Triss Merigold of Maribor (All Spoilers) Resurgence

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Would be good to talk about Triss without EVER mentioning Geralt. Her love for him isn't the only thing she can do/does.

The point has been made many times. Mostly in regard to TW2 where she's mid-character arc and is trying to juggle multiple agendas. Other than that, she isn't as important as Yen in the books, so there's less history to draw from.
 
Not likely, since Geralt is about 40 to 50 years older than her. ;)

Apparently, Vesemir knew Triss since she was six years old. But there is no info about circumstances of their familiarity. Whether she visited Kaer Morhen as a child (where she could actually meet Geralt) or not is unknown.

Frankly, I do not think the books provide an explanation how Geralt actually met Triss. There are some clues that would suggest that he met her through her acquaintance with Yennefer. And he met Yennefer as an adult.
 
There are some clues that would suggest that he met her through her acquaintance with Yennefer. And he met Yennefer as an adult.

Well thats basically how it happened. Geralt would of spoken to Triss when he was with Yennefer, They then split up and Triss moved in for the taking. Although that ended quickly lmao.
 
Generally, books contain lots of plot holes and sometimes unplausible things.

For example, Triss and Yennefer are supposed to be friends. But it is never described how they actually became friends. It is an unlikely friendship, since both are of different age, come from different places and so on.

Yennefer is shown as a powerful sorceress and mature, experienced woman that e.g. has no problem using her sexuality to manipulate men.

Triss on the other hand is very young, somewhat naive, always giggling and blushing like a teenager. She only begins to change after her traumatic experiences during Battle of Sodden Hill.

How the two of them became friends is a mystery to me.
 
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Triss on the other hand is very young, somewhat naive, always giggling and blushing like a teenager.

I don't think she was such "naive" girl...
As far as her erotic life was concerned, Triss Merigold had the right to consider herself a typical enchantress. It had began with the sour taste of forbidden fruit, made all the more exciting by the strict rules of the academy and the prohibitions of the mistress under whom she practised. Then came her independence, freedom and a crazy promiscuity which ended, as it usually does, in bitterness, disillusionment and resignation. Then followed a long period of loneliness and the discovery that if she wanted to release her tension and stress then someone who wanted to consider himself her lord and master – as soon as he had turned on his back and wiped the sweat from his brow – was entirely superfluous. There were far less troublesome ways of calming her nerves – ones with the additional advantages of not staining her towels with blood, not passing wind under the quilt and not demanding breakfast. That was followed by a short-lived and entertaining fascination with the same sex, which ended in the conclusion that soiling towels, passing wind and greediness were by no means exclusively male attributes. Finally, like all but a few magicians, Triss moved to affairs with other wizards, which proved sporadic and frustrating in their cold, technical and almost ritual course.
Blood of Elves

Also Yennefer about Triss:
We like each other. We understand each other wonderfully and will always do so, irrespective of various minor . . .incidents...
Time of Contempt
 
How the two of them became friends is a mystery to me.

There is a good chance that Triss apprenticed with Yen when she was younger, shortly after graduating from Aretuza. In Season of Storms there is an explanation of how graduates often go to work for practicing master magicians to continue their training. Additionally, Yen seems to be closest to her former teachers, Tissaia and Margarita, rather than with any of her peers. Bonding with an apprentice would be a continuation of the tradition for Yen, with the teacher-student bond being closer than any other friendships.
 

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Generally, books contain lots of plot holes and sometimes unplausible things.

True, Sapkowski is great in many ways, but keeping track of events and dates isn't one of them. :)

Frankly, I do not think the books provide an explanation how Geralt actually met Triss.

For all we know, she met him through Yennefer:

Then Geralt of Rivia appeared. A witcher leading a stormy life, and tied to her good friend Yennefer in a strange, turbulent and almost violent relationship.
Triss had watched them both and was jealous even though it seemed there was little to be jealous of. Their relationship quite obviously made them both unhappy, had led straight to destruction, pain and yet, against all logic… it had lasted. Triss couldn’t understand it. And it had fascinated her.


Yennefer also mentioned her name to Geralt in The Last Wish which didn't cause any reaction from him, so it's very unlikely he knew Triss before he met Yen.
 
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both unhappy, had led straight to destruction, pain and yet, against all logic… it had lasted.

I like that.

it had lasted.

:) Took them a long time to sort it all out aswell, but even when they wasn't together, it still lasted.

Yennefer also mentioned her name to Geralt in The Last Wish which didn't cause any reaction from him, so it's very unlikely he knew Triss before he met Yen.

Exactly, it was written quite obviously to show that Geralt met Triss after he met Yennefer, because Yen and Triss were at the time very close friends. Yeah, i read it and was like "So that's when Geralt hears of Triss" aswell. We know Triss moved in after Geralt legged it from Yennefer, but we don't actually see them talking until i believe Kaer Morhen. When once again Triss is trying to take him but this time Geralt just flat out declines. "You love her that much" she said, followed by "That much..." from Geralt. So that basically explains how Geralt and Triss got to know each other.
 
So that basically explains how Geralt and Triss got to know each other.

That's one of those things in books that contradict each other. Vesemir seemed to know Triss since she were a child. And he was very fond of her. But Geralt seemed to never heard of her until much later in his life.

It seems unlikely, because witchers almost always spend winters in Kaer Morhen and the main pasttime is discussing everything that happened "on the path". Why would Vesemir never mention Triss?

Just another gaping plot hole, IMO.

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I don't think she was such "naive" girl...

I was thinking more about her general disposition where she's easily led whenever somebody convinces her she works for "the greater good". The whole Ciri affair is the best example.

Through the books Triss grows in that regard - she learns that nothing is simple, everybody has an agenda and whatever you try to do, it can blow in your face. All that remains are those few friends you have and you have to stick with them, even if not everything is always good between you. That can actually be applied to her unhappy love life as well.
 

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That's one of those things in books that contradict each other. Vesemir seemed to know Triss since she were a child. And he was very fond of her. But Geralt seemed to never heard of her until much later in his life.

It seems unlikely, because witchers almost always spend winters in Kaer Morhen and the main pasttime is discussing everything that happened "on the path". Why would Vesemir never mention Triss?

Just another gaping plot hole, IMO.

Not necessarily, as a 6 year old Triss obviously wasn't of much relevance to either Vesemir or Geralt, there weren't many reasons why he should talk about (at the time) just a normal little girl with another witcher.

For me, far less plausible was:
Geralt not learning from anyone for 6 years what gender Pavetta's and Duny's child was before he went to see Calanthe for the last time, as well as him not immediately figuring out the identity of an ashen haired girl he met in Brokilon, whose both parents had died and whose grandmother was a queen.
:facepalm2:
 
Triss and Regis- why have these two never met?

It's time to address one of the great injustices of the Witcher world- Triss and Regis have never met! This is a sad state of affairs, because I think the two of them would be great friends. In the post-game world, they could plausibly meet up either by Triss visiting Nilfgaard on a diplomatic mission or Regis getting bored of the southern sun and venturing north to Kovir. This post is mostly just playing around in my head with how they would get along and what they would agree/disagree about.


First of all, Triss must have heard all about Regis from Dandelion and Zoltan, so she would at least know who he was and the role he played in the search for Ciri. Regis would not have learned much about Triss until Geralt arrived in Blood and Wine, unless Dandelion told stories during their journey in the books. The most likely way I see them meeting is Dandelion making the introduction, since he is the most likely to be corresponding with everyone.


If they met in Nilfgaard or Kovir, Triss and Regis would have a great time in high-society circles. Regis would make a great guest at the banquets and social events in Pont Vanis. He was the life of the party in Toussaint:
"At the head of the banquet table could be heard Regis and the higher aristocracy. For Geralt – even with his witcher hearing – could only make out a few buzz words here and there, but they seemed to be talking about ghosts, strigas, succubi and vampires. Regis gesticulated with a silver fork and argued the best remedy for vampires are silver, whose lightest touch is absolutely deadly to a vampire. What about garlic? Asked one of the ladies. Garlic is also effective; Regis went on, but socially awkward, because of the awful smell."
I imagine Regis would have loads of fun at the expense of the Koviri mages, and he would be perfectly happy chatting with the alchemists.

When the fancy parties are done, Regis and Triss are equally comfortable in "rough" company. Regis got along famously with Zoltan's crew and Geralt's assorted band, and Triss got along with Yarpen Zigrin's mercenaries and even the Blue Stripes. Triss's experience with the trolls in Witcher 2 demonstrates that she can have sympathy with monsters, a bit like Regis dealing with lesser vampires (or maybe stupid humans). And of course, both of them have grown accustomed to dealing with stubborn, sulky witchers.


Both Triss and Regis share a similar willingness to put themselves at risk to help others. Regis reveals himself as a vampire in front of an armed witcher to save an anonymous girl, and of course there is the fight at Stygga:
‘Be careful, Regis...’
‘Be careful?’ said the vampire. ‘I? That’s not why I came here!’
Triss displays similar tendencies in Witcher 1-3, especially in Novigrad. Their loyalty to friends also extends to other qualities like discretion. Triss keeps the Witchers' secrets to herself, agrees without hesitation to keep Ciri's identity secret, and keeps quiet about Yen's role in the genetic experiments with Ciri's ancestry. Regis shows discretion from the very beginning, when Geralt and Co get roaring drunk on his mandrake booze and spill all sorts of stories and secrets. As a barber-surgeon, Regis is accustomed to learning all sorts of things about his patients and keeping them to himself.


Where I think they would really get along is talking about philosophy, principles, and politics. In Baptism of Fire, Regis loves going off on tangents about society, psychology, and questions of a scientific nature. Triss goes on a few similar tangents- the one that comes to mind is in Witcher 2 when her examination of the Kayran leads to a talk about genetics, evolution, and mutations. On the sociological front Regis discusses the proper place of vampires in a world that doesn't belong to them, and Triss concerns herself with the proper place of mages. I imagine they could have long discussions about grand principles and causes, interspersed with jokes of the "role of screwing in the development of society" variety.
There are plenty of differences of course- Regis is more detached and philosophical, while Triss is more opinionated and activist with her beliefs. Some of this may be attributable to their ages- give Triss 100 years and she will probably end up a bit more detached and philosophical too. On the whole, I think Triss and Regis would be great friends, and it's a shame they never had a chance to meet.
 
I was thinking more about her general disposition where she's easily led whenever somebody convinces her she works for "the greater good". The whole Ciri affair is the best example.

Through the books Triss grows in that regard - she learns that nothing is simple, everybody has an agenda and whatever you try to do, it can blow in your face. All that remains are those few friends you have and you have to stick with them, even if not everything is always good between you. That can actually be applied to her unhappy love life as well.

I think she still has that greater good notion. She still seems to see Philippa's point of view even though many would be burning with anger at personal betrayal.
i think over the course of the story she's learned not to be the passive part of someone else's agenda in order to achieve it though.
 
Triss Merigold is one of my favorite characters from TW universe, here's why:

I appreciate Triss' flaws. Her insecurity, misplaced idealism and unfortunate obsession with Geralt make her a believable character and make me feel sympathetic for her. I felt sorry for Triss after reading the books, seeing how desperate she was for Geralt. Her internal monologues at KM, desperate attempts to kiss him while he helps her recover, the way Yen scolds her at Thanedd, her jealousy while Fringilla tells the Lodge about her relationship with Geralt all made me feel bad for her. I like finally giving her a chance in the games.

And it's not like she didn't do some good for Geralt in the books, she tried her best to help Ciri in BoE (and in some ways she did) and even proposed him to seek Yen's help when she realized a more powerful sorceress is needed. Without her dragging Geralt half dead and begging Tissaia to teleport him, he would have died on Thanedd. She grows as a person and in the end overcomes her fears and helps Yen in Rivia. Condwiramurs even refers to her as venerable Triss and praises her courage, showing she has changed from that moment on, imo it was defining for her character.

I do think she genuinely cares for Geralt and that she is a good, although flawed person regardless of the morally questionable things she did, in both the books and games. Her actions are often wrong, but I never found her motivations to be malicious or evil, she is just misguided by her ideals or selfish desire for Geralt’s love in the case of his amnesia abuse.

I like her character arc in the games, where she slowly abandons the Lodge, takes Geralt’s side and tries to find her place in the world, guided by her own ideals rather than blindly following others. I see it as a continued character growth. I quite enjoy the way Geralt interacts with her in TW2 and TW3, the dynamic of their relationship and how they treat each other. I also like her cheerful personality and sense of humor.

For whatever reason Triss’ character resonates with me and I enjoy having her as Geralt’s love interest, I think CDPR did a wonderful job with her.
 
^I was about to redpoint until the last sentence, lol. They did a pretty middling job with her in TW3 and I still think they sacrificed her on the altar of waifu.

I've only read up to Tower of Swallows, but Is it possible that Triss' transgression with the lodge are her partly being manipulated or controlled by Phillipa?
 
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I've only read up to Tower of Swallows, but Is it possible that Triss' transgression with the lodge are her party being manipulated or controlled by Phillipa?

When you get to Lady of the Lake Triss says something about that that to Nenneke, but even back in Baptism of Fire when Yen arrives at the Lodge, there is always someone hovering over Triss's shoulder to keep an eye on her.

Her actions are often wrong, but I never found her motivations to be malicious or evil,

Sapkowski does a great job with the sections told from Triss's perspective. Listening to her thoughts, it is very easy to understand why she does what she does, and it's easy to forgive her for the "wrong" choices she makes. She is also very hard on herself when she feels she has fallen short or done something wrong.

A big part of Triss's story is that Fate likes to kick her around, and she has to learn to deal with the blows. Sodden seems to be the beginning, where she is completely unprepared for what happens to her, but after recovering she throws herself into political work to try to make the sacrifices of Sodden worthwhile. She joins Philippa's plot at Thanedd to keep the mages' leadership loyal to the cause of Northern independence, but that all goes out the window with Tissaia's naive intervention to "keep the peace." After that the kings expel their mage advisers, so all Triss's work in Vizima is undone. The only way forward for the causes she believes in is the Lodge. Then Fate keep kicking in the games- Foltest's assassination ruins five years of her work, and she arrives in Novigrad just in time for the witch hunts to start. There are a few times when she seems to feel like quitting- in the middle of Witcher 2, for example, she says she would be fine with giving up everything and living at Kaer Morhen- but there is always someone who needs her, so she pulls herself together again. By the end of W3 she is back on her Path, except this time she will be the one in charge.

I think Triss understands the witchers so well because of her sense of mission. Her speech in Blood of Elves lays out the difference between her sorcerer's Path and a witcher's Path, but they all share a sense that they were made to protect people.
 
Triss Merigold is one of my favorite characters from TW universe, here's why:

I appreciate Triss' flaws. Her insecurity, misplaced idealism and unfortunate obsession with Geralt make her a believable character and make me feel sympathetic for her. I felt sorry for Triss after reading the books, seeing how desperate she was for Geralt. Her internal monologues at KM, desperate attempts to kiss him while he helps her recover, the way Yen scolds her at Thanedd, her jealousy while Fringilla tells the Lodge about her relationship with Geralt all made me feel bad for her. I like finally giving her a chance in the games.

And it's not like she didn't do some good for Geralt in the books, she tried her best to help Ciri in BoE (and in some ways she did) and even proposed him to seek Yen's help when she realized a more powerful sorceress is needed. Without her dragging Geralt half dead and begging Tissaia to teleport him, he would have died on Thanedd. She grows as a person and in the end overcomes her fears and helps Yen in Rivia. Condwiramurs even refers to her as venerable Triss and praises her courage, showing she has changed from that moment on, imo it was defining for her character.

I do think she genuinely cares for Geralt and that she is a good, although flawed person regardless of the morally questionable things she did, in both the books and games. Her actions are often wrong, but I never found her motivations to be malicious or evil, she is just misguided by her ideals or selfish desire for Geralt’s love in the case of his amnesia abuse.

I like her character arc in the games, where she slowly abandons the Lodge, takes Geralt’s side and tries to find her place in the world, guided by her own ideals rather than blindly following others. I see it as a continued character growth. I quite enjoy the way Geralt interacts with her in TW2 and TW3, the dynamic of their relationship and how they treat each other. I also like her cheerful personality and sense of humor.

For whatever reason Triss’ character resonates with me and I enjoy having her as Geralt’s love interest, I think CDPR did a wonderful job with her.

I agree, I love how you see her grow so much from the books to the games. She owns up to her mistakes and knows that it's possible she will lose Geralt as a result. I to was happy having her as Geralt new beginning love.
 
I agree, I love how you see her grow so much from the books to the games.
I’ll go on a rant here, but one of the reasons I like Triss is what I consider a nice character arc she gets in the games, while also considering the books. After Geralt, she is the character that gets the most screen time throughout the trilogy and therefore she had the most time to show noticeable growth considering she has a prominent role in every game. What also works in her favor is that she was a side character in the books and her character was flushed out just enough to allow for an interesting continuation in the games.

It is implied at the end of LotL that she eventually becomes a brave and respected person, and in my opinion the games do a good job showing that transition while also keeping and showing the flawed parts of her personality. Even though I think the amnesia abuse was an unintentional plot turnout, simply because I doubt CDPR planned the whole trilogy at the time they made TW1 and they needed to make the story independent, it works great and is well in line with Triss’ book version.

I’ve seen people saying Triss’ love for Geralt in the books is a simple infatuation and that she is more in love with the idea of Geralt and Yen’s relationship. I think that’s partially correct, but what is shown in the saga when it comes to Triss’ feelings for Geralt goes deeper than that imo. Her obsession with Geralt is a constant theme of her character throughout the books.

It gets the most attention in BoE where she is basically introduced as a character, but it follows her throughout the whole saga. One of the first things Sapkowski focusses on is showing how she feels about Geralt and also how he feels about her (that awkward first meeting at KM). The affair they had left far more consequence on Triss then it did on Geralt. Triss approached Geralt with the curiosity of trying out something new and maybe experiencing that thing Yen has with him and understanding it better, but ended up falling for him. That is shown by the desperation she shows during her stay at KM and during her dysentery episode later on.

It really sets the tone of Geralt and Triss’ relationship in the books. Triss wants something he can’t give her, but Geralt still cares deeply for her, although as a friend. And this is shown further by their interaction at Thanedd and the way Triss takes Geralt’s relationship with Fringilla, but also the way Yen treats Triss.

I think that one of the reasons why Yen is so harsh with Triss when it comes to Geralt is that she recognizes that Triss really loves him, and it can be debated that she is actually doing Triss a favor by letting her know how things stand, sparring her further effort and allowing her to move on. But Triss never does that in the books imo, even in the end she asks Ciri to take her with them. So, Triss taking advantage of the first opportunity to be with Geralt in the games seem realistic for her.

Where her character growth in the games comes from is unrelated to her romance with Geralt though, but still influenced by him in a way. In TW1 she is in her element, a wealthy, influential sorceress deeply involved in political schemes, and in a position of power. Then in TW2 she losses it all, while getting disillusioned with the Lodge, an organization she put before her friends and Geralt in the past. And considering how I think she feels for Geralt, that goes to show how strong her loyalty to the Lodge was.

But by the end of TW2 she is on her own, and that’s where her idealism starts to truly shine. I believe Triss always acted in the idea of greater good, but the idea was never hers, she was always a follower of what seemed the best at the time. But in TW3, I feel like the true nature of her ideals is shown. She genuinely wants to help people, and unlike other sorceresses she is not in it for the power, influence or money. No other sorceress would stay in Novigrad and risk her life for the oppressed people they gain no personal interest from. What I really like is how Triss finally steps up and takes a leadership role, something that is not really in her nature or at least it wasn’t before. She is still young for a sorceress and what I feel was shown in the books and games was a crucial part of her development.

I personally also like how her romance with Geralt plays out with all this, but even when Geralt lets her go to Kovir alone, she still leaves the impression of a well rounded character that gets a very nice conclusion to her story arc. Or at least that’s what I think.
 
I agree with you. I just joined this forum today, although I have been reading on here for a while. I just felt the need to join and comment on the "yen or triss" thread because I had enough of the hardcore (not all of them) book people (I have read the books) constantly telling people they are stupid and idiots if they picked Triss. Same goes for some of the hardcore Triss defenders. Triss to me, just really grows like you mentioned. I had the choice to pick and just felt that Triss would be the one that ultimately Gerlat should be with. I think the relationship between them would be much healthier.

Triss is very understanding by the end. She understands that Yen is very important to Geralt and still doesn't hesitate to help him even though she thinks she has no chance whatsoever. I completely understand when people say Geralt should be with Yen because of the books. But I look at it differently, I have to go by not just the books, but by the games as well. To me, they are all tied in. I will go ahead and quote my first post here in the Yen or Triss forum.

"Been on these forums reading for a while now, just never wanted to make an account, until now. These threads, no matter what site always seem to go the same way, it's pretty sad actually. From what I have gathered from here and other sites is that according to 90% of the hardcore annoying book readers (I have read the books) is that someone is automatically and "idiot" or attacked in so many ways just because they choose Triss. In my opinion, these book readers really put a bad name on the rest. Who are you to tell someone is has to be this way and this way only?

The books ended, the games take place years later. Both Yen and Triss have their share of messed up things they have done as well as very good things. Both in the books and in the game. Triss clearly knows she messed up and she clearly really does feel bad for what she did. The game gives you the option of getting back with the love of your life, Yen, or starting a new chapter with Triss. Djinn's spell is broken and depending on how the player wants to look at it, it could very well be a huge part of the choice.

This whole Yen is the only one for Geralt, no one else, they are meant for each other and you are stupid for not seeing it doesn't make sense. To you, Yen is the only one, to someone else she might not be. The way I personally played it was like this. Geralt spent time with Triss, they were in a relationship regardless of how it happened. Geralt clearly felt something towards Triss. Triss grows a whole lot by the Witcher 3. When he remembers Yennifer, of course he's going to go look for her, he does love her and she will always be apart of his life. This is where I changed things up for Geralt. He finally gets to see Yen, talk to Yen and continue on his journey, but he now has feelings for two people. After seeing both, spending time doing quest with both, Geralt decides that he will always do anything for Yen and she will always be the mother of Ciri. They will continue to be friends and care for Ciri and one another but from a romantic stand point, it was time to move on. There were a lot of break ups and cheating between the both of them throughout the years, it was toxic at times. I am seeing it as, Yen is his history while Triss is his future.

With all this said, not all of Triss supporters are innocent nether."

In the end, both Yen and Triss aren't perfect. No choice is wrong. I just personally feel like Triss has grown into the better person for Geralt.
 
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I just don't like Triss at all. How anyone can say what they say about her (innocent, lovely, charming) when she betrayed, manipulated and abused the trust of her friends throughout the books and the games...

People seem to skip all of this. Then use the books to try and slam other characters such as Yen. it's pretty funny.
 
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