What does everyone want with Ciri in The Witcher season 3?

Having had a target on her back since birth, Ciri has been at the centre of attention since season 1, with the quest to find her only continuing to grow. As we get stuck into season 3, multiple groups are now desperately looking to find her, each with their own specific reasons for why she’s so valuable.

Though Ciri’s safety still hangs in the balance, her enemies are beginning to close in. But who is actually after her, and what do they even want?

Read on for everything you need to know about who wants what with Ciri in The Witcher season 3.

What do the Elves want with Ciri?

Though their time onscreen can often be sporadic, the Elves possibly make up the biggest portion of characters in the world of The Witcher. Now led by Francesca (Mecia Simson), the group is on the verge of an uneasy alliance with Cahir (Eamon Farren), after Francesca was chosen by the White Flame.

Their reasoning for wanting Ciri stems back to her birth and the prophecy of Ithlinne, which is aligned with Ciri’s Elven blood. The Elves believe there to be a saviour, who is also known as Hen Ichaer. According to the prophecy, the chosen one will lead the elves to their rightful home after a wave of global cooling that will supposedly end the world.

It’s a well-known fact that the Elves are sick of sharing land with those around them — particularly humans, who they believe to be inferior. They are willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want, and they believe that Ciri is the chosen one wholeheartedly. Basically, anyone going up against them should be scared.

What does Rience want with Ciri?

One of the scariest villains in The Witcher is the fiery Rience, who was first introduced back in season 2. He’s best known as a fire mage, and is often seen burning his enemies — and other unfortunate passers-by — to the ground.

Like some of the other parties that are looking for Ciri, Rience has been instructed to find her by a mysterious master - now thought to be Vilgefortz. He has been dogged in his pursuit of her and is hot on the heels of Geralt as he scours the kingdoms for more information.

In the grand scheme of Ciri’s safety, Rience has taken a bit of a backseat. Now that Vilgefortz’s true intentions have seemingly been revealed, it’s much more likely that he will take over the reins from Rience, given that he is close to Geralt and Yennefer.

What does Redania want with Ciri?

The Redanians have been a little more haphazard in their pursue of Ciri, having been unsuccessful in their previous attempts to capture her. Spies Dijkstra (Graham McTavish) and Philippa (Cassie Clare) aligned themselves closely with Yennefer and Geralt at the end of episode 5, but show few signs of actively trying to hunt her. At the same time, Jaskier (Joey Batey) is striking up a romance with Prince Radovid (Hugh Skinner), which could turn out to be a strategy to get close to Ciri.

Ciri plays an integral role in Redania’s plans for its kingdom, with it decided that Ciri is the favourite contender to marry King Vizimir (Ed Birch). Though this seems an unlikely pairing, it would mean that Redania could take control of Cintra, expanding both their territory and their control.

What does Nilfgaard want with Ciri?

The Nilfgaardian Empire is now ruled by Emperor Emhyr var Emreis, who is also known as Duny (Bart Edwards). During the season 2 finale, he’s revealed to be Ciri’s father and is after her capture for more personal reasons than we first thought.

While some might assume that he just wants his daughter back, fans of the books will know more about his true intentions - and how he's hellbent on global domination.

What does the Brotherhood of Sorcerers want with Ciri?

Unlike those on the attack, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers is on the defence. Made up of renowned mages in the Northern kingdom, they exist to push the mission of peace in the aftermath of the non-aggression pact.

However, by the end of season 2, Tissaia makes it clear that she wants both Ciri and Yennefer dead, with the council officially placing a bounty on Ciri. In their eyes, Ciri was dangerous because of her Elder blood as well as her royal lineage.

Thanks to the events of season 3, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers might end up serving as a way to protect Ciri instead. If the truth about Vilgefortz gets out, the Brotherhood will know that betrayal has been inside their walls the entire time. On top of this, the group makes a pointed effort to make peace their overall message once again, with the Conclave of Mages being held in episode 5.

Yennefer has also proved that she won’t betray Ciri after she offered herself up as a Deathless Mother vessel in order to save Ciri. During episode 6 of season 2, it seemed as though Yennefer would risk it all to offer Ciri up, after she was told her powers would return if she did so. Thankfully, Yen changes her mind, managing to teleport Ciri to safety in the series finale.

What does the Wild Hunt want with Ciri?

If the above groups weren’t enough people to be on Ciri’s tail, the Wild Hunt makes their intentions for wanting Ciri known in season 2. The finale shows the group almost getting their hands on her, stating that Ciri’s place was among them. Because Yennerfer managed to get Ciri to safety before they could do so, the hunt to find her is hotting up.

Ciri is wanted by the Wild Hunt because they believe that she is the destined “Daughter of Chaos”. Even by the fifth episode of season 3, she hasn’t fully understood or got to grips with just how powerful she is. The group believes that these abilities can undo the powers of the Conjunction, which would mean that the Wild Hunt could continue wreaking havoc across dimensions with ease.

The Witcher season 3 volume 1 is available to stream on Netflix now. You can sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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