Netflix's newest fantasy series, The Witcher, may be a hit among audiences, but it's also left a lot of people scratching their heads. It's not only because of the show's three timelines or the vaguely defined terms and phrases littered throughout the dialogue, it's the driving force behind Nilfgaard's desire to conquer The Continent.

At face value, the Nilfgaardian army appears to be comprised of religious fanatics of some sort. Cahir and Fringilla, for example, often talk about a "White Flame," which the show take the time to explain. Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich appeared intrigued by the reaction and explained the intent behind Nilfgaard in a recent AMA on Reddit.

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She explained that there was a need to depict Nilfgaard as a clear "bad guy" in Season 1, but stated, "It's our hope that we've added enough layers to Cahir and Fringilla that the audience thinks 'Wait, but THEY don't seem insane. So what do they see in Nilfgaard? Maybe there's more there than meets the eye?'" She then acknowledged the possibility that the first season could have explored Nilfgaard more, but assured fans that the mysterious empire would return in Season 2 and that it would "Definitely be explored more thoroughly" then.

The show's depiction of the Nilfgaard is a major shift from Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher saga, in which -- though it remains somewhat of an antagonist -- is depicted as being economically powerful, modern and relatively progressive. There is a dominant religion in the form of The Church of the Great Sun, but its followers are not the fanatical force viewers seem to see in Fringilla and Cahir on the show. As for the "White Flame" that the Nilfgaardians seem to worship, Hissrich explained elsewhere in the AMA that it's just a nickname for the current emperor, Emhyr var Emreis, as it is in Sapkowski's novels.

The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri and Joey Batey as Jaskier. Season 1 is now available for streaming on Netflix.

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