhen was kidnapping and mutating both monsters and innocent people, unleashing them on the people of the North so that Witchers wouldn't run out of monsters to slay, leading to the school's destruction when this was discovered. The training lessons for the young students were also much more senselessly dangerous than the brutal but logical ones in the books and games. Geralt also implies to Yennefer in an episode that candidate Witchers were deliberately sterilized in this continuity, as opposed to it being an unfortunate side effect of the Witcher mutations.
- Adaptational Wimp: Compared to the books and games. Despite being professional monster slayers, working together and hopped up on enhancing potions, they struggle to take down two Basilisks, losing a number of witchers in the process, while Geralt can take down a worse monster with relative ease on his own and with no potions. Their senses and medallions also seem to be less reliable, as a demon possessed Ciri is able to wander the keep slitting their throats as they sleep with nobody the wiser.
- Bash Brothers: They all consider themselves brothers in arms to each other. The surviving witchers were all raised together by Vesemir as well.
- Conservation of Ninjutsu: They seem suffer from this, as individual Witchers have no problem killing monsters but most of the unnamed ones are slaughtered in droves by the monsters summoned by the Deathless Mother-possessed Ciri.
- Hero of Another Story: Like Geralt, they’re all out having their own adventures when not at Kaer Morhen. We actually see Vesemir’s in Nightmare of the Wolf.
- Innocently Insensitive: Due to being a reclusive fraternity of super-human monster hunters, none of them really understand the physical or mental needs of a teenage girl, and end up hurting Ciri without meaning to.
- Magic Knight: Witcher's possess limited magical powers to aid them in addition to their combat skills. While not as powerful as the sorcerers, their magical skills give them an advantage in battles where normal humans would be lacking.
- Papa Wolf: End up becoming a whole garrison of them when Ciri comes into the picture and they show they're willing to put their lives on the line for her.
- Playing with Syringes: Witchers are created via a mix of science and magic, involving the injection of a dangerous Elder Blood-derived mutagen known as the Trial of the Grasses.
- Punch-Clock Hero: How the Witcher life works. They show up to town, save the day, then take their payment and go.
- Training from Hell: They’re more or less all created through a mix of this and Playing with Syringes. Alongside the mutations, they’re rigorously trained to become a One-Man Army via a mix of combat training and hormone-enhancing diet.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: They seem to operate this way, befitting their strong sense of brotherhood. Even the nicest among them will give one-another shit. When Ciri joins them, she ends up the recipient of this, until they realize they should maybe be lighter with the teenaged girl who is clearly not capable of fighting back.
Leadership
Vesemir
Vesemir
"Soon, I’ll be out on the Path, stronger than most anyone, wanting for nothing. I’ll never be scared again."
"Destiny has given us a gift."
Portrayed by: Theo James (voice in The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf), Kim Bodnia (live-action) Dubbed by:
The head of the Wolf School based out of Kaer Morhen and Geralt's mentor.
- Adaptational Personality Change: Portrayed as less crotchety than his book and game incarnations, but also more of an extremist, willing (albeit with much hesitation) to go behind Geralt's back while he's away and put Ciri through the extremely dangerous Trial of the Grasses to become a Witcher, and even stabs her when she becomes possessed by Voleth Meir in the Season 2 finale and slaughters several Witchers, a far cry from his dynamic with Ciri in the books and games. He is also much more laid-back about his profession, willing to allow prostitutes into the secretive and remote Kaer Morhen for the Witchers to party with. He is also depicted as having much more of an interest in making new Witchers, a trait more associated with Geralt in the books.note
- Character Development: Geralt speaks of Vesemir as a very wise and world-weary old mentor. Nightmare of the Wolf shows us how he got there: by showing a boy seeking to escape poverty, reaching the peak of youth as a hedonistic warrior, and then being confronted by the harsh realities that enabled him to get there. Vesemir's wisdom and knowledge about the ugly side of the world came to him at great cost.
- Composite Character: Book!Geralt's interest in recovering the ranks of the Witchers seems to have been transferred to Vesemir in the show, likely motivated by the pressures of his leadership — even to the extent of being willing to go through with Ciri's request to be turned into a Witcher with her own Elder Blood.
- A Father to His Men: Almost literally, as he was one of the last surviving Witchers and basically raised the current generation all on his own. It's clear he regards pretty much all of the current Witcher's as surrogate sons, and they in turn see him as the closest thing they have to a father.
- Hero of Another Story: Is the main character of Nightmare of the Wolf.
- I Was Quite a Looker: Downplayed: Kim Bodnia's portrayal of him shows a Silver Fox of a man who is still pretty stately and admirable in rugged old age, but it is still a noticeable distance from the Hunk he was during Nightmare of the Wolf.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In his youth, as detailed in Nightmare of the Wolf. He seems self-absorbed and greedy, but he has a conscience that eventually bubbles up and causes him to go through a Heel–Face Turn after he discovers that the Witchers have been manufacturing monsters to justify their existence.
- The Lost Lenore: Nightmare of the Wolf shows us that he had one: Illyana, a plucky young girl he once promised to take out of poverty with her. They meet decades later when she is now Lady Zerbst, one of the leading noblewomen of Kaedwen. Despite reaffirming their friendship (and even possibly romance), she dies during the Sack of Kaer Morhen—and accidentally by his own hands too.
- Manly Facial Hair: He sports an impressive handlebar 'stache and is a formidable fighter despite his advanced years, even by Witcher standards.
- Old Master: Was already a seasoned Witcher when Geralt was a child, which makes him well over a century old.
- Parental Substitute: Between him quoting his teachings fondly and then later revealing that Vesemir gave him his name, it's evident that Geralt sees him as a surrogate father. It's later shown that the other Witchers have the same view, and that he sees them all as his sons, and treats Ciri as if she were his own granddaughter.
- Robbing the Dead: Nightmare Of The Wolf shows him doing this in lieu of payment whenever he slays a monster that has killed someone on the road.
- Training from Hell: By necessity, all Witchers undergo this and Vesemir is the one who trained Geralt, though The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf reveals that Vesemir was trained under much harsher conditions.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Nightmare of the Wolf details his youth and his early days as a Witcher. He was once a kind-hearted peasant eager to escape his social trappings by becoming a Witcher.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Both averted and played straight. He's desperate to find a way to continue creating Witchers and admits as such, but when Ciri tells him her condition for helping him is to be made one herself, he refuses without hesitation. When he does eventually agree, it's because she makes a point that he finds hard to argue against, even if he doesn't agree with it. On the other hand, he's well aware that for every successful witcher, there is a trail of dead boys left behind, and is fully willing to continue that practice to keep them from dying out, especially since Witchers are desperately needed to battle against the legion of new monsters plaguing the continent.
Deglan
Deglan
“Men will always need monsters. Now, so do we.”
Voiced by: Graham McTavish
The previous head of the Wolf School, whose methods and leadership were harsher and more unscrupulous. He found Vesemir as a boy and turned him into the young Witcher we saw in The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.
- Big Bad Ensemble: While Tetra is the main antagonistic force hounding the Witchers of Kaer Morhen, it's eventually revealed that the new mutant monsters emerging has been commissioned by Deglan himself together with their accomplice sorcerers.
- Broken Pedestal: Becomes one to Vesemir once the truth of his actions become known.
- Evil Mentor: While he did train Vesemir and the rest of his batch of Witchers, he is also responsible for the corruption of the Wolf School.
- Fallen Hero: Once a heroic slayer of monsters, who ends up a creator of them, kidnapping and mutating innocent people and unleashing monsters on the peasants of the North only for the sake of furthering his Monster Protection Racket, turning the noble School of the Wolf into essentially Evil Overlord types for Kaedwen.
- Foreshadowing: His entire concern about the decline of traditional monsters in the continent (plus his commissioning of mutant monsters) actually helps establish an emerging plot point in Season 2 of the live-action series: that while the monsters of the current Continent's sphere are beginning to disappear, newer and stronger monsters from other spheres/dimensions (particularly that of the Wild Hunt) are coming for the Continent as well.
- Monster Protection Racket: Essentially his biggest crime: fearing that the decline of monsters would put Witchers out of business, he began commissioning the creation of mutant monsters to ensure Witchers will continue to have things to kill, preserving their purpose and livelihood but causing the deaths of innocents for the sake of the school.
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: As revealed above, he feared Witchers eventually becoming obsolete and being prosecuted by an ungrateful population. The exposure of his Monster Protection Racket essentially sped up the process, with a vindictive Tetra actively exploiting it.
- Skeletons in the Coat Closet: Compared to most Witcher armors since in the series (and others in the franchise), Deglan's notable in adorning his Shoulders of Doom with skulls of monsters he has killed. In retrospect, this armor of his makes him look Obviously Evil compared to Vesemir's reasonable doublets.
Active Witchers
Geralt of Rivia
- See his own entry.
Lambert
Lambert
Portrayed by: Paul Bullion
A Witcher raised and trained alongside Geralt at Kaer Morhen. Becomes one of Ciri's mentors when she joins them.
- Big Brother Bully: Acts like this towards Ciri, being the most actively antagonistic towards her, regularly insulting her and calling her names, and "suggests" she prove herself by taking on an extremely difficult and very painful obstacle course. He talks to all his fellow Witchers like this and it appears his egging on her is a form of hazing, but he doesn't pull any punches despite her being a recently traumatized young girl.
- Big Brother Mentor: Also acts like this towards Ciri, helping with guiding her training. He's just way more of a dick about it than the others are.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He may be the jokiest of the group, but he's still a seasoned Witcher.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Doesn't like Ciri at first, but comes around after seeing her determination to become a Witcher isn't superficial.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: He puts Ciri through a painful obstacle course to make her understand that being a Witcher isn't some fantasy. Once he's convinced that she understands what she's in for, he starts barking off instructions on how to move and breathe, and scolds her for not focusing.
- Fiery Redhead: One of the most exuberant of the group with a head of red hair.
- Innocently Insensitive: He honestly didn't mean to hurt Ciri by teasing her for her feminine clothes, and looked ashamed when Triss pointed out how cruel it was.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He gives Ciri a lot of shit and is cold to Geralt in the wake of Eskel's death, but he cheers the former on when she starts improving on the obstacle course and feels bad when he realizes his gendered insults left her in tears.
- Training from Hell: Like all Witchers, he underwent this.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Par the course for the Witchers, but Lambert especially is the most outright active in his insulting of the others (who in-turn tend to be more scathing when insulting him back than they are anyone else), with him bordering on outright bullying Ciri. Despite this it becomes clear he is one of the most loyal of the Witchers, and is the first to actively join Geralt in trying to free Ciri from Demonic Possession.
Coen
Coen
Portrayed by: Yasen Atour
A Witcher raised and trained alongside Geralt at Kaer Morhen. Becomes one of Ciri's mentors when she joins them.
- Adapted Out: He was part of the Griffin School of Witchers, not the Wolf School, but this detail isn't delved into.
- Adaptation Origin Connection: In the books, he was Witcher from the Griffin School who just happened to be crashing at Kaer Morhen for the time being. Here, he's a member of the Wolf School, meaning he's trained alongside Geralt and co for much longer.
- Big Brother Bully: Not nearly as much as Lambert, but he does laugh along with his insults towards Ciri and doesn't object or stop him sending her to the obstacle course.
- Big Brother Mentor: Like Lambert, only much nicer about it.
- Expy: Seems to act like this for book!Eskel, being one of the Wolf School Witchers alongside Geralt and Lambert, and being the Nice Guy compared to the latter. He also sports similar facial scarring.
- Nice Guy: Much more evenly tempered and supportive than Lambert. Though, he does laugh along with his teasing of Ciri.
- Race Lift: Obstinately white in the book, but played by an Arabic actor.
- Training from Hell: Like all Witchers, he underwent this.
Eskel
Eskel
Portrayed by: Basil Eidenbenz
A Witcher raised and trained alongside Geralt at Kaer Morhen. He's tragically infected by a mutated Leshy when the Witchers return home, and Geralt is forced to Mercy Kill him.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: His facial scarring is a good deal less pronounced than the mutilations described in the books, where he is likened to "a monster wearing human clothing" and having a voice "like a dog's barking". Here, he is more youthful-looking and sounding, despite being presented as the same age as Geralt.
- Adaptational Personality Change: He was a laid-back Nice Guy with far less interest in women than his fellow Witchers and was something of a stickler for the rules in the source material, and was thoughtful and caring towards Ciri when she arrived at Kaer Morhen. Here, he's a short-tempered Jerkass who's unwelcoming towards Ciri, tries to pick a fight with Geralt, and invites a caravan of prostitutes to the Witcher compound for entertainment. Much of this can be explained as the result of being infected by a mutating Leshy, though only Geralt seems to notice him acting differently. This excuse, however, is contradicted by the official Netflix Witcher site information on Eskel, describing him as boorish, boastful, having a quick temper, easily wounded pride and fragile ego, even without the Leshen's influence.
- Adaptational Wimp: Despite being a Witcher as experienced and as old as Geralt in the source material, Eskel is unable to properly finish off a Leshy, failing to use the proper heated blade technique against it and leaving it alive, leading to his infection and death.
- Death by Adaptation: He doesn't survive one episode in the series, and his death becomes a painful sting for the others after. Eskel in the books/games is alive and well even by the end of Wild Hunt.
- Decomposite Character: His status as the resident Nice Guy goes to Coen.
- Demoted to Extra: Due to being killed off in his first appearance.
- Forced Transformation: He turns into a Leshy.
- Mercy Kill: Geralt is forced to kill him after he becomes a Leshy and attempts to kill Vesemir.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: A flashback with Geralt shows him friendlier than he was by the time he was infected by a Leshy.
