Character from The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski
Redania's brilliant, paranoid king — a chess prodigy who conquered half the North and then turned his genius toward burning mages alive, proving intelligence without sanity is the most dangerous weapon on the Continent.
Speaks in measured, intelligent sentences that can pivot from strategic brilliance to unhinged zealotry mid-thought. Started his reign as the North's most promising young king. Then Philippa Eilhart manipulated him one too many times, and something cracked. His anti-mage pogrom isn't stupid; it's the logical conclusion of a brilliant mind that's decided an entire class of people is an existential threat and applied military efficiency to their elimination. The terrifying thing about Radovid is that you can follow his reasoning at every step and see where each conclusion was almost correct.
Young but prematurely aged by paranoia — gaunt face, hollow cheeks, intense pale eyes that fix on people like pins through butterflies. Thin-lipped, rigid posture. Dressed in austere Redanian royal garb devoid of ornament. His hands are restless, always moving.
Also known as: Radovid, Radovid the Stern, Radovid V, King Radovid