The Witcher - Northern Kingdoms / Characters

Northern Kingdoms

Temeria

See their separate page.

open/close all folders

Aedirn

Capital: Vengerberg

One of the last regions settled by humans, the Kingdom of Aedirn is bordered by Kaedwen to the north, Redania to the northwest, Temeria and the Mahakam Mountains to the west, and Lyria to the south, with the Blue Mountains marking its eastern frontier.

Royal Family

King Demavend

King Demavend III

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/demavend_iii_tw2.png

Appears in: Blood of Elves | Lady of the Lake | Assassins of Kings | Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales |

The king of Aedirn. He is the first monarch to be targeted by the Kingslayer which kicks off the plot of the second game.

Adaptational Villainy: See below. Also double with Adaptational Wimp.
Adipose Rex: Is pretty on the hefty side.
The Alcoholic: Is said to do more drinking than ruling.
Asshole Victim: He's known to be a very cruel person who especially harbors a hatred against elves. He's also the first king to be assassinated by Letho.
Character Death: Dies in the Witcher 2 trailer meant to show badass Letho is.
Noble Bigot: Despite his antipathy against elves, he is willing to tolerate Dol Blathanna as an independent protectorate under Francesca Findabair.
Off with His Head!: Letho cuts off his head. With a dagger. It takes two gruesome butcher chops, even with Letho's sheer strength.
Reasonable Authority Figure: As opposed to what the Lodge says, in the books he is a capable and strong ruler, who rallies a strong defense for his country and who also sues for peace rather than continue senseless fighting.

Prince Stennis

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stennis_tw2.jpg

Appears in: Assassins of Kings

Son of King Demavend and heir to the throne of Aedirn. Following the assassination of his father, Stennis' ascension to the throne was blocked due to his lack of support among the nobility and a peasant revolt led by Saskia the Dragonslayer.

0% Approval Rating: He has absolutely no support among commoners. His noble supporters are not thrilled with him either due to his poor personality and youthful inexperience. If he survives to become King, Geralt's narration implies that Stennis becomes popular, if only because the Aedernian nobility are grateful to have anyone to hold the kingdom together.
Ambiguously Evil: While Stennis's behavior during the investigation into Saskia's poisoning is quite suspicious and he clearly stood to benefit from her death, Geralt never finds any evidence explicitly tying him to the crime and it's never revealed if he's truly guilty.
Ambition Is Evil: He is quite willing to do anything in order to secure the throne of Aedirn.
Bling of War: His armor looks functional, but it's gold-colored in an obvious effort to display his status. The quote on his Gwent card lampshades it.
"He ploughin' wears golden armor. Golden. 'Course he's an arsehole."
Demoted to Extra: In Roche's path Stennis dies on the ghostly battlefield before Geralt even arrives.
Divine Right of Kings: Invokes this as why he should become king and why peasants should never question anything he has to say.
Entitled Bastard: Believes he should be the one everyone should follow without question simply because his father was king. Actually proving his worth to them and showing why he deserves their loyalty in the way Saskia has is something Stennis sees as beneath him.
The Evil Prince: Considers peasants to be little more than vermin that are barely worth his time, and probably poisons Saskia to get rid of his biggest obstacle to the throne.
Fatal Flaw: Arrogance and Pride. Stennis's ascension to the throne is hindered by his pride, which makes him unlikable to the peasantry. He'd rather die than humble himself before the peasants who want to kill him.
- Another one described is his tendency to blow hot and cold. By definition, this makes Stennis volatile, indecisive and perhaps unpredictable.
The Good King: If he survives, he surprisingly ends up becoming very popular and is viewed by the people as a sensitive ruler and symbol of hope for Aedirn.
Jerkass: He's quite willing to give his ally, Saskia, to Henselt during the summit with Kaedwen, threatens and constantly demeans Geralt in all their conversations, and refuses to give up just a few drops of blood that could save Saskia from her poisoning. Of course, the fact that he's probably one of those responsible for it probably had something to do with it.
Jerkass Has a Point:
- When Stennis confronts the mob after he's blamed for Saskia's poisoning, he brings up that they don't have the evidence needed to prove that he was indeed responsible. Even the player doesn't find conclusive evidence to condemn Stennis, so he's not without merit.
- He refuses to answer for every accusation levied against him, particularly towards the case of his possible involvement towards Saskia's poisoning. While it isn't helping his case, he does bring up a valid point in that he shouldn't have to defend himself from every rumor that any lout could easily make up just to slander him.
Karmic Death: If found guilty of participating in Saskia's poisoning, Stennis will be beaten to death by a lynch mob of peasants who he had dismissed as being worth nothing and who would not dare stand before a divinely selected king.
Ungrateful Bastard: He is not only unwilling to help Geralt or Saskia in their endeavors despite saving his life at the beginning of Chapter 2, but it's implied that he tried to poison the latter.
What Happened to the Mouse?: His fate if he survives Assassins of Kings is unknown. Nilfgaard managed to conquer Aedirn during the timeskip before Wild Hunt, but Stennis isn't mentioned outside of being a Gwent card.

Aedirnian Military

Rayla

Rayla the Black/White

Appears in: Blood of Elves | The Time of Contempt | Lady of the Lake | The Witcher

A former mercenary turned captain of Demavend's Special Forces. She is responsible for hunting down Scoia'tael. After being captured, tortured and mutiliated by a commando unit she somehow escaped and returned with even greater hatred for non-humans.

An Arm and a Leg: Her left hand was cut off and was replaced by a bronze hook following her capture by the Scoia'tael.
Back for the Finale: When we see her for the last time in The Time of Contempt, it's all but stated aloud she and her group are going to die in the incoming Last Stand. She survives and shows up in the final book, but only because the elves got bored with mutilating her body back then and let her live.
Boomerang Bigot: She's actually a half-elf.
Ear Ache: Lost half of her right ear during her torture and mutilation by the Scoia'tael.
Oh, Crap!: When she realises her group is what's now the rear guards of the fleeing refugees.
Only in It for the Money: She's portrayed as a greedy mercenary that really doesn't care about anyone or the big picture of the politics, as long as she's paid. To her own surprise, she ends up putting her life to defend random stangers.
Prematurely Grey-Haired: The trauma of her torture caused her hair to go white.
What You Are in the Dark: Yennefer shows her only contempt for decorating road signs with butchered bodies of elves and being a sellsword without honour, fighting only for gain. During Second Nilfgaardian War, Rayla and her men were the only ones who protected refugees fleeing the country from enemy raids.
You Are in Command Now: Upon learning the rear guards were wiped out she goes pale. Not due to the event itself, but because she's automatically promoted to lead her group as the new - and last - line of defense. She still goes through with it.

Seltkirk of Gulet

Appears in: Assassins of Kings

A framed knight of Aedirn who perished during Henselt's first attempt at conquering the Pontar Valley. His spectre later manifests years later during the events of Assassin of Kings.

A Father to His Men: Geralt convinces Seltkirk's spectre to abandon his doomed duel with Vandergrif by telling him it will only condemn him and his men to continuously relive the battle. The knight relents, allowing Gerelt to defeat his rival, for their sake.
Blood Knight: If his spectre is any indication, he relishes battle as much as he did in life.
Demonic Possession: Briefly possesses Geralt when the Witcher seeks to dispel the mist, reliving Seltkirk's part of the battle.

Peasantry

Saskia the Dragon Slayer

Saskia the Dragon Slayer / Saesenthessis

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saskia_tw2.png

"Liberty should not be peddled."

Appears in: Assassins of Kings

Voiced by: Eiry Hughes (English)^{additional VAs}

Leader of the Aedirnian resistance. She dreams of a land where humans and nonhumans can coexist in harmony, though she is actually the dragon Saesenthessis, who came to sympathize with the other races and wants them to live in peace with each other. Ultimately ends up becoming an Unwitting Pawn to Philippa Eilhart and the Lodge of Sorceresses.

Ascended Extra: She's the baby dragon seen briefly in the "The Bounds of Reason" story from Sword of Destiny. She grows up to become a major character in the second game.
Action Girl: You won't know how much though until her true nature is revealed.
The Ace: She is a beautiful, brave young woman who is just as smart as she is charismatic, and rumor has it that she killed a dragon single-handedly. She turns out to be the dragon all along, and the bit about slaying a dragon was invented by Iorveth to make her seem even more like an ace.
Badass Normal: Subverted. She gives the impression of being a tremendously skilled human swordswoman, but she's really a dragon in disguise.
Brain Washed And Crazy: Which comes as quite a shock at the end of Chapter 2.
Canon Immigrant: A strange case. That mixed green dragon hatchling from the Sword of Destiny short story The Bounds of Reason grew up into Saskia.
The Dragon: Fittingly, but unwillingly, becomes this to Philippa Eilhart.
The Extremist Was Right: Believes in the revolutionary idea that maybe humans, elves and dwarves should stop killing each other and live together in peace.
Final Boss: If Letho is let go, then she becomes this, and in general proves to be a much straighter example than him.
Final Boss Preview: Yes, that's her in the prologue.
Founder of the Kingdom: Of Upper Aedirn, not that it lasts long...
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Blonde, pretty, pure, and idealistic.
Hero Antagonist: On the Roche path. While Geralt never fights Saskia or her faction directly, he's still under the employ of the Kaedweni army she's at war with. Even so, the witcher's sympathies are clearly with her side. She also attacks the Temerian army at the beginning of the game, who Geralt was also working for.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: While trying to bring her down in dragon form, Geralt causes her to crash land, and Saesenthessis impales herself on a fallen tree.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: A rarity in the world of a Witcher. Which makes sense as she's not actually human, but a Dragon.
Interspecies Romance: Geralt can be implied to ship Saskia/Iorveth through one dialogue opinion in one of the endings. Saskia notes that she had heard many lewd things said about the two of them, but finds dwarves most interesting. Which apparently is a dragon thing. She does put some thought into the idea, though.
Jeanne d'Archétype: Leader of a popular peasant uprising, takes on the role of a warrior and leader outside of society's role for women, persecuted and thought a freak by her enemies.
Lady of War: She leads the revolt in Aedirn.
Mind-Control Eyes: How Geralt notices that something is off about her behavior.
Morality Pet: For Iorveth, who is fiercely loyal to her.
Our Dragons Are Different: Golden dragons in The Witcher can shapeshift into virtually any form they want, but because Saesenthessis is only partially a golden dragon (her father is a golden dragon and her mother is a green dragon), she can only shapeshift into one human form.
Rebel Leader: Self-explanatory.
Red Baron: Also known as the "Virgin of Aedirn".
Virgin Power: What a lot of people seem to believe she has. Since as Triss correctly notes that "virgins are a dying breed" in the Witcherverse, it isn't that crazy an argument from a peasant's POV.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Word of God reveals she survived the fall of Aedirn with Iorveth despite implications of her death.

Cintra

Capital: City of Cintra

Formerly a powerful kingdom, Cintra is bordered to the south by Nilfgaard and to the north by Verden. During the First Northern War the country was conqured by Nilfgaard and the entire royal family perished, with the exception of Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon. Although technically a independent state following the war, it essentially became a province of Nilfgaard due to Emperor Emhyr's marriage to the False Ciri.

Queen Calanthe

Queen Calanthe Fiona Riannon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/calanthe_fiona_riannon_witcher_gwent.jpg

Appears in: The Last Wish | Sword of Destiny | Blood of Elves

Ciri's grandmother and the queen of Cintra, a kingdom lying to the south of Yaruga river. Once upon a time, she hired a certain witcher to solve a troublesome affair involving her daughter and a knight suffering from a powerful curse, which ultimately ended in the curse being lifted, the witcher making the request of the Unexpected Child, and the resulting tangle of the fates of everyone involved. Although she was a tough political player (nicknamed "the Lioness of Cintra"), she nevertheless could not prevent Nilfgaard from overrunning Cintra, and committed suicide to avoid falling into Nilfgaardian hands shortly after issuing a final edict to carry her granddaughter to safety. The girl eventually found her way into the custody of the same witcher who requested her years before.

Better to Die than Be Killed: By jumping out of the window of her palace.
Iron Lady: A strong queen who earned her nickname.
The Magnificent: The Lioness of Cintra.
Man Behind the Man: Her attempts at being the supreme ruler were defied by the nobility of the realm, as by Cintran law, the ruler had to be a man. She thus settled for the second-best thing, getting a husband who wouldn't interfere.
Manipulative Bitch: When Urcheon shows up to claim Pavetta's hand in marriage, Calanthe tries to instigate a fight between him and other suitors. When this tactic fails, she tricks Urcheon into revealing his transformed face, in hopes Pavetta will reject him.
Posthumous Character: For most of the cycle. The Saga takes place entirely after her death. The short stories cover the period both before and after.
Screening the Call: She struggles twice against the Law of Surprise. First, she tries to stop Pavetta from marrying Urcheon. Later, she threatens Geralt to discourage him from taking Ciri away to become a witcher.
The Unfettered: She has shades of this. She is ready to use every trick in the book to achieve her goal: a marriage treaty between Cintra and Skellige. She shows no remorse over her lack of honor and dirty tactics. When her manipulations fail, she is ready to simply murder the man standing in the way of her plans and yields only when a better solution is presented to her.
Won't Take "Yes" for an Answer: She tries numerous things to trick or convince Geralt into not taking her granddaughter, even after he outright tells her he has no intention of going through with it.

Lyria and Rivia

Capital: Lyria (summer), Rivia (winter)

Bordered by Aedirn to the north, the Mahakam Mountains to the west, and the Yaruga River to the south. Lyria and Rivia were two former kingdoms that were joined as a confederation by King Berric in 1113. Despite being repeatedly conquered by Nilfgaard during the Northern Wars, Lyria and Rivia has regained its independence at the end of each conflict.

Queen Meve

Queen Meve, the White Queen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/meve_gwent_card_art_3.jpg

Appears in: Blood of Elves | Baptism of Fire | Tower of the Swallow | Lady of the Lake | Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

"Nilfgaard is observing us. Something is hanging in the air, silly thoughts are springing up in many heads. So let us show them what we are capable of. Let us show them who is really king here. Let us shake the walls of this great castle plunged into a winter torpor!"

Ruler of Lyria and Rivia. Meve is known to be a wise and good ruler who played a key role in the North's fight against Nilfgaard. She knights Geralt in thanks for his actions in saving her army and her life during the Battle for the Bridge on the Yaruga.

She is the protagonist of Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, which details her campaign against Nilfgaard.

Action Girl: During the Second Nilfgaardian War she fights alongside her men in full armor.
Adaptational Attractiveness: While she's described as beautiful in the books, she's middle aged and her good looks have faded a little bit. In Thronebreaker, not only is her beauty commented on by several characters, but her cutscene appearance makes her look in her mid to late thirties at most.
A Day in the Limelight: In the books, she's a minor character. Thronebreaker is told from her perspective during the second Nilfgaardian invasion.
Berserk Button: Geralt becomes one after he and his friends abandon her army to continue their quest to find Ciri. If anyone mentions him she will begin to curse his name. This extends to the rest of her family as shown in Blood and Wine, where one of her sons is also competing in the tournament and attempts to challenge Geralt to a duel.
Bling of War: She's often depicted in golden plate armour, though for much of Thronebreaker, she wears attire that makes one character that makes her resemble more of a mercenary than a queen.
Elmuh Fudd Syndwome: Her wounds during the Battle Of The Yaruga leave her with a temporary lisp and an inability to pronounce her Rs correctly, which makes knighting Geralt a little difficult. In Thronebreaker, this only ends up being temporary.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Her face was disfigured when she was wounded in battle. She's still good-looking nonetheless.
Everyone Has Standards: She is disgusted when the other Northern rulers decided that Ciri must die in order to prevent Emhyr from marrying her and laying claim to the Kingdom of Cintra. Meve thought it better to just find her and marry her off to a minor knight somewhere isolated.
Frontline General: She personally led Lyria and Rivia's resistance forces after Nilfgaard conquered it during the second war, going behind enemy lines to lead a successful guerrilla war.
The High Queen: She is probably the most moral and wisest ruler in the North, although she's gruff in personality, is capable of great ruthlessness and can be vindictive if she thinks someone has wronged her. Ironically, her kingdom has a well-earned reputation as a Wretched Hive, even though she seeks to fix that.
Iron Lady: When the other Northern Kingdoms are broken, having either fallen, surrendered, or struck a deal, she takes the fight to the Nilgaardians.
Lady of War: Leads her army into battle and fights alongside them.
Rebel Leader: After losing her kingdom, she immediately organized a rebellion and carried out guerrilla warfare against Nilfgaard.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: She fights alongside her soldiers in the front lines. She got a bad facial injury for her trouble, but continued to fight on until victory was won.
The Quiet One: When the major rulers of the North hold meetings, Meve typically says little, but when she does speak she tends to cut to the heart of the matter and everyone listens.

Villem

Prince Villem of Lyria and Rivia, King Villem I

Appears in: Blood of Elves | Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

Meve's eldest son and her heir, and the brother to Anséis. Considered an idiot by his mother and fellow diplomats, but stubborn and well-meaning, if not not easily to manipulate.

Antagonistic Offspring: Under the influence of Count Caldwell, Villem leads a coup against Meve to seize control of the kingdom against Nilfgaard.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He's not evil, but considered inept by most and easy to manipulate.
Heel–Face Door-Slam: One of the options the player has to Villem's attempted Heel–Face Turn is to arrest him on the spot and have him thrown in the dungeons where he will rot away for the rest of his life and be buried in an unmarked grave.
Heel–Face Turn: Villem starts out the game by leading a coup against his mother. However, after his most treacherous advisors have been removed and it becomes clear he is losing the war he comes to his senses. He opens negotiations with Meve to peacefully hand the country back over to her on the condition he and his remaining advisors are left unharmed, his reforms go unchanged, and he remains her heir. Whether or not Meve accepts his attempts to redeem himself lie in the player's hands.
Named by the Adaptation: Villem and his brother are mentioned in Blood of Elves, but are given no names. Thronebreaker names him as Villem.
Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: Is convinced by Count Caldwell that Meve's stubborn nature will make them lose against Nilfgaard, so Villem believes that deposing her and surrending to Nilfgaard is the best course of action.
Puppet King: What Villem is to Count Caldwell and the Council of Peers, and they themselves are just puppets of Ardal aep Dahy and the rest of the Nilfgaardian Empire.
Sketchy Successor: Villem is Meve's heir as her eldest son but lacks the qualities of a good ruler. It is commented that he inherited all of his father's recklessness and none of his mother's wits. Even Meve thinks Villem makes a poor politician. And whilst he proves himself skilled enough to plan a coup, it is obvious to everyone but himself that he is merely a puppet of the manipulations of Count Caldwell and the Nilfgaardian Empire.
Count Cadwell: The boy's not fit to wear the crown. Hasn't sufficient wit nor valor. I know this, you know this... just, he knows it not.
Spoiled Brat: Meve indicates both her sons were this when younger.

Anséis

Prince Anséis of Lyria and Rivia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gwent_cardart_northern_prince_anseis.png

Appears in: Blood of Elves | Wild Hunt

Meve's second son. Like Villem, Meve loves him, but considers him to be an idiot.

Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Considered an idiot by his mother, but overall a nice person.
Hidden Depths: From what's seen, Anséis seems the smarter half between him and Villem. He is also a talented jouster and enjoys tourneys, and upholds a strict code of honor. He also has a personal grudge against Geralt for abandoning his mother in battle.
Know When to Fold 'Em: If he recognizes Geralt at Beauclair, he demands that Geralt pay for his treachery by a duel. When Geralt wins and explains he had his reasons, Anséis isn't pleased, but admits he belives Geralt's word since he agreed to duel him with honor.
Large Ham: Loud and openly berates Geralt's honor should he recognize him.
Momma's Boy: Meve writes a letter to Anséis that Geralt can find in Blood and Wine, expressing her displeasure that he went to the tourney but wishes him well.
- Moreover, if Geralt enters the tourney under his own name, Anséis recognizes him and demands he pay for abandoning his mother at the Battle at the Bridge of Yaruga.
Named by the Adaptation: Anséis and his brother Villem are mentioned only in passing in Blood of Elves. Anséis makes a physical appearance at the tourney in Beauclair in Blood and Wine.
Spoiled Brat: Meve indicates both her sons were this when younger. In Blood and Wine he rides off to Toussaint against Meve's wishes, though he would be in his twenties at this point.
Throwing Down the Gauntlet: He does this in Blood And Wine when challenging Geralt to a duel.

Kaedwen

Capital: Ard Carraigh

The largest of the Northern Realms, Kaedwen is bordered to the south by Aedirn, to the east by the Blue Mountains, and Redania to the west, separated by the Kestrel Mountains. Kaedwen and Aedirn have frequently warred over the Pontar Valley. Within Kaedwen lie two important institutions: Kaer Morhen, the headquarters of the School of the Wolf, and the sorcerer academy in the city of Ban Ard.

King Henselt

His Majesty Henselt, King of Kaedwen, heir to the Dynasty of the Unicorn, Lord of Ard Carraigh, Archduke of Ban Ard and vanquisher of Nilfgaard

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/henselt_tw2.png

Appears in: Blood of Elves | Lady of the Lake | Assassins of Kings

Voiced by: Peter Egan (English, Assassins of Kings)^{additional VAs}

The ruler of Kaedwen, the largest of the Northern Kingdoms. Plans to conquer the Pontar Valley, which he claims to be his birthright, but first he has to defeat the resistance led by Saskia the Dragon Slayer.

Acrofatic: Despite his bulk, he is rather agile and an accomplished swordsman.
Adipose Rex: He is quite bulky.
And Now for Someone Completely Different: You briefly play as him in the beginning of The Witcher II second chapter.
Arc Villain: Of the Vergen arc that takes place in Chapter 2 of the second game. His conquest of Aedirn is the primary source of conflict that drives this section of the game's story.
Asshole Victim: He's either killed by Roche in the second game, or by Radovid before the third one begins. Either way, he deserves it.
Bald of Evil: It's hard to tell under his crown, but yeah, he has a shaved head under there.
Beard of Evil: It's remarked that his beard makes him look more like a thief than a king.
Big Bad Wannabe: He fancies himself a mighty warlord and a cunning Chessmaster who the other Northern rulers and even Nilgaard wouldn't dare cross. While he is capable of great evil, in the grand scheme of things he is a mere piece to be used by the other players on the chessboard.
Blood Knight: He prides himself on being the strongest king of the North, and won't hesitate to invade a country again and again if he thinks he can win.
Combat Pragmatist: He talks a good game about maintaining honor and valor on the battlefield, but Henselt himself never engages an enemy who isn't at a disadvantage.
Defiant to the End: Should Roche decide to kill him, he proclaims that he won't beg for mercy. When Roche demands Henselt look him in the eyes Henselt does one better, getting right in Roche's face and daring Roche to kill him. Even with a knife in his chest, Henselt likens it to a flea biting a lion before succumbing.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: He dies offscreen in between the second and third games, assuming he wasn't killed beforehand.
Entitled Bastard: Already in the books, he quarrels with Demavend over his lands, and even has the audacity to call his men 'liberators' when all they've done is Rape, Pillage, and Burn.
Even Evil Has Standards: Despite being a ruthless and manipulative individual, he was absolutely disgusted by Sabrina Glevissig's decision to cast a powerful fire spell on the battlefield of his previous campaign on Aedirnian ground, slaughtering a large number of soldiers, both friend and foe alike.
Fantastic Racism: Has no respect whatsoever for non-humans.
A Father to His Men: He's quite popular among his soldiers for the most part. Not enough to prevent an attempted coup, however.
Fluffy the Terrible: King Henselt of Kaedwen, last of the line of the Unicorn. Of course, in Medieval myth, unicorns were dangerous beasts that only a maiden could approach safely. Henselt's lineage probably refers to the badass old school unicorns.
Karma Houdini Warranty: It's possible he can survive Assassins of Kings, carving up portions of Aedirn and Temeria, killing Roche's Blue Stripes, and raping Ves. But in between the second and third game, he'll be killed by Radovid.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: What he did to Ves.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: He's politically active, warmongering, and insists in fighting on the front lines, though unlike most cases of this trope, it doesn't make him even remotely heroic.
Smug Snake: Really makes you want to let Roche kill him just to wipe that smile off his mug.
Ungrateful Bastard: Even though Geralt and Roche saved his life and Geralt freed him from Sabrina Glavissig's curse, Henselt orders Roche's men executed, without a trial, for being part of a conspiracy they knew absolutely nothing about (only Roche was part of it), and tries to kill Geralt as soon as he meets him on Vergen, even though he had all but taken over the town already and Geralt was not fighting for either side.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Invoked by himself when Geralt and Roche call him out on his villainous acts. Indeed, barring a few exceptions, everything he did was meant to benefit his kingdom in some way.

Dethmold

Appears in: The Time of Contempt | Assassins of Kings

Voiced by: David Annen (English)^{additional VAs}

A powerful sorcerer who serves as King Henselt's adviser during the events of the second game. Has little in the way of morals, but is devoted to his king.

Ascended Extra: Like Iorveth, he exists in the books, but not to the extent that you could really call him a developed character.
Asshole Victim: On Iorveth's path, he gets executed by a mind-controlled Saskia without any trial. On Roche's path, Roche will castrate him and feed him his own balls before slitting his throat. Either way, you won't feel much sympathy for him.
Camp Gay: Roche's path reveals that he's not only homosexual, but that he can also be especially fussy about his appearance and comically critical about the appearance of other men.
Cutscene Boss: Though you do get to fight him earlier in a fairly challenging battle, he dies much later without a fight.
Defiant to the End: On Iorveth's route he remains spitful, cursing out his captors, as he's being led off to be beheaded. Less so in Roche's path when he's caught by him unawares.
Groin Attack: When Roche kills him in his path, he first slices off the sorcerer's family jewels before then shoveing them in Dethmolds mouth, in revenge for the Blue Stripes execution.
Jerkass: His default state of being. A scene in Roche's path shows him take an apple from one of his men and, after few bites, then tossing it away. On Iorveth's path he will make some extremely teenage remarks about Saskia when he confronts her and Geralt during the battle.
Karma Houdini: If you decide to save Triss, he will get away with everything.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His name is pronounced Death-Mold.
Necromancer: Casts a spell so Geralt can view the memories of a dead witcher.
Off with His Head!: He is beheaded in Iorveth's path, on a bewitched Saskia's orders at Philippa's behest, after Kaedwen is defeated.
What Happened to the Mouse?: He escapes if you decide to rescue Triss in Chapter 3 of Assassin of Kings, and his ultimate fate is not revealed in Wild Hunt.

Vandergrif

Vandergrif "The Visitor"

^{Click here to see how he appears in Assassin of Kings.}

Appears in: Assassins of Kings

The infamous leader of Kaedwens army during Henselt's failed invasion of the Pontar.

Bad Boss: Had his scouts lashed, with every third hanged, for failing to spot the enemy fortifying a position during the night.
Came Back Wrong: Returns as massive Draug when a spectral mist engulfs the former battlefield he fought and died on.
The Dreaded: Was known as "the visitor" for how he would enter the homes of conquered citizens, assure them everything was fine, before then slitting their throats.
Frontline General: Fought in the frontlines alongside his men when Sabrina's spell fell upon them.
Large and in Charge: Towers over the other spectre's as a Draug.

Novigrad

One of the largest cities in the world, the Free City of Novigrad is located on the coast of Redania. The city is ruled by the Hierarch of the Church of the Eternal Fire, whose secret police keep the populace in check. Recent radicalization of the Church has led to witch hunts that target any user of magic, including alchemists and herbalists, while nonhumans are also targeted.

Citizens

Joachim von Gratz

Appears in: Wild Hunt

"This is Novigrad. Only the innocent burn here."

Joachim von Gratz is the chief surgeon at Vilmerius Hospital. He meets Geralt and Dandelion during the hunt for the serial killer known as the Concerned Citizen. Joachim is also a former professor at Oxenfurt University, where he was acquainted with Shani, who served as his assistant for a year.

The Atoner: He killed people during the Oxenfurt Revolution, believing that its goals were worth the price of killing its opponents. He has come to regret those actions and worked hard to atone for them.
Combat Medic: Aside from being chief surgeon, he's also a decent shot with a crossbow and boasts to Geralt that he sometimes goes drowner-hunting in Novigrad's sewers, seeing killing the monsters as an example of prevention being better than cure.
Cool Old Guy: Besides being a calm and skilled surgeon, Joachim also regularly kills monsters and helps investigate a serial killer. Not to mention he helped lead the democratic Oxenfurt Revolution when he was younger, although he considers some of his actions during that time to be sins.
Deadpan Snarker: Makes quite a few deadpan jokes, even during his and Geralt's autopsy on the dwarven victim. Geralt calls him out on it, and Joachim apologizes and explains surgeons have a different sense of humor than most.
Every Scar Has a Story: Convinces Geralt to let him come along to the morgue by showing him the scars on the back of his neck, which could only have come from a morningstar or flail, to prove he has seen combat and is well aware of the danger he is placing himself in.
Jumped at the Call: He immediately joins Geralt in investigating the attack on Priscilla. Geralt and Dandelion are both left rather stunned at how quickly he volunteers.
Joachim: No need to look astonished, gentlemen. As a surgeon I know the importance of preventive medicine. Rather than wait for this maniac to strike again, I'd prefer to excise him. Not unlike a tumor.
Knight in Sour Armor: Although quite cynical, Joachim is still committed to doing good in Novigrad no matter what obstacles get in his way.
Noodle Incident: Mentions he once spent a year being tortured in the dungeons of Tretogor, but then claims that is a story for another time.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Immediately tells Geralt all the information he knows on the serial killer and offers to help him break into the city morgue to examine the body of the last victim.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Has little issue breaking the law in order to practice his brand of "preventative medicine".

The Concerned Citizen

Appears in: Wild Hunt

A Serial Killer that Geralt hunts for the "Carnal Sins" quest. He targets people who insult the Order of the Eternal Fire, either through their words or deeds.

Berserk Button: As all of his victims were people who insulted or blasphemed against the Eternal Fire, it's safe to say that's one for him. He also gets immediately aggressive if Geralt derides him as a lunatic.
Blood Knight: If cornered by Geralt, he expresses glee at the thought of fighting the latter.
Concerned Citizen: I last fought a witcher two centuries ago. I do hope I remember how it's done.
Boomerang Bigot: Willingly supports a religion that wants to completely wipe out him and all his fellow non-humans.
Bring It: He expresses this sentiment if Geralt confronts him.
Concerned Citizen: For you, I'm afraid it's too late. You're a man of little faith. I sense this.
Geralt: Mmmm... but I'm pretty good with a sword.
Concerned Citizen: "Pretty good" might not cut it!
Cold-Blooded Torture: He tortures his victims by removing their eyeballs and placing burning coals within their empty sockets, forcing them to drink formaldehyde, and cutting out their hearts.
Detective Mole: He's Novigrad's coroner and does the autopsy of his own victims.
Expy: Of John Doe from Se7en, even down to their assumed names: generic aliases used for unidentified individuals.
Frame-Up: Frames another man for his crimes, and should Geralt fall for the ruse, leaves behind a final body and a mocking note detailing how he's going to move on to a smaller village and continue his work.
- Framing the Guilty Party: The person he frames is a high-ranking Eternal Fire priest and the supervisor of Novigrad morgue Nathaniel Pastodi, a well-known sadist who tortures people (especially women) for fun.
Foreshadowing: He appears very briefly in the quest to find him long before the characters have any idea who he really is, and yet drops clues hidden in vagaries. There are also hints dropped that the serial killer may not even be human at all.
- First, Geralt notes his youthful appearance despite his protege Joachim being a middle-aged main approaching his senior years. This is an obvious ringer that he is not human.
- He falsely attributes his apparent youth to the preservation chemicals he works with in the morgue without actually naming any. Among those chemicals would be the formaldehyde he uses to inflict torment on his victims.
- He mentions an incident where Nathaniel grabbed a burning scalpel and stabbed him in the back to the bone. He wasn't happy about it, but at the same time, he doesn't seem exceptionally bothered by it, either. Being a vampire, that kind of wound is actually quite trivial and he healed it very quickly.
- In the Vegelbud estate as Geralt pursues him, the killer was able to easily scale a 30 foot wall and elude Geralt and the guards, which further provides hints of the killer's supernatural abilities.
- In retrospect, sending Geralt to the Venglebud estate, and mentioning Nathaniel leaving town on urgent business, is an obvious false flag ploy to pin the killings on Nathaniel. The fact that Nathaniel genuinely is a psychopath who enjoys burning people just cements the lie further.
The Fundamentalist: Is dedicated to the cult-like Order of the Eternal Fire and shares their belief that Novigrad is a fallen city.
Geralt: What's not clear is why a vampire would kill in the name of the Eternal Fire?
Concerned Citizen: Should be equally obvious. I concur with the church's diagnosis. Novigrad is a fallen city, its population amnesiacs to the concepts of decency and morality. So I decide to remind them, in a manner they'd be certain to notice.
Informed Species: He claims to be a Higher Vampire, but in the game upon transformation, he is a Katakan. That being said, he could simply be referring to himself as a "higher grade" of the vampire species, which the Katakan does fall under, as opposed to being an actual Higher Vampire. Even Geralt isn’t sure if a Katakan is a higher or lower vampire based on two different lines of dialogue he has.
Karma Houdini: If Geralt pursued the wrong guy, he would stumble upon the Concerned Citizen's latest victim as well as a note left by him, taunting Geralt of how he eluded capture and would continue his killings in another village.
Knight Templar: Believes that his horrific murders will act as a form of shock treatment, awakening the city to its decline and causing its populace to repent.
Mood Whiplash: He causes a light-hearted quest about helping Dandelion start up a cabaret to turn dark when he brutally assaults Dandelion's friend and love interest Priscilla to make her drink pure formaldehyde. She survives, but his other victims are less lucky.
Older Than They Look: Geralt notes that Hubert looks much younger than his former student, Dr. Joachim von Gratz, who's an old man with wrinkles, grey hair, and a receding hairline. He handwaves this being a result of the preservation chemicals he works with, but that's a lie; he's a higher vampire.
Sadist: He quite enjoys inflicting horrible tortures on his victims, including making them drink embalming fluid and putting burning coals in their eye sockets. And then subverted; the torture isn't because he likes it, he just wants to frighten the people of Novigrad into being more righteous and pious. Even the hot coals in the eyes are a ploy in case he needs a scapegoat to pin everything on.
Secret Identity: He's Hubert Rejk.
Serial Killer: Has brutally tortured and murdered a large number of people over the years.
Underestimating Badassery: If cornered, he openly admits he underestimated just how determined Geralt was.
Utopia Justifies the Means: He considers murdering those who he deems impure and unholy as a necessity to save the souls of others.
Concerned Citizen: Give a thought to my victims. A lecherous woodcarver who'd spend his last copper on whores. An old countess who defiled symbols of the faith. A trobairitz for whom nothing was sacred, nothing above ridicule. They did not deserve to live... but their deaths could be a lesson to others. Awaken them, scare them onto the correct path, the path to the Fire, to cleansing, to salvation.
Would Hit a Girl: Three of his named victims were women, and there were countless more unnamed.
Would Hurt a Child: His victims include orphan children.
Whole-Plot Reference: The "Carnal Sins" quest is a huge reference to Se7en, as it features a religious zealot ritualistically murdering people he sees as sinners in order to wake society up into being more righteous.

Vimme Vivaldi

Appears in: Eternal Flame | Season of Storms | Wild Hunt

Voiced by: Ewan Bailey (English)^{additional VAs}

A dwarven banker who runs the Novigrad branch of the Vivaldi Bank. He is acquaintances with Geralt, Dandelion, and Dainty Biberveldt.

Alliterative Name: Vimme Vivaldi.
Art Evolution: Patch 1.30 drastically changed how Vimme looked, as the developers felt his original appearance did not fit for one of the most powerful bankers of Novigrad. His clothing became much nicer, his beard more distinguished, and was now going bald instead of having a full head of hair.
Ascended Extra: Aside from the Gwent quest, Vimme had no role to play in any of the quests in Wild Hunt. During Hearts of Stone he appears at the Borsodi Auction House during a quest, helping Geralt get into the auction and introducing him to several of the other patrons.
The Cameo: Appears briefly in Season of Storms participating in an auction at the Borsodi Auction House, bidding on a rare, and supposedly heretical, book.
I Resemble That Remark!: When he is asked if he plays Gwent by Geralt, he takes offense that Geralt automatically assumed that because he's a dwarf that he takes part in the favorite dwarven pastime. When Geralt asks again after his indignation, he candidly admits that he does. The best part is that Geralt probably knows he plays Gwent for none of those reasons, but because he has a rare card.
Locked Out of the Loop: He is thoroughly confused during Eternal Flame by the fact that Dainty has no clue what "he" has been doing for the past several days due to Vimme being unaware that a Doppler named Dudu impersonated Dainty.

Irina Renarde

Madame Irina Renarde

Appears in: Wild Hunt

Voiced by: ??? (English)^{additional VAs}

"Can't be sure if you've attended many performances, but Novigrad crowds can be particularly... difficult."

The star and leader of the mummers' troupe known as the Foxen. Irina is a friend of Dudu, Priscilla, and Dandelion. She aids Geralt in his quest to free Dandelion from the Church of the Eternal Fire.

Descended Creator: In-Universe, as she directs and also acts in the plays that the Foxen put on.
A Friend in Need: When Geralt asks her for help putting on a play to bring Dudu out of hiding so they can rescue Dandelion, Irina agrees even though putting on a pro-Doppler play in Novigrad during the middle of the Witch Hunts could cause serious problems for the Foxen.
Meaningful Name: Her last name is a reference to Reynard the Fox, which is presumably how her troupe became known as the Foxen.
Secret-Keeper: For Dudu. She and her troupe know that he is a Doppler, but they are great friends with him and he often joins them on stage in various guises.

Elihal

Appears in: Wild Hunt

Voiced by: ^{additional VAs}

"I'm a Redanian countess one day, a dockside thug the next. That's true freedom!"

A elven tailor living in the non-human district of Novigrad. He is a friend of Dandelion and enjoys cross-dressing.

Actually, I Am Him: When Geralt shows up looking for a female elf named Elihal, he excuses himself before returning in a dress and reveals his identity to the witcher.
Camp Straight: He is fairly effeminate, but is not interested in men at all.
Mistaken for Gay: Mostly due to his penchant for cross dressing. In fact, Dandelion once tried to hit on him when he was drunk, and writes about him with an intriguingly wistful fondness.
Wholesome Crossdresser: He enjoys dressing up like a woman, among other types of people, to pretend to be something that he isn't. He's also very friendly, a skilled tailor, and a good friend of Dandelion's.

Crime Lords

Cyprian "Whoreson Junior" Wily

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cyprian_wiley_tw3.png

Appears in: Wild Hunt

Voiced by: Ewan Bailey (English)^{additional VAs}

One of the Big Four crime bosses of Novigrad. He is working as The Dragon for King Radovid and has ambitions to become sole boss of the city.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: He'll get down on his knees and beg for his life once it starts to become clear that his usefulness to Geralt is coming to an end.
Ax-Crazy: The man murders prostitutes and bathes with the bodies in their own blood, that should give you a good clue just how deranged the man is.
Bullying a Dragon: Whoreson Junior decides to bully Ciri and Dandelion, despite the fact the former is a Physical God. Ciri kills potentially half of his entire organization in one terrifying night. Then, weeks later, Geralt finishes the other half off trying to find out about Ciri.
Cut Lex Luthor a Check: After his Heel–Faith Turn, he comments that he makes twice as much money as a legitimate brown-water trader as he ever did as a crime lord. Since said legitimate enterprise is run by the business-savvy doppler Dudu rather than the nutcase Whoreson, anything else would be... strange.
Cutscene Boss: Geralt catches Whoreson in his skivvies, catching him cleaning up from a bath with the corpses of three dead prostitutes. He gets promptly beat down in that very same cutscene.
Cruel Mercy: One fate Geralt can give him. With all of his businesses destroyed, his men dead, three major crime bosses after him, and his patron abandoning him, he ends up in The Bits as a beggar, implied to be crippled and blind, with children harassing and throwing rocks at him on the regular.
Ciri: On the way here, I didn't know what I'd do. Killing him was definitely an option.
Geralt: Still want to?
Ciri: No. This is worse.
Dead Person Impersonation: Dudu can end up potentially doing this to Whoreson, ironically turning Whoreson's operation into something more honest and surprisingly more lucrative for all in his group.
Dirty Coward: Goes to pieces when Geralt gets up in his face.
Disposable Sex Worker: Has them mass delivered to him on a regular basis by King Radovid's men because of how quickly he goes through them.
The Don: The leader of one of the four big criminal organisations in Novigrad.
The Dragon: Serves as this to King Radovid in Novigrad. He's actually less than a speck of dust in the man's arsenal but is the biggest weapon the King has in the city.
Hate Sink: His main characterization is that of a horrifically evil bastard with absolutely no redeeming traits, with the only justification that Geralt can come up with for not murdering him is that he's not worth staining his blade for.
Heel–Faith Turn: Du du fakes one for him.
Honor Among Thieves: He has none. This proves to be a mistake. His fellow crime lords team up to destroy him when he breaks their unwritten rules of conduct.
Little "No": Should Geralt decide to kill him, Whoreson's last words will be to whimper out a pathetic little "Noooo" before he is cut down.
Monster Clown: Has his men parade around in jester hats and clown make-up.
Red Baron: Inherited one, as his father was the original Whoreson.
Self-Made Orphan: Killed his father, Whoreson Sr., when he was on his way to a poetry recital, and then proceeded to take over his father's organization.
Smug Snake: He really has no idea how out of his depth he is. Perhaps he would have once, but he's degenerated with time.
Spell My Name With An S: The spelling of his last name is all over the place. The game mostly goes with "Wily", but has it as "Wiley" a few times. The official guide goes out of the way to have it as "Willey" throughout the whole thing.
Tattooed Crook: He's the vicious leader of a gang, and his body is covered with ink.
Token Evil Teammate: Even among criminals, he and his gang stand out in terms of evilness. While Sigi, the King of Beggars, and Cleaver run the gamut between Loveable Rogue to Pragmatic Villainy, Whoreson and his men are all deceitful, violent, and pointlessly cruel. Unlike the others, they attempt no philanthropic or charitable acts, and if killed, Geralt mentions that Junior was hated by all for never helping a single soul in his life.
Too Dumb to Live: It's very likely Junior would have been wiped out by his fellow crime lords, even without Geralt's help.
Unwitting Pawn: Appropriate with Radovid's chess metaphors. It's clear that whether he succeeds or not, Whoreson Jr. is not going to be rewarded for his efforts.
You Have Out Lived Your Usefulness: King Radovid has this reaction once he succeeds in breaking up the four crime bosses' alliance.

Francis Bedlam

Francis Bedlam, the King of Beggars

Appears in: Wild Hunt

Voiced by: Richard Hawley (English)^{additional VAs}

Francis Bedlam is one of Novigrad's Big Four crime bosses who rules over the city's beggars and petty thieves from his hideout at Putrid Orchard.

The Don: One of the city's most influential crime lords, in spite of relying on a lower class of criminal activities than his colleagues.
Hurricane of Euphemisms: He puts considerable effort into dressing words like "begging" or "stealing" into more entrepreneurial language.
The Idealist: In spite of his criminal practices he has a strong sense of social justice and appreciation for the ideals of liberty and equality. He seeks to amass enough true political power to turn Novigrad's title of "free city" into a factual statement.
King of the Homeless: As his nickname suggests, his influence runs mainly among the city's poor and the destitute, who he taxes for any illegal activities they partake in return for his protection.
Neighborhood-Friendly Gangsters: He sincerely has the city's best interests in mind and has put considerable effort into helping to keep it neutral from the war. He is also helping the city's mages hide from the witch hunters in return for providing medical services to his subjects, which ironically makes the beggars in his auspices have better health care than the city's elite.
Out of Focus: Compared to the other three bosses, Francis plays the least significance in Geralt's story. He doesn't even have a single quest to offer save for being "the guy who gives your reward" in one very minor sidequest.
Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions: He scoffs at religion, viewing it as just another way for the rich to control the poor. Considering that the city is in the middle of a witch-burning craze, he may have a point.
Tattooed Crook: Has multiple sexually explicit tattoos all over his body.
Underground Railroad: Manages one for mages in Novigrad with Triss Merigold and Sigi Reuven.
Villains Out Shopping: Actually stops to listen to Priscilla's ballad while walking outside the tavern she's playing, looking almost entranced by the song.

Cleaver

Carlo "Cleaver" Varese

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carlo_varese_tw3.png

Appears in: Wild Hunt

Voiced by: Alastair Parker (English)^{additional VAs}

Another of the "Big Four" crime bosses of Novigrad, Cleaver's main focus is entertainment, including horse races. He is well known for his violent temper, which often leads to the loss of fingers amongst those who offend him. His gang consists entirely of dwarfs.

Ax-Crazy: His first response to any situation tends to be violence, even when a more subtle approach could get better results, and his punishments tend to be messy and brutal.
The Butcher: Got his nickname for using a cleaver to cut off people's fingers.
Dub Name Change: His nickname becomes "Surin" ("Shiv") in the French localization.
Everything Is Racist: Believes that anybody who has an issue with him or his businesses is a racist, even if they are halflings, elves, and even other dwarfs.
Hot-Blooded: He doesn't do anything in a calm manner and tends to let his emotions get the better of him.
Hypocrite: Despite his frequent cries of racism towards anyone working against him, Carlos is working with a well-known racist to corner the market on smithing in Novigrad, which includes forcing non-human blacksmiths out of business.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: for all his violent tendencies, he is just as quick with praise as he is with a threat if Geralt does him a good turn. If you manage to win the final race of the "Great Chase" he offers to kiss Geralt and when the latter looks less than enthusiastic, he offers to kiss Roach instead. In addition to a fat bag of gold of course.
Kill It with Fire: Should Radovid survive and win the war against Nilfgaard, Carlo is burned at the stake by witch hunters, likely for just being non-human.
Tattooed Crook: Like the rest of Novigrad's crime bosses, Cleaver is covered in tattoos.

Redania

Capital: Tretogor

The breadbasket of the Northern Realms, Redania is bordered by Temeria to the south, Kaedwen to the east, the Hengfors League to the northeast, Kovir and Povis to the northwest, and the Gulf of Praxeda to the west. Within the boundaries of Redania lies the city of Oxenfurt on the Pontar River, with the Oxenfurt Academy being one of the greatest institutes of learning in the world.

King Vizimir II

King Vizimir II the Just

The King of Redania and father of Radovid. The warhawk between the monarchs, also one of the most competent leaders. This is probably the cause, why he was murdered on Filippa's orders before the beginning of the war.

The Good King: Unlike his son, Vizimir was a reasonable man devoted to making Redania a functional and prosperous kingdom.
Horrible Judge of Character: Had he put a little more trust in Djikstra and a little less in Phillipa, he might have survived.
Reasonable Authority Figure: One of the most accepting Monarchs with his two closest advisors being a commoner and a sorceress.
The Rival: He and Foltest were constantly at each other’s throats ever since Foltest turned down a marriage alliance.

King Radovid V

King Radovid V the Stern

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/radovid_v_tw3.png

Appears in: Lady of the Lake | The Witcher | Assassins of Kings | Wild Hunt

Voiced by: Martin Sherman (English, The Witcher), Nico Lennon (English, Assassins of Kings and Wild Hunt)^{additional VAs}

The King of Redania, and one of the last Kings of the Northern realms in the wake of Letho's regicides and the Nilfgaardian invasion. After the events of the previous game, he is obsessed with hunting down and taking vengeance on his Treacherous Advisor, Phillipa Eilhart, and to this end he has empowered the Church of Eternal Fire and their Witch Hunters, leading to a sharp increase in prejudice and discrimination against mages and nonhumans.

Adaptational Badass: All we know about him from books is that his reign will bring despair to people, earning him "the Stern" nickname, and that he was already unhinged in his early teens. While the saga barely mentions his existence, there is not a single word about becoming a military genius.
Arc Villain: Radovid is essentially to the third game what Emhyr was to the novels, being the Big Bad of the War Arc that runs parallel to the story of Geralt and Ciri.
Ascended Extra: He has less than a page devoted to him in the books, the prose of which ominously states he would come to be known as Radovid the Stern after he swears vengeance of Philippa. He plays a major role in all three games, which show precisely how he earned the moniker and set about getting his revenge.
Bald of Evil: He started out morally ambiguous, but by the third game, his state-sponsored witch hunt places him in this category.
Better the Devil You Know: The North's basic opinion of Radovid. They prefer him to Nilfgaard despite the fact that he's also invading the majority of their lands to add to his Empire.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: In the first game, he presents himself as a friendly Reasonable Authority Figure, though his connections to the Church of the Eternal Fire and its subsidiaries in the Order of the Burning Rose and Salamandra imply he's been making power plays on Temeria. The sequels show his true face.
Burn the Witch!: His general opinion of magic.
The Caligula: Is a weird example of the trope as he engages in horrific tortures, executions, and pogroms but is entirely competent as a military commander as well as strategist.
Character Development: And not the good kind.
The Chessmaster: Aside from being obsessed with the game (despite loathing it for its lack of grounding in reality), is behind all of the major plots Geralt uncovers in Novigrad, softening up the city for Redania to take over.
Cold-Blooded Torture: What he intends to inflict on every single mage involved in the conspiracy against him.
Crazy People Play Chess: Is extremely paranoid and obsessed with two things: chess and hunting sorceresses. Rather appropriately, his first appearance is at a chess club where he claimed to hear the heartbeat of his pieces in Creepy Monotone. Yeah, the guy was not right in the head.
Create Your Own Villain: In-game biographies in Wild Hunt blame his personality formation on the malign influences of Philipa Eilhart and Sigismund Djikstra. Both of whom can end up killing him at the end.
Dark Messiah: Invokes the idea that he is the only possible savior of the North against Nilfgaard. Dijkstra can do it too, but he's ALSO a ruthless bastard. He's also the patron of the Eternal Fire church.
Disproportionate Retribution: His modus operandi. Radovid is prone to handing out horrific punishments left and right to people who offend him.
- He cheerfully provides Geralt with some examples in Wild Hunt on bounty hunters who wasted his time with false leads on Philippa Eilhart; one who presented Radovid with a dead owl missing its eyes got his own pulled out before being thrown overboard with a rock tied round his neck, while a postmaster who tried to pass off a forged letter as belonging to Philippa lost his fingers and his tongue for it. Surprisingly, the number of bounty hunters eager for an audience with Radovid dwindled after that.
Evil Genius: Radovid is certifiably insane and cruel, but he's also a prodigy when it comes to military tactics and strategy. He even manages to fight the Nilfgaardian Empire to a standstill. If the player chooses to kill Radovid in the third game, Redania will lose the war because they no longer have their greatest strategist. If not, he will actually defeat Nilfgaard, a feat no northern king has ever achieved on his own.
Eye Scream: Moments before his death, Philippa blows powder into his eyes which blinds him.
Face–Heel Turn: Possibly. When introduced in the first game, he presents himself as a well-meaning, albeit somewhat shady, monarch who wants to strengthen his country for the good of his people. However, as time passes and the political instability in the Northern Kingdoms worsens, the pressures of ruling and his growing paranoia of magic users get the better of Radovid, ultimately causing him to become a ruthless tyrant. The question is if Radovid's mental state gradually deteriorated over time or if he was always like this, just initially better at hiding it.
Fantastic Racism: Triss believes that he is racist against nonhumans as well as sorcerers. This is an Informed Attribute, though. He is, however, filled with an immense hatred of mages. Although given the fact that the Eternal Fire goes out of their way to kill nonhumans as well as mages, she's not completely wrong.
Flanderization: His portrayal in the third game has pretty much all of his flaws from the previous games played up to an almost comical level, likely to present a ruthless expansionist empire like Nilfgaard and a cold, calculating, iron fisted tyrant like Emhyr as more palatable to the player than they would otherwise be.
Freudian Excuse: In short, he had a horrible life. His father was assassinated when he was a boy, then he and his mother were mistreated and used as puppets by Philippa Eilhart (who is throughout the story heavily implied to have been involved in his father's death) and Dijkstra, and then had to bear a lot of responsibility when he became king being little older than 18 years, especially after getting involved in a war with the world's mightiest empire, which caused his definite Sanity Slippage.
From Nobody to Nightmare: "Nobody" being a boy forced to assume the throne after his father's death. At the end of Lady of the Lake, we get a glimpse of what's going on in his head, and he promises himself to go hard on everyone who wronged him and his family. It is then mentioned the future will know him as "the Stern".
The Horseshoe Effect: Radovid promotes himself as the North's last hope against the encroaching legions of Nilguaard and its ruler, Emperor Emhyr Var Emreis. However, many characters note how Radovid's tactics are not much different than those of Emhyr's. In fact, they're even worse.
The High King: What he portrays himself as. Yeah, no.
Inadequate Inheritor: Regarded as such by many, including Dijkstra and at least some of his own soldiers. The latter two most especially as they were extremely loyal to his father, King Vizimir, whose reign they regard as something of a golden age for Redania and so work to kill him before he can drive the kingdom into the gutter.
Informed Ability: He's the great strategic (of the military kind) mastermind. Absolutely nothing supports said brilliance other than people talking about it.
It's Personal: Given the abuse she inflicted on him as a child and the shadow she cast over his early reign, Radovid's hatred of Philippa Eilheart is very much this. One observer states that Radovid will never stop until he has Philippa on a pyre.
Karmic Death: Philippa blinds him by blowing powder into his eyes before dying by her hand, in revenge for him gouging her eyes out in the second game. After being responsible for the deaths of dozens, if not hundreds of mages and nonhumans, Radovid meets his end at the one he despises the most.
The Man Behind the Man: Although never stated outright, it's heavily implied that he helped cause the rise of Salamandra and Jacques de Aldesberg in the first game.
A Nazi by Any Other Name: Certain statements about him invoke Hitler. Plus there is the whole "kill all nonhumans", heavy-handed means of achieving his goals, reign of terror, militaristic bent...
Oh, Crap!: He makes the most priceless expression ever in the "Head of State" quest when he all but runs into Philippa after being cornered by Geralt, Roche, and the rest of the assassins.
Out-Gambitted: Has made an enemy of Sigi Reuven, Vernon Roche, Geralt, Triss Merigold, and Phillipa Eilhart. Any one of these people is a dangerous enemy to have, even for a king.
Pay Evil unto Evil:
- If Henselt survives the events of the second game, then Radovid betrays his alliance with Kaedwen by launching an unexpected attack on it and killing him.
- Gouging Philippa's eyes out and (depending on the choice) having Sile tortured to death also qualifies, given how much harm the two have caused.
Properly Paranoid: Phillipa Eilhart and the Lodge of Sorceresses really were plotting against the Kings of the North. They killed his father and caused thousands of deaths. They also have nothing to do with his current problems.
Real Men Love Jesus: Radovid's belief in the Eternal Fire seems sincere. At least to the point of giving the Order of the Flaming Rose land and supporting their massive pogrom against witches.
Revenge Before Reason: The mages were instrumental in defeating Nilfgaard during the Second War. During the Third? He orchestrates a massive witch-hunt of them while there's a war with Nilfgaard going on.
Sanity Slippage: He's gone from a stern, proud warrior king to a withered, gibbering lunatic. It gets even worse if you side against him.
Smug Snake: Fully expects Geralt to tow the line with him, even when he has no reason to do so.
Took a Level in Jerkass: In the first game, Radovid was able to at least look like he was a friendly and reasonable sort. In the sequel, he's shown to be much colder and his ruthless side really shows through, even though he still acts comprehensible. By the third game, he's an all-out crazy tyrant.
Ungrateful Bastard: Potentially this to Geralt if you do his bidding.
The Unintelligible: His first conversation with Geralt has a number of segments where he's speaking in complete crazy.
The Witch Hunter: Styles himself in this direction due to his crusade against sorcery.
The Wonka: Is obviously mad but remains perfectly capable of complex, intelligent, and rational plans plus sustained military strategy. This is Truth in Television as many insane individuals have periods of stability followed by outbreaks of irrationality.
Xanatos Gambit:
- He is actually quite good at these despite the fact he's prone to gibberish statements about chess, war, and murder. Managed to conquer the largest nation in the North, fight Nilfgaard to a stand-still, and wins the war if he's not assassinated.
- Is also responsible for the Witch Hunt in Novigrad, which kills 170 out of 200 or so magic-users in the city, by making use of the local authorities rather than his own men. This is a Subverted example as while highly effective, it does the war effort no good and turns his kingdom against him.
- Also subverted with his plan to take out the criminal alliance ruling the city from behind the scenes (since the Eternal Fire would side with him against Nilfgaard—and thus bring Novigrad under his control). All it does is convince them they can't remain neutral any longer and potentially leads to his death.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Radovid's modus operandi. He has killed or betrayed everyone that has helped him once they've stopped being useful, became a liability, or both. He helps take down Salamandra once they've destabilized Temeria. He abandons Whoreson Jr. after he broke up the alliance of crime lords that prevented him from taking Novigrad. The members of the Order of the Flaming Rose (without whom he'd never have been able to control all of what's left of the north) that didn't want to become witch hunters were sent to the front lines of the war to die and had their assets seized. Once Geralt tells him where Philippa is, he tries to have him executed. It could be inferred that he does this to Adda if he married her, since Foltest is dead and he doesn't need her anymore, and the mages of the new Conclave if he wins the war.
Younger Than They Look: Radovid looks like he's in his 30s, but by the third game, the oldest he could possibly be is 20. Being a king during wartime, not to mention his traumatic early life and mental instability, has obviously not been great for his health.

Count Sigismund Dijkstra

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sigismund_dijkstra_tw3.png

Voiced by: Richard Hawley (English)^{additional VAs}

The spymaster of the Kingdom of Redania, and later its regent after the death of the king. His duties make him occasionally clash or cooperate with the protagonists, and even later he remains a background character important not only to the world, but also the story itself.

Acrofatic: Often described as a walking mountain of fat, he's nevertheless implied to be surprisingly agile for his bulk. That being said, as his introduction in the bathhouse shows, he is not THAT fat, rather his outfit makes him look fatter.
Affably Evil: Comes across as this, even being a Shipper on Deck for Geralt and Triss.
Badass Arm-Fold: He is seen folding his arms in front of him.
Batman Gambit: Dijkstra's plan to seize control of the North by assassinating Radovid and betraying his co-conspirators hinges on Geralt maintaining his famous witcher's neutrality. Whether or not it pays off is up to the player. Of course, said plan only becomes available very late in the game when Geralt gives Sigi information about Emhyr which leads him to return to the assassination plot he had neglected.
The Big Guy: The guy's nearly seven feet tall and an obese, yet physically powerful person... who also happens to be the head of the Redanian spy network.
The Bus Came Back: Video games pull off the brought-back-for-adaptation version. His storyline in the novels ends on the border pass to Zerrikania, implying he indends to settle there incognito to evade assassins.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Plots to murder the king of the nation he was formerly the spymaster for. Then attempts to murder his co-conspirators. Of course the latter co-conspirators were themselves secretly negotiating with Nilfgaard to give away neighboring territories to them.
Cultured Badass: Able to recite lines from the Witcher-verse version of Macbeth (Vakmeth) off the top of his head; he claims he always wanted to play the role himself, but was only ever cast as a halberdier.
The Dandy: Dijkstra always dresses in the most flamboyant way he thinks he can get away with, all the better to mess with people's expectations.
Deadpan Snarker: Nearly everything that comes out of his mouth is laden with bitter sarcasm. So much so that Geralt has a hard time determining when he's speaking in Sincerity Mode.
Didn't Think This Through: His decision making process, should he ultimately fall to Geralt's blade. Expecting Geralt to uphold the Witcher's code of neutrality literally minutes after he demolished said code by directly abetting the assassination of a monarch, at your behest? What were you thinking, Dijkstra? Of course, Sigi was banking on Geralt's feelings for Triss and Yennefer vis-a-vis Radovid's anti-magic genocidal ambitions. In the case of Vernon Roche and the Termerians, it's a purely political situation (the independence/autonomy of Temeria) to which he has no stake in.
- Since this happens after the battle at Kaer Morhen, for which his assistance is extremely hard to secure (involving not just letting Triss get tortured, but asking the right questions at the right time while it's happening), a lot of players also factor "Who actually showed up to help?" into their decision. So not only did he neglect to consider that a Witcher who'd already proven himself willing to violate neutrality might choose sides there, he neglected to consider that Geralt might have personal reasons for that choice.
Even Evil Has Standards: While Djikstra has committed many morally reprehensible actions (up to and including shipping Redanian political prisoners off to a gulag), even he is revolted when his men show Djikstra the remains of a dungeon where Vilgefortz has been experimenting on vivisecting pregnant women as part of his Evil Plan for Ciri.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Well, perhaps evil is stretching it, but Dijkstra's plan to backstab Roche, Ves and Thaler so that he can become the ruler of the North hinges on Geralt maintaining the classic Witcher neutrality. If Geralt chooses to buck the trend, then Dijkstra literally dies having underestimated The Power of Friendship.
Evil Cripple: Geralt breaks his leg in The Time of Contempt, leaving him hobbling for the remainder of the books.
- The third game reveals that, years later, he still requires a brace on the leg, along with several hot baths a day.
Face of a Thug: His character model in the third video game looks like the sort of person who talks exclusively in grunting, but Dijkstra's just as sharp as ever. This is in line with the Fat Idiot image he's keeping up in the books. He's more or less a gangster from a Guy Ritchie movie with similar accents in a fantasy medieval setting and high culture trappings.
Fallen Hero: Has gone from being a patriotic spymaster who used his skills to unite the North against Nilfgaard to being a crime lord.
Foil: He's somewhat of a foil to Geralt, also a man from outside the system (Dijkstra received the title of Count for practical reasons) having to mingle with highborn and deal with worldly affairs.
From Camouflage to Criminal: Former Redanian military intelligence officer who decided to turn to crime as a means of enriching himself. It worked out pretty well for him since the skills he developed as a spymaster translated well to being a crime lord.
Genius Bruiser:
- He is described as the polar opposite of stereotypical cloak-and-dagger small-crooked-guy spy (he even dresses in flamboyantly rich clothes, which are even more incongruous on such a large guy), yet he runs an extensive spy network and serves as an actual ruler during the Redanian regency.
- Isengrim Faoiltiarna, an Elven spec ops commander from Dol Blathanna and a man of considerable fighting prowess, was visibly relieved when he found that Dijkstra was non-hostile during their encounter in less fortunate times.
The Good King: If he succeeds in taking over Redania and the other Northern Kingdoms, his rule is progressive, if ruthless, focusing on settlement and industrialization, without the massive anti-magic, anti-nonhuman agenda of Radovid's reign.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: He's either a valuable ally or a ruthless enemy depending on whatever the current political situation requires him to be.
He Knows Too Much: Dijkstra obtains a very sensitive piece of information about King Vizimir's assassination. He makes his move by telling it to exactly one person — and that proves to be one person too many.
Hidden Depths:
- After Sigi and Geralt help the mages escape Novigrad, if Geralt tries to convince Triss to stay, Sigi then reveals that he'd been smitten with Philippa Eilhart when they both served Redania.
- Shortly afterward, Sigi expresses a desire to help every persecuted mage in the North, even if it's out of pure pragmatism.
Hidden Heart of Gold: Helps the mages escape Novigrad both out of pragmatism and because Everyone Has Standards.
I Did What I Had to Do: 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 a Cincinnatus streak.
- Also uses it to justify his actions listed under Chronic Backstabbing Disorder above, throwing in a little "Not So Different" Remark to top it off.
Dijkstra: Actually, you, Roche, should be the first to understand I've no choice.
Roche: Why the hell would I understand?
Dijkstra: Because you too are a patriot.
Jerkass Has a Point: Roche and the Temerians were negotiating for the autonomy of Temeria but were willing to let Nilfgaard annex other Northern territories outside their domain and influence to do so- in other words, putting their patriotism over that of other Northern territories. Said autonomy as Sigi points out, and Geralt potentially, is also dubious because Emhyr is not a good actor and has broken deals and grabbed land several times over.
Dijkstra: Geralt, what Thaler told you, put it out of your mind. There will be no truce with Nilfgaard. Redania, under my enlightened rule, will fight on until it wins. And when it does, it will unite all the North, including Temeria.
Thaler: What?! How? This is not what we ploughin' agreed!
Dijkstra: True. Instead, we insisted on one realm's questionable sovereignty. And to recover it, we gave Emhyr virtually all the North's other kingdoms. It was not a wise arrangement, so no deal.
Just the First Citizen: If he succeeds in taking over the North, he doesn't declare himself King, but rather, Chancellor. He announces it to Geralt in their last exchange when he walks out on the Temerians.
Man Behind the Man: Of the Redanian government.
- Don't forget Philippa Eilhart.
Man of the City: He feels this way about the Kingdom of Redania and also Novigrad.
Mission Control: For Dandelion, sometimes.
Obfuscating Stupidity: His description in Blood of Elves ends thus:
Dandelion knew very few people whose appearances would be equally misleading as Dijkstra's. Because for that hog-like giant, the impression of a sleepy, sloppy dimwit hid an incredibly sharp wit. And one hell of an authority.
Pet the Dog: If Geralt chooses to romance Triss, when it seems that Triss chose to leave with the other sorcerers instead of staying with Geralt, seeing that Geralt looks down, Dijkstra will try to comfort him with a story of his own loss in love.
Pragmatic Villainy: He is not a man you want to cross, but he will put his grudges aside when there are more important matters to deal with.
- He will also do good deeds in service to this, such as helping the mages escape Novigrad personally because it's definitely worth the short-term risk to have a group of powerful magic-users indebted to him.
Reasonable Authority Figure: His interests are often at cross-purposes with Geralt, but still, Dijkstra is very fair in his dealings. For example, he forgoes having revenge on Geralt for his broken leg - not because of mercy, but because that would be using his power for selfish reasons.
Run for the Border: His storyline in the novels ends this way after figuring out he's on the receiving end of the He Knows Too Much trope.
Shipper on Deck: In the third game, he's clearly trying to get Geralt and Triss to rekindle their relationship. When questioned about this, he explains he would prefer that Geralt avoid getting too close to Yennefer again since she had thrown her lot in with the Nilfgaardians. (Also, he had a rather bad experience with his own politics-minded sorceress flame: Philippa Eilhart.)
The Spymaster: Obviously.
Stout Strength: An extremely obese man, but his strength was legendary, up to the point that hardly anyone dared to test it.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He and Geralt don't like each other personally, but they often find themselves working together to take down even bigger threats.

House von Everec

Olgierd von Everec

"You don't strike, sir! You flail!"

Appears in: Wild Hunt

Voiced by: Paul Thornley (English)^{additional VAs}

Geralt: You're... immortal?
Olgierd: Depends on your understanding of the term. Indeed, I cannot be killed. But it's not at all what folk imagine. Not dying does not mean eternally living your life to the full.

Seemingly the main antagonist in the Hearts of Stone expansion. A ruthless but charismatic Redanian noble-turned-bandit Ataman (captain), he leads a free company called the "Wild Ones" against Nilfgaard and has a deep and vested history in the eastern countryside beyond Oxenfurt. In his hiring of Geralt of Rivia for a unique monster contract, it is revealed that he possesses the ability of Complete Immortality through a Wish turned Curse along with a plethora of other powers that he obtained through demonic pacts. The consequences of these actions are ultimately up to the White Wolf to see through to either salvation or damnation...

Affably Evil: Protects the daughter of the house owner his band stays in from his drunk and horny subordinate and doesn't punish her in any way after she drives a sword through his chest. While practically emotionless, he's friendly and approachable to Geralt.
A Lighter Shade of Black: He is this to Gaunter O'Dimm. A rogue, a cutthroat and a former Domestic Abuser, but all of his crimes pale in comparison to Evil Incarnate.
The Atoner: If he is saved, he vows to leave his old life behind and start over.
Carpet of Virility: His robe exposes a large portion of his hairy chest.
Complete Immortality: Does not age. Cannot be killed. Turns out he isn't too thrilled by it.
Covered with Scars: All of Olgierd's visible skin is littered with different scars. Geralt's otherwise impressive collection look downright superficial compared to the gruesome set that Olgierd has.
Crazy Jealous Guy: When it looked like an Ofieri prince was going to steal the woman he loved away, Olgierd somehow cursed him to turn into a gigantic, monstrous frog.
Cultured Badass: Growing up in the von Everec house of nobility, he places great import on doing things with as much class as possible as well as only doing things or associating with people who suit his class. He is also the leader of a group of glorified bandits and brigands, and is the strongest among them.
Deal with the Devil: Made one with Gaunter O'Dimm so he would have the wealth and power he needed to marry Iris, to his great regret before he had long to enjoy it.
Death of Personality: As a side effect of his wish, he got a heart of stone with his empathy being lost. This combined with lacking a sense of danger or consequences, he soon effectively became an empty shell of his former self.
Decoy Antagonist: The expansion's opening stages and promotional material paint him as the main villain who Geralt will inevitably have to overcome. However, the story ultimately reveals the true source of Olgierd's corruption to be Gaunter O'Dimm.
Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe: A more unusual example. A man of action first and foremost, he is also an avid scholar; he preferred to spend time in his study than working on his marriage. Granted cigars and cigarettes don't seem to exist in the setting.
Domestic Abuse: By the end of his marriage to Iris, he murdered her father in a fit of rage when he announced Iris's intention to divorce him, then kept her a prisoner in their own house with nothing but demonic familiars and a horrifying monster as company. Eventually, Olgierd himself became Iris's greatest fear.
Equal-Opportunity Evil: Unusually for the standards of the Witcher world, his bandit company has an almost 50:50 split between men and women.
Even Evil Has Standards: Orders the execution of his subordinate who violated his band's "chivalrous code" by killing the owner of the house his band invited themselves into.
Exact Words: He's very bad at this, to the point that it could be considered his fatal flaw. Two out of the three tasks he gives Geralt can be completed on technicality, denying him what he really wanted while still fulfilling the letter of the agreement. Ultimately can prove his undoing, as the final condition of his deal with O'dimm required that they meet on the moon - Olgierd meant the actual moon, but a mosaic of same on the floor of a temple was enough to satisfy the deal to Master Mirror's standards.
Flash Step: Like Ciri, he has the supernatural ability to dash across the field in the blink of an eye, something he uses to great, frightening effect by toying with his enemies in combat, disorienting them before they could see him coming.
Foil: To Geralt in some ways. Both have preternatural swordsmanship skills augmented by a suite of magical powers. However, Olgierd's emotions are bombastic, but superficial. Geralt's on the other hand, are very subdued in expression due to the Witcher trials, but his are authentic and truly from the heart. Geralt has an ironclad morality and has considerations of the good of the many, while Olgierd is devil-may-care to the extreme. When described by others, Gaunter does a Title Drop for the DLC, saying Olgierd has a heart of stone, while Olgierd can say that Geralt has a heart of gold after one instance of standing up to Olgierd's band of thugs for someone they were treading upon.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: They only add to his sinister appearance.
Heel Realization: Should you choose to help him break the deal with O'Dimm, he will regain his heart and finally feel all the suffering and death he is responsible for with his decisions. At which point he vows to leave his brigand lifestyle behind, make amends, and learn to live with his pain.
Hunk: Tall, manly, and chiseled. It's a given, considering he bears the likeness of David Beckham, a celebrity sports star known for his photogenic good looks.
I Call It "Vera": He named his Cool Sword Iris, after his wife.
Last of His Kind: Last member of the House of von Everec, a once influential noble family.
Love Makes You Evil: His Start of Darkness was summoning O'Dimm to give him the means he believed would save his marriage to Iris.
Master Swordsman: Olgierd's skill with the blade is, simply put, superhuman, blending graceful swings with terrifyingly fast, deadly precision, easily matching Geralt blow for blow. He's also the only person save Eredin who is capable of completely parrying Geralt's whirlwind attack and making it look easy.
My God, What Have I Done?: After Geralt saves Olgeird by challenging Gaunter and succeeding, Olgierd will regain his conscience and humanity, and realizes and feels the mess he made of everything, all the death and suffering he is responsible for. He will visibly look ashamed of himself and believes that he will never be the same again.
Mythology Gag: Duel him and he will sometimes quote Bonhart from the Witcher saga before launching his first attack.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: He bears a very strong resemblance to David Beckham. His character and look is also based on Daniel Olbrychski's role as Kmicic from the film adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz's "The Deluge".
No Ontological Inertia: Played with; If you decide to let Gaunter O'Dimm collect on Olgierd's debt then he is aged extremely rapidly until he is nought but dust and a skull, as though Master Mirror is letting time finally catch up with him. However, if you break Olgierd's curse and give him back his mortality without O'Dimm collecting his soul then Olgierd stays at the same age and physical condition he was in before, but now with the ability to feel again.
Off with His Head!: With certain dialogue options Geralt will decapitate him. He puts his head back in place in a moment's notice, right after complimenting the witcher's fighting abilities.
Oh, Crap!: The normally unflappable Olgierd completely breaks down once he realizes the final part to his contract with Gaunter has been fulfilled exactly as worded. Namely, that he and Gaunter are now standing together on the moon. Not the moon in the sky as he intended, but a mosaic of the moon on the ground.
Optional Boss: The optional fight against him is one of the hardest fights in the third game, possibly even more than Dettlaff, as he does not have any exploitable weaknesses except for very precise parrying. He is constantly attacking Geralt, making it difficult to maneuver, and laughs off bombs, signs, and crossbow damage. Everec's immortality integrates into the fight as ridiculously high defense, reducing Geralt's damage output to a tenth of what it is normally. He constantly teleports around so it is difficult to get a fix on his position and his darkness infused swings are unblockable and can sheer off half Geralt's health if he's hit. It's easily one of the longest fights in the game and only needs a few mistakes to lose.
Rapid Aging: As Gaunter claims his soul, Olgierd quickly ages into a decrepit old man, growing grey, wrinkled and weak before completely disintegrating until a charred skull is all that remains of him.
Renaissance Man: Much like his inspirations in literary characters such as Faust, Twardowski and Dorian Gray, Olgierd was a quintessential Renaissance Man: an almost incomparable genius, a prodigy at every field he tried his hand at, one of the greatest swordsmen on the continent, a skilled horseman and archer, a dancer, a poet, a connoisseur of painting and sculpture, a voracious reader, and a master of the black arts.
Scars Are Forever: Comes with the territory of being Covered with Scars, but special mention must be made to the crescent shaped scar on the left side of his head that somehow persists on his skull if you decide to let O'Dimm collect on Olgierd's debt. Could be that the wound that made the scar struck his skull as well, but skulls typically don't heal like that when damaged.
Sense Freak: Not being able to die and being unable to feel almost all positive emotions kept pushing him to keep trying new things and pursue extreme sensations.
Olgierd von Everec: Geralt. Have you decided to play defender of the downtrodden?
Geralt of Rivia: More like gutter of sons of bitches.
Olgierd: Long as I'm here, you'll gut no one.
Geralt: That a challenge?
Olgierd: Why not? I've not fought a witcher before...
Shout-Out:
- His story and connection to Gaunter O'Dimm is a very deliberate Shout-Out to Faust and his deal with Mephistopheles, right down to the deal being made at a crossroads. The story specifically draws from "Pan Twardowski," the Polish version of the story, which also features a man with a heart of stone.
- Olgierd's appearance and a lot of his dialogue draw heavily on the 1970s film version of The Deluge, including the quote under his picture above, and the character of Andrzej Kmicic in particular. While the film and its source material are basically unknown outside of Poland, there is no way a Polish native would not recognize them.
Start of Darkness: His was his family estate being seized after a mogul took advantage of some hard luck to essentially throw them out onto the street, causing Iris' family to dissolve their marriage plans and try to marry her off elsewhere. Gaunter O'Dimm approached him and offered the money back and to let him and Iris be together forever, but at the cost of his brother's life, and robbed him of his ability to feel anything. The loss of feeling made him a terrible husband to Iris, and his desperation to rid himself of O'Dimm lead to him practising dark magic, making him become even worse.
Tome of Eldritch Lore: Geralt remarks he has the "library of an Occultist" while investigating the von Everec Manor.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: In his youth, him and Vlodimir were mischievous ruffians at worst, but were seemingly pretty OK guys. Olgierd especially had major Big Brother Instinct towards Vlod and utterly loved his younger brother, and it's apparent from the initial flashbacks that him and Iris were deeply in love. Then Gaunter O'Dimm came along...
Wanting Is Better Than Having: Suffers from this somewhat. While he got his wealth back and marriage to Iris, Gaunter O'Dimm made certain that he couldn't enjoy it. He regained his power and fortune through thievery and banditry by gaining power and immortality, sacrificed the only other person he loved to be with Iris, ended up killing Iris's father to keep Iris, and his immortality is of the Blessed with Suck variety in that nothing will kill him and he doesn't age but lack of danger and the fact that he feels little physical pain means that he's lost any sense of danger or excitement which, along with his thuggery, makes him deader inside with whatever emotions he feels being greatly diminished.
Wicked Cultured: The man knows his statues, either due to his noble lineage or how he was married to an artist.
Worthy Opponent: Finds one in Geralt in their duel. Despite the fact that he's immortal, he still cedes the fight to Geralt when the latter would have killed him by almost fully beheading him. He claps in admiration while his head dangles down his back by the last stretch of skin holding it on.

Vlodimir Von Everec

Vlodimir von Everec

Appears in: Wild Hunt

Olgierd's younger brother. Geralt has to show him the time of his life. Which might be a problem as he's very very dead.

Always Someone Better: According to O'Dimm he was jealous of Olgierd, as Olgierd was smarter, and better at everything.
And Now for Someone Completely Different: The player gets to control him during the wedding, though he is possessing Geralt's body at the time.
Big Brother Worship: Despite his jealousy of his older brother's seeming superiority, he still admires and loves him dearly.
Boisterous Bruiser: He's rowdy and eager to fight, best shown when he leaps at the chance to fight the three protective brothers of a woman he was trying to seduce.
The Bro Code: Subverted. After he meets Shani, Vlodimir asks Geralt if he's got claim to her, vowing that he'll make no move on her if he does. Regardless of how the player answers, though, he continues trying to get in her pants all day.
Casanova Wannabe: He fancies himself a ladies man, but he fails spectacularly at seducing Shani. O'Dimm, as part of his "The Reason You Suck" Speech, mentions that he usually only managed to seduce women already charmed by his brother.
Chivalrous Pervert: He's a shameless lech, but even Shani has to admit he's a little endearing for it.
Dub Name Change: His name is Wytold in the Polish version of the game.
The Hedonist: Enjoys fighting, drinking, and having sex. Even death hasn't curbed his enthusiasm for them.
Instant Seduction: When Shani dares him to try and seduce a woman, Vlodimir starts sweet-talking a nearby woman. The look on her face, the way she stammers, and the camera angles make it clear that it worked exceedingly fast. Even Shani later admits that if the woman's brothers hadn't shown up right at that moment, Vlod had her. Might be justified as he's in Geralt's body and O'Dimm gave him a number of blessings for the duration of the quest, including charming women.
Sharing a Body: Geralt reluctantly allows him to his possess him for a day, so Geralt can fulfil Olgierd's request to show his brother "the time of his life."
Shipper on Deck: He encourages Geralt to woo Shani. Partly because he really wants Geralt to do it, but moreso because he wants to do it in Geralt's body.
Unwitting Pawn: He's unaware that his beloved brother sacrificed him to get his wish.

Iris von Everec

"I do not wish to suffer any longer... but I fear there will be cold and darkness, until... there's nothing at all."

Appears in: Wild Hunt

Olgierd's wife. Geralt has to get the purple rose from her that Olgierd gave her before he left.

Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: Possibly, if you take the rose from her.
Broken Bird: She didn't have a good life, what with her parents hating her bandit husband, said bandit husband selling his emotions for immortality, killing her father and locking her in the manor until her death.
Cessation of Existence: What she fears will happen to her.
Cute Ghost Girl: Once her sense returns, she's just a very pretty and sad young woman.
Death by Despair: According to the Black Cat.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: She became one in the last years of her life as a sign of her deteriorating health, a look which she retains as a ghost.
Fate Worse than Death: She was condemned to imprisonment in Olgierd's estate forever. Death granted her no freedom, it merely forced her to relive the memories of her torment over and over again.
Ghost Amnesia: She states that she could barely remember anything from her life unless the rose is with her.
Mental World: Her Painted World. Created by her artist's imagination, it hold her spirit, memories and fears even after her body has died.
Ms. Fanservice: A downplayed example, but there's a long period in her memories where Geralt sees her painting her husband's portrait in her nightwear, showing off her lower assets.
Posthumous Character: By the time Geralt meets her, she's long dead.
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Zigzagged. Iris actually had a natural tan complexion as seen back when she was alive and in the peak of good health. But as her marriage with Olgierd slowly deteriorated, she also gradually became paler, a clear sign of her accumulating stress and anguish.
Sadistic Choice: She finds herself stuck having to make a very difficult choice. Either she gives Geralt the rose and allows herself to pass on, potentially ceasing to exist, or she keeps it and remains trapped in her personal hell forever.
Shout-Out: At the Borsodi auction house, you can buy a painting called "Starry Night over the Pontar" by a mostly unknown artist called Van Rogh. The artist is later revealed to be Iris. Vincent Van Gogh was hugely unpopular during his lifetime and had only sold one painting before he died. A year before his death, while in an asylum, he made a painting titled "Irises."
Star-Crossed Lovers: There was a time when she and Olgierd truly loved each other. That time is long past, largely because of the meddling of outside forces and the things Olgierd had to do so they could stay together.
Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: As all wraiths, though only until Geralt buries her body and summons her directly.
Ungrateful Bitch: Overlapping with shades of Gold Digger. Earlier on in their relationship, Iris was unwilling to run away and elope with Olgierd after his fortunes took a turn for the worst and he lost his family's wealth, wanting to stay with her parents, even though it meant marrying an Ofiri Prince they were planning on arranging a marriage for her with instead of the now penniless man she apparently loved. It was only after Olgierd sold his soul to O'Dimm and got his fortune back, and thus the approval of her parents, that she was again willing to marry him instead.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Shares this along with her parents. Thanks to refusing to elope with Olgierd after her greedy parents screwed over the established marriage arrangement between them due to him losing his wealth, said parents preferring a match with a wealthy Ofiri Prince, Olgierd became desperate enough to make a deal with Gaunter O'Dimm to gain the means of being able to wed each other. This in turn led to, among many other things, his heart of stone, the murder of her father, and her imprisonment and death inside her own manor.
Walking Spoiler: She ties very heavily into the backstory, making any knowledge about her a huge reveal.

Other Redanian Nobles

Sir Eyck of Denelse

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eyck_of_denesle_tw_gwent.jpg

Appears in: The Bounds of Reason | Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

A Redanian knight well known for his skill at slaying monsters. He met Geralt, Dandelion, and Yennefer when he joins them amongst Prince Niedamir's routine that was hunting for a dragon near the city state of Barefield. He is the father of Siegfried of Denelse.

Badass Normal: He has no magic powers and zero Witcher skills or training, and yet he manages to kill monsters that typically call for a Witcher's services, including manticores and griffins.
Curbstomp Battle: His attempt to fight a dragon, by himself, leaves him with severe injuries to his legs and spine. According to Thronebreaker, it took two years for him to fully recover from his wounds and return to monster hunting.
Fantastic Racism:
- Towards Dwarves, who he regards as pagans; Witchers, which he considers abominations; and Mages, who he claims are blasphemous due to their use of "divine" laws, powers, and privileges. Despite this, he still helps save Geralt and Yennefer's lives when they nearly fall off a cliff, although he then insists to Niedamir that the "filth" in their party needed to be dismissed.
- He doesn't share Geralt's views on how certain species of monsters can be interpreted as sentient beings. He's there to kill the dragon in The Bounds Of Reason, while Geralt isn't. In Thronebreaker, if Meve chooses not to slay a sleeping dragon, he will leave her army in disgust.
Honor Before Reason: Sadly, his interpretation of honor causes him to make stupid or harmful decisions.
- Insists on facing Villentretenmerth in one-on-one honorable combat, charging straight at the gold dragon on a horse. One flick of the dragon's tail sent him flying through the air.
- According to Thronebreaker, even when his wife fell seriously ill and his son Siegfried begged him to take payment on his next hunts so they could pay for treatment, Eyck still refused so as not to stain his reputation.
Keep the Reward: Geralt and other Witchers are not particularly fond of Eyck due to his refusal of any rewards for slaying dangerous beasts, which Geralt views as a threat to his livelihood.
Knight in Shining Armor: Regarded as one by much of humankind. However, his racism and religious extremism prevent him from actually embodying this trope.
Like Father, Unlike Son: His son Siegfried shares his skill in combat and religious nature, but is far more open-minded, pragmatic, and willing to bend the rules if it means doing the right thing.
Religious Bruiser: The source of his disregard for non-humans and magic users stems from his religious fervor. It is also part of his motivation for hunting monsters, believing that the world needs to be purified.

Citizens of Oxenfurt

Horst Borsodi

Appears in: Wild Hunt

Voiced by: ??? (English)^{additional VAs}

A snobbish recluse, the man who took away Olgierd's estate and the owner of the Borsodi auction house, the largest in Oxenfurt. Known for being an unpleasant person to talk to and an even worse one to do business with, it seemed he had already exited Geralt's life when he had the later banned from the auction house over a question. But as it turns out, the Witcher was going to get much more involved in the affairs of Mr. Borsodi than he had ever intended.

Berserk Button: Simply mention anything relating to his family members or ancestors. He won't react well.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: The House of Borsodi was not a peaceful one. By the end of the quest, one or both of the living heirs (Horst or Elwad) will be dead. They hate each other so much it is impossible to save both of them.
Cain and Abel: He screwed his older brother Ewald out of their inheritance, and their final confrontation ends with one of them dead at the other's hand.
Evil Is Petty: He has Geralt thrown out of his auction house simply for asking about his family and threatens to move his accounts with the Vivaldi Bank to their competitors when Vimme Vivaldi tries to speak in Geralt's defence.
Fat Bastard: Horst's personality is just as ugly as his double chin.
Hate Sink: It only takes one conversation with Horst for Geralt to see how much of a pompous, elitist snob the man is. And as revealed later, he's also very self-centered and treacherous.
I Did What I Had to Do: Horst's rationalisation for getting his older brother Ewald disinherited; according to Horst, their father was too blind to see Ewald would fritter the family's money away on his vices.
Jerkass: Stands out, as out of all the antagonistic figures in Hearts of Stone, he is the only one who isn't Affably Evil.
On One Condition: Their father's will stipulates Horst and Ewald must meet once a year at Belatane and be cordial. If they don't, then they lose their inheritance, with the auction house being sold off and the profits going to a hospital in Novigrad.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Horst has a lot of friends in the Redanian court, up to and including King Radovid himself, to the point Redanian soldiers guard his auction house and Radovid charges him no tax on his holdings in Redania. It helps that Horst is helping many Redanians get good value from selling their spoils from the war with Nilfgaard via his auction house.
Too Dumb to Live: If Geralt sides with Ewald against Horst, Horst begs for his life and Ewald tells him to get out of Oxenfurt with just the clothes on his back. When Horst tries to bargain for some of his personal possessions as well, Ewald snaps and beats Horst to death with a golden candlestick.

Auction House Heisters

The Stranger

The Stranger/Ewald Borsodi

A mysterious man who enlists Geralt's help in planning and executing a heist on the Borsodi auction house after witnessing the Witcher get kicked out by the owner. With no options let Geralt reluctantly joins forces with him and together they assemble a crew to rob the auction house blind. Not everything goes according to plan however, and the stranger's true identity is soon revealed to be that of Ewald Borsodi, Horst's brother who was cheated out of his inheritance and now wants revenge. In the ensuing conflict one or both of the brothers perish, leaving Geralt to complete his task and walk away with the spoils either alone or with the brother he sided with.

Big, Screwed-Up Family: A lot of the details are unknown but Horst somehow cheated Ewald out of his inheritance at some point in the past due to fears that he would fritter away all of the family's money on his various vices and leaves him with nothing. In the end it's up to Geralt to decide who is in the right, leading to one of the brothers dying by the others hand.
Cain and Abel: He hates his brother for leaving him with nothing and now seeks to do the same to him. Unfortunately, in the path where Geralt sides with him he loses control in a moment of anger and caves his brother's skull in.
Jerkass: Over the course of the heist, it becomes clear he's not much nicer than his brother. He's snappish and impatient towards his allies, getting increasingly nasty when his plans go awry, and he mocks Geralt for wanting to resolve things non-lethally - despite having promised that the heist would be bloodless.
Mysterious Stranger: His true identity is concealed until the very end of the "Open Sesame" quest where its revealed that he's Horst's brother who is seeking revenge for something that was done to him in the past.

Hugo Hoff

A halfling thief who Geralt can seek out to join the crew planning a raid on the Borsodi auction house. Unfortunately, he ran afoul of some dangerous individuals at some point and has met his end by being drowned in the Pontar by the time the player catches up to him.

Cement Shoes: At some point he stepped on the wrong toes and has ended up at the bottom of the Pontar as a result.
Ear Ache: The bandits that were sent after him cut off his ear to serve as proof of his demise. The player can even loot the ear as an item.
Posthumous Character: He's already been killed by the time the player catches up to him.

Eveline Gallo

Appears in: Wild Hunt

Voiced by: Siobhán Hewlett (English)^{additional VAs}

An agile and athletic elf woman from a traveling circus who lives a secret life as the thief known as the Ermine thanks to her skills as an acrobat. With Hugo Hoff taking a swim at the bottom of the Pontar she serves as the heisters main guide on secretly breaking into the auction house before quickly making her escape after the guards show up.

Action Girl: She finishes her climb into the auction house by kicking guard in the face in spectacular fashion, knocking him out cold.
Circus Brat: Years of being an acrobat in a traveling circus has given her a pretty useful skill set when it comes to stealing and using stealth.
Classy Cat-Burglar: She's apparently used her skills to do plenty of burglary jobs in the past, including stealing jewelry from famous nobles.
Living a Double Life: Circus performer by day, professional thief by night.
Le Parkour: She starts off the heist by climbing the auction house's tower with ease
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: True to her word about what would happen should something go wrong, the moment the heist starts going sideways Eveline makes her escape, leaving the rest of the team behind.
What Happened to the Mouse?: After the Redanian guards show up she pulls a Screw This, I'm Outta Here and slips out through the chimney. Afterwards she isn't seen or heard from again, leaving her ultimate fate unknown.

Casimir Bassi

A dwarven demolitions expert who Geralt can hire to get inside the vault at the auction house. Unlike the master locksmith Quinto Casimir uses a powerful explosive to blown open the vault door instead of unlocking it. Depending on which brother Geralt sides with at the climax of the quest he can either escape with his riches or meet his untimely demise.

Demolitions Expert: He's nowhere near as subtle about it as Quinto but the man definitely gets results.
Driven to Suicide: He's about to blow himself up when Geralt finds him due to his wife leaving him and taking the kids. Luckily, he can be talked down and convinced to join the heist crew.
Eyepatch of Power: He wears an eyepatch and is the most forceful and physically inclined member of the crew, using bombs to open the vault door rather than Quinto's lockpicking.

Quinto

A master lockpicker who has been captured by mercenaries and must be rescued by Geralt if he is to help in the auction house heist. Unlike his counterpart Casimir he uses a more subtle yet still effective method to get the vault door open. Once inside he is enticed by Horst's offer into betraying Ewald, possibly leading to his death at Geralt's hands if the witcher chooses to remain loyal to his partner.

Death by Materialism: If Geralt decides to remain loyal to Ewald instead of betraying him for a quick bribe then Quinto will die by his hand for his last minute backstab. As it turns out all the gold in the world isn't worth fighting a witcher.
Master of Unlocking: He's a masterfully skilled locksmith who even managed to open the door to his own cage before Geralt arrived to free him. If hired to take part in the auction house heist he gets the vault door open with very little effort.
No Honor Among Thieves: Unlike Casimir and (potentially) Geralt he is all too happy to betray Ewald for the promise of a bigger payday.

Kovir and Poviss

Capital: Lan Exeter and Pont Vanis

The Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss (also known shortly as Kovir and Poviss or simply Kovir) is one of the Northern Kingdoms located on the Gulf of Praxeda. It is also the largest exporter of mineral resources in the known world, with huge profits from trade. It is currently being ruled by king Tankred Thyssen of the House of Thyssen and maintained neutrality during both the Second and Third Nilfgaard War, refraining from lending coin or men to either side.

Royal Family

King Tankred Thyssen

The only son of King Esterad and Queen Zuleyka and the current king of Kovir. He ascended to the throne of Kovir following his father's assassination and continued Kovir's policy of neutrality during the Third Nilfgaard War.

Alliterative Name: Both his given name and his surname start with the letter T.
Former Teen Rebel: As a youth, he fell in with "bad" company, most notably the Baron Surcratasse, Lady de Lisemore, and the Redanian ambassador's wife in Kovir and Poviss. In the biggest type of Irony, it's strongly implied Síle de Tansarville was brougth in to temper him. And it worked.
The Ghost: Despite never appearing in Wild Hunt, his actions at firmly backing Tris's Underground Railroad makes an incredible impact.
The Good King: Even taking in consideration the stiff competition he has with Cerys and Crach from Skellige, out of all the monarchs still in power by the time Wild Hunt rolls around he comes as the most involved with rectifying injustices and his role as the Greater-Scope Paragon in Tris's Story Arc pretty much cements him as easily one of the most heroic kings in the whole setting, if not the most.
Greater-Scope Paragon: Despite being The Ghost, he comes as being the Big Good for Tris's Arc during Wild Hunt considering he's one of main benefactors for the Underground Railroad plan Tris has crafted and has offered Kovir as a sanctuary for all magic users on the run.
Reasonable Authority Figure: During the third Northern War, Tankred opposed the witch hunts carried out by Radovid and offered Kovir as a sanctuary to any fleeing mages, alchemists, herbalists, and others affected by the hunt. He worked closely with Tris Merigold to arrange covert rescue and extraction of those individuals from Novigrad.
Team Switzerland: Like his father before him, he continued Kovir's policy of neutrality during the Third Nilfgaard War as far as the political and military aspects were concerned. His role as the Greater-Scope Paragon despite this show that even neautral forces have a limit to what they are capable of stomaching.

Hengfors' League

Capital: Hengfors

Originally part of Kovir, designated as its Eastern March. However, after Poviss secession and resulting civil war, the march break free for independence and then imploded into petty kingdoms of Creyden, Malleore, Caingorn and Barefield^note. The countries were then reunited by ambitious king Niedamir of Caingorn with combination of old prophecies, threat of war, treaties and outright conquest, becoming Hengfors League. Even united, the League is but a speck on the map and plays no role in the political scene of the Continent, remaining neutral during Second Northern War, being far away from the frontlines.

Caingorn

King Niedamir

Appears in: The Bounds of Reason

A young and very ambitious king of Caingorn. In his youth, he attempted to marry into the throne of Malleore. When local nobility protested with a convenient ancient prophecy stating only a dragon-slayer can marry their princess, Niedamir decided to send his army after Myrgtabrakke, a dragon peasants of Barefield already managed to poison. After failure of the hunt, he decided to simply roll into Malleore with his far more numerous army and find more pragmatic means to seize its throne. From there on, his political and military campaign, along with everyone else being too busy with fighting the First Northern War, allowed him to unite former lands of Eastern March under his rule, starting Hengfors' League.

All Your Base Are Belong to Us: After he forms Hengfors' League, he uses Caingorn's own crest and flag for it, but replaces the original red field with a purple one.
Appeal to Force: When Geralt talks him out of trying to hunt the golden dragon, he comes to realisation he doesn't actually need to fulfill some stupid prophecy and might as well take Malleore by mere threat of war, given his army is over twice as big as forces the locals can field.
Ironic/Meaningful Name: Niedamir is a faux Old Slavic for "won't give/provide peace"^noteNie da miru. While he use Appeal to Force and later books reveal he had to outright conquer Creyden in a swift campaign, he keeps his resulting kingdom outside of the Northern Wars, doesn't antagonise any of his neighbours outside the former Eastern March and maintains peace and order within the League, allowing it to prosper while other Northern Kingdoms are ravaged by wars against Nilfgaard.
Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Caingorn is a petty kingdom, barely capable of fielding an army of two thousand men-at-arms. However Niedamir is aware that this still makes him regional power, given Barefield is bunch of free towns and villages, Malleore can levy half that many troops of rabble and the only reason Creyden exists is a bunch of diplomatic treaties and guarantees from more powerful backers. All of this allows Niedamir to maneuver his way into taking over the whole region.
Not So Above It All: While he keeps both feet on the ground, he still organises a dragon hunt to fulfill an ancient prophecy that would allow him to marry a princess of a neighbouring kingdom, just to save himself the trouble of having to conquer it via regular war.
Pride: Oh yes. He's very smug and prideful, with nothing but contempt toward other people, regardless of their social standing. Ironically, despite his massive hubris, he turns out to be a very good ruler and even more skilled politician.
Take a Third Option: Having a choice betweeen war with Malleore or fulfill an ancient prophecy, he ultimately does neither - instead, he simply comes into the kingdom and marry local princess, with his army making sure the local nobility won't revolt, but not fighting anyone directly.
Young and in Charge: He inherited the crown of Caingorn in his in-universe teens, yet managed to secure direct rule without regency of any kind. When he's introduced, he's in his early 20s.

Characters / The Witcher - Northern Kingdoms

Edit Locked

Royal Family

King Demavend III

Prince Stennis

Aedirnian Military

Rayla the Black/White

Seltkirk of Gulet

Peasantry

Saskia the Dragon Slayer / Saesenthessis

Queen Calanthe Fiona Riannon

Queen Meve, the White Queen

Prince Villem of Lyria and Rivia, King Villem I

Prince Anséis of Lyria and Rivia

His Majesty Henselt, King of Kaedwen, heir to the Dynasty of the Unicorn, Lord of Ard Carraigh, Archduke of Ban Ard and vanquisher of Nilfgaard

Dethmold

Vandergrif "The Visitor"

Citizens

Joachim von Gratz

The Concerned Citizen

Vimme Vivaldi

Madame Irina Renarde

Elihal

Crime Lords

Cyprian "Whoreson Junior" Wily

Francis Bedlam, the King of Beggars

Carlo "Cleaver" Varese

King Vizimir II the Just

King Radovid V the Stern

Count Sigismund Dijkstra

House von Everec

Olgierd von Everec

Vlodimir von Everec

Iris von Everec

Other Redanian Nobles

Sir Eyck of Denelse

Citizens of Oxenfurt

Horst Borsodi

Auction House Heisters

The Stranger/Ewald Borsodi

Hugo Hoff

Eveline Gallo

Casimir Bassi

Quinto

Royal Family

King Tankred Thyssen

Caingorn

King Niedamir

Previous

Index

Next