Protagonists | The Northern Kingdoms | The Sorcerers | The Nilfgaardian Empire | Witchers | The Elves | Creatures and Supernatural Entities | Independent Characters
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Independent Characters
Jaskier
Viscount Julian Alfred "Jaskier" Pankratz
"You never get involved. Except you actually do, all of the time."
Portrayed by: Joey Batey Dubbed by:
A bard who quickly becomes the closest friend of Geralt of Rivia.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: If only marginally, but show Jaskier is prettified compared to Dandelion from the games. Jaskier is clean-shaved, has more of a boyish look, a rounder face and sports a pair of big blue eyes courtesy of Joey Batey.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Is brown-haired rather than blond like his book counterpart. It falls in line with his portrayal in the games however.
- Adaptation Explanation Extrication: Due to his nickname being left untranslated, the fact that in the original Polish it means "buttercup" is left out of the show, as well as its relevance to Jaskier's flamboyant personality.
- Armor-Piercing Response: When he thinks that Radovid was only a Honey Pot towards him only to get Ciri, Jaskier is notably furious in a unnervingly quiet way and gives Radovid an utterly brutal one after hearing the other man's desperate explanation."I'd thought I'd seen through your mask. Turns out there was nothing behind it.
- Badass Longcoat: Gains a long coat in Season 2 to go along with his more active role in the story.
- The Bard: It's his job and he spreads the legend of Geralt with his songs, though he tends to exaggerate the Character Shilling, much to Geralt's annoyance.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Geralt quite understandably sees him as an annoyance, and he's constantly sleeping with married women, but you can't deny he comes through big time on his promise to turn Geralt into a beloved Living Legend hero.
- Butt-Monkey: His laid back, Innocently Insensitive attitude and general incompetence turn Jaskier into a magnet for troubles on a regular basis.
- The Casanova: Has a history of sleeping with women who are married or otherwise off-limits and has done this many times.
- Character Shilling: In-universe. He appoints himself as Geralt's hype man, repairing his reputation after gaining infamy as the Butcher of Blaviken and gets ample fodder for his craft out of the impromptu arrangement. He seems to have had some success, as nine years after their first meeting
, the villagers who hired Geralt to kill a selkiemore quite readily hand over payment while Jaskier starts the entire crowd up singing his song "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher". By the time of the fall of Cintra, the moniker Jaskier gave Geralt (The White Wolf) has become almost universally used. - Cool Big Bro: His relationship with Ciri seems to have become a combination of this and Cool Uncle by Season 3. Jaskier, despite his own initial reservation and conflicting ideas of what is best for Ciri, actually treats Ciri like a legitimate young girl in every sense of the word, being playful yet kindhearted with her and being one of the few character who treats her like a genuine human being. Ciri, for her part, actually grows incredibly fond of him.
- Cowardly Lion: Jaskier is a ninny, no doubt about it, but he still puts his life on the line to smuggle elves out of the North once the pogroms begin, and uses himself as bait to draw away the men chasing Yennefer despite the fact that he can't stand her on the best of days.
- Cuckoosnarker: Among his exuberance and somewhat ignorant outlook on life, surprisingly Jaskier is often capable of wits, implying he is more insightful than he lets on.
- Deadpan Snarker: Though his snarkiness pales in comparison with his lame comebacks.Jaskier running away from a hirikka: Geralt! It's one of your friends again!
- Distressed Dude: Jaskier is always in need for saving, either from angry husbands or genies. Geralt is more or less his bodyguard. In season 2, he tells Yennefer that she's not allowed to be the Damsel in Distress, because that's his job.
- Dub Name Change: Interestingly, his nickname, Jaskier (meaning "buttercup" in Polish), is left untranslated, while in the games and novels it was translated as Dandelion. In other languages, the translation of the novels/games is used, like "Rittersporn" in German or "Lyutik" in Russian. It helped that the books were a hit series in both markets since The '90s, so there was a time to establish a tradition, while in the Anglosphere the franchise only came into the mainstream after the games.
- Dumbass Has a Point: Although his point of argument apparently doesn't do much more than annoy Geralt, he actually raises a pretty good point about how it may be his invoking of the Law of Surprise and denying that he now essentially owns a child that is causing Geralt insomnia. In fact his argument towards Geralt can be seen as him explaining to the Witcher he won't be able to escape the destiny he called upon himself.
- Everyone Has Standards: A vain and foppish bard who appears to mostly be Plucky Comic Relief, he is devastated by the treatment of elves in the Northern Kingdoms after they begin being scapegoated for Nilfgaard's invasion. So much so, he kickstarts his own Underground Railroad to help them. Also, while he has little more than contempt for Yenn, when he realises that she's on the run, he remembers she's part elf and immediately becomes more sensitive, and empathises with her distraught feelings when he learns about her losing her magic.
- Extreme Omnisexual: Their world is full of sexy humanoid-but-not-human beings, so it's a Downplayed Trope, but still.Vespula: I've cursed you for chasing tail of every kind. Men, women, dwarves, elves, polymorphs...
Jaskier: That was one time and I... regret nothing. It was amazing. - Friend Versus Lover: He really doesn't like Yennefer one bit, as exemplified by their interaction during the dragon hunt, when everything he says to her is either sarcasm or a straight up insult. It's unclear how platonic his jealousy is. In season 2 this seems to ease into a slightly friendlier relationship, with them helping each other while still trading mostly good natured barbs.
- Genre Savvy:
- At times, Jaskier seems to be aware of his role in the world of The Witcher, and reacts as such, often commenting about the absurdity of a situation. Beside, how else would a bard know about reverse psychology...in a Medieval European Fantasy setting.
- At one point he's gathering accounts of Geralt's latest monster hunt. The witness claims that Geralt is dead, having seen the beast swallow him whole. Jaskier isn't concerned and says he'll be fine. A moment later, Geralt enters, covered in black gunk. He'd allowed himself to be swallowed so he could kill the monster from the inside.
- He shows a hint of Medium Awareness with "Act Two begins!" and "There I go again, delivering Exposition..."
- Giftedly Bad: He's a decent singer and instrumentalist, but an impressively terrible lyricist (at least, when he's not directly inspired by Geralt's exploits). It takes a special kind of anti-talent to include lines about back-alley abortions in easy-listening barroom music. This is in contrast to the books and games, where Jaskier is a genuinely talented bard and is actually THE bard of his time. This is somewhat averted by Season 2, as Jaskier has written songs with much more meaningful and emotionally-charged lyrics like those in "Her Sweet Kiss" or "Burn, Butcher, Burn" and has built enough of a reputation that his fanbase is a plot point.
- Has a Type: Owing to an appreciation for the romanticism of forbidden love, Jaskier prefers to chase married women or those who are otherwise out of his reach.
- Hidden Depths: Jaskier can tolerate Geralt's antisocial behaviour, because he sees Geralt's Hidden Heart of Gold. In "Bottled Appetites", he tries to act as The Confidant and identifies the cause of Geralt's sleep issues being Geralt's fear of destiny and the child of surprise that is linked to him.
- Informed Ability: His romantic conquests are legendary, but he is never seen applying his seductive skills on screen successfully.
- Informed Flaw: Geralt snipes that Jaskier's singing is like "a pie without filling". While the lyrics tend to be on the questionable side, the singing voice itself is perfectly fine, although this could be chalked up more to Geralt simply being annoyed at Jaskier, especially since he's had little sleep at the point of this remark.
- Innocently Insensitive: Jaskier has the tendency to let his mouth run before thinking, resulting in him rambling about things he should be more considerate about, just like that time he tells the witcher he will spread stories of Geralt, "The Butcher of Blaviken" with a happy smile on his face. Of course, it earns him a punch in the guts from Geralt.
- The Load: He can't fight to save a life, and usually ends up creating more problems than being actually helpful, dragging Geralt after him. He seems to have accomplished helpful things offscreen despite being Giftedly Bad (since he somehow completely reversed Geralt's reputation), but even that is dubiously helpful, since it just attracts a different type of problem.
- Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: "I will not suffer tonight sober because you hid your sausage in the wrong royal pantry." Well said, Geralt, well said.
- Lovable Coward: Jaskier... is really not the toughest guy around, as he constantly needs his friend's protection. Then again, he is a bard, but a disastrous lyricist, who cares for Geralt to the point of rubbing chamomile onto his lovely bottom. He's also entirely willing to follow Geralt into obvious danger to get a good story, only diving for cover in the face of immediate threats.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: Really Gets Around with the ladies at court and openly flirts with Amazonian Beauties Téa and Véa, but otherwise portrayed as a funny and sympathetic character who is friends with Geralt.
- Manchild: On the decades he spent accompanying Geralt, Jaskier didn't exactly mature a lot from the 18-years-old boy he once was. He behaves quite childishly at times, his pick-up lines fall flat all the time and sound like they were said by an awkward teenager, gets easily distracted, is dependent on Geralt to look after him, and lacks the emotional maturity to handle a complex serious situation.
- Motor Mouth: He just never stops talking.Jaskier: What are we looking for again?
Geralt: Blessed silence. - Meaningful Name: His name means "buttercup" on Polish. "Buttercup" is a genus of vibrant yellow-coloured flowers, being a nod to Jaskier's jovial, lively personality and flamboyant style. Also, the adjective "jaskrawy" means "bright" (as in bright, vibrant colour or bright light, not intellectually bright), which does suit Jaskier.
- Mysterious Past: Nothing is really known about Jaskier other that his name is Jaskier, a traveling bard. The only time he tried to introduce his name and origins, he was interrupted by a thoroughly unimpressed audience...
- Narcissist: Revealed to be this in Blood Origin, when he meets Seanchaí, the shapeshifting elven storyteller who recounts the show's events to him, who initially appears to him in his own form. Jaskier's initial reaction is to look on with interest and remark that he's "not not into it", and she subsequently reveals that she chose this face "because you love yourself."
- Odd Friendship: He somehow was able to become friends with Geralt. Despite contrasting personalities, them constantly hurling insults at each other and Geralt visibly being annoyed by Jaskier's presence, he cares a lot about his friend.Jaskier: It is one night bodyguarding your very best friend in the whole wide world. How hard could that be?
Geralt: I'm not your friend.
Jaskier: Oh, really. You usually just let strangers rub chamomile onto your lovely bottom? - Older Than They Look: According to the show's official timeline during the dragon hunt depicted in "Rare Species", Jaskier was around 40-years-old, yet still looks exactly the same as the day he met Geralt... 22 years before. In the books That said, Yennefer's dialogue implies, In-Universe, that it's supposed to begin showing on his face.Yennefer: The crow's feet are new.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: He is only known as "Jaskier" in the series. In the episode "Rare Species", he tries to introduce himself as "Julian Alfred Pankratz from—" before being rudely interrupted. In the books
- Only Sane Man: When caught up in the Slap-Slap-Kiss between an insane witch and a grumpy witcher, even the local Cloudcuckoolander can become the rational one.
- Papa Wolf: Develops this towards Ciri as he grows to know her. He's utterly seething when he thinks Radovid was only a Honey Pot in order to get at Ciri and at the end of Season 3 does not hesitate for a single second to join Geralt's mission to rescue the younger girl.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Episodes where he appears are usually more lighthearted, and he tries his best to lighten the mood and cheer Geralt up when he can.
- Rodent Cellmates: While in prison, Jaskier makes friends with some mice, gives them names and talks to them like they're part of his music group.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: His artistic personality contrasts heavily with Geralt's ubermasculine no-nonsense personality.
- Sophisticated as Hell: He often gives flowery rambling speeches which tend to get ignored by Geralt. When he attempts to use Food as Bribe, Jaskier shortens it to "Food, women, and wine!" to get Geralt’s attention.
- Stylistic Suck: Jaskier is a middling bard at best, prone to producing some comically absurd songs.
- Unreliable Narrator: He openly admits to fudging what actually happened to make for a better song.Geralt: That's not how it happened. Where's your newfound respect?
Jaskier: Respect doesn't make history.- Jaskier himself further builds on this in Season 2, in that part of the job of a bard is precisely to sell fantastic exaggerations of tales:Jaskier: I am a bard. I am brilliant. This is what I do. [Geralt] grunts, and I tell stories. He mentions a witcher keep, and I turn it into a magical, mystical hideaway in the mountains. So please listen to me when I tell you this. He doesn’t share details.
- Jaskier himself further builds on this in Season 2, in that part of the job of a bard is precisely to sell fantastic exaggerations of tales:
- Tagalong Chronicler: Hangs around Geralt ostensibly to write songs about his adventures.
- Vitriolic Best Buds:
- There is seldom a scene where he and Geralt aren't bickering, but they are nonetheless friends.
- As of season 2 he's developed this dynamic with Yennefer. They still insult each other but also go out of their way to help or rescue when the other gets into trouble.
- Wandering Minstrel: He is a bard who is constantly traveling.
- What You Are in the Dark: Jaskier is, at a surface glance, a pretty self-serving person who coasts through life and trouble based on being well connected (be it with his noble patrons, or Geralt's protection). And yet, faced with the increasing overt discrimination and extermination of the Elves, he takes it upon himself to build them an Underground Railroad away from the Northern Kingdoms—incurring debt from, ironically, one of the exterminating kingdoms—Redania—itself.
- Win Back the Crowd: In-Universe. After Geralt darkens his reputation as the Butcher of Blaviken and sows fear wherever he goes, Jaskier manages to reverse his friend's reputation as "a friend of humanity" and the White Wolf.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Joey Batey has stated that he played the character in the show more like he was on a sitcom than in a serious fantasy show.
Renfri
Renfri
"I could've become so many things... But here I am trying to convince you I'm not a monster."
Portrayed by: Emma Appleton Dubbed by:
"You say you can't choose, but you had to. And you'll never know if you were right. Your reward will be a stoning. And you will run. You will try to outrun the girl in the woods, but you cannot. She's your destiny."
A former-princess-turned-outlaw, she has a profound vendetta against the sorcerer Stregobor.
- Action Girl: An excellent fighter, she's one of the few human characters to give Geralt a run for his money one on one. Then again, Geralt really didn't want to kill her and she wasn't fully human any more.
- Adaptation Distillation: The show downplays her being a Corrupted Character Copy of Snow White, and excises many of the fairy tale aspects of her backstory (the magic mirror, poisoned apple, gnomes). This allows for more focus on her conflict with Stregobor.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: Brunette instead of blonde in the series.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Geralt clearly didn't want to kill her and threatens to kill Stregobor if he dares to conduct an autopsy on her corpse.
- Ambiguously Evil: It's never revealed whether she or Stregobor was telling the truth, not helped by the fact they both appear to be lying about something and Stregobor admits to learning some of his arguments from second-hand witnesses. She's far from a nice person but whether it's due to a curse or Freudian Excuse is uncertain. Geralt himself seems to have settled on believing her by the episode's end, though he intervenes against her when she starts threatening to kill the townsfolk until Stregobor reveals himself.
- Ambiguously Human: Stregobor claims she's some sort of Apocalypse Maiden, created by the influence of the demon Lilit. Renfri says instead that she was created like Geralt was. Either way, she's a mutant and no longer a baseline human, though it's not clear what this means.
- Anti-Magic: Magic doesn't work on her, presumably because of internal mutations caused by a curse. When Geralt tries to use the Axii sign on her to make her leave Blaviken, she shows she is Immune to Mind Control.
- Apocalypse Maiden: Renfri is said to be one of the sixty envoys of Lilit who would bring the end of the human race. Stregobor tried to have Renfri killed because of this, which is the reason for Renfri's vendetta against him.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: According to Stregobor, she used to torture and kill her pets as a child. It may or may not be true.
- Charm Person: The men who follow her are supposedly charmed by Renfri with the powers she was given by Lilit, according to Stregobor.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Dies in Geralt's arms after he forces her to fatally stab her own throat.
- Dual Wielding: Fights with both a sword and a dagger in her hands.
- Exact Words: After their second conversation in the woods, Renfri returns to Geralt and tells him that she's decided she would leave Blaviken the next day and that Geralt's threat of an ultimatum works. Only what she meant was that she has given an ultimatum to Stregobor and Geralt to force their hand. Renfri would therefore indeed leave Blaviken, as she expects Stregobor to die at the end of the next day.
- Fallen Princess: Renfri was raped and then forced to flee her country from her stepmother and Stregobor. She had to steal and kill to survive and acquired sword skills to eventually get her revenge on the man responsible for her fall from grace.
- Fragile Speedster: She matches Geralt in speed, but not in power.
- Foil:
- Serves as one to Geralt, who is also a mutant, but tries to prove the people wrong who believe he is a monster.
- She is a princess who Geralt had to kill because she became a monster, contrasting Princess Adda, a striga that he managed to cure and save.
- Hoist by Her Own Petard: In their duel, Geralt manages to overpower Renfri several times, but Renfri doesn't stop. When she attacks one more time, he redirects her attack in a way that she stabs her own throat.
- I Am a Monster: Indirectly admits it, when she insists on having Stregobor killed. Geralt's attempt to make her leave with Axii proves to be ineffective.Renfri: Magic doesn't work on me. Silver does, though.
Geralt: Silver is for monsters. - Implacable Woman: It doesn't matter where Stregobor is hiding, she will hunt him down until either he or she dies, and she will kill anyone who gets in her way.
- King of Thieves: Was taken in by a band of outlaws and eventually became their leader. Her preferred method of execution, to impale her victims on sticks, earned her the nickname of "Shrike" in the books.
- Rape as Backstory: She was raped by one of Stregobor's men.
- Revenge Before Reason: Geralt tries to talk her out of her plan to get revenge on Stregobor. Unfortunately, she doesn't listen.
- She Who Fights Monsters: Geralt tries to convince her to leave Stregobor and her thirst for vengeance behind, reasoning that if she goes through with this, she would become the monster everyone claims she is. She nonetheless takes the people of Blaviken hostage to get to Stregobor, forcing Geralt to confront her. She even suggests to him to use silver against her, accepting that she has become a monster.Renfri: I will kill [Marilka]. I will kill everyone here until Stregobor comes down.
- Small Role, Big Impact: She is the antagonist of the first episode and dies at the end of it, but her death earns Geralt the unwanted infamous title of "The Butcher of Blaviken". Geralt's failure to save her and her final words about his destiny haunt him long past her death.
- Her death is also a lesson to him on inaction or indecisiveness. Sometimes there is no third option, and trying to find one causes even worse consequences, you have to take a stand one way or another. His simultaneous lack of support and lack of serious antagonism towards her leads to terrible consequences.
- Statuesque Stunner: Very pretty and also the tallest female character on the show, being only a couple of inches shorter than Geralt himself.
- Suicide by Cop: When it's clear she can't beat Geralt she refuses his attempts to spare her, coming at him again and again until he's forced to kill her.
- Then Let Me Be Evil: She says that she wasn't born evil but because everyone treated her like she was, she ended up going down a dark path anyways. In the episode itself, Geralt's unwillingness to drive her away or support her drives her to consider terrible alternative options to kill the mage she is after.
- Tragic One-Shot Character: She dies in the very first episode of the series, but her death profoundly affects Geralt, who keeps her brooch as a Tragic Keepsake and keeps thinking about her ever after.
- Younger Than They Look: According to the show's official timeline, Renfri was around 18-years-old when Geralt met her, but was played by an actress nearly a decade older than that.
Borch Three Jackdaws
Borch Three Jackdaws
"What I need is a new adventure. One final first before I'm too old to do anything but die."
Portrayed by: Ron Cook Dubbed by:
An old man, accompanied by two Zerrikanian warriors, Téa and Véa. Seeking a "final first", he approaches Geralt and asks him to join them in their hunt for a dragon.
- Adaptational Badass: In the books, he is in danger at one point and needs his bodyguards, Geralt, and Yennefer to save him. Here, he never needs protecting and holds his own.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: In the books, he has both of the men who considered robbing Geralt's horse killed by his bodyguards. In the series, they only kill one of the men when he threatens Borch, and the other is allowed to flee.
- Batman Gambit: He knew from the beginning that Geralt isn't interested in hunting dragons, because witchers don't hunt sentient beings that do not actively threaten humans. In fact, he banked on Geralt defending the dragon, which is exactly why he sought Geralt out.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Very amiable and polite, but if you do not heed his warnings, he will very quickly get rid of you. Or his companions will.
- Breath Weapon: One of the reavers learns the hard way of what happens when one gets too close to Villentretenmerth and the egg he is protecting.
- Color Motif: Is seen wearing gold-colored clothing, symbolising his wealth and wisdom. This is an early hint that he is actually an extremely rare golden dragon.
- Cool Old Guy: He is very sociable, laid-back and generously spends his money for food and drinks for Geralt and Jaskier. He is not scared or intimidated by Geralt, and actually is delighted to dine with him, another "first" for Borch. With his vast life experience, he also gives advice to both Yennefer and Geralt.
- Cruel to Be Kind: Invoked by himself, when he decides to be brutally honest with Yennefer and Geralt, so they may save themselves some pain in the future. He outright tells Yennefer that she can't restore her fertility and that Geralt will eventually lose Yennefer.
- Disney Death: Falls off a cliff with his companions, when a plank breaks and Geralt isn't strong enough to pull up three people. What isn't shown is him transforming into his real form and saving his companions.
- Foil: His wish to take responsibility of a dragon hatchling as his legacy contrasts Yennefer's own wish for a baby and legacy, and Geralt, who already is bound to a child by destiny (Ciri), but refuses to take part in the child's life.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: Villentretenmerth is a master of shapeshifting and chooses the form of an old human to mingle with other humans.
- Gentleman Snarker: Borch is a courteous and amiable old guy, but can deliver very good punny Stealth Insults .Geralt making a heartbreaking speech about dragons: Mutant or myth, gold dragons met the same fate as anything too different to endure. They died out.
Borch, a gold dragon himself: There are other ways of enduring. If it's legacy you're after, perhaps you should take the overgrown cock hair's advice and become a knight. Sir Witcher... The White-Haired of Rivia. You'd make a rather shitty one, refusing to slay dragons. But probably not as shitty as a one as Sir Eyck of Denesle! - Gold-Colored Superiority: He is a golden dragon, the most rare species of dragons, and one of the most powerful creatures In-Universe. Good thing he is one of the good guys, as much as the Grey-and-Grey Morality of the show allows him.
- Morphic Resonance: His clothing is scaled like that of his dragon form.
- Papa Wolf: If you dare to threaten Myrgtabrakke's egg, you will face his wrath. The "final first" he seeks is to raise a dragon hatchling and leave behind a legacy.
- Really 700 Years Old: An old and incredibly rare golden dragon, he seeks "a final first" before he gets too old.
- Related Differently in the Adaptation: In Sword of Destiny, Villentretenmerth merely responded to a Distress Call from the green dragon, Myrgtabrakke, who escaped while he held off the dragon hunters. In the series, he's the father of the deceased green dragon's egg.
- The Reveal: He's not an adventuresome dragon-hunter, he's a dragon himself.
- Symbol Motif Clothing: Borch wears garments with patterns resembling dragon scales. It serves as foreshadowing that he is a legendary and rare gold dragon.
- This Is My Name on Foreign: Villentretenmerth in the Common Speech means Three Black Birds.
- Weredragon: He is a golden dragon that can shapeshift in any creature, though he usually prefers humans.
Téa & Véa
Téa & Véa
"To hunt with him is an honor unsullied by payment."
Portrayed by: Adele Oni (Téa), Colette Tchantcho (Véa) Dubbed by:
Two female Zerrikanian warriors who accompany Borch Three Jackdaws.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Described as blonde in the novels.
- Adaptational Modesty: In Sword of Destiny they're strongly implied to have a bathtub foursome with Geralt and Borch in the upstairs of the inn after dining together. All such implications are omitted from the TV episode.
- Amazonian Beauty: Jaskier immediately acquires a crush on those two and keeps trying to flirt with them. They could not be less interested, and simply ignore the advances.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Borch refers to them as his "weapons". They are actually guarding a dragon, who probably doesn't need their protection.
- Disney Death: Shortly after Borch willingly lets go of the chain and falls from a cliff, they let go as well, seemingly following him into death. They are saved by Borch, who presumably transformed back into a dragon to save them from the fall.
- Establishing Character Moment: If you are acting hostile towards Borch, they'll snap your neck, as the man who tried to steal Geralt's horse had to learn.
- Master Swordswoman: Very skilled with the sword, as is demonstrated in their fight against the reavers.
- Race Lift: The two are Zerrikanian, who in the novels are warriors of the eastern steppes, making them Turkic-equivalent; Téa & Véa are described as blondes. The video games started the trend of depicting Zerrikanians as Arabesque or Africanesque, and the TV series consequently cast them as a pair of black women.
- Undying Loyalty: They are fiercely loyal to Borch. They are not guarding him for money, they are doing it because it's an honor. When asked by Jaskier why they follow Borch, Téa says it's because "he is the most beautiful". From the books...
Yarpen Zigrin
Yarpen Zigrin
"Fuckin' right! He said he wants FOUR. FUCKIN'. PINTS!... Now."
Portrayed by: Jeremy Crawford
A dwarven warrior who wants to hunt dragons.
- Adaptational Jerkass: In the books he is a rather tempered, but still passionate Deadpan Snarker, and he tries to avoid being perceived as the typical hot-tempered and grumpy dwarf. In the show, he is hot-tempered and constantly grumpy.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the show, Yarpen hates the Reavers and vice versa, neither side bothers to hide they would likely kill each other. In the books, they are on amiable terms during the hunt trip, Yarpen shares a demijohn with Boholt and even makes a deal with him to share the treasure.
- In the books, Yennefer is the victim of his jerkassery, as he constantly makes sardonic remarks, to her expense. They barely interact in the show, but he is shown having more respect for her as a sorceress.
- Adaptational Wimp: Yarpen is a pragmatic dragon slayer in the books, and even manages to knock Yennefer momentarily senseless with a metal ball. In his Season One appearance, he's all bark and no bite, not even getting to fight the Reavers he claims he wants to kill and misses out on the entire battle for the dragon's egg. In Season Two, he and his troupe finally get to show off their credentials, proving they are indeed not to be underestimated.
- Blood Knight: Loves a good scrap and a good adventure
- Combat Pragmatist: He and his companions have no problem going for the kneecaps and ganging up on targets. Some Nilfgaardian soldiers learn this the hard way.
- Deadly Euphemism: Jaskier believes that Yarpen wants to buy Geralt's horse when he tells the witcher he is gonna get a goodly amount if he sells the animal. Geralt has to explain that the dwarf means they most probably won't make out alive from the dragon hunting.
- Establishing Character Moment: When Borch presents to Geralt the dwarfs hired for the dragon hunting, Jaskier comments that "Geralt could handle them in his sleep". The first think Yarpen does is to run at the barman, grab his collar, and yell at him that his friend commanded "four fuckin' pints". Jaskier instantly changes his earlier statement by saying that maybe Geralt might need to be awake in the end, after seeing how short tempered is Yarpen.
- Fiery Redhead: Yarpen is bald, but he has an auburn long beard, and a nasty temper.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He may be an angry asshole with less than stellar manners, but he can say a "thank you" when it's due. He also offers his help to the other teams except for the Reavers, for safety reasons, despite the fact he is competing against them.
- Jumped at the Call: With very little motivation, Yarpen and his crew join Geralt as his escort on retrieving Ciri from Yennefer, as well as escorting Ciri back to Kaer Morhen.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Anything can trigger Yarpen's temper, just a wrong look and you may end up in the best case being yelled at over nothing.
- Hidden Depths:
- Under his angrish behaviour, Yarpen showed that he understands the political environment he lives in, especially when it comes to Nilfgaard. After witnessing the fall of the Ebbing Kingdom, he tries to warn everyone around him about the possible danger that Nifgaards might represent for the Northern Kingdoms one day. A year later and Cintra falls in the hands of Nilfgaard just as he predicted.
- Despite his rough personality, he also appears to be someone who is not vulnerable to wealth, and maintains a rough yet reliable man-of-the-land set of ethics.
- The Leader: He is the leader of his own team of warrior dwarfs.
- Mood-Swinger: He can go from angry to pleasant in seconds. After yelling his lungs out at the bartender, he suddenly changes his tone on a friendlier one and says "now" to the poor man.
- The Napoleon: He is a dwarf, short-tempered and a fearsome warrior of his kind. Did we say he is short-tempered?
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He may be short, but he and his dwarves are still capable of taking a grown man's head off.
- Sacred Hospitality: Normally, his history with Geralt means he has no obligation to help in anything. However, as he mentioned, as long as he is on the Trail, he is not to deny anyone assistance when they ask.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: He probably says "fuck" or "fucking" more than Geralt. Actually, every sentence he spells out has swearing of some sort.Yarpen to Boholt: What's so amusing, you overgrown cockhair?
- Suddenly Shouting: Yarpen's manner of speaking with people is to appear calm and then to start shouting the words. Though he communicates like this only with the people he is truly angry with, like the Reavers.
- Took a Level in Kindness: While still as foul-mouthed as ever, in Season 3 Yarpen's heart of gold basically eclipses any prickly aspect of his personality: he willingly aids in giving refuge to Garalt, Ciri and Yennefer while they are being hunted by the whole continent, does not hesitate to fight in order to protect Ciri and he's notably a lot nicer to Jaskier than he was during thier first meeting.
- Trade Your Passion for Glory: Defied. His adventure in Season 1 (especially as Geralt gave the reward for the quest to him and his crew) meant he is supposed to be a landlord. Yet, as shown in Season 2, he and his crew choose to be patrollers on the Trail not only because of their consciousness of the dangers of the changing Continent, but because what they value most is adventure.
- Violent Glaswegian: Ho boy, this dwarf lives and breathes this trope as a result of Character Exaggeration. Violent and angry to comedic levels to almost anyone who is not Geralt and his allies.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He may frequently insult Geralt, but they clearly respect each other and he gladly aids Geralt's search for Ciri, even giving him a new horse.
Yurga
Yurga
"Innocent people, killed for what? So Nilfgaard can have more land? We owe it to 'em to do better."
Portrayed by: Francis Magee
A merchant who encounters Geralt during his search for Ciri, while trying to bury the corpses of slaughtered Cintran refugees.
- Adaptational Heroism: Downplayed. While both versions of Yurga are good people who help Geralt as thanks for being saved, the circumstances of their meeting in the show (stopping to give slaughtered refugees a proper burial) paint him in a much more altruistic light than in the books, where he'd simply gotten his cart stuck in the mud and stubbornly refused to leave it because of the valuables it contained.
- Big Damn Heroes: After being saved by Geralt, he initially seems to flee as the witcher suggests. However, he returns just in time to save the poisoned Geralt's life.
- Connected All Along: It turns out he is the husband of Zola, the woman who has taken Ciri in.
- Happily Married: His marriage is implicitly a happy one and his wife speaks of him very fondly when she talks to Ciri.
- I Owe You My Life: Out of gratitude for Geralt saving his life from a bunch of ghouls, he not only takes the witcher to his farm so that he can heal, he also offers the Law of Surprise to repay him. Having a bad experience with this law, Geralt refuses and instead settles for an ale, which Yurga is all too happy to comply with. Ironically, had Geralt taken him up on this offer, his reward would have been the surprise child he already had, since Yurga's wife had taken in Ciri in the merchant's absence.
- Killed Offscreen: Late in season 2, Ciri opens a portal to his farmhouse to escape from a fight. She and Yennefer discover that Yurga and his wife were killed by Rience who left their charred corpses in a back room.
- Nice Guy: In a show all about morally grey characters who are willing to do awful things to achieve their goals, Yurga is one of the few unfailingly nice and good people whom Geralt encounters. He is introduced trying to bury a group of slaughtered refugees without even looting their corpses and is genuinely grateful for Geralt saving his life.
- Non-Action Guy: As an older man, he is in no shape to fight and is easily overpowered by a group of ghouls when he lingers around the burial side for too long.
- Too Dumb to Live: Sure, him wanting to bury the Cintran refugees is a very decent thing to do, but doing it at night, in a remote forest, all on his own and after Geralt explicitly warns him not to linger is certainly not a very smart thing to do. It nearly gets him killed when he is unsurprisingly ambushed by several ghouls.
- What You Are in the Dark: He gets this twice in direct succession, proving without a doubt that he is a decent man. First, he spends a lot of time at the destroyed refugee camp, not to loot the corpses but to bury the refugees, feeling that he owes them to be better than the ones who slaughtered them. Then, he returns to save Geralt after he has been poisoned. No one was around to witness or thank him, so no one would have judged him for looting the corpses or leaving Geralt to die. Nonetheless, he does what he feels is the morally good thing both times.
Marilka
Marilka
Portrayed by: Mia Mckenna-Bruce Dubbed by:
The daughter of the alderman of Blaviken and the one who guides Geralt around town, to his fateful encounter with the sorcerer Stregobor.
- Adaptational Expansion: In the books, Marilka is basically a named background character, with her father being the one to welcome Geralt in Blaviken and introduce him to Stregobor, as well as the one to eventually kick Geralt out of town. In the show, her father is The Ghost and all of his involvement has been given to Marilka instead.
- Age Lift: She is only 5-years-old in the books, but played by an actress in her early twenties in the show.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: She not-so-subtly implies and later outright admits that she has killed her family's old dog to sell his body to Stregobor for some coin.
- Damsel in Distress: During Geralt's fight against Renfri's gang, she is briefly taken hostage by the princess herself. Instead of harming her, Renfri quickly releases her again, however, in order to duel Geralt.
- Deadpan Snarker: Her conversation with Geralt consists of a great deal of snark thrown around between the two of them, mostly coming from her side.
- Hero-Worshipper: At first, she is amazed by Geralt's deeds as a Witcher and tells him that she considers him a hero for killing so many dangerous monsters. This changes after he kills Renfri's gang, where she becomes disillusioned with him despite being the only one who knows why he had to fight them.
- I Just Want to Be Special: Marilka bitterly mentions that she has never even left Blaviken and that she wants more from life than to spend all of it in a small, boring town. She implies that she wishes to be a Witcher like Geralt, clearly fascinated by his lifestyle of a wandering monster slayer.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: While no longer a child, her conversation with Geralt implies that she has been killing small animals and selling them to Stregobor for several years now, including her own dog. She also callously refers to a kikimora as 'population control'.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Marilka is the only one who knows that Geralt killed Renfri's gang to stop her from slaughtering the people of Blaviken. He also came to her rescue when she was taken hostage by Renfri herself. Despite this, she does not reveal the truth to the people of Blaviken when they accuse Geralt of just slaughtering innocent people and she even tells him to leave and never return.
Nenneke
Nenneke
Portrayed by: Adjoa Andoh
The head of the Temple of Melitele and an old acquaintance of Geralt's, he requests Nenneke's aid in helping Ciri understand and control her abilities.
- Bald Mystic: Nenneke is a high-ranking priestess with healing abilities who keeps her head shaved.
- Brutal Honesty: She bluntly tells Geralt that Ciri's abilities make her dangerous, and there's little he can do to help her.
- Cool Old Lady: A friendly and polite, if snarky, older woman.
- Deadpan Snarker: As observed when Geralt asks Nenneke her opinion on Ciri.Nenneke: I don't see any side upon which you are not entirely fucked.
- High Priestess: She's head of the Temple of Melitele, a goddess of fertility and healing.
- The Medic: She serves a goddess of healing, and Geralt notes she's patched him up on more than one occasion.
- The Mentor: Nenneke (and presumably, the entire Temple by extension) not only serves tired and injured travelers, she has also taken upon teaching students their own way of controlling Chaos (separate from Aretuza and Ban Ard) as well as history. At least under Vesemir's headship of the School of the Wolf, trainee Witchers have also been trained in the Temple for their combat signs.
- Noodle Incident: She humorously tells Ciri that Geralt was involved in an incident (involving his Instant Runes) that almost destroyed her office.
- Older Than They Look: She is the one who trained a young Geralt to use signs, and considering Geralt is over a century old, that means Nenneke is considerably older than that.
- Parental Substitute: By virtue of being one of the few elderly women in Geralt's life, it's clear he sees her as the closest to a maternal figure a Witcher like him would have. For her part, she seems to very much reciprocate.
