What does Emhyr want with Ciri in The Witcher season 4? White Flame’s plan explained

*Warning: spoilers for The Witcher season 4 ahead.*

As war rages across the ravaged Continent in The Witcher season 4, the driving force behind the ongoing assault is Nilfgaard’s iron-willed emperor, Emhyr var Emreis (Bart Edwards).

The cold and calculating emperor is fuelled by his desire for dominion as he seeks to conquer the Northern Kingdoms, and is one of the biggest threats to Ciri (Freya Allan), Geralt (Liam Hemsworth) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra).

Everyone wants Ciri’s Elder Blood for their own means, whether that’s securing their fortunes or fulfilling their destiny-fuelled prophecies, and Emhyr is no different.

But what exactly is Emhyr’s dark plan for his biological daughter, and what is he up to with spy master Stefan Skellen (James Purefoy) and the dark mage Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu)?

Here’s everything you need to know about the ominous The Witcher villain, the White Flame.

Who is Emhyr in The Witcher season 4?

As revealed in the closing moments of season 2, the ruthless Nilfgaardian emperor is none other than Emhyr var Emreis, Ciri’s biological father who was long thought to be dead.

Previously known as Duny (also known as the Urcheon of Erlenwald), Emhyr is the son of Fergus var Emreis, the former Emperor of Nilfgaard. After his father was overthrown by an usurper, Emhyr fled the kingdom – only to be cursed by a sorcerer to take on the form of a humanoid hedgehog.

He then fell in love with the Princess of Cintra, Pavetta (Gaia Mondadori). He claimed her hand in marriage through the “Law of Surprise” at the banquet at Cintra back in season 1, and when the two kissed, his curse was lifted.

Geralt saved Duny by helping convince Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May) to accept his proposal, and in return, he invoked the same custom for the "child of surprise", tying together their destinies – much to the later chagrin of Duny/Emhyr.

Following Ciri’s birth, Vilgefortz visited Emhyr and told him of Ithlinne’s prophecy, convincing him that his child would inherit the Elder Blood and rule the Continent. And who do we know has Elder Blood? None other than his daughter, Ciri.

This “information” fuelled his future ambitions. He returned to Nilfgaard, overthrew the usurper and claimed the throne – setting out to conquer the entire Continent as the White Flame.

What does Emhyr want with Ciri in The Witcher season 4?

Be warned, it’s about to get pretty dark here on out, as The Witcher takes a leaf out of George R. R. Martin’s playbook…

As the ambitious Emhyr sets out to rule the Continent – fuelled by delusions of grandeur and talk of destiny – he obsessively hunts Ciri to secure Nilfgaard’s future, unite the nation, and fulfil the prophecy.

Yes, that’s right – he intends to marry and impregnate his own daughter. Yikes. He believes Ciri will secure his bloodline by giving birth to the prophesied child of destiny with Elder Blood. Their child would then be considered the ultimate heir to Nilfgaard and the prophesied saviour (or more likely, conqueror) of the world.

However, Vilgefortz has played the Nilfgaard emperor, as he’s planted a “false Ciri” in the shape of Teryn (Frances Pooley), the Aretuza novice who Geralt saved back in season 3.

Once he discovers she’s a fraud, there’ll surely be hell to pay. “Emhyr is very headstrong, very troubled, but is determined to find her, and he hasn’t wavered from that once,” says actor Bart Edwards.

What is Emhyr’s plan in The Witcher season 4?

When Emhyr discovers Vilgefortz’s deception, he confronts the Mage, who reveals that he seeks to harness Ciri’s Elder Blood for himself. “Cirilla is far greater than you, power like that could never be yours. She will, however, be mine.”

Despite this deception, his spymaster Skellen convinces him to go ahead and announce his engagement to Ciri, hoping it will crush the morale of the Cintrans aiding the Northern forces. This will buy them time to search for the real Ciri.

Determined to fulfil the prophecy, Emhyr gives Skellen an ultimatum: return Ciri before the wedding, or face his wrath.

And so, the hunt for the true Ciri continues…

The Witcher season 4 is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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