Geralt of Rivia
| Geralt of Rivia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Character |
| Race | Witcher |
| Affiliation | Wolf School |
| DLC | Base game |
| Also known as |
|
Geralt of Rivia is a witcher of the School of the Wolf and the hero of the game. He is a legendary monster slayer, known as the White Wolf, and the adoptive father of Ciri. The game follows his search for Ciri across White Orchard, Velen, Novigrad, Skellige and Kaer Morhen, and his war against the Wild Hunt.
Lore
Geralt is the son of the sorceress Visenna and, it is believed, the warrior Korin. Soon after his birth, his mother left him with the School of the Wolf at the keep of Kaer Morhen. There he was trained to become a witcher. As a child he went through the Trial of the Grasses and survived the painful mutations that give witchers their powers. He showed an unusual tolerance for them, so he was chosen for further, experimental mutations. Geralt was the only one to survive them. They made him stronger, faster and tougher than other witchers, and they turned his hair white. This earned him the name White Wolf, Gwynbleidd in the Elder Speech.
Geralt's mentor was Vesemir, whom he came to see as a father. He grew up with Eskel, and the two became as close as brothers. Young witchers were encouraged to make up surnames, so that clients would trust them more. Geralt first chose "Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde", but Vesemir dismissed it as silly and pretentious. So Geralt picked "of Rivia" instead, and even put on a Rivian accent to sound more convincing. He does not actually come from Rivia. When he set out on the Path, he named his horse Roach, a name he has given to every horse since.
As a young witcher, Geralt believed the world needed him to protect the innocent. On his first journey he saved a girl from a bandit and killed the man. Instead of thanks, the girl fainted in fear of him. After that he rarely meddled in such matters. Over the years he earned other names, among them the Butcher of Blaviken. He also met the poet Dandelion, who became his closest friend. A shared adventure with a genie led him to the sorceress Yennefer. Geralt's wish to the genie bound their fates together for good. Ciri became his Unexpected Child, bound to him by destiny, and he took her to Kaer Morhen to be trained.
Years later, Geralt and Yennefer were together again. In the town of Rivia a mob turned on its nonhuman citizens, and Geralt was stabbed with a pitchfork while fighting it. Yennefer exhausted herself trying to heal him. Ciri carried the two of them away to a peaceful island. Their peace ended when the Wild Hunt came and took Yennefer captive. Geralt chased the Hunt to win her back. On the way he saved the life of Letho, a witcher of the School of the Viper, and Letho and his friends joined him. When the witchers could not beat the Hunt, Geralt struck a deal with its leader: his own soul in exchange for Yennefer's freedom.
Geralt later turned up outside Kaer Morhen with no memory of who he was. The witchers and the sorceress Triss Merigold nursed him back to health. After many more adventures, he was blamed for the murder of King Foltest of Temeria. He hunted down the real killer, Letho, and in the end recovered his memories.
Story
The game opens with a dream of Kaer Morhen, where Geralt trains with Ciri under Yennefer's and Vesemir's eyes. He wakes on the trail of Yennefer, with Vesemir at his side. Yennefer has sent him a letter, scented with lilac and gooseberries, asking to meet in Willoughby. Passing armies have burned the village to the ground, so the witchers follow her trail to White Orchard. The local Nilfgaardian commander knows where she went, but his price is the head of a griffin. Geralt and Vesemir kill the beast. As they leave the village inn after a brawl, Yennefer arrives with a Nilfgaardian escort.
Yennefer takes Geralt to Vizima. On the way the Wild Hunt attacks, and only the two of them reach the city alive. There Emperor Emhyr var Emreis lays out what he wants. Ciri, his daughter, has returned to this world, and the Wild Hunt is on her trail. Geralt is the best tracker alive and is bound to Ciri by destiny, so the emperor hires him to find her. Yennefer tells Geralt that Ciri has been seen in Velen and Novigrad.
In Velen, the notes of a Nilfgaardian agent point Geralt to two leads. Ciri stayed for a time with the Bloody Baron at Crow's Perch, and she quarrelled with a witch somewhere in the swamps. The Baron will only talk once Geralt finds his missing wife and daughter. The other lead takes Geralt to the sorceress Keira Metz. From there it leads into elven ruins where the Wild Hunt is waiting, and finally to the Crones of Crookback Bog.
In Novigrad, witch hunters burn mages in the streets. Geralt finds Triss Merigold hiding under the protection of the King of Beggars. Ciri's trail leads to Dandelion, who has vanished. With help from Zoltan Chivay, the search takes Geralt through the city's underworld. It leads to the crime boss Whoreson Junior and to Sigi Reuven, who turns out to be Sigismund Dijkstra. Geralt and his friends rescue Dandelion from a prison transport bound for his execution.
In Skellige, Geralt joins Yennefer at the funeral of King Bran. The two steal the Mask of Uroboros, which reveals that Ciri fled the isles in great danger. On Hindarsfjall they learn of Skjall, a young islander who helped her escape the Hunt. All the trails lead to Uma, a cursed creature now kept at Crow's Perch. Geralt takes Uma to Kaer Morhen, where Yennefer lifts the curse. The being trapped inside is the elven Sage Avallac'h. He tells Geralt that Ciri is hidden on the Isle of Mists.
Geralt finds Ciri there and wakes her from her magic sleep. The Wild Hunt picks up her trail at once, and Ciri carries them both to Kaer Morhen. Geralt's friends gather there to defend her. In the battle that follows, Imlerith kills Vesemir, and Ciri's power breaks loose and drives the Hunt away. Geralt and Ciri later go after Imlerith at the Crones' sabbath on Bald Mountain. Geralt kills him in a final duel and avenges his teacher.
To defeat the Wild Hunt, Geralt needs magic help. He helps Yennefer and Triss bring the Lodge of Sorceresses back together. He travels with Avallac'h through other worlds to turn Eredin's ally Ge'els, and he finds the elven Sunstone in Skellige. The Sunstone draws Eredin's ship, the Naglfar, into a trap off the coast of Undvik. In the battle, Geralt kills the Hunt's navigator Caranthir. He then fights Eredin on the deck of the Naglfar and kills him. With his last breath, Eredin claims that Avallac'h has tricked them both. In truth, Ciri has gone with the Sage of her own will to stop the White Frost. Geralt watches her step into the elven tower and hopes she will come back.
How the story ends depends on Geralt's choices with Ciri. If she does not return, he goes back to Crookback Bog, kills the last Crone and takes back Vesemir's medallion. If she lives, she either sets out on the Path as a witcher or leaves for Nilfgaard as heir to the throne. Geralt's own future depends on his heart. If he chooses Triss, the two settle in Kovir, where she advises the king and he takes the odd contract. If he chooses Yennefer, they retire together, far from politics and adventure. If he tries to romance both women, he loses them both.
Relationships
Ciri is Geralt's adopted daughter and his destiny. Yennefer is the sorceress he has loved through a long and stormy relationship. Triss Merigold is a close friend with whom he shares deep feelings. Vesemir was his teacher and a father to him, and Eskel and Lambert are his brother witchers. Dandelion and Zoltan Chivay are close and loyal friends.
Quests
Named Items
| Item | Image |
|---|---|
| Butcher of Blaviken | - |
| Geralt of Rivia | 
|
| Geralt of Rivia's Crossbow | 
|
| Geralt of Rivia's Sword | 
|
| Sir Geralt of Rivia's Armor | 
|
| White Wolf | - |
Notes
Geralt's name in the Elder Speech, Gwynbleidd, is close to the Welsh words for "white wolf".
All Characters
