Lodge of Sorceresses Forms

Lore & Background

Following the catastrophic coup at Thanedd Island, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers collapsed into chaos. In the aftermath, Philippa Eilhart realized that open allegiance to failing kingdoms was a liability. She rallied surviving sorceresses to form an independent council dedicated to preserving magical power regardless of national borders. The Lodge operated on the principle that mages should guide rulers rather than serve them blindly. This philosophy often clashed with traditionalists who believed in direct service to monarchs. The organization utilized blackmail, alliances, and magic to influence succession lines and military decisions across the North, aiming primarily to shape Northern politics—and later sought to control Emhyr's successor or manipulate Ciri rather than the emperor himself. Trust was a scarce commodity within the inner circle. Members frequently maneuvered against one another to secure their own safety or ideological victories. Despite internal strife, they remained united by a shared fear of persecution from non-magical populations and empires seeking to control or eliminate them.

In Their Own Story

Secrecy was their armor. Gatherings were held in shifting locations, shielded by wards against scrying and eavesdropping. In these dimly lit chambers, alliances were forged over maps of war-torn kingdoms, weighed against the risk of betrayal from within. The air always carried the tension of a knife edge; while united against external threats, every woman present knew that survival often demanded sacrifice—sometimes even of their allies.

Reader's Guide

Rising from the ashes of the Thanedd Coup, the Lodge emerged from the wreckage of the Brotherhood under Philippa Eilhart’s iron will. No longer bound by the Council’s rigid hierarchy, they operated as a decentralized network, leveraging blackmail and magical compulsion to bend Northern monarchs to their will. The organization reached its zenith during the Nilfgaardian Wars, orchestrating events from Loc Muinne to Ysgith. However, internal fractures grew as loyalties shifted toward individual survival; by the end of the war, the Lodge had effectively fractured, leaving a legacy of political maneuvering that outlasted its formal existence.

Did You Know?

• Philippa Eilhart lost her eye during the Thanedd coup when she was tortured by Dijkstra, not at the Battle of Brenna.
• Tissaia de Vries committed suicide by cutting her wrists after the Thanedd coup, not by jumping from a tower.
• The Lodge initially sought to influence Northern politics; it later attempted to manipulate Emhyr himself via marriage—specifically by planning to have Ciri marry the emperor or his successor to control the empire.