The Witcher (2019) review

    The Witcher is a series that I learned about from CD_Projekt Red the same as many other Western fans. We played the games that were non-canonical Expanded Universe sequels to the books well before the books became available in the English language. I've read those as well and was excited about the Witcher series being based on the original Andzej Sapkoski stories.

    However, after Game of Thrones, I had the worry that the series would be as schizophrenic as the latter seasons. Very often, television programs invent new stories to fill time for actors and these are often the weakest parts of the story. So is The Witcher any good? Yes, as long as it's following Sapkowski's material. It goes off the rails every time it deviates.

Great action scenes.

    The premise of the series is that Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) is a mutant monster-hunter. Witchers are pariahs in society despite their usefulness and must wander from town-to-town, killing for coin. Geralt is an apparent cynic who is actually a frustrated romantic. He hates the cruel, corrupt, and venal Medieval society he lives in. Accompanying him on his adventures is Jaskier (Joey Batey) who is a bard that has decided to latch onto Geralt in order to make his legend (as well as Geralt's).

    In addition to Geralt's adventures with Jaskier, there is the story of Yennefer of Vengerburg (Anya Chalotra) who is a deformed young woman who discovers immortality and power at the mere cost of the life she could have had before. Rounding out the protagonists is Ciri of Cintra (Freya Allan), a young princess who witnesses the extermination of her kingdom and finds that her family was hated as tyrants.

The best witch is the coldest.

    The first season is a rough approximation of the first two Witcher short story collections, The Last Witch and The Sword of Destiny. The parts that star Geralt are the best parts of the series and the most faithful to the original stories. They adapt "The Lesser Evil", "The Edge of the World", "The Witcher", "A Question of Price", "The Last Wish", "The Bounds of Reason", and "Something More" quite well. The only story that gets mutilated is "The Sword of Destiny" (the story not the collection) where Geralt was a major player but doesn't even show up.

    The biggest alterations are expanding on Yennefer's backstory and giving a completely new series of adventures for Ciri to engage in. In the Witcher short stories, it's mentioned that Yennefer was a deformed young girl that had her body repaired by the Brotherhood of Sorcerers only for her to be sterialized by her mentor Tissaia (MyAnna Buring). She spends decades after mourning the lack of a chance to be a mother and working to discover a way to achieve it.

    Here, we see her sterialization is a result of her magical plastic surgery and it undermines the character of Tissaia a bit. In the books, she believes in the supremacy of magic above all things and that women should not be distracted by mundane concerns like family (showing her internalized misogyny and callousness).

Yennefer is gorgeous and enchanting - as she should be.

    Tissaia is also shown to be leading the resistance against Nilfgaard, which is the opposite of her book persona where she believes mortal governments are another distraction from the brotherhood of mages (that no other mage subscribes to). Yennefer also seems more ambiguous about her desire to be a mother, which seems like it's an attempt to not make her seem weak but actually achieves the opposite of making her not know her own mind. Yennefer is many things but indecisive is never one of them.

    There's also a weird attempt to grimdark up some of the stories. The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny are somewhat humorous collections despite seriously dark moments. The show adds some horrible villainy to characters like Calanthe (Jodhi May). She's inexplicably shown to be engaging in pogroms of elves for no reason. We also have the Brotherhood of Sorcerers turning failed candidates into eels.

    Ciri's adventures are the weakest part of the narrative as she basically wanders from tent to forest to tent to forest on a pointless joirney that tells us very little about either her character or her relationship with her mother. We see none of the snarky young badass-in-training that we'll see in the later books. Basically, she's an obnoxious child and that makes her much more entertaining than the mostly silent one we meet here.

Cavill can sometimes channel Geralt VERY well.

    Henry Cavill does a surprisingly good job as Geralt and I admit this is probably my favorite role of his. He seems to basically go between channeling Clint Eastwood and Doug Cockle (the game's Witcher) but the Man with No Name was the inspiration for Geralt anyway while the other is well-beloved by gamers. I never quite completely bought him as the character but he did at least achieve the "famous actor I recognize doing the character I like" that Tom Cruise and Lestat did. I was entertained and enjoyed his work greatly.

    Anya Chalotra's Yennefer was exceptional and despite the fact her original material was weaker than Geralt's stories, I felt she did an excellent job. So much so that I felt that were this an original series, I'd still be watching it for her. She's also a great beauty and while the sheer amount of nudity on display is gratuitous (she seems like to casting spells topless for some reason), its a small distraction from serious acting chops. I've seen some people complain about the fact a biracial woman was cast in the role but phooey on them.

    The action is good, the special effects are excellent, and the writing (the original writing that is) is great. It's just when they color outside of the lines of Sapkowski's original work that I think the show suffers.

8.5/10

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine review

    And so the saga of Geralt of Rivia comes to an end. As successful as the Witcher saga is, I'm of the mind we probably haven't seen the last video game starring either the eponymous witcher or his adopted daughter Ciri, but I do think this is very likely the end before a reboot or for a number of years. As a hypothetical end to the franchise, though, it's a pretty enjoyable piece of fanfic. Certainly, it's less depressing than the way Andrzej Sapkowski left it.

    Blood and Wine's premise is Geralt getting approached by a pair of Toussaint knights asking him to help them fight a monster terrorizing their fairy-tale kingdom. It doesn't take Geralt long to deduce this is the work of a higher vampire and is stunned by the return of an old friend who offers his peculiar insight into their condition. What follows is a tale of betrayal, greed, love, and frustrated ambition which goes in a bizarre direction before the exciting conclusion.

Toussaint is a triumph of artistic design and color.

    It's not really a spoiler to say Blood and Wine has a serious focus on vampires after the monsters have largely been absent from the Witcherverse. They're an established part of the lore with a vampire brothel showing up in the first game and the novel character of Regis, a vampire alchemist, making his return to the franchise. I like the mythology of the Witcherverse vampires with them coming in three varieties: Higher Vampires, Bruxa, and Katakans.

    Higher Vampires are near-indestructible Count Dracula in Castlevania types, Bruxa are very powerful sexy vampires, and Katakans are mindless evil vampires. Each of them plays a unique role in the setting and you get to slay all of them by the end of the game. The DLC also expands on their history and lore in the setting. One of my favorite parts is visiting a vampire temple where you learn about how the undead have fostered civilization in order to make humans easier and more available prey. :shudder:

This is one of the good guy vampires.

    Toussaint is a beautifully rendered setting and, combined with the Heart of Stone DLC, easily could have been a third Witcher game or a spin off by itself. At about twenty-hours of gaming, it's well into the size of a separate game. The culture, personalities, and adventures are all well developed with the feel of Southern France. I came to love Toussaint despite my passionate hatred of Nilfgaard and wouldn't actually mind Geralt settling down there despite, again, it would be in the territory of the Black Ones.

    I came to love the characters of Duchess Anna Henrietta, Syanna, Dettlaff, and, of course, Regis. All of them have very big and bold personalities, which contrasts nicely to the more subdued ones of the main Witcher game. Indeed, it is a common thread in the story that the people of Toussaint are just plain nicer than the people of the North. That doesn't apply to the main story, though, which is fundamentally about decent people being warped by their circumstance until the point they do terrible things to one another. There's no ending which doesn't end with someone being horribly burned.

The ladies of the court manage to be regal yet not snooty. Amazing accomplishment there for an avowed noble hater like me.

    There's a running theme throughout the DLC of the differences between true honor and the appearance of honor. This is a theme visited in Game of Thrones repeatedly but makes sense here as well. The people of Toussaint can afford to look brave and act heroic because they have the money to do so. However, their true faces come out when their positions are challenged or they aren't being rewarded for goodness. Dettlaff is a character I particularly liked and feel his endings were undeserved every bit as much as Syanna's potential ones.

    Players wondering what they'll get in terms of gameplay benefits should note the Blood and Wine Expansion comes with a base of operations for Geralt to store his booty, raises the level cap to an absurd 100 levels, and provides Grandmaster Witcher gear in order to have the best armor in the game for whatever school you prefer. There's also the option to dye your armors whatever color you prefer, which can be quite nice if you prefer Geralt in all-black or pink. I also appreciated the fact, if you deleted your save, you can just play this separately with a pregenerated character of the appropriate level as well as equipment.

Syanna is a beautiful character.

    There's some silly elements to the game which don't quite fit like when Geralt is forced to visit an illusion-based land of Western European fables which seems contradictory to the otherwise Slavic tone of the series. Also, I felt bad for slaughtering the Three Little Pigs after blowing their house down. I will say, though, this is more than made up for by the fascinating story branches and overall very serious storyline that draws from my favorite short story in the novels.

    The DLC's tone is some of the most mature in the franchise, even if it never quite reaches the epic tragedy of Heart of Stone. The writing is top notch and all of the various adventures reinforce the themes of family, betrayal, honor, glory, and love. One of the things I love about the story is a major motivation for the games events is a man being willing to do anything for his ex-girlfriend, not quite realizing she's just not that into him.

Detlaff is a wonderfully hard boss. But, for me, I prefer him not to be fought at all.

    There's also the fact the best ending of the game requires some evil people to get away scott free while some good don't get punished. The Witcher has always been one of the most mature games in fantasy so it's nice to see them push the envelope even when they're being lighter and softer. Fans of grimdark fiction will note the people of Toussaint aren't starving in the streets and have a sympathetic merciful lord but it's a place where daggers are always hiding behind pleasant smiles.

    I think the game could have benefited by having a couple of other love interests and a few more paths to take in the final choice but I also believe the game worked spectacularly. Dettlaff is probably my favorite character out of a very good collection of choices. He's a vampire who thinks more like a pack animal than a man. He protects those he cares for, destroys those he loves, and doesn't have any concept of betrayal or manipulation save that it permanently severs any trust he has for a person.

A less memorable but still intensely hard monster.

    The difficulty spike of the game is significant this time around with vampires being some of the hardest foes in the game. Even at the recommended levels for fighting the monsters, they proved to be things which required a great deal of dodging and high-level equipment in order to survive. I also regretted I didn't make more ample use of potions as they were desperately needed in several places. Really, I wish they had given some tougher armor for this game but I was most satisfied with the final equipment I possessed.

    The handling of vampires is also something I'm back on forth about. They're done masterfully and some of the best-developed vampires in gaming. However, they're also a group which contradicts the handling of them in Sapkowski's books. Sapkowski made a whole race of friendly vampires with the idea of them being a threat to humanity the result of dumb human prejudice and jealousy. Here, the vampires are some of the most threatening I've seen in years. I generally dislike friendly vampire depictions so it's kind of ironic that I'm so mixed in my feelings here.

Goodbye Geralt, enjoy your vineyard.

    In conclusion, I'm sorry to see the Witcher saga come to an end but if it had to do so then I'm glad it went out this way. Geralt of Rivia gets the option of retiring in a land which is beautiful and peaceful or he can move on to fight for justice following another tragedy. Whatever way you choose to play Geralt, you'll have a load of fun with this installment. It really is The Witcher 4 in many ways and I think every fan of The Witcher 3 should play it.

10/10

The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone review

    The expansions of The Witcher 3 have some big shoes to fill.

    The Witcher 3 was a welcome helping of grimdark after the rather unfortunate shift of the Dragon Age franchise from dark fantasy to straight up high fantasy. Unfortunately, despite being one of the best games I've ever played in my entire life, it did have a few problems: the game was wide-open areas of nothing in particular, some of the villains were bland and one-dimensional, plus the final third of the game was extremely rushed. I hope they will release an enhanced edition to pave over some of these cracks, even if said cracks didn't ruin my appreciation for what I thought was an amazing experience.

    So, what about Hearts of Stone?

We get a return of "fractured fairy tales." Something I'm always grateful for.

    Hearts of Stone is, for the most part, a expansion which directly tackles the main game's flaws heads on. It's not a perfect gaming experience due to the exaggerated difficulty I'll discuss later on but, bluntly, is extremely good. The writing is among the best in the franchise and while it doesn't have anything to do with the main campaign, I'd say it's an excellent tribute to Andrzej Sapkowski's world. It reminds me very strongly of The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny collections which told of Geralt's adventures before he met Ciri.

    The premise of the expansion is Geralt finds himself taking on an unusually difficult contract which turns out to be a variation on the Frog Prince. After things go utterly to hell, he finds himself indebted to Gaunter O'Dim. O'Dim showed up briefly in the main campaign as a mysterious traveler who knew more than he should. O'Dim wants Geralt to repay his debt by doing three impossible tasks for Olgierd von Everec, a ruthless mercenary captain who seems to have no fears.

    As usual, everyone is lying and hiding things from Geralt. The confusing mixture of who is good and who is evil is balanced by the return of Shani. The beautiful red-haired doctor and Geralt's former love plays a substantial role in the story and offers another romance option for our favorite Witcher.

Shani is gorgeously designed and I'm not usually a fan of the pixie.

    There's some flaws with this premise. The storyline draws heavily from Medieval and Renaissance Christian mythology with crossroads, deals with the Devil, pacts for souls, and even Hell. This is kind of off-kilter for the Witcher world as the setting is thoroughly agnostic. Geralt, himself, speculates a character is "just" a demon or Djinn but this doesn't quite fly given what we see.

    I'm a man of faith myself but it's kind of off-putting to see a literal godlike being in a setting which has always made it clear the only thing which separates from the Crones from any other monster is the faith of the locals. Still, I'm willing to overlook a lot and it's not like they said such character is THE Devil. They just implied it heavily.

    On the other hand, part of what I really like about this expansion is the combat is drastically de-emphasized. The number of fights Geralt gets into in the story can be counted on with two hands. The majority of the expansion is social interaction, investigation, and exploration. Some of the stuff goes a little too long like, for instance, a wedding where you have to play a bunch of party games in order to proceed. Despite this, I felt it added an excellent contrast to the rest of the game.

Olgierd is one of the most dangerous opponents Geralt has ever faced--and you don't even have to fight him.

    Unfortunately, the difficulty spike is quite a bit more than I expected. After having become used to my 30th level, Masterwork Cat-School Armor spec-ed Geralt being an unbelievable badass, it was quite a shock to have him repeatedly killed. The fact we have 30th level Drowners and Wolves is kind of ridiculous. It makes sense to have enemies like the Order of the Flaming Rose be tougher than normal bandits but there's a happy medium the developers could have shot for. Still, for those who enjoy strategy in their boss fights, this is probably going to be right up their alley.

    Gaunter O'Dim is a great character and one who makes up for the disappointing one-note characterization of the Wild Hunt. He reminds me very strongly of Crowley from Supernatural with a side order of Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The fact his name is a reference to one of Randal Flagg's aliases from The Dark Tower series also makes the story more amusing. I also enjoyed the character of Olgierd von Everec. Despite looking like David Beckham and being an enormous psychopath, his story reminds me of the Bloody Baron's but more original. He is one of the more tragic and nuanced characters in the franchise.

    The Shani romance is probably the best done of all three romances in the game. The problem is that it is very much meant as an interlude and I think many players will decide the normal, down-to-Earth, and pleasant Shani is much-preferable to the two witches in Geralt's life. Unfortunately, this is not that sort of romance. Still, I loved her character and I think CD_Projekt Red did an amazing job in selling her character. I believe even those who didn't play the original Witcher will want to "go on a boat ride" with her.

"Pleased to meet you Geralt. Hope you guess my name."

    I can't get too much into the story without spoiling events and part of what makes this game so entertaining is the fact it goes in unexpected directions. I will say, however, that the games include attending a wedding with an undead guest as well as an Ocean's Eleven-style heist which poor Geralt has to arrange. There's also a The Haunting-esque encounter with a house that stretches Geralt's own considerable ghostbusting abilities. I genuinely felt for all of the characters and if there's a flaw in the writing, it that the DLC makes the main campaign's villains look pale and uninteresting.

    Hearts of Stone is a game which goes a long way to patching up the flaws of the original edition of The Witcher 3. Many of the empty areas of the game are filled in, particularly in the Northeast of Novigrad, while more material is made available for the 30th level time both before as well as after the final third of the game. The combat is a bit too difficult but encouraging strategy instead of button-mashing isn't something I can come down on to hard.

    I also appreciated all the callbacks to the original Witcher game with Shani and the Order of the Flaming Rose being welcome additions. I regret we don't see Saskia, Iorveth, or more of the Scoia'tael but that's not really the Expansion's fault. The best part of the game is the excellent storytelling, true human emotions, and use of folklore to tell an engaging story. They even add, GASP, some nonwhite characters to the game.

10/10

Baptism of Fire review

    Baptism of Fire is the fifth book in the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. A big fan of the series, I've enjoyed the previous novels and reviewed them here on my blog (Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4). For those unfamiliar with the series, it follows monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia awith his adoptive child Ciri as they struggle to make their way through a corrupt world where the nobility is selfish, the peasantry is uneducated, and war is horrific.

    The series started more funny than grim with Geralt living through several fractured fairy-tales such as the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White. Since Blood of Elves, however, they have been their own original fantasy epic which followed Geralt dealing with countless forces out to seize Ciri for the purposes of fulfilling a prophecy even they don't understand.

    When last we left our heroes, Geralt had been beaten within an inch of his life by the cruel mage Vilgefortz while Ciri was forced to flee through an unstable portal which dumped her in the middle of a Niflgaardian desert. Adopted by a murderous band of highwaymen, Ciri has begun an unhealthy relationship with bandit Mistle due to her desire to not be left alone. Likewise, the North is being savagely looted and burned by the Nilfgaardian Empire due to the failure of its nobility to do anything to check them.

    Geralt, finally recovering from his wounds, is spurred to action by a dream of Ciri which lets him know she's alive. Unwillingly attracting a collection of oddballs, misfits, and badasses every bit as much so as himself, Geralt sets out to rescue his daughter from whoever might be threatening her. Ciri, meanwhile, degenerates further into insanity while we finally find out what happened to Yennefer and why she hasn't been looking for Ciri herself.

    So what do I think of this volume?

    Eh, it's pretty good.

    There's nothing wrong with Baptism of Fire, don't get me wrong, but it's very much a road story which doesn't get to its destination by the end of the book. Geralt and his oddball collection of traveling companions get to know each other, have some adventures, and they get slightly closer to their destination of meeting with Ciri. I can't say it's my particular favorite in the series. I wouldn't go so far as to say this is a book of filler but I can't help but think Sapkowski could have inserted an actual plot too.

    Newcomers to Geralt's "hanse" (or friends who travel and fight together), are Zoltan the Dwarf, Milva the Huntress, Cahir the renegade Nilfgaardian soldier, and Regis who is very-very obviously a supernatural being disguised as a human. Aside from Dandelion and Milva, none of these individuals really have a reason to help Geralt but agree to journey across the land facing immeasurable dangers for a girl they don't know. Indeed, they practically force their help on Geralt who makes several attempts to get away from them. I'm not sure it's not meant to be a parody of traditional fantasy given it seems more or less like a stereotypical Dungeons and Dragons game, "You guys all meet, now here's the adventure."

    Despite this, I can't be too hard on the book due to the simple fact it's so damned fun. All of the characters are interesting and unique, perhaps too unique, and they play off of each other well. I'm also impressed Sapkowski actually has Ciri go crazy, for lack of a better term, due to her experiences which would have broken most people and does, well, her. The fact the relationship with Mistle reverses its power dynamics, starting with Ciri's rape, only to switch to Ciri when she realizes Mistle is a broken scared girl herself is quite clever (if horrifying).

    Another thing I liked about this volume is it deconstructs the Chosen One narrative a great deal. Ciri is portrayed as the product of a centuries-long genetics experiment which only got lost because, well, it wasn't working, and only started to work by accident. This doesn't make Ciri the kind of person who can save the world but the subject of a dozen or more schemes to forcibly impregnate her or dissect her or marry her. Worse, all of the enormous power she was supposed to wield has been sacrificed due to a magical accident last volume. In short, she's a Chosen One who cannot actually be the Chosen One and her life is being ruined by it.

    Good writing, that.

    Overall, Baptism of Fire is a dark and entertaining but ultimately kind of meandering volume which I recommend for fans of the series but note isn't perhaps the best volume Sapkowski has done. I'd give it a lower score but it's still pretty damned enjoyable and mostly just suffers in comparison to its predecessors.

9/10

The Time of Contempt review

    ‘Nothing. But what about Kaedwen, Dandelion? Why didn’t Henselt of Kaedwen come to Demavend and Meve’s aid? They had a pact, after all; they were bound by an alliance. But even if Henselt, following Foltest’s example, pisses on the signatures and seals on documents, and the royal word means nothing to him, he cannot be stupid, can he? Doesn’t he understand that after the fall of Aedim and the deal with Temeria, it will be his turn; that he’s next on the Nilfgaardian list? Kaedwen ought to support Demavend out of good sense. There may no longer be faith nor truth in the world, but surely good sense still exists. What say you, Dandelion? Is there still good sense in the world? Or do only contemptibility and contempt remain?’
    -Geralt of Rivia, The Time of Contempt

    The Time of Contempt is a really hard book to review which is ironic because, really, when I say that, I just mean it's a really hard book to review because of the last twenty pages or so when things go from a really-really well done book and my favorite in the series to super-super uncomfortable. For those who wish to know what precisely I'm talking about, I'll say a main character is sexually assaulted. There's some controversy about this event not just because it is happening to a fan favorite but also because of the event is depicted with questionable consent. The victim also rationalizes it away afterward.

    It is deeply ****ed up.

    To be fair to Andrzej Sapkowski, it's supposed to be deeply ****ed up. However, the age of the character as well as the bond which had been established between the reader and them is one that makes it doubly horrifying. Readers will probably be able to figure out which character suffers such if they continue on with this review so consider yourself warned.

    Except for the last thirty pages or so, The Time of Contempt is perhaps the best in the Witcher novels. It is a book which provides an immense amount of world-building to the Witcher universe. We get a multidimensional look at the Second Nilfgaard War's beginnings, progress, and horrors. We also get an expansive look at mage society in the North before the actions of Vilgefortz and Francesca Findabair destroy it. There are some great moments with Ciri, Yennefer, and Geralt as a family plus some great comedy.

    Also some truly terrible bits.

    A major theme is the terrible things people do in wartime as well as the moral compromises they make, which erode everything which is good about them. When Nilfgaard invades, the majority of nations lose their resolve to resist and fall over one another betraying their neighbors. Nilfgaard has re-envisioned itself as the "victim" of the First Nilfgaard War so they have begun engaging in large-scale atrocities to avenge themselves. A Sorceress betrays the Scoia'tael to be slaughtered by the North because it's the only way to guarantee her a crown and a homeland despite the fact it comes from a human monarch (which they were supposedly trying to resist).

    Geralt, Yennefer, Dandelion, and Ciri are the only ones to remain true to themselves.

    Well, no, Archmage Tissaia also remains true to herself.

    It just destroys everything good in her world because of it.

    The depiction of mage society in the Witcherverse is an intriguing one, for as long as it lasts. Mages in the North live lives of incomparable luxury and decadence compared to most people due to their powers and neutrality. They live forever, look beautiful, indulge themselves in nonstop sex, and can have fresh crab teleported in from the sea.

    They're also a major force in politics while never being threatened by it. However, the Nilfgaard War has split the mages in a way which is imperceptible. Some believe Nilfgaard's triumph is inevitable and others believe it should be resisted at all costs. The Old Guard of the Mages like Tissaia believe the idea is RIDICULOUS that mages would choose their homelands over their fellow sorcerers. After all, the North is full of evil tyrants and Nilfgaard is worse.

    So, why would they?

    Nationalism is a funny thing.

    I enjoy the depiction of Vilgefortz as well. While I initially took him to be a rather one-dimensional Jaffar-esque Evil Sorcerer, his conversations with Geralt really fleshed him out as well as the moment when he finally cut-loose with his wuxia staff skills. Vilgefortz is a self-made mage in a society of people who live lives of total privilege and had to build himself up from nothing. When he sees Geralt, he sees a kindred spirit, and there's perhaps something else there if I don't miss my guess (and Geralt is oblivious to). Watching Vilgefortz cut loose as the equivalent of Darth Vader in a world of squishy wizards was also damned impressive, bad guy or not.

    Ciri is a hard character to write about this time around since eighty-percent of the novel has her being one of the most adorable Young Adult characters in fiction. Watching her fight the "basilisk", her relationship with both her parents, her adventures with her unicorn, and other stuff lulls you into a false sense of security before going for the throat. It's an emotional gut punch, yes, but not one I really think which was necessary. I'm fine reading about trauma and torture but having it happen to a fifteen-year-old isn't high on my lists of enjoyment factors.

    The geopolitics of the book are well-done and a highlight. Aside from Westeros, I can't think of any book series which has done as nearly a good a job establishing the various powers and how they interact in the setting. Despite their limited screen-time, I got a strong sense for Foltest and Henselt and other major powers in the Continent. The fact Sapkowski was able to do it in a single book instead of an entire series of novels is a testament to his writing capabilities.

    Geralt and Yennefer are also people who deserve commenting on as they both have some delightful moments together. They are a fabulous couple, even if I prefer Triss in the games, and they're just entertaining to watch. I'm especially fond of their "date" where poor Geralt is forced to dress up for the Platonic ideal of the "rich person's party with no decent food and too much gossip." There are many couples deeply in love in fiction but very few who are entertaining to watch. Our heroes are always entertaining and you can tell both love Ciri more than anything else in their lives.

    In conclusion, I should give this book a 10 out of 10 but I can't because of the ending leaving me feeling queasy about the whole process. Many believe an author making you feel is something that should be lauded but, bluntly, I don't think an author making you feel lousy is a good thing.

8.5/10

The Politics of the Witcher 3 part IV

Warning: This essay will contain spoilers for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and some references to The Witcher novels.

Part I available to read here
Part II available to read here
Part III available to read here

    What the situation is in the Third Nilfgaard war is not made clear to us in the game and that's not necessarily a bad thing. While military historians amongst us would love to know each and every little pivot and engagement, the fact is that the less we know, the more we can't pick it apart at the implausibilities. However, that doesn't mean we can't speculate as to what happened and I think the game gives us a rough generality of how the war turned into a complete disaster for Nilfgaard...or a great victory.

    I hope future books and supplements by CD Projekt Red will give us an idea of how the war went and what specific events occurred.

The Beginning of the War

    My general idea is that Nilfgaard moved itself through Cintra and up into the North into Pontar and Lyria, which is something that wasn't going to meet them with much resistance. I hesitate at saying no resistance whatsoever because while worn down by engaging Saskia/Henselt's army, having a fully mobilized and armed military force is not going to be an easy thing to deal with either.

  Still, depending on events, Saskia may be dead or missing and Henselt dead as well, leaving both forces demoralized completely. I'm going to state that the Roche path and Henselt death is the most likely outcome both with Geralt's personality as well as role-playing--Geralt might not be a political assassin but he wouldn't stop Roche from murdering him either, nor does he balk at putting down royals for personal reasons. 

    Another advantage the Nilfgaard possess is the support of Baroness La Vallette as well as access to the White Bridge. While her castle may or may not be burned down, the Baroness was offered sanctuary by the Nilfgaard after her failed rebellion against King Foltest. While Ambassador Shillard betrayed her trust, the details were never made public and she is seemingly friendly with the Nilfgaard's next likely Emperor in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Access to the White Bridge and whatever troops the La Vallette family possesses gives them a much speedier movement into Temeria from the Pontar Valley.


    Nilfgaard wintered down for the time being, only to have King Radovid conquer Kaedwin over the winter. I'm inclined to think there's a variety of factors involved but I'm going to go with Vesmir that Radovid used a combination of the carrot and the stick, defeating political opponents and bribing the rest. Henselt having no heirs was an established part of the game lore and this includes any immediate relations. With the promise of Radovid to restore Northern borders to Pre-War levels, he might have also chosen to play the role of Kingmaker while ruling interim as we see with King Edward Longshanks (Braveheart's depiction aside).

The Fall of Temeria

    Nilfgaard proceeds into Temeria only to find Temeria's military fully capable of meeting them head on and the Nilfgaard army engages them in three-days of battle. It's hard to say what happened, exactly, during this battle but I'm inclined to think by the way it's described that it was a situation of "high casaulties, low results." Temeria probably could and did throw everything they had at Nilfgaard in an attempt to break their advance like at Sodden but given the drastic differences between their military strengths, the Nilfgaard would be mildly inconvenienced by their losses while Temeria would be utterly devastated by them.

    Real life armies rarely suffer more than ten percent casualties and Sodden was a national horror due to the fact it suffered similar losses. Either way, the Temerian will to resist the Nilfgaard was utterly destroyed and the armies broke up into bandit gangs or deserters or retreated across Velen to join up with The Redanian-Kaedwin Military as their allies. John Natalis was still alive during this time and serving as their Marshal/Charles du Gaulle with day-to-day partisan operations handled by Roche.

    Emperor Emhyr personally conducts this campaign with General Voorhis and takes up residence in the palace of King Foltest in Vizima. Mercenary Phillip Strenger proceeded to occupy Crow's Reach and proceeded to assemble an army of deserters and demoralized Temerians underneath him not only to surrender (perhaps a wise choice given the fate of surrendering Temerians) but to engage in full-scale collaboration with the Nilfgaardian forces. From what we see, this mostly engages in looting the region for supplies. Radovid, meanwhile, advances his lines into Temeria and secures Oxenfurt as well as the area around Novigrad.

The Creation of No Man's Land

    Novigrad's status becomes something of a thorny subject as a quartet of crime-lords make it so that neither Nilfgaard or Radovid can seize the city's vast treasury as well as merchant fleet. This unusual act at the hands of crime-lords is justified by the presence of Dijkstra, former Redanian spymaster and political enemy of King Radovid the Stern. By promising an end to the city's fleet and treasury, the city is allowed to maintain a brief neutrality. Both sides proceed to start courting the city in hopes of winning it over. Novigrad, notably, at this time was a refuge for powerful witches with numerous ones living in it or the surrounding area and not participating in the war.

    Meanwhile, the conflict in Temeria continues both with frequent engagements from King Radovid's forces with Nilfgaard while also Roche inflicting damage on the enemy supply lines. Geralt of Rivia can encounter Temerian resistance fighters stealing medicine from the Nilfgaard and engaging in this sort of asymmetrical warfare during this time. This is rather unusual behavior for the Medieval period but not so much for the pseudo-16th century vibe which the Wild Hunt is mostly projecting, absence of gunpowder aside.

Winning the War, Losing the Peace

    We also see resistance is not actually defeated in Temeria as well with The Battle of White Orchard fought relatively recently and a village destroyed, probably as collective punishment despite Velen having been conquered long enough to set up a massive garrison. Stories of war crimes (true or not) like the rape and murder of a Temple of Melitele's sisters distribute themselves amongst the Temerians, which only increase resentment against both Nilfgaardians as well as their collaborators.

    This leads the peasantry to ill-advised actions like some attempting to evacuate village to giant spider-filled mines. Roche's Partisans engage in hit and fade operations across the river, striking into Nilfgaard territory and then moving back, which inspires more acts of collective punishment by Nilfgaard (which, historically, has only helped harden resistance resolve).

    Despite their historical antipathy to the Nilfgaard, Skellige chooses to start attacking all shipping to and from their land. This, effectively, isolates the island from the larger conflict and leaves them a nonentity during the conflict. In that respect, this is to Nilfgaard's advantage as Jarl Craite's friendship to Cintra was considered politically significant in the Second Nilfgaard War's councils.

    One interesting situation which may or may not have a noticeable effect on the war effort is the invaders run into several encounters with monsters they prove ill-prepared to handle. Griffons, vampires, basilisks, necrophages, and several other creatures Northerners use Witchers to handle result in the deaths of squadrons or larger troop movements. While this is demoralizing and confusing for the Nilfgaardians, I doubt it had much in the way of an actual effect on their military prepardedness.

At this point, the war is effectively stalled.

The Role of Coin

    The situation in a standard war between Nilfgaard and the North dramatically favors the former due to the economic might of the Black Ones. Nilfgaard almost successfully conquered the North before the Second Nilfgaard War simply due to its prevalence of manufactured goods. However, the situation proves to be far less stable this time around as Emperor Emhyr's political enemies have made his position untenable. Worse, due to the disruption of trade, the Guilds exert political pressure on Emhyr to end the war and he cannot come to an agreement with them. In short, the Nilfgaard campaign is in dire need of funds or it will collapse on itself.

    Conversely, King Radovid is in desperate need of funds for far more prosaic needs. Fighting Nilfgaard is expensive and the only reason the Second War was capable of being fought was due to the presence of vast mercenary armies. If there is to be any victory over Nilfgaard, he is going to need a massive amount of coin to not only purchase mercenaries but also to keep his regular war machine running.

    Both men need Novigrad.

The Return of Cirilla

    Complicating matters further is the return of Emperor Emhyr's daughter, Ciri, from her transdimensional jaunt across the Spheres. This represents a great personal distraction for the man as the pair did not part on good terms. Likewise, Emperor Emhyr is without issue after seven years of marriage and his dynasty is at stake. Hiring the sorceress Yennefer, Emperor Emhyr also recruits the Witcher Geralt to find their adoptive child. The war takes on a much bigger importance as now Emhyr must defeat his military opponents so that he can defeat his political opponents in order to crown his daughter.

The Fall of Novigrad

    King Radovid is acclaimed routinely as a military genius during this time and we get a general sense of this less in his tactics than in his manipulation of politcs. His ability to unite Temerian, Kaedwini, and Redanian interests behind him despite the fact most individuals we meet believing him to be a snake. King Radovid further demonstrates his capabilities by a two pronged approach to securing the allegiance of Novigrad for himself.

    The first part of this stratagem is appealing to the Eternal Fire which rules Novigrad. They are natural allies since King Radovid has long been a patron of the previously Novigrad-centric religion. Indeed, it is possible Radovid was a follower of the religion.


    The sympathies of the church are exploited by Radovid to launch a large scale witch-hunt in the ensuing months. Triss Merrigold speculates, correctly as we assume, this is not just because of Radovid's antipathy but magic but also as a means of depriving some of the richest citizens in the North of their wealth to fund his campaign and that he will move onto nonhumans next.

    This, notably, has no affect on the war effort since the persecution of mages is limited to neutral Novigrad and its surrounding areas. A Conclave-formed via choices by Assassins of Kings backs Radovid against Nilfgaard and will not be targeted until the war is over.

    Radovid also breaks the alliance of crime lords by recruiting Whoreson Junior to turn against his fellows through victims as well as other rewards. The breaking of the alliance causes a civil war in the ranks of the four major crime lords and removes their ability to protect the city via their earlier threat. Given Whoreson bankrupts Dijkstra in the process, it's also possible Dijkstra's six tons of gold end up in Radovid's coffers but certainly limit his ability to carry out any operations against Novigrad. It doesn't limit his ability to carry out an operation against Radovid himself, however.
   
    Either way, though, Radovid will enter into Novigrad soon and secure the city for himself. He just may not live to enjoy it.

Reasons of State
   
    Despite semi-successful propaganda efforts to portray him as the North's savior, Radovid's cruelty and untrustworthiness alienates both his soldiers as well as allies. Mages, unlike in Dragon Age's Thedas, had traditionally held important roles in both religious as well as political circles. Their legendary role at the Battle of Sodden made their persecution by the North during a Nilfgaardian invasion seem particularly questionable. It was also obvious to Geralt, if not his mentor Vesemir, that Radovid was unlikely to turn over territories seized during the war.

    Dijkstra, despite his troubled fortunes, joined with partisan leader Roche and Temerian intelligence leader Dijkstra in forming a secret peace treaty with Nilfgaard. This treaty would guarantee both their nation's security as well as cede Lyria and Aedirn to the Nilfgaard.

    Temeria would become a vassal state while maintaining its own military, leadership, as well as legal code. In effect, it would become an autonomous principality similar to Toussaint. These were exceptionally generous terms of surrender and would merely require an end to fighting as well as assassination of Radovid. Whether John Natalis chose to approve of this treaty or whether Roche and Thaler's influence were enough to force it through is questionable but unanswered by the game.

Radovid Dies (Optional)

    Geralt of Rivia, having some small experience with assassination of monarchs, proves a decisive factor in this. Recruiting Philippa Eilhart, they are able to assassinate Radovid in one of three possible resolutions to the event.

    In this ending, Dijkstra proceeds to announce he intends to fight Nilfgaard on indefinitely. As Redania's former spymaster and part of the Council of Regents, he has enough authority as well as contacts to continue prosecuting the war from Redania's side, eventually rising to the position of Chancellor.

    Unfortunately, Temerian resistance to the Nilfgaard is vital to the continued prosecution of the war effort and Dijkstra's dreams of building a Redanian Empire. Whereas survival for Redania and gains of things like Kaedwin are good, they will mean nothing long-term without Temeria and Nilfgaard's military might has never been at a weaker state due to the economic situation. This is impossible if Temeria surrenders to Nilfgaard as planned.

    For Redania to become a rival to Nilfgaard, Thaler and Roche must die.

Radovid Dies but so does Dijkstra (Optional)
   
    In one case, Dijkstra's choice to assassinate Roche and Thaler in front of their occasional ally and possible friend, Geralt of Rivia, proves ill-advised. Without Dijkstra to either inform the peace or lead Redania's forces, the country is left leadership during a crucial time during the war as well as bereft of their Temerian allies.

Radovid Dies but so does Roche and Thaler (Optional)

    In another case, Geralt of Rivia proves disgusted by Roche and Thaler keeping him out of the loop regarding the secret treaty of Nilfgaard. Also, perhaps feeling some affection for Dijkstra for his role in helping the mages of Novigrad, he leaves Roche and Thaler to divest themselves of their problem on their own.

    They prove unable to do so.

    In this case, Dijkstra maintains Temerian dogged resistance to the Nilfgaard as well as takes over the Redanian military's  efforts.

Radovid Lives (Optional)

    In another case, Geralt decides that he is not an assassin, even of tyrants and focuses instead on saving his daughter. In this case, Radovid finds himself in possession of not only Novigrad's fortunes but Temeria is unable to secure a separate peace, forcing them to continue fighting in the service of an individual who wishes to conquer them.

The Disaster at Skellige

    During the final stretch of the war, Emperor Emhyr makes a curious to invade Skellige. This is an action which opens up a new front in the war in which Nilfgaard is already having difficulty defeating Redania. This isn't something Nilfgaard doesn't have the resources to do as Skellige is a relatively primitive island chain and sparsely populated. Their status as a warrior culture and vast number of sailing ships would not be able to prevent their conquest in the shape of a sustained military effort by Nilfgaard, especially with the historical clan divisions of Skellige.

    Unfortunately, for Nilfgaard, that's not what happens.

    Fortuitous to Geralt of Rivia and Ciri but unfortunate for Nilfgaard, the arrival of the magically superior Wild Hunt results in the entirety of the Black One's fleet being caught up in the conflict. While we do not know an exact figure for the casualties, what we do know is the event results in the failure of the Nilfgaard's invasion of Skellige and their retreat from their islands. However many deaths occurred or sunken ships is a loss to Nilfgaard's strategic reserve as well as deprivation from any invasion force against Redania.

Conclusion

    After these events, the final weeks of the war begin. Or, at least, the Temerian front.

Nilfgaard Wins (Optional)

    Nevertheless, if King Radovid and Dijkstra are dead, then the peace-treaty with Temeria is signed and Nilfgaard's former enemies become their allies. This allows a complete withdrawal of the Nilfgaardian soldiers used to garrison the nation and their deployment for a push into Redanian and Kaedwini territory. Without Temeria's partisan efforts and need to occupy the region with thousands of troops, it is seemingly only a matter of time before Redania and Kaedwin fall.

Redania Wins (Optional)
 
     With the disaster at Skellige and the acquisition of Novigrad's considerable wealth as well as trade fleet, King Radovid or Dijkstra is able to push their forces to Vizima which results in a necessary Nilfgaardian withdrawal from that city. By that time, Emhyr's political fortunes have reversed to the point that he is suffering non-stop assassination attempts. One of these assassination attempts will eventually succeed and Nilfgaard will have its own difficulties to deal with rather than Emperor Emhyr's failed military adventures.

     Thus is the history of the Third Nilfgaard War.

The Politics of the Witcher 3 part III

Warning: This essay will contain spoilers for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and some references to The Witcher novels.  

Part I is available to read here
Part II is available to read here
Part IV is available to read here

     Having discussed the issue of the majority of political aspects to the Third Nilfgaard War and the succession of Nilfgaard's dynasty, even briefly wading into the politics of Skellige, we're going to wrap up our essay with a couple of other points I think the game touched on.

Church and State

    "To think, a year ago, guards bowed their heads when mages passed."
    -Triss Merrigold, "Now or Never."   

    "Witch hunts are never about witches."
    -Geralt of Rivia, upon his return to Novigrad after finding Ciri.

    Whatever your beliefs in real-life are, it is an undeniable fact that poker-brokers and manipulators make use of religion in order to advance their own agenda. There are few things more vile than wrapping yourself in the trappings of religion to justify personal ambitions, though just as often it is the people who genuinely believe their rhetoric who are the truly dangerous ones. We see both sides of the position with the Eternal Fire in Novigrad.

    The Eternal Fire originated in the short story of the same name in The Sword of Destiny. It was already portrayed as a corrupt church with torturers and its own secret police. However, it is interesting to note that it was not racist or against magic. The two qualities it seems to have degenerated into being solely concerned with in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

    Geralt of Rivia is hired by Eternal Fire to find a doppler despite his mutation, mages are free to walk the streets, and both halflings as well as dwarves do big business. The only individuals they are concerned with are monsters, those affected by silver, which is a vague distinction but one many would be willing to overlook even amongst Witchers. The religion is also a local cult of Novigrad, unimportant outside of its borders.

Jacques would be ashamed of the Eternal Fire has become! And he was crazy!

    The racism of the Eternal Fire does not appear until The Witcher video game when the religion is exported to other lands by Jacques de Aldersberg a.k.a Alvin. Due to his experiences with the Scoia'tael, the time-traveling Jacques developed a profound hatred of nonhumans and elves in particular.

    As the leader of the Order of the Flaming Rose, the Eternal Fire's military arm upon the absorbtion of the Order of the White Rose, he deliberately provoked nonhumans as part of a long-term stratedgy to seize power in Temeria. Jacques' racism passed itself down onto the knights beneath him and became internalized by the soldiery as part of the order's dogma. A note: Jacques de Aldersberg was openly both a mage as well as a knight, throwing fireballs from his sword in battle as well as known to his soldiers as a supernatural being.

    Yet, by the time we meet the Eternal Fire in Novigrad, they have begun a full-scale pogrom of magic-users and monsters (including harmless dopplers) with an eventual switch to persecuting nonhumans. The origins of this activity is, apparently, the work of King Radovid of Redania who is patronizing the church as well as the Order of the Flaming Rose. We never hear anything about King Radovid's religious beliefs but it seems entirely possible has come to believe in the church.

    It's just, as King, he can influence its policies to suit his own prejudices which the Eternal Fire is all too happy to comply to. The truly scary thing? We encounter many Eternal Fire preachers and fanatics who seem to genuinely believe all of the rhetoric being spouted about both mages as well as nonhumans despite their status as enemies of the faith having been made up whole cloth within the past seven years.

    People in the North are stupid.

    We see another nasty use of this kind of mentality with the Crones in Velen who control the local population through a series of rites and festivals. They have created a system which gives them regular human sacrifices of children as well as young adults while paying them back only in magic acorns. Not only are the villagers prone to setting up altars and icons to the Crones, they seem genuinely happy with the arrangement. We see a much more harmless variant on this with the "All-God." A Sylvan has taken to impersonating a god in the region and giving valuable farming advice in exchange for gluttonous sacrifices of food.

    Really, he's almost saintly by comparison.
   
    Indeed, the only religion shown any degree of respect in the game is the worshipers of Freya on Skellige.

Lodge of Sorceresses

    ‘Nonsense,’ coughed Codringher, looking intently into his handkerchief. ‘A sorcerer spying for Nilfgaard? Why? For money? Risible. Counting on serious power under the rule of the victorious Emperor Emhyr? Even more ludicrous. It’s no secret that Emhyr var Emreis keeps his sorcerers on a short leash. Sorcerers in Nilfgaard are treated about the same as, let’s say, stablemen. And they have no more power than stablemen either. Would any of our headstrong mages choose to fight for an emperor who would treat them as a stable boy? Filippa Eilhart, who dictates addresses and edicts to Vizimir of Redania? Sabrina Glevissig, who interrupts the speeches of Henselt of Kaedwen, banging her fist on the table and ordering the king to be silent and listen? Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, who recently told Demavend of Aedirn that, for the moment, he has no time for him?’
    -Codringher, Time Of Contempt

Philippa thinks she sees better than she does.

    The Lodge of Sorceresses, one of the most important organizations in the Witcher books was effectively destroyed in Assassins of Kings. The source of their temporal power in the North, the "special relationship" between mages and monarchs, was destroyed by Philippa Eilhart alienating both King Radovid as well as King Henselt (the latter through her proxy in Sabrina Glevisseg). Alienating may be too kind a word since King Radovid blamed her for the death of his father while King Henselt witnessed Sabrina murder thousands of his men as part of a poorly-conceived gambit to deny him to Pontar Valley.
   
    By the time Letho's assassination campaign is complete, only the most hateful anti-mage monarchs in the North are left alive. Such dramatic turnarounds are not all that uncommon in Renaissance-era monarchical societies. The arbitrary nature of royal power means that individuals who were, previously, incredibly powerful can end up in a dungeon or dead soon after.

    King Henry VIII was, in particular, prone to making and breaking lives--often regretting it after the men he'd turned on were buried. Yennefer of Vengerberg successfully negotiates a pardon for the Lodge's members in Nilfgaard as part of her attempts to help Ciri, an action which is interesting as the organization existed primarily as a means of protecting the North from Nilfgaard.
   
    It's a monstrous act of treason on one level and simultaneously completely understandable given King Radovid's ambition to destroy all magic-users. Philippa Eilhart also shows no remorse or regret about the way she chose to play the game of thrones since she immediately begins trying to figure out how to take a position of power beside Emhyr or Ciri. Given her behavior with Saskia the Dragonslayer, either would be a fool to do anything but cut off her head, but Philippa has a way of surviving.

Some suffer for others' sins.

    It is interesting to see if the Lodge will be able to rebuild its power-base given the oppressed state of mages in Nilfgaard. They've worked with worse. The members we meet of the Lodge: Keira Metz, Triss, Philippa, Margarita, and Fringella all express different goals and ambitions based upon their status in the Lodge. Keira is interested in magical research to cure disease, Triss in protecting magic-users from persecution, Margarita in protecting her students, and Philippa in accumulating power.

    They are an alliance of individuals only loosely united in ideology and assisting each other for their own reasons. That lack of uniform ideology is perhaps the biggest truism of actual politics. So is Philippa's rather despicable statement she has no further interest in the lodge since her previous leadership status is now compromised--a born politician that one.

    Interestingly, after their monstrous portrayal in Assassins of Kings, the organization is treated as a neutral-verging-on-good organization in Wild Hunt. Given the surrounding ambiguity, this perhaps makes sense. Everyone is a mixture of good and evil in Wild Hunt's politics with even the worse, Radovid, being possibly the only one who can save the North from conquest. An ambiguous goal itself.

Endings

    “Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
― Andrzej Sapkowski, The Last Wish
   
    The endings of the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are a mixture of many world-states, all affected by Geralt's decisions both good and bad. What's interesting is the majority of things which determine these world-states are unrelated to any major decision on Geralt's part. While his choice to assassinate Radovid or not is the clear exception, for the most part, Geralt's world depends on the way he subtly influences his surrounding associates rather than directly influences them.

    While, we, the player, are able to know what does and does not achieve a specific result, the game is actually very deliberate about obscuring what's going on. Much of the larger world of politics is opaque to Geralt and actions have larger consequences than he can deal with. Unlike, say, the Dragon Age universe where choices and consequences are very clearly spelled out--Geralt is a man muddying through a world of ambiguity and lesser evils.

Sometimes, there's just no good answers.

    In one scenario, Geralt can confront his possible lover, Keira Metz about seizing a bunch of research notes from a nearby tower dealing with a horrific plague. Keira may or may not use these notes to start a horrific plague as a bioweapon or be planning something likewise unethical about it. Geralt is left with only his past experiences involving Keira to provide him insight into whether he's fighting a great evil or she's sincere in her desire to help end a plague. Keira might also want to end a plague only to be coerced or bribed into the reverse. Geralt can end up killing her for the greater good. Only, if she lives, miss out of an opportunity to save millions because she WAS sincere. Just going about it in a way which was very suspicious.

    There's no "Golden Ending" either as the Witcheress ending is one which will set Ciri on a path of personal difficulty and may have denied her the chance to do the most good in life. It is, however, the ending which she is most personally happy. The "Empress" ending is one which is full of ambiguity as well as unknowns as to what lies in store for our half-Northern uneducated girl with very unconventional opinions in a land famed for its ruthlessness. In a way, the "Everyone's Dead, Dave" ending of Ciri dying has an almost pleasant straightforwardness to it.

    The Witcher 3 could have been better. You may notice I almost completely ignore the Wild Hunt in my essay because they exist as almost nothing but moving targets save one mission which takes Avalla'ch and Geralt to their homeworld. Still, the game provides no end of complicated and multi-faceted political decisions. For me, I chose Dijkstra and Ciri as a Witcheress but this was based on emotion rather than logic.

    Other gamers may choose otherwise.

    In short, I disagree with those who claim the politics of The Witcher 3 are less complex than the previous game. They're very complex. The difference is Geralt is not at the center of the chessboard, determining which sides do what. Instead, Geralt is merely a leaf being buffeted from one side to another, only to occasionally make the wind change because he's a very-very special leaf.

The Politics of the Witcher 3 part II

Warning: This essay will contain spoilers for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and some references to The Witcher novels. 

    Having already discussed the Third Nilfgaard War in the first section, this part of the essay will discuss some of the major players as well as a lesser political situation which Geralt can become involved in.

Part I available to read here
Part III available to read here
Part IV available to read here

Emhyr var Emreis, Deithwen Addan yn Carn aep Morvudd (a.k.a "The White Flame Dancing On the Grave of His Enemies")

    "Because we broke their spine at Sodden. We broke them militarily, and above all we broke their morale. I don’t know whether it is true that Emhyr var Emreis was, at the time, against aggression on such a scale, that the attack on Cintra was the work of some party hostile to him – I take it that if they had defeated us, he would be applauding, and distributing privileges and endowments amongst them. But after Sodden it suddenly turns out he was against it, and that everything which occurred was due to his marshals’ insubordination. And heads fell. The scaffolds flowed with blood. These are certain facts, not rumors. Eight solemn executions, and many more modest ones. Several apparently natural yet mysterious deaths, a good many cases of people suddenly choosing to retire. I tell you, Emhyr fell into a rage and practically finished off his own commanders."
    -King Henselt, Blood of Elves

    No more character in the whole of The Witcher franchise is more controversial than Emhyr var Emreis. He is one of the earliest characters introduced in the franchise, appearing during "A Question of Price" before returning in "The Blood of Elves" as a figure who is the not-so-secret mastermind behind Nilfgaard's aggression.

    Under Emhyr's control, the Nilfgaard have invaded the lands of the North three times, created the terrorist Scoia'tael, assassinated Kings, and been involved in numerous plots both great and small. He is also responsible for a lengthy attempt to hunt down his daughter Ciri in order to force her to marry him so that he could create a Chosen One who would rule half then world then a grandchild who would rule the entirety of it. Thankfully, he turned his back on his action at the last minute despite nothing preventing him from doing so but his conscience.

Geralt's meeting with Emhyr is a meeting of book and game history. He is meeting his archenemy, friend, and rival in the throne room of friend who's kingdom Emhyr has conquered.

    With the exception of the above noble action, there's no end to possible excuses or questions about how much he's responsible for everything listed above. Was he forced into invading Cintra? Did the marshals exceed his orders? Is fostering terrorists as partisans only to betray them for peace a valid expression of statecraft? Real-life essays can and have been written on political figures less complex than Emhyr var Emreis.

    However, the question of King Emhyr in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is not his political military or political legacy but his relationship to the monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia as well as his daughter Ciri of Cintra. When we meet Emhyr it is after being requested to do so by Geralt's long-time lover and pseudo-spouse Yennefer of Vengerberg with the explicit assumption he wishes to help a returned Ciri. Specifically, he wishes to give Ciri rulership of the Empire by naming her his heir and abdicating.

    The central choice in the game, even more so than Reasons of State, politically is whether Geralt of Rivia chooses to play the role of Kingmaker and deliver his daughter to Emhyrs. Much fan debate has been had over whether Geralt is paternalistic by refusing to take Ciri there, whether or not Ciri should be convinced to refuse him of her own accord, or other issues which we will cover in the Ciri section. What it does say, however, is that Emhyr has tired of his position as Emperor and is attempting to secure his legacy.

The next Emperor of Nilfgaard? Ciri's husband? Tool?

    Even this seemingly fatherly act is questionable, though, and can be interpreted multiple ways. Is Emhyr doing it because of love of Ciri, his desire to continue the prophecy without incest, a desire to secure his dynasty due to his lack of issue, other factors we're not made aware of, or all of the above? Emhyr remains an enigmatic figure throughout. We're also missing valuable information on what has happened to Emhyr's wife, the so-called "False Ciri" who he named Empress of Nilfgaard and Queen of Cintra in order to secure his claim to those territories.

    In the end, Geralt's relationship with Emhyr will determine the fate of the entire North as well as Nilfgaard based on how much the Witcher chooses to trusts the man's motives. If he believes in Emhyr and his sincerity, then Ciri is going to be his heir and Emhyr's political legacy his secured. If he chooses not to, Emhyr may or may not win the war against Redania but his dynasty remains in grave peril. If Geralt chooses to ignore Radovid's atrocities or support Dijkstra then the Emperor of Nilfgaard will, for better or worse, die friendless and alone at the hands of his own subjects.

    Perhaps having just reconciled with his daughter.

Ciri of Cintra

    Neutrality? Indifference? She wanted to scream. A witcher looking on indifferently? No! A witcher has to defend people. From the leshy, the vampire, the werewolf. And not only from them. He has to defend people from every evil. And in Transriver I saw what evil is. A witcher has to defend and save. To defend men so that they aren’t hung on trees by their hands, aren’t impaled and left to die. To defend fair girls from being spread-eagled between stakes rammed into the ground. Defend children so they aren’t slaughtered and thrown into a well. Even a cat burned alive in a torched barn deserves to be defended. That’s why I’m going to become a witcher, that’s why I’ve got a sword, to defend people like those in Sodden and Transriver – because they don’t have swords, don’t know the steps, half-turns, dodges and pirouettes. No one has taught them how to fight, they are defenceless and helpless in face of the werewolf and the Nilfgaardian marauder. They’re teaching me to fight so that I can defend the helpless. And that’s what I’m going to do. Never will I be neutral. Never will I be indifferent. Never!
    -Ciri of Cintra, Blood of Elves.

     Admitting to my complete and utter bias is my belief Ciri of Cintra is one of the greatest female characters of fantasy literature. She ranks up there with Daenerys Targaryen, Dana Scully, and Eowyn for people I think of as amongst my favorite characters in storytelling period. As such, I will make no attempt to hide my favoritism for her. I hope she's the main character of The Witcher 4 or her own successful series of spin-off games. Be that as it may, Ciri's role in the politics of Wild Hunt is less playing the role of one football team or another's player but the ball.

    Ciri of Cintra represents the only hope for Emperor Emhyr's dynasty to continue since there is no sign his marriage to the False Ciri has born any heirs in the past seven years. Indeed, causal chatter with the young and sprightly General Voorhis indicates that there is already plans for him to be Emperor (though this may be due to the assumption he will marry Ciri the moment she ascends to the throne in order to secure the allegiance of Nilfgaard's nobility after Emhyr's two marriages to Cintrans).

To be wield two swords or wear a crown is her choice. In other fables, this wouldn't be a choice but the Witcher is far more ambiguous.

    Ciri's opinion on ruling Nilfgaard seem to be ambivalent, at best, and the game doesn't give any options to have Geralt discuss the issue with her before or after her optional meeting with Emhyr. Being the Lady of Time and Space, rulership of Nilfgaard is less impressive to her than it might be to other people since the largest empire in the Continent is a spec of sand in the universe's very large beach. She's also been offered the less-than-welcome attentions of beings like King Eredin, ruler of his own planet.

    Part of this ambivalence may come to her past experiences with both Nilfgaard as well as Emperor Emhyr who, through accident or design, is responsible for the deaths of both her mother and grandmother. Ciri also expresses during her quest, "Payback", a desire for normal life where she is able to travel and live and love amongst the common folk. Nevertheless, should she choose to meet with Emhyr, he is able to persuade her to become Empress through arguments we are not privy to.

    The only hints are in the "Empress" ending which indicate she believes she can do more good as a Empress than as a Witcher, which may be objectively true or false depending on a variety of elements ranging from political climate to successors if she chooses not to ascend the throne. There is still a somber mood to the ascension and one cannot help but assume even if it is by her own choice, Ciri does not want the crown or its responsibilities. Book readers will certainly know that Ciri's desires are as far away from responsibility and power as possible.

Age has matured Ciri a great deal.

    The choice for Geralt to decide the future of the Var Emreis Dynasty depends on his trust of Emhyr and belief in the man's sincerity. Yennefer of Vengerberg believes that Emhyr has a right to know and meet his daughter due to their biological relationship but Ciri's choice to see him or not depends entirely on Geralt's opinion. Liberated Witcheress or not, she is very much Daddy's Girl and her father is NOT Emhyr. What we do know is Emhyr WILL persuade her if given the chance but that requires Geralt (or Ciri if you leave the choice to her) to believe they should be alone in the same room to begin with. In the end, Geralt's decision will be motivated by his own biases as well as prioritizing rather than any singular loyalty to the North or Nilfgaard or otherwise.

    Ciri would, in all likelihood, be an amazing Empress as one of the few royals for whom common people as well as nonhumans were not lesser beings. However, these very same attitudes would make her position as ruler difficult as well as isolate her from her peers (which an Empress wouldn't have anyway given the way Emhyr is treated by his subordinates). Perhaps it is for the best the Empress Ending, as such, ends on uncertainty since all politics in this game are built under a fog of war which never lets up until the ending slides.

Skellige

    Compared to the rest of the game, the politics of Skellige are mercifully straightforward. The previous King of Skellige has died, leaving behind an adult son and widow (along with a second widow who commits ritual suicide to be with him in the afterlife). Due to Skellige traditions being clan-based semi-democratic, the next King will be chosen by mutual consent of the Jarls.

    Queen Bran, who is sadly a woman who might as well scream "Villain" postulates that they need to do away with this semblance of democracy and instead adopt (presumably primogenitor) hereditary monarchy as a principle. This sounds ridiculous to modern ears but is actually not that insane due to the "hard to polish a turd" problem of monarchy.

    Skellige is a primitive disunited island nation with numerous feuding clans and almost no ability to project force onto the larger world. A single dictator with a hereditary lineage offers a far greater opportunity for Skellige to be a modernized political-military force in the future. In any ending where she succeeds with her Frey-esque "Bloody Banquet" plan, her son will actually do just that.

    Geralt of Rivis much more likely to side with his long-time family friends in the Craite lineage, however. The two choices for monarch there are Cerys an Craite and Hjalmar an Craite with both bringing something to the table. From a modern perspective, Cerys is the obvious candidate due to the fact she's a level-headed peace-maker and wise despite her age. She's a bit hot-blooded but that may be a saving grace in a land poisoned by such attitudes. Hjalmar, by contrast, is kind of an idiot who's epic adventure against a giant gets most of his crew killed and only deals with the surface elements of a plot.

The best woman for the job? Perhaps. Peace is a pearl without price but those who set down their weapons invite attack.

    Cerys, however, blunts Skellige's greatest advantages by pursuing her policies of peaceful reform. It is a long-attributed saying that those who desire peace should prepare for war and with either a new more powerful Nilfgaard or the Redanian Empire rising from the ashes of the Third Nilfgaard War, Skellige will need a united military power with a modernized Navy to stand against them. Hjalmar, for all of his stupidity, may in fact be a less polarizing figure who is also able to keep a strong military. The next King Bran would perhaps, ironically, be the best candidate for maintaining Skellige independence. For those who think Skellige is unlikely to be invaded soon, it is only the timely arrival of the Wild Hunt which prevents Emhyr from launching a full-scale invasion of the islands. In that, whichever candidate won may have lucked out but for how long? One benefit, at least, for the Craites is the victorious sibling has the other to rely on.

Conclusion

    One of the biggest things the Witcher emphasizes in its portrayal of politics is the inscrutability of motivations, trustworthiness of one's allies, as well as the unintended consequences of one's actions. Emhyr is absolutely sincere with his offer to make Ciri Empress of Nilfgaard but Geralt doesn't know this and is left with contradictory information over whether or not he can be trusted (we see Emhyr betray Letho while sparing cities, for example).

    Likewise, Ciri's own motivations are malleable depending on Emhyr and Geralt's diplomacy. Given a fair chance, Emhyr will persuade her to support his dynasty by becoming his heir but Geralt can persuade her to forgo this path simply by saying Emhyr is manipulative. Human nature's role in politics has shattered kingdoms and changed government's courses forever and this is very often on display.

    Skellige really brings this home as the clearly most-qualified candidate may not be the best woman in the job for the long run but that largely depends on factors entirely unknown to the people who elect her as well as events which Geralt can shift in multiple directions. Ceyrs is the worst sort of candidate for dealing with Emhyr or Radovid but Cerys is likely to be able to sell peace with Empress Ciri. Cerys or King Bran might be able to come to an agreement with Dijkstra while Hjalmar would simply spark a war.

NEXT - CHURCH AND STATE, LODGE OF SORCERESSES, AND ENDINGS