Witcher's Many Factions Explained | MojoPlays
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VOICE OVER: Riccardo Tucci
WRITTEN BY: Jarett Burke
So, maybe you're thinking about finally jumping into “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” – or you're excited about the upcoming Netflix series starring Geralt and Company – but you're a bit intimidated by all the history, factions and difficult sounding names… Nilfgaard?? Who, what, or WHERE in the hell is that?! Well, don't fret over names and groups, as we've got you covered. Yes, the world of “The Witcher” is deep and complicated, but by knowing these main factions you'll be helping your confused friends make sense of Geralt's adventures in no time.
So, maybe you’re thinking about finally jumping into “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” – or you’re excited about the upcoming Netflix series starring Geralt and Company – but you’re a bit intimidated by all the history, factions and difficult sounding names… Nilfgaard?? Who, what, or WHERE in the hell is that?! Well, don’t fret over names and groups, as we’ve got you covered. Yes, the world of “The Witcher” is deep and complicated, but by knowing these main factions you’ll be helping your confused friends make sense of Geralt’s adventures in no time.
First up, we have the Witchers of Kaer Morhen from the Northern Kingdom of Kaedwan. The Old Keep Morhen is home to our favorite witchers like Geralt and Vesemir, and it’s also the heart of “The Witcher’s” story, seeing as it was where the now defunct School of the Wolf was located that gave birth to (and trained) Geralt of Rivia. Witchers are professional monster hunters for hire that keep regular people safe from unnatural creatures that were brought to the current world by the Conjunction of Spheres roughly 1500 years before the books began. These monster hunters are as much created as they are trained, seeing as they have to undergo (and survive) a brutal process of mutations and alchemical changes known as ‘The Trial of the Grasses’ that kills seven out of ten applicants. Further, they then have to undergo physical challenges that kill many more potential candidates, revealing an outright masochistic process for becoming a witcher, which is one reason why there are so few of them left. In terms of training, they are schooled in a lesser form of magic known as signs that are not as powerful as spells used by sorceresses and mages. Also, due to their mutations and advanced training, witchers have advanced eyesight; resistance to potions, toxins and illness; and many other amazing abilities like the power of advanced healing.
In terms of sorceresses, there are quite a few you’ll meet in “The Witcher” but the two key female spell casters are those closest to Geralt in Yennefer of Vengerberg and Triss Merigold – both acting as love interests and major parts of the plot in the video games. Other sorceresses to keep an eye out for are Philippa Eilhart and Keira Metz who together with Triss and Yennefer formed the all-female Lodge of Sorceresses that sought to regulate magic in the Northern kingdoms and influence the region’s political dynamics. Eilhart started The Lodge after the mostly-male Brotherhood of Sorcerers collapsed due to political infighting; and, once in charge, she sought to sway the region’s politics by seeking to place a lodge member into a position of power – that of young Ciri, who happened to be a Princess of the Northern kingdom of Cintra. But, Eilhart’s power play failed, and The Lodge dissolved soon after, resulting in its former members being persecuted (and even killed) by the ruling powers of Redania and Nilfgaard. Like witchers, sorceresses are trained from a young age, but their transformation into adulthood is more a process of learning how to tame and control their already innate magical abilities than it is one of mutations and dramatic change. Thus, training plays a key role in the development of sorceresses and that’s why there are magic academies to further their skills and abilities.
Another supernatural group that plays a large role in “The Witcher” is the Wild Hunt – a group of renegade elves from another world bent on dominating as many kingdoms and peoples as possible. In their homeland, they are known as the Red Riders and they hunt and capture slaves from other races and groups to serve their own kingdom. But, later they expanded their conquest to other worlds (including the one that “The Witcher” takes place in), and set their sights on young Ciri because she harnesses the power of the Elder Blood, which they desperately desire. This ultimately pits them in conflict with Geralt, Yennefer and the witchers of Kaer Morhen. The Hunt is made up of powerful warriors and mages alike (like the goliath Imlerith and the magical Caranthir), and is led by their king: Eredin Breacc Glas – a fearless warrior, skilled magician and ruthless conqueror.
In terms of the kingdoms within “The Witcher,” they are divided into those to the North (like Redania, Temeria, Skellige and Cintra) and the dominant power to the south in Nilfgaard. Nilfgaard is the most powerful empire in “The Witcher,” and by far the biggest, taking up much of the continent. It built its empire much like all empires are built – through ruthless conquest and exploitation of newly acquired provinces. In a sense, Nilfgaard is the evil empire seeking to increase its rule at whatever cost, and its sights are set on the remaining Northern Kingdoms. Under the reign of Emperor Emhyr var Emries, Nilfgaard basically controls everything south of (and including) Cintra, and has a huge military, endless resources, and a thriving economy. To the Northern People, Nilfgaard is the ultimate villain and threatens to take away what remaining freedom they have left.
Redania, on the other hand, is one of the richer Northern Kingdoms standing in Nilfgaard’s way. It has built up its kingdom through trade and the export of grain and often finds itself in direct competition with the other trade-focused Northern Kingdom of Temeria. Redania is ruled by its nobility, which makes it a poor place to live for peasants. It is ruled by King Radovid V who finds himself ingrained in a war on two fronts: one against the encroaching Nilfgaardian forces and an other against mages and anyone non-human. While their war against Nilfgaard makes immediate sense, the reason Radovid so despises those of magical ability is because his father, the former king, was assassinated by an elf. Thus, the Redanian are even less tolerant of witchers and sorceresses than the Nilfgaardian Empire. Also within Redania lies the free city of Novigrad (a major port and one of the biggest cities in the North), which is a rare metropolis that owes no allegiance to the land in which it resides. Novigrad is ruled by various underground criminal factions vying to take power in the important city. Like warring mafia clans, each group controls a certain district and owns all the rackets there within.
South of Redania lies the kingdoms of Temeria and Cintra. As mentioned, Temeria has a very strong economy like Redania, but they are more of a military force seeing as much of their land borders along Nilfgaardian territory. They played a key role in defeating Nilfgaard during the first two Northern Wars and benefited the most from Nilfgaard’s defeat, as it greatly expanded its borders South into what used to be Nilfgaardian territory. This kingdom is also ruled by a monarchy, under King Foltest and its capital city of Vizima is an important stop in the region’s trade route. On the other hand, Cintra was once a powerful Northern Kingdom that had bright periods of independent rule, but is now largely under the control of Nilfgaard and Emperor Emhyr var Emries (which happened during the first Northern War). In terms of “The Witcher’s” story, Cintra is most important for being the birthplace and home to Princess Ciri and was, at one time, one of the main locations the Lodge of Sorceresses sought to spread its political influence.
Finally, there’s the Skellige Isles, which is a group of six islands off the coast of Cintra. It too is ruled by a monarchy, but its leadership is voted upon by the Jarls of the seven local clans. These clans divide the islands, and much like battle between North and South, they too vie for power within their offshore kingdom. Since it is separated from other Northern Kingdoms by the Great Sea, Skellige – despite periods of volatility with other Northern Kingdoms – is allied with the North’s cause against the invading Nilfgaardian forces.
When it comes to the world of “The Witcher,” there are a lot of pieces at play in the story at large – that of the battle between Northern Kingdoms and Nilfgaard, and the central story of Geralt and Company’s survival from the Wild Hunt. While it can be intimidating to step into this highly charged, realistic world with no prior understanding, it’s well worth the time spent boning up on Witcher history and lore because the world is truly incredible. Now that you’ve watched this video, you’re good to go, so it’s time for some monster hunting!
First up, we have the Witchers of Kaer Morhen from the Northern Kingdom of Kaedwan. The Old Keep Morhen is home to our favorite witchers like Geralt and Vesemir, and it’s also the heart of “The Witcher’s” story, seeing as it was where the now defunct School of the Wolf was located that gave birth to (and trained) Geralt of Rivia. Witchers are professional monster hunters for hire that keep regular people safe from unnatural creatures that were brought to the current world by the Conjunction of Spheres roughly 1500 years before the books began. These monster hunters are as much created as they are trained, seeing as they have to undergo (and survive) a brutal process of mutations and alchemical changes known as ‘The Trial of the Grasses’ that kills seven out of ten applicants. Further, they then have to undergo physical challenges that kill many more potential candidates, revealing an outright masochistic process for becoming a witcher, which is one reason why there are so few of them left. In terms of training, they are schooled in a lesser form of magic known as signs that are not as powerful as spells used by sorceresses and mages. Also, due to their mutations and advanced training, witchers have advanced eyesight; resistance to potions, toxins and illness; and many other amazing abilities like the power of advanced healing.
In terms of sorceresses, there are quite a few you’ll meet in “The Witcher” but the two key female spell casters are those closest to Geralt in Yennefer of Vengerberg and Triss Merigold – both acting as love interests and major parts of the plot in the video games. Other sorceresses to keep an eye out for are Philippa Eilhart and Keira Metz who together with Triss and Yennefer formed the all-female Lodge of Sorceresses that sought to regulate magic in the Northern kingdoms and influence the region’s political dynamics. Eilhart started The Lodge after the mostly-male Brotherhood of Sorcerers collapsed due to political infighting; and, once in charge, she sought to sway the region’s politics by seeking to place a lodge member into a position of power – that of young Ciri, who happened to be a Princess of the Northern kingdom of Cintra. But, Eilhart’s power play failed, and The Lodge dissolved soon after, resulting in its former members being persecuted (and even killed) by the ruling powers of Redania and Nilfgaard. Like witchers, sorceresses are trained from a young age, but their transformation into adulthood is more a process of learning how to tame and control their already innate magical abilities than it is one of mutations and dramatic change. Thus, training plays a key role in the development of sorceresses and that’s why there are magic academies to further their skills and abilities.
Another supernatural group that plays a large role in “The Witcher” is the Wild Hunt – a group of renegade elves from another world bent on dominating as many kingdoms and peoples as possible. In their homeland, they are known as the Red Riders and they hunt and capture slaves from other races and groups to serve their own kingdom. But, later they expanded their conquest to other worlds (including the one that “The Witcher” takes place in), and set their sights on young Ciri because she harnesses the power of the Elder Blood, which they desperately desire. This ultimately pits them in conflict with Geralt, Yennefer and the witchers of Kaer Morhen. The Hunt is made up of powerful warriors and mages alike (like the goliath Imlerith and the magical Caranthir), and is led by their king: Eredin Breacc Glas – a fearless warrior, skilled magician and ruthless conqueror.
In terms of the kingdoms within “The Witcher,” they are divided into those to the North (like Redania, Temeria, Skellige and Cintra) and the dominant power to the south in Nilfgaard. Nilfgaard is the most powerful empire in “The Witcher,” and by far the biggest, taking up much of the continent. It built its empire much like all empires are built – through ruthless conquest and exploitation of newly acquired provinces. In a sense, Nilfgaard is the evil empire seeking to increase its rule at whatever cost, and its sights are set on the remaining Northern Kingdoms. Under the reign of Emperor Emhyr var Emries, Nilfgaard basically controls everything south of (and including) Cintra, and has a huge military, endless resources, and a thriving economy. To the Northern People, Nilfgaard is the ultimate villain and threatens to take away what remaining freedom they have left.
Redania, on the other hand, is one of the richer Northern Kingdoms standing in Nilfgaard’s way. It has built up its kingdom through trade and the export of grain and often finds itself in direct competition with the other trade-focused Northern Kingdom of Temeria. Redania is ruled by its nobility, which makes it a poor place to live for peasants. It is ruled by King Radovid V who finds himself ingrained in a war on two fronts: one against the encroaching Nilfgaardian forces and an other against mages and anyone non-human. While their war against Nilfgaard makes immediate sense, the reason Radovid so despises those of magical ability is because his father, the former king, was assassinated by an elf. Thus, the Redanian are even less tolerant of witchers and sorceresses than the Nilfgaardian Empire. Also within Redania lies the free city of Novigrad (a major port and one of the biggest cities in the North), which is a rare metropolis that owes no allegiance to the land in which it resides. Novigrad is ruled by various underground criminal factions vying to take power in the important city. Like warring mafia clans, each group controls a certain district and owns all the rackets there within.
South of Redania lies the kingdoms of Temeria and Cintra. As mentioned, Temeria has a very strong economy like Redania, but they are more of a military force seeing as much of their land borders along Nilfgaardian territory. They played a key role in defeating Nilfgaard during the first two Northern Wars and benefited the most from Nilfgaard’s defeat, as it greatly expanded its borders South into what used to be Nilfgaardian territory. This kingdom is also ruled by a monarchy, under King Foltest and its capital city of Vizima is an important stop in the region’s trade route. On the other hand, Cintra was once a powerful Northern Kingdom that had bright periods of independent rule, but is now largely under the control of Nilfgaard and Emperor Emhyr var Emries (which happened during the first Northern War). In terms of “The Witcher’s” story, Cintra is most important for being the birthplace and home to Princess Ciri and was, at one time, one of the main locations the Lodge of Sorceresses sought to spread its political influence.
Finally, there’s the Skellige Isles, which is a group of six islands off the coast of Cintra. It too is ruled by a monarchy, but its leadership is voted upon by the Jarls of the seven local clans. These clans divide the islands, and much like battle between North and South, they too vie for power within their offshore kingdom. Since it is separated from other Northern Kingdoms by the Great Sea, Skellige – despite periods of volatility with other Northern Kingdoms – is allied with the North’s cause against the invading Nilfgaardian forces.
When it comes to the world of “The Witcher,” there are a lot of pieces at play in the story at large – that of the battle between Northern Kingdoms and Nilfgaard, and the central story of Geralt and Company’s survival from the Wild Hunt. While it can be intimidating to step into this highly charged, realistic world with no prior understanding, it’s well worth the time spent boning up on Witcher history and lore because the world is truly incredible. Now that you’ve watched this video, you’re good to go, so it’s time for some monster hunting!
