In The Witcher Season 3, Why Are All The 5 Groups Hunting Ciri?
In The Witcher season 3, multiple groups actively pursue Ciri, the princess of Cintra, each driven by distinct motives for capturing her.
The third season of The Witcher has arrived, and following the events of the second season, an increased number of factions have joined the quest to locate Ciri, each driven by their distinct objectives.
After the controversial occurrences of Season 2, the series returns with its third season, marking Henry Cavill’s final portrayal of Geralt of Rivia. Treated as a significant event, The Witcher Season 3 is divided into two parts, promising an action-packed narrative filled with surprises and twists.
In Part 1 of The Witcher Season 3, we find Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer on the run, striving to ensure their safety while being pursued by numerous adversaries across the Continent, focusing on capturing Ciri.
These diverse groups from various regions possess different motives for capturing Ciri, and their true intentions are unveiled throughout Season 3. To add to the complexity, one of these adversaries happens to be much closer than anticipated. Here are the five factions hunting Ciri in The Witcher Season 3.
5. Nilfgaard & The White Flame
The underlying reasons for Nilfgaard’s relentless pursuit of Ciri remained shrouded in mystery until the concluding episode of The Witcher Season 2, where the true identity of the Emperor, referred to as The White Flame, was unveiled.
This enigmatic figure was none other than Emhyr van Emries, also known as Lord Urcheon “Duny” of Erlenwald. Emhyr had a significant connection to Ciri as he was the husband of Princess Pavetta and her father. Their union resulted from the Law of Surprise, a destiny-binding tradition paralleled in Geralt and Ciri’s story after the witcher saved Duny’s life.
Following Ciri’s birth and Emhyr’s discovery of the Ithlinne prophecy through Vilgefortz, he returned to Nilfgaard and reclaimed the throne, envisioning Ciri as a crucial part of his plan. However, Queen Calanthe remained vigilant and closely monitored his actions. In collaboration with Vilgefortz, Emhyr devised a scheme to fake his own, Pavetta’s, and Ciri’s deaths.
Pavetta became aware of the plan and managed to smuggle Ciri away from their ship before it departed, thereby saving her. A confrontation between Emhyr and Pavetta led to Emhyr pushing her overboard.
He proceeded with his scheme to feign Duny’s death, enabling him to return to Nilfgaard. As a gruesome display of power, he exhumed the graves of his deceased political adversaries and repurposed their gravestones to pave his ballroom.
The driving force behind The White Flame’s quest for Ciri in the books is a subject of controversy. Emhyr adheres to a prophecy that suggests his son, endowed with the Elder Blood and connected to the elves, will inherit great power and ascend to become the ruler of the Continent.
Since Ciri possesses the Elder Blood and its accompanying abilities, Emhyr seeks to capture her to father a child who will fulfill the prophecy and become the world’s ruler. Whether Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher will incorporate this aspect of Emhyr and Ciri’s story remains uncertain.
Nevertheless, the information unveiled so far indicates that Emhyr’s aspiration is for Ciri to govern alongside him, and he is sparing no effort to locate his daughter.
4. Francesca Findabair & The Elves
Amidst the occurrences of The Witcher Season 2, the elves were embroiled in the challenging endeavor of reconstructing their community and striving to secure a lasting homeland. In this quest, Francesca Findabair, the esteemed elven leader, made a fateful agreement with Fringilla and the Voleth Meir, resulting in dire repercussions.
Although Francesca successfully gave birth to the first elven baby in a significant period, The White Flame ordered the child’s execution. Enraged by this act, Francesca severed ties with Nilfgaard and departed.
Towards the conclusion of The Witcher Season 2, Istredd informed Francesca about Ciri and her possession of the Elder Blood. Francesca interpreted the prophecy mentioned earlier to mean that Ciri would be the savior of the elves.
Francesca’s mission to locate Ciri caused tension between her and Gallatin, the leader of the Scoia’tael, who believed her endeavor to be futile, preferring to focus on other battles.
Taking advantage of the situation, The White Flame and Cahir skillfully manipulated Francesca by capitalizing on Gallatin’s death.
They successfully persuaded Francesca to lend her support to the Emperor in his search for Ciri, although the exact details of their arrangement remain undisclosed. Cahir assigned Francesca their initial mission as newfound allies in the act of alliance.
3. Dijkstra & Redania
As an advisor and spy to King Vizimir, Dijkstra discussed Redania’s future strategies with the monarch. After careful deliberation, they determined that Ciri should be their primary target.
Dijkstra’s objective is to apprehend Ciri and arrange her marriage to Vizimir, ultimately facilitating the King’s ascent to the throne of Cintra and solidifying Redania’s supremacy as the most influential kingdom on the Continent.
However, Dijkstra’s plans encountered a significant obstacle when Vizimir, without consulting Dijkstra, forged a deal with Nilfgaard. This agreement stipulated that if Redania were to capture Ciri, she would be handed over to Nilfgaard.
To annul the agreement and restore the King’s confidence, Dijkstra and Philippa orchestrated the assassination of Queen Hedwig, Vizimir’s wife, which ultimately yielded the desired outcome.
Dijkstra persistently sought to persuade Geralt to align with their cause and deliver Ciri into their hands. However, Geralt remained steadfast in maintaining his neutrality.
The first part of The Witcher Season 3 concluded with the commencement of the Thanedd Coup, a pivotal event led by Dijkstra in the books. Therefore, the second part will delve into the lengths to which Dijkstra is willing to go in his pursuit of capturing Ciri.
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2. Vilgefortz & Rience
Lydia van Bredevoort has been employed by a mysterious individual who assigned her to locate Ciri. To reach Ciri quickly, she sought aid from Rience, a rogue mage who practices forbidden fire magic.
Despite Rience’s attempts to capture Ciri in The Witcher Season 2, he continued his mission in Season 3, utilizing a vial containing Ciri’s blood that he had stolen from Kaer Morhen. However, Rience faced repeated failures in Season 3.
After suffering a severe injury at the hands of Geralt and making no progress, he and the audience discover that Lydia’s employer is affiliated with Nilfgaard.
By the end of The Witcher Season 3 Part 1, Yennefer and Geralt realize that the mage supporting Rience was not Stregobor, as initially thought, but Vilgefortz.
Vilgefortz, in collaboration with the White Flame (Emhyr), kidnapped half-elf novices from Aretuza for experimentation. He manipulated their minds, making them believe they were Ciri, to perfect this technique on the real Ciri. Vilgefortz, thus, is working alongside the White Flame to find Ciri, employing Lydia and Rience as intermediaries to avoid direct involvement.
1. The Wild Hunt
The Wild Hunt consists of spectral beings mounted on undead horses who traverse the sky, often regarded as a foreboding sign of impending war. Initially, the Wild Hunt comprised Aen Elle elves from Tir ná Lia. Under the command of elven King Auberon Muircetach, they formed a cavalry unit to invade other realms and capture young humanoids to enslave.
To enhance their intimidating appearance, the members of the Wild Hunt donned skeletal armor and utilized projections to create a more spectral visage. These tactics earned them the moniker of the “Wild Hunt.”
When the elves lost their ability to traverse space-time through the Gate of the Worlds, they adapted their strategies and improved their spectral projections. However, their primary focus shifted upon learning about Ciri and her possession of the Elder Blood.
Their new plan involved capturing Ciri for her to mate with their King. The Wild Hunt aimed to reintroduce the Elder Blood to the elven race through their offspring, thereby regaining power and restoring access to the Gate.
However, circumstances changed when their King proved unable to fulfill his role and was slain. The new ruler opted to harness the power from Ciri instead to reopen the Gate.
While the Wild Hunt briefly appeared in The Witcher Season 3 Part 1, their motivations for pursuing Ciri remain ambiguous. Eredin, a member of the Wild Hunt, informed Ciri that they are corpses while she represents death, suggesting their reasons for hunting here may differ from those depicted in the books.
