Yennefer (b. 1192) was a sorceress from Vengerberg, the capital city of Aedirn, before being recruited by Tissaia de Vries and brought to Aretuza to study magic. More than 30 years after her Ascension, she met Geralt of Rivia, whom she had mixed feelings for due to the circumstances of how they met.
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Biography[]
Tutelage at Aretuza[]
In her hometown of Vengerberg, Yennefer, a young lady born with a curved spine and partial facial paralysis, endured a life full of abuse from both her family and the villagers. One day, Yennefer attempted to return a flower to two lustful lovers had dropped on the ground outside a barn. Disgusted by her appearance, they attacked Yennefer, pinning her to the ground and hurling insults her way until she instinctively portalled away to Aretuza. There, she met Istredd, a young sorcerer who informed her that she had been marked when she used magic to travel there, and therefore someone would be coming for her. He then created an untraceable portal to send Yennefer back home.
Having been marked from her portalling to Aretuza, a sorceress named Tissaia de Vries found Yennefer and purchased her from her stepfather for four marks—less than half the price of a pig. Yennefer's mother objected, prompting her husband to denounce Yennefer as his daughter. Yennefer's cry for help was similarly futile. Yennefer was forcefully taken from her home in Vengerberg and locked in a room in Aretuza. She looked at herself in the mirror, disgusted at what looked back at her, and so shattered the mirror and grabbed a shard of glass as she contemplated taking her own life.
Despite slitting her wrists, Yennefer survived the night after her failed suicide attempt due to Tissaia's intervention, who introduced herself as the Rectoress of Aretuza. In reference to this job, the sorceress gave her the nickname "Piglet." Yennefer yelled at her for saving her life, saying that it would have at least given her control over something; Tissaia dismissed this and responded that her dying would have taken control away instead.
After gathering Yennefer and five other girls who had recently arrived at Aretuza in a greenhouse, Tissaia explained the dangers of magic and how each one of them had shown an aptitude for controlling it, making them conduits of chaos. Although magic itself is the control of chaos, she warned that not all of them would be able to do magic intentionally: that requires organizing chaos through balance and control. She had gathered them in the greenhouse for a trial: before each of them sat a flower and a stone, and they were to lift the stone without touching it. All of the initiates were able to lift the stone, except Yennefer. Discouraged by her failed attempt, Yennefer fled the greenhouse. She sought out Istredd and formally introduced herself, since she had not given him her name the first time they met.
Later, the initiates sat across from each other during an exercise to determine their partner's greatest fear. Telepathy should occur; however, after hours of analyzing her partner, Anica, Yennefer failed to determine her fear and lied to cover up her inadequacies. Tissaia called Yennefer out for her lie and berated her in front of the class, so Yennefer retreated to Istredd and detailed her shortcomings. He advised her to keep trying, saying he didn't give up and that he can now read minds. He even helped Yennefer read his mind, revealing glimpses of cicadas, warm bread, and other things that she might enjoy.
The initiates were later taken to the tower of Tor Lara to bottle lightning, to test their ability to control the ultimate expression of chaos. On Yennefer's turn, she raised her bottle and failed, causing the lightning to strike her and send her across the room. When Tissaia claimed that all the girls who did not succeed at the task were weak, an enraged Yennefer shot an incoming bolt of lightning at Tissaia, who redirected it into the sky. Tissaia proceeded to relate to Yennefer, saying there are two types of mages: those who can control their emotions and those who let their emotions control them, Yennefer and Tissaia being the latter. Despite this, she admonished Yennefer for her recklessness and questioned whether Yennefer would ever be ready to serve as an advisor in a king's court.
In her fear of being sent home, Yennefer found Istredd, who insisted they would find a way to avoid being separated for good. He couldn't show Yennefer how to create untraceable portals like he had the first time they met because he had to ensure that the Brotherhood of Sorcerers did not discover the old and powerful magic he was using to do it. Istredd instead showed her the skulls of the elves who built Aretuza, before the Conjunction of the Spheres and before humans existed on the Continent, explaining the history of the elves and how they were the original mages before they taught magic to the humans, who later murdered them. He gave Yennefer a Feainnewedd, a flower that only grows where Elder Blood has spilt. Using this plant, Yennefer summoned a portal with no difficulty (which surprised Istredd) and revealed that her real father was half-elf and was killed during the Great Cleansing. The half-elf blood caused her to be born with her twisted spine, and she believed that this was why no one could ever love her. Istredd kissed her, as if to prove Yennefer wrong about no one loving her.
Yennefer took the flower she got from Istredd to Tissaia, as Tissaia had sent Yennefer to Istredd as a test to prove Yennefer could control her emotions long enough to get it from him. Yennefer asked if this meant she was ready to "ascend" and was told to "listen for the knock."
Yennefer listened for the knock that night as instructed. However, it wasn't her door that Tissaia knocked on, but several other girls'. Nevertheless, she took the opportunity to spy on Tissaia as she turned three of the initiates into eels, one being her friend, Anica. Tissaia caught Yennefer and instructed her to push them into the water, and then Tissaia explained that she had taken away their control, but they still had power in this form. As eels, they had become conduits of chaos for Aretuza, so when Yennefer took a broom and pushed them into the water, all of Aretuza lit up with magic.[1]
Ascension to Mage[]
Years later in 1210, initiation day arrived in Aretuza, and Yennefer and Istredd were having sex in front of an illusory audience. Afterwards, they shared their mutual fears of being separated, with Istredd exploring ruins and Yennefer working as a mage advising King Virfuril of Aedirn. Yennefer recalled the frightened girl she had once been before she came to Aretuza, completely unaware of her power, and told Istredd she wanted to go back home to Aedirn and never be that girl again.
Later, Yennefer met with the enchanter. This mage used magic to turn the ascending students of Arteuza into living works of art before they left, no matter how challenging the task. He allowed Yennefer to pick a dress to wear after the spell was cast, and she chose a subtle but beautiful grey one, which he said would suit someone who did not feel the need to prove their power or importance. As she looked into a mirror, Tissaia entered and told Yennefer that mages who undergo the enchantment remake themselves on their own terms. Therefore, Yennefer would have the power to free herself of her previous victimhood forever. Tissaia instructed Yennefer to close her eyes and imagine the most powerful woman in the world, and she took that image from her mind and transposed it onto the mirror for Yennefer to see.
However, Yennefer later learned that the Chapter had reassigned her from Aedirn as she had wanted to Nilfgaard, a primitive kingdom whose ruler would not value her input. She confronted Tissaia and demanded an audience with the Chapter to try and change their minds, as she didn't want to serve a perverted fool like King Fergus. Tissaia revealed that it was her blood that had finalized the Chapter's decision: sending a quarter-elf to Aedirn would only further cement the lack of influence the Brotherhood had over Cintra (Aedirn's trading partner), given their hatred for elves. It was Stregobor who had told the Chapter about Yennefer's elven heritage, and Yennefer realized that the only way he could've known about it was if Istredd had told him what Yennefer had revealed to him in confidence.
Yennefer refused to attend the Initiation, a ceremony in which the students at Aretuza swore fealty to the Brotherhood and formally received their court assignments. Istredd found her in the ruins they had visited together before forging her stepfather's name on a deed to declare her as his natural-born daughter as a desperate means of convincing the Brotherhood that she did not actually possess any elven ancestors. He apologized for telling Stregobor her secret, noting that she had spied on him in the past as well and that he hadn't known what would happen when he spoke to Stregobor, but she wanted him to go back to the Chapter and tell them that he lied. He argued that it was too late for this, as Yennefer had already missed the Initiation and the enchantments had already been finished. Istredd offered to right his wrong by accepting an opportunity to conduct archaeological research for the Brotherhood and bringing Yennefer along with him as an alternative to Nilfgaard. However, she refused him, saying she wanted more than a life "holding dustpans while he brushes bones." This hurt Istredd, as he had been willing to put her first before her reassignment and had been planning to go to a court he had no interest in serving in to be close to her. He lashed out, claiming that she was manipulative and ultimately nothing but a pawn of Tissaia, and Yennefer shot back that he was a naïve romantic who did not understand the cruelty she had experienced because of her heritage and appearance. Leaving Istredd in the ruins, Yennefer stormed off, but not before Istredd exclaimed that she was just angry because she had lost her chance to be beautiful by not undergoing the enchantment. It wasn't really beauty she wanted, she admitted, but power. She left the unfinished deed behind in her angered retreat.
She found the enchanter and demanded that he make her beautiful. Despite not having the necessary herbs to sedate her during the procedure, Yennefer demanded that he do it right then. Yennefer removed her clothes and was strapped to a chair. She requested that the enchanter leave her purple eyes and the scars on her wrists from her suicide attempt unaltered. Before proceeding, he informed Yennefer there would be a cost to her transformation: to be reborn, Yennefer would "bear no more." When she accepted this, the enchanter surgically removed Yennefer's reproductive organs. He used them to form a paste that, when applied to Yennefer's skin, triggered the transformation. Yennefer screamed out in agony as internal flames cracked her skin. Her new body then took shape: her spine forcefully straightened, as did her jaw. The pain was so overwhelming that she broke free of her restraints.
Following a successful enchantment, Yennefer arrived at the Aretuzan ball following the Initiation, catching the eye of every noble and mage in attendance, completely reborn and appearing almost entirely like a new person, and wearing the gray dress she had initially chosen with the enchanter. She greeted the king of Aedirn, who discarded Fringilla (the mage who was to be sent in Yennefer's former place) in favor of her, impressed by her appearance and background as a member of his kingdom. Tissaia bristled at Yennefer's stunt but ultimately allowed it. Yennefer and the king of Aedirn then danced on the center floor, and Yennefer won Aedirn as she originally wanted. [2]
Protecting Queen Kalis[]
Thirty years passed, and Yennefer didn't age a day. She was traveling with Queen Kalis and the queen's newborn daughter in a carriage guarded by the Lyrian king's soldiers, on loan from Aedirn as Kalis' protection for the trip. Many feared for Queen Kalis, as she had yet to produce a male heir to inherit the throne. Kalis envied Yennefer's life as Aedirn's mage, considering her boredom at being a mother and her husband's indifference to her. However, Yennefer had given up everything to get her seat at court in her ambition of one day becoming the greatest mage in the history of any of them. In return, she had spent the last three miserable decades cleaning up political debacles. Nonetheless, Kalis argued that Yennefer had made the right choice until the horse carriage suddenly came under attack. Yennefer and Queen Kalis exited the carriage to find all but one of the guards dead and torn into bloody pieces. Standing no more than 50 feet away was an assassin and a koshchey. Yennefer opened a portal for Kalis, her daughter, the guard, and herself to escape through.
They emerged from the portal in a desert, and Yennefer was fairly certain the assassin had been paid to kill Queen Kalis, as she had repeatedly failed to provide the king a male heir. The assassin then tracked them to the desert, Yennefer and Kalis managing to escape through another portal while the guard was killed in the process. They then arrived in an undetermined town, and Yennefer asked Kalis if she had something of the king's that could be traced. Confirming her suspicion, the assassin tracked and joined them not a second later, his koshchey lunging at Yennefer. She slowed it down long enough for Queen Kalis, the girl, and herself to escape through another portal to a mountaintop, where Yennefer left the queen and her daughter after being tracked for a third time. Each time Yennefer made a new portal, it seemed to take more and more effort to create a new one.
Yennefer appeared in a field of sunflowers after having left the queen and her daughter behind. Yennefer eventually returned to find Kalis dead. She then killed the koshchey, took the little girl, and portalled to safety, though not before the assassin threw a knife at her as she went through the portal. Yennefer emerged on a beach and dragged herself and the girl to shore. The princess didn't make it due to the knife having grazed Yennefer and the baby, enough to fatally wound the infant. As the sun set, Yennefer settled on the beach with the princess' infant body by her side. She believed the girl to be better off dead rather than having to endure the trials and tribulations of life. She then buried the baby beneath the sand.[3]
Trapping a Djinn[]
After sixteen years, Yennefer entered a shop in search of assistance. Much like herself, the owner of the shop, Hemet, was a mage, and both had chosen to live a life off the grid, unbounded by the rules of the Brotherhood. She left empty-handed after failing to provide enough pay.
Having left her position as royal advisor, Yennefer was determined to regain her fertility. Hemet suggested she could make enough money to fund her search for a magical remedy by offering her services as he did. Yennefer started her own business in Rinde, using her magic to fix the problems of the townspeople, so long as they were willing to pay. She had customers lined down the road until she was confronted by the town mayor, Beau Berrant. He had come with his men to collect taxes in accordance with the kingdom's laws, but Yennefer was arrested when she refused to comply.
After bending the mayor to her will using magic, Yennefer received a visit from Tissaia, whom she hadn't seen in years, not since she had crashed the ball at Aretuza and maneuvered her way onto Aedirn's court over 30 years ago. Tissaia informed Yennefer that King Virfuril was dead, and King Demavend ruled now. When Yennefer asked why Tissaia was in Rinde, she explained that while Yennefer had remained hidden for a while, she was now making noise in search of a solution to her infertility. Tissaia had come to warn her that the mages that Yennefer was enlisting wouldn't help her with her problem because Yennefer was "pure chaos" at the moment and, as a result, had gotten sloppy. The Brotherhood had left her to her own devices once she abandoned Aedirn, but her recent behavior would make her a target. Tissaia invited Yennefer to return to Aretuza, but Yennefer declined. Yennefer suspected that Tissaia only wanted to see her thrive so long as she had a hand in it. Tissaia swore this was not true and questioned what more Yennefer could possibly want beyond the power she already had, to which Yennefer replied, "Everything."
That night, Yennefer hosted an orgy consisting of several dozen townspeople under her spell in the mayor's home. To her surprise, the witcher, Geralt of Rivia, interrupted. She knew him as the famous White Wolf. He requested her help in saving his friend, Jaskier. Yennefer was surprised to see that Geralt was immune to her spell and to see a witcher up close for the first time. She questioned just how powerful he is. The two almost immediately started flirting with each other, but Jaskier had been attacked by a djinn and whatever it had done to him was spreading, so Geralt insisted on focusing on him. Should Yennefer cure him, he promised to indulge her curiosity all night, however. Yennefer, taking notice of the seal on the djinn's empty bottle, agreed to his terms and released the citizens of Rinde from their trance.
Yennefer put Jaskier in a deep healing sleep. He would be out long enough for Geralt to bathe, and she'd even acquired a clean set of clean clothes for him using magic. As Geralt bathed, she pointed out that fishing for a djinn is an extreme measure to remedy sleeplessness. Geralt replied that he was desperate. Yennefer undressed and sat back-to-back with Geralt in the bath. She wondered if all witchers are as blessed as he is, being as they're made from mage magic. However, as Geralt explained, "blessed" wasn't the right word for it, as becoming a witcher hadn't made for a happy childhood. Judging by Yennefer's scars, he could tell she hadn't had much of a happy childhood, either. He accused her of capitalizing on Rinde's political situation for her own profit, though Yennefer claimed she was serving the stifled townspeople. Ultimately, they both knew there was more to the other's claim than they were revealing. Fortunately for Geralt, Yennefer had decided that his company and conversation were payment enough for her services, much to Geralt's chagrin.
While Geralt didn't doubt her capabilities, he did doubt her intentions in helping him and Jaskier. Yennefer assured Geralt that Jaskier would survive and recover his vocal talents. Geralt looked around and realized that Yennefer was attempting to trap the djinn. She explained that it was tied to this plane and its master. Since Jaskier had only made two wishes, Yennefer needed him to make his third and final wish so that she could capture the djinn, and she cautioned Geralt from leaving with him before he was healed. Geralt, futilely trying to convince her to leave the djinn alone, was taken over by the sudden smell of lilac and gooseberries. Yennefer kissed him and, at that moment, had full control of him. Using magic, she used him to enact her revenge against a couple of town council members who had been trying to expel her from Rinde.
As Yennefer prepared the spell to take control of the djinn, Jaskier awakened. She held him against the wall and told him to make a wish. Jaskier made his final wish, and Yennefer released him. She then started chanting to summon the djinn. Geralt returned, offering his help. He tried to stop Yennefer before the power consumed and killed her. Although Jaskier had expressed his last wish, the djinn only seemed to be getting stronger. That was because, as Geralt explained then, it was he who really had the wishes, not Jaskier. He refused to help her trap the djinn, fearing that, if Yennefer became its vessel, she would lose control, and instead offered to make the last wish on her behalf, giving her whatever she wanted. Yennefer refused, stated that true transformation is painful, and claimed that she would take the djinn herself. Yennefer became unstable, and the house itself started to collapse. In saving Yennefer from herself and her own desires, Geralt made his final wish to free the djinn. The floor of the tower they were occupying then caved in on them.
Yennefer managed to portal herself and Geralt downstairs before the building came crashing down on them. She blamed him for the djinn's escape and all the havoc it would cause now that it was free of any master. Geralt informed her that djinn are only dark creatures when they're held captive; he was certain that it wouldn't cause much harm now that it was free. Following a passionate argument with each other, Geralt and Yennefer had sex. Afterwards, Yennefer asked him what his last wish was, but Geralt did not reveal it, because he had already fallen deeply asleep.[4]
Separations and Reunions[]
For years, Yennefer and Geralt had had separations, reunions, and nice nights together. During this time, Geralt and Yennefer's romantic relationship deepened. However, they eventually grew apart due to the pain of one always leaving the other alone wherever they had met before dawn.
Hunting a Dragon[]
In 1262, Yennefer and her latest companion Eyck of Denesle were among four teams to join in on a hunt to slay a green dragon. Yennefer greeted Geralt and Jaskier for the first time in a year. She couldn't help but wonder why she kept running into Geralt, despite having walked the earth for decades and never meeting a single witcher. She explained that she was there to accompany Eyck as he was to slay the dragon.
All four groups decided to settle down on the mountainside. Geralt, Jaskier, Borch, Tèa, Vèa, Yennefer, Eyck, Yarpen, the leader of the dwarves, and Boholt, the leader of the Reavers, roasted a hirikka Eyck had killed and feasted. However, Borch warned Eyck against eating a certain part of the creature, a warning Eyck ignored. "A great knight never wastes a kill," he replied. It's why he'd make a great lord after slaying the dragon, with Yennefer as his mage. Boholt interrupted and made a lewd remark towards Yennefer. Eyck took his leave as his stomach started to gurgle after failing to heed Borch's warning. They proceeded to discuss how the rightful son of Nilfgaard had returned and started burning through the south, with Fringilla as his mage. It wouldn't be long before they tried to take Sodden.
Yennefer awakened the following morning to find Eyck missing. Yarpen found him dead by a tree with his pants down and throat slit. Nevertheless, the hunt continued. Yarpen suspected that the Reavers killed Eyck, and so he knew of a shortcut across the mountains that he only shared with Geralt, Jaskier, Borch, Tèa, and Vèa. Proposing a truce until they reached the next peak, Geralt tried to convince Yennefer to join them on the shorter path. Much like Yarpen, Yennefer suspected that Boholt killed her escort before he could accomplish the one task she needed him for. Yennefer revealed that dragons are said to possess certain healing properties. However, Geralt informed her that fertility cures using fresh dragon hearts were a myth. Geralt also didn't believe she'd make a good mother. Yennefer explained that she wanted her choice to bear a child back. Geralt informed her that witchers can't have children either. They were made sterile because their lifestyles weren't suited for a child. He then unintentionally revealed his Child of Surprise to Yennefer.
Yarpen and his men guided Yennefer, Geralt, Jaskier, Borch, Tèa, and Vèa to a fairly narrow path lined with wooden boards alongside the mountain, a tight squeeze for anyone larger than a dwarf. The board broke beneath Borch's feet, and he fell, as did Tèa and Vèa. The only thing preventing them from plummeting to the ground was Geralt holding on to the other end of the chain. Borch told Geralt to let him go. When Geralt refused, Borch let go of the chain, shortly followed by Tèa and Vèa, and the three of them disappeared within the fog as they fell to the ground below.
While in her tent, Yennefer got a visit from Geralt. Yennefer admitted to being worried for Geralt on the mountain. Her scent was mesmerizing. The moment he dreaded most every time she left was when it faded. Yennefer reminded Geralt that he had left first in Rinde. She woke up in the destroyed house, and he was gone. Geralt asked for forgiveness and kissed Yennefer. After having sex, Yennefer questioned if the rumors were true about witchers being devoid of human emotion. Geralt explained that it was false: people say whatever justifies despising his kind. If the choice had been his, Yennefer wondered what Geralt would've been instead of a witcher. Much like Geralt, Yennefer didn't have much of a choice in being a mage. She always dreamed of becoming important to someone someday. Geralt assured Yennefer that she was important to him.
Yennefer woke up the following morning to find Geralt still at her side. At a quick pace, they could make it back to the Pensive Dragon before sundown. However, Yennefer had no intentions of turning around. She was still intent on killing the dragon. She then rushed off to the dragon's cave after noticing the dwarves were already ahead of her.
Yennefer caught up to the dwarves, freezing them in place, allowing her to pass them by and enter the cave. Once inside, she found the wounded green dragon protecting its egg. Tèa and Vèa appeared and demanded that Yennefer stay back. Geralt arrived soon thereafter. The green dragon was dead, but she was not alone. Enter the gold dragon, who revealed itself to be Borch. When the dragoness was injured, her cry was heard by Villentretenmerth, but the egg could not be moved without the life inside it dying, which was why the dragon attacked: she was protecting her baby. That's when Borch, Tèa, and Vèa heard about the king's hunt and realized they had to keep their enemies close, so Borch came to find Geralt, the knight who was taught to save dragons rather than kill them. Boholt and his gang of Reavers arrived, forcing Geralt, Yennefer, Tèa, and Vèa to defend the dragons.
Yennefer and Geralt defended one entrance to the cave while Tèa and Vèa defended the other. During the fight against the Reavers, Yennefer kissed Geralt to give him the energy to use his Aard sign to blast their attackers away from the cave entrance. They were faced with Boholt and one remaining Reaver. Yennefer made sure that it was she who killed Boholt. Afterwards, Borch paid off Yarpen and his men, offering them teeth belonging to the green dragon to take to the king as proof of its demise.
Borch thanked Geralt and Yennefer for all their help in defending him and his family. He noted that he saw why Geralt didn't want to lose her. Yennefer questioned the meaning behind this, and Geralt revealed that he was referring to Rinde and their encounter with the djinn. That was why they couldn't escape each other: because Geralt wished for it. Yennefer took that to mean that her feelings for Geralt were also magic, though he insisted that wasn't true. An argument ensued, leading the two to part ways. Borch saved them both a lot of hurt with a little pain now. He revealed that Yennefer would never regain her womb, and Geralt would lose Yennefer.[5]
Returning to Aretuza[]
Coming from Caingorn, Yennefer arrived in Nazair, a Nilfgaard-run excavation site, where she reunited with Istredd after years apart. Why were they digging? The tunes described a "magnalith" in Nazair, but no one could find it until Istredd arrived and Nilfgaard tore through the lands. They allowed his research. Every glyph had a clue to something across the continent from a time before the Conjunction. Yennefer took a sip of the ale, which she described as having a terrible taste. However, Istredd claimed that the people of Nazair were starving before Nilfgaard's arrival. Yennefer surmised that Istredd had "bought in."
She questioned how much longer Istredd intended to stay in Nazair, as she missed him. Yennefer asked if it wasn't too late to do what they had always talked about all those years ago in the cave of Aretuza, living a life together. Istredd could excavate as she worked as a mage. He recalled how Yennefer always hated monoliths. Admittedly, this was true, but Yennefer had spent decades being the object of desire, having anyone she wanted, and they all loved the power that came with her position at court, not her actual power. No one had ever seen that but Istredd. Yennefer kissed him. However, he pulled away. He spent years waiting for the moment when Yennefer realized they were meant for each other, coming up with excuses to study in Aedirn, anything to get closer to her, but she denied every request he made. It was Stregobor who snapped him out of it. He reminded Istredd of the beauty of their work. Yennefer went after the thing she loved, so she chose power. At least she kept her eyes, he remarked, before departing.
Yennefer was then approached by Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, who needed her help. Nilfgaard had been conscripting mages into their service, and since neither of them possessed a legitimate letter of safe conduct, they both should leave as fast as possible. He needed Yennefer to accompany him back to Aretuza; he and Tissaia needed her help. Tissaia even said herself that Yennefer was the best student she'd ever taught.
Yennefer accompanied him back to Aretuza, where he and Vanielle of Brugge informed her that Nilfgaard was planning to attack Cintra, but Yennefer didn't care. She only cared for finding Tissaia. To her surprise, Tissaia had no idea she was in Aretuza. Vilgefortz lied to Yennefer in an attempt to convince her to join their cause.
Yennefer returned to her old room to find three initiates, Fola, Glacella, and Murta, playing around, claiming to be studying botany. They questioned why she was back, a question that not even Yennefer at the time could answer. She offered to show them what the herbs used in botany were truly good for. While the herbs possessed certain healing properties, when mixed, they act as psychedelics. From the girls, Yennefer learned that Glacella had never had a "conduit moment" and that certain initiates were buying their way into Aretuza.
Yennefer showed the girls a fate far more terrifying than expulsion if they were caught. She took them to Aretuza's windmill, where, many years earlier, she had watched Tissaia turn her friends into eels. Yennefer informed the girls that the ability to create life would be taken from them so that when they were sent out into the world, the only family and loyalty they'd have was to Aretuza. Initiates like Glacella, "with all the magical talent of shoe leather," would end up in the water with the rest of Yennefer's sisters who never ascended. Tissaia interrupted Yennefer's schooling of the girls and sent them to their rooms. She went on to tell Yennefer that she should stop with the one life she'd already ruined, that being her own.
Yennefer never wanted to come back, referring to Aretuza as a joke, letting in girls who couldn't even do magic. Tissaia explained that they had to make compromises to survive. Tissaia departed after noticing a gathering of the mages, leaving Yennefer clueless. Fortunately, she found Triss Merigold, who told her that an emergency conclave of the Northern Mages was called after Nilfgaard took Marnadal.
Artorius, Stregobor, and Tissaia led the conclave. Artorius and Stregobor had no desire to go to war with Nilfgaard, especially not for Cintra, who rejected their mages for decades. However, Vilgefortz worried that more kingdoms would fall after Cintra, as Nilfgaard wanted the entire continent. Rather than watching them fall, Tissaia wanted to help Cintra defeat Nilfgaard. Sabrina, Vilgefortz, and Vanielle sided with Tissaia, wanting to convince the kings to send their armies, because if they didn't stop Nilfgaard now, more kingdoms would fall.
Fringilla arrived at the conclave and denounced any suspicion that Nilfgaard was planning to take over the continent. Under their new leader, Emperor Emhyr var Emreis, Nilfgaard had strengthened trade and funded research. Fringilla believed that taking Cintra gave them a chance to save the continent. If the Northern mages wouldn't take sides, Fringilla asked that they at least stay out of her way. Fringilla then pointed out that, if not for Yennefer, she would never have been assigned to Nilfgaard, and that the empire wouldn't be what it is today. Artorius joked that had they sent Yennefer to Nilfgaard as planned, it would still be a "shitty backwater." Yennefer admitted this was true. Instead of Nilfgaard, she went to a prized kingdom and did "fuck all for decades." She helped murderers and rapists keep their crown. If given an option, she'd vote to burn it all down. The mages put it to a vote. Unfortunately, most sided with Stregobor and Artorius, allowing Cintra to fend for itself.
Once the conclave concluded, Yennefer and Tissaia resumed their previous discussion. Tissaia insisted that there are girls who need the help that only Aretuza could provide. She also added that Yennefer was right back in Rinde when Tissaia visited her, but now, they may have to put their differences aside to stop Nilfgaard. Tissaia, Vilgefortz, and some of the other mages planned to fight, and she was hoping Yennefer would join them.[6]
Battle of Sodden Hill[]
Approximately 60 mages, Yennefer, Tissaia, Triss, Vilgefortz, Vanielle, Coral, and Sabrina included, boarded a ship headed for Sodden Hill, the only potential path for Nilfgaard to take on their northward trajectory up through the Continent. They needed to reach the Elven keep that guarded it before Nilfgaard did, and defend it. Temeria and Kaedwen had agreed to join them in defending the Northern kingdoms against Nilfgaard, although their soldiers were two days away. During the journey, Triss wondered if Nilfgaard could actually achieve its goal of eventually taking over the entirety of the Continent, and Yennefer confirmed it was a possibility based on what she had seen in Nazair visiting Istredd.
Once on land, Yennefer approached Vilgefortz and questioned Nilfgaard's strategy of starting their campaign with the sacking of Cintra and exposing their intentions to the other kingdoms, and losing the opportunity to start with Sodden. Vilgefortz explained that figuring out the bigger picture at that moment wasn't a priority. Their task was much clearer: hold Sodden and save the continent. He also questioned Yennefer's motivations for being there. She evaded the question and made no mention of Tissaia's previous plea.
Yennefer, Tissaia, Triss, Vilgefortz, Vanielle, Coral, and Sabrina arrived at the keep, the only thing separating Nilfgaard from the North. They were greeted by a man who explained that the keep was now occupied by refugees driven there by the mercilessly advancing Nilfgaard armies, and that the people there would defend the keep alongside the mages and the expected soldiers. Yennefer warned of the danger and advised him and the others to take the children there and hide, but, as he explained, there was no more hiding from Nilfgaard. Their only chance to survive was to stand their ground there at Sodden Hill and fight.
While the mages and refugees fortified the keep in anticipation of Nilfgaard's arrival, Yennefer recalled Triss previously spending time in Temeria and asked if she truly believed that King Foltest would bring the Northern armies as he'd claimed. Triss trusted that he would come through because she and Geralt had helped save his daughter, who was cursed as a striga, to which Yennefer said that she should be wary of witchers and how "disappointing" they end up being. Yennefer then sat with Tissaia and discussed Nilfgaard's encroachment and the need to enjoy the night while they could. Yennefer noticed that Tissaia had taken a liking to Vilgefortz. Tissaia looked to her and asked if she was ready to die should they fail to stop Nilfgaard. Yennefer claimed that she was, having lived several lifetimes—none of which satisfied her, Tissaia remarked. Yennefer had accepted that life had no more to give. However, Tissaia argued that Yennefer still had more to give.
Yennefer awakened to find a fireball fired by Nilfgaard coming straight for her. She halted the fireball mid-air and then redirected it. Unfortunately, Nilfgaard had arrived much sooner than they had anticipated, having figured out that some of the Brotherhood's mages had arrived there at Sodden Hill to help fight them, and the Northern armies were still a way out. More fireballs followed. When the sun rose, many of the mages who had initially come had fled in fear, leaving only 22, Yennefer, Tissaia, Triss, Vilgefortz, Vanielle, Coral, Atlan Kerk, and Sabrina included. They watched as a thick fog consumed the mountains around them, signaling Nilfgaard's encroachment. Tissaia ordered Sabrina to take the villagers to the artillery room while she and Triss headed down to the battlefield. Yennefer was instructed to keep watch from the tower and reserve her chaos.
Yennefer watched from the tower as Nilfgaard's army approached. She telepathically communicated with the others to alert them and order them to make their move. On Yennefer's command, Vilgefortz portalled to Cahir's destination, taking out half a dozen soldiers before getting to Cahir. During the fight, Vilgefortz was disarmed multiple times, each time using magic to return his sword, despite Yennefer's warnings to reserve his chaos. Vilgefortz was bested by Cahir, and with his chaos depleted, Cahir kicked him off the hill. Vilgefortz rolled down the hill and hit his head on a tree stump.
Yennefer watched from the tower as Nilfgaard broke through their forces. She telepathically guided Coral back to the keep. After watching Atlan get struck down by an arrow, Coral decided to stop running. She tried to perform a spell, but was killed before she could. Atlan was killed as well.
Sabrina sneaked up behind Yennefer and stabbed her in the abdomen with an arrow after being infected by a parasite sent by Fringilla. Two young boys, also under the control of the parasites, took their bottles of blue meteorite and dropped them on the table filled with blue meteorite, causing a massive explosion on both ends of the keep that sent Yennefer and Sabrina flying off the tower, though the former managed to stick the landing. The fall appeared to return Sabrina to her normal self as she apologized for attacking Yennefer.
Yennefer limped out of the keep, forced to witness the massacre that had unfolded as villagers of all ages lay dead on the grounds of Sodden Hill. She telepathically called out to her fellow mages without response, telling them to hold the front line as more Nilfgaardians approached. Although Triss had survived the initial attack, she was still too wounded to continue to battle. Yennefer killed two opposing soldiers as they were tying an armless Coral to a tree. Fringilla intercepted Yennefer's message. She told Yennefer to stop fighting and join Nilfgaard. However, Yennefer stayed true to her belief and refused.
Yennefer found Tissaia on the hillside. Tissaia had been severely weakened, but with the Northern armies close, Yennefer refused to give up. She looked Tissaia in the eyes, and for the first time, admitted that Tissaia had saved her by bringing her to Aretuza. It was now Yennefer's turn to save the continent. Tissaia urged her to let her chaos explode. Yennefer got back to her feet, used magic to absorb the fire that was consuming the keep, and unleashed it all on the Nilfgaard army.[7]
Prisoner of War[]
Yennefer awakened under a tree, shackled and held prisoner by Fringilla and what remained of her Nilfgaard army. Yennefer realized that she and the Northern forces had won, and that Fringilla and Nilfgaard were on the run. However, Fringilla informed her that Sodden was only one of many battles to come. Yennefer couldn't imagine that her leader, the White Flame, would be too pleased to see her return defeated, which was why she intended to offer Yennefer up as a sacrifice.
Yennefer tried to convince Fringilla to let her go, as neither of them was certain that her sacrifice would spare Fringilla from her failure. She even offered Fringilla a chance to join them and redeem herself. However, Fringilla insisted that what she was doing was in the name of liberation, which was the opposite of what they were taught at Aretuza. There, they were just sent out as pawns to guild kingdoms, nothing more. Yennefer accused Fringilla of being unable to think for himself, to which Fringilla replied that Yennefer was blind.
As Fringilla and Nilfgaard prepared to pack up camp, her men were attacked by spears until only Yennefer and Fringilla were left standing.[8]
Captured by Elves[]
Yennefer dreamt of her and Geralt living happily together, with a baby on the way and the promise to grow old together. However, her dream turned into a nightmare when her baby's basket burst into flames, and a hooded figure with a red cloak was holding the child. Yennefer awakened from her sleep to discover that she and Fringilla had been taken prisoner by Filavandrel and his elven army.
Yennfer and Fringilla were taken to the elves' new leader, Francesca, who mentioned dreaming of someone in a white robe and questioned why Filavandrel hadn't had them killed yet. It was then that Yennfer revealed she's part elf. However, Francesca wasn't moved, as Yennefer had never even sung a song or honored their elders.
Yennefer noticed earlier that Fringilla was having a nightmare and asked what it was about, possibly someone hidden in a robe. A black robe, Fringilla confirmed, whereas Yennefer had dreamt of one in a red robe, while Francesca had dreamed of one in a white robe, which they revealed to Filavandrel before being taken to a temple where runes of the Conjunction of the Spheres had been inscribed along the walls. Francesca revealed that the guide in her dream was Ithlinne, Fringilla's was Emhyr, whereas Yennefer's was simply an unknown person. Yennefer then brushed away the dust on the altar to discover Elder speech. "Behold the mother of forests, the deathless mother, nesting in dreams." What remained was an incantation about a hut with no doors. Suddenly, the altar slid open, revealing a passageway that Yennefer, Fringilla, and Francesca followed.
Yennefer, Fringilla, and Francesca found the doorless hut in the woods, and the elf sorceress recited the incantation, ignoring Yennefer's warnings, causing the hut to turn toward them and summon them inside, where each of them saw their guides. Yennefer's guide, who looked like a girl, approached her. Fringilla's (Emhyr) and Francesca's (Ithlinne) guides made them a proposition to gain power and rebuild the elven community, respectively. Still, they realized that their guides were not someone who would help them, but someone who would destroy them. Yennefer's guide revealed herself to be an old witch, showing her true self to her. The Deathless Mother mocked her handling of magic and how useless it was, leaving Yennefer to suffer even more when she was unable to lift the stone since losing her Chaos due to using fire magic at the Battle of Sodden Hill.
Yennefer awakened in the woods, where she regrouped with Fringilla, who revealed that they were no longer prisoners and that she had joined forces with Francesca, who claimed that the old gods wanted an alliance between the elves and Nilfgaard. Yennefer called them both fools for believing this witch was a goddess, and Fringilla asked why Yennefer had let her go if she was pure evil. Yennefer couldn't respond. Yennefer struggled to use her powers. The Deathless Mother had told her before that she had lost her power over chaos by using fire magic in battle. Yennefer knew she no longer had power over chaos. Now she faced the truth: that she could no longer use her magic. She stumbled and fell a few times in her attempt, unable even to make a portal to send herself home, screaming to the heavens.[9]
Return to Aretuza[]
Yennefer returned to Aretuza despite the rumors of her death. She was welcomed back by Tissaia, who admitted that while Yennefer's actions turned the tide at the battle and that she was a hero, they needed to allow Vilgefortz to carry the mantle of victory for now because he and Tissaia were making a play for their council seats.
Yennefer attempted to warm up the water at Aretuza but failed miserably. She was joined by Triss, Sabrina, and Murta, who decided to go for a swim. Still, Triss wasn't comfortable showing her burn wounds and watched them from the edge. Triss recalled the Battle at Sodden. After a soldier had burned her, she was on the ground screaming, and Yennefer walked by her. They were all there to play a part, and she remembered thinking that if only one of them got to live, she was glad it was Yennefer, who offered to find a cure for Triss' scars, but she didn't appear too concerned, telling Yennefer, "What's lost is lost." She was simply glad not to be on Tissaia's plaque.
After crossing paths with Vilgefortz, Yennefer discovered Cahir in his cell. She told him that he wouldn't meet his end by their hands, as death must serve a purpose, and his would serve none. Fringilla told Cahir about Yennefer, about how she envied her during their days as schoolmates. Yennefer herself was then placed in a cell and bound to a chair by Stregobor, who didn't trust her, considering she had elven blood and mysteriously went missing for a month after the battle. When she admitted to being a prisoner of war and having been taken by Nilfgaard, he decided to delve deeper into her mind for answers. Still, Tissaia intervened and warned Stregobor that he would answer for this.
Stregobor accused Yennefer of being a spy for Nilfgaard after seeing in her memories how she had survived the Battle of Sodden, the fire magic, being taken prisoner by the elves, and returning unharmed. It seemed quite impossible to him that the elves would free her without making a deal.
To prove her innocence, Yennfer had to kill Cahir. It would prove that she was not a spy, but she believed it would only prove she was a killer, which was just another way for Stregobor to vilify her. If she wouldn't kill him, Tissaia instructed Yennefer to tell them the truth — that she was not a threat because she had lost her magic. For a month, Yennefer searched the Continent, trying every herb, potion, and spell to get back what she deserved. She looked to Tissaia for help, but all she could say was that "What is lost, is lost." However, Yennefer refused to give up.
Yennefer planned to flee Aretuza, but Istredd caught her and said that she could trust him if she had an ulterior motive. He lied to the council earlier; he spent time amongst Nilfgaard's followers and heard how they felt protected and welcomed under the emperor, which he hadn't told anyone else. Istredd was leaving for Cintra tomorrow to help the elves who were migrating, and he warned her that Stregobor had spies stationed on the tower. She would be caught if she tried to slip out.
Yennefer and Cahir walked side by side to his execution. She explained that his death would now serve as her absolution. However, rather than cutting off his head, she cut him free of his chains and helped him escape.[10]
Fleeing Oxenfurt with Cahir[]
Yennefer and Cahir were on the run in Oxenfurt, where Yennefer revealed that Nilfgaard had forged an alliance with the elves and that Fringilla had claimed leadership. They were forced to go into hiding when wanted posters for their arrest were released to the public. They headed down into the sewers after being attacked by a guard, where they met Dermain and Ba'lian, who told them about the Sandpiper, who helped elves get passage to Xin'trea. However, on their journey to the Sandpiper, Dermain was killed by some tentacled creature whilst Ba'lian fled. Yennefer was then almost carried away by the creature, but Cahir managed to save her.
They made their way back to surface level, and Yennefer let out everything that had been stressing her out, including the loss of her power and Geralt's wish. At that, Cahir realized that Yennefer had lost her powers that day on the battlefield in Sodden. He believed that maybe Yennefer had a bigger purpose. He and Fringilla served the White Flame because he served them first. Everyone answers to someone eventually. Yennefer and Cahir then spotted Ba'lian creeping into a tavern through the back entrance and joined him. Inside, Yennefer berated him for abandoning his friend instead of helping him. Ba'lian claimed that Dermain would have done the same, and he needed to save himself, but Yennefer didn't think it was worth it. The elves explained that they would have to wait for the tavern to empty, then the Sandpiper would take them to the boat. As it turned out, the Sandpiper was Jaskier, who performed at the tavern every night.
The following morning, Yennefer reunited with Jaskier and hugged him. She heard his song and suspected that he and Geralt must've ended on bad terms, which he admitted was true. She then revealed that she was in hiding. Jaskier informed her that anonymous benefactors were working behind the scenes to help him save the elves.
Jaskier distracted the guards so that the others could sneak aboard the ship. Once inside, Jaskier asked what happened to Yennefer. She revealed that she lost her magic, which Jaskier was sympathetic to, because like her, he was scared that one day the muses would stop speaking to him, because who are they when they can no longer do the one thing they were put on the Continent to do. Yennefer replied that they had to find a new purpose. Jaskier said goodbye to Yennefer and wished her good luck. However, as soon as Jaskier left, Yennefer heard him scream and went to investigate, only to find his lute lying on the ground. Cahir called Yennefer to come back downstairs, but she decided to help Jaskier instead of going to Cintra.[11]
Rescuing Jaskier[]
Yennefer approached a whore and asked if she would like to make some money on her feet instead of on her back. She feared that Jaskier might have gotten into some trouble at the docks and asked the lady to go to the garrison and see if he had been caged.
As she waited, Yennefer watched helplessly as guards from the Northern Kingdom took a mother away from her daughter. She tried to use magic to help, but without access to Chaos, she was powerless. The Deathless Mother told Yennefer that all she had to do was ask, but she refused to give in. The lady whom she employed to check out the garrison returned and informed Yennefer that no one by the name of Jaskier was there. However, she told Yennefer to check the taverns. From experience, when she lost a man, that was usually where she found him.
Yennefer posed as Jaskier's drunken wife and stumbled into the bar to find him being tortured by a guy with fire magic named Rience. With a mouthful of alcohol, Yennefer waited until Rience conjured fire before spitting the alcohol out and engulfing his face in fire, allowing her and Jaskier to escape.
After gaining a safe distance, Jaskier revealed to Yennefer that this Rience guy was looking for Geralt and advised her to warn him, but without magic, she couldn't. Three men then approached them. Yennefer kicked one in between his legs, and she and Jaskier split up. The lady from before offered Yennefer shelter in her whorehouse, but unbeknownst to Yennefer, Redanian guards awaited inside to apprehend her.
While restrained in a chair, Yennefer could hear the Deathless Mother speaking to her, informing her that Fringilla and Francesca were thriving. All she had to do to get her magic back was say the incantation, which she did and portalled away to the Deathless Mother's hut. There, she explained that she didn't grant wishes. She was merely a guide to get Yennefer what she wanted. Yennefer exclaimed that she deserved access to Chaos. The Deathless Mother revealed that Ciri was the key to Yennefer getting her power back. All she had to do was deliver her to a shattered black door just outside Cintra.[12]
A Deal with the Deathless Mother[]
Yennefer tracked Ciri down to Melitele's Temple, where she spotted Ciri as the girl the Deathless Mother indicated to her. She tried to reach her before unexpectedly meeting and reuniting with Geralt, who thought Yennefer was dead. Yennefer couldn't believe Geralt was there. They kissed before Ciri interrupted them. Geralt introduced Yennefer, and it was from him that she learned Ciri was his Child Surprise. After getting to know Ciri a bit, Yennefer and Geralt caught up over lost time, with Yennefer claiming that she was staying at the temple to hide out from the Brotherhood. Yennefer questioned what changed his mind about claiming his Child Surprise. Many things changed his mind, among them Yennefer. She then revealed that she ran into Jaskier in Oxenfurt. He was in some trouble with a mage using fire magic, who was looking for Geralt, to which he said that he was actually looking for Ciri.
Yennefer's heart had been beating fast the entire time. She was nervous, and Geralt asked why she was in the temple. Yennefer lied to him, saying that the reason was that some wounds refused to heal. Geralt asked Yennefer if she still wanted to have a child, and Yennefer said that this time was different.
Yennefer and Geralt came to Ciri's aid upon learning the temple was under attack by Rience and the Michelet brothers. Geralt slaughtered the intruders, whilst Yennefer and Ciri locked themselves in a room. With Rience on the other side of the door trying to melt it open, the Orbuculum sensed Ciri's magic and began to glow. Yennefer taught Ciri how to create a portal, which they escaped through. Geralt called out to Yennefer just as she was fleeing and told her to stop, but she replied that she couldn't.[13]
Yennefer and Ciri portalled not too far from Cintra. In fact, they were at the same house where Ciri had her first dream about Yennefer. In one of the rooms, they discovered the charred remains of the people who helped Ciri and sheltered her. Ciri partially blamed herself for their deaths before concluding that Rience might work for Nilfgaard and might have taken Geralt to their nearest outpost, Cintra, which they decided to travel to together. Yennefer was surprised that Ciri wanted to go to Cintra despite what awaited her, since that was where she would have to take her.
Yennefer and Ciri rode towards Cintra, stopping briefly to ease the strain on the horses. Ciri considered Geralt the father she never had, so she was determined to save him. Yennefer knew that feeling. Yennefer and Ciri reached the river, but the bridge had broken. For lesson number two, Yennefer taught Ciri to use her Chaos to repair the bridge, a task she struggled with so much so that blood dripped from her eyes until Yennefer forced her to stop. Frustrated, Ciri screamed so intensely that she teleported Yennefer, herself, as well as the horses to the other side of the bridge. Yennefer wiped her face and told Ciri to never apologize for her power.
They arrived at the site of the monolith collapse, just outside Cintra. If they ever were to get separated, Yennefer reminded Ciri to remember that magic was all she had and that it was a part of her. As they got closer to the shattered black door, Yennefer heard Voleth Meir whispering to her that she was nearby. Ciri touched her and, by reading her mind, discovered her true intentions. Yennefer told her to turn back if she was afraid. Yennefer tried to apologize for betraying Ciri because she did not know who she was and informed her that Geralt wasn't in Cintra, leading Ciri to suspect that the mage at the temple knew Yennefer and that she'd been conspiring with him the entire time. However, Yennefer said that wasn't true. Upset by her betrayal, Ciri's powers manifested and emitted a rippling effect, cracking the ground and the nearby Cintran kingdom, occupied by Nilfgaard.
Guards came charging towards Ciri and Yennefer, whom Geralt saved. He then drew his blade on Yennefer, who realized his intentions. She apologized for her betrayal, but he wasn't convinced. Geralt stayed behind and revealed his plans to kill the Deathless Mother, whilst Jaskier took Ciri back to Kaer Morhen. With the blade to her neck, Yennefer recited the incantation, but when they arrived at her hut, they discovered that she'd escaped.[14]
The Ultimate Sacrifice[]
Yennefer followed Geralt to Kaer Morhen, where she attempted to plead her case hopelessly and apologize for her actions, revealing that Voleth Meir had come to her as a girl in a twisted form. She fed on pain, but she was more specific than that. She found her weakness, the gaping wound in her heart, the thing that made her feel hopeless. She plunged her finger into it and made it hurt so badly that Yennefer would do anything to make it stop, like sacrifice a child, but she didn't go through with it, as she understood how special Ciri was. She radiated the spark that Yennefer used to feel when she used her Chaos. However, this all fell on deaf ears, as Geralt was very angry about what she had tried to do.
Yennefer and Geralt entered the den to discover that the Deathless Mother had possessed Ciri and that she had killed some of the witchers in their sleep.
Yennefer awakened Jaskier from his sleep and brought him to the lab, where she attempted to make a potion that would remove Voleth Meir from Ciri without killing her. Fortunately, she found active jasper, who provided warmth, energy, and balance. Yennefer pulled Ciri into this mess and would do anything she could to get her out of it. So, she tasked Jaskier with giving Geralt the jasper, as it would help right wrongs.
Yennefer joined the fight against the Deathless Mother alongside Geralt, who realized that without her hut, the Deathless Mother needed a vessel to exist within their sphere, meaning Ciri couldn't escape. So, seeing a way to right her wrongs, Yennefer decided to sacrifice herself for her, slitting both her wrists open and summoning Voleth Meir.
When Ciri awakened, she portalled herself, Yennefer, and Geralt to Voleth Meir's home sphere, where she exited Yennefer's body and joined the ranks of the Wild Hunt. When Ciri portalled them back home, Yennefer revealed that she was whole again. She felt her magic return when she sacrificed herself for Ciri. While Geralt didn't forgive her, he wanted Yennefer to join them and use her knowledge of magic to help train Ciri, as she was the only person who'd helped her control her power. Geralt recalled Vilentretenmerth, saying they were made for each other, destined to be together, but that nothing would come of it because destiny alone wasn't sufficient. Something more was needed. Geralt believed that Ciri was something more. He and Yennefer then joined Ciri on the bridge and assured her that they'd see her along the way to her destiny.[15]
Ciri's training in magic[]
Yennefer traveled with Geralt and Ciri in search of a home, so they could avoid being tracked by those who hunted the princess of Cintra. She began training Ciri in the magical arts, while writing to Geralt, informing him of her progress, while trying to regain his trust, since Geralt still had a hard time forgiving her for what had happened before. After losing many homes in six months, the trio kept moving and eventually settled in the cabin Yarpen provided them. Yennefer and Ciri took up skating to take a break from magic lessons. They had dinner together as a family in the same cabin, and the three relaxed after some time in hiding. At the same time, Yennefer and Geralt slowly made peace.
After many lessons, Yennefer explained to Ciri how fire magic is forbidden, which consumes the entire soul, removing magic that could never be recovered. That night, the trio attended the Belleteyn festival, Yennefer dressed in the same black dress from before, and Geralt told her that she "looks lovely." At the festival, he reminded Yennefer of her birthday, and the two began talking, reminiscing about the beautiful nights they had shared. However, in the labyrinth, Ciri was attacked by a Jackapace, sent by Rience to track her with the scent of her blood. Yennefer and Geralt saved her, with the latter managing to overpower the creature.
Instead of continuing to flee, they decided to make a plan with the help of Yarpen and Jaskier to bring Rience to them. They spread rumors about a caravan that would transport an ashen-haired girl, and that information reached Rience.
Ambush at Shaerrawedd[]
In the ruins of Shaerrawedd, Yennefer and Geralt told the story of Aelirenn to Ciri. In the morning, Ciri shared a dream she had with them. She explained that being half-elf and half-human, she wanted to find a way to unite both races and end the destruction they were causing. In the middle of the talk, they were interrupted when they sensed danger nearby, and Rience and his men appeared. Rience tried to take Ciri but escaped through a portal, which Yennefer kept open as long as possible so that Geralt could go after him. In the middle of the fight, the elves also arrived for Ciri. As she held the portal open, Francesca approached her, questioning her about being an elf, but Yennefer refused to listen to her and pushed her.
After the fight, that night, Yennefer told them that the portal used by Rience was born from a chaotic magic that she had never felt before, and she suspected that a very powerful mage was supporting him. Yennefer decided to take Ciri to Aretuza, where she could receive better training from Tissaia, so they must separate, since Geralt wanted to hunt down Rience and be able to finish him off. Before leaving, Yennefer promised to take care of her. Geralt showed his tender side, and Yennefer will do what is best for Ciri.
Journey to Aretuza[]
Yennefer and Ciri tried to go unnoticed as best they could as they traveled through the Northern Kingdoms, where political instability had led the kings to confront each other. Trying to remain undercover, Yennefer sent a letter intended for Tissaia to arrange a reunion. She then prevented Ciri from meddling in Aplegatt's affairs after she experienced a vision of his death, claiming that she was kicked in the head by a horse. Ciri wanted to warn the messenger, but Yennefer said that interfering with destiny could lead to serious consequences.
She met her friend Keira Metz to ask for a portal to Aretuza. Still, when Ciri freed an enslaved dwarf after having another vision, Yennefer was forced to intervene and kill the man who was going to attack her, who turned out to be one of Houvenaghel's men, to which Keira warned her that they couldn't mess with him or his men.
Yennefer felt disappointed and questioned Ciri about the terrible consequences of what she did, even though it was her fault—she should have taught her that discretion is more important than courage. Ciri did not assimilate this lesson easily, and Yennefer decided to take her to the place where her childhood home was, showing her her own past and the horrors she suffered as an abused, unloved, physically deformed child, and telling her how her family sold her to Tissaia, who instructed her in magic. She also said she did not know whether she would be received well in Aretuza after freeing Cahir instead of executing him, which led the Northern Kingdoms to turn their backs on the Brotherhood. Also, she told her that if they both controlled chaos, they would move mountains.
They arrived at the bank in Gors Velen, where Yennefer met Molnar Giancardi, an old friend she had once saved. Yennefer asked for a super secure safe and for someone to be in Ciri's company. She covered Ciri with a cloak and took her sword, giving her a bag of coins to buy something at the market, while reminding her again to be on deck. She put a locator spell on Ciri's talisman so that if she had a problem, she could call her.
Yennefer met with Tissaia in one of the Bank's spacious vaults. Yennefer began the conversation with accusations, suggesting that Tissaia already knew that Ciri was alive and told the kings of the North, hoping to gain their trust. Tissaia denied nothing but was offended that her goals seemed so primitive to Yennefer. She also believed that the person who freed the Nilfgaardian prisoner had no right to lecture her. Yennefer apologized for her bad behavior and told her that the fire mage Rience, behind whom was someone very powerful, was looking for Ciri. She asked for her help to hide her in Aretuza to train her. Seeing Yennefer's concern for the young girl, Tissaia suggested that, after so long, Yennefer had finally found what she had been searching for and become a mother.
Yennefer arrived just in time when she found Ciri being mistaken by Margarita and Sabrina for a fugitive after causing a ruckus in the market. Tissaia approached Ciri and looked her in the eyes, resulting in a staring contest that Tissaia lost, her eye bleeding. To calm the situation, Yennefer invited them all to the Silver Heron. The ladies spent the time relaxing in the bathrooms. Still, things quickly turned ugly when Rita and Sabrina intimidated Ciri by treating her like a servant, which angered her, and this led to a fight between her and Yennefer. Yennefer clarified that Ciri was a novice there and that she would have to get used to being treated as such. Aretuza was her best option to protect her, and for her part, Yennefer would have to humble herself before the Brotherhood and beg them to forgive her for her past mistakes. However, Ciri didn't want to be part of what she considered a vain, vapid group of power-mad women, and she ran away.
Later, Yennefer convinced Tissaia to call a Conclave of Mages to unite all mages under one banner, since their union could help Aretuza regain the respect of the Northern Kingdoms and unite the Continent against the invaders of Nilfgaard.
Corrupt Portal[]
In Aretuza, Yennefer appeared before the Brotherhood of Sorcerers to request the Conclave. The mages were still angry with Yennefer for not executing the prisoner of war. Still, Yennefer remained humble and apologized for her actions, convincing the Brotherhood that unity was the only option that could save them from the Nilfgaardian threat. Tissasia, Vilgefortz, and the rest of the Brotherhood almost unanimously supported Yennefer's idea. However, one of the few who did not vote in favor of the Conclave was Stregobor.
Preparing for the conclave, Yennefer volunteered to deliver the invitation to Philippa Eilhart in person. Yennefer wondered what had happened between Tissaia and Philippa, who were very close. Tissaia said that the friendship dissolved. They were then interrupted by Triss, who was worried about the disappearance of a novice, although Tissaia ignored her concern. When Tissaia left, Yennefer told Triss that Geralt was on his way with Ciri. He had told her everything that had happened in Kaer Morhen, and she thanked her for helping. Yennefer then went to Redania through a portal conjured by Vilgefortz, which was supposedly impossible to intercept.
Yennefer arrives in Redaniana and approaches Sigismund Dijkstra and Philippa during the Queen Hedwig's funeral. Yennefer offers her condolences and invites Philippa to the Conclave of Mages. After Philippa refuses, Yennefer takes the opportunity to apologize and preach about the need to unite the North against Nilfgaard, pressuring King Vizimir to send her, to which the king agrees and wants Dijkstra and Radovid to attend as well.
Yennefer returns through the portal, but unexpectedly, the portal teleported Yennefer to an unknown location, finding herself between stalactites, runes, and a black sea, where Geralt mysteriously appeared, and apparently attacked her. Seeing that it is all an illusion, Yennefer counterattacked and jumped through the portal back to Aretuza. Triss and Sabrina helped her, and Yennefer told them that someone had corrupted the portal. Triss tried to warn her that taking Ciri to Aretuza would put the girl in danger. Still, any sense of urgency was tempered by Yennefer's certainty that Ciri would benefit from beginner training.
Once Geralt, Ciri, and Jaskier arrived, Yennefer greeted them. Ciri apologized to Yennefer for leaving; Yennefer apologized as well, and the two mended their bond. Yennfer entrusted Jaskier with caring for Ciri that night. Yennefer and Geralt then discussed some matters, and they finally reconciled and forgave each other.
Later, she told Geralt about the portal, where he appeared in the illusion, and how he tried to kill her. Discussing the clues they discovered, they concluded that whoever was there supporting Rience, using illusions, hating Yennefer, and doing experiments on young people was Stregebor. They planned to let things take their course in the conclave until they had solid evidence against Stregobor and prevent further chaos on the continent. The party arrived on Thanedd Island, where people could mingle and release tensions.
Aretuza ball[]
Like an elegant couple entering the ballroom, Yennefer gave Geralt the details, introducing him to the well-known mages, although they would have to get used to them because they would be watched all night. She also ordered him to behave well. She then introduces him to Sabrina, who attempted to seduce Geralt by telepathy right in front of Yennefer, as she enjoys irritating the "Savior of Sodden", but Sabrina's antics does not fool Geralt. Later, Yennefer had a conversation alone with Philippa, who tried to convince her to join her side instead of serving the Brotherhood. Philippa explained how she and Tissaia really broke off their friendship. He tried to convince her not to participate in the First Northern War and not to ally with Vilgefortz. He also said she was a lot like Lydia van Bredevoort, both blinded by love, though Yennefer ultimately chose Tissaia's side.
She then met up with Istreed and Triss, who informed them that Stregobor had a dangerous Book of Monoliths hidden in his office. He informed Geralt of this, just as the formal dance was about to begin. They needed to come up with something to catch him tonight. Dancing and rotating partners, Yennefer apologized to Keira for the incident at the store and suggested they have a drink later. Keira refused and declared that she intended to get pregnant. Swapping partners and dancing with Geralt again, he told her that he would create a distraction so Yennefer could sneak into Stregobor's office. Geralt and Istredd then pretended to fight over Yennefer, distracting everyone so Yennefer could sneak away.
He entered the office, where he found the safe that had a security measure that alerted Stregobor. Yennefer found, inside a list of the half-breed novices and their belongings, that Stregobor appeared to have taken from them before Stregobor arrived and caught her. At the same time, Geralt arrived, and the two began to accuse him of having kidnapped those girls and tortured them to get to Ciri. In the midst of this, Tissaia, Vilgefortz, Istredd, Triss, and Artorius also arrived. At the same time, Geralt and Yennefer mentioned the fact that Stregobor had a list of all the novices who were missing and had been practicing mind control with them. Stregobor protested this, having no idea what they were talking about, while Istredd found the Book of Monoliths in the safe. Stregobor seemed somewhat bewildered by the fact that the book was among his possessions, but the evidence said it all, and Tissaia proposed locking him up until the Conclave and being judged. Tissaia thanked Yennefer and Geralt for saving the night. On the floor, she found Tissaia's bracelet that she had dropped.
Back in the ballroom, they celebrated a toast to the alliance between all the mages of the north, and especially thanked Yennefer for organizing this event. This allowed Geralt to confess his love to her, and they kissed in front of everyone. After the evening, the two finally spent a long night resting from all of tonight's strange moments.
In the light of day, as they prepared for the Conclave, something was bothering Geralt, who seemed to realize that they were wrong about Stregobor. Yennefer told Geralt about Lydia and that what he saw of her face was an illusion: her jaw was horribly injured, and she now only communicated by telepathy. This made Geralt realize that Lydia compared herself to the woman with the "strange voice" and that Tissaia's bracelet matched the red stone in her earrings. Geralt also divulged his conversation with Vilgefortz at the ball, in which he invited him to be a mage in the Brotherhood for the war that awaited them. Yennefer was very suspicious of all this. The two noticed a scarlet ammonite on the bracelet, which they believed protected loved ones or valuable belongings. Geralt explained that scarlet ammonite can only be extracted from the mines in western Redania, the place where he found the novices locked in the castle.
Yennefer realized that the corrupted portal had led her to the location of "The First Arrival," also known as Vilgefortz's favorite painting. She bet that Vilgefortz gave Tissaia the bracelet and Lydia the earrings. In that, she discovered that Vilgefortz was Lydia's lover, a poison that kills slowly. They then concluded that Stregobor was not the culprit, but that Vilgefortz was.
Thanedd Coup[]
Yennefer realized that Philippa cast an anti-magic copula, which lifted the spell on the cabin where Ciri was and alerted her. She then managed to escape through a secret hallway from the room before being caught by the Redanians. She hid in the caves under Aretuza, where she crossed paths with Lydia, who almost killed her; however, Triss saved her at the last second by tying Lydia up with magical vines. Lydia said by telepathy that Ciri's destiny was with Vilefortz and the Emperor, but Yennefer, not wanting to listen to her, hanged her, killing her. Yennefer managed to leave Aretuza and encounter Ciri. They decided to flee across the ferry chain but were stopped by Rience. The mage used a circle of fire to trap Ciri, threatening to burn her alive. Yennefer pretended to surrender, but instead threw Geralt's sword in Rience's direction, distracting him. Geralt came to the rescue and used Yennefer's distraction to decapitate Rience finally.
As they tried to leave, at that moment, Tissaia began to summon Alzur's Thunder. Yennefer felt her and knew she must help her. Ciri understood what Tissaia meant to her. Yennefer promised to return to them and called Ciri her daughter.
She quickly ran towards Aretuza, arriving just in time in the middle of the battle to help her companions against the Scoia'tael and Nilfgaardians. At that moment, Stregobor arrived, who sacrificed himself to give Yennefer and the survivors time to escape. Yennefer asked Triss to find Geralt. She reached Tissaia, who drained much of the chaos with the thunder, her hair now white. Outside with the survivors, they watched as Tor Lara collapsed, revealing a monolith inside.
Later, Yennefer met Jaskier inside Aretuza, who asked about Ciri. She said that they saw her in Tor Lara, but she is nowhere to be found. She also reported that Triss took Geralt to the dryads to heal him, so Jaskier decided to head straight there.
Becoming the New Leader[]
Yennefer tries harder to find Ciri. She visited Crach an Craite in Skellige, who told her that Ciri was on her way to Nilfgaard, and Yennefer assumes this is the work of Vilgefortz. With Tissaia, Triss, Keira, Sabrina and Margarita, they traveled to Castle Vuilpanne and found the remains of the novices. Together, the sorceresses break Vilgefortz's spell and return the creature to human form. Then, at Triss' request, they decide to give the novices a decent burial.
Back in Aretuza, Tissaia tried to escape the heavy thoughts and plunged headlong into the battlefront. Yennefer tried to convince her and gave her some encouraging advice. Despite everything that happened, they must continue fighting, and they need her as their leader and their mother. In response, Tissaia said that depriving sorceresses of the opportunity to have children was not a prerequisite for controlling Chaos. She introduced this procedure only to equalize her rights with those of mages. While at the novices' burial ceremony, Yennefer suddenly felt a tingling in her veins and discovered the body of Tissaia, who had taken her own life by cutting her wrists. Yennefer was devastated by Tissaia's suicide and went to see Geralt, who was recovering in the forest of Brokilon. They both blame each other for Ciri's loss. Yennefer has lost everything she loved because of Vilgefortz. Geralt promises to find Ciri and make both Vilgefortz and Emhyr pay. She then used her magic to heal Geralt from the wounds inflicted by Vilgefortz that the dryads could not.
Yennefer gathers the last of the sorceresses, including Triss, Keira, Margarita, and Sabrina, to discuss what to do now that the Brotherhood is gone. Yennefer took the initiative and insisted that they must now face the most powerful and dangerous wizard ever seen. She promises they will defeat Vilgefortz and ensure nothing like this happens again.
Hunting Down Vilgefortz[]
With her grappling with the events following the battle at Thanedd, particularly the loss of Tissaia and her inability to find Ciri, and the Continent at war, Yennefer begins a desperate search, leaping from portal to portal in an attempt to track Vilgefortz down. But she realized that the portals weren't functioning, leading her to suspect that Vilgefortz might somehow be controlling them. After killing some Nilfgaardian soldiers, Yennefer rode back to Gors Velen and encountered a mob of villagers by the Giancardi Bank gates, blaming mages for the war. While Yennefer tried to pass through the angry mob who disparaged and chastised her, she spotted someone she thought was Vilgefortz; however, it was another mage who impersonated him. He offered Yennefer the chance to join Vilgefortz and then vanished. A woman provoked the villagers, who attacked and killed Keira and Molnar Giancardi. Yennefer captured a rebel mage woman.
Of the three sorceresses in the Brotherhood, Margarita, Sabrina, and Triss, Yennefer told them about Vilgefortz's offer and believes he controls the portals and the mages. Burnita, one of Vilgefortz's henchmen whom she captured, was interrogated by Yennefer and tried to use the same tactic Tissaia had used to enter her mind and learn where Vilgefortz was, but it was useless. She continued to try to bend Burnita's mind, while Rita and the others were mindful that she had spent hours trying to access her mind. However, Yennefer states that she's found flashing monoliths and was willing to go deeper, but stops. Rita then mentioned that Tissaia once did the same, searching for her. With her comrades channeling their magic energy into Yennefer, she tried again to extract the information she wanted from Burnita, only for Vilgefortz to mind-control her and use her as his mouthpiece. Yennefer called him a coward for hiding and sending other mages in his place. He offered her to join him, but she rejected it, so Vilgefortz severed his connection with Burnita and killed her by frying her brain and making her eyes burst. Distraught by what had happened, Yennefer vows to continue, but Triss tries to reason with her. Yennefer was adamant that they could win against him if they assembled an army.
Yennefer visited Philippa at the castle of Montecalvo. She correctly guessed that Philippa's been booted from the Redanian court. Despite Yennefer revealing that Keira was dead and Vilgefortz was gathering an army to hunt other mages, Philippa wasn't interested in working with her, since she failed to back them up when Vilgefortz was accused of working with Nilfgaard. Yennefer apologized for not believing her when she tried to expose him. She attempted to recruit her for an army of mages who are not yet loyal to Vilgefortz. Later, Yennefer visited Fringilla at her lair, persuading her to spy on and kill Vilgefortz and find his hiding place. Fringilla was reluctant, but Yennefer warns her that if Vilgefortz falls, Emhyr will too.
She was later intercepted in the woods by three rogue mages sent by Vilgefortz. Yennefer fights them off until Philippa arrives and helps her. Working together, Yennefer and Philippa utterly murder the rogue mages in extremely gruesome fashion. Then, Yennefer decided to go and recruit the next sorceress, and Philippa gave her a feather as she set off.
Rallying Mages[]
Videos[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 02: Four Marks
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 03: Betrayer Moon
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 04: Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 05: Bottled Appetites
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 06: Rare Species
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 07: Before a Fall
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 08: Much More
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 01: A Grain of Truth
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 02: Kaer Morhen
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 03: What Is Lost
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 04: Redanian Intelligence
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 05: Turn Your Back
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 06: Dear Friend...
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 07: Voleth Meir
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 08: Family