Nauzicaa Brigade

	They call us Death's Heads. Care to find out why?
- Gwent card

Nauzicaa (or Nausicaa), also known as the "Skullheads" or "Death's Heads", was a brigade of the 4th Cavalry Army, Nilfgaardian mounted troops commanded by Major general Markus Braibant. The brigade itself was commanded by Kees van Lo. They were equipped with war hammers and three and half feet long swords.

The Nauzicaa, together with the 7th Daerlan Brigade, were the last troops sent into battle in the battle of Brenna. Lead by the Field Marshal Menno Coehoorn himself, these forces were supposed to rip through the Northerner armies, end up behind enemy lines and then attack them from the rear. This effort proved ultimately futile as the inexperienced Poor Fucking Infantry, under the voivode Bronibor, was surprisingly able to thwart the Nilfgaardian cavalry's advance and stand their ground despite the heavy casualties suffered. From this point on, Nilfgaard's defeat was inevitable and swift.

Notes[]

The brigade was featured as one of the Gwent cards in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, albeit with a different spelling, "Nausicaa".
This brigade is referenced in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings during The Secrets of Loc Muinne quest.

Trivia[]

The name may be a reference to Nausicaa, a female character in Odyssey.
Their "Skullheads" alias may be a reference to the SS-Totenkopfverbände.
Their "Death's Heads" alias may be a reference to the Totenkopf Hussars from the Prussian Military, who wore similarly colored uniforms and insignia.