The witch hunters are the enforcers of King Radovid‘s war on magic in The Witcher 3. They are part soldiers, part police and part religious fanatics, working hand in hand with the Church of the Eternal Fire. Their job is to find anyone who uses magic, or helps someone who does, and make sure they end up in a cell or on a pyre. Non-humans and anyone who simply looks suspicious tend to get the same treatment.
Witch hunters in Novigrad and Oxenfurt
In Novigrad, the witch hunters are led by Caleb Menge, a cold and cruel commander who is one of the men most responsible for the city’s terror. Their patrols raid homes, interrogate passers-by and drag suspects to the pyres, and Geralt can stumble into their work in quests like Witch Hunter Raids and Pyres of Novigrad. In Oxenfurt, the witch hunters have their own branch, and it is there that Tamara Strenger, the Bloody Baron’s daughter, joins them in her search for her mother.
Why it matters
The witch hunters are the reason sorceresses like Triss Merigold are desperate to leave Novigrad, and why Philippa Eilhart‘s plans against Radovid suddenly look less like ambition and more like self-defence. A useful rule of thumb: if a witch hunter asks whether you know any sorceresses, the right answer is no.