Emhyr var Emreis

The cold, brilliant Emperor of Nilfgaard, ruler of half the known world and the father of Ciri.

Emhyr var Emreis is the Emperor of Nilfgaard, known in the Elder Speech as Deithwen Addan yn Carn aep Morvudd, the White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of his Enemies. He is intelligent, patient and utterly ruthless, a ruler who picks his people well and crushes every plot against him. He is also, as few people know, the father of Ciri.

Emhyr in The Witcher 3
By the time of the game, Nilfgaard has crossed the Yaruga for the third time and conquered much of the North, with only King Radovid holding the line. The war is unpopular at home, and Emhyr wants Ciri back as his heir. After Yennefer and a Nilfgaardian escort bring Geralt from White Orchard, Emhyr hires him in Imperial Audience at the royal palace in Vizima, promising a fortune if he finds her before the Wild Hunt does.

Geralt later reports back with Uma in tow, and Emhyr pays part of the reward. In Brothers in Arms: Nilfgaard he offers troops for Kaer Morhen, but only under the command of Morvran Voorhis, which Geralt turns down. At Yennefer’s request he frees Fringilla Vigo in Veni Vidi Vigo, and he sends an army to Undvik for the final battle. In Blood on the Battlefield Geralt can take Ciri to see him, where Emhyr coolly offers to pay for her like a lost goat.

What happens to Emhyr?
His fate depends on who wins the war. If Radovid or Dijkstra ends up ruling the North, Emhyr loses the war and is assassinated by conspirators at home. If both are killed after Reason of State, Nilfgaard wins and Emhyr takes over the North. If he wins and Ciri visited him and survives, he gives up the throne to her. Our Witcher 3 endings guide explains every path.

In the earlier games
Emhyr never appears in The Witcher 2, but it turns out he was Letho’s secret patron, funding the kingslayers to destabilise the North.

In the books
As a boy, Emhyr was cursed into a hedgehog-like form after a coup. As Duny, the Urcheon of Erlenwald, he claimed Princess Pavetta through the Law of Surprise at Queen Calanthe’s feast, broke the curse and fathered Ciri. He later faked his death, returned to Nilfgaard to reclaim the throne and plotted the Thanedd coup. At Stygga Castle Geralt realises Emhyr and Duny are the same man, but moved by Ciri’s tears, Emhyr abandons his plan to marry her and lets her go.

Across the games

In The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Emhyr var Emreis, Emperor of Nilfgaard, does not appear in person, yet his influence is felt throughout the story. Known in the Elder Speech as Deithwen Addan yn Carn aep Morvudd, the White Flame that dances on his enemies’ barrows, he is feared by kings across the lands between the Buina and the Yaruga. His armies have toppled rulers and conquered countries, and he has repeatedly attempted to take the North, each time ending up signing a peace treaty.

According to Shilard, Geralt had once stood before the emperor, who chose to spare the witcher’s life.