Vilgefortz

Vilgefortz of Roggeveen
Fan art by Tanya Anor
Details
Profession	Druid, mercenary, sorcerer
Gender	Male
Race	Human
Culture	Northern Realms
Nationality
Affiliation	Druids of Koviri Circle Chapter of Wizards
Special abilities	Stick-fighting (staff) Magic
Location	Lan Exeter Roggeveen Stygga
Physical Description
Family
Cult
Appearance(s)
Books: Blood of Elves Time of Contempt Baptism of Fire (mentioned only) The Tower of the Swallow The Lady of the Lake Video games: The Witcher (mentioned only) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (mentioned only)

Vilgefortz of Roggeveen was a mage and a member of the Chapter of Sorcerers, described by Yennefer as "young" (which, among mages, meant "up to one hundred years"), but "incredibly talented". He is described as being very handsome and possessing a lovely voice.

As an infant he was abandoned by his parents and left to die in a gutter in Lan Exeter. He was found and raised by druids and only became a mage as an adult.

“

"(...) Observe the man escorting her. He's Vilgefortz of Roggeveen and he really is young. But incredibly talented." In the case of sorcerers, as Geralt knew, the term 'young' covered any age up to and including a hundred years. Vilgefortz looked thirty-five. He was tall and well-built, wore a short jerkin of a knightly cut - but without a coat of arms, naturally. He was also fiendishly handsome. It made a great impression, (...)

”

— pg(s). 117, Time of Contempt (UK edition)

Spoiler warning: Significant plot details follow.

In the Battle of Sodden Hill, he assumed command over the mages from the Northern Kingdoms. After the battle he engineered the truce between the Northern Kingdoms and the Nilfgaardian Empire.

In fact, he was not only incredibly ambitious and power-hungry, but also secretly in league with Emhyr var Emreis, the Imperator of Nilfgaard. This had begun many years before the wars, while Emhyr was still hiding under the alias of Duny. Vilgefortz's thirst for unlimited power brought him to the conclusion that he needed Ciri's, Duny's daughter's, blood in order to claim her powers because she is a descendant of Lara Dorren.

On Thanedd Island, he (among others) was accused of treason and put in dimeritium shackles. However, due to actions of Tissaia de Vries (who was acting only in a manner she considered fair and impartial) he broke free and tried to capture Ciri (severely wounding Geralt in the process) at the behest of the Imperator of Nilfgaard, but she fled through the portal in Tor Lara. Afterwards he hid in his castle, continuing his schemes to find and capture the girl. To that end, he captured and tortured Yennefer for an extended period of time.

He finally met his end in the hands of Geralt of Rivia at Stygga castle.

He was also the 'Master' of Rience and Schirrú, his secret apprentices and agents.

Significant plot details end here.

In The Witcher computer game

• In the Prologue, Lambert says that Geralt has "killed a few (sorcerers) in (his) time", possibly alluding, amongst others, to Vilgefortz.
• Later in the Prologue, if Geralt fought Savolla, he can ask Triss what she thought of the unfamiliar mage. Her reply includes the line "we might soon be facing another Vilgefortz." When Geralt's reaction is merely "Who?", she tells him to forget about it.
• Zoltan also invokes the name of Vilgefortz during a conversation with Geralt in Chapter II.
• Elder Blood is an in-game book attributed to him.
• At the end of Chapter V Azar Javed says:"This time you pissed into a tornado". This was a quote from Vilgefortz.

In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

• In The Sunstone main quest, Geralt and Philippa discuss Vilgefortz's experiments to regain his lost eye.