Sigismund Dijkstra

Sigismund Dijkstra (b. ) was the head of Redanian Intelligence. He was a physically imposing man; nearly seven feet tall and bald, with a rather noticeable stomach that was said to give the impression of a scrubbed pig.
Preferring flamboyant clothes with bright colors, he didn't dress the least bit like a spy. However, he was an exceptionally clever man, having studied at Oxenfurt Academy, and was said to be very influential in Redania. While he was referred to as a count in public, this was merely a cover that King Vizimir II ordered him to use so nobody would know that Dijkstra was a mere commoner.
== Biography ==
=== Letter to Vizimir ===
As a minor spy in the Secret Service's Novigrad cell, Sigismund somehow managed to obtain documents proving Michael de Noailles' incompetence, pertaining to his ignorance of the state being infiltrated by foreign intelligence. In , he wrote a letter to King Vizimir II, addressed For Your Royal Eyes Only. The king, enraged, ordered to imprison Count de Noailles and elevated Dijkstra to the position of the Royal Security Assignee. In a few years, Dijkstra managed to overhaul the service's structures, replacing moles with faithful men and expanding the area of operations from Kovir to the Nilfgaardian Empire. He then moved his quarters to Oxenfurt, to the rented academy's rooms he called the "Faculty of Most Contemporary History". Around this period, he romanced Philippa Eilhart for three years, who frequently cooperated with the spymaster from then on.
=== Northern War I ===
The biggest challenge Dijkstra faced was the Nilfgaardian Military Intelligence. The web collaborated among state officials and aristocracy, disposing of enormous, hard-to-infiltrate sums of money, barely touched by his agents prior to the First Northern War in . Then, just after reports from Cintra ceased to reach the Oxenfurt quarters, Nilfgaardian agents began unleashing hell throughout Redania. Military warehouses were burned, cavalry horses were poisoned, and many commanders were found dead with knives in their throats. Sigismund Dijkstra, the spymaster, had learnt a hard lesson in humility from his opponent, Vattier de Rideaux.
This startle did not last long as shortly after the initial shock, the service's agents throughout the kingdoms started to take out persons long suspected of collaboration with the Empire. The traitors' blood flowed like rivers, though mistakes were made and certain innocents, especially nonhumans, were killed as well. The few Nilfgaardian informants who managed to avoid Drakenborg fled to Kovir and Hengfors, but even there the knife and the garrote awaited them.
Before Dijkstra could trace the traitors among nobles, however, the war ended, and terms of the truce were required to end the bloodshed. Unable to eliminate the core of the imperial spy web in Redania, he was back near his starting point.
=== Interwar period ===
In , he recruited Dandelion as his informant and asked Yennefer to protect the bard when he was captured by Rience in a town near Bleobheris. The sorceress saved Dandelion and ordered him to hide under Dijkstra's wing. Later, Sigismund managed to calm the tension when Geralt and Olsen killed Temerian agents who, while they were legit agents, had at the time been acting on their own in pursuit of Geralt and Ciri to try and claim Rience's reward for the pair. Together with Philippa, the spymaster asked Dandelion about Geralt's current whereabouts; Dijkstra was surprised when Philippa mentioned Ciri as well, perceiving it as a hasty move.
In late June , he was informed that Emperor Emhyr var Emreis had learnt of the planned Aedirnian and Lyrian staged attack on Glevitzingen, and the Imperial Army now had moved into Dol Angra. After receiving a message from King Demavend III about the attack, he sent word via a royal messenger, Aplegatt, to inform Demavend to not go through with the staged attack as now Nilfgaard knew about their plans. However, he learned too late this message was never delivered as the messenger had been killed in an isolated incident.
===Thanedd coup===
On the 30th, he joined Philippa on Thanedd Isle as part of their plan to take out the Nilfgaardian supporters before they could put their own coup in action. At the banquet he talked for some time with Geralt before heading off. The next day, in the early hours just before dawn, he began to help Keira Metz round up the Nilfgaardian supporters with the assistance of his soldiers. As they were arresting Artaud Terranova, Geralt stumbled upon them and Dijkstra had the witcher detained before discussing with the mages on what to do before taking Geralt to Philippa to decide. As he felt Geralt wouldn't cause them too much trouble, Dijkstra didn't bind the witcher, which he would regret later.
On the way, Dijkstra, in his ever sarcastic demeanor, informed Geralt what was going on and asked where Yennefer was. Geralt, not truly understanding the gravity of the situation, told him last he checked she was sound asleep in bed, pissing the spymaster off as the plan had been only for Nilfgaardian supporters to go to bed while the rest made their move (not realizing Yennefer, like many others, had actually remained neutral). After talking with Philippa, she gave Dijkstra part of their deal: a list that'd been on Vilgefortz that had names of Redanians who'd sold out to Nilfgaard. Satisfied with the list, Dijkstra then had Geralt follow him through the towers, intending to head to Loxia as the spymaster knew, despite rumors, Ciri, the sole heir and princess of Cintra, was alive and in the school, but the rectoress would not hand Ciri over to anyone except Geralt.
When it became clear to Geralt that the spymaster planned to use Ciri as a political tool, intending to send her to Redania's capital, Tretogor, the witcher punched the spymaster and Dijkstra, along with the few soldiers he had with him, tried to fight the witcher but were all knocked out. Dijkstra then threatened to get his soldiers from the ship but Geralt, intent on finding Yennefer and Ciri without distractions, summarily broke one of the spymaster's ankles, causing the man to howl and faint from the pain.
=== First phases of Northern War II ===
It was later revealed that the previous night, King Vizimir had been assassinated and, with the start of the Second Northern War, the country was ruled by a Regency Council headed by Dijkstra and Philippa (even though technically Queen Hedwig was supposed to be the ruler). Incensed by the failed coup on Thanedd and how quickly Nilfgaard was taking over other kingdoms, Dijkstra began to hang people left and right in Redania, though he wasn't able to walk for two weeks, and even then required help from Philippa to do so.
A few weeks later, he was informed by Jan Lennep that Geralt was recovering in Brokilon. However, Dijkstra ordered him to leave the witcher alone, though that wasn't to say he forgave the witcher for breaking his ankle, he just didn't have the time and was professional enough to not use his own men to settle a private matter. He then sent out correspondence to Philippa, still intent on finding information that Yennefer had sided with Nilfgaard. He was later visited by the Nilfgaardian ambassador, Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen, and the two conversed about politics before turning to what they both really wanted: Dijkstra believed Nilfgaard was hiding Vilgefortz and Yennefer and wanted them, while Shilard believed Redania had Cahir, a Nilfgaardian knight that was wanted for treason. However, neither actually had the people in question and Shilard left, now considered persona non grata within the kingdom, his life safe only via diplomatic immunity. Dijkstra then sent another letter to Philippa, piecing together that the earlier news they heard about Nilfgaard having Ciri was false, or rather, a fake Ciri, meaning the real one was still out there somewhere. To confirm these suspicions, he later received important information from a prisoner who was about to be hanged, confirming that it was a fake Ciri.
Still intending to find Vilgefortz, as now Dijkstra and Philippa believed it was likely Ciri was with the rogue sorcerer, the spymaster put Redania's Secret Service to use and found two of Vilgefortz's hangouts, but no sorcerer or Ciri. However, they did find evidence that Vilgefortz had been experimenting on pregnant women, killing them in the process.
=== Late autumn armistice ===
Later, in late October, he made his way to Lan Exeter, the winter capital of Kovir and Poviss, to try and ask for a loan of a million bizants to raise an army in time for spring, when Nilfgaard would start up its assault on the North once more. However, Kovir's king, Esterad Thyssen, refused on the grounds of the kingdom's neutrality and an old agreement that meant he couldn't back Nilfgaard's enemies. Despite this, the king's wife, Zuleyka, gave him advice that showed him a loophole and was thus able to supply the spymaster indirectly. Dijkstra, having struck up an unlikely friendship with Esterad, ended up staying a little bit longer and the two had philosophical debates. On their last conversation before Dijkstra left, Esterad warned the spymaster to stop all the bloodshed in Redania, as it'd bring nothing but assassins after him sooner or later.
Following the meeting with Esterad, Sigismund had growing suspicion towards Eilhart and her close circle of sorceresses at Montecalvo During the autumn and winter, apart from preparations to raise troops and in secret from Philippa, Dijkstra and his personal assistant Ori Reuven aided Jacques de Aldersberg in his mission to reform Order of the White Rose into Order of the Flaming Rose with aim to balance the rising position of sorceresses and aid the forces fighting Nilfgaard with a strong knightly order. Dijkstra was aware of the dangers that hosting the Order in Redania might bring, thus ensuring that its headquarters would lie south to the Pontar, in Temeria. It was also apparently during this period when he, under the alias of Sigi Reuven, co-founded the Syndicate, an underground alliance of criminal bosses and church officials that was to end the period of instability in Novigrad streets. Taking information out of drunken Walter Veritas, he was able to capture and eliminate the Nilfgaardian agent Doadrick Leumaerts and later recruited Walter to the Syndicate.Walter's Journal
In January , Dijkstra received a letter from Geralt, informing him that Vilgefortz's hideout was located in Stygga Castle, Ebbing. Unable to operate that far south of the Yaruga, he traded this information to Vattier de Rideaux in exchange for details on Vizimir's assassination learned by Nilfgaardian Intelligence.
=== Peace of Cintra ===
As the de factor ruler of Redania, Queen Hedwig, was still indisposed, Dijkstra joined the other kingdoms' rulers in Cintra to discuss the peace terms in April . However, due to being a non-royal, many of the rulers scoffed at him being there and the Hierarch, Cyrus Engelkind Hemmelfart, even noted to himself that they must do away with the spy. After peace was officially declared, a celebration was held in Novigrad and the spy informed Philippa that he'd learned the half-elf that assassinated Vizimir hadn't been acting alone. Sometime later, he walked through Tretogor Castle one last time, saying goodbye to his personal assistant, Ori Reuven, noting that he'd said one word too many to one person too many but, having been tipped off by Vattier de Rideaux and Emhyr var Emreis, knew assassins sent by Philippa were coming for him, and fled the country.
He later appeared in Elskerdeg Pass and met Isengrim Faoiltiarna and Boreas Mun, two fugitives on the run for their own reasons. An unlikely party, the three agreed to travel east together, to Zerrikania or Hakland, with Dijkstra taking on the name Sigi Reuven once again.
===Return in the North===
Sometime later Dijkstra, still using the alias Sigi Reuven, returned to the Northern Kingdoms accompanied by Isengrim and Bart. He went to Oxenfurt in order to help his daughter Iriana. To accomplish this task he enlisted the help of Dandelion who was a professor there at the time. While Dandelion, with the help of Bart and Isengrim, helped out Iriana, Dijkstra hid in an old safehouse of his. The former home of Count van Troffke, who Dijkstra had arrested for high treason but later offered a deal: exile instead of execution. When Iriana and Dandelion came to him for help he provided them with old documents of the Redanian intelligence. Later he gave his daughter the key to her old house and to help her look for Count van Troffke as a way to make amends. He then went to Novigrad where he bought a bathhouse and completed the Syndicate's code of conduct. In he and three other most influential gang leaders were known as the Big Four.
After the outbreak of the Third Northern War, Dijkstra, not approving of how Radovid was "destroying" everything his father, Vizimir II, had built up, began to work with the Temerian loyalists Vernon Roche, Ves, and Thaler, in their plan to assassinate King Radovid V and make Temeria a vassal state to Nilfgaard while allowing the rest of the North to be swallowed up by the empire.
 The assassination however was never carried out, thus allowing King Radovid to win the war against Nilfgaard and gather again the Northern Kingdoms under the silver eagle blazon. Dijkstra's fate remained unknown.
 The assassination was successful but, having despised surrendering Redania in favor of Temeria's semi-independence, the former head spy turned on the Temerians and planned to kill them, as he knew they wouldn't go along with his plans.
: Dijkstra underestimated Geralt's resolve to remain neutral though, and in turn Dijkstra was summarily killed.
: After Roche and the others were all killed, Dijkstra took over Redania, becoming the Chancellor of the country and brought in a new era of manufacturing to the region.
== Something Ends, Something Begins ==
Around late 1270s, King Sigismund refused to attend the wedding of Geralt and Yennefer but sent Sir Matholm as his royal envoy.
Note that the story is non-canon and written before the Saga. Characters here who would later debut in the novels should be viewed as initial prototypes rather than Sapkowski's intentions of how their future would look like.
== Description ==
== E3 Demo (2014) ==
In an E3 demo of The Witcher 3, he was shown to be back in the Northern Kingdoms, having contracted Geralt to hunt down a griffin in Novigrad. In exchange, he would find the whereabouts of an ashen-haired lass. After Geralt returned successfully with the griffin's head, Dijkstra reveals that Ciri was spotted in Velen in the company of a childlike creature named Johnny. He then asked Geralt if the girl is who he thought she was, but the witcher simply doesn't answer and thanks him for the information as he departs his company.
The E3 quest is absent in the full-release version of The Witcher 3.
== ==
In The Witcher 3, Geralt meets the spymaster once more. After his return in the Northern Kingdoms, Dijkstra moved to Novigrad where he apparently approached the criminal underworld of the city, becoming one of the most noted four criminal lords.
=== Journal entry ===
:The individual masquerading as Sigi Reuven was in fact none other than Sigismund Dijkstra, the former head of Redanian intelligence and a man Geralt and I had had many dealings with in the past.
:He had fallen out of King Radovid's favor and nothing had been heard of him for many years. Now it seemed he had finally decided to emerge from the shadows, but instead of returning to high political wrangling he dove deep into the criminal underground – and quickly surfaced as one of its leading figures.
:Though he did not show it, in his own way Dijkstra respected Geralt – even though the very thought of their last meeting brought a pained grimace to his face. The two had found themselves standing in each other's way during the coup on Thanedd Island. The stalemate was quickly broken when Geralt summarily broke Dijkstra's leg.
:This spy's life story would make for a postively enthralling adventure tale. A victim of Philippa Eilhart's intrigues, he had been forced to flee Redania at breakneck speed – or have his own neck broken by assassins. For a certain time he sought refuge in far-off lands, but in the end he decided to return to the Free City of Novigrad.
:Well aware of Geralt's extraordinary talents, Dijkstra asked him to help find his stolen treasure. Though Geralt knew the identity of the criminal mastermind responsible, he decided not to divulge this information and set about investigating as if the case were a complete mystery.
:Though the witcher's lips remained tightly sealed regarding my role in the treasure heist, Dijkstra still sniffed out his dishonesty – and made it clear how much he disliked being played for a fool.
:Though Dijkstra did not aid the persecuted mages out of the goodness of his heart, Triss appreciated his support all the same, for it proved vital to the endeavor's success.
:Dijkstra opposed the mage hunts sweeping the city, but for Philippa Eilhart he was willing to make an exception. He had never forgiven his one-time friend for betraying and then trying to kill him. Unfortunately, Geralt needed Philippa alive - and knew how to free her.
:Though Dijkstra craved vengeance, he was willing to resign from his plans in return for valuable information.
:Anyone who thought Dijkstra had broken all ties with the world of political schemers and plotters was sorely mistaken. His great comeback was to be a patriotic act that would free Redania from the rule of a madman – the assassination of King Radovid.
:If Reason of State is completed:
::...and Geralt intervenes:
:::As an experience dragonslayer once commented, more than once heads have only rolled after the dragon's been slain, the mead broken out and the campfire lit, for when it comes time to share the treasure, hunters of beasts often become slayers of men instead. Such was the case after the assassination of Radovid, when Dijkstra tried to renege on the terms of their arrangement and do away with Thaler and Vernon.
:::Dijkstra counted on Geralt maintaining witcher neutrality in this matter - a miscalculation which cost him his life.
::...and Geralt does not intervene:
:::As an experience dragonslayer once commented, more than once heads have only rolled after the dragon's been slain, the mead broken out and the campfire lit, for when it comes time to share the treasure, hunters of beasts often become slayers of men instead. Such was the case after the assassination of Radovid, when Dijkstra tried to renege on the terms of their arrangement and do away with his allies, who wanted to negotiate with Nilfgaard.
:::With this move the former spy achieved his goal, fortifying himself in a position that allowed him to continue the war against Nilfgaard.
=== Associated quests ===
=== See also ===
* Sigismund Dijkstra (gwent card)
== ==
:Sigismund Dijkstra, better known simply as Dijkstra, is a master spy and head of special forces for the kingdom of Redania, a wealthy country located in the North. Extremely tall, balding, and big boned, the man could be easily mistaken for one of those wealthy royal entourage types who do nothing but roam around courts with a glass of wine, oblivious to the brutal political dynamics playing out in the background. Like any spy, Sigismund won't hesitate to use any manner of dirty trick to achieve his goals or forward his agendas. Dijkstra is known to dislike Geralt of Rivia: the men crossed paths in the past and, as a result of that encounter, the former ended up temporarily crippled, which—combined with the witcher besting the spy—added injury to insult. However, Geralt and Dijkstra, cold professionals both, also harbor respect for each other's achievements in their respective fields of work.
== ==
=== Leader Tree entries ===
:Chest 1: Sigismund Dijkstra was man of razor-sharp intellect and great ambition who arose from common origins to become the head of Redanian Intelligence. Alas, betrayal later forced his retreat from the Regency Council and the kingdom. This setback, however, merely served to open another door for one as shrewd and enterprising as he. Seeing the great potential in Novigrad's criminal underworld, he entrenched himself under the alias Sigi Reuven and quickly garnered tremendous influence. And it was he who introduced to the Free City's underbelly a code of conduct – an arrangement to be used to his benefit whenever the opportunity presented itself.
== Videos ==
Sigi Reuven? - The Witcher 3 DEATH MARCH! Part 40 - Let's Play Hard
The Witcher 3 Dijkstra Boss Fight (Hard Mode)
== Gallery ==
Tw3 sigismund dijkstra concept art.png|Sigismund Dijkstra concept art
Tw3 cardart northernrealms sigismund dijkstra.png|Dijkstra's gwent card art
Gwent cardart northern sigismund dijkstra.jpg|Gwent standalone card art
Tw3 dijkstra propaganda poster.jpg|Dijkstra propaganda poster
Denis Gordeev Ori Reuven.jpeg|With Ori Reuven
Denis Gordeev Esterad Thyssen and Sigismund Dijkstra.jpeg|With Esterad Thyssen at Ensenada Palace
Gwent cardart syndicate Sigi Reuven.png|Alternative gwent card art
== References ==
== External links ==
*
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uk:Сигізмунд Дійкстра
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