In the world of The Witcher, the Northern Kingdoms are the predominant region Geralt explores throughout his many adventures. Also referred to as the Northern Realms and the Four Kingdoms, this collection of human states is also home to numerous elves, dwarves and halflings, though they are treated as second-class citizens by most of the human population.

Prior to the arrival of humans on the Continent, the realms of the North were predominantly inhabited by a large population of elves, dwarves, halflings, a lizard folk race known as the vran and a fur-covered race of humanoids called werebbubbs. With the expansion of humanity across the realm, the elves, dwarves and halflings found themselves pushed eastward into the mountains, and the vran and werebbubbs were nearly wiped out.

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The Nordlings, as the people of Nilfgaard called the humans in the North, began to colonize the Continent, raising powerful cities like Novigrad and Vizima within the empires they built as they conquered and divided the land among themselves. In time, four great kingdoms emerged: Kaedwen, Aedirn, Temeria and Redania. They became collectively known as the Four Kingdoms and played dangerous political games against one another to increase their power.

Perhaps because of their lack of unity and constant infighting, the Northern Kingdoms became a prime target for their southern neighbor, the Empire of Nilfgaard. In 1263, the First Northern War broke out when Field Marshal Menno Coehoorn of Nilfgaard led troops across the Amell Mountains under the orders of Emperor Emhyr var Emreis. Coehoorn and his men attacked Cintra, sacking its capital city and wiping out most of the royal family, save for its queen, Calanthe, who flung herself from the towers to avoid capture and torture, and Calanthe's heir, Cirilla, who escaped the city.

Coehoorn then led his men into Upper Sodden, capturing it for the Empire before moving on to Lower Sodden. However, the Northern armies were ready. With the help of the mages, the Battle of Sodden Hill saw Nilfgaard's defeat and brought an end to the First Northern War.

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It wasn't long, however, before the emperor returned to the North at the instigation of the Northern Kingdoms. The rulers believed they could draw Nilfgaard in as they tried to retake Cintra, while simultaneously making it appear as though Nilfgaard was at fault. Their plan worked for a time, leading to a brutal and bloody war that ended in their favor, but not without the total loss of Cintra when Emperor Emhyr married a young woman posing as Cirilla and solidified his claim on it.

During the second war, many of the leaders of the Four Kingdoms were assassinated or killed, save for King Radovid V, who inherited the throne from his father, King Vizimir II after his assassination. While some considered Radovid a brilliant military leader and strategist, others believed he was mad as a result of the torment he underwent at the hands of Philippa Eilhart, the woman who orchestrated his father's assassination.

King Radovid, the only remaining power in the North during events in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, knew that he could drive Nilfgaard out of the Northern Kingdoms once and for all. After a failed summit at Loc Muinne at the end of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, the people of the north were devastated economically. A number of the sorcerers in the Kingdoms had gone into hiding to avoid torment and execution at King Radovid's behest. Seeing that the North was ripe for the plucking, Emperor Emhyr launched a third assault that soaked the land with blood and only further instigated civil unrest.

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In Wild Hunt, the outcome of the war was left up to the player, who had been drawn into a political coup led by Sigismund Dijkstra, Thaler and Vernon Roche. The three of them planned to assassinate King Radovid, claiming he had gone mad and would see their realm lost to Nilfgaard. In the event the player chose to side with them in their coup, Dijkstra attempted to take power for himself. The player was also meant to determine whether or not he should. The only way to drive Nilfgaard out of the North was by either saving King Radovid or siding with Dijkstra, both of whom had the power and fortitude to drive Nilfgaard's forces out and win the war for the Northern Kingdoms once more.

While it's can be difficult to look upon the Northern Kingdoms with sympathy considering the underhanded machinations of its rulers and the deep prejudices they hold for non-humans, in the end, it is the common people who pay the price in continual war. Humans, elves, dwarves and halflings alike suffered on account of the ongoing state of war they found themselves in. Though pride is sometimes enough to instigate loyalty to one's country and its leaders, the lack of freedom lead some to look to Nilfgaard for liberation. The elves, dwarves and halflings found themselves working with the Empire on numerous occasions, holding tight to broken promises in the hope of finding freedom from their human oppressors in the North.

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