Out of all the friends Geralt has made during his travels, Zoltan is easily one of the most boisterous — and prone to drinking binges — of the lot. The dwarf might've not played a notable role throughout the three games — although he was still a highly entertaining character to converse with — but there's no denying that the bond he shares with Geralt is one of mutual respect... something that is quite rare for an aloof witcher like Geralt.
That being said, there are many facts about Zoltan from the books that most fans of The Witcher games are quite unaware of. After all, most people aren't familiar with the books and have generally either seen the show or played the games, given how popular The Witcher 3 is.
Updated on January 28, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: The Witcher series is one of the most popular fantasy franchises of all time. Along with a successful trilogy of video games, the franchise has also received a stellar Netflix adaptation that people just can't stop talking about. A big part of what makes this series so great is a cast of amazing characters that are a joy to get to know. Zoltan Chivay is one such character whose boisterous nature makes him a great dwarf to engage with. Here are some things about this character that only book readers are familiar with.
13 He Was Engaged To Another Dwarf By The Name Of Eudora Breckenriggs
Before the events of the games, Zoltan's love life had something to look forward to — after all, he was engaged to a dwarven woman by the name of Eudora Breckenriggs.
After helping out the Scoia'tael in the games, Zoltan's engagement was called off by Eudora's father since he didn't want his father to be associated with such a brazen rebel.
12 He Used To Have A Talking Parrot Called Field Marshal Windbag
A rather interesting piece of trivia about Zoltan is the fact that he used to own a talking parrot with a rather ostentatious and hilarious name — Field Marshal Windbag.
Unfortunately, he ended up selling this unique parrot around the same time when he set up shop in Novigrad.
11 He Started A Jeweler's Workshop In Novigrad
In a bid to live out a peaceful life instead of one filled with strife where he was constantly on the move, Zoltan had the bright idea of starting out a jeweler's workshop in the bustling city of Novigrad. His drive was so strong that he even sold his prized talking parrot in a bid to fund the business.
Unfortunately, this business tanked over time — a recurring pattern for him, given the fact that his inn, laundry, and foundry also suffered the same fate — and he ended up on the road once again.
10 He Formed A Company During The Second Northern War
After the Second Northern War erupted, Zoltan realized that he needed to leave these hostile areas as soon as possible to reach safer lands. In order to accomplish the same, he decided to band together with a group of unlikely individuals in a bid to increase their collective chances of survival.
The members of this group included the dwarves Munro Bruys, Caleb Stratton, Yazon Varda, and Figgis Merluzzo. Along with these people, there was a gnome by the name of Percival Schuttenbach and his talking parrot Field Marshal Windbag.
9 Zoltan And His Company Were A Merry Bunch
The company that Zoltan formed was in very high spirits more often than not. Perhaps this was a necessity, given the dark times in which this band was formed and the morale boost they must've required to get by each day.
Descriptions of the company mention a lot of loud singing, yelling, talking, laughing, and everything else along the same lines. There were very few nights where this group remained sober, with alcohol flowing before the night ended almost all the time.
8 They Helped Out Some Refugees From Kernow
During their journey to escape these hostile lands during the Second Northern War, Zoltan still showed that he had a big and generous heart of gold, given how he helped out the people around him whose lives had been upturned as a result of this war.
His biggest act of generosity came when he allowed a group of refugee women and children from Kernow — a village in Brugge — tag along with his group as they tried their hardest to survive.
7 He Had To Bury One Of His Friends After An Unfortunate Encounter With The Nilfgaardians
However, the going was not smooth for Zoltan's company at all. During their travels, they ended up encountering a group of Nilfgaardian soldiers that killed one of the members of the company, Caleb Stratton. After escaping these soldiers, the company ended up burying their fallen comrade under a birch tree.
This attack also came at a time when they had met up with a familiar group and were traveling with them as well...
6 His Company Met Up With Geralt's Group Twice During Their Travels
It's quite amazing that Zoltan met up with Geralt in the middle of their travels... twice, no less! The first time was when he was a part of the company and was traveling with Geralt, Dandelion, and Milva — the trio on their own journey to find and save Ciri in Nilfgaard. This group was broken up when they had a chance encounter with the Nilfgaardians mentioned above.
The second time was when Zoltan met Geralt's company — with the new inclusions of Regis and Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach — near Ysgith. This time, their journey was less eventful, and they parted ways after a while amicably.
5 Zoltan Gifted Geralt Sihil, An Exquisite Dwarven Sword
However, before Geralt said his final farewells to Zoltan and his company, the dwarf decided to offer up a gift as a gesture of goodwill.
This gift came in the form of a beautifully crafted dwarven sword by the name of Sihil. Forged in Mahakam by the legendary dwarf Rhundurin, this sword ended up being a valuable asset for Geralt throughout his adventures.
4 His Company Took Part In The Battle Of Brenna
The Battle of Brenna is one of the most notable moments in the books, with the Second Nilfgaard War changing tides after this battle. For the most part, the North had been losing this conflict, but this victory marked a turning point in the war.
Zoltan and his company also took part in this battle. They were a part of the Mahakam Volunteer Army and relished the opportunity of doing justice by their fallen comrade by taking part in this historic battle.
3 They Avenged Caleb Stratton's Death During This Battle
The Battle of Brenna was a violent affair that ended with the North as the victor. The 7th Daerlanian Cavalry Brigade was a part of this battle and was the regiment that killed Caleb. They met their end during an ill-timed ambush... but Zoltan Chivay and his company weren't aware of that.
Instead, they tracked down the defeated army's Field Marshal, Menno Coehoorn, who was unable to tell them his real identity as a result of a broken jaw. The company saw one look at his cloak which resembled that of the 7th Daerlanian Cavalry Brigade and promptly shot him as revenge for Caleb's death, with his body falling into a nearby river and disappearing.
2 He Has A Minor Role In The Books
Given the major focus on Zoltan in the games, one would assume that he was a pretty major character in the books as well. However, that's not even remotely the case.
The fact of the matter is that Zoltan's role in the books was quite muted, especially in comparison with the increased spotlight he enjoyed in the games. In fact, book readers would go so far as to say that Zoltan isn't even Geralt's closest dwarven friend in the books...
1 Geralt Is Closer Friends With Yarpen Zigrin Than Zoltan
Yarpen Zigrin is a dwarf who was only present in The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings. It's a shame since he was actually a close friend of Geralt's — even more so than Zoltan in the eyes of many book readers.
That being said, Yarpen's role in the second game was pretty expansive and definitely satisfied most readers of the books who were invested in this character.
The Witcher 3 was released on May 19th, 2015, and is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.