Triss's History
Triss Merigold was a Temerian sorceress who enlisted in the help of Geralt of Rivia to cure the princess of Temeria.
Saving the Princess
Triss Merigold sought out the help of Geralt of Rivia, a renowned witcher, as Temeria was terrorized by a creature of unknown origin. She served King Foltest, but was acting under her own agenda to keep the nations stabilized. Rather than kill the beast, she wanted Geralt's help in saving it.
Six years ago, stable hands started vanishing at the castle above the city. Before long, citizens started disappearing throughout all of Temeria. They soon realized that the creature was coming from the crypt within the castle, where the king's sister Queen Adda was laid to rest. Rumor has it that she was having an affair with a young man in town when she died and that she was with child, making that child sole heir to the Temerian empire. The king fled the castle ignoring the rising death toll. So, Triss was sent 3 months ago to kill the creature.
In order to determine what exactly they're faced against, she takes him to the tomb to examine the corpses of the victims of the creature. He examines Remus' corpse and comes to the conclusion that she covered up his death to hide the fact that the creature bested a witcher. Upon further examination, Geralt discovers that Remus is missing both his heart and liver. Only a striga's eating habits are that selective. They're very rare and can only be created through a curse, meaning someone wanted Adda dead. However, the curse didn't stop with Adda, and it turned her daughter into a monster, meaning the striga is the Princess of Temeria.
Triss Merigold takes Geralt to see King Foltest, Lord Ostrit, and Captain Segelin, with whom she pleads to enlist in Geralt's help. However, Segelin is skeptical of Geralt's claims that Princess Adda was murdered. Triss hopes that the king will allow her to search the abandoned castle for clues as to who killed Adda, however, Segelin fears that Geralt will kill the princess. Geralt explains that the creature grew inside of Adda, feeding on her womb and mutating, growing for years until she got so hungry that she was forced to "slither out," essentially an "overgrown abortion." This incenses the king, who orders everyone to leave.
Disregarding the king's orders, Triss and Geralt hide outside the abandoned castle and crypt. She asks if he's going to kill the striga, to which Geralt replies that he doesn't want the miners' coins. He and Triss proceed to sneak into the castle, where they discover letters from the former queen of Temeria in Adda's bedroom. The letter details Queen Sancia urging her children to end their affair. Geralt and Triss take this discovery to Ostrit under the suspicion that the former queen cursed her children. Ostrit claims that he was Adda's confidant and protector. He believes that Foltest raped Adda and cursed the child to cover it up. However, according to Geralt, Ostrit's scent was all over Adda's sheets. Old ones and new ones. He smelled what Ostrit was doing in there. With that, Ostrit confesses to being Adda's lover and placing the curse on her, albeit unintentionally. Geralt asks how to lift the curse, but Ostrit refuses to tell him, as he wants to see Foltest punished for defiling Adda. In response, Geralt simply knocks him out with a single punch.
Triss uses this information to convince the king into accepting Geralt's help. That night, Geralt enters the castle and the striga awakens. This results in an overnight battle between the two, ending with Geralt lifting the curse. However, in his attempt to help the young girl, she turns around and slices his throat with her claws. He bites her neck to get her off of him and passes out from blood loss.
Geralt awakens shortly after being healed by Triss. She informs him that the princess is fine and that King Foltest issued a statement that Lord Ostrit gave his life defeating the creature. The miners are even building a statue in his honor. Triss asks about Renfri, whose name Geralt uttered repeatedly while sleep. He doesn't reply, simply asking for his money. She asks if all life is to him is monsters and money, and he claims that it is. She doesn't believe that, and claims that there is a "vortex of fate" around each of them, drawing their destiny closer with each decision they make. Triss hands him his money and returns the gift he left for the princess.
Conclave of Northern Mages
Triss Merigold was one of many mages who attended the conclave of Northern mages in Aretuza. Artorius, Stregobor, and Tissaia led the conclave. Artorius and Stregobor had no desire to go to war with Nilfgaard. Especially not for Cintra, who rejected their mages for decades. Rather than watching them fall, Tissaia wanted to help Cintra defeat Nilfgaard. Sabrina, Vilgefortz, and Vanielle sided with Tissaia, wanting to convince the kings to send their armies because if they didn't stop Nilfgaard now, more kingdoms would fall.
Fringilla arrived at the conclave and denounced any suspicion that Nilfgaard was planning to take over the continent. Under their new leader, Emperor Emhyr, Nilfgaard had strengthened trade and funded research. Tissaia accused Fringilla of rejecting the order and way of life that took centuries to build. Fringilla retorted that they simply modified it. They've taken a new path, guided by the White Flame. When Triss claimed that Nilfgaard also forced mages into servitude and practice black magic, Fringilla responded that they believed in shared sacrifice and that there was no such thing as dark or light magic. Fringilla believed that in taking Cintra, they had a chance of saving the continent. The mages put it to a vote. Unfortunately, most side with Stregobor and Artorius to allow Cintra to fend for themselves.
Battle of Sodden Hill
Approximately 60 mages, Triss, Yennefer, Tissaia, Vilgefortz, Vanielle, Coral, and Sabrina included, board a ship headed for Sodden Hill. They must get to the Elven keep that guarded it before Nilfgaard did. They had already sent word to the Northern kingdoms. Temeria and Kaedwen agreed to join them in defending the land. The plan was to protect the keep. Triss, Yennefer, Tissaia, Vilgefortz, Vanielle, Coral, and Sabrina arrived at the keep. The only thing separating Nilfgaard from the North. They were greeted by a man. Yennefer advised him to take the children and hide, but as he explained, there was no more hiding from Nilfgaard. Their only chance was to fight.
Yennefer recalled Triss spending time in Temeria and asked if she truly believed that King Foltest would bring the Northern armies. Triss trusted that he would come through after she and Geralt helped save his daughter, who was cursed as a striga.
The keep was attacked by Fringilla and Nilfgaard in the late hours of the night. The sun had risen and the Northern mages made it through the night. Unfortunately, Nilfgaard arrived much sooner than they anticipated and the Northern armies were still a ways out. There were only 22 of them left, Triss, Yennefer, Tissaia, Vilgefortz, Vanielle, Coral, Atlan Kerk, and Sabrina included. They witnessed as a thick fog consumed the mountains around them, signaling Nilfgaard's encroachment. Tissaia ordered Sabrina to take the villagers to the artillery room while she and Triss head down. Yennefer was instructed to keep watch on the tower and reserve her chaos.
Tissaia guided Triss to an open field, where she proceeded to make mushrooms grow out the ground that when inhaled, its gases caused the Nilfgaardians to die. She then barricaded the front gate with vines to prevent Nilfgaard from penetrating. While protecting the gate from the Nilfgaard army, Triss was burned in the chest by a fire torch, which also allowed for Nilfgaard to burn through her vines forged around the door.
