In the previous installment of The Witcher season 3, Geralt of Rivia and Yennefer arrived at Aretuza to participate in the conclave, which would determine the fate of the continent. Before the conclave began, all the mages gathered at a party where Geralt and Yennefer remained vigilant, attempting to identify the culprit, Stregobor, whom they believed to be a powerful and malevolent mage responsible for all the heinous experiments on Ciri’s clone-making. Despite capturing Stregobor, they later discovered their mistake as they connected the missing puzzle pieces, revealing Vilgefortz to be the true culprit. Part 1 of The Witcher season 3 ended with Geralt emerging from his room, only to hear chaos erupting in the halls of Aretuza. However, he found himself held at knifepoint by Dijkstra. Part 2 of The Witcher season 3 began with an intense battle between different factions vying for control of Ciri and the destruction of Aretuza.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Nilfgaard Infiltrate Aretuza?
Episode 6 began with Geralt being stopped by Dijkstra, who held him at knifepoint and demanded that Geralt choose the right side. Dijkstra led him to the hall, where all the mages had been shackled in magic spell bracelets made of dimeritium, cast by Philippa. Some of the mages had switched sides and joined Redanian, while the majority remained captive.
Dijkstra and Philippa aimed to hold Aretuza hostage because the Brotherhood was embroiled in its own turmoil and not fighting for the greater good of Redania. Dijkstra wanted Aretuza to unite with them in the fight against Nilfgaard, unaware that Vilgefortz had already made a deal with Nilfgaard, granting them access to enter Aretuza.
Soon, Tissia entered the hall and witnessed the mages being held captive. She used her magical powers to break the bracelets off the mages’ hands, including Vilgefortz, who became free and attacked the Redanian soldiers. Geralt, observing the situation, decided to take action and joined the fight against the soldiers. However, Geralt discovered that Dijkstra’s main objective was to find Ciri. Determined to protect her, Geralt stopped Dijkstra and broke his leg, preventing him from pursuing Ciri further. Geralt then proceeded to save Ciri from any harm.
In the meantime, Yennefer couldn’t get in touch with Tissia. As she heard footsteps approaching her room, she managed to hide in a secret place that led her to a hidden fortress where Lydia was waiting to kill her. Yennefer confronted Lydia and was attacked, but just in time, Triss came to her aid and saved Yennefer’s life. During the confrontation, Lydia was killed, and Yennefer and Triss decided to set out to save Ciri and Aretuza.
As Tissia, blinded by her love for Vilgefortz, set him free from Philippa’s capture, Vilgefortz took this opportunity to cast a magical spell and create a portal, allowing the Nilfgaardian soldiers to infiltrate Aretuza. Tissia, heartbroken and stunned by her lover’s betrayal, gathered the mages to fight against the Scoia’tael, led by Francesca, and the Nilfgaardian soldiers, led by Cahir and Fringilla.
Francesca sought to capture the young girl Ciri, complying with Emhyr var Emreis’ orders. Emhyr had planned to have both the Brotherhood and the elves fight against each other so they would be weakened and defeated, ultimately allowing him to take Ciri for himself. As the fierce battle raged on, Tissia unleashed one powerful magical spell after another to defeat her rivals. She even managed to explode Filavandrel, Francesca’s husband, driving Francesca into a frenzy of grief and anger. Fringilla tried to help Francesca, but the latter insisted on taking down Tissia personally. In the midst of the raging battle, Istredd tried to retrieve the Book of Monoliths, hidden in Tissia’s room, but Vilgefortz managed to find it and threw Istredd through a portal to somewhere else.
Amidst the chaos, Tissia saw that the Nilfgaardian forces were overwhelming the mages, and she knew it was time to cast the most powerful spell, even if it meant sacrificing herself. While Francesca summoned a giant fire ring to destroy Aretuza, Tissia summoned Alzur’s Thunder to attack her opponents, but Francesca remained unscathed. Stregobor also joined the fight, using his hatred for the elves to attack the soldiers, but in his attempt to kill his rivals, he sacrificed his own life.
What Happened To Ciri In Tor Lara? Did Geralt Survive?
Ciri woke up from a nightmare where she saw Yennefer dead. Not finding Jaskier beside her, she escaped from the hut and fled to Aretuza. Meanwhile, Jaskier severed his ties with Radovid, realizing that Radovid had used his emotions to get closer to Ciri and abduct her. However, Ciri had already escaped the hut before Radovid could reach her. On her way, she encountered Yennefer, but their meeting was interrupted by the fire mage, Reince. Thankfully, Geralt arrived just in time to defeat Reince by dismembering him.
Yennefer was torn because she had witnessed Tissia summon Alzur’s Thunder, which made her believe that the end of Aretuza was near. Ciri asked Yennefer to go to Aretuza and rescue Tissia from her torment. Yennefer heeded Ciri’s plea, and upon arriving at Aretuza, she managed to retrieve Tissia, who was exhausting all her energy to summon the powerful thunder. Despite the tragic loss of many mages in the battle, Tissia, Yennefer, and a few others managed to survive.
Meanwhile, Ciri and Geralt encountered Cahir on their journey. Cahir was tasked by Fringilla to find and capture Ciri, but upon confronting Ciri, the whole scenario changed. As Ciri pointed her sword at Cahir, he apologized for the pain he had caused her and her family. He regretted his actions and wanted Ciri to end his life as an act of mercy. But before anything could happen, the Scoia’tael soldiers arrived, and Cahir urged Geralt and Ciri to flee while he took it upon himself to fight the soldiers.
While escaping, Geralt and Ciri reached a nearby castle to find a boat and leave the island. However, Geralt sensed an evil presence following them and decided to confront it alone, asking Ciri to leave for her safety. Geralt discovered that the evil presence was Vilgefortz, who had come to retrieve Ciri. Vilgefortz tried to persuade Geralt to join him for one last time, but Geralt refused once again, stating that he had gotten tired of rejecting the offer. The two engaged in a fierce altercation, but Geralt found it impossible to defeat the immensely powerful mage. Vilgefortz severely injured Geralt and proceeded toward Tor Lara, where Ciri had just headed.
In Tor Lara, Ciri stood near the obelisk in the center of the fortress, trying to decipher the magical powers it held. Vilgefortz attempted to warn her that she was not yet ready for such power, but Ciri proceeded anyway. As a result of her spell-casting, the obelisk emitted a powerful energy that caused an explosion, leading to the destruction of Tor Lara.
We see the remaining mages of the Brotherhood, including Tissia and Yennefer, looking at the utter destruction of the fort at Tor Lara. Meanwhile, Geralt, who was almost on the verge of giving up due to his injuries, was rescued by Triss, who saved him from drowning in the water. The episode ended with numerous unanswered questions that would find their answers in the upcoming episodes of The Witcher season 3, part two.
