Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy

"Men, the polite ones, at least, call me a monster. A blood-drinking freak."

Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy, better known simply as Regis, was a very powerful higher vampire, and more than four hundred years old when he first met Geralt of Rivia. He was the barber-surgeon of Dillingen but surprisingly intellectual for one in such a profession.

Biography
In his younger years, Regis had developed some bad habits to fit in with the rest of his kind. While drinking blood wasn't necessary for higher vampires, it was seen similar in substance to alcohol: if one didn't drink they were considered lame. So under peer pressure he began to partake in it and soon found he was no longer shy around vampire women when he was "under the influence". However, his habit got worse and worse to the point he'd spend several nights away before returning to the crypt and just a drop of blood would make him lose control and eventually began to go solo, not caring about any friends going with him or not. He later settled down with a vampire female but not for long as she soon left, and in his grief he dove further into his drinking habit.

It all came to a head though when one night he was sent out by some of the boys to fetch some blood. Flying under the influence, he missed his target and instead smashed into the village's well and the villagers nearly killed him, chopping his head off, stabbing him with stakes, and pouring holy water on him before burying him. Fortunately, none of this could actually kill him but, in no condition to move anytime soon, he spent the next 50 years regenerating underground, giving him time to think on his behavior and decided to not drink again.

Meeting Geralt
In August 1267, during the second Northern war, he was staying at his small summer cottage near Fen Carn, an old elven cemetery way off the main roads and thus relatively free from being disturbed by the war. However, this also meant Geralt and Zoltan's company, also trying to avoid the roads for fear of being killed by the Nilfgaardian Army, came across the cemetery just after dark. Regis quickly hid but the group, extra paranoid with the thoughts of ghouls being in the area, spotted the movement and investigated only to come across a fragrant scent of various herbs and spices. Using the scent trail, Geralt followed it to the hollow Regis had hid in and demanded he come out or else he'd stick his sword into the hollow. Regis then appeared, introducing himself and, after questioning why he was there, invited the group back to his cottage.

Once there, Zoltan went to talk with him before calling Geralt to come see what was inside Regis' home and the group was quickly joined by all the men and Milva as they discovered Regis' mandrake moonshine and began to partake in it. However, Regis abstained, claiming he had made a pact to himself not to drink again, so the rest got drunk while he continued to show his intelligence on various topics, like healing and mandrakes, and soon learned from the now drunk party that Geralt and his group were headed to Nilfgaard in hopes of finding his ward, Ciri. Afterwards, he decided to join the group, claiming the war was more dire than he thought and, as it now sounded unsafe to return to his winter home in Dillingen and too precarious to remain alone near Fen Carn, he might as well go with them.

On the Chotla
No sooner had they set out though did they run into trouble with a group of peasants in the area, who believed a vampire was in the area. When they demanded that Milva give up her black horse (falsely believing black horses could find vampire graves) the archer punched one of the men, knocking him out, before she vomited. On hearing this wasn't the first time she'd vomited, Regis realized she was pregnant but didn't say anything.

A short time later, when they reached the refugee camp on the Chotla river, the group saw a supposed priest condemning a mentally challenged woman, claiming she was a witch and in cahoots with the supposed vampire in the area. Realizing she was just a scapegoat, Geralt, Zoltan, and Milva stated they'd do a trial of ordeal in their specialties, but the priest demanded instead an impossible trial to prove theirs and the woman's innocence: to remove one of the horseshoes out of the fire and bring it over to the priest and, if they bore no burn marks, they were innocent. Before they could figure out a plan, Regis strode forward, removed one and calmly held it out, revealing no burn marks. However the priest, instead of claiming they were innocent, began to claim it was black magic. Before anything else could happen though, an alarm was cried that Nilfgaardian troops were approaching and everyone scattered.

Being a vampire, Regis was able to hide and saw that Geralt and Dandelion had been taken to Fort Armeria to be executed by a vengeful commander. He then sought out Milva, who'd escaped and now had a new comrade, Cahir, in tow. After explaining the situation, he sent the two to wait at a designated spot for Geralt while he himself went into the camp to get them out, using his abilities to put the sentries to sleep undetected and releasing the witcher and bard. However Geralt, who now realized what Regis was, thanked him for the rescue but warned Regis it was best if they didn't see each other again.

However, Dandelion was wounded in their escape and so the vampire appeared again once they made it to the designated spot to bandage the wounds, ignoring Geralt's drawn sword at his throat. After he finished, Geralt demanded he leave, revealing to the rest that Regis was a vampire. When Regis pushed the witcher about if he ever planned to kill him down the road, Geralt eventually revealed it was unlikely he'd take a contract on Regis if there was one as he doubted "anyone could afford it". Thanking the witcher, Regis then left.

Geralt's company
Later that day though, when the group had traveled a fair distance and started to set up camp to rest, Regis appeared once more, explaining he was there to change Dandelion's bandages, but ended up in a deep conversation with a sulking Geralt, who wished to continue the journey alone. Afterwards, the vampire went and helped the others prepare dinner and, when the conversation turned to finding Ciri, as they now knew she wasn't in Nilfgaard, Regis suggested to visit Caed Dhu, a druids' circle, as he knew someone there with knowledge about children of destiny. With no better option, the group agreed and set out.

On the way, the others, while having accepted him as a companion, still had a lot of questions and thus Regis began to answer, explaining his earlier years as to why he didn't drink blood anymore and they had nothing to fear from him. He then went on to dispel several myths, like people believing vampires needed to drink to survive or that people could be turned into vampires from being bitten. A few days later, Milva talked to him in private, asking for him to make her a concoction that'd abort her pregnancy. While Milva went to be alone, Regis talked with the others, who essentially confirmed it was Milva's choice. However, after Geralt talked with Milva about other things, the archer decided to keep the baby. Afterwards, Geralt talked with Regis privately and decided instead of cutting through the dangerous Ysgith swamp, they'd try to make their way to the other side of the Yaruga then cross back at a closer point. Initially it started out fine and they soon found a ferryboat, but quickly found themselves between Rivian guerrillas and Nilfgaardians on each bank as they sailed down the river. In the middle of the fighting Milva was struck by a crossbow bolt and Regis quickly got her onto land but she was miscarrying and had to be operated on.

The group later crossed the Yaruga and, through a turn of events, made their way to the Slopes, hoping to find the druids there. However, they were informed the druids moved even further south, to Caed Myrkvid. To top it off, while in Riedbrune, the prefect, Fulko Artevelde, "asked" Geralt to deal with the Nightingale gang under threat of telling his superiors what the group was really up to. Geralt further informed Regis about the startling info given by Angoulême, particularly that the gang knew about Milva cutting her hair not even 10 days ago and that they incorrectly saw 4 in the group when there were 5. Despite Regis asking the witcher not to jump to conclusions, later when they set up camp Geralt accused Cahir of being a traitor, leading to the two punching each other before Milva broke it up. A couple days later, before the company was to split into two groups, one to find Schirrú and the other to find the druids, Geralt apologized, revealing there was another possibility of how the gang knew, with Regis confirming his theory: a mage who tries to view where another is can't see certain beings, like vampires, and thus their count was off because the mage didn't see Regis.

With that in mind, Regis, Milva, and Dandelion made their way to Toussaint's border while Geralt, Angoulême, and Cahir made their way to Belhaven to find the half-elf. However, things went sideways for the latter group and Angoulême found Regis and the others to explain Schirrú, Nightingale and his gang, and corrupt Nilfgaardian soldiers were following right behind her while Geralt was hiding with a wounded Cahir. Regis sent the group to cross into Toussaint, with the idea that at least the Nilfgaardians wouldn't cross due to the duchy's autonomy, while he sought out the other two. Once the vampire found them, he informed Geralt he'd talked with the flaminika, his druid friend, who told him that Geralt was to enter Tir ná Béa Arainne cave unarmed and he'd find answers there.

Waiting in Toussaint
Now in October, the group reached Toussaint to learn that Dandelion had not been exaggerating that Duchess Anna Henrietta was very fond of him and she warmly welcomed Geralt's company to her duchy and allowed them to stay in Beauclair Palace, including having them invited to festivals and balls. At one such function, Geralt pretended Regis was a count and so the vampire was seated between two countesses and where he kept the whole table entertained with his vast array of knowledge. However, to Geralt's amusement, Regis also falsely stated that silver and garlic could hurt vampires to the table.

When Geralt became involved with the visiting mage Fringilla Vigo and thus the group ended up staying far longer than intended, Regis, who knew there was a succubus in the city, soon started up a romantic relationship with her, even though he knew she was also involved with many other men in the area. He also acted as the voice of reason, keeping the rest from arguing amongst themselves as they waited for Geralt to start traveling once more.

When early January rolled around, the group was once more having breakfast together when, after Geralt left for a contract, Angoulême began to talk to Fringilla about how to convince Geralt to let her to continue traveling with him when they finally set out again, but Regis corrected the young girl, clearly seeing something the rest did not: that the sorceress' only thought was to keep the witcher from leaving. The sorceress and the vampire then debated back and forth, with Fringilla claiming she'd helped Geralt more than the group and he wouldn't dare leave her, to which Regis responded that she was wrong and right now Geralt was merely in a dream state, but would soon wake up to reality and eventually continue his travels to find Ciri.

To Stygga Castle
Regis' words soon became reality when, early the next morning, Geralt hastily returned from his contract and told everyone to be ready to head out within the hour, having overheard a conversation that told him exactly where to find Vilgefortz, and likely Ciri. The group then made their way through several mountain passes, enduring blizzards and, at one point, spotting horse tracks that started out of nowhere and ended just as quickly, before they finally reached Stygga Castle a couple months later.

Once there, Regis used his abilities to sneak in and have the gates raised, allowing the rest of the company in. As they fought their way through the castle, Regis flew off to scout around and soon found Ciri under attack and quickly dispatched the men before making his presence known by biting and drinking from one of the attackers. However, Ciri ordered the vampire to go and warn Geralt that Vilgefortz was there while she went to go find Yennefer, who was also imprisoned somewhere in the castle. After relaying this information to the witcher, Geralt then sent Regis to try and also find Yennefer.

Regis later came to Geralt and Yennefer's aid as they fought against Vilgefortz and, just as Vilgefortz was about to kill Yennefer, Regis flew in and attacked the distracted mage. However, the mage had a weapon for every opponent and literally ripped the vampire apart before Geralt could stop him, and proceeded to melt Regis and the column he was against into little more than a lump, killing him.

Regis plays a major role in the Blood and Wine expansion as he has a vested interest in seeing why Dettlaff has been killing prominent members of the court. Regis feels that he owes Dettlaff an immense debt as Dettlaff helped to regenerate Regis after Vilgefortz had seemingly killed him, an act which as explained by Regis was "no small undertaking" as Dettlaff took on the burden of regenerating at great expense to himself in terms of time, energy and blood.

During Geralt's first confrontation with Detlaff, they are by Regis who appears and puts himself between them in order to prevent any further injury. He talks Detlaff down, calling the witcher his friend, and quickly heals from the wound dealt him by the other vampire. Happy to see his old friend Geralt once again, Regis explains that he is there to investigate why Dettlaff is murdering veteran knights.

While Regis understands that Geralt has been hired to hunt Dettlaff, he insists that due to their blood bond he has come to an understanding that Dettlaff would not be killing in such a way unless he had very good cause or reason to and thus hopes that the murders can be stopped without killing Dettlaff. Despite that, Regis does reveal while drinking a homemade mandrake moonshine with Geralt that even if someone cut down a higher vampire of his caliber they could be brought back via regeneration afterwards and it would take another higher vampire to administer a final killing blow.

Regis is able to help Geralt by helping him make "Resonance", a potion that had similar properties to a narcotic could give visions of what Dettlaff was planning and other insights into his patterns; however it would require vampire blood in an agitated state, meaning Geralt had to induce Regis into a blood lust frenzy to acquire the needed ingredient. While Geralt was hesitant to do so, Regis insisted that this was the only way but did admittedly inform Geralt that there was a being that could force Dettlaff to appear but the risks were so great that he refused to disclose details.

After taking the potion Geralt learned that Dettlaff had initially befriended one of the intended victims in their initial encounter at the boot cleaners stall where a man had pushed in front of Dettlaff. The victim had berated the man about his lack of manners and allowed Dettalff the other chair thus showing a complete stranger common decency. However, as Detlaff was drinking with his victim, he was handed a note ordering him to kill the man. Though feeling immense grief and shame, the vampire proceeded to butcher his victim.

Through helping Geralt figure out that Syanna, the woman Dettlaff was in love with, was the mastermind behind the murders, Regis helps to lure Detlaff into the open after Dettlaff summons vampires to attack the citizens throughout Touissant in retaliation for Syanna's arrest. Regis can help do this in two ways: the first was to track Syanna's disappearance into a powerful and enchanted story book that was a very carefully illusion that acted as its own world which Anna Henrietta had placed her sister into. The second method however was much more dangerous as it required to meet the unseen elder a vampire so powerful that Geralt could not possibly kill him and is required to appease him using a specific sacrifice.

After meeting Dettlaff and having battled Dettlaff to the point of defeat Geralt was about to land the killing blow but Regis stopped him and administered the killing blow himself despite his blood bond after coming to the realization that Dettlaff would have killed many more humans if not stopped. After Geralt is rewarded for completing the contract Regis meets with him one last time before leaving Toussaint. It was no longer safe for Regis to remain in the duchy as word of him killing Dettlaff had reached the other higher vampires, and according to old law it is expressly forbidden for one vampire to kill another. Regis however tells a worried Geralt that vampires also adhere to the unspoken rule that as long as he stays away from other vampires they will ignore him.

Journal entry

 * Geralt chased Sir Milton's murderer with mad intensity. How this chase ended stands as clear witness to the fact Geralt was facing a highly dangerous foe: the killer led Geralt to an old warehouse, where it set a trap for him. A fight ensued, and at a crucial moment Geralt was saved by Regis, a higher vampire and old friend. Here I must explain that, years ago, Regis had joined Geralt's band of fellow travelers (of which I was a proud part) and set off with us in search of Ciri. Together we lived through many fascinating adventures and Regis proved himself a loyal friend, the kind you can trust with your life. Sadly, the expedition ended tragically for Regis. He was killed by Vilgefortz, who reduced him to nothing more than a wet stain.


 * Hence the witcher's immense surprise at encountering his old friend – after all, he had seen Regis die with his own eyes. But the thing is, that was not Regis' "final" death, nor even his first. As a young man, Regis had been a bit of a free spirit and overindulged in the drinking of blood. This lifestyle led to him being butchered by angry villagers. Regenerating from that took him fifty years – or nearly no time at all, for an immortal. When he was back in full health, he kicked the habit of blood drinking for good.


 * For years, we'd all thought he was gone forever. Yet there he was, standing in front of Geralt in that dockside warehouse.


 * Regis explained he had regenerated and come to Toussaint to find Dettlaff, a friend.


 * Such were the dramatic circumstances bringing Regis and Geralt together again in Beauclair. They did not have long to enjoy their reunion, however. They could hear others approaching and Regis, not wanting to risk an encounter with angry humans, agreed to meet back up with Geralt at the cemetery where he had made an altogether comfortable temporary home for himself.


 * Geralt found Mère-Lachaiselongue Cemetery and the crypt where Regis not only lived, but had also managed to set up a well-equipped alchemist's workshop. They began to confer. Regis explained he believed his friend had become implicated in some serious trouble. When they figured out they had overlapping goals, they decided to join forces and together seek out the vampire Dettlaff, better known in the duchy as the Beast of Beauclair.


 * Geralt also learned how it was Regis had returned to the world of the living. He had been helped by none other than the very one they sought: Dettlaff. In light of this, Regis insisted they find a peaceful solution to the "Dettlaff problem."


 * Geralt and Regis decided that an aid was needed to find Dettlaff, a certain potion called Resonance. To brew it, Regis needed some bodily tissue from the object of their pursuit. Luckily, Geralt had earlier found a dismembered hand belonging to the murderer. Another ingredient needed to brew Resonance was saliva (or salivary glands) from a spotted wight. Having discovered that one such creature resided nearby, Regis sent the Witcher to hunt it down.


 * Geralt's encounter with the wight left him with the ingredient Regis needed to brew Resonance. Once he'd delivered, however, he learned there was still one thing missing: the blood of a higher vampire. Geralt thought this would prove no trouble until Regis explained only the blood of a vampire in a highly aggravated state would do. They thus would need to invoke maddening bloodlust in Regis, who had abstained from that vampiric vice for years.


 * Regis brought Geralt to Tesham Mutna. This grim place had been used by vampires ages ago to raise humans like cattle. Geralt later said even the air in that place smelled of pain and fear. Regis could not vouch for how he would handle the upcoming ordeal and had Geralt lock him in a hanging cage, from which he was to watch as Geralt butchered.


 * Having placed bait to lure out monsters, Geralt began his slaughter. Blood flowed at Tesham Mutna once again, and Regis nearly went mad with desire. In the end, the two friends came to possess the blood of a higher vampire in a state of aroused fury.


 * Geralt imbibed the Resonance potion Regis had prepared, allowing him to see a fragment of the day Dettlaff had committed his most recent murder. The trail led the friends to the shuttered up toy shop where Dettlaff had been staying.


 * Sadly our heroes did not find Dettlaff at home. They did not leave empty handed, however. After searching the shop, Geralt found a letter which revealed Dettlaff was being blackmailed. The blackmailers had kidnapped his lover, Rhenawedd, and threatened to torture her if he did not do as they said. Thus Dettlaff had killed the targets they designated. After a short consultation, Geralt and Regis decided to split up. Regis was to wait for Dettlaff, while Geralt would go to Anna Henrietta and report on the investigation's progress.


 * In their pursuit of the blackmailers, Geralt and Anna Henrietta found themselves at a private residence used for meetings of the Mandragora - an exclusive club for the boheme of Toussaint. The residence's owner turned out to be a woman named Orianna. To the witcher's great displeasure, later that evening they were joined by Regis, in the company of... Dettlaff. In the conversation that ensued, Geralt gathered Regis and Orianna were old friends.


 * The entire conversation had a rather surreal nature, seeing as how the duchess had no idea she was speaking to the dreaded Beast himself. Its key outcome was the conclusion that the blackmailers were holding Dettlaff's lover at a place known as Dun Tynne. Geralt pulled Regis aside and they conferred briefly. Geralt was firmly against revealing this information to Dettlaff. To his thinking, this could lead to serious trouble. I must say, I agree with the witcher's reasoning. When a higher vampire loses his self-control, trouble always ensues. Bloody trouble.


 * Geralt went to Dun Tynne alone, leaving Regis behind to watch Dettlaff. Or such was the plan, but life has a habit of making a mockery of men's plans. The vampires kept tabs on Geralt's progress through the use of avian allies and thus were the instant he found himself in dire straits. They reacted at once. Soon, Dun Tynne was drenched in blood.


 * If Geralt decided to see the Unseen Elder:
 * Regis helped Geralt gain an audience with the mysterious vampire known as the Unseen Elder. Thanks to this Elder's help, Geralt and Regis found the place where Dettlaff had been hiding. Events then unfolded at a rapid pace. Dettlaff flew into a rage and a fight ensued. Geralt managed to defeat him in a bloody battle, but a higher vampire can only be truly killed by one of his brethren. This was perhaps the most difficult decision Regis had ever faced in his life. He killed his friend, having decided Dettlaff's failure to adapt to this world was a burden his friend could no longer bear.


 * If Geralt decided to get Syanna:
 * Regis helped Geralt find a way to enter the Land of a Thousand Fables. There Geralt found Syanna and brought her to a meeting with Dettlaff.


 * ...and got the ribbon:
 * As Regis had feared, his friend proved incapable of restraining his rage and tried to kill his one-time love. Yet right before his blow struck, Syanna disappeared, whisked away to a safe place by the magic ribbon she had taken from the Land of a Thousand Fables. Dettlaff then vented his fury on Geralt and Regis. A fight ensued. Geralt managed to defeat Dettlaff in a bloody battle, but a higher vampire can only be truly killed by one of his brethren. This was perhaps the most difficult decision Regis had ever faced in his life. He killed his friend, having decided Dettlaff's failure to adapt to this world was a burden his friend could no longer bear.


 * ...and didn't get the ribbon / attacked Dettlaff:
 * Alas, during this meeting Dettlaff proved unable to control his rage and killed his one-time love. He then said he bore no ill will towards Geralt and Regis and wished to leave, but Geralt refused to let him. A fight ensured. Geralt managed to defeat Dettlaff in a bloody battle, but a higher vampire can only be truly killed by one of his brethren. This was perhaps the most difficult decision Regis had ever faced in his life. He killed his friend, having decided Dettlaff's failure to adapt to this world was a burden his friend could no longer bear.


 * ...and didn't get the ribbon / let Dettlaff go:
 * As Regis feared, his friend proved incapable of restraining his rage and killed his one-time love. He then said he bore no ill will towards Geralt and Regis and wished to go his way. The witcher let him do so. Regis decided to accompany his friend and followed after him, hoping to help him regain spiritual balance.

Associated quests

 * Blood Run
 * La Cage au Fou
 * Where Children Toil, Toys Waste Away
 * The Man from Cintra
 * Capture the Castle
 * The Night of Long Fangs
 * Blood Simple
 * What Lies Unseen
 * Tesham Mutna
 * Pomp and Strange Circumstance
 * Burlap is the New Stripe

Trivia

 * Regis is a name of Latin origin, meaning "kingly". Godefroy is an Old German name meaning "God-peace".
 * In his lab there are pages of the Voynich Manuscript hanging on the walls.
 * His design in the third game has a strong resemblance to famed British actor Peter Cushing, ironic as Cushing played the Vampire hunter Abraham Van-helsing in the hammer horror films