The Witchers Deadliest Faction - The Nilfgaardian Empire | Witcher Lore Books & Games 

Hope you all enjoy some Witcher lore! I got many more topics I want to cover so let me know if there’s any you’d like to see!

Ah Nilfgaard, if the Holy Roman Empire was actually Roman, spoke Dutch and was outfitted by Hugo Boss.

One of the most confusing changes the Netflix show made is the armor for Nilfgaard. The stuff in the games is so detailed, and looks amazing, the stuff from the show is atrocious.

This is worth more than the entire netflix series.

Nilfgaard is quite obviously inspired by the Roman Empire. People from overseas settle in an area, where they form a society with the local population, going on to create a republic, which would be overthrown by a military dictator, who rebuilds it into an empire. Meanwhile, the people of the country’s original heartland see themselves as true citizens and everyone else as conquered people, but the line between citizen and foreigner grows ever more blurry with time. Also, the nation is able to conquer it’s equally, or even richer neighbors, due to their unmatched military prowess, but fail to conquer a far-away backwater due to supply issues and local resistance.

Its raining its pouring, Emperor Emphyr is snoring, he went to bed and wept himself come morning!

Ngl, turning the graves of your enemies into the floor of a ballroom is a gigachad move of unfathomable proportions.

I seriously did not expect gaunter o'dimm to have any kind of tie in with nilfgaard's rise

I am a simple man, I see a Nilfgaard lore video and I upvote

Suddenly the "MILFGUARD" advertisements around town in Cyberpunk 2077 makes a little more sense.

I'm always a sucker for empires with aspects of rome. Also the imperial German overtones to their ascetics. Chefs kiss! Love y'alls lore vids. Im delving back into Conan Exiles, mainly because of Neebs gaming along with the urge to build and conquer lol. I wouldnt mind seeing you cover some Conan lore.

I love how Nilfgaard conduct war. Extremely smart and ruthless. Not saying they never make mistakes and loses. But they are that one very competent enemy whom you know to be not just strong but cunning also.

In one of the Gwent game information on Nilfgaard, it is revealed that the economy of Nilfgaard is built on military footing. That means that the Emperors are forced to expand the realm in order to keep the economy and society running in its current form. By the way, if my memory does not mislead me, at least in the games, the Empress Ciri ending also hints at a marriage between Morvran Voorhis and Ciri. Personally, he is one of the most likeable Nilfgaardians so I would be fine with that. :)

Ngl i think the Nilfgaardians are my favorite faction in The Witcher, their whole schtick is just so cool. Especially their designs in the games!

Thank you for this really good explanation! It kept us really confused on all of the references to the usurper but it never really explained anything. This makes that side of things make much more sense.

Wouldn't it be amazing if the next topic covering the World of the Witcher is about a certain Northern Kingdom? Perhaps the one with white lillies on its banner...

Dude your lore videos are awesome😁

I was obsessed by all the cyberpunk content good sir! keep it up! subbed!

This was a grand video, I was always confused when it came to the origins of the Nilfgaard Empire, I suppose its not clear cut in general. Still, was a very good and informative video on the matter, since I really loved the Witcher 3.

38 min master piece. Dang if i wasn't at work id warch this twice. Amzeing vid as always mr.wisefish

Nice bro! We need more nilfgaard in dept video's. Keep on doing the good work!

People saying Nilfgaardians are not the bad guys in the Northern Wars clearly didn't read the books. Nilfgaard is portrayed much more favourably in games than in books, where it is descrbed how Nilfgaard pursues a regular policy of cultural genocides on conquered territories, not to mention a system of mass slavery. None of those are present in the North. With all the faults of the Northern Realms, they are not an aggressive and imperialistic power, while Nilfgaard is. North wages a just war in defense of their land and customs, while Nilfgaard wages a war of imperial aggression. Radovid III did nothing wrong. Long live Redania.

A work of art, thank you and I can't wait for more and more about the witcher universe. Liked and subscribed.

I heckin love Nilfgaard, my favorites faction in Gwent.

Continue this and make it a series about the kingdoms within the Witcher universe!

PLEASE do more videos on the other nations in The Witcher universe!!!

It's a shame you didn't mention any of the future facts about Nilfgaard and Northern Realms from the books. Some of them even contradict the endings of the Witcher 3

It's also highly likely that Nilfgaard's invasions of the Northern Kingdoms were little more than an after thought. And yet still nearly won each time (or did win, if you side with them in the Witcher 3 and we're going by the games). Heck, it was less of an invasion and more of merely a search party for Ciri.

I've learned more about the Nilfgaardian Empire from this video than I did from 3 seasons of Netflix Witcher

Well to be fair they are more military Organized than the northern realms

I wish I could side with Dijkstra but I can’t kill Ves or Roche it’s not worth it

This deserves over a million views

Great video

Why the usurper would be so stupid as to exile a claimant to his throne rather than killing him is beyond me

2:07 It's not certain the Black Seidhes were a thing. The Aen Seidhes themselves don't seems to acknowledge their existence. The only elves in Nilfgaard are the Wood Elves who are not different from their Northren cousins for what we know. 8:59 What is your source ? It's the first time i heard Gaunter was involved with the Ursuper. 11:49 It's also worth mentioning the mage of the Ursuper butched his curse hence why Emhyr transformation wasn't complete and broke at midnight tp come back at dawn. 17:43 The prophecy also mention that Ciri child was to rule over the whole continent and lead humanity to safety when the time of the White Frost came over. I'm not sure why he thought it was so important that he was the father of that child... 18:22 It wasn't just the mages though, the Four Kingdoms also sent a vast army. And Nilfgaard also had mages, Fringilla Vigo was there among other Nilfgaardians sorcerers. And 13 mages died at Mount Sodden, not 8. 27:08 I honestly can't expresse how relieved i am that Emhyr gave up that absurd idea. Fallen for the false Ciri might be too strong of a word though, it was mostly to permanently bound Cintra to Nilfgaard. Your videos are quite good and well informed. Very few mistakes here and there but that happen to the bests. I too was wrong about some things in TW. All in all, you're doing great and i love it^^

Damn you are going to make me download Witcher 1, 2 and 3 again!

Nilfgaard is my favorite faction. I love that their language is an Elf and man hybrid. Their armor is some of the coolest armor. I’m not even talking about the fancy impera brigade armor. I’m talking about the ones the poorer infantry wear. That look like metal horns on their helmet. The only helmets I like better are Skelliges. Not the ones with horns but the Roman helmets with the metal pieces on top that look similar to the Nilfgaard helmets. Would love to see Nilfgaard adopt those Roman looking helmets.

I didnt know O’Dimm was involved in this 😳

In the Witcher world, chaos and violence rules. Radovid is a tyrant...and insane. Emhyr var Emreis is an autocratic monarch and fully capable of terrible acts...but he's NOT insane. The Nilfs commit atrocities, but then so does every other kingdom and race. As overpowering and totalitarian as the Nilf Empire may be...they have rules. Hard, absolute rules but unless you run into them in the no man's lands or encounter mercenaries hired by the Nilfs, you can pretty much know what you're dealing with. Nilf logic says "These are the rules. Obey and everything will be orderly and fine...take Toussaint as an example. But...transgress and you die." Pure, simple and not chaotic. Perhaps Emhyr's early life and the curse he was under formed his outlook...he does not like chaos. "Disobey and you do the hemp fandango, but bend the knee, pay your taxes and you get to keep what's yours." You get a glimpse of it in White Orchard when you encounter the commander of the Nilf garrison and his actions with the grain farmer. You get it when you visit the Army Group "Center" camp in Southeast Velen. To the petty lords and semi autonomous strong men of the Northern Kingdoms, these iron rules may seem insane. But they aren't. Emhyr may be ruthless but he has a cold grasp of facts. He rarely if ever lets his emotions interfere with his intellect, unlike Radovid, who is just bug-nuts. Emhyr may wipe out a village, but it's strategic...he doesn't do it because his horse stumbled or a bug bit him on the butt. He may burn a sorceress...but he would because of something she did, not simply because she's a sorceress.

nice vid

Nice ❤

Well, in fact, Nilfgaard is the first Empire this world have seen so far. We only heard about rumours about Ophir xP

Then Netflix come in and say: You know what ? what if we make this bad as shit.. and then we got the neflix version of nilfgard

they have always been my favourite faction

Why didn't you mention the book canon, that the North will eventually fall? Delannoy, Flourens, linguist and historian, b. 1432 in Vicovaro, in the years 1460-1475 secretary and librarian at the imperial court. A tireless researcher of folk legends and tales, he authored many treatises considered classics of ancient language and literature of the Empire’s northern regions. His most important works are: “Myths and Legends of the Peoples of the North”, “Fairytales and Stories”, “The Surprise, or the Myth of the Elder Blood”, “The Witcher Saga”, and “The Witcher and the Witcheress, or the Never-ending Search”. From 1476 professor at the Academy of Castel Graupian, where d. 1510. Effenberg and Talbot, Encyclopaedia Maxima Mundi, vol. IV

Regardless of their origins and history we can all agree they did nothing wrong

Will you be doing the other nations of the world of the Witcher?

As a member of a Nilfgaardian LARP group called Nazair Brigade I really appreciate this 🖤

I am a simple man, I see a Milfguardian lore video and I upvote

Please do the Northern Kingdoms next.

Now do Redania!

You have a great voice. I really like to listen to you

It’s truly amazing when someone who has actually has read the books and knows what he is talking about then makes a video that accurately describes what actually happens in the books from the NILFGAARDIAN point of view without putting any new and pointless things in it .. If you look at the Witcher 3 you will realise that it basically is following the plot of the last 3 books in one game yes 5 years after the books have ended but it’s all most exactly the same

Nilfgaard armor is completely badass !!

Emhir launched the invasion of the north with one, and only one goal in mind. To marry Cirilla. His entire plan revolved around it. He learned of the legend of the elder blood, which was a bloodline of powerful magic users basically sheared by the sorcerers, with the two most famous members being Lara Doren and the rebel leader Falca. Anyway, he learned from a wizard that the bloodline of Callante will produce a powerful mage that will be able to control space and time at will with minimum effort, that mage was or is to be Cilrilla's son, which he was going to turn into the next emperor. After seducing Pavetta and producing an offspring, he hatched plan to fake his death and eliminating his uncomfortable spouse at the same time, then he managed to to take back the throne and launched his northern campaign. During his second campaign his agents managed to capture Cirilla, however the girl turned out to be a look alike planted as a decoy, a fact only Emhir knew, later he wed this girl to cement his rule over Cintra (Which for anyone else was the real reason to hunt the girl, the mission was not secret at all, only the intent) and abandoned his goal of capturing the real Cirilla on basically a whim.

They have some pretty badass armor. Shame that in the netflix show thwy are literally styled to look like pënîses smh 🤦

Morvran became emperor and the northern kingdoms were still around 100 years after the books. "Radovid won after all."

Damn gaunter had a hand to play how cool

If they ever make an adult version of The Witcher, there would be Milfgaard.

May the Great Sun light your path, all roads lead to Nilfgaard

That's all well and good, but what about the Milfgaardian Empire?

That was fucking great

So, the history of Nilfgaard is essentially a combination of the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, and the successors to the Holy Roman Empire.

The nilfgaard nobles were angry whit emir for not choosing a partner from their houses, also they had fallen from grace and wanted to rebuilt the senate were they would be the ones ruling the empire, Considering all the options nilfgaard winning is the least worse endings

For some reason I read this as Milfguardian Empire :D

Master Mirror always stirring the pot.

Nilfgaard is my absolute favourite Faction in the Witcher franchise ( Gloir aen Ard Feainn, Gloir aen Deithwen ) but where in the Lore is it stated that the Usurper got the "help" of Gaunter O'Dimm ? It wouldn't surprise me in the least if O'Dimm thought it'd be loads of fun to overthrow the Var Emreis dynasty, but i don't ever recall reading about it. I also don't think the Usurper just kindly "exiled" young Emhyr. Typically when you murder a Ruler and take over, you don't leave his relatives alive to come back and seek vengeance. And the Usurper doesn't strike me as someone who'd be above killing a child after torturing his Father, most likely in front of him, and then letting a Mage torture said child and curse him for shits and giggles. From what i gathered, Duke Ardal aep Dahy helped Emhyr escape to the North because he was most likely going to be killed, and while with Aep Dahy learned from a Mage ( Xarthisius ) that a cure to his curse would be found in Cintra. Chances are the Usurper sent agents after Emhyr too, but once beyond Nilfgaardian borders, they lost track of him. Just a shame that many years later Ardal would himself be part of a conspiration against Emhyr, who doesn't take kindly to betrayal. Also, personally, i think that Nilfgaard winning the War is the best outcome. Redania is the only thing that stands between Emhyr and complete conquest of the Northern Kingdoms. Once Redania's off the picture, the rest will surrender and collapse, effectively ushering the Continent into a new era of Peace and prosperity, under some kind of "Pax Nilfgaardia". Because without Nilfgaard coming to knock on the Northern Kingdoms' gates every few years, they pretty much spend most of their time trying to invade each others. If Nilfgaard wins, it's the last time the Continent will know War for a long long time.

thx for Guarding all the NILF's for us boys

'piss off, Nordling.'

Can't go wrong with an empire called MilfGuardian.

Events in Witcher 2 and 3 are supposed to be far more complicated, cause many storylines from the main story are not continued, the remakes hopefully emphasize on this part, cause the entire trilogy needs an overhaul in the political aspects of the story and continue after the situations the realms of the north were left off in during the end of the lady of the lake book.

Northern factions too!

Gloir aen ard feainn! Hael Ker’zaer!!

It was Philipa who ordered assasination of Vizimer II.

they need to make a witcher tottal war like they did warhammer fantasy all so menno coehoorn is the best because i have the same first name haha

I personally feel sorry for the non-humans in the series, since they are always use as a scapegoat constantly by various of human factions.🐱

Temeria next ⚜️⚜️⚜️

For SIGMAR! kind of vibes

So basically the story of the Roman Empire

" There will alway be an Empire, There will always be an Emperor "

Name of the music my dear friend

Usurper is the best Emperor nilfgaard ever had imo. Nilfgaard conquered many kingdoms and became the world dominating power under him.

Nilfgaard aren’t the bad guys they just get bad press. The northern realms are worse in their own way.

Nilfgaard never seemed too bad to me. Especially over the course of the third game. It is relatively tolerant towards magic users and non-humans, orderly and well governed. It seems to have potential to thrive and improve general life… well, with all the grey areas that leaves. It would most certainly not all be good.

W video

Weren´t there only 14 mages at Sodden? I´ve read books but do not recollect the number 22?

Very,very Roman-esk. I dig it.

Good video but some events are incorrect or are in the wrong war

So, its the Roman Empire. Got it.

Nilfgaardian Leviosa

Emphyr as a Witcher 3 only player doesn’t make much sense even after reading the lore for him in game but since when did he want to marry and bone ciri

gaunter o' dimm is such a rascal

have you ever thought of doing videos about real history? The way you push information across would teach alot of people!

The Black Sun Has Risen

Gloir Aen Ard Feainn!

Never understand why they didn't hold the walls

Adhart!!! Nilfgaard!!!

it was o'dimm all alone

E'er y Glòir 👋 (Honor and Glory [ a phrase or a greeting towards comrades.])

spassing shadows spassing shadows ohhh old red engine doesn't like dx12