Recently announced by CD Projekt RED,The Witcher 4is a brand-new adventure in the popular RPG series. It sees former protagonist Geralt of Rivia retire from life as a witcher while his adopted daughter Ciri takes up the mantle. WhileThe Witcher 4will likely focus on telling a new story and introducing new characters, it could also be the perfect opportunity to introduce one character from Andrzej Sapkowski’s original novels: Francesca Findabair, a powerful sorceress and one of the leaders of the elves.
Who Is Francesca Findabair?
Francesca Findabair, also known as Enid an Gleanna (Daisy of the Valleys) was a leader of Dol Blathanna, one of the few remaining elven settlements. She was also a powerful sorceress and a member of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. However, she and her Scoia’tel forces secretly worked withEmperor Emhyr var Emreisof Nilfgaard to betray the Brotherood in exchange for Dol Blathanna being allowed to exist as an independent state.
Somewhat regretting her betrayal, Francesca smugglesYennefer of Vengerbergsafely away from the fight and later joins up with Yennefer, Triss Merigold, Phillippa Eilhart, and several surviving sorceresses to form the Lodge of Sorceresses. The Lodge tries to recruit Ciri, but ultimately fails, and later dissolves. Francesca does not appear in any of theWitchervideo games, although she is mentioned to still be alive and leading the elves in ajournal entry inThe Witcher 2: Assassin of Kingsand serves as the leader of the Gwent Scoia’tel faction inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
She Has A Vested Interest In Ciri Due To Her Elder Blood
As ofWild Hunt,Francesca is the only member of the Lodge of Sorceresses to never physically appear in aWitchervideo game, although she does play a role in Seasons 2 and 3 of theNetflix series. While this alone is enough to warrant her appearance in the fourth game, her status as a powerful elven leader and sorceress makes her a particularly good fit for Ciri’s story.
She Is An Elder Blood Expert Who Could Help Or Hinder Ciri
The elves have always had a particular interest in Ciri because she is a descendant of the powerful Lara Dorren and possesses Elder Blood. This grants her unusual powers, which manifested as teleportation, time and dimensional travel, the ability to stun enemies with a scream, and more. While the novels andWild Huntfocused on the Aen Elle, elves from another world led by the villainousEredin, and their pursuit of Ciri, it is definitely possible that Francesca and the elves of Dol Blathanna could have an interest in the young witcher as well.
While Francesca is not as knowledgeable about the Elder Blood as her fellow elven sorceress Ida Emean aep Siveny, who appears briefly inWild Huntto advise Yennefer, she does have some ability to identify it. One of her cards inGwent: The Witcher Card Gamementions a time in Francesca’s past when she was able to tell if babies possessed Elder Blood or not. Her knowledge and power could make her a valuable ally or mentor figure for Ciri.
Alternately, the Daisy of the Valleys could serve as an antagonist much like Eredin before her. Throughout the books and especially in the Netflix series, Francesca showed that she was willing to make hard decisions and put the well-being of her people and the safety of Dol Blathanna above everything else. If she felt that obtaining access toCiri’s blood and powerscould help the elves, she would stop at nothing to accomplish this goal. Whether as a friend or enemy,The Witcher 4would be the perfect time for this long-awaited character to appear at last.
