Witcher 3: How Geralt First Met Filavandrel

While Filavandrel only appears on a Gwent leader card in Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, this elf has an interesting backstory that links to his first meeting with Geralt. Although Filavandrel is a recurring figure in The Witcher Netflix show, the elven noble does not actually appear in The Witcher games in more than a mention. Filavandrel is featured as a playable unit card in Gwent, however, and was upgraded to a leader following the Homecoming version in 2018.

Gwent is the collectible card game that exists within The Witcher universe, based upon the card game featured in Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels, and is playable within The Witcher 3. Within this turn-based CCG, Filavandrel makes his debut in The Witcher game franchise as a leader – a powerful type of card that grants players special abilities to use once per match. Similar to the source material, Filavandrel leads Witcher‘s Scoia’tael faction in Gwent, the rebel group that fights for non-human freedom.

Filavandrel has an interesting backstory within Witcher source material, which is largely faithfully portrayed (with some exceptions) in Netflix’s The Witcher. In the source material, his full name is Filavandrel aén Fidháil of the Silver Towers – an Aen Seidhe elf born to the influential Feleaorn family of the White Ships. Filavandrel served as leader of the Free Elves from their refuge in the Blue Mountains and later went on to work alongside Francesca Findabair, Queen of the Elves at Dol Blathanna. Concerning Filavandrel’s relationship with Geralt, the Witcher and the elf actually met decades before the events of The Witcher games, as recounted in Sapkowski’s short story entitled The Edge of the World within the book, The Last Wish.

Witcher Geralt Met Filavandrel In His First Adventure With Dandelion

Filavandrel’s card can be found through random rewards for beating opponents, necessary to complete Witcher 3‘s Gwent quest: Collect ‘Em All. In terms of narrative, Geralt first met this prideful elven king on his first adventure with Dandelion, decades before the main events of the show, books, and games. The short story tells of the inhabitants of the Lower Posada region requesting Geralt’s help in dealing with (but not killing) a ‘deovel‘ that has been plaguing the locals by stealing crops and playing pranks.

As portrayed in Netflix’s The Witcher episode, ‘Four Marks’, this ‘deovel‘ is actually the sylvan, Torque, who is working with the Free Elves to bring them foods and agricultural techniques. Geralt and Dandelion are captured and meet Filavandrel, who is ruling over his starving elves in the Blue Mountains after they were ousted from Lower Pasada by humans. These prideful creatures would prefer to starve to death than live subjugated under and amongst humans. Filavandrel has earned the epithet ‘of the Edge of the World’ due to his elongated status as an exile.

Filavandrel’s book character is similar to The Witcher show in his first meeting with Geralt, as he orders the deaths of Geralt and Dandelion/Jaskier. In both versions of the scene, Torque stands up for the witcher, and Filavandrel elects to free the two. Though, the book differs as Filavandrel only frees the loveable duo after an appearance from an elven deity, Dana Meadbh or ‘Queen of the Fields’, who communicates telepathically with the elven king. It is also upon this first adventure with the Witcher that Dandelion receives his lute, gifted by Toruviel aep Sihiel, a major elven side character of the first Witcher game.

Gwent acts as a story-telling device as well as an enjoyable card game, such as how the standalone solo adventure, Thronebreaker, sets up Witcher 3‘s narrative by exploring the Continent before Geralt’s adventures in the games. Not entirely dissimilar, Gwent‘s inclusion of characters like Filavandrel allow for exploration of the wider narrative of the The Witcher 3. Filavandrel’s voice lines refer to the position of the exiled elves in the Blue Mountains, with nothing left but their pride.

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