Birna

Birna
Type	Character
Location	Skellige
DLC	Base game
Also known as	Birna Bran

Birna Bran is the widow of King Bran of Skellige and the mother of his son, Svanrige. After the king's death she hopes to put her son on the throne. Geralt meets her at Kaer Trolde during King Bran's wake, in the quest The King is Dead - Long Live the King.

Lore

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Skellige warriors are not used to a woman holding the reins of power. Birna makes it harder for herself, since she looks down on her countrymen and their customs. Skellige custom calls on a great man's widow to throw herself onto her husband's funeral pyre. Birna scorns this old ritual.

Her wish to rewrite the ancient traditions sets her against the jarls. She also openly despises the custom of choosing a ruler by a vote of the jarls. Birna dreams of a kingship that passes from parent to child. She believes the ideal dynasty is her own, starting with her and Bran's young son, Svanrige.

Story

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At Bran's wake, Birna speaks with Yennefer at the gates of Kaer Trolde before the feast. Later, another feast at Kaer Trolde ends in a massacre, and the blame falls on the an Craite clan.

In King's Gambit, the outcome depends on whom Geralt helps. If Geralt sides with Cerys, Cerys and Geralt find evidence that Birna's hunger for power drove her to plot the massacre. The evidence seals her fate. If Geralt sides with neither Cerys nor Hjalmar, Birna's dream comes true, and her son takes the throne. Her plans to control his every move fail, though. The new king quickly makes it clear that he will rule on his own.

Relationships

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Bran Tuirseach was her husband, and Svanrige is their son. Her plans set her against the jarls of Skellige.

Quests

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Quest	Type	Location
The King is Dead - Long Live the King	Main Quest	Skellige
King's Gambit	Secondary Quest	Skellige

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