Radovid V

"They say it's the game of kings. That chess teaches one to think strategically. What a load of rubbish!... Both sides have identical pieces, the rules stay invariably the same. How does this mirror real life?"

Radovid V the Stern (Polish: Radowid V Srogi) was the king of Redania from the Redanian Dynasty in the last quarter of the 13th century. His reign became, along with witch hunts, one of the defining factors of the post-war period that followed the Peace of Cintra.

He inherited his titles and estates as the only son of King Vizimir II and Queen Hedwig of Malleore. His two older sisters were Dalimira and Milena.

Even though his father died in, Prince Radovid didn't succeed him immediately because he was only twelve at the time and for several years the kingdom was governed by a Regency Council under influential Duke Nitert and Count Sigismund Dijkstra, the-then spymaster of Redanian Secret Service.

Radovid bore a deep aversion towards mages that stemmed from his father being secretly assassinated by an unknown elf at the behest of the sorceress advisor Philippa Eilhart, who then pulled strings from behind his back, ruled in his name and dominated and demeaned him throughout his youth.

Early life
"I knew she had marriage plans regarding Ciri, I think it concerned the young Tankred Thyssen... and perhaps the Redanian, Radovid." Radovid was born in 1255 in Tretogor to the royal pair, King Vizimir II and Queen Hedwig of Malleore, as their third child in a row. He grew up with two older sisters: Dalimira, called familiarly Dalka, and Milena who was known as Milka in a similar fashion. Dalka eventually dedicated her life to the priesthood after her failed engagement with King Foltest of Temeria who instead chose to marry his own sister Adda, while Milka attended Aretuza to become a sorceress Millegarda.

When Prince Radovid was 9 years old he was formally engaged to Cirilla, Princess of Cintra, when she was 12. The engagement was formalized between his father and Queen Calanthe, Ciri's grandmother, but the king broke the engagement off after half a year without giving any explanation and Ciri and Radovid never even had a chance to talk to each other.

Regency years
"The ambassador knew that Dijkstra was exaggerating, but not inordinately. Prince Radovid was still a minor, Queen Hedwig distraught by her husband's tragic death, and the aristocracy intimidated, stupefied, at variance and divided into factions." On the day of the outbreak of the Second Northern War with Nilfgaardian Empire, his father had unexpectedly fallen victim to an elven assassin. A fact unknown to practically anyone was that it was Philippa Eilhart, at the time fighting on Thanedd Island, who hired the elf in order to gain more direct rule. Redania fell into chaos, as usually happens in such circumstances, and Queen Hedwig wasn't in a state to control things. The aristocracy started to organize itself into factions, attempting to tear some land out for each and every one of them. Several practically licked the boots of Nilfgaardian emissaries led by Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen and were ready to rule with Nilfgaardian blessing, only to be caught off guard and stopped by the famous Redanian Secret Service. There remained but a handful of those who were spared, those with important enough social status and armed might to maintain peace, like Duke Nitert.

Nitert was put in charge of the Regency Council appointed to save the realm from a total civil war and they managed to do so, by hanging everyone they deemed traitor in specially modified fortifications with internment camps - most infamous of which would be Drakenborg. Its members, however, overlooked their underage crown prince and none of the Northern Kingdoms' elites, not even Philippa who took it upon herself to raise him, expected him to grow into a firm monarch who would repay all humiliations he and his mother had suffered during the interregnum.

Reign
Radovid V the Stern was a polarising figure. Some considered him a brilliant strategist and a superb general. Others - a bloodthirsty, paranoid madman. There were also many who saw his policies as harsh but justified. The truth lay, as the truth always does, somewhere in the middle.

During the early years of his reign, Radovid proved a capable political actor, manipulating events to the advantage of both his own position and Redania's. He utilised Redania's famed spy network to foster links with multiple potential allies, picking and choosing as he saw fit while ensuring those discarded were destroyed. In all his political actions, he attempted to embody the idea that a king should be ruthless towards his foes and generous to his friends.

Later, he would prove a capable general, leading his armies to many victories over both Northern and Nilfgaardian forces. He espoused the idea that a soldier was only as good as their breastplate- even the best swordsman could fail if felled by a stray arrow or a lucky blow. Therefore, he ensured that his armies were well-equipped, allowing his quartermasters as much gold as was needed to keep his infantry in solid armour.

Radovid, knowing that human soldiers were neither as strong as dwarves nor as dextrous as elves, identified their key advantage: their numbers. A mass of humans, led by a capable of commander, could overwhelm an individually superior force. His final military philosophy concerned the effectiveness of heavy cavalry, and he would suggest that any battlefield problem could be overcome by a gallant charge. These tactics would see him through several successful military campaigns, culminating in a potential conquering of nearly the entirety of the Northern Kingdoms and the defeat of the invading Nilfgaardian forces of Emhyr var Emreis's third invasion.

Third Northern War
When the Third Northern War broke out, Radovid remained the only monarch to have the strength to resist Nilfgaard. Taking advantage of this, during the winter break he invaded a weakened Kaedwen and absorbed the Kaedweni forces into his own.

However, both Radovid and Emhyr had set their eyes on Novigrad, as whoever controlled the free city would not only have control over the ports, but its hefty treasury as well, likely securing victory for the one who gained control of it. To try and weaken the city for his taking, Radovid employed the services of Whoreson Junior, one of the "Big Four" of Novigrad's underground crime bosses, enticing him with money and a nice estate in Oxenfurt in return for turning on the other bosses.

His plan worked to a degree, but once it was clear there was no more benefit from it, Radovid decided to turn on Whoreson Junior and thus let Geralt, who was searching for Whoreson Junior for other reasons, know where the criminal boss was. However, always planning ahead, Radovid did note he'd call on a favor later from Geralt. He later revealed this favor to the witcher while onboard his flagship, the HMS Oxenfurt-Tretogor, asking Geralt to find Philippa Eilhart and bring her back alive.

Sometime later on, while his ship was anchored in Novigrad, Radovid was approached by many others claiming to know whre Philippa was, but seeing through these lies, he dealt brutal punishments to the decievers, from having them blinded, tongues and fingers cut, or drowning them. Geralt approached him though and revealed he'd found her location, at the far end of St. Gregory's Bridge, and provided proof in the form of Radovid's father's ring, which Philippa had used to pass decrees in the late king's name. With this, he set off for the bridge at once but turned on the witcher, claiming he irritated him, and ordered his men to kill him while the king headed down the bridge. However, Temerian guerrillas ambushed the area and Radovid raced down the bridge to escape. At the last house he banged on it to open up but was stunned as Philippa opened the door to greet him. The sorceress then proceeded to blow powder in Radovid's face, blinding him, before shut thrust a dagger in his back, killing the king.

Radovid managed to defeat the invading Nilfgaardian forces, winning the Third Northern War. With this victory, Radovid absorbed all of the North under him and unified it into a powerful Northern Empire. During his rule, Radovid continued the witch hunts, eliminating all mages, non-humans, and herbalists in the land. He also neglected any form of progress or industrialization, and his reactionary policies proved unpopular outside of the Redanian heartland.

Radovid is mentioned now and again throughout the game, but in Chapter III, Geralt gets to meet the king face to face. Their first meeting is not actually "live" as Radovid's image is merely visible courtesy of a telecommunicator, Hartmann's mirror. Their second meeting is actually face-to-face and in the flesh and takes place at Radovid's hideout. He is then seen outside the city on the landing at the beginning of Chapter V. Their final meeting is in Vizima's Trade Quarter.

In the game, Radovid is attempting the same thing his father tried a couple of decades before: joining the royal families of Redania and Temeria. Because of this, he asks Geralt's opinion about Adda. He fostered a link with Salamandra through "mutual acquaintances", and at one point considered them a possible ally; however, he eventually discarded them. A mannered, calculating individual, he is more refined than his opposite number Foltest but no less ruthless.

If Geralt manages to break Adda's curse anew, there is a scene of the happy couple promising a bright future and the union of the two kingdoms into one. If Geralt kills the striga, though, Radovid reigns alone in Redania.

Associated quests

 * All the King's Men
 * Lock and Key
 * The Unforgiven

Journal entry

 * When Radovid's father, Vizimir II, had fallen victim to an assassin a few years earlier, the prince had had but thirteen summers. The country fell into chaos, as usually happens in such circumstances, and queen Hedwig would not have been able to control things. The aristocracy, as they tend to, started to organize themselves into factions, attempting to tear something out for themselves. Some practically licked the boots of Nilfgaardian emissaries, doing so with much practice and a real sense of commitment. The Regency Council appointed to save the kingdom from the conflict managed to do so, and properly hung the traitors, yet its members disregarded their underage ruler. Therefore nobody among the Redanian nobles expected that Radovid would grow up to become a firm monarch who would repay all humiliations he and his mother had suffered during the regency. The king was quick to show that, if his father had earned the moniker of"the Just", he would be remembered by history as "the Stern".
 * If Geralt chooses Iorveth's path during the end of chapter I:
 * The sorceress Philippa Eilhart had the dubious pleasure of seeing the aptness of Radovid's moniker with her own eyes, so to speak. After presenting her with a list of charges, reinforced with personal animosity and information from the Imperial envoy, the king had her eyes put out. You might say that Radovid couldn't turn a blind eye to her sins.
 * Even before Geralt related his impressions of the discussion with Radovid to me, I already had an feeling that it would be best to avoid attracting the Redanian monarch's interest to my modest self. When Geralt ended up in his dungeon, the king unhesitatingly provided him with a list of arguments detailing why it was in Redania's national interest that the future be deeply unpleasant for the witcher and Triss. He did point out, however, that it was nothing personal.
 * Unlike the proud and sometimes self-centered Foltest, or the fitful, coarse Henselt, the king of Redania was a reserved, calculating politician. Geralt learned that he was not the sort of man that would allow himself to be deceived or led astray by prevarication. The king could instantly sense falsehoods and was gifted at maneuvering his opponents into revealing whatever information he desired.
 * Radovid had very specific plans concerning his neighbor, the chaos-riddled Temeria. With the prospect of another war against Nilfgaard looming, he and the Kaedweni monarch aimed to partition Temeria in order to forestall the Empire from acquiring its lands.
 * If Geralt chooses Roche's path during the end of chapter I:
 * Radovid wanted to use Geralt to recover Anaïs La Valette, King Foltest's youngest child. Although she was oblivious to the fact, the girl was a trump card in a high-stakes game. The prize: Foltest's legacy.
 * If Geralt chooses to give Anaïs La Valette to him:
 * Radovid had very specific plans concerning his neighbor, the chaos-riddled Temeria. In this situation Fate, embodied by a certain witcher and a military captain, had delivered Anaïs La Valette, Foltest's illegitimate daughter, into his hands. Thus the Redanian king had a strong argument that Temeria should be acknowledged a Redanian protectorate. Thanks to skillful political maneuvering, Radovid greatly strengthened himself and his kingdom's position.
 * If Geralt chooses to give Anaïs La Valette to John Natalis:
 * Radovid had very specific plans concerning his neighbor, the chaos-riddled Temeria. Yet Fate, embodied by a certain witcher and a military captain, had delivered Anaïs La Valette, Foltest's illegitimate daughter, into the hands of Temeria's regent, John Natalis. Radovid would have to find some other way to expand his dominion.

Associated quests

 * A Deadly Plot
 * An Eye for an Eye
 * A Favor for Radovid
 * Redania's Most Wanted
 * Reason of State

Journal entry

 * It did not take long for King Radovid of Redania to prove himself a hard and ruthless ruler, one fully deserving to be styled "the Stern." His father, King Vizimir, was murdered when Radovid was quite young, and his mother, Hedwig of Malleore, and a Regency Council ruled in his stead.
 * Young Radovid soon seized power in his own right, however, and wrought vengeance on those who had treated him with disrespect. He took to forcing all his potential political opponents to swear allegiance – or face death.
 * He waged war not only against Nilfgaard, but also against mages, whom he saw as the root of all evil. Radovid also made every effort to gain control over the Free City of Novigrad, whose fleet and treasury could tip the scales of the ongoing conflict towards Radovid's victory.
 * Geralt's meeting with Radovid confirmed the rumors circling around the king's mental state. The Redanian king was a dangerous madman trapped in his own world of disturbing visions. This did not make him one jot less intelligent or cunning, however.
 * Despite his mental afflictions, the young king was manipulating his opponents like an adroit puppet master.
 * Radovid burned with particularly intense hostility (first kindled in his earliest childhood days) for the sorceress Philippa Eilhart. Rumors spoke of how he had prepared a special torture regimen just for her - and while the two dozen points they mentioned were surely an exaggeration, they accurately conveyed the general scale of his hatred.
 * If Geralt completes Reason of State:
 * The terror of Radovid's reign had led not just enemies, but also his allies and even his subjects to long for his death.
 * The phrase "monster in human flesh" fit Radovid the Stern perfectly. Perhaps it was awareness of all the cruel and bestial acts this madman perpetrated that led the witcher to get involved in the plans for his assassination.
 * Hatred for Philippa Eilhart proved to be Radovid's weakness. He was ready to do anything to capture her - even abandon the safe confines of his flagship.
 * The plan for luring Radovid out of hiding worked, though not without complications. Irritated by Geralt's typical cheek, Radovid brayed for the witcher's blood, and Geralt only dodge the executioner's axe thanks to the intervention of his co-conspirators.
 * Perhaps the delay this caused was what allowed the ruler to nearly escape his assassins, but in the end he could not cheat fate and died at the hands of Philippa Eilhart, who descended suddenly, a veritable demon of vengeance, to revenge the wrongs he had done her.

Trivia

 * Radovid has the face of Michał Madej, chief designer of The Witcher.
 * Radovid may be very well inspired by Polish and Czech king Boleslaus I the Brave.
 * Radovid's name can be translated as "A joyful sight" (RADOst - Joy, and VID - Look, Appearance)