Cahir

**Cahir** is a knight from the Nilfgaardian Empire in search of Princess Ciri.

## Biography

### Invasion of Cintra

Cahir leads the Nilfgaardian army in battle against Queen Calanthe, King Eist, and the Cintran army in a field just outside Cintra. However, the Cintran army is decimated by the invaders as, unknown to Cintra, Nilfgaard's mages had wiped out all possible Skelligan reinforcements at sea by causing a massive storm. Cahir personally fires the arrow that pierces Eist's eye, instantly killing the king and forcing Queen Calanthe and her remaining soldiers to retreat.

Nilfgaardian forces then make their way to the city and begin to slaughter everyone within the city's walls while Cahir goes looking for the princess, soon spotting her as she's escorted out of the castle on horseback. As Ciri and Sir Lazlo attempt to flee from Cahir, Lazlo is killed by one of Cahir's arrows, and the dead knight's body ends up dragging Ciri off the horse as the body falls to the ground.

Having caught up with Ciri, Cahir takes her prisoner and races off on horseback, hastily leaving the burning city behind. However, on seeing this sight, Ciri screams, releasing a powerful magical pulse that scares Cahir's horse, knocking them both to the ground. As Cahir tries to grab her again, Ciri releases several more screams, each time getting more and more powerful, preventing Cahir from getting her as she puts more distance between them. After one such scream, a nearby stone monolith collapses and causes the ground to split and create a chasm between the two, allowing Ciri to escape.

### Searching for Princess Ciri

Cahir and his men invade a Cintran refugee camp in the late hours of the night, slaughtering everyone in their path, in search of Ciri, who manages to escape unseen.

### Conquering Cintra

After conquering Cintra, Cahir and Fringilla search for Queen Calanthe's body. They find her on the ground, buried underneath the snow. One of Fringilla's comrades slices a piece out of Calanthe's arm and eats her flesh. Fringilla then guts him and is able to determine that Ciri is in Brokilon forest. One of his men suggests sending soldiers in to take Ciri, however, Cahir knows that armies are not the way into Brokilon forest.

### Retrieving Ciri from Brokilon Forest

Cahir seeks out the help of a doppler in order to retrieve Princess Ciri from Brokilon forest. Cahir takes him to Mousesack, who they've captured. Cahir orders the doppler to take on his appearance. Cahir releases Mousesack from his chains only for the doppler to tackle him to the ground and shape shift into him, before stabbing Mousesack with a knife. After killing him, Cahir demands that Ciri is brought to him alive.

### Capturing Ciri

Cahir captured Ciri in the woods as she fled from the Adonis. If it had been any other way to extract Ciri, he would've done it. All he'd ever wanted was to fulfill her destiny. The White Flame had brought them together. She was the key to everything. As Cahir was fetching something to eat, he was confronted by the Adonis, who had taken on his appearance and in doing so, discovered what Ciri truly was. A fight ensued and Cahir was stabbed in the process, allowing the Adonis to escape.

Cahir murdered everyone inside the tavern to insure they weren't the doppler. As Fringilla cleaned his wound, she remarked that a simple test of silver would've sufficed. Fringilla stated that they could pull more soldiers and keep searching for Ciri. Fringilla reminded Cahir that it was he who rose up against the Usurper and helped free their people from their chains. She witnessed the White Flame crawl on him and anoint him. Ciri may be the key, but Cahir was the commissioner. They will find Ciri and spread the White Flame's supremacy throughout all kingdoms.

### Battle of Sodden Hill

After discovering that the Brotherhood was fortifying the keep, Fringilla reported back to Cahir to alert him of their arrival. The field Marshall recommended that they fall back, but Fringilla desired to move forward with the plan. This was their chance to honor the White Flame. Cahir refused to lose Princess Cirilla and ordered Fringilla to tests the Brotherhood's defenses.

Fringilla and Cahir watched from the top of the hill as their men were taken out by the brotherhood. They were forced to move to the other front. Vilgefortz portalled to Cahir's destination, taking out half a dozen soldiers before getting to Cahir. During the fight, Vilgefortz was disarmed multiple times, each time using magic to return his sword, despite Yennefer's warnings to reserve his chaos. Vilgefortz is bested by Cahir and with his chaos depleted, Cahir kicked him off the hill. Vilgefortz rolled down the hill and hit his head on a tree stump.

Much later in the battle, Cahir watched from a distance as his army went up in flames; burned to ashes by Yennefer of Vengerberg.

### Prisoner of War

Cahir was taken and held prisoner at Aretuza by the Brotherhood, where he was tortured by Tissaia who sought not only answers but to punish him for Yennefer's death, though he remained strong, insistent that the White Flame would cleanse them all. Tissaia demanded that he reveal what Nilfgaard wanted, but when he refused to speak, she tortured him until the point of screaming.

While sitting in his cell, Cahir had a brief interaction with Yennefer, who was not dead, only taken prisoner, later to escape. She told him that he wouldn't meet his end by their hands, as death must serve a purpose, and his would serve none. Fringilla told Cahir about Yennefer, that how she envied her during their days as schoolmates.

The following evening, Yennefer and Cahir walked side by side to his execution. She explained that his death now served a purpose, it would be her absolution. She was to execute him as proof that she hadn't been turned by the enemy. However, when the time came to cut off Cahir's head, she instead cut his chains and helped him escape on horseback.

### Fleeing Oxenfurt with Yennefer

Cahir and Yennefer were on the run in Oxenfurt, where he learned from Yennefer that under Fringilla's leadership, Nilfgaard had forged an alliance with the elves. They were then forced to go into hiding when wanted posters for their arrest were released to the public. Cahir and Yennefer headed down into the sewers after being attacked by a guard, where they met Dermain and Ba'lian, who told them about the Sandpiper, who helped elves get passage to Xin'trea. However, on their journey to the Sandpiper, Dermain was taken by some kind of tentacled creature whilst Ba'lian fled. Yennefer was nearly captured as well, but Cahir managed to pull her to safety.

The duo made their way back to the surface, where he realized that Yennefer lost her powers that day on the battlefield in Sodden. He believed that maybe Yennefer had a bigger purpose. He and Fringilla served the White Flame because he served them first. Everyone answered to someone eventually. Cahir and Yennefer then spotted Ba'lian creeping into a tavern through the back entrance and joined him. The elves explained that they had to wait for the tavern to empty, then the piper would take them to the boat. As it turned out, the Sandpiper was Jaskier, who agreed to help them get to Cintra.

Jaskier distracted the guards so that the others could sneak aboard the ship. Once inside, he bid them farewell. However, as soon as Jaskier left, Yennefer heard him scream and went to investigate, only to find his lute laying on the ground. Instead of leaving for Cintra with Cahir, she went to find Jaskier, parting ways with Cahir.

### Returning to Cintra

Cahir awakened from a nightmare on the boat just as they were arriving in Cintra. Cahir tried to skip the line into Xin'trea, but Gage and Filavandrel blocked his entrance and informed him that he must first declare himself, but then Fringilla joined them and welcomed Cahir home.

Cair understood that Fringilla was forced to make a difficult decision during such times, by aligning with the evles, but he knew her well enough to understand that she didn't forsake the mission given to them by the White Flame. And now it was time they returned to the reason they took Cintra in the first place, which was Ciri, who was last seen in Sodden.

After catching up with General Hake, who was glad to have Cahir back, Cahir noticed Filavandrel coaching Dara and proposed a proper demonstration between him and the untrained elf. Cahir grabbed a sword and charged at Dara, knocking him on the ground, referring to him as a fairy. Filavandrel held his blade to Cahir's throat in retaliation but released him =after getting word from Gage that Francesca had gone into labor.

Cahir and Fringilla watched as the elves celebrated the birth of a pure blood. He could only recall one other time of such celebration: after the Usurper was overthrown and the people rose up. It took Fringilla a while to feel free, and now it was she who gave the elves hope. Although, Cahir wondered what this would do to their alliance. What would happen when the elves decided they could repopulate on their own, without Nilfgaard's help. He then revealed that the White Flame wrote him and would be in Cintra any day now.

### Submitting to Fringilla

Hake reported to Cahir his concern that Redania had likely implanted a spy, as it's what he would've done. While Cahir agreed with Fringilla that they needed to rebuild their army, he acknowledged Hake's concerns and intended to build upon their army wisely. When he revealed that half the elves didn't even show up for training, Fringilla assured them that she would talk to them. With the White Flame's arrival tomorrow, Cahir would not have him met with chaos and insubordination. If the elves refused to serve, Cahir would like to deal with them, as the generals and White Flame would respect a strong hand.

Hake had his doubts about Fringilla all along and questioned why the White Flame would allow a mage to give his orders. Cahir remarked that they were supposed to be on the same side and searching for Ciri. Hake replied they'd find her as soon as they unloaded Fringilla's dead weight. Suddenly, they became paralyzed after Fringilla poisons them with nightshade, which possesses paralytic qualities. Fringilla proceeded to kill every general seated at the table until only Cahir remained, but she left him alive to tell Emhyr that the generals were killed for their treachery.

### Imprisoned by the White Flame

Cahir learned from Fringilla that Francesca and Filavandrel were gone with some of the elves to avenge their child, who had been killed during the night, likely by Redania. Cahir questioned why Francesca was so important to her, realizing that she was the key to Fringilla's plan to show the White Flame that she was a valuable leader. Cahir suggested that they lie to the White Flame and inform him that they killed the elven child and blamed Redania in order to gain the elves' allegiance.

Cahir and Fringilla greeted Emperor Emhyr as he arrived in Cintra. They explained that while the elves may not wear their colors, they were doing Nilfgaard's bidding. He questioned how they convinced the elves to fight. They did so by killing Francesca's baby and blaming Redania. However, Emhyr knew that they were lying as it was he who ordered the death of the elven baby, as it was the best path to helping him find his daughter, Ciri. He then ordered for Cahir and Fringilla to be taken away.

## References

1. ↑ Season 1, Episode 01: The End's Beginning
2. ↑ Season 1, Episode 02: Four Marks
3. ↑ Season 1, Episode 04: Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials
4. ↑ Season 1, Episode 05: Bottled Appetites
5. ↑ Season 1, Episode 06: Rare Species
6. ↑ Season 1, Episode 08: Much More
7. ↑ Season 2, Episode 01: A Grain of Truth
8. ↑ Season 2, Episode 03: What Is Lost
9. ↑ Season 2, Episode 04: Redanian Intelligence
10. ↑ Season 2, Episode 05: Turn Your Back
11. ↑ Season 2, Episode 06: Dear Friend...
12. ↑ Season 2, Episode 07: Voleth Meir
13. ↑ Season 2, Episode 08: Family