A Grain of Truth, with its characters Nivellen and Vereena, is one of the most talked-about episodes of The Witcher. The episode is based on a short story of the same name from Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher saga. Surrounding the tragic tale of Nivellen and Vereena, Henry Cavill has called the story a “subverted version of Beauty and the Beast” and no one could have framed it in a better manner.

Here’s all you need to know about Vereena:

What is a Bruxa?

A Bruxa, as we have seen in the Netflix Original, is a shapeshifting vampire. Their natural form is that of a human-sized bat. Like the many vampires we’ve seen across pop culture, a Bruxa feeds on blood and sometimes, entire human bodies. Possessing sharp fangs and claws, they can easily overpower humans and powerful Bruxae can even thwart Witchers like Geralt.

Not only are Bruxae extremely agile, but they are also one of the very few species of bats unaffected by the sun in The Witcher lore. When weapons like their claws are ineffective in close proximity, they can let out shrill, deafening screams loud enough to send a grown man flying. We have seen illustrations of this in the Netflix live-action series.

To add to the list of blood-curdling traits Bruxae possess is their innate intellect. As we saw with Geralt and Ciri, Nivellen’s partner chose her victim quite cleverly. Vereena knew that the Witcher would not be fooled by her innocent-looking appearance. Ciri, on the other hand, was just a young human girl who did not know any better. Vereena also chose to present herself in front of Ciri right when the latter was their most vulnerable- in the midst of a nightmare.

Is Vereena an ordinary Bruxa in the Witcher?

By now, it is a well-established fact that Bruxae are not to be taken lightly. These vampires are one of the most vicious creatures one can come across in a forest on the Continent.

But, Witchers aren’t a breed to be taken lightly either. Be it for coin or for self-defense, these warrior magicians have been fighting demons for ages. Geralt is one of the most powerful Witchers out there. In fact, there is only one that surpasses him. We will not give spoilers as to who that is, but the point remains that The White Wolf is certainly not weak.

Despite his brute strength and tactical mind, Vereena overpowered the Witcher. Has Nivellen not intervened, the former would have got the better of him. This shows that Vereena is a very powerful– definitely more dangerous than the usual creatures Geralt has come across or even other Bruxae.