Northern Kingdoms
Where crowns are weighed in blood and magic burns hotter than steel.
North of the Yaruga River lies a fractured yet unyielding chain of human realms where history is written in blood. The Northern Kingdoms encompass Temeria, Redania, Aedirn, Kaedwen, and Lyria-Rivia—states perpetually teetering between fragile alliance and open war. While they unite against external threats like Nilfgaard, internal dynastic squabbles and monster-infested wilds ensure peace is always temporary. This is a melting pot of feudal ambition where kings scheme from stone castles, mages pull strings from shadowy towers, and commoners suffer the cost. It is here that witchers find their most frequent patrons, navigating the delicate balance between humanity's survival and its own destructive nature.
- Primary Rivals
- Nilfgaardian Empire
- Dominant Faiths
- The Eternal Fire, Melitele, Pagan Pantheons (Skellige)
- Key Locations
- Novigrad, Vizima, Cintra, Mahakam
- Notable Figures
- Geralt of Rivia, Ciri, Yennefer, Triss Merigold
- Political Structure
- Fragmented Feudal Monarchies
Lore & Background
Spanning from Skellige’s icy peaks to Temeria's fertile plains, the Northern Kingdoms are defined by their political turbulence. While occasionally uniting under a single banner during existential crises like the Nilfgaardian invasions, these lands more frequently descend into petty squabbles over borders and succession—Redania covets Aedirn; Kaedwen eyes Lyria. The region is culturally rich yet deeply superstitious; common folk fear both the sorcerous cabals manipulating kings from the shadows and beasts lurking in the forests. Dominated by a fragile alliance known as the Northern Realms, often led by figures like King Foltest or Radovid V, this unity strains under individual monarchs prioritizing personal power over collective survival. The Brotherhood of Sorcerers adds complexity, acting as kingmakers who sometimes save the North from annihilation while orchestrating its downfall for their own ends.
In Their Own Story
The wind howled through the ruins of a burnt-out village near the border of Redania, carrying the scent of ash and wet wool. A lone traveler pulled his cloak tighter, stepping over the charred remains of a cart. He wasn't looking for gold or glory; he was following a trail of strange, glowing footprints that led into the treeline where the local lord had promised a purse of crowns to anyone who could silence the beast terrorizing the harvest.
Above him, the grey sky threatened snow, but the hunter knew better than to wait. The monster didn't care about the weather or the politics of the kings fighting miles away in their stone castles. In the North, survival was a daily negotiation with death, and tonight, the contract would be signed in silver and steel.
Reader's Guide
The Northern Kingdoms serve as the geopolitical heart of the Continent's human civilization, characterized by a volatile mix of feudalism, magic, and constant warfare. Unlike the monolithic Nilfgaardian Empire to the south, the North is a patchwork of sovereign states that frequently ally against common threats but are just as likely to turn their swords on one another over border disputes or succession rights.
Did You Know?
- The term 'Northern Kingdoms' is a collective label for distinct sovereign nations that rarely unite without the threat of Nilfgaard hanging over them.
- Novigrad, technically a free city rather than a kingdom, functions as a major economic and political hub but holds no status as a capital since the Northern Realms are not unified under a single crown.
- The Mahakam Mountains host an organized dwarven society that maintains strict neutrality in human wars while supplying high-quality steel to every side.
- Geralt of Rivia trained at Kaer Morhen, a fortress located on the borderlands between Velen and Temeria, far from the mountains of Kaedwen.