Assire var Anahid

"It is who we are. All of us belonging to the Lodge, we are like the sphynx. Silent, strategic, perilous, hidden, mysterious, wise and occult. Strong and brave. Fearless, timeless and powerful. Yes, the sphynx should be the symbol of our Lodge."

- Assire's thoughts on the Lodge

Assire var Anahid (d. July 1271) was a mage in the Nilfgaardian Empire's service who hailed originally from Vicovaro. She was a sister of Eviva, aunt of Mawr and Cinead var Anahid as well as grandaunt of Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach.

Assire was a founding member of the Lodge of Sorceresses and remained a member along with Fringilla Vigo, also in service of the Empire. She took advantage of Carthia van Canten's relationship with the head of Nilfgaardian Secret Service, Vattier de Rideaux, and used it to spy on him.

She was also known for helping Imperator Emhyr var Emreis with military operations during the war. Even though Assire was a Nilfgaardian sorceress, she and Eviva had a Nordling blood. She also owned a black cat called Merlin.

Lodge's meetings
Assire was contacted via teleprojection by the northern sorceresses Philippa Eilhart, Triss Merigold, Keira Metz, and Margarita Laux-Antille. When first seeing her, the sorceresses were surprised by her unattractive appearance, since northern mages often use glamours to hide hideous features, and dress more fashionably than sorceresses in Nilfgaard. Assire, and the other sorceresses, listened to Philippa's proposal to create the Lodge and that the organization's goal is to protect the interests of magic.

Before the meeting was adjorned, Assire was offered to invite a second Nilfgaardian sorceress for when the ladies meet in person in the near future. Thus she met with fellow countrywoman and sorceress, Fringilla Vigo. Fringilla was surprised that Assire had changed her style, choosing to wear more fashionable attire, as they prepared to leave to meet with the other sorceresses. It was during the meeting with the Lodge, when they discussed Ciri, that Assire revealed that Emhyr did not have Ciri but an imposter.

Death in Loc Muinne and legacy
In 1271, she teleported from Nilfgaard to Loc Muinne and met with ambassador Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen. He presented her Triss Merigold who was under the spell of artefact compression. Assire decompressed Triss and then was immediately restrained and killed by Shilard and Renuald aep Matsen due to her affiliation with the Lodge.

Because of the hazy circumstance surrounding her death, many speculations rose in the Empire, fueling propaganda and political conflicts for several years. At one point in Nilfgaard's history, images of sorceresses were destroyed very diligently and thoroughly leaving no relevant source of their appearance for future. In the 14th century, however, all of the Lodge's members were posthumously rehabilitated and given sainthood and martyrdom.

Journal Entry

 * This sorceress came from Nilfgaard, or more precisely from Vicovaro - a distinction of extreme importance to the highborn of the Empire, as I can attest from personal experience. That is because the term "Nilfgaardian" is reserved for native residents of the Empire's capital and its immediate vicinity. Assire var Anahid was nothing like stereotypical Nilfgaardian sorceresses – unkempt things in unfashionable attire. On the contrary, she wore well-cut dresses and underlined her beauty with just the right touch of makeup, following the example of our sorceresses in the North.


 * As momentous events played out in Loc Muinne, Assire was murdered - probably by her own countrymen, possibly on order of the emperor himself. The hazy circumstances surrounding her death gave rise to much speculation in Nilfgaard, fueling propaganda and political conflicts for some time to come.

Trivia

 * In, she's featured on a card that is part of the Nilfgaardian Empire Gwent deck.