One of the most significant plot points in the Witcher 3 are the witch hunts, carried out by King Radovid of Redania and his witch hunters. The oppression includes male sorcerers as well as nonhumans, but in reference to the historical events with the witch trials in the Middle Ages women are depicted as its biggest victims. The moment we step into Novigrad we see a woman getting burned at a stake; Triss needs to hide in the city to avoid getting recognized and plans an escape. There is a group of sorceresses called the Lodge, who will later help Geralt fight against the Wild Hunt. The player is tasked to save them from the dungeons – they were awaiting execution, one of them got her eyes gouged out by Radovid, another was wounded so badly that she only asked Geralt for a merciful death. Radovid hatred comes from the fear of the women’s previous political influence. Sorceresses are hunted down and tortured, accused of murdering kings, starting wars, and scheming. They are called derogatory terms related to their gender, blamed for trying to seduce men. Power is regained through violent revenge, by killing the hunters and Radovid himself. One of the members of the Lodge, Keira Metz, tries to reason with the king with hope of return to her previous social status. She does not meet forgiveness and ends up being brutally impaled on a stake. The witch hunts show a story of systemic oppression of women, where the fear of their influence is the most important motivation for taking away all their power and dignity.
*screenshot: https://www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/37k51x/spoilers_so_i_let_keira_go_away_as_she_wanted/
