The Bloody Baron Main Characters

Journal Description

During his first encounter with “Baron” Phillip Strenger, Geralt found the man’s many contradictions puzzling. This former Temerian soldier was clearly an opportunist who, after his army’s resounding defeat, served, dealt and negotiated with the occupying Empire of Nilfgaard. The local peasantry anointed him the “Bloody Baron,” a clear indication that he did not handle his vassals with kid gloves. On the other hand, he proved a surprisingly gracious host to an unexpected guest who was also a stranger and a hired monster slayer.

His treatment of children and young women, towards whom he demonstrated a wholly sincere, near fatherly-concern, likewise contradicted his bandit-like appearance and terrifying moniker. Ciri had learned this for herself, finding care and shelter under his roof.

In exchange for information about Cirilla, the baron asked Geralt to find his wife, Anna, and their daughter Tamara. Both had disappeared without a trace some time ago, and Phillip was slowly losing hope of ever seeing them again. Under these circumstances, a witcher was a gift from the gods.

Yet the baron had hid certain facts from Geralt, such as his wife’s recent pregnancy, her subsequent miscarriage and his own predilection towards strong drink and violent quarrels.

It turned out the baron would drink regularly and to excess, and Geralt got a first-hand view of how dangerous he can be to those around him during such moments when he returned to talk to the baron about what he had learned from the Pellar. Phillip had known from the start that his wife and daughter had fled, not disappeared, but, torn between shame and concern over their fate, he had tried to save face while still doing all he could to find them.

On this subject there was no denying his determination. Paying no heed to the fact that a confrontation with the Crones might end tragically for him, he decided to ride into the swamps and try to free Anna from their clutches.

They say a man’s true nature is revealed in times of crisis. The baron’s reunion with his wife was certainly such a time - her deplorable state shook Phillip to the core. Yet when he learned there was a sliver of hope that Anna could be cured of her madness, the baron seized that thought with all his strength and decided to ride with his wife to the very end of the known world, to the Blue Mountains, and seek help for her tortured mind there.

Despite the combined efforts of the baron, his men and Geralt, Anna could not be saved. Alas, this was not the end of the bad news - Tamara, who had also ventured into the swamp to save her mother, made it painfully clear to the baron that she no longer wanted to have anything to do with him. Having lost on all fronts and without uttering a single word, he trekked back to Crow Perch alone…

Despite the combined efforts of the baron, his men, Geralt and Tamara, who had come for her mother with an escort of witch hunters in tow, Anna could not be saved. The Crones had outwitted them all - they had crafted the curse so that lifting it would lead to Anna’s death. The baron was completely shattered by this turn of events. Turning his back on them all, he trekked back to Crow Perch alone…

Not long afterwards Geralt learned that Phillip Strenger, the one-time terror of all of Velen, had hanged himself out of grief and despair, desolated by the loss of all that he had loved in his lifetime.