"I'm no cheat. I give folk what they want, nothing more. That they oft desire unworthy things- that is entirely the fault of their rotten natures."
— Gaunther O'Dimm,The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Across his travels, Geralt of Rivia is tasked with slaying monsters and humans evil enough to be beasts themselves. In this dark world some stand out not for the horror of their acts but the charm and intelligence with which their schemes are laid.
Order by medium by first appearance.
All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
Franchise-Wide
- Emperor Emhyr var Emreis, the White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of his enemies, is a cunning ruler once overthrown in Nilfgaard as a prince. Surviving a curse and being hunted, he learned of the ancient prophecy of the Elder Blood, and married Princess Pavetta of Cintra to sire series heroine Cirilla. Eventually faking his death as the knight Duny, he returned to Nilfgaard, seizing the throne and committed to a brutal, expansionist war. Always learning from his errors, Emhyr eventually realized he loved his daughter Ciri too much to complete the prophecy by fathering a child with her and released her to Geralt, trusting him to protect her. Once again return to conquer the Northern Kingdoms, Emhyr uses Letho the Kingslayer to sow discord and leave the land open to his armies while asking Geralt to find Ciri again. In most endings, Emhyr ends up victorious, eliminating all would-be threats to his rule and can even abdicate in favor of Ciri, content at achieving all he wanted.
- Siegsmund Djikstra is the former spymaster of Redania. A brilliant man in contrast to his thuggish appearance who manipulates entire nations in his game, Djikstra heads up a resistance to King Radovid, helping nonhumans and magic users escape Radovid's brutal purges, all while manipulating his allies to help set him up on the Redanian throne. Organizing Radovid's downfall, Djikstra reveals his trap upon his Temerian allies: to eliminate them and rule Redania from the shadows. If this succeeds, Djikstra removes most freedoms from Redania but is so successful, he will even result in the defeat of the unstoppable Nilfgaardian armies.
- The Last Wish: Renfri Vellga, also known as Shrike, is a young princess cursed from birth and prophesied to kill her stepmother Aridea. Renfri escaped Aridea's attempt on her life and survived through quick thinking and ingenuity, going on to amass power and become a bandit leader, even quite possibly being responsible for her stepmother's death by poisoning. Upon finding the wizard Stregobor, who helped ruin her life, Renfri stalks him across the land. Overcoming countless obstacles in pursuit of Stregobor thanks to her wits, schemes, and tactics, Renfri finds him in the town of Blaviken. Renfri summons Geralt of Rivia to meet with him, politely conversing with him and asking him for his help in killing Stregobor. When refused, Renfri takes the town hostage to force Stregobor out of hiding so that she can kill him. Even when Geralt fatally wounds her, Renfri tries to trick Geralt into letting her kill him just before dying.
- First game: Jacques de Aldersberg, Grand Master of the Order of the Flaming Rose, is the mastermind behind all major events in the game. Having made power plays with people in high places as well as in the criminal underworld, he sets a plan in motion to destabilize the kingdom of Temeria, leading his knights on a crusade against non-humans and thus provoking the militant Scoia'tael, which ultimately ends in a bloody civil war. This puts King Foltest into a delicate situation, where he either has to give Jacques full authority to end the revolt or do nothing, making him look like a weak ruler. His knights are secretly funded by the drug money his ally, the criminal organization Salamandra, makes for him, which allows Jacques to present the order as humble heroes of the people who fulfill their needs for free. His ultimate plan is turning mankind into highly advanced mutants with the help of the stolen Witcher Secrets, and leading them southwards to survive the incoming White Frost. Throughout his conversations with Geralt, who later turns out was his former adoptive father, he tries to convince him of the righteousness of his cause, having sacrificed everything to save humanity in an almost flawlessly executed scheme.
- Assassins of Kings: Letho of Gulet is a talented Witcher who joins with Nilfgaard to create a homeland for his fellow Witchers. Letho becomes the Kingslayer, a feared assassin who uses his wiles to position himself close to the rulers of the northern kingdoms and assassinates them, provoking chaotic reactions in order to weaken the north so Nilfgaard will be able to invade. Against Geralt, Letho shows himself to be a crafty, skilled fighter who even considers the White Wolf a friend worthy of the greatest respect. A brutish looking man, Letho also uses the appearance of Dumb Muscle to his advantage so none know how truly intelligent and dangerous he is until it's too late.
- Wild Hunt:
- Gaunter O'Dimm, aka "Master Mirror" or "Evil Incarnate" is the cunning devil of the setting. Traveling and punishing the arrogant in inventive ways, Gaunter makes deals with people and takes their souls when he has fulfilled his end. A master of Exact Words, Gaunter eventually conscripts Geralt to help fulfill a bargain with the immortal swordsman Olgierd von Everec, completely tricking Olgierd before moving to claim his soul, only stopped if Geralt participates in a final contest with him. Despite being a timeless evil being, Gaunter is unmistakably charming and pleasant, willing to play to the letter of his deals and treats enemy and ally alike with unmistakable pleasantness, quick to answer any slight with retribution.
- "Blood and Wine" DLC: Syanna is the long-lost sister of the Duchess of Toussaint Anna Henrietta. Seeking revenge on the knights who abused her as a child while they were escorting her to her exile, Syanna fakes her kidnapping to blackmail her vampire ex-lover, Dettlaff, into murdering the knights. Syanna instructs Dettlaff to murder the knights in specific ways to make it look like their deaths were divine retribution for their lack of chivalry. No one in Toussaint suspected that the deaths had a more mundane purpose before Geralt was hired to hunt Dettlaff and found the blackmail letters. When Geralt exposes Syanna's scheme to Dettlaff, she doesn't hesitate to risk her life to protect Toussaint from the vampire's retribution. Throughout it all, Syanna retains her calm demeanor, even when discussing the horrific events of her past.
Other Media
- Nightmare of the Wolf: Deglan, Master Witcher of the Wolf School at Kaer Morhen, is a veteran Witcher who can see terrible omens for the fates of the Witchers. To stave off human fear leading to the end of the Witchers. Having built the Wolf school and mentored young Vesemir, Deglan resorts to having humans kidnapped to experiment upon and turn into monsters, strategically placing them so that humans will die and hire Witchers to slay the monsters, thus always creating a need for Witchers. Upon the destruction of Kaer Morhen, a dying Deglan saves Vesemir and kills the architect of the Witchers' fall, imploring the surviving Vesemir to save the trainees and raise them to be better men one day.
