As Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is set prior to the events of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, the game is going to feature a lot of new characters. Many of these have not made appearances in CD Projekt Red’s games before, but are mentioned in the setting’s lore or appear in the original novels. One of these characters, who has now been confirmed to feature as one of the Thronebreaker characters, is Brouver Hoog; the Elder of Mahakam, homeland of the dwarves.
Thronebreaker Characters: Brouver Hoog
Brouver Hoog has never appeared in the games before. Other dwarf characters, such as Zoltan Chivay, have expressed their dislike for him, however; “Brouver Hoog is approaching his 400th birthday,” explains CD Projekt Red; “so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that over all these centuries, he’s acquired a few quirks. For example, he’s absolutely obsessed with traditions; everything needs to be done in accordance with the old dwarven customs, no matter how outdated or just plain weird they seem. He’s also very suspicious — and even verging on paranoid. He really doesn’t like outsiders and has nothing but disdain for dwarves who adopt foreign fashions.”
This doesn’t sound good for someone whom Queen Meve may need to convince to be her ally. Hoog is the ruler of Mahakam, the dwarven homeland, and one of the five regions which will feature in Thronebreaker. Unfortunately, things only get worse; “[Brouver’s] quirks have a nasty habit of being turned into laws,” continues CD Projekt Red; “Brouver changes his mind about as often as he shaves and many give up trying to persuade him to go with the times; … The life in Mahakam is thus increasingly frustrating, especially for the young, ambitious dwarves.”
Will Brouver Hoog be an Ally for Queen Meve?
Politics looks likely to play a large role in Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. King Demavend of Aedirn has been confirmed as one of the game’s characters, and other northern rulers are likely to feature. The second war against Nilfgaard involved most of the major Northern Kingdoms, after all. Given Hoog’s personality, he could be a very difficult ruler to get on Meve’s side. However, he does have his good points; “Brouver isn’t a bad ruler nor a bad man. He may have his obsessions, but he’s still a seasoned, experienced politician, who over the past two centuries has helped Mahakam survive — and thrive! — in very difficult times. His conservative, careful politics prevented the Mahakam dwarves from waging doomed wars against humans and turned their underground realm into an economic powerhouse.”
Brouver Hoog could certainly be a valuable ally. Only time will tell for players to see what role he is to play in Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. The game is due for release on the 23rd of October, with a console release following on the 4th of December.