When the sun sets, the fields become the domain of midnight demons who draw their power from moonlight. Dark as the night itself and filled with grief, they roam the fields lit by silver light. Woe to those who are spotted by a nightwraith.
From the original Polish, it is unclear if these creatures ("Północnica") are the same as the "nocnica" which are described as creatures who appear on the eve of Saovine as seemingly friendly women, possibly even midwives, but they curse pregnant women causing them to give birth to strigas.
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt[ | ]
| Nightwraith | |
|---|---|
| |
| Details | |
Class |
Specter |
Variations |
Jenny o' the Woods Duskwraith Cursed Mother |
Vulnerable to |
Moon dust Specter oil Yrden |
Tactics |
Turning into immaterial form, and turning material when attacking |
Loot |
Nightwraith mutagen Nightwraith hair Specter dust Infused dust Dark essence Lunar shards Essence of wraith |
Bestiary entry[ | ]
- Nightwraiths exude this immense sadness, this helpless wraith... I fear them, same as anyone. But most of all I feel sorry for them.
- — Aelline Altsparr, elven trobairitz.
- Compared to other creatures of the night — katakans, nekurats and werewolves, for example — nightwraiths (and their rarer cousins, duskwraiths) might not seem all that dangerous. After all, one might ask, how much harm could a pale, withered woman in a tattered dress do? The answer: quite a bit. Instead of finding this out the hard way, avoid crossing fields and meadows at night at all costs.
- Like noonwraiths, nightwraiths are only found in rural areas. Travelers fall victim to them most often, but if legends are to be believed they also sneak into huts at times and murder peasants in their sleep.
- When they attack nightwraiths remain immaterial for most of the time, meaning physical blows pass right through them. They only take on more tangible form for the brief moments in which they strike. When weakened, they will create several projections of themselves which cannot attack directly but act as transmitters of sorts through which the nightwraith can sap her victim's vital energy.
- Nightwraiths can turn immaterial and are at such times very difficult to wound. In order to force one to take on corporeal form, trap it with the Yrden Sign or hit it with the blast of a Moon Dust bomb.
- Do not believe the old wife tales and think yourself completely safe from nightwraiths during the day. They appear under the light of the sun as well - but are much weaker then than after dusk.
Associated quest[ | ]
In The Witcher computer game[ | ]
| Nightwraith | |
|---|---|
| |
| Details | |
Class |
Specter |
Occurrence |
Nightwraiths appear on fields and meadows; they can be found after dark, when the moon is high; they are specters but at the same time they maintain a strong connection with the natural world, they see the living but cannot understand them, because the dead cannot hear the living |
Immunity |
Immune to blinding, poison, pain and bleeding attempt; they are fearless |
Susceptibility |
Sensitive to silver and Specter Oil |
Tactics |
They are able to grasp the moonlight and blind their enemies with it |
Alchemy |
Death Dust Shadow Dust Ectoplasm |
Journal Bestiary Entry[ | ]
- "Nightwraiths are born of moonlight, wind and the earth cooling after the heat of the day. They rise above the ground and whirl in a mad dance, which should not be seen by any mortal. If caught peeping, the mortal is blinded by moonlight, then taken into the circle and forced to dance until he expires, at times becoming a nightwraith himself."
Location[ | ]
Sources[ | ]
- Specters, Wraiths, and the Damned
- Geralt can talk to an "Old peasant" around Murky Waters who will mention terrible dreams about Nightwraiths. The conversation will not result in a bestiary entry for these monsters though.
Notes[ | ]
- Celina, a girl in Chapter IV, turns into a nightwraith.
Gallery[ | ]
Journal image
The nightwraith is a "dark reflection" of the noonwraith
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Concept art
