Where did Vilgefortz send Istredd in The Witcher season 3?

The Witcher season 3 left us with a lot of questions, and not just about how the show will handle the recast for Geralt of Rivia in season 4. While the show’s third installment wrapped up several major plotlines and featured a few big deaths, it also left us on a number of cliffhangers.

One of those cliffhangers revolves around the fate of the mage Istredd (Royce Pierreson). When last we saw Istredd in season 3, he was pushed through a portal by the nefarious Vilgefortz of Roggeveen (Mahesh Jadu) during the Thanedd coup.

What happened to Istredd? And what did Vilgefortz want with him?

Where did Vilgefortz send Istredd?

While Vilgefortz’s exact motives for kidnapping Istredd are still largely shrouded in mystery, we can make an educated guess based on their final interaction of the season. During season 3, Istredd and Triss Merigold (Anna Shaffer) joined forces to put together two important pieces of the puzzle surrounding Rience’s mysterious employer, who we come to learn is Vilgefortz. Triss wanted to find out what happened to the missing novices, who were abducted and turned into the hideous flesh monster in Vulipanne castle.

Istredd, on the other hand, wanted to find the Book of Monoliths to keep it from falling into the hands of Rience’s mysterious employer. The Book of Monoliths is a tome which was introduced in The Witcher: Blood Origin spinoff. It dates back to before the Conjunction of the Spheres, and contains the secrets to traveling between worlds and even times.

When we last see Istredd, he’s just retrieved the Book of Monoliths. However, Vilgefortz is one step ahead of him. The villain appears behind him and tells Istredd that it isn’t just the book he wants. He then sends Istredd through a portal.

During season 3 we learn that Vilgefortz has been creating portals that allow for fast travel to the Nilfgaardian Empire. We also see Vilgefortz in Nilfgaard at the end of the season, so it’s not out of the question that he might have sent Istredd there.

However, Vilgefortz stressed that he is working with Nilfgaard, not for them. Since he has own agenda, we think it’s more likely that he sent Istredd to his secret lair, which features prominently in the back half of The Witcher Saga book series by Andrzej Sapkowski.

What does Vilgefortz want with Istredd?

As for why Vilgefortz wanted Istredd in the first place, that answer likely lies with the Book of Monoliths. Istredd is one of the only mages at Aretuza to have specialized in studying Monoliths and travel between worlds. Given that Vilgefortz wants the book, and presumably the ability to jump worlds (called spheres), it would make sense if he also wanted to capture the leading expert on the topic.

One thing’s for sure: being captured by Vilgefortz isn’t a good thing for Istredd. We’ll find out what dark future awaits the mage whenever The Witcher season 4 premieres. It’s due to start filming sometime in 2024, provided the writers and actors strikes are resolved by then.

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