The Witcher season 3 released its first five episodes on Netflix today, so it’s time to get out the silver sword and head back to the Continent! The latest installment in the monster-hunting fantasy series sees Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) on the run with his foster daughter Ciri (Freya Allan) and his on-again-off-again sorceress paramour Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) as they attempt to hide from various forces aiming to use Ciri for their own gain.
That includes the Nilfgaardian Empire, which is ruled by Emperor Emhyr var Emries (Bart Edwards), also known as The White Flame Dancing on the Graves of His Foes. Nilfgaard features in a big way during season 3, which makes now a good time to refresh yourself on the details of this fictional medieval empire. We’re going to discuss Nilfgaard below, but be warned there will be spoilers for The Witcher season 2.
Nilfgaard Witcher explained
Nilfgaard is an empire in the southern reaches of the Continent. It’s notable for its economic and military might as well as its expansionist policies. It has grown into the largest political force on the Continent by conquering its neighbors, either through warfare, subterfuge, or trade, and then integrating them into the broader empire.
Nilfgaard is one of the primary antagonistic forces in The Witcher TV series. At the start of the show, the empire has just begun to look towards the Northern Kingdoms. By season 3, it has already wrought major havoc across the land, decimated Cintra, and tricked the elven guerrilla fighters known as the Scoia’tael into an alliance.
While Nilfgaard wants to rule the Northern Kingdoms to expand its power, there’s also a personal element at play: Emperor Emhyr is Ciri’s father. The details of how this came to pass are the subject of the season 1 episode “Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials,” which shows how Ciri’s mother Pavetta and Emhyr (who was called Dunny at the time) overcame a curse to be together. We don’t know exactly why Emhyr is after Ciri; perhaps he wants her to become his heir? Surely season 3 will expose some of those secrets.
In addition to Emhyr, Nilfgaard is home to two other notable characters: the disgraced warrior Cahir (Eamon Farren) and the sorceress Fringilla Vigo (Mimi Ndiweni), the latter of whom was assigned there as court sorceress following her training at Aretuza.
The Witcher season 3 volume 1 is streaming now on Netflix. Volume 2 drops on July 27, and will contain the final three episodes of the season.
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