According to his words “The mill of predestination works, grinding the grain of fate… You cannot change what is to happen”.
At that same passage he also tells Geralt “…Someone else will help her now. I hope you are not so arrogant to think that this girl is only associated with your destiny.” Obviously that someone else whose destiny is also intertwined with Cirilla’s, is Avallac’h himself.
Or Aubereon, as he should be the father of Ciri's child. Or just that he is the one to help her fullfilling the prophecy. I think you're seeing "signs for love/attraction" (?) where none are.
Thus, it is not a strange thing that in the game him and Ciri are together, hiding from the Wild Hunt and helping each other. Probably he’s followed her after she jumped from the Aen Elle world and spent a large amount of time together (6-7 years? ) teaching and mentoring her. Seven years are a hell of a lot time for Avallac’h and Ciri to get to know each other and even fall in love. Of all this time we know almost nothing about. We understand that she really likes him (she even calls him “our dearest sage” after the snowball fight) and that he really cares about her (risking even his life to protect her).
I'm really curious to know how long they were travelling together. In the books it seemed she would stay for a longer time in Galahad's world. In the game she tells Geralt that she even stayed for over six months in the Cyberpunk world. So this time (six months) must be the longest one they spent in a single world. The other visits must be shorter. Either they were travelling for ~six years from world to world, only staying there for a for a few days/weeks/under six months or in the beginning she way e.g. a long time in Galahad's world. As the Wild Hunt isn't able to travel to all worlds and Avallac'h needs portals to travel it could take quite a while until he (and the Wild Hunt) found her.
I don't think they necessarily have to be travelling for all the six/seven years. Even two or three would be a long time together.
Avallac’h is about 400 years old (?), but the presence of his lover suggests that he still is sexual active. (He is not like Auberon overcome by his years and sexually indifferent.) In “The Tower of the Swallow” he says to Geralt that the biggest drawback of longevity is sex as it becomes boring after the first 100 years! We find him studying those sensual magazines expressing an interest in human sexual preferences and habits either in an attempt to spice up his own sexual life or wanting to know how to please a human girl. i.e. his Zireael. Most likely both!
A relationship is more about than just having sex, you know.
This is just another plot hole. According to the books he is not interessted in having sex. I actually do think it's still possible for him having sex, but way less frequently. Also this place was a lab, not a love nest and I doubt the girl was just his f*ck bunny. ^^
If I remember correctly there were only two sketches of naked women which were an advertisement for the brothel (before Dandelion moved in). Plus, I don't see how looking at pictures of naked women can help understanding how to please women? Did you try it and it worked?
It is even possible that Ciri is well aware of this plan and has agreed to it same way she agreed in the book. She seems fascinated when she sees her entire genealogical tree in his office. It is not that part that affects her. It is the over-jealous she-elf in his bedroom calling her a disgusting degenerate half-breed whom Avallac’h hates but has to work with that leads to her breakdown.
You can call it "fascinated" ... or "shocked". Ciri was never happy with her heritage and seeing what kind of huge study and experiment it is about her, I think she is "fascinated", but not really in a positive way.
That she-elf herself seems to be very much hurt, however. Avallac’h sees so much of Lara in Ciri. Ciri does not only possess Lara’s eyes, but also her fiery spirit, her ideas and idealism. Taking into account the portraits of Ciri without the scar and the fact that he was healing her scar, Avallac’h’s taken by storm.
There is even a dialogue with Geralt on the ship where Avallac’h admits that Lara Dorren is dead and that he only cares about Ciri, completing her task and surviving it. So, they must have plans for after defeating the WF. Plans they don’t reveal to Geralt.
With Ciri becoming an Empress and Avallac’h King of the Aen Elle, they might be able to further their plan.
The offspring would be a human-elf elder blood half-link heir of both the Aen Elle and Niffguardian thrones! Ruler of two different worlds!
I don't know, but "falling in love with a human and kind of decline her powers/importance" (what Lara did) is not what Aen Elle would call "idealistic". At least, that's what I think. It was a shock for the elves that Lara decided that way. (It would be interesting to know if they already knew about the threat of the White Frost back then). Still the game lacks further explanation why and how Ciri is so idealistic now.
Do you really think the only reason why he want Ciri to survive all this is because he/they have "plans"?
Yeah, Morvran, Emhyr and the nilfgaardian aristocrats will be definitely pleased having an elven emperor.
Sorry, I don't buy this is the "plan". Not at all, actually. You trying to construate a "big, epic love story". That's just
a bit a lot) too much. ^^
Back then, Ciri was terribly foul-mouthed with the Aen Elle elves and made even Avallac'h to lose his temper, even if it was only for an instance. Let's say she put a knife in his wound. I believe that both Auberon and Avallac'h were well aware of the fact that she was very young and she has been through a lot. They wanted to be patient with her. Actually he never asked of her to fulfill her task immediately. He kept saying they had plenty of time. She was asked to accept to do it and stay with them, and it was up to her to decide when the time was right for her to do it.
Still, it was a forced siring. Although Avallac'h always said she has a free will it was like "You don't have to do it. But there is a barrier around the city that you can't escape and I won't show you how to flee using your powers. If you sleep with Aubereon, you can leave then after the birth of the child."
Sometimes I wonder… Was Avallac’h training and mentoring Lara Dorren as well? If yes, then it is possible that the actual source of Lara’s radical ideas is not the rebellious nature of her Elder Blood but Avallac’h himself! Elder blood is simply the means to these ideas to come in life. These same ideas are also expressed by Ciri who’s mentor (what a coincidence) is Avallac’h, again. (Remember Geralt saying before she enters the gate at the tower “It’s those Avallac’h’s bullshit poisoning your mind”).
I don't know how it was with Lara, but we have Caranthir now. Did you notive how sad and disappointed Avallac'h was when he was speaking about Caranthir? He was actually Ciri 2.0 and Avallac'h seemed to really feel for that what happened (Caranthir becoming a criminal etc.). And you wouldn't assume he was in love with Caranthir, would you?
I can very well imagine that there is a similar relationship between Avallac'h and Ciri. You must remember that the Aen Elle actually do hate and despice the human race. Avallac'h even makes fun of them e.g. when drawing purple cows in the cave in the books. It's quite a big step for him of "hating humans" to "really care for a human" (Ciri). This doesn't necessarily mean he fell in love with her or is sexually attracted to her. In the beginning Ciri was just a tool to defeat the white frost and if she died (or sth. else happened to her) he would be sad because of loosing the tool to deafeat the white frost. In consequence of travelling with her for a long time and getting to know her well, his feelings for her changed from seeing her as a tool to seeing her as a (human) person he cares (a lot) for and if she died (etc.) he would be sad because of loosing a person he likes (or maybe even loves), not only a tool.
Even if you look it that way it still would be a 180° change of his mind.
About the Empress ending, it is Ciri who says to Geralt that although she does not like that option, it is the only one she has if she wants to be able to do something good! (What does she plan to do? )
Her plan is to improve people's life (e.g. not suffering from hunger etc.). There are even dialogues that emphasize that. The other possibility would be being a witcher. She realised she can do more good for people if she is an empress not a witcher.
No, her plan is not to have a child with Avallac'h that will rule over two different worlds and all races will live happily ever after (though improving co-existence is probably a goal of her, indeed).
There is yet another hint in that dialogue, when Geralt asks her whose idea it was for Ciri to become Empress. Ciri does not reveal whose idea it was but she says that Yennifer had nothing to do about it.
We know that Philippa wanted Ciri to become Empress so that she becomes her royal advisor but I don’t believe Ciri would ever permit Philippa become her mentor. In short, since it is not Geralt, it’s not Yen, Philippa and Emhyr are out of the question, the only other person who could influence Ciri at such a level of decision is Avallac’h himself.
For what reason he should do this?
It is already a huge step for Avallac'h to not to hate and despise human race as a whole, but to really care for the human race ... that's just completely out of character.
I always thought it was hinted that he lied to Ciri about saving the humans as well. After all didn't he help Eredin kill the humans on the Aen elle world? At least that's what the unicorns claim. I need to look some of this up in the books, been a while since I read them. I never got the feeling Avallac'h was one of the once advocating peace between humans and elves.
That's what I immediately thought as well. There is even told that elves have left the world and humans not. I think he just said it to persuade Ciri to do this.
There's no reason why Avallac'h should feel different from other elves concerning their view of humans.
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Read what i wrote again.
In the books, the only reason Avallac'h and his ilk are interested in Ciri is to impregnate her as she is the carrier of the Lara Dorren gene, they don't actually care about Ciri, they merely want her offspring.
This is major plot point in the books, which is completely gone in the games which obviously creates a massive rift between them.
I can't determine what i think of Avallac'h since my entire perception of him was formed around the books and seeing as the games are sequels to the books but completely ignore this, i just feel apathetic, due to the inconsistency of it all i just don't care about him, and i wouldn't be suprised if other book readers felt the same.
I also think it's completely absurd that they dropped such an important plotline, for some reason Ciri is suddenly The Chosen one meant to stop Tedd Deireadh, but i read 7 books that does not mention this at all.
OK, I really misunderstood your post. I thought you would assume Ciri is pregnant in the game etc.
I'm totally with you in this point. The game lacks explanation why and how characters changed their minds etc.
In fact the things in Aen Elles' world happened, are mentioned in the game (or at least there are hints), but it seemed all forgot about this in the end.
Yes. Perhaps there were some innocent victims there (a wild hunt soldier is not an innocent victim). I didn't think about it. So just imagine what immense power he has. He is avoiding to use it because he can purge entire worlds! Probably he used his power in the past and this is what the unicorns were referring to. We don't know what the circumstances were. Perhaps he was force to. Perhaps he was a younger elf with different minds. Perhaps he didn't mean to but couldn't control his power so it was an accident. Unfortunately we cannot know. BTW, Yen said there were unicorns drawn by the power in the forest area.
You're trying to make him a "real good guy" or a saint who hasn't done any bad things, just to make him more likeable for the "love story". You really seem to forget that he is an Aen Elle and they all hate humans and think they are the best race. Maybe he changed his opinion now, but I don't see why you should assume such reasons.
Don't get me wrong. I think this is an interesting topic and discussion. There is definitely something going on in Avallac'h's mind, but there a lot of "maybes" and questionmarks in your theories. It's fun discussing about it, though.