4Game

Hello again! We are back with another Weekend Lore Ramblings post and another list of characters that deserve to be in the game, but aren't as of yet. This time put on your finest doublet (or dress if you're a dame) and practice your savoir-vivre, because today we'll look at some aristocrats from the Northern Realms. So, without further to do, let's begin, shall we?

King Esterad Thyssen – a ruler of Kovir and Poviss, a neutral state at the very north end of the continent that separated from Redania and has become the biggest economical force on the North. When Esterad was young, Poviss seperated under the reign of a self-proclaimed King Rhyd and later Esterad's father, Baldwin was overthrown by margrave Idi and the Thyssenids were forced to escape (not all of them managed this, many were killed). During his exile in Talgar, he started to gather means to reclaim the throne (and he also met his wife there, the rumor has it that he never cheated on her – Dijkstra sent many attractive agent to him, but he just sent them all back). Ultimately, he was able to regain the throne (it was at the time when Geralt met Dudu in Novigrad, as we learn that Dudu as Dainty Biberveldt bought cochineal because Thyssenids took the power in Poviss, so a red dye – a colour of Thyssenids became much more valuable). The fights for power severely damaged the status of the state, but under Esterad's rule it was steadily rebuilt. The book describes him as tall, massive and handsome (just like all men in his lineage). He was 56 years old at the time Dijkstra visited him, but he looked much younger than his age and healthy like a sailor that had just returned to land. Esterad had 3 childeren – Gaudemunda, Heloiza and Tankred. He had a magical map in his chamber that, when touched with his scepter, shown the progress of Nilfgaard's invasion to the North in real time. In "The Tower of the Swallow" ("Wieża Jaskółki"), Sigismund Disktra visits the king in Lan Exeter (the capital of Kovir) to ask him for money to sponsor Redanian army in their fight against Nilfgaard. Esterad liked the head of Redanian Intelligence (he called him "a decent son of a b*tch"), but was not willing to give him that amount of money. After consulting with his wife, he decided to help him another way – he released prisoners locked in his dungeons that formed the Free Condottier Company (Wolna Kompania Kondotierska) – the formation of mercenaries under the command of Adam "Adieu" Pangratt and was crucial in the victory in the Battle of Brenna. Esterad died when the assassins (sent either by Emperor Emhyr var Emreis as a revenge for helping Dijkstra or the Lodge of Sorceress as a revenge for not marrying Ciri to his son Tankred – they were trying to influence both his and his wife's dreams to make them do it, but they didn't) came to murder his wife – Esterad shielded her with his own body and was stabbed to death multiple times.

Queen Zuleyka – the wife of King Esterad, short, stout woman with an unattractive, but friendly face. She wore modest, plain, loose dresses and a family mobcap, didn't use any jewellery or make up. she was a devoted follower of Prophet Lebioda and she often read "The Good Book" ("Dobra Księga"), a collection of Lebioda's wisdom. When asked for advise by her husband, she only cited the quotes from the Book. One of those quotes the parable about a mischievous cat led Esterad to send the prisoners as mercenaries to help Redanian forces in Brenna. Esterad was killed saving her as mentioned above.

Kistrin – the son of King Ervyll of Verden, who later became the king himself. He was suposed to marry princess Cirilla in order to solidify an alliance between Cintra and Verden, but neither of them wanted that marriage (Kistrin loved lady Alvina and wanted to be her knight). As a result Ciri (with a help of an unnemed squire that was killed by the dryads) escaped from the Nastrog Castle into Brokilon and the chase, commanded by Baron Freixenet was sent after her. Ciri described Kistrin as fat, ugly stupid and with a stinky breath. When he grew up, he revolted against his father (who was a puppet of Nilfgaard) and took the throne for himself. He was present during the negotiations preceding the signing of the Treaty of Cintra. He thought that he was lucky not to marry Ciri, because he would end up dead.

King Ervyll – the king of Verden, the father of Kistrin. He was very obese, and had a red nose, bloodshot eyes and a messy beard. His wife (and Kistrin's mother) was Eliza, the sister of Baron Freixenet, his voivode. He hated dryads and paid for their scalps. His men staged a murder of merchants that was going to be blamed on the dryads which was aimed to make his neighbours, Brugge join his crusade against them, but Geralt, who witnessed it after exiting Brokilon with Ciri, killed those thugs. Ervyll was a drunkard and supposedly also a pedophile. During the war between NR and Nilfgaard, he sided with the Empire, but was overthrown by his son who was loyal to the Northern Realms.

Venzlav – the king of Brugge, one of the countries adjacent to Brokilon, a vassal of Cintra and later of Temeria. He was criticised for being too indulgent towards the dryads (Ervyll's thugs joked that this was probably because he was banging them). At the time of Ciri and Kistrin's failed marriage, Venzlav sent Geralt, who he considered a friend, as an envoy to Brokilon. He wanted to ask Eithne to give him a part of the forest that stretched to the Vda river in exchange for a promise that he won't touch the remaining parts of Brokilon, to which Eithe didn't even bother responding. Later, when he learned about Geralt healing in Brokilon after losing a fight to Vilgefortz on Thanedd, he sent Jaskier/Dandelion to him with an escort of his soldiers.

There are far more NR aristocrats worth mentioning, but I think I'll leave them for another post as this one is already long enough, so see ya next time!