The streaming giant also released the first teaser trailer for the new season, which follows the adventures of Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia as he tries to protect Princess Cirilla of Cintra from both external threats and her own growing magical power. So let’s dive into the trailer for hints about what’s to come, drawing from what we know from books.
As part of the process of becoming a witcher, witchers become infertile. Geralt is unique, therefore, in accidentally finding a loophole and acquiring a daughter through other means. As established in The Witcher season 1, Ciri became Geralt's through an ancient set of rules called the Law of Surprise, in which someone who has done a favor can ask for repayment in the form of something that the other person didn't know they had. After saving Ciri's father, Duny, from being killed by the family of Ciri's mother, Pavetta, Geralt was asked what he wanted as a reward and casually invoked the Law of Surprise. Since Duny hadn't been aware that Pavetta was pregnant, their unborn child became Geralt's by right, and he and Ciri were drawn inexorably together. Ciri's question to Geralt - "So, I'm your destiny?" - is lifted from a key scene in the book, when she and Geralt first meet, and Geralt's reply - "Much More" - was the title of The Witcher's season 1 finale.
WHAT IF ..? SERIES TRAILER REVIEW
Upon his arrival at Kaer Morhen, Geralt is enthusiastically greeted by other witchers from the School of the Wolf. The witcher that he tightly embraces is Lambert (Paul Bullion), and the scar-faced witcher who takes a close interest in Ciri is Eskel (Basil Eidenbenz). Another witcher of note who is present to greet Geralt is Coen (Yasen Atour). The Witcher season 2 promises to show another side to Geralt, who has thus far only been seen when he is out in the world and perpetually on his guard, but now may let that guard down a little when surrounded by the closest thing he has to a family.
The Witcher season 1 offered a glimpse of the power inside Ciri. While fleeing Cintra and being pursued by the Black Knight of Nilfgaard, she unleashed her abilities and cracked the ground between them, giving herself time to escape. Later, when a group of men were trying to capture her in exchange for a bounty, Ciri lost control and recited a prophecy as she let her powers loose once again. When she regained consciousness, the men who had been trying to attack her were all dead - thrown in different directions and impaled on tree branches. In the trailer for The Witcher season 2, Ciri confesses to Geralt that when she finds herself becoming truly afraid she feels that she could "burn the whole world." And despite Geralt's best efforts to protect her, Ciri may well need to use her powers again.
Like all witchers, Geralt is able to enhance his body through the use of herbs and potions, in order to be more evenly matched again supernatural threats. The trailer for The Witcher season 2 shows a pale and black-eyed Geralt, similar to how he appeared in his very first fight of the Netflix series. While under the influence of this potion, Geralt has enhanced strength, speed and healing abilities, and in this particular shot it looks as though he's defending Kaer Morhen itself from a monster attack.
Geralt's wolf medallion isn't just for show. Witcher medallions are attuned to magic, and will vibrate in the presence of unnatural things like curses and monsters. One shot of The Witcher season 2's trailer shows various witcher medallions hanging up by a fire, presumably in Kaer Morhen, and all beginning to vibrate simultaneously. Together with the shots of Geralt fighting in the grounds of Kaer Morhen, it seems likely that Nilfgaard will track Ciri down to the witcher fortress and use its considerable forces of magic to try and capture her.
A key character from the Witcher books and games who did not appear in the first season of the show is Vesemir, the oldest living witcher and Geralt's mentor. In The Witcher season 2, Vesemir will be played by Kim Bodnia and is seen at several points in the trailer, though his face is obscured. In one scene, he watches Geralt jumping across a series of training posts in Kaer Morhen. In another, he and Geralt are seen fighting back-to-back inside the fortress. Geralt also references his old mentor in the trailer's dialogue, telling someone (presumably Ciri) that "Vesemir said that the world outside these walls is a dangerous place."
After unleashing the full power of her magic in the final battle of The Witcher season 1, Yennefer was nowhere to be found and it was unclear whether or not she'd even survived. Tissaia de Vries is shown frantically searching for Yenner in the aftermath of the battle, but it's not until the end of The Witcher season 2 trailer that her fate is finally revealed. Yennefer has been captured by Fringilla, the sorceress who serves Nilfgaard and leads the magical branch of their armed forces. Though Nilfgaard has suffered a defeat, it's unlikely to slow the relentless march of the empire down for long, and with Yennefer in their clutches they could attempt to use her powers for their own purposes.
SCREEN SHOTS
