Full of mages, warriors, monster hunters and royals, the huge cast of The Witcher builds out a dense and expansive universe. The Witcher: Blood Origin enlarges this world, based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski, taking viewers 1,200 years into the past. It brings to life an era largely lost to legend by the time of The Witcher’s Geralt (Henry Cavill), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and Ciri (Freya Allan).
With the setting getting only richer, you might find it tough to keep track of all the new characters, how they connect to each other and what they’re capable of. So let us be your guide and introduce you to the show’s seven heroes, the villains of the elven Golden Empire and the storytellers who share the tale of how they changed the Continent forever.
Like the rest of her kindred in Raven Clan, Éile was trained to protect the royal family of the elven kingdom of Pryshia with her life. Unable to stomach the brutality she was called upon to perform in the monarchy’s name, she abandoned her duties to become a traveling bard known as the Lark. Éile always stands up for those who can’t defend themselves.
Powers: Éile has a captivating voice which she uses to bring hope to lowborn elves by singing in taverns. She’s also a skilled fighter who is dangerous with both a sword and throwing knives and has learned plenty of tricks during her travels, such as stealing and lockpicking.
Dog Clan and Raven Clan are rivals, each sworn to serve one of the warring elven dynasties. Fjall is entrusted with the safety of the Xintrean princess Merwyn, but gets too close to his charge. His dalliance with her is a betrayal of his clan, leading Fjall’s own father to send him into exile.
Powers: Fjall is an excellent fighter, whether brawling barehanded or swinging an axe. However, he has less than complete control over his impulses.
Scían is one of the last survivors of Ghost Tribe and longs to be reunited with her ancestral blade, Soulreaver, which was taken as a trophy by Xintrea. She served as Éile’s swordmother, training her in fighting. Éile’s decision to swear off the blade and become a bard, therefore, dishonored Scían, causing her to be banished. She’s been forced to become a sellsword to survive.
Powers: Scían is a master with the blade, able to defeat multiple fighters at once while also critiquing their forms. Her time as a sellsword has given her many contacts throughout the Continent.
Callan, better known as Brother Death, seeks vengeance on Golden Empire soldiers for wiping out a village that had taken him in. A warrior with a dark past, he is in love with the mage Zacaré, who saw the worst in Brother Death and still accepted him. He’s quick to offer help to new potential friends.
Powers: As his name implies, Brother Death is highly skilled at killing people with his cleaver. He’s also an excellent tracker.
Zacaré lives alone in a forest surrounded by a marsh, protected by mists that force visitors to relive their worst memories; many drown in despair. She seeks isolation as repentance for a terrible spell she wrought with her celestial twin, Syndril, who was born in the same village at the same time under the same burning star.
Powers: Celestial twins are particularly gifted mages. Zacaré is especially skilled with healing magic.
Powers: A court mage in Xintrea, Syndril discovered that the ancient Dwarven monoliths buried underground could be used to open portals to other worlds. He quickly came to regret his research after seeing how his nation planned to use that power.
Powers: Syndril shares Zacaré’s magical abilities, though he is more focused on scholarship.
Dwarves have largely been pushed back into the mountains with the rise of the elves. Golden Empire soldiers brutally killed Meldof’s beautiful bearded lover Gwen, and Meldof has been hunting down those responsible.
Powers: Meldof is extremely dangerous with her beloved warhammer — and very happy to use it.
The Xintrean princess isn’t satisfied with her destiny to be married off to secure a political alliance. Obsessed with the legendary conqueror Solryth, Merwyn dreams of a unified elven civilization spreading wealth and knowledge throughout the Continent and beyond. She’s led a sheltered life in the palace, but has a ruthless streak when it comes to courtly intrigue.
Powers: Merwyn is highly intelligent and particularly knowledgeable about elven history.
Extremely ambitious, Balor harnesses a monolith to form an alliance with a mysterious patron who demands sacrifice in exchange for terrible power. As a lowborn, Balor sees magic as a way to acquire the status denied him by Xintrea’s strict caste system.
Powers: Balor possesses an artifact that allows him to open monoliths and a terrible beast that does his bidding. He’s also very skilled with magic in combat.
The ambitious military captain Eredin fears a truce between the warring elven nations could weaken the power he gained during the long conflict. He also has doubts about the Xintrean caste system, which prevents him from marrying his commoner lover.
Powers: Eredin is a highly skilled fighter who inspires loyalty in his troops.
The young mage Avallac’h reacted swiftly to save Merwyn from an assassination attempt, which lands him a position as her bodyguard. He also works to help her better understand the monoliths, making a surprising discovery about how they function.
Powers: Avallac’h is a skilled combat mage, though he lacks the raw power of Balor or the knowledge of Zacaré.
The bard Jaskier made Geralt the most famous witcher in the Continent by tagging along on his adventures and singing songs about them. He’s also known as the Sandpiper, under which alias he helps persecuted elves escape to freedom. The story of the seven heroes and the Golden Empire, from deep in the past, is a new tale for the bard to tell.
Powers: Jaskier is an extremely accomplished songwriter and performer. He’s a fast talker, which can get him out of bad situations but potentially put him in worse ones.
The mysterious shapeshifting Seanchaí rescues Jaskier from a brutal battle in order to recruit him to sing a song back into the world that will give hope to the elves.
Powers: The Seanchaí is capable of moving between worlds and time in her pursuit of forgotten stories.
