[Spoilers] The "canonical" Witcher 3 ending - a highly plausible theory by TVGRY

[Jobenheim]

[Spoilers] The "canonical" Witcher 3 ending - a highly plausible theory by TVGRY

TW3 offers different endings to the story of Ciri and Geralt. We know, however, that there will be more games in this world, so, can only one end be canonical? TVGRY presented a theory largely consistent with the running theme of destiny and divination, available here. Below is a translated synopsis of the vid:

Spoiler

• Firstly, what has to be taken to account are the Crones of Crookback Bog:The whole set seems to resemble the Greek Moirai, incarnations of destiny. This is further confirmed by their names (Prządkę/Weavess is a literal translation of greek Clotho). Clotho is responsible for spinning the thread of human lives, thus responsible for when a person is born and when they die. As we know from the game, it is Weavess who escapes from Ciri with Vesemir's medallion.
• During Geralt's conversation with the Crones they mention that "their fates are bound, but now is not the time to bear that fruit", and add in the end that Ciri will die when Geralt finds her. Later on in the story when Ciri arrives to kill the Crones, they are waiting for her, letting her pass through the Sabbath and the red-black monster that guards the Crones with her sword behind her back as if they were ready to be slain by her. Now, what comes out of their fight? Weavess escapes from Ciri, choking her and snapping Vesemir's witcher amulet from her neck and escaping with it. Why would she need Ciri's amulet? This could be a symbol of understanding which ending is "true" and in line with the theme of destiny and predestination that runs through the Witcher Saga.
• The theme of the Witcher's amulet is evident in the "bad" ending where Geralt is seeking to kill the last Crone to retrieve Vesemir's amulet which is also a memento of his dead daughter. However, the Crone predicts that Geralt will not survive the fight - and we see a reflection of this in his actions. Upon retrieving the amulet, his behavior changes - he forgets about his swords and heads to the hut surrounded by monsters. However, as it is with the Saga, Geralt's death is always unclear (remember the prophecy in the Saga and the Rivian pogrom). All of this goes in line with Ilthinne's prophecy which turns out to be real.
• Now, let us turn to the name of the last quest of TW3: Something ends, something begins. This appears to be a callback to Sapkowski's story of the same name, which, albeit being non-canon, provides somewhat an alternative, happy-end conclusion to the Saga.

 

[Jobenheim]

Continued here:

Spoiler

• The theme of the Witcher's amulet is evident in the "bad" ending where Geralt is seeking to kill the last Crone to retrieve Vesemir's amulet *which is also a memento of his dead daughter*. However, the Crone predicts that Geralt will not survive the fight - and we see a reflection of this in his actions. Upon retrieving the amulet, his behavior changes - he forgets about his swords and heads to the hut surrounded by monsters. However, as it is with the Saga, Geralt's death is always unclear (remember the prophecy in the Saga and the Rivian pogrom). All of this goes in line with Ilthinne's prophecy which turns out to be real.
• Now, let us turn to the name of the last quest of TW3: Something ends, something begins. This appears to be a callback to Sapkowski's story of the same name, which, albeit being non-canon, provides somewhat an alternative, happy-end conclusion to the Saga.
• Then there's the theme of Ilthinne's Prophecy and the end that awaits the world of the Continent. The Prophecy says: "The Wolf's Blizzard approaches, the time of the sword and axe. The Time of the White Frost and White Light, the Time of Madness and Disdain, Tedd Deireadh, the Final Age. The world will perish amidst ice and be reborn with the new sun. Reborn of the Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of a planted seed. A seed that will not sprout but burst into flames!” As it turns out by the end of the game, it is not the Wild Hunt and Eredin that is the biggest danger to the world, but the White Frost. As such, is it plausible that Ciri and her Elder Blood can provide the ultimate means to stop the wild hunt? The question is open.
• Returning to the Prophecy, it is said that the Final Age will be signified by the blood of elves. Perhaps the elves in mention here are the Red Riders of the Wild Hunt who were killed before Tor Gvalh'ca, thus becoming a prelude to Tedd Deireadh? It appears that Ciri, while only beginning to master her Elder Blood powers, would indeed not be able to stop the White Frost, and a world will indeed perish.
• Thus, Ciri is left on the other side of the portal. Her destiny remains unclear, perhaps she will indeed be the seed that'll sprout into flames. Perhaps she would indeed return as the Destroyer and become our arch-enemy in the next Witcher game? Or perhaps it could be her child? On the latter, one could remember Mousesack's comments during Pavetta's outburst in "The question of price". She was pregnant with Ciri at the time. And Ciri has a similar outburst of Force in Kaer Morhen - perhaps there's more that Avallac'h was hiding from us?
• All in all, I'll repeat that the theory remains strikingly consistent with Ilthinne's Prophecy and the line of destiny and predestination in Sapkowski's saga. Perhaps Ciri (or her child) would indeed destroy the world, only to save it later?

 

[sv3672]

TW3 offers different endings to the story of Ciri and Geralt. We know, however, that there will be more games in this world, so, can only one end be canonical?

As far as I know, the next Witcher game would most likely not be a continuation of the story concluded in Wild Hunt, which was written as the end of Geralt's saga. There are a number of related topics in the General Discussions sub-forum for speculation regarding the future of the series. Thus, a single "canonical" ending for TW3 might not be needed, and in my opinion that would take away from the value of the game. Also, the existing games implemented a save import feature, even if its impact was mostly minor. In any case, when looking for what world state a possible future game would start from, I think what matters the most is what suits the story of the sequel (about which we know nothing) the best.

 

[Toyen]

Whatever the case I hope Ciri is the main protagonist in W4.

Spoiler

With the bad ending revealing she didn't actually die of course.

So there better be 2 major world states (Ciri on her own/witcher and empress).

 

[Jobenheim]

So I decided to do some research into the topic myself. No arguments about the “canon” of any of the game’s endings here, that’s TVGRY’s doing. I dove into the notion of the White Frost and what Ciri had to do with it and summed up some pretty interesting info from the games and the Saga. So, to start, let's recall Ithlinne’s Prophecy: “The Wolf’s Blizzard approaches, the time of the sword and axe. The Time of the White Frost and White Light, the Time of Madness and Disdain, Tedd Deireadh, the Final Age. The world will perish amidst ice and be reborn with the new sun. Reborn of the Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of a planted seed. A seed that will not sprout but burst into flames, blah blah.” It is repeated time and time again in the game (and a couple of times in the Saga) that Ithlinne's prophecy is true. To illustrate this, here is an excerpt from an in-game book about the White Frost: "Furthermore, each scholar is agreed that the White Frost will one day come to our world. Ithlinne's Prophecy, though based on magic intuition and not scientific observation, thus appears to foretell the truth. The self-proclaimed prophets who shout out Ithlinne's words mistake stars reflected in a still pond for the sky. For the White Frost is no legend or mythical apocalypse. It is a natural phenomenon that can be described in the dry yet precise language of scholarship."

As stated by Ithlinne, the White Frost can only be stopped by the Child of The Elder Blood. An in-game book on this topic has caught my attention: "Those in whose veins the infamous Hen Ichaer flows are said to carry death and destruction within them, to sow hatred and disdain in the hearts of men. It was from this contaminated blood that Ithlinne prophesied an avenger would be born, a destroyer of nations and worlds." Another interesting fragment can be found in another in-game book on the Conjunction of the Spheres (which Avallac'h summoned at Tor Gvalh'ca): "Could the worlds collide once more? Perhaps. Can this cataclysm be avoided, or the opposite – hastened? Some scholars believe there are beings who have mastered this skill, who possess rare genes [which] allow some to seize the helm of our vessel and steer us... to safer waters, or to our doom."

So we see that there's a theme of some Destroyer poking through the prophecy - but Ciri didn't destroy any world, instead beating the White Frost in the final game of the trilogy, as we're told. Who destroyed what then? Turns out there's a logical explanation to this, too, provided by Condwiramurs in the Lady of the Lake: "Ithlinne was right, the prophecy is fulfilling. The world is perishing under the ice. Mankind will perish because of the Destroyer, who was to open the way to salvation. As we know from legend, she did not. The civilizations of the northern hemisphere are doomed. They will disappear under the sprawling ice, under permafrost and snow."

Let’s try and analyze what happened at Tor Gvalh'ca. We see Ciri walking through a blizzard toward some glowing orb of light that emitted magical sounds, then skip two weeks to occupied Vyzima. Seems rushed, okay, but let's try looking for details and digesting them anyway - could be fun, at least:

• • Based on the info from the in-game characters, books and notes, we get to know that Tir Ná Lia's in peril. The White Frost is slowly consuming the homeworld of the Aen Elle, and even the mightiest Sages can do naught but try and halt the impending apocalypse while the Red Riders prepare to invade the world of the Aen Seidhe under Eredin's command. Here's a note from Ge'els' Palace of Awakening, for instance:

"Report 15/098/460 /kz of 46 Blathe 1765, by Inglor Helyanwë

Despite the actions we took, the situation on the outskirts of Tilath na Viell, Tilath na Lia and Tilath na Crob've did not improve. Sages have been despatched, but they only managed to supppress the White Frost which is penetrating deeper into our territories. We also completely lost the province of Tilath na Buhne, which the Sage didn't reach in time.
I recommend the evacuation of threatened provinces and accelerated radical activities aimed at taking over the territory of Aen Seidhe. Otherwise, I would like to release my responsibility for the provinces subordinated to me.

Inglor Helyanwë, Governor of the West Bank"

• • Now, what does this have to do with Avallac'h and Tor Gvalh'ca? Think for yourself - he opens a portal to a world rampaged by the White Frost, while his own homeworld is also rampaged by the White Frost. Would it be logical for him to have Ciri stop the impending apocalypse on the world of the Aen Elle? Indeed, it would. It also makes perfect sense in the context of what's said above - Ithlinne's prophecy is fulfilled, a world (the elven one, apparently) is saved from destruction while a world (the human one) is slowly freezing - and the game's being loyal to the canon set by Sapkowski in this regard; the Prophecy remains true, just like Condwiramurs' reality.

 

[sv3672]

Whatever the case I hope Ciri is the main protagonist in W4.

Not really a fan of that idea, but if it happened, it is most likely that at most we would get an explanation how she becomes a witcher no matter what. A separate world state for empress Ciri would be difficult to implement, with all the consequences regarding politics etc. At best there could be different prologues, after which the game would always continue the same way. But I also read it somewhere that Ciri is not likely to be the next protagonist, although that might be only a rumor or speculation.

 

[Jobenheim]

Not really a fan of that idea, but if it happened, it is most likely that at most we would get an explanation how she becomes a witcher no matter what.

Would it be really necessary though? She ends up as a witcheress in The Lady of the Lake. Same goes for Something ends, Something begins, even though it's non-canon. Besides, it'd clearly cater to the fans.

Apparently, some of the content in the final quest (after the Eredin fight) was deleted, and a few bits of that can still be found in the game files. This may explain the abrupt ending and lack of explanation for a number of things.

Quoting this from an older thread I forgot about - has anyone tried looking for those bits and pieces? I know there's info on False Ciri who's been cut from the game but not much apart from that. It'd be interesting to see what other secrets there are.

Also, my bad for forgetting about that thread. I don't think there's a point in re-igniting that discussion here, so I'll cease with theoreticizing since clearly I'm too late for the party.

 

[sv3672]

Would it be really necessary though? She ends up as a witcheress in The Lady of the Lake. Same goes for Something ends, Something begins, even though it's non-canon. Besides, it'd clearly cater to the fans.

Not sure if the games follow the events of the books from the point where their own timeline begins, the stories diverge after the Rivian pogrom and Geralt's "death". Is there any official statement from CDPR regarding this? I think it would be kind of pointless to include endings that they already consider "non-canon" before the game is even released, and following a defined future from the books would also be limiting in how the story can be written - and another reason why I would prefer a new protagonist. Although I have to admit the game does try hard to make the witcher ending the most popular.

Quoting this from an older thread I forgot about - has anyone tried looking for those bits and pieces? I know there's info on False Ciri who's been cut from the game but not much apart from that. It'd be interesting to see what other secrets there are.

This thread is where deleted content in TW3 has been discussed. Not all the information in the OP is correct or complete, however, and more can be found in later replies. If I recall correctly, the bits about False Ciri are explained in one of Shavod's posts. It is also recommended to check the notes and references on Iorveth's page at the Witcher Wikia. Edit: for extracting all (including some unused) dialogues and strings from the released versions of TW2 and TW3, I used this utility.

 

[Jobenheim]

Not sure if the games follow the events of the books from the point where their own timeline begins, the stories diverge after the Rivian pogrom and Geralt's "death". Is there any official statement from CDPR regarding this?

The point of divergence is explained in TW2's flashbacks (namely the Wild Hunt attacking the Isle of Avalon), so I guess it counts. In all, thanks a bunch for the link.

Some posts in the thread I mentioned earlier actually raise an interesting question: Do we know the extent to which Ciri can use her Elder Blood powers? She can only travel between worlds in the Saga, then she heals Geralt and Yen with Ihuarraquax's help and in TW3 she already boasts an arsenal of abilities (you can even see her levitating a bunch of rocks before On Thin Ice, which doesn't look like anything Blink- or portal-related at all). I remember clearly that she's renounced magic - do those abilities come exclusively from the Elder Blood then?

 

[Markush100]

So, if in the canon Geralt and Ciri die, then how in Blood and Wine, which happens 2 years later contain both of them? Is BaW some weird spinoff? Doubt it.

 

[sv3672]

So, if in the canon Geralt and Ciri die, then how in Blood and Wine, which happens 2 years later contain both of them? Is BaW some weird spinoff? Doubt it.

Only Geralt is in Blood and Wine if you get the bad ending, Ciri is replaced by Dandelion if she would be the guest in the epilogue otherwise. The main game leaves Geralt's fate open to interpretation, it does not actually say that he dies. Or maybe he is already dead and everything that happens in Blood and Wine is not real.

 

[Markush100]

Only Geralt is in Blood and Wine if you get the bad ending, Ciri is replaced by Dandelion if she would be the guest in the epilogue otherwise. The main game leaves Geralt's fate open to interpretation, it does not actually say that he dies. Or maybe he is already dead and everything that happens in Blood and Wine is not real.

I am aware that Ciri only comes back if she lives, though i also think that Geralt did not die in the bad ending. It just doesnt seem to fit his character. He still has Triss/Yen to go back to, and after he has killed dragons, destroyers of worlds, satan himself, and many, many more. I just dont think a pack of drowners will kill him, neither do i think he is suicidal.