The Politics of The Witcher 2. Part 5: Radovid vs Philippa, the Clash of Titans

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The Politics of The Witcher 2. Part 5: Radovid vs Philippa, the Clash of Titans

Part Five is up! A piece examining one of my favorite rivalries ever, between two of my favorite characters and magnificent bastards ever!



Radovid V the Stern vs Philippa Eilhart.

:)
 
Glad you enjoyed it!
The last part was more about the themes behind the rivalry that I think is pertinent. Thought you'd like that especially.
 
Yes definitely, I have one in mind. Which is going to be focused entirely on political theory.

EDIT: Jacques de Aldersberg will be examined in it among others ;)
 
Well done. Yes, the rivalry between Radovid and Philippa is a key to understanding both of them.

The talent Radovid has for arranging the timely betrayal of his enemies, as well as his ability to succeed and consolidate power in a land dangerously close to civil war, has reminded me of Henry VII ever since the first game came out.

Which leads me to ponder this. There is a longstanding mystery in the events of Act III of the first Witcher: somebody betrayed Salamandra to Triss and Leeuvarden, allowing them to turn Geralt and his allies loose on the "piss-swilling amphibians". Nothing is ever stated other than that Triss had to make a deal she couldn't tell Geralt about. From her mirror conversation, we've been led to believe it was the Lodge, though without any real evidence. But could it have been Radovid himself, who now wants Salamandra out of the way, artfully letting the locations of their operations and headquarters be known?

Radovid's motive would be this: He already knows the game Jacques de Aldersberg is playing, and he doesn't like it. He wants the Order, but it's not useful to him in its present state; he needs an Order that will accept his patronage. Led by de Aldersberg and strengthened by Salamandra-created mutants, it cannot be molded to fit his needs. Salamandra must go, de Aldersberg must go, but to weaken de Aldersberg, Salamandra must go first. So Radovid betrays, rejects, and betrays again his former client, leading to their demise in unequal combat with Geralt and his wrecking crew.
 
Great article. I like Radovid, and I was disappointed how he ended with a massacre on my preferred route in TW2. Philippa's vision of a Northern political structure was superb, and it would be to Radovid's great benefit simply to hijack it and to become a driving force and a dominant leader instead of Philippa. These two visions, or political ideologies, are not really in opposition, one may be subsumed under the other. All he had to do is to instigate a massacre by somebody else's hands, then to save the prosecuted mages, and to create a council and a conclave he was the only one to control. Eventually, in 15-20 years he would have been able to bring all the North to heel, and then to march south with steel and fire from the sky, in order to start carving out his own empire. But, unfortunately, he was too young, and in his emotional struggle with Philippa, he lost a sight of a big picture. Or may be The Flaming Rose somewhat infected him with its magic-hating ideology.
Obviously we did not see the last of them. But Emhyr still outplayed them both. :)/>
 
Let me know if I'm wrong... I cannot remember the details clearly now...

On Iorveth path, when Geralt throughs the fog... doesn't he find the figurine in the corpse he find near the board with pamphlets? And is this not the figurine which the nilfgaarian ambassador Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen take from Geralt once he is is prisoner?
 
Wichat said:
Let me know if I'm wrong... I cannot remember the details clearly now...

On Iorveth path, when Geralt throughs the fog... doesn't he find the figurine in the corpse he find near the board with pamphlets? And is this not the figurine which the nilfgaarian ambassador Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen take from Geralt once he is is prisoner?

If I remember correctly, it is. On Iorweth path it is Gerald who brings a figurine to Shilard. On Roche's path it is Cynthia, and Gerald learns about it from Roche after Roche's men kill Cynthia's escort.
 
vivaxardas said:
If I remember correctly, it is. On Iorweth path it is Gerald who brings a figurine to Shilard. On Roche's path it is Cynthia, and Gerald learns about it from Roche after Roche's men kill Cynthia's escort.

Ok, thank you. So depending the path you take one or other NPC make the same act to fit the main plot. I was confised. Thanks again.
 
GuyN said:
Which leads me to ponder this. There is a longstanding mystery in the events of Act III of the first Witcher: somebody betrayed Salamandra to Triss and Leeuvarden, allowing them to turn Geralt and his allies loose on the "piss-swilling amphibians". Nothing is ever stated other than that Triss had to make a deal she couldn't tell Geralt about. From her mirror conversation, we've been led to believe it was the Lodge, though without any real evidence. But could it have been Radovid himself, who now wants Salamandra out of the way, artfully letting the locations of their operations and headquarters be known?

Yea it's very possible. From the way Salamandra was talking about Redanian support, it seems that this alliance was not a new state of affairs but almost taken for granted.
I definitely agree with the possible motive you suggest.

GuyN said:
These two visions, or political ideologies, are not really in opposition, one may be subsumed under the other.

They are in the sense that Philippa through the Lodge and the Council, wanted to supplant states as the primary actors. While Radovid wants to bring the Council under the will of the state.

But the Council in and of itself is not contradictory to Radovid's vision no. Just Philippa's version of the Council is.
 
Yep, it's really no exaggeration to say that these blogs of yours are good enough to make an already fine game even more enjoyable. I'll be sure to get stuck into this latest offering a little later, but wanted to get my thanks in nice and early.
 
KnightofPhoenix said:
They are in the sense that Philippa through the Lodge and the Council, wanted to supplant states as the primary actors. While Radovid wants to bring the Council under the will of the state.

But the Council in and of itself is not contradictory to Radovid's vision no. Just Philippa's version of the Council is.

Well, in Leviathanian type of state the council would not have too much power, just like in Nilfgaard now. But in order to get a lot of millage out of mages' military capabilities, mages should become a real political and military force, something that Hobbes would be against. Radovid would have to share power a bit, the only difference would be that with Philippa mages would have the upper hand, and in Radovid's case - the kings in general, or himself in particular. Both (the most powerful) mages and kings would become royalties of the North, by virtue of abilities, or divine right. It would be more of Plato's kind of state, where all parts of the society are in harmony, and essentially work for a common good.
 
Hobbes wouldn't mind if states can militarized mages in their own armies instead of allow them to form armies on their own.

In any case, yea I believe Radovid missed an opportunity and made a mistake. And that's fine, great people can make mistakes, as long as it's not "wtf did that come from?" or an obvious and consistently used plot device.
 
Absolutely great read, KoP!

Just one question: where did you get the information that Saskia knows that Phillipa is worried about her aging? I remember that in the conversation with Saskia after you've lifted the spell, she says that she knows a secret about Phillipa. But I can't remember Saskia saying what that secret is.
 
Jobbert said:
Absolutely great read, KoP!

Just one question: where did you get the information that Saskia knows that Phillipa is worried about her aging? I remember that in the conversation with Saskia after you've lifted the spell, she says that she knows a secret about Phillipa. But I can't remember Saskia saying what that secret is.

Here.
If you tell Saskia that you're not sure you can trust her right after freeing her.
 
Two things spring to mind. One how, long had Radovid been conspiring with Nilfgaard to eliminate the Lodge, was he in Vizima to talk with Leuvaarden, whose family ousted and helped re-throne young Emhyr? Leuvaarden destroys the Order, whose presence in Temeria under DeAldersburg (and strengthened by mutants) might have given even the Black Ones pause. Was Radovid there also to co-ordinate a joint offensive on the lodge, and perhaps even lend aid to the Kingslayers who were at first targeting Redania's old enemy Kovir/Poviss?

Two, were the Lodge working at undermining and snapping up Aedirn, and if so for how long? If Stennis dies at Vergen Iorveth goes south into Aedirn to collect a large host of Scoiatael, but should the prince live then Iorveth goes east, to scrape up what he can from the Blue Mountains. This points to the Scoiatael being engaged in work to the south that becomes pointless upon Stennis' death, maybe the undermining and harrying of Demavend's nation. Maybe this is what has brought the formerly cunning old man to the brink of imbecility and alcoholism, a concerted guerilla campaign against him by scoiatael commandos and the manipulations of the Lodge, as well as a peasant revolt sapping his resources.

We know from Letho's assassination that the Kingslayer only escaped with the aid of Iorveth's commandos, but the old fox didn't know the Assassin when they first met outside Flotsam, so it was Sorceresses commanding his Scoiateal there. This all has the ring to me of a very long term and concerted attack on Aedirn from within, so that Saskia's Lodge ruled ascension can come about smoothly.
 
Blothulfur said:
Two things spring to mind. One how, long had Radovid been conspiring with Nilfgaard to eliminate the Lodge, was he in Vizima to talk with Leuvaarden, whose family ousted and helped re-throne young Emhyr? Leuvaarden destroys the Order, whose presence in Temeria under DeAldersburg (and strengthened by mutants) might have given even the Black Ones pause. Was Radovid there also to co-ordinate a joint offensive on the lodge, and perhaps even lend aid to the Kingslayers who were at first targeting Redania's old enemy Kovir/Poviss?

It's not outside the realm of possibility, but I prefer if Nilfgaard wasn't that omnipotent politically.

I think it more likely that Leuvaarden made Emhyr aware of Radovid's intent of annexing the Order, and then the White Flame sat down with Vattier and concocted their scheme.

Two, were the Lodge working at undermining and snapping up Aedirn, and if so for how long? If Stennis dies at Vergen Iorveth goes south into Aedirn to collect a large host of Scoiatael, but should the prince live then Iorveth goes east, to scrape up what he can from the Blue Mountains. This points to the Scoiatael being engaged in work to the south that becomes pointless upon Stennis' death, maybe the undermining and harrying of Demavend's nation. Maybe this is what has brought the formerly cunning old man to the brink of imbecility and alcoholism, a concerted guerilla campaign against him by scoiatael commandos and the manipulations of the Lodge, as well as a peasant revolt sapping his resources.

Well according to Triss, Sile and Philippa were interested in Aedirn for months (including most likely during Henselt's first invasion attempt), so it's possible that they undermined him to some degree.
We know that Iorveth defeated the Aedirnian special forces and that part of his cell operated there at least 3 months before the game. The Scoa'Tael could have been there to retaliate against Demavend's repression of nonhumans.

We know from Letho's assassination that the Kingslayer only escaped with the aid of Iorveth's commandos, but the old fox didn't know the Assassin when they first met outside Flotsam, so it was Sorceresses commanding his Scoiateal there. This all has the ring to me of a very long term and concerted attack on Aedirn from within, so that Saskia's Lodge ruled ascension can come about smoothly.

I don't think the sorceresses controlled the Scoia'tael. What I think happened is that Sile got in contact with part of Iorveth's cell, without his knowledge, and arranged for LEtho to join them. Letho then used this contact to find Iorveth.
 
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