Can someone please explain this to me? I just don't get his reasoning. Shillard is a talented diplomat, and he served the Empire well. I saw no intention on his part to somehow betray Emhyr's trust and/or the interests of the Empire, rather quite the contrary. So why order the bold muscle to take out one of your most valuable and experienced men? I don't think it's canon however (even though Shillard isn't even mentioned in TW3 even if you didn't go for Triss in TW2), if there's even a canon, but am still wondering. It just feels like such a waste.
I am an International Relations student myself and I therefore sympathise with this character a great deal, especially if we take into account how incredibly instrumental Shillard was for the events of TW2.
I assumed it was a result of a power struggle between Nilfgaardian envoys and Renuald feeding Emhyr with selected information in order to discredit Shilard. Not that he wanted his position for himself, just that some interest group within the Empire wanted their man on the job. If you collect letters from both, you can extrapolate that the order was issued based on Renuald's reports and Shilard already suspected the man of having dubious intentions.
Or, it was simply the retribution for attracting the unwanted heat by forcing Geralt to get involved and allowing him to learn too much in the process.
I assumed it was a result of a power struggle between Nilfgaardian envoys and Renuald feeding Emhyr with selected information in order to discredit Shilard. Not that he wanted his position for himself, just that some interest group within the Empire wanted their man on the job. If you collect letters from both, you can extrapolate that the order was issued based on Renuald's reports and Shilard already suspected the man of having dubious intentions.
Or, it was simply the retribution for attracting the unwanted heat by forcing Geralt to get involved and allowing him to learn too much in the process.
Thank you for your reply! As for the letters in question, I've collected them all and I, too, think that we are dealing here with a conflict of interests and a case of power struggle within the Nilfgaardian elite ("tower struggle" as we in Russia would say). That being said, I've always perceived Emperor Emhyr as a more restrained individual who knows better than that to allow himself to be mislead with a couple of reports, especially when your special (and trusted, which is signified by the pendant) envoy on a crucial quest is concerned. Then again, we also know that he can be cruel and impatient, so it kiiinda makes sense.
As far as Geralt is concerned, I think that letting him get involved and not exactly keeping him on a tight leash could be a deliberate move on Shillard's part to allow Geralt to be bogged down and compromised even further. I once saw an assumption that Emhyr ordered Reynald to eliminate Shillard once he had received his third report (IF he had received it) in which Shillard proposed to neutralise the witcher, a course of action which Emhyr could not allow at the time. However, it doesn't explain why he could not address the elephant in the room in an exchange with Shillard himself (there are ways in the Witcher universe to convey one's orders swiftly, if need be). Didn't trust him enough? It brings us to your first suggestion. If that's really the case, I pity the Emperor.
