How Roche Prepared the Fourth Northern War: Secret Diplomacy, Alliances, and the Grand Blitzkrieg
While Nilfgaard was celebrating its triumph and considered the North completely crushed, Vernon Roche spent years operating from the deep underground. From a simple guerrilla leader, he transformed into the greatest geopolitical strategist of his time. This post is dedicated to how the Temerian intelligence gathered the Northern Coalition piece by piece, and how the bloodiest massacre in the history of the Continent unfolded. Phase 1: Roche’s Secret Diplomacy (Gathering Forces)
- A Personal Visit to Skellige and the Pact with Cerys: Roche perfectly understood that without control over the sea, the North was doomed. Risking his life, he personally sailed across the Great Sea and arrived at Kaer Trolde to see Queen Cerys an Craite . The calculating ruler approved the alliance out of pure pragmatism . She placed her fierce brother, Hjalmar an Craite, at the helm of the united fleet of all Skellige clans .
- Thaler’s Mission to Queen Meve: Roche could not be everywhere at once, so he entrusted the most difficult, occupied, and volatile southern region to his best agent — Thaler. Slipping past the Nilfgaardian checkpoints, Thaler found Queen Meve hiding in the forests . Using old Temerian secret service connections and his signature foul-mouthed diplomacy, Thaler coordinated the Lyrians with the Coalition's master plan. Meve agreed to lie low, gather forces, and wait for a single signal to strike from the rear.
- The Historic Pact with Iorveth: Roche did the unthinkable — he met his sworn enemy, Iorveth, without weapons. Instead of accusations, he offered the Aen Seidhe official status, sovereign land (Loc Muinne and Dol Blathanna), and the complete abolition of the term "non-human" on a legislative level after victory. Iorveth agreed to turn his Scoia'tael into the elite reconnaissance vanguard of the Coalition.
- The Steel of Mahakam and Zoltan Chivay’s Authority: The key to the alliance with Mahakam was Zoltan Chivay, whom absolutely everyone respected . Zoltan personally vouched for Roche and brought him to Colonel Barclay Els. As a result, the Coalition secured the Mahakam Steel Khird — heavy infantry capable of stopping the elite Imperial "Alba" cavalry head-on.
- Halfling Engineers and Keira Metz’s Clever Deal: Roche recruited halflings as leading engineers and technologists. He hid these geniuses of science in the underground laboratories of Mahakam alongside Keira Metz. Keira set a strict condition: she would not participate in common, muddy battles and would fight strictly against the Lodge of Sorceresses . The halflings helped her scale the production of portable xenovox communication devices and optical camouflage artifacts. Furthermore, the halflings designed unique explosive shells filled with Keira’s paralyzing gas for the upgraded Mahakam heavy crossbows.
- The Duet of Yennefer and Triss Merigold (The Army of Mages): Forgetting past personal grievances for the sake of protecting Ciri, the sorceresses divided their spheres of influence . Yennefer traveled to Skellige, where she rallied the powerful island druids whose storm magic went hand in hand with Hjalmar’s drakkars . Triss took charge of the Koviri bloc. Using the endless gold of King Tankred Thyssen, Triss Merigold achieved the impossible — she secretly gathered, sheltered, and organized hundreds of fugitive mages and sorcerers from all over the Continent . This massive, highly disciplined army of mages became the devastating "magical artillery" of the North.
Phase 2: The Course of the War and the Grand Blitzkrieg "Pincers"
- The Lightning Strike: While Emperor Emhyr var Emreis felt completely secure, the Coalition launched a massive surprise assault. In just 1 to 2 months of absolute slaughter, Roche’s guerrilla forces broke through the occupation lines and liberated almost the entire North. A major role was played by Keira’s gases, which instantly put Nilfgaardian garrisons to sleep, allowing the Coalition to take fortresses without prolonged sieges.
- Meve’s Strike from the Rear: When the Blitzkrieg began, Nilfgaardian generals panicked and started stripping garrisons from the south to rush them to the frontlines. At that exact moment, the Empire's southern rear erupted. Receiving the signal via xenovox, Queen Meve led her battle-hardened regiments out of the forests. The Lyrians delivered a crushing blow to the occupiers' backs. Meve personally led the storming of Rivia, completely purging the southern lands of the North.
- The Kaedweni Trap: The remaining powerful grouping of Nilfgaard dug in deep within Kaedwen. However, the Coalition orchestrated an ideal trap, striking simultaneously from all four cardinal directions. From the South, following the liberation of Rivia, came Queen Meve. From the West, regular Temerian forces and the Mahakam Steel Khird advanced like an unstoppable battering ram. From the North, sweeping over the mountain passes like an avalanche, came the fierce warriors of Skellige led by Hjalmar an Craite. And from within the Kaedweni forests, using the artifacts of invisibility, the imperials were systematically dismantled by Iorveth’s elves. The most formidable army of Nilfgaard in the North was completely annihilated.
- The Breakthrough into Toussaint (Emhyr is Still Alive): Not stopping at the old borders, the Coalition delivered an unexpected strike across the snowy mountain passes directly into Toussaint. A fierce battle unfolded across the sun-drenched vineyards. The Mahakam Steel Khird pinned down the main enemy forces, while Iorveth’s elves, hidden by Keira Metz's optical camouflage artifacts, mercilessly cut down the imperial flanks out of thin air. On the approaches to Beauclair, the duet of Yennefer and Triss deployed a colossal magical shield, completely suppressing the spells of the Nilfgaardian mages . Beauclair was taken. Alive but backed into a corner, Emhyr panicked and stripped the inner security of his own capital, throwing all remaining reserves to the southern front.
Phase 3: Saskia’s Dragon Breakthrough to the Capital of the Empire
When Toussaint fell, the Coalition faced the final, most impregnable line of Nilfgaard's defense on the approaches to the metropolis — heavily fortified gorges and mountain garrisons. Any regular infantry would have perished here under the heavy fire of imperial ballistas.- The Appearance of the Dragon Queen: At this critical moment, Saskia steps onto the frontlines. Right in front of the advancing Northern armies, the Virgin of Aedirn takes her true, magnificent form of a Golden Dragon.
- The Fiery Triumph: Saskia soars into the sky and rains down upon the impregnable Nilfgaardian outposts. From above, she bathes the defensive redoubts in dragon fire, incinerating the imperial siege engines and detonating powder magazines.
- The Road to Nilfgaard is Open: Saskia’s dragon fire strikes primal terror into the southerners — imperial soldiers panic, drop their weapons, and flee. In a matter of hours, Saskia completely incinerates the enemy's defensive line, personally clearing a direct, unhindered path to the capital city of Nilfgaard for the advancing forces of the Coalition.
Phase 4: The Great Daring Jailbreak: Letho Liberates John Natalis
While Saskia is burning down the outposts and the Coalition armies approach the city walls, Emhyr pulls all available guards to the battlements. At this moment of total chaos, Letho of Gulet executes the most important covert mission of the war — he infiltrates the Citadel, the primary maximum-security imperial prison right inside the capital.- Liberating the Brothers: Letho snaps the necks of the wardens and unlocks the secret dungeons of the Citadel, freeing his exhausted but vengeful brothers — the witchers of the School of the Viper.
- Saving a Legend: In the deepest and most heavily guarded solitary confinement cell, Letho finds the half-dead, heavily shackled Constable John Natalis. The imperials had secretly held the hero of the Battle of Brenna captive for years to deprive the North of its ultimate symbol of resistance. Letho frees the general.
- Natalis Takes Command: Overcoming his post-imprisonment weakness, Natalis immediately escapes the city and arrives at the Coalition's headquarters. The appearance of the living legend sparks an incredible explosion of morale among the Northern soldiers. Roche, leading the uprising as a political leader, formally hands over field operations to the old Constable. It is Natalis who coordinates the tactical convergence of forces for the final siege.
Phase 5: The Total Massacre in the Center and the Magical Duel with the Lodge
Breaching the heart of Nilfgaard through the path opened by Saskia, the Northern Coalition, under the rigid military command of the returned Natalis, collides with the fanatical resistance of the doomed southerners. The war turns into the largest and most brutal close-quarters massacre in the history of the Continent. Roche fights on the frontlines, personally leading Temerian regiments to breach the city barricades.An absolute inferno unfolds on the approaches to the capital. Hundreds of mages, secretly gathered by Triss Merigold, join the fray . Uniting with Yennefer and the Koviri sorcerers, this vast army of mages engages in a spectacular magical duel against the imperial dark wizards . The southern sky blazes with elemental storms. Beneath this raging sky, Vernon Roche and Queen Meve lead the Temerians and Lyrians into brutal hand-to-hand combat alongside the dwarfs, tearing through the barricades in the city center, while Iorveth’s elves ravage the supply lines from behind.
At the absolute peak of this carnage, Emhyr plays his final card — the Lodge of Sorceresses, which betrayed the North. The sorceresses of the Lodge step onto the frontlines, deeply exhausted by this total war, and attempt to weave a massive, collective curse. But this is when Keira Metz’s clever deal falls into place: using her invisibility artifacts, she slips behind the Lodge's rear, blinds them with mental illusions, and effortlessly shatters their defensive barriers one by one . In that exact second, Yennefer and Triss unleash the full fury of firestorms and lightning upon the defenseless Lodge, completely annihilating the traitresses on the spot .
Phase 6: The End of the White Flame and a Witcher's Redemption
Seeing that the City of Nilfgaard is shaking from the strikes of hundreds of Northern mages, the Lodge is destroyed, and Temerian forces led by Constable John Natalis have already breached the inner gates, the arrogant Emhyr var Emreis finally panics. Abandoning the Imperial Palace of the Golden Tower, he attempts to flee through secret underground tunnels that lead directly to a hidden dock at the mouth of the Alba River.But at the very exit of the dark tunnel, right by the water, the Emperor runs into a solid wall. His personal guard instantly drops dead with slit throats, and from the night shadows, Letho of Gulet and the liberated witchers of the School of the Viper rise before the fleeing Emhyr with drawn blades.
In a chilling echo of past regicides , Letho delivers one lightning-fast strike without a single word. Emhyr's body slumps into the water of the Alba River. The White Flame is extinguished forever in the mud at the feet of his former executioners, right in the heart of his own capital.
Letho looks down at the cooling corpse of the Southern ruler, sheathes his blood-stained blade, turns to his surviving witcher brothers, and speaks quietly yet firmly: "It was worth it. We are no one's hounds anymore. This is simply our redemption."
The death of the Emperor instantly plunges the rest of Nilfgaard into a chaotic civil war, allowing the Northern Coalition led by Vernon Roche to deliver the final crushing blow to the empire.
Phase 7: The Vizima Congress — The Great Division of the World
Following the unconditional surrender of the South, the victors gather in the newly restored throne room of Vizima. The leaders of the Coalition proceed with a total re-division of not only the North, but the entire territory of the Nilfgaardian Empire itself. The map of the world is rewritten forever:- Vernon Roche’s New Over-Empire: Roche is crowned as the High King. Aside from absorbing the weakened Redania and Kaedwen, Temeria claims the entire central heartland of the Nilfgaardian Empire, including the capital itself — the City of Nilfgaard and the Alba province. The Duchy of Toussaint is stripped of its autonomy and becomes a direct vassal region to Roche, forced to pay tribute to Vizima in gold and wine. John Natalis, serving as the Constable-Regent, stands guard over these massive human territories, cementing Vizima as the new capital of the known world.
- The Sovereign Non-Human South (Iorveth and Saskia): On a legislative level during the congress, the derogatory term "non-human" is officially and permanently abolished. Elves, dwarfs, halflings, and legalized mages are recognized as completely equal and full citizens of the Continent. Fulfilling the blood pact, Roche passes the sovereign control of Loc Muinne and Dol Blathanna to the elves. As trophies for the Scoia'tael's valor, Iorvethclaims the former Nilfgaardian provinces of Metinna and Nazair under elven rule. Saskia secures her hold over Aedirn, establishing a buffer zone of peace between races.
- The Mahakam Steel Anklave: Colonel Barclay Els and Zoltan Chivay take control of Lower Marcadam and the Pontar Valley. Mahakam secures an exclusive economic, resource, and financial monopoly over the entirety of the former Empire and the united North.
- The Great Expansion of Kovir: In return for his endless financial backing of the war and sheltering the mages, King Tankred Thyssen receives colossal territories. Kovir takes full control of the Hengfors League, Malleore, Caingorn, and the northern parts of the former Redanian lands. Kovir transforms into a gargantuan, incredibly wealthy northern powerhouse controlling all major northern trade routes.
- The Sea Empire of Skellige: Queen Cerys an Craite secures unprecedented terms. As war trophies, Skellige takes absolute control over Cintra and all coastal Nilfgaardian provinces (Attre, Verden, Ebbing). Hjalmar an Craite is proclaimed the High Voivode of these coastal bastions. Skellige transitions from an island alliance into a mighty Sea Empire, completely dominating the Great Sea, the mouth of the Yaruga, and every major port on the Continent.
- Next on the List — The Eternal Fire and the Witch Hunters: The division of lands is complete, but the leaders of the Coalition stand united on one fundamental goal — the old world of racial and religious bigotry must be completely wiped out. The term "non-human" has vanished from the laws, meaning the Church of the Eternal Fire along with the remnants of the Witch Hunters are officially outlawed [The Witcher 3]. They are formally declared the next targets for total liquidation: Roche's united regular army, Iorveth's elves, and Triss's hundreds of liberated mages issue a harsh ultimatum and prepare to completely burn the fanatics off the face of the earth.
Phase 8: The Interrupted Feast and the Request of the Kings
Right during the Vizima Congress, while the rulers leaned over the maps celebrating their triumph, the peace treaty almost turned into a fresh tragedy. Shattering the peace of the hall, a ancient, blind relic monster — a massive, starved prehistoric Jatlug — crashed through the stained-glass windows of the throne room, drawn by the scent of fresh blood. The beast, the size of a massive bull, spread its venomous leathery wings and charged straight toward the table with a wild roar, aiming directly at Tankred of Kovir and Cerys an Craite.The guards froze, the aristocrats scattered screaming, but nobody even had time to get truly terrified. Three shadows instantly materialized from the air right in the beast's path — Letho of Gulet and two of his witcher brothers from the liberated School of the Viper, who had been silently keeping watch near the throne pillars.
Everything happened in a fraction of a second: the first witcher pinned the roaring Jatlug to the floor with a perfect Aard Sign, the second severed its wing with a swift sweep of his Mahakaman blade, and Letho himself finished the creature with a ruthless thrust. The witcher blade of the Viper pierced straight through the monster's eye socket, pinning its skull to the floor.
The beast collapsed dead, staining the carpet with black blood. Letho coldly wiped his sword, cast an indifferent glance at the stunned monarchs, and spoke calmly: "The safety of the New World is included in our contract." He sheathed his weapon and began leading his brothers out of the hall. The witchers had no desire to serve crowns anymore — their contract was closed, their sins redeemed, and the Vipers planned to leave the civilized lands of men forever.
But this incident forced the kings to face a harsh reality: monsters had not disappeared, and the Continent was left completely defenseless. The monarchs sitting at the table exchanged glances. Geralt, Lambert, and Eskel — the last of the Wolves — had already left for the far north into Kovir, where they founded the new School of the Lynx . Old Kaer Morhen stood empty and abandoned, and both the Northern and Southern civilizations were effectively left without those who had protected common folk from monsters for centuries.
The new King, Vernon Roche, stood up from his throne, stopped Letho right at the exit, and on behalf of all the gathered rulers, voiced an unexpected, collective plea: "Letho, wait. The Continent needs witchers. The old schools are dead, the Wolves have left for Kovir. We officially ask you... open the School anew. Revive the witcher order."
Letho of Gulet slowly turned around, looking heavily at King Roche, and then at the rest of the rulers of the Continent. A dead, heavy silence filled the hall. Knowing that the witchers of the Viper would never bow to the decrees of men, and that his brothers required a true, legitimate sanctuary, Letho made his decision based on the ancient code of the order. He gave a grim nod and spoke shortly:
"Fine. But we will not stay among men. I am going to ask the Wolves for Kaer Morhen."
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