Emhyr var Emreis

Emhyr var Emreis is a male character who features in The Witcher.

Biography

Emhyr var Emreis was a male human born on the Continent where he was the son of Fergus var Emreis who was the ruler of the Nilfgaardian Empire.

When he was 13 years old, his father was deposed from his title with him being imprisoned and tortured after a coup led by an influential aristocrat only known as the Usurper. A sorcerer named Braathens, under the service of the Usurper, turned Emhyr into a humanoid hedgehog form, partially as a joke, as the word 'Eimyr' in Nilfgaardian dialect meant 'urcheon', an old name for a hedgehog. This served as a way to break Fergus and force him to grant legitimacy to the coup, though the plan failed and the Usurper killed Emhyr's father. Having no more use for Emhyr, he was then released into the woods with dogs set on him. Despite this, Emhyr survived and learned the sorcerer hadn't even done a thorough job on the curse: every night Emhyr regained his human form. In his escape, Emhyr counted on a few loyal acquaintances for help while hiding at Ardal aep Dahy's place. He met with an astrologer Xarthisius who led him to the North, 'beyond the Marnadal Steps', to look for a cure for his curse. After some time, Emhyr finally arrived in the North and used the moniker Duny, Urcheon of Erlenwald. In 1237, while prowling Cintra's forest region, he ran into a wounded and helpless King Roegner and after saving him invoked the Law of Surprise. Fifteen years later, he presented himself before Calanthe during Pavetta's 15th birthday and the princess' would-be suitors in Cintra. Although Princess Pavetta was expected to be married off when she was 15, Duny had already started seeing her a year before and they secretly fell in love so when the queen hosted a feast for Pavetta's birthday, he took the opportunity and announced that from her birth, the princess had belonged to him, and that he had now come for her. Duny then declared that Pavetta was to be his through the Law of Surprise he'd enacted when he rescued Calanthe's deceased husband, the former King Roegner. After a long and heated exchange, Duny was fooled by Calanthe into removing his helmet before midnight, exposing his monstrous form, yet Pavetta stated her approval of Duny nonetheless. This caused an uproar and the queen's vassals and the would-be suitors tried to attack Duny, with Geralt and Mousesack trying to protect Duny. However, one of the suitors managed to stab Duny and Pavetta's sorcerous abilities suddenly broke loose, sending furniture and people flying and threatening to collapse the castle itself. After Geralt and Mousesack silenced Pavetta, Duny, now presenting himself as Prince of Maecht and a son of Akerspaark, regained human form as it had struck midnight. After a discussion with Calanthe, who finally gave her approval for Duny and Pavetta to be married, Emhyr's curse was lifted. After thanking Geralt, he and his future wife were surprised with the news that Pavetta was pregnant, and Duny was soon to be a father. When the child was born, they named her Cirilla.

In the 1250s, after Ciri's birth, the sorcerer Vilgefortz appeared before Duny at Cintra as an ally, wanting to acquire wealth and power only the Nilfgaardian Imperator could provide. When Vilgefortz disclosed with him the prophecy, Duny decided to return to Nilfgaard to reclaim his heritage with Ciri in tow. However, under the watchful eye of Calanthe, Duny and Vilgefortz thought of a ploy to disappear without a trace by faking Pavetta's, Ciri's, and his own death on a sinking ship while Vilgefortz secretly prepared a way for them to survive. However Pavetta, aware of her husband's plans, smuggled Ciri out of the ship in time, leading to a scuffle between Pavetta and Duny as the former was pushed overboard and drowned at sea. Vilgefortz then teleported the ship from a raging maelstrom with Duny being the only survivor. Though distraught from inadvertently murdering his wife, and despite not holding genuine feelings towards her, Emhyr was successful in faking his death as "Duny" and was able to return to his homeland and lead a revolt against the Usurper. One of the first things he did was that he rewarded Xarthisius with a tower in the capital city for his aforementioned services. Following all the power struggles around the throne, Emhyr had all of his dead political enemies disinterred and used their gravestones to pave his ballroom, earning him the nickname "The White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of his Enemies" or in Elder Speech, Deithwen Addan yn Carn aep Morvudd. In 1263, as the Emperor of Nilfgaard, Emhyr commenced the First Nilfgaard-Nordling War with the aim of expanding his empire and began by defeating the Cintran Army at the Marnadal Stairs and holding a siege against Cintra, where his daughter was held. While Nilfgaard's forces invade Cintra, Ciri managed to escape and Emhyr soon sent his agents to locate and capture her. After several successful campaigns against the North, Emhyr's invasion was put to a halt after the utter defeat of his forces during the Second Battle of Sodden Hill, marking the end of the First Nilfgaard-Nordling War. In response, Emhyr had the commanders that failed him on Sodden either executed or replaced by younger and more determined officials to lead his armies next time around while readying his forces for the next major war.

After the war, in 1267, Emhyr received a report from Field Marshall Menno Coehoorn that the rulers of the North - specifically Vizimir II of Redania, Foltest of Temeria, Demavend III of Aedirn, Henselt of Kaedwen and Meve of Lyria and Rivia - had a secret council at a castle in Hagge. Emhyr tasked the field marshall to disperse this information among the mages and members of the Chapter. Receiving no further news regarding Rience, Emhyr asked Coehoorn on his thoughts about Cintra. Coehoorn described it as 'gloomy' to which Emhyr followed by stating that it was different once and would be different again, promising Coehoorn a 'beautiful, happy' Cintra, though he would leave governorship to someone else, and wanted Coehoorn stationed at Dol Angra after he had quashed the rebellion within Cintra. At Dol Angra, Emhyr tasked Coehoorn to not allow himself and his fellow officers to be provoked by Meve or Demavend's attacks and only allow themselves to be attack immediately when ordered to do so. Before the marshall could leave, a messenger walked in to report to Emhyr the success of suppressing the rebellion - despite a few escapees - and the capture of its leader, Duke Windhalm of Attre. Pleased by the news, Emhyr ordered Windhalm's public and 'spectacular' execution as an example to frighten others and demanded Coehoorn's presence there as Governor of Cintra and proxy for the emperor. Furthermore, Emhyr - impatient for Rience's report - tasked Coehoorn to have his mages set up a telecommunication link to Redania and eventually Rience, commanding him to immediately dispose of the witcher Geralt while leaving the sorceress Yennefer untouched. Afterward, a count by the name of Cahir, appeared before the emperor and the field marshall. Emhyr reminded the count of his blunder involving capturing Ciri two years prior, and the consequences he would face if he repeated it as he was being provided with a chance for redemption. Commanding the attention of both officers, Emhyr tasked them with an important mission. They learnt that the Emperor decided to arrange what would go down as the Thanedd coup.

Overview

Personality and attributes

During the time he was cursed, he came to operate under the name of Duny, Urcheon of Erlenwald. After retaking the Nilfgaard throne, he came to be known by the nickname of the White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of his Enemies (Elder Speech: Deithwen Addan yn Carn aep Morvudd).

Few names in the Continent's history arouse as much terror and respect as that of Emhyr var Emreis.

In his insatiable ambition, he had tried to conquer the north on several occasions, yet he had been forced to sign peace accords each time.

Notes

• Emhyr var Emreis was created by Andrzej Sapkowski where he featured in the setting of The Witcher universe.

Appearances

• The Witcher:

External Links

• Witcher Wiki Entry

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