Zoltan Chivay

Zoltan Chivay is a dwarf, veteran of the Second Nilfgaard War, and a friend of Geralt. They first met when Geralt and his party were going towards the Yaruga river from Brokilon, but the dwarf advised them to join his company and go eastwards. It is from Zoltan that Geralt got his sword — Sihil.

Other members of Zoltan's company were:
 * Munro Bruys
 * Yazon Varda
 * Caleb Stratton
 * Figgis Merluzzo
 * Percival Schuttenbach

He also had a talking parrot, Field Marshal Windbag, which he sold to the gnome Percival Schuttenbach when he started a jeweler's workshop in Novigrad.

After the Battle of Brenna, Zoltan got engaged to Eudora Breckenriggs.

Geralt first meets Zoltan in the Outskirts of Vizima, surrounded by thugs. After giving them a sound beating, the dwarf is surprised and very happy to see Geralt, whom he claims to have witnessed dying five years earlier with his very own eyes.

During the ensuing chat, the dwarf also mentions that his in-laws-to-be, the Breckenriggs (this name is spelled in a few different and interesting ways throughout the game: Breckering, Breckenridge, ...), who value material possessions more than Zoltan does. Lucky thing, since he has far fewer after the Common Cause Mine failed.

Zoltan is the one to acquaint Geralt with dice poker, and to give him a couple of pointers about whom to challenge. After the initial meeting, he can be found in the Inn for the remainder of Chapter I.

Later in the game, Zoltan can be found wandering around the Temple Quarter (roughly from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) and, if choosing to side with the Scoia'tael or take the neutral path, in the Old Vizima. He also often spends time with Golan Vivaldi.

If Geralt outdrinks him at the Inn, Zoltan will give him a Diamond.

Journal entry

 * The dwarf's name is Zoltan Chivay. He claims to have witnessed my death years ago in Rivia. Zoltan seems reasonable and pragmatic. He takes the world with a grain of salt and sees irony in most things. Just like other nonhumans, he also seems vexed by the racist atmosphere in Temeria.


 * I helped a dwarf being attacked by racists. He recognized me as an old friend of his.


 * In front of the inn in the Outskirts a group of racists attacked a dwarf, but I ignored them. It turned out the dwarf is an old friend of mine.


 * Zoltan managed to get to the Temple Quarter. The dwarf was happy to see me again.


 * I met Zoltan again. This time it was on a hill, when the fight between nonhumans and the Order began for earnest.


 * Zoltan organized the nonhumans' escape from the ghetto. I helped him and the group managed to get through the burning city. I bade farewell to Zoltan. I have a feeling I will not be seeing him soon.

Zoltan once again appears in the second witcher game. His appearance has only slightly changed. Although originally expected to have the same voice actor as the original witcher game, he was ultimately voiced by Alexander Morton. His first appearance in the game is standing on a gallows platform in Flotsam during Chapter I. He is saved from being hanged (His crime? Colluding with the Scoia'tael) alongside another friend of Geralt's — Dandelion (himself accused of debauchery, or maybe setting fire to a tower, or possibly both!).

Since they saw each other last, Zoltan's engagement to Eudora Breckenriggs has fallen through, as has his career in the mining industry, so he's settled for life as a "simple merchant", and occasional jewelsmith for a certain sorceress.

After Flotsam, he heads to Vergen where he is reunited with his old pals, Yarpen Zigrin and Sheldon Skaggs.

Journal entry

 * The dwarf Zoltan Chivay is a close friend of Geralt's and mine, met while we were sneaking through the forests and wilderness of Brugge and Sodden, when war raged all around and the hooves of Nilfgaardian cavalry thundered on the high roads. Like many of his kin, he later fought at Brenna in the Mahakam Volunteer Detachment, a unit that contributed greatly to the victory, although this fact is sadly ignored by most chronicles. After the war he wanted to start a business, and even thought about taking a wife, yet fate had things arranged a bit differently. Zoltan had proved his friendship to the witcher many times, eagerly standing at his side in any moment of need, disproving those who claim that each and every dwarf is a spiteful, aggressive son of a bitch, that they do nor care for human plight and that coexistence is impossible. I know many nonhumans and if anything stands in the way of coexistence, it is human ignorance, spite and ungratefulness.


 * They say a dwarf would get himself hanged for a friend, but Zoltan was in my company on the scaffold for another reason. The local authorities had accused him of colluding with the Scoia'tael, and that is usually enough to earn one the main role in entertainment like a morning execution.


 * The charges that Zoltan had contacts with the Squirrels were not entirely baseless. Though he did not actively participate in military action, the dwarf knew the unit's leader, Iorveth, among others.


 * It was not surprising, really, that, having encountered the aforementioned human spite and ungratefulness at every step, Zoltan sympathized with the dwarven and elven freedom fighters. He was balanced in his views, however, and valued loyalty to old friends above all else.


 * If Geralt chooses Roche's path:
 * Though it was not exactly Zoltan's cup of tea to visit Henselt's camp, a place where non-humans were at best treated with mistrust and disdain, he decided to go with us. Yet he felt rotten, knowing nearby his kin were preparing to repel the same Kaedweni we were visiting.


 * Everyone's patience has limits. Thus it should not be surprising that he eagerly took the chance to leave Henselt's camp and head to Vergen.


 * After the fall of Vergen the roads were flooded with refugees. On one such road outside Henselt's camp, I met Zoltan, who had luckily managed to flee safely. It is hard to remember the last time I was as happy as when I saw his bearded face. Zoltan and I kept each other company during that journey and we reached safety together. But that is a different story altogether.


 * If Geralt chooses Iorveth's path:
 * Zoltan went with us to Vergen and, with enthusiasm worthy of his military past, began training the local militia that would soon see it's baptism of fire. Though it appeared they would have a hard time, Zoltan was ready to defend the cause he believed in, fighting at the side of elves and men.


 * Given an occasion to heave an axe in good company, Zoltan grabbed it faster than I can unlace a woman's corset – which is pretty fast, provided I'm sober. He followed Geralt without hesitation and proved his worth, showing that there's more to him than just a loud mouth.


 * Zoltan won great renown during the defense of Vergen, closing the gate and stopping King Henselt's retreat nearly single-handedly. Thus he sealed the victory over the Kaedweni army that memorable day.


 * Just as I did, Zoltan decided to remain in Vergen when Geralt and Iorveth chose to travel to Loc Muinne to complete the final chapter of this story. There was still much to do in the newly independent Pontar Valley, and the dwarf turned out to be the right sort to take up some of the responsibilities.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Geralt meets Zoltan in Novigrad. Where he is throwing vagrants out of Dandelion's newly inherited tavern. Zoltan also wondering where Dandelion had disappeared to assisted Geralt and this lead them to Priscilla a Bard Dandelion was very close to. Upon discovering where Dandelion was and when he would be taken to Oxenfurt in a prison cart Zoltan organised an attack on it with several fellow Dwarves and Geralt.

Journal entry

 * A dwarf, a soldier of fortune, a veteran of the Battle of Brenna, an unassailable optimist, a committed altruist, a lover of rough drinks and rougher songs, a master gwent player and, above all, a dear and loyal friend to me and Geralt – ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present Zoltan Chivay. We first became fast friends years ago, when Geralt and I ran into Zoltan and the band he was leading at the time across war-stricken Riverdell.


 * It proved our fate to cross paths many times after that, and we eventually became inseparable companions, sticking together through good and ill. At our tale's beginning Zoltan and I had gone into business together running a Novigrad tavern called the Rosemary and Thyme.


 * By saving me from the transport taking me to my doom Zoltan proved yet again he would never abandon a friend in need. In return, Zoltan soon found himself on the receiving end of an act of friendship. Suffering some financial difficulties, he had taken out a loan from one of the Novigrad mob bosses, and as a result had made many unfortunate enemies.


 * He planned to repay his debt by gathering a prize collection of gwent cards – a risky endeavor, given the cutthroat nature of Novigrad gwent circles at the time, and one that would have never worked without Geralt's help.

Associated quests

 * A Dangerous Game
 * Brothers In Arms: Novigrad
 * The Battle of Kaer Morhen

Trivia

 * Zoltan (Zoltán) is an old Hungarian name. It means Sovereign.
 * The original game is inconsistent in its treatment of Zoltan's relationship with Eudora. She is variously referred to as his wife or his fiancée. Depending on language version.