Nilfgaard Empire

The southern empire that conquered most of the Continent's southern regions.

The Nilfgaard Empire is the dominant southern power on the Continent, having taken over most of the southern regions during the centuries preceding the stories. The Witcher Saga takes place in the aftermath of the first major war between the Nilfgaard Empire and the Northern Kingdoms, with a second war beginning in the middle of the series. This sets the empire as the primary antagonist force, a unified entity contrasted with the fragmented Northern Kingdoms.

Lore & Background

The setting of the story is an unnamed continent where human colonists arrived approximately five hundred years before the events begin, eventually winning a series of wars against existing races. In the centuries preceding the main narrative, most southern regions were taken over by the Nilfgaard Empire. This expansion created a geopolitical landscape defined by two distinct zones: the unified south under Nilfgaardian control and the fragmented Northern Kingdoms in the north. The empire's presence is the primary catalyst for the series' central conflict, as the saga takes place immediately following the first major war between the Empire and the North, leading directly into a second war that begins in the middle of the book sequence.