In a time before Geralt of Rivia roamed the realms, Xin’trea was in the throws of a life-changing revolution. Blood Origin focuses on the elves (and anyone unfortunate enough to get close to them), who suddenly became overwhelmed by the Golden Era led by three ambitious megalomaniacs dabbling in magical alternate dimensions; no worries there!
Although the wretched situation has caused unnecessary bloodshed and heartache, it unsuspectedly serves as the perfect catalyst to unite The Seven, who each play their part in the creation of the first-ever Witcher. Mortal enemies become valuable allies in their efforts to take down the Big Bad and the tyrannous political system, all in one fell swoop.
The following article contains spoilers from The Witcher: Blood Origin, currently streaming on Netflix.
10 "Your Word Affords You Not But The Greasing Of A Cat's Arse"
While out searching for some "delectable depravities and unmentionable delights" to lift the mood after his imprisonment, Fjall happens across a brothel and tries his luck. The exiled Dog Clan Warrior is not as charming as he believes himself, as he is quickly shut down by the director of the institution due to Fjall's lack of coin.
Maybe back in the day when the elf still held status as the protector of Xintr'ea's Princess, Merwyn, his word would have held value; however, since dipping his (ahem) toe in that particular pool, Fjall's honor has lost its standing, wholeheartedly.
9 "Those Who Make Excuses Don't Make History"
While the elven military commander, Eredin, and Chief Sage, Balor, discuss the prospects of their future endeavor, it becomes quite evident who wears the pants in this relationship. The whole coup was arguably only successful due to Balor's monster and magical mastery, and boy does the low-born mage know it!
The conversation concerning Xintr'ea's progress in uprooting enough Monoliths ends on a rather sour note, as Balor refuses to consider Eredin's "excuses" and warns the ambitious elven soldier to terminate the "heroic folktale waiting to happen." It seems that taking the kingdom by force and slaughtering countless innocents has not heightened the morale of the hungry citizens (shocker!)
8 "Old Stories Are Bound To Repeat, They Just Need The Right Person To Tell Them"
In a desperate attempt to justify murdering her own brother in cold blood, Princess, or rather, Empress Merwyn argues that she was simply taking her life into her own hands, refusing to follow the predetermined path set before her. Convinced that history will always repeat itself, Merwyn wishes to change the tone of the age-old tales by taking control of the story's perspective (and conveniently inserting herself into the MC role.)
Her grand plan is to kickstart the Golden Era and initiate a colonist mentality into the universal conquest; while the men aim to gather resources and power from the other worlds, Merwyn wishes to "civilize" the residents. Sharing science, art, and culture with those in need is a (delusionally) selfless act in honor of her role model, Solryth.
7 "Mere Tokens Beget Mere Tastes"
The power-hungry Sage Balor is not content with his current (albeit elevated) status and yearns for a taste of that potent chaos magic and, according to the Celestial Light, a simple sacrifice is all it takes. However, unlike MCU's Thanos, Balor misinterprets the meaning of sacrifice and slaughters two young celestial twins for a few moments of power; just enough to whet his appetite.
It takes losing everything for Balor to realize what he must relinquish in order to access the chaos magic and, once his target is acquired, he shows little remorse in taking the life of his beloved Fenrik to pursue his dreams.
6 "Thought You'd Be Shorter. Still, It's Not Your Fault"
Meldof, the hammer-wielding, justice-seeking Dwarf, has some of the most colorful language in Blood Origin (most of which is completely inappropriate for publication!) Although she should technically be hostile towards her sudden elven visitors, Meldof welcomes the wayward warriors with open arms, admittedly with some back-handed insults sprinkled in the mix.
Immediately recognizing The Lark, Meldof begins to sing her praises, but not without a little negging first. It is clear that the dwarf would be more impressed if Éile matched her stature; however, the assassin-turned-maestro has racked up quite a reputation for herself (the rumors blown out of proportion, if truth be told.)
5 "Why Don't We Poison A Sheep And Feed It To It"
Planning to take down a seemingly invincible monstrosity with an army of seven is a tall order indeed, and some ingenious solutions are needed if they have any hope of success. Thankfully, Brother Death, aka Callan, is pretty good at thinking outside of the box and knows just how to get the job done!
While luring a poisoned sheep to its death may be entertaining for some, Syndril has another plan in mind, one that involves merging elf and monster, subsequently creating the first Witcher in history. The fan-favorite franchise could have potentially ended before it even began, and all because of a sheep!
4 "One Day You Fall Into The Mage's Mist..."
"...And she sees all that you have done, all the evil that you have torn into the world, and somehow, somehow, she sees the good in you. She starts to heal your soul with a gentleness that you don't deserve."
Brother Death's heartfelt love story about his precious Zacaré is lyrical and gushy enough to have any romance-enthusiast swooning; however, his tender words fall on deaf ears and are met by ungracious snores from Meldof.
Whether or not she is having a dig at Callan is up for interpretation, although considering how head-over-heal in love Meldof is with Gwen, she could surely relate to the sentiment of it all. Brother Death and Zacaré essentially saved each other from the darkness and formed an unbreakable bond as a result (and the same could be said for the Dwarven lovers.)
3 "That Was A Work Of Art. Look At Them All, Like Little Bloodied Hedgehogs"
Most fans felt heart palpitations when Scían's betrayal seemed genuine after all, as The Last Survivor of the Ghost Clan took up arms against the rest of The Seven, to everyone's horror. Thankfully, her loyalty remains untainted as the sell-swords are suddenly summoned; raining down arrows from above and eloquently taking out the enemy within moments.
Proud of his accomplishments, Uthrok One-Nut makes light of the situation while Meldof and Gwen (and an adulterous bow) take out the stragglers, and Zacaré giggles in disbelief at the fact that they miraculously won the battle. Uthrok is adamant that his nickname is not reflective of his physiology, and is more than willing to provide proof of the matter!
2 "You Are Just Another Boot, Looking For More Neck"
Arguably the most cathartic moment in Blood Origin is when Éile finally gets to put the pretentious, demented Empress in her place after she arrogantly assumed that her vile deeds would be forgiven for the sake of Elfkind. As "a child given the reigns of a warhorse," Merwyn has committed unspeakable acts in the name of virtue disguised as self-preservation, and Éile can't handle the sanctimonious monologue any longer.
Surprisingly, The Lark commends Merwyn for destroying the imbalanced hierarchical system and admits that the clans were part of the problem, as the "Monarchy's boots on the necks of the people." However, Éile eloquently reminds the Empress that she is just another oppressive boot; before unceremoniously stabbing her fatally in the gut; leaving the knife embedded to potentially prolong her suffering.
1 "Isn't It Amazing How Unscary Something Is Once You Can See Its Arsehole?"
Leave it up to Uthrok One-Nut to turn an epic scene into a ludicrous one! The mercenary conveniently arrives after all the monster-slaying excitement has passed, and boldly declares that the otherworldy behemoth isn't that terrifying after all (particularly now that its unmentionables are in full view!)
Unfortunately, the comic relief is short-lived as Uthrok is torn clean in two by the bloodthirsty Fjall (in his monstrous Hulk form), who proceeds to target other members of the Seven. The Lark's song is the final defense in soothing the savage beast, although too little, too late, in Uthrok's case.