The mystical nature of the world of The Witcher contains everything from magic and sorcery to monsters and supernatural beings that keep men up trembling at night. As CD Projekt Red expanded upon Andrzej Sapkowski's literary world in its game franchise, fans saw more than their share of the dark and creepy. However, it wasn't until The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that players were introduced to the creepiest entity of all: Gaunter O'Dimm.
While his nature is impossible to determine, causing people to wonder if he is a djinn or a demon, neither of those labels really fit. Gaunter O'Dimm, also known as Master Mirror and Man of Glass, has been known to bargain with men for their souls, granting them unbelievably powerful wishes in exchange for grim and horrifying offerings.
Gaunter O'Dimm was introduced in Wild Hunt during Geralt's first major quest, "Lilac and Gooseberries." While searching for Yennefer, Geralt encounters a wandering merchant who recognizes her description and tells him she spoke with the Niflgaardian captain before she left again. This steered Geralt towards the Nilfgaardian garrison, where he can learn more on her whereabouts. While O'Dimm seemed like little more than a minor NPC at that point, the Hearts of Stone DLC granted him a much larger role in the story.
In Hearts of Stone, Geralt learned that Olgierd Von Everec struck a pact with O'Dimm many years before, after his family's fortune was lost and the love of his life, Iris, was no longer able to marry him because her noble family didn't want her affiliated with disgrace. Whether a strange coincidence or O'Dimm's first attempt to draw Olgierd into his web, Von Everec wished the prince Iris' family wanted her to marry would turn into a monster. Lo and behold, the prince became a giant toad, and Olgierd's appetite for a magical intervention against his life's woes was whet.
Olgierd began searching for wish-granting creatures, which inevitably led him to meeting Gaunter O'Dimm. O'Dimm offered him three wishes for a high price, and without much thought, Olgierd accepted. His first wish, to have his family's wealth and position restored, forced him to sacrifice the life of someone he loved deeply: his brother Vlodimir or Iris. Olgierd chose to sacrifice his brother, and the next day, Vlodimir was killed while fleeing from a overwhelming battle. The Von Everec family's wealth and prestige were restored, and shortly thereafter, he and Iris were married. However, his second wish was enough to destroy everything.
Olgierd wished for immortality, and as the days of his never-ending life continued, the heart and soul inside him began to harden into stone. In exchange for his wish for immortality, he lost all of his emotions, empathy and compassion. As he noticed the pieces of his life hardening and withering around him, Olgierd realized that was price of his wish. He began to search for a way to break his pack with O'Dimm, even resorting to practices of demonology, but nothing he did summoned the Man of Glass.
When Geralt met Olgierd Von Everec, he was drawn into the culmination of his third and final wish. Over the course of tasks designed to fulfill that wish, Geralt found himself with the choice of bargaining with O'Dimm for both his and Olgierd's souls. If Geralt chose to save Olgierd's soul, O'Dimm's true nature was ultimately revealed, suggesting his role in the world is similar to that of the stereotypical devil.
While that initial quest in searching for Yennefer and the Hearts of Stone DLC are the only places his character are really explored, it is also implied in the Blood and Wine DLC that O'Dimm was the one responsible for turning Marlene Tratsamara into a spotted wight. The beggar who cast the curse was said to have formerly been a mirror salesman who broke his spoon before casting the curse. O'Dimm's theme music also plays while Geralt is explaining Marlene's curse. This theme could be heard in Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, and a contract can be found that implies it made with O'Dimm.
According to legends, Gaunter O'Dimm has been known to meet with people at the crossroads throughout history, bargaining with them for their souls in exchange for wishes. To date, only two men have beaten him at his own game, one of them being Geralt if the player chooses to fight for his and Olgierd's souls. Whether or not O'Dimm was truly defeated after Geralt's win against him remains to be seen, as the devil tends to lie low a while after a defeat before rearing his head to reestablish himself once the coast is clear. His final words suggest he will be back, as he calls Geralt primitive and assures him he can't be killed.
Compared to the Wild Hunt itself, one can't entirely claim Gaunter O'Dimm to be the creepiest enemy in The Witcher franchise. Still, given the havoc he wrought on Olgierd Von Everec's life in exchange for those wishes, he is certainly high on the list of horrors.