Battle of Sodden Hill
A desperate stand on a smoke-choked hill where mages became the shield of the North.
The Battle of Sodden Hill is a battle of the first war between Nilfgaard and the Northern Kingdoms in The Witcher. In Sword of Destiny, the merchant Yurga tells Geralt about the battle of Sodden, which drove back the Nilfgaardian forces but killed fourteen sorcerers who fought there.
Lore & Background
There is a monument listing the dead sorcerers' names. Geralt goes there and meets Death in the form of a young woman, who reads him the last name on the monument, Yennefer of Vengerberg; Yurga later tells him that the last name is not Yennefer. Vilgefortz proved crucial to the North's victory, as he led the mages during the battle; Triss Merigold is one of the Heroes of Sodden Hill, and Yennefer was blinded there by the Nilfgaardian sorceress Fringilla Vigo, her sight later being magically restored.
Reader's Guide
In the Netflix series, the Brotherhood votes to remain neutral, but Tissaia, Vilgefortz, Triss and other mages resolve to fight, and Yennefer and the mages reinforce the keep of Sodden Hill to prevent Nilfgaardian forces from invading the remaining Northern Kingdoms. When the Nilfgaardians attack, Tissaia attempts to talk down Fringilla, who disables her, and Vilgefortz fights Cahir but loses and is thrown down a hill.
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