Thanedd coup



The Thanedd coup (1 July 1267) occurred during the Grand Conclave of Mages on the island. The banquet preceding the Conclave began quietly enough with mages discussing their alliances with either the Northern Kingdoms or Nilfgaard, or professing neutrality but things soon began to heat up.

Mages allied with Nilfgaard, led by Vilgefortz, had planned a sneak attack on their northern counterparts. The entrance from the interior of the hollow island to Garstang was opened by Francesca Findabair, revealing an army of Scoia'tael who had been secretly transported to the island to take part in the coup by Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach, Rience and Faoiltiarna.

Yennefer had brought Ciri to the proceedings and Cahir and Rience had hoped to capture the girl there. Cahir nearly did, but Ciri was able to defeat him in a sword fight and flee. Geralt then nearly killed Cahir as well, but relented at the last moment when the knight revealed that he had been the one who had saved Ciri during the Slaughter of Cintra.

At the end of the skirmish, Geralt then met and fought Vilgefortz but the mage was far more skillful than the witcher had anticipated. Vilgefortz seriously wounded Geralt, but did not kill him (although he easily could have). Instead, the mage told him that this encounter had been a "little lesson" and then fled, presumably still trying to get Ciri. Triss Merigold then found the witcher and transported him to Brokilon with the help of Tissaia de Vries.

Following the coup, confidence in mages seriously declined and many of them were expelled from the royal courts. It is also cited as one of the precipitating events of the war that followed.

In Chapter II, a book entitled "The Thanedd Coup" can be purchased in Vergen, providing a glossary entry about this event.

Glossary entry

 * The coup at Thanedd Island was one of the most significant events in history. In that memorable day, during a sorcerers' summit, the magicians loyal to the Northern kingdoms intended to arrest those of their brotherhood that conspired with Nilfgaard. The conspirators, on the other hand, prepared a coup against their confratres. They secretly let Scoia'tael and Nilfgaardian agents on Thanedd. Many members of both factions died in the bloody battle that raged in the palace chambers, yet in the end the traitors had to flee for their lives. This event greatly reduced the mages' confidence and many fell out of favor of the kings they served until then.

Thanedd Aufstand Επίθεση στην Thanedd Colpo di Thanedd Przewrót na Thanedd