Elden Ring characters and Universe

1. #1Malenia, Blade of Miquellaselective

   Keys: goddess of rot, scarlet rot, haligtree, Marika, Miquella, malenia, demigod

   Malenia is one of the demigods in the Lands Between. An undefeated swordswoman, she is the 'blade of Miquella', her twin brother. She is the child of Marika and Radagon. Since birth, Scarlet Rot has eaten away at her, causing blindness and the loss of her limbs. After the Shattering, she fought General Radahn to a standstill in Caelid by blossoming into rot. She now rests in the Haligtree, awaiting Miquella's return.

   Overview Early Life ER Icon Talisman Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom Malenia was a disciple of the Blind Swordsman

   Malenia was one of the twin children born to Queen Marika the Eternal and her second Elden Lord, Radagon.[3] As Empyreans, both Malenia and her elder twin brother, Miquella,[4] were candidates to ascend as gods of a new age.[5] However, due to the nature of their parentage, the twins were afflicted with dreadful curses. Miquella was doomed with eternal nascency, while Malenia's body was ravaged by the scarlet rot.

   The scarlet rot plagued Malenia from within, gradually consuming her and leaving her disfigured. Over time, she lost her eyes and several limbs to the rot. Despite her suffering, Malenia fought valiantly to suppress the rot’s influence, refusing to succumb to its ruinous nature.[citation needed]

   Miquella worked tirelessly to undo the curses they had both inherited. While unable to find a cure for his sister within the Golden Order, Miquella designed a needle of unalloyed gold to keep the rot at bay.[6] He also crafted the prostheses that enabled her to continue fighting.[verification needed]

   At some point, Malenia encountered the legendary blind swordsman of the Flowing Curved Sword, who had long ago sealed away an Outer God of Rot.[7] The swordsman became her master,[8] enabling her to gain wings of unparalleled strength.[9] Malenia eventually became a peerless warrior and her brother's sworn blade and protector.

   Advertisement The Shattering ER Icon Key Item Great Rune Malenia's Malenia's Great Rune

   After the Elden Ring was shattered, Malenia claimed a shard of the fractured Elden Ring.[3] She would attract loyal servants like her Cleanrot Knights, who vowed to fight next to her, despite the inevitable gradual putrefaction of their flesh.[10]

   During the Shattering, Malenia led an army that marched south from the Haligtree down the Bellum Highway. She won many battles against the other Demigods, even humbling fellow shardbearer, Godrick the Grafted,[11] who groveled at her feet for mercy after first insulting her and then suffering defeat.

   Battle of Aeonia Malenia and Radahn preparing to battle each other Malenia and Radahn in Caelid

   Malenia and her half-brother Radahn would eventually be the last two demigods left standing in the conflict. Their forces clashed in the Caelid Wilds, and the two fought the Battle of Aeonia, a bitter duel to fulfill an unhonored vow.[12] In the midst of the combat with Radahn, Malenia unleashes Scarlet Rot, resulting in her first bloom.

   The unleashed scarlet rot devastated Caelid, leaving it a rotting wasteland, and created the Swamp of Aeonia. The rot caused Radahn to rapidly degenerate, losing his wits and cursing him to wander the battlefield as a mindless beast, feasting on the bodies of friend and foe alike. Malenia herself was not unaffected and was left in a coma. She was rescued by one of her Cleanrot Knights, Finlay, who carried her halfway across the Lands Between.[13]

   When she had blossomed in Caelid, Malenia inadvertently brought forth the Scarlet Butterflies and Kindred of Rot. The pests, including Sage Gowry, who worshipped her as a goddess and hoped to cause her to bloom once again, believing that she would usher in a new age of rot.[14] When Malenia and Finlay took refuge at the Shaded Castle, Maleigh Marais, the sickly-born head of House Marais, was naturally drawn to the unconscious Demigod.[15][1] However, Malenia would reject her fate and disowned the Servants of Rot.[16]

   Finlay eventually brought Malenia to the Haligtree.[13] Miquella had encased himself within the Haligtree in an effort to reverse his curse.[citation needed] However, either during Malenia's absence or during her slumber, Miquella was ripped from the womb of the tree and taken away by Mohg, Lord of Blood before he could emerge from his cocoon. Malenia dreamt while awaiting Miquella's return, and the scarlet rot seeped out from her and began infecting the Haligtree.

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   Game events Eldenringmaleniacutscene1 Malenia dreamt for ages

   Malenia's slumber is eventually disturbed by a Tarnished, who found their way to the roots of the Haligtree. The two fight and Malenia finally meets her match, but she suffers her first true defeat. However, in the end, Malenia succumbs to the Scarlet Rot and blossoms yet again, reborn as a nascent goddess. She unleashes her full fury against the invader, but falls short yet again, her dying words an apology to her vanished brother. Having bloomed twice, Malenia withdraws within her scarlet blossom. Her third blossom will surely make her a true goddess.[17]

   Notes Malenia has a prosthetic right arm, left leg, and right foot. It is unknown if these were amputated due to the scarlet rot festering in her body, or injuries obtained from battle. The rot has also visibly spread over her eyes, so she is presumably also blind. Neither seems to influence her battle prowess in the slightest, however. According to the Scarlet Aeonia Incantation description, Malenia will become a Goddess if her scarlet flower blooms three times. Malenia is among a group of few select enemies that need to be parried multiple times for a successful riposte, another being Radagon. Once defeated, she will leave behind a large, solid Scarlet Aeonia in her arena. If the player has the Unalloyed Gold Needle after completing Millicent's questline, it can be given to the Aeonia to receive Miquella's Needle and an Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. Millicent and her four sisters are descended from Malenia in some way, but more as offshoots, or buds, of her Scarlet Bloom rather than actual daughters. If they experience a great betrayal, then they will be reborn as Malenia's Scarlet Valkyries.[18] Malenia and Miquella are together known as the "twin prodigies" (天賦の双子, Tenpu no Futago).[19]

2. #2Miquellaselective

   Keys: miquella the kind, miquella, empyrean, kindly miquella, St. Trina, demigod

   Miquella is a demigod in the Lands Between. Twin brother to Malenia, he also goes by the female pseudonym 'St. Trina'. Cursed with eternal youth, he can compel affection in the hearts of men. He created the Haligtree to try and cure his sister's rot, but was abducted by Mohg, Lord of Blood. He now rests in Mohg's palace deep underground, in the Siofra river.

   Early Life Miquella and his twin sister were born with incurable afflictions, with Miquella's curse being perpetual youth.[9] Miquella made a promise to Malenia and experimented tirelessly in an attempt to undo their curses. The twins were very close, and Malenia became Miquella's sworn blade and protector.[10] Miquella was loved by many people and had a remarkable ability to compel affection from others.[11] For this reason, many regarded him as the most fearsome Empyrean.[12][13]

   Miquella was chosen by his Two Fingers to become an Empyrean, destined to succeed Queen Marika.[14] He was an adherent of Golden Order Fundamentalism, and developed new incantations as gifts to his father Radagon.[15][16] However, Miquella abandoned Fundamentalism when it failed to treat Malenia's rot. He then began creating Unalloyed Gold,[17] which he used it to craft needles that could ward away the meddling of outer gods and forestall Malenia's incurable rot.[18] These needles could even be used to subdue the power of the Frenzied Flame.[19] He also unsuccessfully sought a solution for his half-brother Godwyn's state of incomplete death.[20][21]

   St. Trina Just as his parents were two halves of the same person, Miquella also had another half—St. Trina—who was said to visit people in their dreams.[22] St. Trina was Miquella's fate,[23] and she embodied his boundless love.[24][25]

   The Haligtree At some point, Miquella started watering a sapling with his own blood in the hope that it would become a new Erdtree.[26] The sapling was grown on top of the fortress of Elphael and became known as the Haligtree. Soldiers and Knights sworn to protect the Haligtree would use Unalloyed gold as a symbol of their loyalty and devotion to Miquella, wearing crowns made of the metal and creating shields embedded with it.[27][28][29][30] Miquella was also said to bless the low and meek.[27] The Haligtree would became a hidden haven,[31] and was intended to be the eventual salvation for many of the persecuted and the unwanted in the Lands Between, such as the Albinaurics.[32]

   As Miquella pursued godhood, he knew that he would have to take a consort, to which his eyes fell upon his half-brother General Radahn. He approached Radahn with this offer, to which the General vowed that he would become as such, in return for unspecified terms on Miquella and Malenia's behalf.[33][34] Malenia journeyed with her armies to fight Radahn, in an attempt to kill him, which would have allowed Miquella to resurrect him as he promised. The resulting battle ended with Malenia unleashing her Scarlet Aeonia, whispering beforehand in Radahn's ear that "Miquella awaits thee, O promised consort."[35] After using her last resort attack, Malenia entered a comatose state, and one of her knights took it upon herself to carry her leader's slumbering body back across the Lands Between to the Haligtree. Radahn had survived, albeit barely standing, and his mind was riddled by the Scarlet Rot. He was now little more than a howling beast aimlessly wandering the battlefield, devouring the corpses of friends and foes alike.[36]

   While Malenia was away at war, Miquella embedded himself into the Haligtree to progress his assention, but was kidnapped during his slumber.[37] Another of Miquella's half-brothers was to blame, Mohg, who was patroned by an Outer God known as the Formless Mother.[38] He took the sleeping Empyrean deep underground to the Mohgwyn Palace, where he would raise Miquella to full godhood himself through blood offerings, and then to take on the role of Miquella's consort instead of Radahn, becoming the new monarch of a Mohgwyn Dynasty.[39] Mohg would have his followers render offerings of blood and drench Miquella's cocoon in order to facilitate his awakening.[40] Despite all of Mohg's efforts, Miquella remained completely unresponsive.[39] At some point after his abduction, Miquella had covertly placed an enchantment on Mohg, wishing to use the Omen to gain access to the Realm of Shadow, and to use his body as a vessel for the resurrection of Radahn.[41] Sir Ansbach, a Pureblood Knight in service to Mohg, attempted to free his lord by challenging Miquella, only to succumb to an enchantment of his own.[42]

   With Miquella's absence, his Haligtree became a misshapen husk, slowly succumbing to the Scarlet Rot.[30][43] The Haligtree's soldiers and Malenia desperately awaited Miquella's return to the rotten tree.[44] [45]

   Making use of Mohg, Miquella entered the Realm of Shadow, the location of the Gate of Divinity. As Miquella travelled through the Realm of Shadow, he abandoned parts of himself, including his flesh, his eye, his doubt and vacillation, his love, and his fears. Golden Miquella's Crosses resembling a Great Rune appeared at each location where he abandoned something, akin to Miquella's footprints.[46] Miquella's followers, who pursued him into the Realm of Shadow, used these crosses to trace his path through the realm.[47] Miquella also discarded his other half, St. Trina,[48] in the Stone Coffin Fissure. St. Trina, whose love for Miquella was boundless in spite of her abandonment,[1] recognized that godhood would be a prison for the Empyrean,[49] and desired for him to be killed out of mercy.[50]

   Eventually, a Tarnished champion broke into Mohg's palace and slew the Lord of Blood for his great rune. Sir Gideon Ofnir suggested it might be safer to destroy the cocoon that Miquella remains asleep in.[51] Instead, the Tarnished met Needle Knight Leda, a loyal follower of Miquella, who urged them to travel to the Realm of Shadow by touching Miquella's withered arm within the cocoon.[52]

   Within the Realm of Shadow, the Tarnished encounters several more of Miquella's followers, learns of his mission to ascend to godhood via the Gate of Divinity,[53] and of the powerful charm that he had placed upon his disciples, which is broken when he discards his Great Rune.[54] After gaining access to the tower of Enir-Ilim, the Tarnished is confronted by a resurrected Radahn, in a vessel made from the remains of Mohg.[41] During the ensuing battle, Miquella steps out of the Gate of Divinity and embraces Radahn as his consort.[55] The Tarnished triumphs over Radahn and Miquella, thus preventing Miquella's age of compassion.[56]

   Miquella's Lily is a delicate flower of Unalloyed gold, thought to be beloved by him in his youth. It signifies the faith in the Haligtree. The Albinaurics, beings artificially created by human hands, view Miquella's Haligtree area as the chosen land.[57] The Haligtree is also inhabited by many unwanted and persecuted races, such as the Albinaurics, the Misbegotten, the Crystalians and the Kindred of Rot. Even before Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree released, there are hints in-game about the connection between Miquella and St. Trina: They are associated with their respective lilies, Miquella's Lily and Trina's Lily. Either is a rare drop from the Cleanrot Knights, who serve Malenia, Miquella's sister. Similarly, the Albinauric Archers guarding the waygate to the Haligtree have lily motif armor and can drop St. Trina's Arrows. A cookbook which, dedicated to St. Trina, allows the player to create the Bewitching Branch, blessed by Unnalloyed Gold incantations. The duality of Marika and Radagon, Miquella's parents.

3. #3Mohg, Lord of Bloodselective

   Keys: , formless mother, miquella, lord of blood, mohg, demigod, great rune, shardbearer

   Mohg is an demigod, child of Marika and Godfrey. He hidden away in the shunning-grounds beneath Leyndell after his birth due to being an Omen. There, he communed with an Outer God named the Formless Mother, who gave him the power of bloodflame. He stole Miquella from the Haligtree and now shares a bloody bedchamber with him in the great caverns beneath the Caelid wilds.

   Mohg or Mohgwyn, also known as the Lord of Blood, was born of the Golden Lineage, the offspring of the first Elden Lord, Godfrey and Queen Marika, and was the twin brother of Morgott.[1] The twins were both born as accursed Omen, and as a result were confined and shackled to the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds below Leyndell.[2][3]

   Unlike his brother, Mohg would grow to embrace his Omen blood. Deep underground, Mohg made contact with an Outer God known as the Formless Mother. The Formless Mother ignited his accursed blood with fire, prompting him to develop powerful bloodflame magic.[4]

   After Queen Marika shattered the Elden Ring, Mohg escaped confinement and claimed one of the shards of the Elden Ring. During this period, he began establishing his domain from Mohgwyn Palace and recruiting followers, including his Sanguine Nobles[5] and a band of Tarnished known as the Bloody Fingers. Among these followers was Varré, a war surgeon who was able to successfully tame Mohg's accursed blood.[6]

   The specific timing of Mohg assuming the title of Lord of Blood and the exact sequence of his activities relative to the Shattering are not well-documented, making the precise timeline of these events unclear.

   Miquella the Unalloyed later embedded himself within his Haligtree in an attempt to shed his affliction. In this vulnerable and unguarded state, Mohg seized the opportunity to abduct him from the tree.[7] Miquella was an Empyrean, thus having the potential of ascending to godhood; Mohg intended to raise Miquella to full godhood so that he may rule at his side as consort and take the role of monarch.[8] At some point during or after the abduction, Mohg was unknowingly enchanted by Miquella. The circumstances and timeline of this enchantment remain unclear.

   After abducting Miquella, Mohg hibernated with him within a cocoon and had his followers render offerings of blood, drenching its chamber in order to facilitate Miquella's awakening.[9] But no matter how much of Miquella's bloody bedchamber Mohg tried to share, he would receive no response from the young empyrean.[8]

   During this time, Mohg largely escaped the notice of the Roundtable Hold, who were searching for clues as to his whereabouts.[10] Eventually, a Tarnished came to learn the location of Mohg's palace, where he had hidden alongside the stolen Miquella. When the Tarnished stumbles upon his chambers, Mohg emerges from a pool of blood, holds Miquella's hand and apologizes for leaving him, ready to confront their "guests". Despite unleashing the full power of his accursed blood, Mohg is unable to overcome the Tarnished, falling at their hands.

   Following Mohg's death, his corpse was stolen and transported to the Land of Shadow where Miquella utilized it for an ancient ritual. At the Gate of Divinity, Miquella used Mohg's body as a vessel to revive the soul of Radahn, his promised consort, to honor their solemn vow.

   Mohg's has five fingers on his right hand wielding the trident, but his left hand appears to have six. The finger, the third on his left hand, is actually a stiff, solid claw that sticks out when he summons his Bloodflame Talons. Mohg's blood is possibly given to the Bloody Fingers invaders covenant. They have it injected into their finger after completing initiation, and it leads them to develop madness and bloodlust. His death pose is visually identical to the "Heart Stolen" death animation the player can suffer during the Promised Consort boss fight; hinting even prior to Shadow of the Erdtree that Mohg was under Miquella's charm all along.

4. #4Godrick the Graftedselective

   Keys: Limgrave, godrick, grafting, stormveil castle, great rune, shardbearer

   Godrick the Grafted is a demigod who resides in Stormveil Castle, overlooking Limgrave. A distant descendent of Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, he is cowardly, timid and physically weak. He resorts to the brutal art of grafting - magically attaching the limbs of his foes to himself - to maintain his position. Even so, he is the weakest of the demigods. He once challenged Malenia to a duel, but was humiliated by her skill..

   Godrick is a descendant of the Golden Lineage, the bloodline which began with Queen Marika the Eternal and her first consort Godfrey.[1] Only a distant relation of Marika's line, his divine blood was sorely diluted, and he was viewed as the runt of the litter.[2]

   After the Elden Ring was shattered, Godrick inherited the Great Rune from the centre of the Elden Ring, referred to as the anchor ring. During The Shattering, Godrick was hounded from the Leyndell, Royal Capital. He claimed a multitude of treasures, including the Mimic's Veil,[3] and then hid amongst the womenfolk to flee the city.[4]

   Godrick made his way south, settling in Limgrave with an army made up of soldiers who had fled Leyndell.[5] He took up residence in Stormveil Castle, using it as a refuge to hide from General Radahn,[6] and as a place to practice grafting; a grotesque act which involves attaching parts of other living beings to oneself to gain power.[7] When the Tarnished returned to the Lands Between, Godrick sent his soldiers on Tarnished hunts, seeking new subjects to graft.[8] As well as performing the act upon himself, Godrick also produced the Grafted Scions; abhorrent beings comprised of many different limbs, seemingly grafted onto children.

   When Malenia marched southward, Godrick insulted her,[9] leading to a confrontation which left Godrick beaten and humiliated, forced to grovel for mercy.[10]

   Godrick idolised Godfrey, desiring for his ancestor to witness his feats.[11] He wielded an axe emblazoned with the figure of a lion, a symbol of Godfrey,[12] and furnished his army with emblems of the Golden Lineage such as axes,[13] and depictions of Serosh the Beast Regent.[14] Although he styled himself as the "lord of all that is golden",[15] he was popularly referred to as "Godrick the Grafted",[16] commanding far less respect than his forebear. He was even despised by his servants, whom he looked down on and pushed around.[17]

   The Tarnished journeys to Stormveil Castle in search of Godrick's Great Rune, on the advice of White Mask Varré[18] and Melina[19] In the castle, they encounter many examples of Godrick's grafting: severed limbs hanging from the ceiling in the dining hall; a dismembered Troll hanging over a courtyard; and a pile of dismembered corpses, among whom are the remnants of Roderika's companions.[20] Eventually they find Godrick in a graveyard, speaking to a dead dragon impaled on a statue.[21] Upon noticing the Tarnished, Godrick chides them for opposing him and engages them in battle. To gain an advantage, Godrick cuts off his own hand and grafts the dragon's head to the stump, gaining the ability to spew flames. Despite this display of power, Godrick is defeated, and the Tarnished claims his Great Rune.

   Later, Nepheli Loux becomes lord of Limgrave at the appointment of Kenneth Haight.[22]

5. #5Ranni the Witchselective

   Keys: Radahn, Godwyn, renna, two fingers, ranni, Rykard, empyrean, night of black knives, Blaidd, Rennala, Iji

   Ranni is a demigod situated in Liurnia, specifically the Carian manor to the northwest. Child of Rennala and Radagon, she was once an Empyrean, chosen by the Two Fingers to become the new divine leader of the Lands Between. To avoid this, she orchestrated the murder of Godfrey in the Night of the Black Knives and slew her own flesh, her spirit now inhabiting a blue four-armed doll modeled after her old mentor in magic.

   Background ER Ranni and her Dark Moon

   Originally known as Lunar Princess Ranni, she was the daughter of Radagon, a champion of the Golden Order, and Queen Rennala, head of both the Carian Royal Family and the Academy of Raya Lucaria. She had two older brothers, Radahn and Rykard.[1]

   Ranni was also an Empyrean, meaning she had the potential to one day succeed Queen Marika as the divine ruler of the Lands Between.[2] The Two Fingers chose her as a potential successor and granted her a Shadow by the name of Blaidd to be her vassal.[3] He was approved of by Rennala, and was raised as her foster brother. Ranni grew up playing with Blaidd, and they were often accompanied by Iji, a troll blacksmith who served the Carian royals.[4]

   Led by the hand of her mother Rennala, young Ranni would encounter her Dark Moon. What she beheld was cold, dark and veiled in occult mystery.[5] Deep in the woods, she would also encounter a snowy crone who would go on to become her secret mentor.[6] She was an old witch well versed in cold-based sorceries, and she taught Ranni to fear the Dark Moon as she imparted her magic.[7][8] The full Dark Moon, cold and leaden, would become Ranni's sigil and symbol of her power and authority.[9][10]

   At some point, Ranni's father would abandon her mother in order to marry Queen Marika and assume the title of second Elden Lord. Ranni and her siblings were thus raised to Demigod status by their new stepmother.[11]

   Although the Two Fingers had chosen her as Marika's successor, Ranni did not wish to be a puppet for the Greater Will and resented her Empyrean fate. In order to escape it, Ranni stole a fragment of the Rune of Death from Maliketh, the Black Blade, and through fearsome rite, imbued it into the blades of Numen assassins close to Queen Marika herself. She also gave a fragment to her brother Rykard as a last resort, so he could kill Maliketh if necessary.[12] Ranni plotted for the assassins to kill another individual while she simultaneously killed herself, slaying her own body while the other person died in spirit, thus freeing herself from being an Empyrean.[13]

   In what would become known as the Night of Black Knives, the assassins murdered Godwyn the Golden, killing him in spirit, while Ranni killed herself in body, transferring her spirit into a doll said to be modeled after the image of her mentor, the Snow Witch.[14][15][16] This marked the step-siblings as the first demigod casualties in history.[17] Ranni's fate and her involvement in the plot remained largely unknown by the denizens of the Lands Between.[18]

   At some point after the Night of Black Knives, Queen Marika shattered the Elden Ring. Ranni claimed a Great Rune, but appears to have discarded it,[19] and largely remained outside of the conflict that followed. As a consequence of her doll body, Ranni required extended periods of hibernation and withdrew from the world, hiding in the Carian Manor while her agents worked to bring about her plan of ridding the Lands Between of the influence of the Greater Will, allowing her to pursue her divine ascension on her own terms.

   Long after the Shattering, when the Tarnished return to the Lands Between, Ranni hears of a Tarnished champion hurtling about on a spectral steed gifted to them by Melina. Ranni approaches them at a site of grace, asking if they indeed have the spectral steed. She'll then give the Tarnished the Spirit Calling Bell, noting Torrent's former master had entrusted her with giving it to the next owner.

   The Tarnished champion, for their own purposes, makes their way into the Carian Manor and comes face to face with Ranni once again. Ranni accepts the Tarnished into her service and bids them to find a way into Nokron, hoping to claim its treasure; a weapon with which she could kill the Two Fingers who had chosen her as an Empyrean. The champion manages find their way into Nokron and secures the city's treasure for Ranni, whereupon she departs to Nokstella. The champion finds her there and she compels the champion to rid her of the Shadows sent by the Two Fingers to kill her. With the last Shadow defeated, Ranni rewards her champion with the keys to a chest containing a ring intended to be bestowed to her future consort, and achieves her goal of slaying the Two Fingers.

   Should the Tarnished champion find the ring and give it to Ranni, she will take the champion as her new consort, and grant them a greatsword as a symbol of their union. She will reveal to them the full extent of her plan: to succeed Queen Marika as god and usher in her "Age of the Stars", removing herself far from the Lands Between to journey out into the cosmos, allowing its inhabitants to have free will over their own choices and live their lives without the interference of the Greater Will. After defeating the Elden Beast, the Tarnished is able to summon Ranni and usher in her age if they so choose.

   Ranni's dead Empyrean body can be found atop the Divine Tower of Liurnia and still possesses one half of the Cursemark of Death. Examining it closely reveals hints of red hair on her head, appropriate for a daughter of Radagon. The Stargazer Heirloom can be found on her body as well, seemingly a memento of her mother Rennala. Ranni's original body has two arms, while her doll body has four. It is thus similar to Miquella the Kind and the Marionette soldiers utilized by Sorcerers through the game. When in her doll form at Ranni's Rise, she is sitting on-top of a bunch of books covered by a piece of fabric, making her seem taller than she appears. She also applies the same trick when she introduces herself as "Renna", sitting on a ruin of a low wall in the Church Of Elleh.

6. #6Starscourge Radahnselective

   Keys: miquella, radahn, sellia, redmanes, Caelid, demigod, starscourge, shardbearer

   Starscourge Radahn is the demigod child of Rennala and Radagon. A fierce warrior, and imposing in size, he led the Redmane soldiers in an assault on Leyndell during the Shattering. Afterwards, he fought Malenia to a standstill in the Caelid wilds; as a result he was mortally stricken with Scarlet rot, stripping him of his wits. He now roams the deserts like a wild dog, scavenging corpses for food.

   Radahn was the son of Queen Rennala and Radagon, and became a demigod stepchild after his father's marriage to Queen Marika.[1] He is regarded as the mightiest hero of the demigods,[2] and was feared as the strongest demigod of the Shattering.[3][4]

   Pre-Shattering Radahn was born the son of Radagon, a champion of the Erdtree, and Queen Rennala, head of both the Carian Royal Family and Academy of Raya Lucaria. He had two siblings, Rykard and Ranni. Radahn inherited his father's flaming red hair, and was fond of its heroic implications.[5] From a young age, he was enamored with the Elden Lord Godfrey. Attempting to emulate his idol, Radahn adorned his armor with lions, the symbol of Godfrey.[6]

   At some point, the first Elden Lord, Godfrey, was robbed of grace and hounded from the Lands Between. Radahn's father, Radagon, left Rennala to become Queen Marika's new consort and the second Elden Lord.[7] Radahn and his siblings were thus raised to demigod status by their new step-mother, Marika.[8]

   Not wanting to abandon his scrawny but beloved steed, Leonard,[9][10] Radahn studied gravitational magic in Sellia under a master who was an Alabaster Lord.[11] Radahn befriend the Albinauric Gaius, a senior disciple of his teacher, and the two formed a competitive yet friendly rivalry. Radahn's step-brother Messmer the Impaler was also friends with Gaius and the two became as elder brothers to Radahn.[12]

   Mastering gravitational magic allowed Radahn to manipulate the forces of gravity, and to challenge the very stars themselves.[13] Radahn conquered the stars, saving Sellia in the process, using his vast gravitational powers to 'shatter' the stars and arrest their cycles, earning him the moniker of "Starscourge." During this time, he engraved the gravity crest upon his blades.[2][14]

   Radahn's soldiers were known as the Redmanes for the red-maned lion raising a sword in the image of Radahn on their surcoats.[15] The longest serving of the Redmane Knights was Ogha, who studied gravitational techniques alongside Radahn in Sellia.[16] It was popularly said that the Redmanes knew no weakness.[17] At an unknown period in time, Jerren, a guest of the Carian royals, became a guest commander for Radahn's armies, and they swore a mutual oath of honorable death.[18][19]

   When Radahn's half-brother Miquella ascended closer to godhood as an Empyrean, he would soon desire to take Radahn as a consort. Radahn was deeply admired by Miquella for his kindness and strength, seeing qualities of a lord in Radahn since childhood.[20] He made a vow with Radahn, where Radahn would become his consort,[21][22] and in return, Miquella would have to uphold some unspecified part of the vow.[22]

   Advertisement The Shattering Malenia vs Radahn (story trailer) Radahn battling Malenia.

   At some point following the Night of Black Knives, Queen Marika shattered the Elden Ring, and her offspring acquired the Great Runes. The maddening taint of their newfound strength led to the Shattering, a war between Marika's demigod descendants, each seeking to become the new ruler of the Lands Between.[23]

   From his stronghold of Redmane Castle in the Caelid Wilds, Radahn led his armies against the forces of the other demigods. Radahn tried to challenge Godrick the Grafted in Limgrave, but the latter hid in Stormveil Castle.[24]

   By the end of the Shattering, only Radahn and his half-sister Malenia, Blade of Miquella were left standing. The two fought to a stalemate in the Battle of Aeonia, their duel ending inconclusively when Malenia unleashed her Scarlet Rot.[25] As the flower blossomed, Malenia whispered in Radahn's ear "Miquella awaits thee, O promised consort."[26]

   The Scarlet Rot ravaged Caelid, and consumed Radahn from the inside, eating away at his psyche but failing to kill him. Following the Battle of Aeonia, Radahn roams the Wailing Dunes as a mindless beast who devours the flesh of friend and foe alike, howling at the sky.[27] Without their commander, the Redmane Knights burned the crest on the left breast of their armor to indicate their resolve to not return home, and to serve as a bulwark against the spread of the rot in Caelid using fire.[28][29]

   In spite of his madness, Radahn continues to ride his scrawny steed, as well as halt the motions of the stars. The Radahn Festival has been organized by his men in Castle Redmane to celebrate his last battle. It is a gathering of mighty warriors who might finally put the General out of his misery, and claim his Great Rune for themselves. The festival serves as Jerren's way of fulfilling his oath of honorable death to Radahn.[30][31]

   Upon the participation of a Tarnished Champion, the festival is a success, and Radahn is freed from his tortured existence. His death causes the stars to resume their cycles, some of which come crashing down upon the Lands Between. One such falling star lands in Limgrave, opening the path to Nokron, Eternal City, and allowing the fate of Ranni the Witch to progress.[32][33]

   Shadow of the Erdtree Following Radahn's defeat, his soul met its end. However, Miquella sought to revive it,[34] still desiring for Radahn to be his lord consort. Miquella was successful in reviving Radahn, placing his soul into a vessel made from the remains of Mohg, Lord of Blood, another Demigod slain by the same Tarnished who had defeated Radahn.[35] The Tarnished encounters the newly-resurrected Radahn at the Gate of Divinity at the top of Enir-Ilim. Radahn stands guard as Miquella completes his ascension to godhood and battles the Tarnished once more. During the ensuing battle, Miquella steps out of the Gate of Divinity and embraces Radahn as his consort and fights the Tarnished with Radahn.[36] The Tarnished triumphs over Radahn and Miquella, thus preventing Miquella's age of compassion.[37]

7. #7Morgott, the Omen Kingselective

   Keys: omen king, veiled monarch, margit, Marika, Godfrey, Lyndell, morgott

   Morgott is the Veiled Monarch of Leyndell, and the demigod child of Marika and Godfrey. He was imprisoned in the shunning-grounds beneath Leyndell for being born an accursed Omen, but after the Shattering rose to rule Leyndell from the shadows. Using his alter-ego Margit as a disguise, he protects the Erdtree from those emboldened by the flame of ambition.

   Early Life Morgott was born of the Golden Lineage,[1] the offspring of the first Elden Lord, Godfrey and Queen Marika, and was the twin brother of Mohg.[2] The twins were both born as accursed Omen,[3] and as a result were confined to the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds below the capital.[4] Because they were born of royalty, their horns were not excised.[5] Unlike his brother, Morgott would renounce his accursed blood and seal it away within a warped blade of shimmering hue,[6] which was in turn concealed within a wooden staff he carried.

   The Shattering When Queen Marika shattered the Elden Ring, Morgott claimed one of the Great Runes, which proved that he was indeed the Lord of Leyndell. With Leyndell in disarray, Morgott claimed the city for himself and defended it and the Erdtree against his fellow demigods. While he succeeded in securing Leyndell against outsiders, he found that the Erdtree would not admit him, or anyone else, to claim the title of Elden Lord. Despite the fact that he had been reviled as an accursed fiend by the Golden Order, Morgott took it upon himself to become the Erdtree's protector.

   He assumed the name Margit the Fell Omen during the Shattering, slaughtering champions who approached the Erdtree in the hopes of becoming Elden Lord.[7] Under this pseudonym, he also lead the Night's Cavalry, who assisted him in the killing of great warriors, knights and champions.[8] Simultaneously, he ruled Leyndell as the Veiled Monarch.[9] During this time, he was able to somehow both at Stormveil Castle's outer gate and in the battle-torn fields outside of Leyndell, in the lattermost case disguising himself as a commoner.

   After claiming enough shards of the Elden Ring, the Tarnished gains entrance to Leyndell and challenges Morgott at the Elden Throne. Denouncing them and all of his demigod siblings as willful traitors and pillagers emboldened by ambition, he attacks the Tarnished champion. As he begins to falter during the fight, he even unleashes his curse to aid him, although feeling unbearable shame in doing so. Upon his defeat, Morgott warns the Tarnished that the Erdtree would ward them off as it had done for him, and that none may claim the title of Elden Lord. Later, after setting fire to the Erdtree using the Giant's Forge and releasing the Rune of Death, the same Tarnished encounters Godfrey in the throne room, tenderly holding Morgott's body as it fades away.

   He was known as the Grace-Given, as he was presumably awarded grace for his loyalty and dedication to the Erdtree, in spite of being born as "graceless" Omen. Ironically, he mocks the player as "graceless Tarnished" before the fight. His other title is the Veiled Monarch of Leyndell, an alias he assumed as he was unable to publicly reveal himself an Omen to the denizens of the capital. Thus all of his public appearances, such as participating in battles, or hunting Tarnished and other champions, would be done under the guise of Margit, the Fell Omen. The spectral weapons he can summon during his fights are the Treespear, Giant-Crusher, Erdsteel Dagger, and the Carian Knight's Sword. While the first three are associated with the Erdtree and its warriors or nobility, the lattermost is a curious choice given Morgott and Caria's shared association with the night.

8. #8Godwyn The Golden

   Keys: mending rune of death prince, Godwyn the Gold, Marika, those who live in death, night of black knives, prince of death, demigod, fia

   Godwyn the Golden is a background character in Elden Ring. He was a demigod and the firstborn son of Queen Marika the Eternal and Godfrey the First Elden Lord. In the Night of the Black Knives, he was assassinated by Black Knife Assassins with the use of daggers imbued with the Rune of Death, stolen from Maliketh, the Black Blade. His death would precipitate the Shattering, a war between the demigods which would be responsible for much of the current state of the Lands Between.

   Godwyn was a scion of the so-called "Golden Line", of which Godrick the Grafted was the final descendant. Early in his mother's divine reign, the Erdtree came under assault by the Ancient Dragons, who had ruled the world before Marika's ascent. The forces of the Erdtree managed to triumph against the ancient dragons, with Godwyn prevailing against the dreaded Fortissax, earning the mighty dragon's friendship in the process.

   Seeking to be free from her fate as a pawn of the Greater Will, Godwyn's half-sister Lunar Princess Ranni stole a fragment of the rune of death, imbuing the weapons of Numen assassins with the rune. Ranni wished to shed her Empyrean body but preserve her spirit, which meant that someone else's spirit would need to die. Nevertheless, when the assassins fell upon the Royal Capital and murdered Godwyn, his soul was destroyed and left only his soulless body behind. He was the first demigod in history to die since the ascension of Marika to the throne of the Lands Between.

   Godwyn's death would be the catalyst for the Shattering of the Elden Ring, plunging the kingdom into chaos without the guidance of the Greater Will. Due to Ranni's ritual, Godwyn's flesh was branded with half of the Cursemark of Death and he became the first of Those Who Live in Death. His body was laid to rest deep in the roots of the Erdtree, but it would eventually corrupt it, leading Deathroot to sprout across the Lands Between, causing others to also rise in undeath. These undead worshipped Godwyn as the Prince of Death, believing he would eventually return and lead them. An aspect of Godwyn's corpse appeared in the depths of Stormveil Castle and is responsible for the loss of Rogier's legs. Many figures, including his half-brother Miquella and his companion Fortissax, tried to cure him of his condition and allow him a proper death (see Golden Epitaph), but to no avail. Fortissax would also become corrupted because of his failure to defeat the Death within Godwyn (see Remembrance of the Lichdragon).

   The deathbed companion Fia would become a leading figure among Those Who Live in Death, eventually making her way to Godwyn's corpse. Having received the other half of the cursemark from Ranni's discarded body with help of the Tarnished, Fia lay with Godwyn to grant him a second life as the Prince of Death. As a result of their union, Fia conceived a rune, which a Tarnished seeking to become Elden Lord might use to mend the Elden Ring, reimbuing the principle of death within the Golden Order.

9. #9Fia the Deathbed Companion

   Keys: mending rune of death prince, Godwyn the Gold, Marika, those who live in death, D, night of black knives, Fia the Deathbed Companion, Rogier, prince of death, demigod · Secondary: Fia the Deathbed Companion

   Fia was once a Deathbed Companion. She would receive the warmth and vigor from champions, and then lay with the remains of an exalted noble, to grant him another chance at life.[1] This was the sole purpose of Fia's existence, and was considered a sacred act in her homeland.[2]

   However, before Fia could bear the noble into new life, she was awakened by the guidance of grace, and chased from her birthplace, travelling to the Lands Between.[3] At some point she met a chivalrous knight by the name of Lionel the Lionhearted. Upon meeting the exiled Fia, Lionel declared himself to be her father, and became her loyal companion..[4]

   Fia found herself in Roundtable Hold, where she continued to perform her role as a Deathbed Companion. Here, she encountered Rogier, a spellblade obsessed with Those Who Live in Death, and a Tarnished champion seeking to become Elden Lord. Rogier began an investigation into the events surrounding the Night of Black Knives, which had led to the death of Godwyn, aided by the Tarnished champion. Fia subtly aided the pair in their investigation, pointing them towards the Black Knifeprint[5], and granted her services to the Tarnished champion, taking their warmth and vigor in exchange for her blessings.

   Unbeknownst to the other Tarnished of Roundtable Hold, Fia was the companion of Godwyn, the Prince of Death, and wished to become a mother to Those Who Live in Death.[6] After asking the Tarnished to return a Weathered Dagger to D, Hunter of the Dead, Fia kills D, who was in possession of one half of the Cursemark of Death[7], and returns the Cursemark to the malformed corpse of Godwyn in Deeproot Depths. She then solicits the assistance of the Tarnished in retrieving the other half of the Cursemark, which she uses to gestate a Mending Rune that can embed the principle of Life in Death into Order.[8]

   D, Beholder of Death, seeking revenge for his brother, D, kills Fia after she creates her Mending Rune.

10. #10Queen Marika the Eternal

    Keys: Godwyn, Numen, Two Fingers, Godfrey, Melina, Shattering, Erdtree, Mogh, Golden Order, Miquella, gate of Divinity, Goddess, Morgott, Hornsent, Messmer, Shamans, Marika, Malenia, Radagon, Elden Beast

    Queen Marika the Eternal is a background character in Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree. She is the current ruler of the Lands Between, and the one who shattered the Elden Ring. She is central to much of the game's narrative and lore. She has many powerful Demigod offspring, who seek the Elden Ring's remaining power (see Elden Ring Timeline).

    Queen Marika the Eternal is a god and the current vessel of the Elden Ring. She reigns as the divine sovereign of the Lands Between, and her Demigod offspring are shardbearers in possession of the Great Runes. She is the most influential figure in the world of Elden Ring.

    "Now, Queen Marika the Eternal is nowhere to be found, and in the Night of the Black Knives Godwyn the Golden was first to perish. Soon, Marika's offspring, demigods all, claimed the shards of the Elden Ring. The mad taint of their newfound strength triggered the Shattering." Quote from intro.

    Queen Marika's Story Queen Marika is the vessel for the Elden Ring, and by extension the Greater Will. The runes that constitute the Elden Ring represent the laws that govern the world, currently the Golden Order, which was founded by Queen Marika. The Elden Ring was shattered into shards referred to as Great Runes, which are in the possession of Marika's offspring.

    Origins and the Land of Shadow Marika is a Numen, a race of people that originate from outside the Lands Between. During the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, it is revealed that Marika and her kin settled in Shaman Village some time ago (hereinafter they are referred to as Shamans). Phantom dialogue and item descriptions found in Bonny Village further reveal that the Shamans were cruelly oppressed by the Hornsent, the past rulers of the Land of Shadow, and were tortured with whips (see Tooth Whip) and stuffed into jars (see Bonny Butchering Knife) as part of ancient rituals. Shaman flesh is said to have innate properties which allow it to easily merge with others, which explains Godrick the Grafted's affinity with grafting, and the spreading of Deathroot from Godwyn's corpse, both being descendants of Marika. These practices gave rise to the Jar Innards creatures found in gaols within the Land of Shadow. The goal of the hornsent's actions against the shaman seemed to be to turn them into saints. At some point she became an Empyrean and received the shadowbound beast Maliketh who was loyal only to her (see Remembrance of the Black Blade).

    After ascending to godhood at the Gate of Divinity, Marika would wage a genocidal war against the Hornsent, led by Messmer, the Impaler. Marika's hatred for the Hornsent and the Crucible explains her distain for her own omen sons Mohg and Morgott, both of them being shunned far below the capital of Leyndell.

    For pity's sake, your place is in the jar. Nigh-sainthood itself awaits you within. For shamans like you, this is your lot. Life were you accorded for this alone." - Phantom in Bonny Village

    The Lands Between Marika envisioned a world without True Death, establishing the Golden Order after becoming the reigning monarch of the Lands Between. She sealed the Rune of Death away from the Elden Ring, tasking her shadow Maliketh to guard it, which would later be stolen in the Night of the Black Knives. Under the Golden Order, there can never be True Death, and all living beings undergo a cycle of reincarnation back to the Erdtree.

    Marika would take Godfrey as her first consort, of who would become the first Elden Lord. Godfrey would then lead her armies and wage wars to quell opposition to the Erdtree (see Protection of the Erdtree), such as the war against the Fire Giants (see Smithing Stone (8)) which led to the slaying of the Fell God. Once the last of Marika's enemies fell, it was said that the hue from Godfrey's eyes faded (see Elden Lord Crown), and he was banished from the Lands Between, along with his kin, and were divested of their grace. Godfrey would lead them on what is known as The Long March, to distant lands outside The Lands Between, thus creating the first Tarnished (see Remembrance of Hoarah Loux).

    Radagon would become Marika's second consort, and thus the second Elden Lord. After the Elden Ring was shattered, Queen Marika would be punished by the Greater Will and imprisoned within the Erdtree (the Elden Beast, which is the vassal of the Greater Will, is implied to have crucified Marika, as during the boss battle it can crucify the Tarnished in a similar pose to Marika). Marika would then beckon the Tarnished to return to the Lands Between, extending her grace, along with the guidance of the Two Fingers, in hopes of ushering in the third Elden Lord.

    In the endings where the Tarnished mends the Elden Ring and becomes the new Elden Lord, they are also said to become Marika's third consort.

    Duality with Radagon § By using the Law of Regression incantation on the statue of Radagon on Leyndell, Royal Capital, the Tarnished learns that Radagon and Marika are both the same person. Marika's Hammer also reveals that Marika was the one that shattered the Elden Ring, while Radagon used the same hammer to try and repair it, suggesting that although they are the same being, they have fundamentally different ideals. This is further supported in one of the spoken echoes, "O Radagon, leal hound of the Golden Order. Thou'rt yet to become me. Thou'rt yet to become a god. Let us be shattered, both. Mine other self”.

    Queen Marika's Children Godfrey and Marika together had Godwyn the Golden, as well as the twin omens Mohg and Morgott, the first of the demigods. Marika's other half, Radagon, married the Carian Queen, Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. They would have three children together: Radahn, Praetor Rykard, and the Lunar Princess Ranni. Ranni, unlike her siblings, would be chosen by the Two Fingers as a potential successor to Queen Marika and elevated to Empyrean status. Like Marika, she would be granted her own shadow, Blaidd. The union of Marika and Radagon gave birth to the twin Empyreans Malenia and Miquella. Both are born with severe afflictions, dialogue from pastor Miriel hints to this being part of the consequences of Radagon's broken vows to Rennala; "Severing a vow, strongest of bonds, has consequences ever more dire". In the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, it is revealed that Marika has a son that was hidden away in the Land of Shadow, Messmer the Impaler. Messmer's Kindling also hints that Melina is the younger sister of Messmer, validating that Marika is her mother, and so she, by extension, is a demigod as well.

    Overview Early Life Marika Ascension Marika at the Gate of Divinity

    Marika was a Numen, as well as a Shaman from the Shaman Village in the Hinterlands.[4] The Hornsent considered the flesh of Shamans to meld harmoniously with others,[5] and utilised this property in the jar rituals conducted on persecuted criminals, who were sliced up and stuffed into the jars to be reborn as saints instead.[6][7] The people of Marika's village were stolen away from their home to be used for this purpose.[8]

    Marika was at some point recognised as an Empyrean by the Two Fingers and gifted a Shadowbound Beast: her half-brother Maliketh. She later ascended to godhood at the Gate of Divinity atop the tower of Enir-Ilim,[9] becoming the vessel for the Elden Ring.[10] This affair led to the birth of the Erdtree and Scadutree,[11][12] and was considered a betrayal by the Hornsent.

    Prior to or following her ascension, Marika came into conflict with another Empyrean known as the Gloam-Eyed Queen. After emerging victorious, and desiring a world free of Destined Death, she removed the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring,[13] using Maliketh as a vessel to lock it away,[14] thus establishing the Golden Order.[15][16]

    At some point during this period, Marika took the warrior Godfrey as her consort, who became both the first demigod and first Elden Lord.[17][18]

    Eventually, Marika returned to the abandoned Shaman Village for the last time. After cutting off a braid of her hair and leaving it as an offering to the Grandmother, she bathed her home in the healing light of gold, knowing full well that there was no one to heal, and would never return.[4][19]

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    Age of the Erdtree In the early days, everything was in opposition to the Erdtree.[20] With Godfrey’s aid,[21] Marika waged a War Against the Giants atop the frigid northern mountains, whose Flame of Ruin was capable of burning the Erdtree.[22] Ultimately victorious, Marika was believed to have slain the Fell God of the Fire Giants.[23] Upon learning that the Flame of Ruin would never die, however, she cursed the last of the giants to tend to it for eternity.[24] Marika declared the path the mountains as Forbidden Lands and excised details of the war from history.[25]

    Marika and Godfrey would rule together and have at least three children: Godwyn the Golden and the twins Morgott and Mohg. The twins were both born as accursed Omen and were hidden in the depths below the capital. Even so, Godfrey and his Golden Lineage would be counted as the first of the demigods.[26] Godfrey went on to conquer many lands for the Erdtree.

    Liurnian Wars Queen Marika desired to conquer Liurnia of the Lakes, the land of the Academy of Raya Lucaria and the Carian Royal Family. She declared war on the glintstone sorcerers and sent a golden host led by her secret other half: a red-haired champion named Radagon. The champions of the moon, led by Rennala, repelled the glorious warriors of the Erdtree for a time but it ended in a draw. In the second Liurnian War, Radagon invades again but this time, he uses the Celestial Dew at the Church of Vows in a ritual to recant his aggressions and seek absolution. The Carian Queen accepted and their wrongdoings were washed away. The two were wed and produced three children: Radahn, Rykard, and Ranni.

    Godfrey's banishment With her rule secure, Marika announced her intention to search the depths of the Golden Order, declaring the early days of blind belief a thing long past.[27] When Godfrey's last foe fell it was said the hue of his eyes had faded.[28] Marika banished him and his kinfolk from the Lands Between, robbing them of their grace,[29] thus creating the first Tarnished, all in the hope that they would grow stronger by waging war in lands outside her rule, dying, and then eventually being revived with their guidance of grace returned.[30]

    Marika sent her son Messmer away on a crusade into the lands of the Hornsent. Despite her precautions, her fear of the Abyssal Serpent sealed within him led her to trap him within the Realm of Shadow, where he would wage war to exterminate the Hornsent and devastate their lands. No matter how many of her enemies burned in his flame, however, Messmer received no sign from Marika to end his crusade. To hide away these actions and the true nature of her godhood, Marika hid the Realm of Shadow behind a magical veil to obscure it from public knowledge.

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    King Consort Radagon After Godfrey's banishment from the Lands Between, Marika took Radagon as second husband and King Consort, elevating him to become the second Elden Lord.[31] Radagon already had three children with Queen Rennala of the Carian Royal Family, and after his union with Marika, she would raise her new step-children, Radahn, Rykard and Ranni, to demigod status.[32]

    Marika and Radagon would go on to have two more children of their own, the twins Malenia and Miquella,[33] who like Marika herself and Radagon's daughter Ranni, were Empyreans,[34] and were thus potential successors to Marika. However, Radagon and Marika were in truth the same. Radagon was described as Marika's male "other self".[35] Thus the twins were the children of a single god, and they were both born afflicted: Malenia with rotting sickness and Miquella with eternal childhood.[36]

    Night of Black Knives On the Night of Black Knives, a fragment of the Rune of Death was stolen from Maliketh.[37] For a long time it was not known who was behind the plot,[38] but it is finally revealed it was in fact Ranni who stole the fragment of the rune to forge god-slaying black knives through a fearsome rite.[39]

    The Black Knife Assassins, Numen women purported to have close ties to Marika herself,[40] used these knives to slay Godwyn the Golden, the first recorded death of a demigod in all history.[41] Queen Marika is said to have been driven to the brink by this event,[42] and some time later she shattered the Elden Ring using her hammer.[43] She had already instructed her demigod children to fight for the positions of Elden Lord and that of godhood.[44]

    The Shattering Elden Ring Screenshot 05 Marika shattered the Elden Ring

    Fragments of the ring splintered into Great Runes and spread across the Lands Between, starting a conflict between her demigod children. War after war was fought, but there was no victor.[45] For her part, Marika would be imprisoned inside the Erdtree,[46] possibly by the Elden Beast or the Greater Will itself.[47]

    True to her promise to Godfrey and his warriors, grace was restored to the banished Tarnished.[48] They would rise from their graves, and journey to the Lands Between to once again brandish the Elden Ring. The Tarnished formed the Roundtable Hold, where they worked to realize the goal given to them by Marika. They would be served by a Misbegotten blacksmith named Hewg, whom Marika herself had charged with smithing a "god-slaying weapon" before his imprisonment in the Hold.[49]

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    Endings ER Queen Marika Panorama Marika shattered and imprisoned inside the Erdtree

    Eventually, a Tarnished champion manages to fight their way into the Erdtree, where the shattered Marika lay imprisoned. Marika is suddenly released from her bonds, with Radagon asserting control of their shared body and confronting the Tarnished. After defeating Radagon and the Elden Beast itself, the Tarnished may choose what to do with the fractured body of Marika. Marika's head is restored to her frame if the Elden Ring is mended, either by itself or with a Mending Rune. If Ranni is summoned, she picks up Marika's head gently, peacefully dissipating along with the rest of her body. If the Tarnished is the Lord of Frenzied Flame, Marika's head breaks apart and crumbles into ash.

    By choosing to go down the Elden Lord path, whether the regular one or using any of the three Mending Runes to fix the Elden Ring within Marika, the Tarnished champion ushers in a new age. They become the third Elden Lord and effectively Marika's new consort in every one of them,[50] except in the Age of the Stars (where they become consort to Ranni) and in the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending (where they make the whole world burn). However, Queen Marika remains shattered and unresponsive, with only the Elden Ring itself shining brightly within her body.

    Melina tells the Tarnished fragments of Marika's words: the Echoes of Marika. They are all the dialogues:

    First Church of Marika Hark, brave warriors. Hark, my lord Godfrey. We commend your deeds. Guidance hath delivered ye through each ordeal, to the place ye stand. Put the Giants to the sword, and confine the flame atop the mount. Let a new epoch begin. An epoch glistening with life. Brandish the Elden Ring, for the Age of the Erdtree!

    Grand Lift of Dectus The Erdtree governs all. The choice is thine. Become one with the Order. Or divest thyself of it. To wallow at the fringes; a powerless upstart.

    Minor Erdtree Church I declare mine intent, to search the depths of the Golden Order. Through understanding of the proper way, our faith, our grace, is increased. Those blissful early days of blind belief are long past. My comrades; why must ye falter?

    Third Church of Marika My Lord, and thy warriors. I divest each of thee of thy grace. With thine eyes dimmed, ye will be driven from the Lands Between. Ye will wage war in a land afar, where ye will live, and die.

    Outer Wall Battleground Hear me, Demigods. My children beloved. Make of thyselves that which ye desire. Be it a Lord. Be it a God. But should ye fail to become aught at all, ye will be forsaken. Amounting only to sacrifices...

    Church of Pilgrimage Then, after thy death, I will give back what I once claimed. Return to the Lands Between, wage war, and brandish the Elden Ring. Grow strong in the face of death. Warriors of my lord. Lord Godfrey.

    Queen's Bedchamber O Radagon, leal hound of the Golden Order. Thou'rt yet to become me. Thou'rt yet to become a god. Let us be shattered, both. Mine other self.

11. #11Melina, the Kindling Maiden

    Keys: , Golden Order, Marika, Flame of Ruin, KIndling Maiden, Maiden, Melina

    Melina is a mysterious, spectral girl who is the deuteragonist of Elden Ring. She offers an alliance with the Tarnished to help them on their journey.

    Overview Background Melina reveal Melina's burned hands

    Melina has long observed the Lands Between.[1] She was born at the foot of the Erdtree.[2][3] She is a secret child of Queen Marika, but not born of a mother. Unlike Messmer or Morgott, Melina does not recall Marika with fondness.[4]

    At some point long ago, Melina bore a vision of fire.[5] She was burned, leaving her bodiless;[6] a drifting spirit bound to Grace.[7]. Like her brother Messmer,[8] she was assigned a purpose by Marika.[3] However, she was unable to remember it. And so, Melina traveled with the spectral steed Torrent in search of the Tarnished who would lead her back to the foot of the Erdtree. There, she may ascertain her given purpose.

    The Tarnished Melina cloacked 2 Melina offers an accord

    Melina and Torrent spot a washed-up, maidenless Tarnished whom she believes is fortunate.[9] Sometime later, she approaches to offer them an accord: She could play the role of the missing Finger Maiden in return for a ride to the foot of the Erdtree.[10] If the player desires the strength of runes, and, if they accept the accord, Melina entrusts them with the Spectral Steed Whistle and, therefore, Torrent.

    When Melina starts traveling with the Tarnished, she advises them to follow the guidance of Grace and seek the shardbearer at Stormveil Castle.[11] Once the Tarnished defeats the demigod, Melina confesses that she was testing the Tarnished to see if they truly possessed the guidance of grace and if they were fit for the challenges to come. Satisfied with her new companion, Melina offers to take them to Roundtable Hold, a gathering place for Tarnished champions.[12] Throughout their journey, Melina also provides specks of guidance at certain sites of grace and, at churches dedicated to Queen Marika, she offers to reveal words spoken by Marika herself in the distant past.[13]

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    Leyndell, Royal Capital ER Icon weapon Blade of Calling Melina looks for her purpose

    Upon arriving at their destination, the Royal Capital at the foot of the Erdtree, Melina thanks the Tarnished for escorting her and leaves to ascertain her purpose, claiming that she can govern her movement more freely there. She entrusts the power of runes and Torrent to the Tarnished.[7] She will also offer her aid should the Tarnished challenge Morgott, the Omen King, ruler of Leyndell and guardian of the Erdtree.

    After defeating Morgott, the Tarnished finds the path into the Erdtree barred by thorns refusing entrance to all. Melina, having ascertained her purpose and seeing the Tarnished stuck, rejoins the Tarnished to say that she can burn the Erdtree to gain entrance inside, provided that she can get ahold of the Giants' Flame. And hence, she asks to go on a new journey, this time to the flame of ruin, far above the clouds, upon the snowy Mountaintops of the Giants.[14] and tells them she will take care of the "kindling" required to set the tree alight.[15]

    Defeating Morgott also opens a path to the Three Fingers. If the Tarnished rests at the nearest grace from their entombment, Melina will warn against meeting them and insist against inheriting the Frenzied Flame, for it would end all lives and births, which she cherishes.[16] If the player ignores her warnings, or just inherits the Frenzied Flame without speaking with her, she will say that The Tarnished is no longer fit, ending her accord, and forever leaving their side but threatening to kill them should they become Lord of Chaos.[17] If the Tarnished instead heeds her warnings, Melina and the protagonist will continue their journey for the flame of ruin.

    Cardinal Sin

    When making their way to the Forge of the Giants, Melina clarifies that she is now acting of her own volition, regardless of the purpose that her mother gave her.[18] After defeating the guardian of the flame, Melina puts her plan into action. She takes the Tarnished's hand, narcotizing them by doing so, and proceeds to sacrifice herself to channel the flame of ruin, setting the Erdtree aflame.[19] The Tarnished, maidenless once more, wakes up at Crumbling Farum Azula. There, they must confront the Black Blade Maliketh and recover the Rune of Death. In this, Melina fulfills her purpose: "The one who walks alongside flame, Shall one day meet the road of Destined Death."[20]

    Destined Death

    In a cutscene for the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending, a chorus of whistling leads a transformed Melina to the Spectral Steed Whistle. She recovers the smoldering ring from a pile of ash and holds it in her open palm. As the final remnants of Torrent are consumed by the Frenzied Flame, she vows retribution upon the player in the form of Destined Death.[21]

    After resting at a Site of Grace (outside of the Church of Elleh) on the overland, Melina will manifest herself and reflect on the absence of a guidance during your journey so far, appearing out of the air with a blueish aura around her. Melina proposes an accord: to act as your "maiden", that is, as a guide throughout your journey, for you are "maidenless". In exchange, she requests you take her with you to the Erdtree. She volunteers to "turn your Runes into strength", enabling you to level up your character. She will also bequeath a ring, the Spectral Steed Whistle, allowing you to summon the spectral steed Torrent who has "chosen you". At the next Site of Grace you rest at before entering Stormveil Castle, selecting the "Talk to Melina" option will trigger a conversation about the Sites of Grace. During this, Melina conveys the golden auras at the different Sites of Grace are in fact the grace of the Erdtree, and by following them, the grace will guide you through your burden. She informs you that a Shardbearer resides in Stormveil Castle, and that if the rays signal the castle, the Elden Ring is beckoning you. At the next Site of Grace you rest at before entering Stormveil Castle, selecting the "Talk to Melina" option will trigger a conversation with Melina about her purpose, where she describes her search for her purpose and also apologizes for acting as a Finger Maiden while being unable to offer guidance, as she is "no maiden" and without purpose. At the Third Church of Marika, when resting at the grace and selecting the "Talk to Melina" option, Melina will appear and declare that spoken echoes of Queen Marika the Eternal are present, and if you wish she will convey them to you. Select the "I'm interested" dialogue option and she will continue to describe the echoes. At the Church of Pilgrimage, in the north of the Weeping Peninsula, when resting at the grace and selecting the "Talk to Melina" option, Melina will again appear and give the option to elucidate on the echoes. Upon reaching the East Capital Rampart Site of Grace (or any grace in Leyndell), Melina will appear and say that she will be leaving, but that she will let you keep Torrent and the ability to turn runes into power. She reasserts her confidence that you will become the Elden Lord. Melina may be summoned for the fight against Morgott, the Omen King via a sign directly outside the boss arena. After defeating Morgott, trying and failing to enter the Erdtree and resting at the Elden Throne Site of Grace, Melina appears. She offers a new accord: to bring her "to the flame of ruin, far above the clouds, upon snowy mountaintops of the giants", so she can set the Erdtree aflame, and help you become Elden Lord. Melina will then have additional dialogue when resting at certain Sites of Grace, the Godrick the Grafted Site of Grace for example. She will remind the player of the new goal in the land of the giants. She can then be spoken to a second time, and she will say that although her purpose was giving to her by her mother, she is now acting on her own volition and has "set [her] heart upon the world that [she] would have. Regardless of [her] mother's designs." Melina must be talked to in the Forge of the Giants Grace, and her quest will be fulfilled. If the player has inherited the Frenzied Flame despite Melina pleading them not to do it, Melina will not appear in this grace. Instead, she will appear after the ending of the game if the player continues with the Frenzied Flame path, and will threaten the Lord of Frenzied Flame with Destined Death.

12. #12The Lands Between

    Keys: Gelmir, Aeonia, Ainsel, Nokstella, Leyndell, The Lands Between, Realm of Shadows, Mountaintop, Deeprot, Raya Lucaria, Caelid, Haligtree, Consecrated snowfield, Altus, Nokron, Lurnia, Farum Azula, Caria, Siofra, Forbidden Lands, Limgrave · Secondary: TLB

    The Lands Between (狭間の地, Hazama no Chi) is the name given to the setting of Elden Ring. It is a vast realm formerly ruled by Queen Marika the Eternal.

    Overview The Lands Between is an insular landmass featuring diverse biomes, including lush southern grasslands, a temperate central region, and a frozen, mountainous north. The Erdtree dominates the skyline, its golden presence visible across most of the realm. Two great underground rivers and an enormous root system span the length of the continent.

    Regions The Lands Between consists of several contrasting regions, each with their own distinct environments. They are:

    I. Limgrave: Verdant plains, misty forests, and Stormveil Castle. Limgrave is located in the southwestern corner of the Lands Between. A temperate land of green plains and golden trees, with windswept hills to the north and a dense, mist-shrouded woodland to the east. To the south lies the Weeping Peninsula, an isolated region known for its unceasing rain. Godrick the Grafted presides over Limgrave from Stormveil Castle, to the northwest, and to the northeast lies the region of Caelid. Stormveil Castle perches atop a cliff overlooking Limgrave. Currently, it is the stronghold of the Demigod Godrick the Grafted, but long ago it was ruled over by an old king, back when the true storm raged.[1] The castle is heavily guarded and patrolled by Banished Knights, Exile Soldiers, and warhawks with blades grafted to their talons.[2] The exterior of the castle is mottled with craters lined with thorns, which have also spread to the soldiers within. It is said that the source may be hidden deep within the castle.[

    II. Liurnia: A scholarly hub dominated by the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Liurnia is the westernmost region of the Lands Between. Characterized by its vast forests, sheer cliffs, and ever-present fog, the majority of the region is sinking into a lake. On the eastern side, the Bellum Highway runs north to south, connecting the area to the regions of Altus Plateau and Limgrave. The western coast is closely associated with the Carian royal family, and this is where their Manor stands. The Academy of Raya Lucaria rises above the lake in the center of the region, at a junction between two highroads, with the Academy Gate Town spreading around it, slowly disappearing into the waters. Raya Lucaria Academy: The Academy of Raya Lucaria sits in the middle of the great lake of Liurnia, and is the place of study for Glintstone Sorcerers.[1] Long ago, Rennala charmed the Academy with her lunar magic. She became the Academy's master and established the house of Caria as royalty.[2] However, when Rennala's husband Radagon left her to become the second Elden Lord,[3] Rennala's heart went along with him. Those at the Academy then realised that Rennala was no champion,[4] and she was confined to the great library. She still clutches the amber egg given to her by Radagon, which contains the Great Rune of the Unborn.[5]

    The Academy offers multiple fields of study, known as Conspectuses. Scholars of note are permitted to don Glintstone Crowns modelled after notable sorcerers in their chosen fields of study.[6] Azur and Lusat, regarded as founding glintstone sorcerers,[7] founded the Karolos and Olivinus Conspectuses, respectively. Most of the sorcerers found within wear Glintstone Crowns that denote their area of study, and hint at the types of sorceries they may wield.

    The Academy declared that it would not take part in The Shattering, and repelling seals were cast upon its doors, blocking outside access to anyone not in possession of a Academy Glintstone Key.

    Caria Manor: A large estate in the north-west of Liurnia. The manor was once the home of the Carian Royal Family[1], who ruled over Liurnia and governed the Academy of Raya Lucaria.[2] After the Academy turned on the Carians, the Cuckoo Knights launched an assault on the manor, catching the Carian Knights off guard. However, the Cuckoos were caught in a magic snare which keeps their souls trapped within the manor.[3] In recent times, there have been rumours of vassals of the royal family gathering in the manor's grounds, possibly including the secretive Ranni the Witch.[4]

    III. Caelid: War-ravaged lands plagued by the scarlet rot. A wasteland on the south-eastern tip of the Lands Between, plagued by Scarlet Rot and inhabited by all manner of malformed creatures. Caelid was the site of the battle between General Radahn and Malenia, Blade of Miquella, during which the first flower of Aeonia bloomed and covered the region in Scarlet Rot. Radahn's army, the Redmanes, continue to combat the rot using fire to this day. A large plateau to Caelids's north. Elder Dragon Greyoll and her children, the Dragons, made their nest here after escaping the Scarlet Rot, earning it it's name. A vast swamp in the center of Caelid, mired in Scarlet Rot. The final battle between General Radahn and Malenia, Blade of Miquella took place here[1], during which the Scarlet Aeonia bloomed and engulfed the region in rot. The remnants of Malenia's Cleanrot army can still be found in the swamp.

    IV. Altus Plateau: The golden land of Leyndell, graced by the Erdtree's presence. The Altus Plateau is a northwestern region of the Lands Between. It is a region of great significance, for it is here that the Erdtree can be found, as well as Leyndell, the royal capital of Queen Marika. Altus borders Liurnia of the Lakes to the south, and the Forbidden Lands which lead to the Mountaintops of the Giants to the east. Due to its high elevation, Altus is connected to its neighbouring regions primarily through two lifts; the Grand Lift of Dectus to the south and the Grand Lift of Rold to the east. There is another, more dangerous path to Liurnia that goes through the mountains separating the two regions.

    Altus is a lush and verdant land, once over-flowing with the bounty of the Erdtree itself. Most of the vegetation that grows in Altus is tinged with the gold of the Erdtree, and flowers that grow on the plateau are prized reagents by Perfumers. The people of the plateau believed that those born at the foot of the Erdtree, like themselves, were blessed. While still beautiful, the land is marred by scars from the Shattering, left over from the many battles waged here. The land is dotted by ruined battlefields and soldier's camps.

    The western parts of Altus are mountainous and dominated by the volcanic Mt. Gelmir. At the top of the mountain lies the Volcano Manor, home to the demigod Praetor Rykard. At the foot of the mountain lies bubbling geysers as well as a village of Demihumans.

    In the north of Altus, through a deep canyon, lies the Shaded Castle, ancient manor of the Marais family who served as both executioners and castellans of the Shaded Castle for generations. The castle lies in disrepair, haunted by Wraith-Callers and Revenants, and with most of its courtyard sinking into a poison swamp.

    The eastern parts of Altus are dominated by Leyndell, Queen Marika's royal capital, built at the foot of the Erdtree. Two primary paths lead into the capital grounds; one from the southwest and one from the northwest. The southwestern path is the main road, a well-maintained and well-guarded highway gloriously decorated with statues of Queen Marika's soldiers. The capital grounds are defended by double ramparts. Within the outer wall, to the northeast, lies a Minor Erdtree. Just outside the outer wall, on an outcropping north of the southwestern highway, lies the Giant-Conquering Hero's Grave, final resting place of a hero who fought against the Giants.

    The inner wall of the capital is surrounded by a moat, which appears to have mostly dried out, as its waters are now shallow. Within the inner walls, the Royal Capital is bounded by a lake, which serves as yet another layer of protection. The capital is ruled by the Demigod Morgott, known also as the Veiled Monarch.

    Sub-regions: -Mt. Gelmir: A volcano in western Altus Plateau, which houses the Volcano Manor at its summit. It is characterized by sheer cliffs and ominous skies, qualities which grew more pronounced in the wake of The Shattering. The dried-up Seethewater River runs along the base of the volcano, with geysers that spew jets of boiling water. The river terminates on the west side, near Fort Laiedd where the forces of Leyndell are locked in conflict with the Fire Monks. The Hermit Village, inhabited by Demi-Humans and Glintstone Sorcerers, sits on the southeastern edge of the volcano. Primeval Sorcerer Azur, one of the founding Glintstone Sorcerers, settled near the village after his banishment from the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Mt. Gelmir was the site of the most horrendous conflict of the Shattering, which has left scars that can still be found. Ruined campsites litter the cliffsides. Some Leyndell Soldiers remain, driven to frenzy by the horrors they saw. The Volcano Manor, which sits atop the mountain, is the home of the Demigod Praetor Rykard, who once led a company of inquisitors. After the Elden Ring was broken, Rykard fed himself to the blasphemous serpent, Great Rune and all, in defiance of the gods. His knights abandoned him when his noble ambitions were reduced to gluttony and depravity, yet his consort, Tanith, remained by his side. Rykard is now served by the Recusants; a band of Tarnished who hunt their own kind.

    -Capital Outskirts: Leyndell, the city of the Erdtree, is a metropolis enclosed by double ramparts. The land surrounding the capital proper, within the outer wall, comprises the Capital Outskirts. During The Shattering, the Outskirts were ravaged by war, and the battlegrounds are still strewn with corpses. Wooden trebuchets lie in ruins, amidst abandoned encampments, and giant censers can be seen protruding from the ground.

    -Leyndell: Leyndell, Royal Capital sits at the foot of the Erdtree on Altus Plateau. It is enclosed by double ramparts[1], with the city proper contained within the inner wall. The current lord of Leyndell is Morgott the Grace-Given[2], a Demigod of the Golden Lineage[3] who took it upon himself to become the Erdtree's protector, despite being born a graceless Omen.[4] Long ago, the city was assaulted by the colossal Ancient Dragon Gransax- the only time in recorded history that Leyndell's walls have fallen. This marked the dawn of the war against the Ancient Dragons.[5] The war came to an end when Godwyn the Golden befriended the dread Fortissax[6], an event which gave rise to the capital's Ancient Dragon Cult.[7] Gransax's corpse can still be found towering over much of the city. The Fortified Manor, in the south-western portion of the city, is a perfect likeness of the Roundtable Hold. Unlike the Hold, where Tarnished champions gather, the Manor sits abandoned. Far below the city is the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, a network of sewers and waterways inhabited by the Omen. The Leyndell Catacombs also branch off from this underground realm. Even further below lies the Cathedral of the Forsaken, where a tribe of nomadic merchants were entombed so as to bury the maddening disease that followed them.[8] In their underground prison they chanted a curse of despair, summoning the Flame of Frenzy.[9] The Elden Throne sits beneath the Erdtree, in the south-eastern area of the city. It is here that Morgott stands guard, determined to protect the Erdtree from would-be champions.

    V. Mountaintops of the Giants: A frigid and forbidden region tied to ancient Fire Giants. The northern Mountaintops were once the home of the Fire Giants, after they claimed them from the ice dragons. At the birth of the Erdtree, the forces of Queen Marika the Eternal and Godfrey, First Elden Lord marched up the mountain and put the Giants to the sword. With the Giants defeated, the Flame of Ruin was confined within the Giants' Forge atop the mount, and the Age of the Erdtree began. The Fire Monks, who were left behind to watch over the Flame of Ruin, can be found patrolling the region. They are often accompanied by the Guilty: thorn sorcerers who were banished to the north. Their fortress, the Guardians' Garrison, sits on the eastern side of the mountain. The Zamor Ruins in the south-west are the home of an ancient clan of Zamor Warriors. They were ancient enemies of the Fire Giants, and are regarded as heroes due to their actions in the War Against the Giants. The Mountaintops were also home to the astrologers, neighbours of the Giants and predecessors to the modern Glintstone Sorcerers. The ruins of their civilisation can be found in the central Mountaintops. The northernmost section of the Mountaintops is dominated by Castle Sol, where the site of an eclipse once inspired dreadful awe. Half of a medallion that will grant access to Miquella's Haligtree can be found here, protected by Commander Niall. The medallion can be used at the Grand Lift of Rold to gain access to the Consecrated Snowfield, which sprawls to the west of the Mountaintops. The Albinaurics, and others who revere Miquella, seek this sacred land in the hopes of earning the Empyrean's favour. Ordina, Liturgical Town is the final stop on the way to the Haligtree, and is home to the spirits of several Albinauric women.

    Sub-regions: -Forbidden Lands: A dark, frigid stretch of land to the east of Leyndell, Royal Capital, which serves as a route to the Grand Lift of Rold and the northern Mountaintops of the Giants. This area only becomes accessible with the defeat of Morgott, the Omen King, when the player begins their journey to set the Erdtree aflame with Melina. The area is teeming with the Vulgar Militia, and a Black Blade Kindred awaits at the entrance to the Grand Lift of Rold.} -Flame Peak: A region encompassing the southern section of the Mountaintops of the Giants. Flame Peak was the site of the War Against the Giants, and the bodies of the Giants still litter the area. The Forge of the Giants, in the south-east, is where the flame of ruin was confined after the Giants were defeated. -Consecrated Snow-Field: A snow-swept, misty area to the west of the Mountaintops of the Giants. The Consecrated Snowfield is final trial for those who seek Miquella's Haligtree, and can only be accessed by uniting the two halves of the Haligtree Secret Medallion, found in the Village of the Albinaurics and Castle Sol, and bringing them to the Grand Lift of Rold. Visibility is limited in many parts of the snowfield. Small, golden lights illuminate the path from the upper section to the broad, snowy plane below, through which a frozen river runs. In the south-west are the Yelough Anix Ruins, consumed by the Flame of Frenzy. Far to the north lies the Apostate Derelict, where the gentle yet towering sister of Latenna the Albinauric resides. South-east of there is Ordina, Liturgical Town, which hides the entrance to the Haligtree. There is also a waygate, tucked away on the western cliffs, which leads to Mohgwyn Palace.

    VI. Siofra River: A starry, underground realm of the Nox and Ancestral Followers. One of the two great rivers that flow beneath the Lands Between. Siofra is said to be the grave of civilisations that flourished before the Erdtree[1], and evidence of this can be found in the many ancient structures that litter the vast, subterranean space. The towering remains of an ancient dynasty[2] are prominent throughout the area, inhabited by the Claymen who once served as the dynasty's priests. The lower portion of Siofra River can be accessed via the Siofra River Well in Limgrave's Mistwood. This wooded area is home to spectral Ancestral Followers, who live alongside a diverse assortment of wildlife. The remains of a great, horned beast can be found in the Hallowhorn Grounds. Interacting with the remains after lightning the flames scattered throughout the area will facilitate an encounter with an Ancestor Spirit. This area also connects to Caelid via the Deep Siofra Well. Towering over the woodland is Nokron, one of the Eternal Cities inhabited by the Nox. Nokron is initially inaccessible, however a route is opened when a star falls upon Limgrave, following the defeat of Starscourge Radahn. The Fingerslayer Blade, a treasure of Nokron said to be able to harm the Greater Will and its vassal Fingers[4], is found within Night's Sacred Ground, beneath a chair-crypt that holds a vast corpse. This upper region also houses another Hallowhorn Grounds, from which the Regal Ancestor Spirit can be encountered. Nearby, the aqueduct hides a coffin which can be used to access Deeproot Depths, guarded by a pair of Valiant Gargoyles. To the east, on a separate island within the vast cavern, are the ruins of an ancient palace. It is here that Mohg, Lord of Blood has established the seat of his coming Mohgwyn Dynasty, and all the nightmares it may bring.

    Sub-regions: -Nokron, The Eternal City: One of the Eternal Cities of the Nox, who were banished underground after invoking the ire of the Greater Will.[1] Nokron houses the Fingerslayer Blade, a blood-drenched fetish made from a corpse that can harm the Greater Will and its vassals, and is proof of the treason of the Nox. Nokron is notably difficult to access, although the Fallen Hawks, a band of slaves-turned-soldiers managed to find their way there, becoming trapped in the subterranean realm after the discovery of Ghostflame.[3] While the city is visible from the lower portion of Siofra River, the route to it is only opened after Starscourge Radahn is defeated, which causes a star to fall upon Limgrave, opening a deep crater near Fort Haight. -Mohgwyn's Island: An island in the underground Siofra River, far to the east of Nokron, Eternal City. The grave of an ancient dynasty civilization can be found here, and it is in these ruins that Mohg, Lord of Blood, has chosen to be the seat of his coming Mohgwyn Dynasty. A large part of the area is taken up by a blood-red lake, which is the habitat of many abominations. The Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum juts out of the west side of the island, housing the Lord of Blood and his vassals. There are two possible entrances to this area. The conventional route is via a sending gate on the western edge of Consecrated Snowfield, which leads to a cliff on the southeastern side of the palace. Alternately, by becoming a Pureblood Knight of the Mohgwyn Dynasty, one can obtain a Pureblood Knight's Medal from White Mask Varré, which will teleport the player to the mausoleum entrance at will.

    VII. Ainsel River: A series of underground tunnels leading to the vast and putrid Lake of Rot. One of the two great rivers that flow beneath the Lands Between. Ainsel is said to be the grave of civilisations that flourished before the Erdtree. The eastern side of Ainsel is dominated by the Uhl Palace Ruins, characterised by their mausoleums and statues, and inhabited by the Claymen who served as priests of the ancient dynasty. Nokstella, one of the Eternal Cities, can be found in the western portion of the subterranean space, inhabited by the Nox who were banished underground by the Greater Will long ago. Deeper still is the Lake of Rot, a putrid underground swamp littered with ancient ruins, where the essence of an Outer God was sealed. At the deepest point is the lair of Astel, a malformed star who once assailed an Eternal City and took away its sky. Beyond Astel is a lift which leads to the Moonlight Altar, provided the Dark Moon Ring has been found. Ainsel can be accessed via the Ainsel River Well in eastern Liurnia of the Lakes. The Ainsel River Main, which encompasses Nokstella, can be accessed via a sending gate in Renna's Rise, after Ranni the Witch gets her hands on the Fingerslayer Blade.

    Subregions: -Ainsel River Main: The northern area of Ainsel River, which encompasses Nokstella, Eternal City. The Ainsel River Main is the beginning of the path leading to the Moonlight Altar, a key location in Ranni the Witch's questline. -Nokstella: One of the Eternal Cities inhabited by the Nox, who were banished underground after evoking the ire of the Greater Will.[1] Nokstella is located in the Ainsel River Main, on the west side of the underground river, and can only be accessed by using the Sending Gate in Renna's Rise and following the path through the northern Uhl Palace Ruins.The lost Black Moon of Nokstella was once the guide to countless stars, and a talisman representing it is regarded as a treasure of the city. -Lake of Rot: The Lake of Rot is a large cavernous area beneath Liurnia of the Lakes filled with rotting waters. The lake itself is littered with the crumbling remnants of an ancient dynasty. Within the center of the Lake of Rot are obelisks with stone pressure plates that when activated, raise platforms from beneath the lake, creating a pathway. In the southern part of this area, the Grand Cloister is found; a large walkway infested with rotted-flora and fauna. The divine essence of an Outer God is sealed away in this lake, after it was defeated by a blind swordsman with a flowing sword. The Servants of Rot have a presence here, as a Mushroom Crown is found in the lake and the Kindred of Rot populate the Grand Cloiser.

    VIII. Deeproot Depths: The burial ground of an Eternal City and Godwyn, the Prince of Death. An enormous cavern at the roots of the Erdtree, which is the source of the Ainsel and Siofra rivers. The network of roots that spread throughout the Lands Between also begins here. A nameless Eternal City lies in ruins here, with many of its buildings sinking into a mire of pale liquid. In the north-western area, a Wandering Mausoleum prowls, surrounded by Mausoleum Soldiers and Knights. To the far west, Siluria, one of the two leaders of the Crucible Knights, awaits at the stump of a dead tree. After Godwyn the Golden was killed on the Night of Black Knives, his body was buried in the Erdtree's roots. His malformed body, corrupted by Death, can be found to the north of the cavern. It is here that Fia resides after fleeing Roundtable Hold.

    Main article: Lore It is said that long ago, the Greater Will triggered a great rupture across the heavens,[1][2] and the vitality of the stars rained down upon the Lands Between.[3][4][5][6] The first star to arrive contained the daughter of the Greater Will: Metyr, Mother of Fingers.[7] Later came a golden star bearing an Elden Beast, which later became the Elden Ring.[8]

    The Lands Between witnessed the rise and fall of many civilizations and their gods.[9][10][11] In the prehistoric era, Dragonlord Placidusax served as the Elden Lord of the Ancient Dragons.[12] During the Age of the Erdtree, Queen Marika, vessel of the Elden Ring,[13] and her consort, the Elden Lord, ruled from Leyndell, Royal Capital, atop the Altus Plateau. Evidence of ancient cultures such as the Nox, Giants, Astrologers, Ancient Dynasty, and Hornsent remains scattered and buried throughout the realm.[14][15][16]

    The Lands Between was also home to the Primordial Crucible,[17][18] where all life was once blended together.[19] Under the guidance of the Two Fingers,[20] Marika transformed the Crucible into the Erdtree during her rise to power.[21][22] She later excised the heart of the Lands Between,[23] creating a Realm of Shadow to conceal her secrets.[24]

    After Marika shattered the Elden Ring, the Lands Between became the site of The Shattering: a war between her Demigod offspring. Despite the power gained through their Great Runes, none of them succeeded in becoming Elden Lord. Grace was then extended to the Tarnished,[26] who were called back to the Lands Between to seek the shards of the Elden Ring, so that one may become Elden Lord.

    Nightreign Elden Ring Nightreign is set in a parallel timeline where the Shattering War had a different outcome, featuring Limveld, a volatile and ever-changing region.

    Notes The various outer gods contest the Lands Between. All manner of Death washes up on the Lands Between.[23] Trivia George R. R. Martin invented the name "Lands Between" for the setting.[28] The Lands Between were once referred to as "The Riftlands" through an unnamed character's monologue from a leaked internal trailer initially meant for European shareholders.

13. #13Outer Gods

    Keys: Formless mother, , Death, Frenzied Flame, Outer Gods, Rot

    The Outer Gods (外なる神々, Sotonaru Kamigami) are unseen, enigmatic entities wielding immense power and influence over the world of Elden Ring. Each outer god possesses unique qualities and divine elements.[1] They often act indirectly, shaping the Lands Between to fulfill their inscrutable designs.

    I. Formless Mother The Formless Mother, also known as the mother of truth, is an outer god associated with blood and the bloodflame.[2] She craves wounds and is said to bestow power upon those born with accursed blood.[3] The Blood Oath incantations channel her divine element,[4][5] accessed by puncturing her omnipresent body with ritual spears.[6] It is believed that the eternal blood of the Formless Mother will never dry or turn to rot.[7] Her current followers are Mohg, the Lord of Blood; his Mohgwyn Dynasty; and the bloodfiends.[8]

    II. Outer God of Death

    An outer god of Death once held influence over the Lands Between.[9][10] Its powers presumably included Destined Death,[11] Spectral Light,[12] and the Ghostflame wielded by the ancient Deathbirds and Gravebirds.[13][14] This entity may also be connected to spirit-calling hexes.[15][16][17]. The Twinbird and White-Winged Maidens are said to be the envoys of Death.[18] After his burial at the roots of the Erdtree, Godwyn the Golden was transformed into the Prince of Death.[19][20]

    III. Outer God of Rot ER Spell Sigil Servants of Rot (Color) The outer god of Scarlet Rot whose essence was sealed away by a blind swordsman in the Lake of Rot.[21][22] A great scorpion's tail, which was crafted into a dagger, is said to be a relic of this outer god.[23] Miquella's Needle was crafted and inserted into Malenia, Blade of Miquella to ward off the affliction of the Scarlet Rot.[24] Its current followers include Romina, Saint of the Bud; Sage Gowry; and the Servants of Rot.

    IV. Outer God of the Frenzied Flame

    This outer god is represented by the maddening yellow Flame of Frenzy;[24] however, it is unclear whether the Frenzied Flame itself embodies this divinity or is simply its power. Its blind Finger Maiden describes it as a "distant light," visible only after amassing numerous Shabriri Grapes.[25][26] The Flame of Frenzy initially entered the world through impressions left by the Readerless Fingers upon the grave of an ancient god in the Finger Ruins.[27] Nonetheless, it poses profound danger to all life,[28] possessing the ability to melt away even eternal spirits.[29] This god seeks to restore the unity of the One Great by destroying the Lands Between and plunging the world into chaos.[30] Queen Marika, Melina, and the Hornsent vehemently suppress its worship and practice.[31] The god is associated with the Eye of Yelough, and its divine element manifests as contagious yellow embers in the eyes of its followers.[32]. The Three Fingers serve as the corporeal agents of the Frenzied Flame. Its Chaos Followers—Hyetta, Midra, Nanaya, Shabriri, Vyke, and the immured Great Caravan—await the rise of a Lord of Frenzy among the Tarnished to ignite the Erdtree with the yellow flame.

14. #14Metyr, Mother of Fingers

    Keys: Greater Will, realm of shadows, Golden Order, Ymir, Radagon, nox, fingercreepers, Fingers, fingerslayer

    Metyr, Mother of Fingers is an optional boss in Shadow of the Erdtree. She is encountered after ringing the bell at the Finger Ruins of Miyr, beneath the Cathedral of Manus Metyr.

    Shooting star Metyr, brilliant daughter of the Greater Will, was the first of all stars to fall upon the Lands Between.[1] She possessed a microcosm which allowed her to receive messages from the Greater Will.[2] Metyr gave birth to the Two Fingers that guide the empyreans and the Tarnished.[1]

    High treason Metyr was damaged and her Ringed Finger was removed.[3] She would never again receive a signal from the Greater Will.[2] The wisdom received by the Two Fingers was severed, and Metyr began birthing the aberrant Fingercreepers.[1] Although Metyr was broken, her Two Fingers continued guiding the empyreans without a word from the Greater Will.[4] It is said they presided over the birth of Marika’s Erdtree as she created it from the primordial matter of the Crucible.[5][6][7]

    A New Mother Count Ymir was a glintstone sorcerer who became a finger-weaver and uncovered the secrets of Metyr herself.[8] He found Metyr concealed within the Finger Ruins of Miyr, below the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, still waiting in vain for a signal from her lord.[2] Ymir uncovered that Metyr's true power, and the guidance of the Two Fingers, had been broken long ago.[4][6] After Ymir's young child Yuri died, his grief drove him to find a way to bring him back.[9] He decided he would succeed Metyr as the next mother of Fingers.[6]

    Ymir shares the wisdom of the cosmos and a Hole-Laden Necklace with the Tarnished champion. He directs them to sound the ominous hanging bells at the Finger Ruins of Dheo and Rhea. Once both bells are rung, Ymir reveals the location of the Ruins of Miyr. Ringing the third and final bell will leave one's fate guided by the stars—and face-to-face with Metyr. If the Mother of Fingers is defeated, Ymir's hope is rekindled but the prospect of achieving his dream drives him mad.[10] He achieves a partial transformation and fails to birth Yuri anew, instead creating more Fingercreepers.[11]

    Appearance Metyr is a monstrous being made from fingers. Her head resembles an elongated thumb, and her face a pronounced thumbprint. At its center is a small, wart-like eye from which she blasts pink energy beams.[12] Ridge-like wrinkles, forming fingerprint-like patterns, cover Metyr's head and neck. She moves about on four sets of four-fingered hands, 16 coordinated finger legs in total. Metyr has two long-reaching arms that terminate in four-fingered hands tipped with sharp nails painted red. She may use these to pry open her abdominal cavity when birthing new Fingercreepers. Her tail forks into two tail fingers which wrap each other like a spiral. Between them rests an orb containing a microcosm.[2][13]

    Metyr's body festers with unhealed wounds. Upon her right chest is a deep laceration, and her belly has been split wide open, revealing gore and the stillborn remains of malformed fingers. Several more protrude from large lesions on her neck and tail fingers, and her microcosm appears clouded like an eye with cataracts. The iris of her bloodshot eye is quartered into an X.[13]

15. #15Realm of Shadows

    Keys: , Realm Of Shadow, Marika, Miquella, Metyr, Messmer, Radahn

    The Realm of Shadow (影の地, Kage no Chi) is a region in Elden Ring. It is the setting of the DLC expansion Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

    The Realm of Shadow is the home of a people called the Hornsent, who do not bear the light of grace. It is where the goddess Marika first set foot, and the place to which Miquella of the Haligtree departed, divesting himself of his flesh, his strength, his lineage, and all things golden. It lies obscured under the Scadutree, the shadow of the Erdtree.

    Long ago, before the Shattering, the Realm of Shadow was set ablaze in a great purge carried out by Messmer the Impaler on the orders of Queen Marika, with the aim of eradicating the Hornsent. At some point, however, MAbyssal Woods Ancient Ruins of Rauh Belurat, Tower Settlement Castle Ensis Cerulean Coast Charo's Hidden Grave Enir-Ilim Foot of the Jagged Peak Gravesite Plain Jagged Peak Midra's Manse Rauh Base Scadu Altus Scaduview Shadow Keep Shadow Keep, Church District Specimen Storehouse Stone Coffin Fissurearika severed all ties with Messmer, and the Land of Shadow was hidden under the Scadutree to conceal all evidence of the purge.[1]

16. #16Golden Order

    Keys: Greater Will, Golden Order, Marika, ErdTree, Radagon · Secondary: Two Fingers, Crucible

    The Golden Order (黄金律, Ōgonritsu) is a philosophical and theological movement in Elden Ring. It refers to the removal of the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring and the historic reign of Queen Marika the Eternal. Its greatest symbols are the Erdtree and the Grace of Gold. It is the dominant set of beliefs in the Lands Between.

    The Golden Order was established by Queen Marika following Maliketh's triumph over the Gloam-Eyed Queen and her Godskin Apostles.[1][2] She extracted the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring and sealed it inside her shadowbound beast.[3][4][5] In doing so, she suppressed the power of her Empyrean rival and granted immortality to herself and her demigod offspring, the Golden Lineage.[6][7]

    The Golden Order was a governing principle, a religion, and a philosophy. It was founded on the principle that Marika was the one true god,[8] and was propagated by the Two Fingers.[9] It replaced the concept of Destined Death with that of Erdtree Burial.

    The Golden Order was capable of integrating conflicting ideologies and practices. The dragon cult of the royal capital was compatible because the ancient dragons' lightning was imbued with gold.[10] Later, the Erdtree faith absorbed the practice of glintstone sorcery.[11] Concepts that threatened to shatter the Order entirely, such as life in death, were labeled as heresy and violently persecuted by the Golden Order.[12]

    Golden Order Fundamentalism was a scholarly pursuit that combined both intelligence and faith.[13] It attempted to interpret the fundamentals of the Golden Order.[14] Fundamentalism was based on two concepts: the Law of Regression, the pull of meaning and the yearning to converge;[15] and the Law of Causality, the pull between meanings which links all things in a chain of relation.[16]

    Among the Golden Order Fundamentalists were the hunters of Those Who Live in Death, who abandoned learning in search of an absolute evil to contend with.[17] Miquella, who once created Fundamentalist incantations to give to his father Radagon, abandoned Fundamentalism as it could not treat Malenia's rot.[18] Other notable followers of Golden Order Fundamentalism included Brother Corhyn, Goldmask, and the twins D. Hunter of the Dead and D, Beholder of Death.

17. #17Radagon of The Golden Order

    Keys: rykard, Elden Beast, goldmask, , radahn, marika, two fingers, Radagon of The Golden Order, radagon, miriel, ranni, golden order, rennala · Secondary: , Mogh, Golden Order, Marika, Miquella, Rani, Morgott, Malenia, Radagon, Rykard, Radahn, Elden Beast, Rennala

    Radagon of the Golden Order is a boss in Elden Ring. He is encountered inside the Erdtree in Leyndell, Ashen Capital, and is the first half of the final boss fight, with Elden Beast as the second half.

    Liurnian Wars and Marriage to Queen Rennala Radagon first rose to prominence during the Liurnian Wars, when he joined the heroes' ranks.[1] A great champion with flowing red locks, he arrived in Liurnia at the head of a golden host, where he met Queen Rennala in battle.[2] Although two wars would be fought between them, the First Liurnian War,[3] and the Second, no victor would emerge from either.[4] Radagon eventually repented his territorial aggressions by cleansing himself with Celestial Dew, and swore his love to Rennala.[5] He became husband to the Carian Queen,[6] wedding her at the Church of Vows.[7] Rennala bequeathed him a greatsword, bestowed by a Carian queen upon her spouse to honor long-standing tradition.[8][9] After entering into marriage with Rennala and joining the Carian line,[10] he ordered the Carian magic preceptors to don masks of confidence, to make it clear that all of their matters were to be kept strictly private.[11]

    Radagon and Rennala had three children: Radahn, Rykard and Ranni.[12] While husband to Rennala, Radagon studied glintstone sorcery taught at the Academy of Raya Lucaria.[13]

    After Godfrey, the First Elden Lord was stripped of grace and hounded from the Lands Between, Radagon returned to the capital where he went on to marry Queen Marika and become her King Consort and second Elden Lord.[14] Before leaving Rennala, Radagon gifted her an amber egg.[15] His departure left her heartbroken, and eventually led to her being deposed by the academy and imprisoned in the Grand Library.[16] His three children from the previous marriage would be raised to demigod status as stepchildren of Queen Marika.[17]

    Marriage to Queen Marika A sculptor from Leyndell was commissioned to create a statue of Radagon.[18] In doing so, he discovered a secret - that Radagon is Marika. This secret was hidden within the statue, and is revealed by casting Law of Regression in front of it, causing the statue's form to change from Radagon to Marika.

    Radagon and Marika had a twin daughter and son: Malenia[19] and Miquella.[20] As they were born of a single god, they were both Empyreans, but were born afflicted: Malenia with rotting sickness and Miquella with eternal childhood.[21]

    While married to Marika, Radagon studied incantations.[13] He is heavily associated with Golden Order Fundamentalism, a branch of the Golden Order said to be scholarship in all but name[22], which incorporates incantations that rely on a combination of faith and intelligence. His son Miquella followed in his fundamentalist footsteps, and created several incantations as gifts for his father.[23][24] Radagon would return the favor with his own gift of gratitude to young Miquella, however Miquella later abandoned Fundamentalism, realising that it could do nothing to treat Malenia's Rot.[25]

    Following the Night of Black Knives, Marika shattered the Elden Ring, breaking the Golden Order. Radagon, on the other hand, remained loyal to the Golden Order, and attempted to repair the Elden Ring with the same hammer used to shatter it.[26] As punishment, Marika was imprisoned inside the Erdtree.[27] While Radagon had opposed Marika's treachery, he would share Marika's sentence, as the two were now bound in a single body.

    When a Tarnished sets fire to the Erdtree in order to burn away the wall of thorns denying their entry, they encounter the imprisoned Marika. Suddenly released from her bonds, her hair immediately turns red as Radagon assumes control of their shared body and wields Marika's hammer to fight the Tarnished. However, Radagon is unable to defeat them and falls at their hands, with his body being subsumed by the Elden Beast to transform into a large sword[28], as it emerges to be the Tarnished champion's final challenge.

18. #18Rykard the Blasphemous

    Keys: tanith, serpent, volcano manor, radahn, Great Rune, blasphemous, Leyndell, Demigod, radagon, ranni, Rykard, demigod, rennala

    Rykard was born the son of Radagon, a champion of the Erdtree, and Queen Rennala, head of both the Carian Royal Family and the Academy of Raya Lucaria.[1] He had two siblings, Radahn and Ranni.

    At some point, the first Elden Lord, Godfrey, was robbed of grace and hounded from the Lands Between. Rykard's father, Radagon, left Rennala to become Queen Marika's new consort and the second Elden Lord.[2] Rykard and his siblings were thus raised to demigods by their new step-mother, Marika.[3]

    Under the Golden Order, Rykard was a ruthless justiciar who commanded a company of inquisitors.[4] His inquisitors persecuted and mercilessly tortured those considered heretics to the Golden Order, such as the Albinaurics. He spent time in the volcanic Mt. Gelmir, where he discovered the ancient magma hexes of a forgotten serpent-worshiping religion native to the region, which he brought back into practical use as new sorceries.[5][6] Rykard also travelled to a foreign land where he encountered a dancer by the name of Tanith, who he would eventually take as his consort.[1]

    Rykard was also known for the construction of the Iron Virgins, automatons which were capable of both battlefield carnage and abducting victims to transport them to the Volcano Manor.[7]

    Rykard's budding blasphemous inclinations led him to assist his sister, Ranni, in orchestrating the Night of Black Knives. On the night of the plot, Ranni rewarded Rykard with a slab of rock engraved with the traces of the Rune of Death, which would allow him to challenge the black beast of Destined Death, should the coming trespass one day transpire.[8]

    The Shattering At some point following the the Night of Black Knives, Queen Marika shattered the Elden Ring, and her offspring acquired the Great Runes. The maddening taint of their newfound strength led to the Shattering, a war between Marika's demigod descendants, each seeking to become the new ruler of the Lands Between.[9]

    Rykard was indignant, and viewed the Erdtree and the gods demanding that the demigods fight over miserly scraps of power to be debasing.[10] He launched a blasphemous campaign against the Erdtree and the Greater Will.[11] When he turned to heresy, taking by force became the rule, the gods themselves being no different.[12] Rykard's ambitions, though blasphemous, marked him a worthy sovereign,[13] and drew many followers to his cause who admired his heroic aspirations. His rebels were known as the Recusants.

    Based in the Volcano Manor on Mt. Gelmir, his forces battled the armies of the Leyndell in what would become the most appalling battle of the Shattering,[14] a wretched, unending war with no glory.[15] Acts of cannibalism became a sickening reality across the battlefields, and some forces from both sides became afflicted with the Frenzied Flame sickness.

    At some point during the Shattering, Rykard fed himself, Great Rune and all, to the blasphemous serpent that dwelled inside Mt. Gelmir,[3] an ancient traitor to the Erdtree,[16] merging with the creature. In the final moments before being devoured, he briefly had a vision of the future wherein he witnessed a serpent devouring the world.[17]

    Following this, his lofty ambition degraded into gluttonous depravity.[18] He fed on his greatest champions, and in the bowels of the serpent, they became the lord's family.[19] Disturbed by what had become of their master and by the costly battles waged in his name, Rykard's forces abandoned him.[18][20] Some attempted to put him to rest by searching for a mighty weapon capable of killing their lord. Such a weapon was found in the Serpent-Hunter, an enchanted spear crafted to hunt an immortal serpent in the distant past.[21] However, all attempts made to take his life failed. The spear would come to reside in Rykard's chambers, left by a former Recusant who hoped a worthy champion might one day appear to wield it and spare the once-noble Rykard from further dishonor.[22]

    When Rykard gave himself to the elder serpent, the birth of the man-serpents followed,[23] the deformed offspring of a repellent birthing ritual.[24][25] One such man-serpent, known as Zorayas, would go on to be adopted by Tanith, and learn to assume an illusory human form in which she went by Rya. She was unaware of the origins of her birth, as Tanith concealed the truth of the Volcano Manor from her and insisted she was born of the grace of a king.[26] It is implied that the woman known as Daedicar was one such woman subjected to the ritual, the biological mother of Zorayas and other man-serpents.[27]

    At some point before giving himself to the serpent, Rykard offered Tanith the Tonic of Forgetfulness to purge her memories of him. However, she refused, claiming "My Lord, there could be no greater distress than to forget you."[28] Tanith was the only human known to stand with Rykard after he merged with the serpent of blasphemy; as in that moment, she was truly charmed by him.[29] The Crucible Knight bodyguard of Tanith may have also served the Volcano Manor before Rykard was devoured, and as such, would have been the second human known to remain loyal, but this remains unknown. Tanith would continue her lord's legacy by leading a new force of Recusants, recruiting unsuspecting Tarnished after their return to the Lands Between following the end of the Shattering. The worthiest of these Tarnished champions would be granted an audience with Rykard, which ended with them being devoured by the serpentine demigod to increase his power further.

    Eventually, a Tarnished champion managed to reach Rykard's chambers, and defeated the serpentine demigod to claim his Great Rune. Rykard took notice of this and awoke to confront the Tarnished, then pulled out a massive sword from the serpent's mouth, while boasting that they would join the Serpent King as family. After a hard battle, Rykard was ultimately slain by the Tarnished. Upon his death, he claimed "A serpent never dies", proven true when his initially vanished corpse began to regenerate. After Rykard is slain, Tanith suggested she planned to soon depart, having no reason to remain at Volcano Manor. However, afterwards she secretly journeyed to Rykard's chambers and attempted to eat his tremendous corpse, muttering her hopes that Rykard might live on within her, just as he had the serpent.

19. #19Godfrey , First Elden Lord

    Keys: Elden Lord, Tarnished, Marika, Godfrey, Sherosh, Hoarah Loux, giants, Banished

    Godfrey, First Elden Lord, or Hoarah Loux, Warrior, is a mandatory boss in Elden Ring. The first encounter is in Leyndell, Royal Capital and the second is in Leyndell, Ashen Capital. Godfrey is regarded as the first Elden Lord of the Golden Order,[1] and the former consort of Queen Marika the Eternal.[2]

    Godfrey was once the simple warrior Hoarah Loux,[3][4][5] a ferocious champion with a ceaseless lust for battle.[6] Later, he became Godfrey when he took the spirit of Serosh upon his back. The Lord of Beasts suppressed his rage,[7] allowing him to conduct himself as Marika's first Elden Lord.

    Before it came to be an embodiment of Order, everything was in opposition to the Erdtree.[8] Godfrey led Marika's golden armies in the War Against the Giants,[9] a decisive conflict thay ended with the Giants' defeat and the confinement of the Fell God's Flame of Ruin.[10] This war heralded the birth of the Erdtree,[11] and the beginning of an age of Order ruled over by Marika and her Elden Lord.

    The age of the Erdtree began amidst conflict, and Godfrey was regarded as the "Lord of the Battlefield."[12][9] He fought the Storm Lord alone and emerged the new lord of Stormveil. Later, during the siege of Castle Morne, Godfrey bested a lone hero who wielded a grafted blade and fought for vengeance.[13][14] Godfrey was commander of the Crucible Knights, and Ordovis and his men wore the crest of the axe.[15]

    Godfrey and his offspring with Queen Marika were the first Demigods, known as the Golden Lineage.[16] His bond with Serosh became an emblem of this lineage,[17] guiding them as they conquered the Lands Between.[18] Godfrey's double-headed axe symbolized his warrior's vow of conduct and would later become a symbol of the Golden Lineage.[19]

    The Long March At the end of his campaign, Lord Godfrey's golden armies remained unvanquished and unbowed.[9] When his last enemy fell, it was said that the golden hue of Godfrey's eyes faded. He found his Grace lost, tattered, and faded.

    Godfrey and his warriors were then informed by Queen Marika that she had divested them of their Grace.[20] She drove them from the Lands Between to wage war in a distant land, where they would live and die. Marika promised Godfrey and his men that after their deaths,[21] they would regain what she had taken from them. They would return to the Lands Between with the strength required to brandish the Elden Ring.

    Thus, Godfrey and his kinfolk became the Tarnished.[22] They left the Lands Between together on a pilgrimage known as the Long March, at the end of which Godfrey divested himself of kingship and became a simple warrior once more.[3]

    Godfrey became a chieftain of the Badlands under the name of Hoarah Loux.[5] The head of his axe had been broken in a battle fought during the Long March.[19] His loyal warriors honored him by wielding axes of their own, and they became the weapon of choice for Badlands chieftains.[23]

    At some point, Hoarah Loux died. However, when the Elden Ring was shattered following the death of his son Godwyn the Golden,[24] the Tarnished who had died outside the Lands Between were returned to life by the call of their long-lost Grace.[25] The Tarnished, who had grown strong in the face of death, crossed the fog and returned to the Lands Between, to stand before the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord.[26] Godfrey was among those who made their way back to the Lands Between.

    The Ashen Capital After a Tarnished champion has claimed the Great Runes, burned the Erdtree, and unbound the Rune of Death,[27] they return to the city of Leyndell and approach the Erdtree. At the Elden Throne, they find Godfrey, Serosh on his back, mourning the death of Morgott, whom the Tarnished had previously slain.[28]

    Godfrey rises to his feet and addresses the Tarnished. He acknowledges their effort, however he declares his intention to once again be granted audience.[29] The two Tarnished do battle, and Godfrey finds himself overpowered. The former Elden Lord grabs the head of Serosh, thanks him for his service, and then tears him from his back.[30] Drenched in the blood of his loyal regent, Godfrey resumes the fight, now as Hoarah Loux.[4]

    Nevertheless, the Tarnished defeats Godfrey, who declares that their strength befits a crown.[31] With Godfrey dead, the Tarnished finally gains entry to the Erdtree, to seek audience with Queen Marika.

20. #20Great Runes

    Keys: , morgott, shardbearers, godrick, radahn, Marika, mogh, malenia, Runest, Elden Ring, demigod, Shattering, rennala, Enia · Secondary:

    Great Runes (大ルーン, Dai Rūn) are the shards of the Elden Ring[1][2] which were inherited by some of the demigods.[3] The great strength they granted tainted the demigods, compelling them to war over control of the Lands Between.[4]

    The Great Runes are the shards of the Elden Ring, currently making up the Golden Order, and represent the concepts of order and discipline that the demigods enforced on the physical world.[5] They were inherited by some of the demigod offspring of Queen Marika the Eternal following the shattering of the Elden Ring. The mad taint of the newfound strength granted by the Great Runes precipitated the Shattering,[3] wherein the demigods fought for control of the Lands Between.[4] The demigods who inherited Great Runes were known as Shardbearers.

    The known Great Runes are as follows:

    Godrick's Great Rune Great Rune of The Unborn Radahn's Great Rune Rykard's Great Rune Morgott's Great Rune Malenia's Great Rune Mohg's Great Rune Miquella's Great Rune Ranni's Great Rune (mentioned only)[6] It is unknown if the Rune of Death is considered a Great Rune.

    The Great Runes reflect the demigods that inherited them. For example, Morgott's Great Rune was proof that he was born of the Golden Lineage, and the rightful Lord of Leyndell.[7] Mohg, Lord of Blood's Great Rune was soaked with accursed blood from his devout love for the wretched mire he was born into.[8] Morgott's and Mohg's Great Runes were naturally similar due to their bearers being twins.[8] Malenia, Blade of Miquella's Great Rune was half-rotted but infused with Malenia's spirit of resistance.[9]

    Miquella of the Haligtree and Ranni the Witch are the only Shardbearers known to have discarded their Great Runes.[6] The whereabouts of Ranni's Great Rune remain unknown. Miquella relinquishes and breaks his Great Rune after the Tarnished crosses into one of three areas of the Land of Shadow: the eastern half of Scadu Altus, the Rauh Base region, or Shadow Keep.

    The Tarnished, upon returning to the Lands Between, were compelled by the Two Fingers to seek out demigods to relieve them of their Great Runes in order to become Elden Lord.[10][11] The Tarnished required one Great Rune to be granted audience with the Two Fingers in the inner chamber of the Roundtable Hold.[12] They also required enough Great Runes to repair the Elden Ring before the Two Fingers would permit them to enter Leyndell, Royal Capital to have an audience with Queen Marika to become Elden Lord.[13] During the course of the game, this is two Great Runes, however since the Shardbearer Morgott, the Omen King guards the entrance to the Erdtree and must be killed to access it, they will have at least three when granted audience. Finger Reader Enia has only ever seen two Great Runes together once before this.[14]

    When initially obtained by the player, a Great Rune (except the Great Rune of the Unborn) would be devoid of any benediction, and had to be taken to the Divine Tower mentioned in its description, whereupon it would be restored by interacting with the image of the Great Rune above the inert Two Fingers at the summit of the tower. Further, a Rune Arc was required for The Tarnished (Protagonist) to be granted the blessing of a Great Rune after restoring it.

    The Great Runes acquired by The Tarnished were used to repair the Elden Ring in at least one ending.

    In English, Enia calls the player a Shardbearer after they acquire a Great Rune,[15] however, in Japanese she simply calls them "Master of the/a Great Rune" (大ルーンの主, Dai Rūn no Omo.) "Great Rune" was rumored to be the title of Elden Ring prior to the game's announcement.[16] Prior to Elden Ring's announcement, FromSoftware game modder TKGP discovered the project code name "GR", thought to refer to the rumored "Great Rune", in the data files of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.[17] Cut content indicates that at least some of the Great Runes were planned to have actual names. The cut Abundance Twinblade and Abundance and Decay Twinblade, weapons make reference to "the Rune of Abundance" and the "the Rune of Decay" in their descriptions belonging to Miquella and Malenia respectively. In the Chinese 1.0 text, the Grafted Blade Greatsword refers to "the Rune of Grafting" (“接肢”的卢恩, “Jiē Zhī” de Lú'ēn), presumably Godrick's Great Rune.

21. #21Elden Ring

    Keys: Erd Tree, Elden Lord, , dragon, miquella, Marika, GOlden Order, TwoFingers, Godrfrey, radagon, great runes, elden beast, Crucible

    The Elden Ring (エルデンリング, Eruden Ringu) is a mysterious concept that defines the world of Elden Ring itself.[1] It is the source of the Erdtree,[2] and its various interlocking runes are a representation of the law of the world.[3] The most recent incarnation of the law it represents in the Lands Between is the Golden Order, founded by Queen Marika the Eternal. In its shattered state, many of its shards, known as Great Runes, are in the possession of the demigod offspring of Queen Marika.

    Overview

    The Elden Ring is a mysterious concept that represents the law of the world.[3] Long ago, the Greater Will sent a golden star to the Lands Between bearing an Elden Beast, which later became the Elden Ring.[4] This beast was the vassal beast of the Greater Will, and the living embodiment of the concept of Order.[5]

    The appearance of the Elden Ring is made up of various interlocking shapes, known as "runes", which have power over particular fundamental concepts that dictate reality in the Lands Between, such as "Death." Under the Golden Order, the runes represent the concepts of order and discipline that the demigods enforced on the physical world.[6] However, the Elden Ring has taken different appearances in the past in accordance with the laws of previous ages. One such depiction of the Elden Ring can be found in Crumbling Farum Azula.

    Special beings known as Empyreans are able to become the vessel of the Elden Ring, allowing them to become gods.[7] At an unknown period in history, the Empyrean Marika became the vessel of the Elden Ring,[8] becoming a god and establishing the Golden Order by confining the Rune of Death, and began the Age of the Erdtree. At some point after the Night of Black Knives, Marika shattered the Elden Ring,[9] and its shards were claimed by her offspring, the Demigods. The current vessel of the Elden Ring is Queen Marika the Eternal.[7]

    The consort of an Empyrean takes the title of lord,[10] the consorts of the vessel of the Elden Ring are known as Elden Lords. The first Elden Lord during the reign of Queen Marika was Godfrey, who was succeeded by Radagon following his banishment from the Lands Between.[11] Dragonlord Placidusax was known to be Elden Lord in the age before the Erdtree.[12]

    For reasons unknown, Queen Marika used her Numen hammer to shatter the Elden Ring. Despite Radagon's attempts to repair it,[13] the Demigods warred over the Elden Ring's shards in the ensuing Shattering war.

    Types of Runes Several of the runes that make up the Elden Ring have particular names. These include:

    Runes - Minor fragments of power accumulated by the Tarnished to gain strength with the help of a Finger Maiden.[14] Rune Arc - The lower arch of the Elden Ring acts as a basin in which its blessings pool.[15] There appear to be three Rune Arcs in the current configuration of the Elden Ring. Great Runes - The large circular shapes that make up the central form of the Elden Ring. It is unknown if all runes in the Elden Ring can be considered Great Runes or if it is a particular name given to the runes inherited by the Demigods. Anchor Rings - The Great Runes inherited by Godrick the Grafted, and Morgott, the Omen King, both claim to be anchor rings. Godrick's Great Rune is known as the anchor ring found in the center of the Elden Ring.[16] Morgott's Great Rune is the anchor ring that houses the base, and proves both that he is born of the Golden Lineage, and that he is the Lord of Leyndell.[17] Since Mohg, Lord of Blood is Morgott's twin, his Great Rune is naturally similar to Morgott's,[18] but it is unknown if his Great Rune can be considered an anchor ring as well. Elden Runes - Elden Runes are not given a strict definition. The seals of Queen Marika, and King Consort Radagon are both Elden Runes.[19][20][21][22] Queen Marika's Elden Rune appears at the top of the Elden Ring, as the utmost arc from which the central vertical line of the Elden Ring originates. Lord Radagon's Elden Rune is the crosshatch lattice pattern visible behind the central rings of the Elden Ring. It is unknown if there is a difference between Great Runes and Elden Runes. The Rune of Death - Also known as Destined Death,[23] it was originally a part of the Elden Ring, but was removed by Queen Marika in order to found the Golden Order.[24][25] It governs the deaths of the inhabitants of the Lands Between. The Rune of Death was once harboured within the sword of Queen Marika's shadowbound beast, Maliketh, the Black Blade, until a fragment of the Death Rune was stolen in the Night of the Black Knives and he sealed it within his own flesh in order to prevent Death from being stolen again.[26] Mending Runes - Mending Runes are special runes that are envisioned and gestated by certain people, which can be added to the Elden Ring by the player in order to repair it and embed specific ideological principles into it.[25][27][28] It is unknown whether any Mending Runes have been added to the Elden Ring prior to the player's journey. Advertisement

    The shape of the Elden Ring may have been inspired by various runes from RuneQuest, which Miyazaki has cited as an inspiration for his games in the past, including Elden Ring.[29] Notably, the Plant Rune, Truth Rune, and possibly the Fertility Rune from RuneQuest. Cut content suggests that additional Runes were intended to have proper names. The cut Abundance Twinblade and Abundance and Decay Twinblade weapons reference the "Rune of Abundance" and the "Rune of Decay" in their descriptions, belonging to Miquella and Malenia respectively. In the Chinese 1.00 text, the Grafted Blade Greatsword referred to a "Rune of Grafting" (“接肢”的卢恩, Jiē Zhī de Lú'ēn), likely Godrick's Great Rune. The description for Helphen's Steeple mentioned a "Life Rune" (生命卢恩, Shēngmìng Lú ēn). The Japanese talkmsg files refer to a "Spirit Rune" (精神ルーン, Seishin Rūn) and a "Life Rune" (生命ルーン, Seimei Rūn).

22. #22The Erdtree

    Keys: , Golden Order, Marika, ErdTree, Elden Ring, Crucible

    The Erdtree (黄金樹, Ōgonju; lit. "Golden Tree") is a giant, gold-colored tree that towers above the Lands Between in Elden Ring. The Lands Between are blessed by the Elden Ring, which is the source of the Erdtree,[External 1] that symbolizes its presence.[External 2] It is the heart of the Golden Order.[1] The blessing granted by the Erdtree and consequently the Elden Ring, is represented by a golden light in the eyes of the inhabitants of the Lands Between,[2] known as the Grace of Gold.[3] Upon their deaths, the remembrances of demigods and greater champions, and other such powerful beings are hewn into the Erdtree.[4]

    The Altus Plateau was considered to be the realm of the Erdtree,[5][6] and it was the belief of the people of the plateau that those born at the foot of the Erdtree were special.[7]

    The Crucible of life was the primordial matter that became the Erdtree and the place where all life was once blended together.[8][9][10][11] It was said to be close in nature to life itself,[12][13] and was represented by gold with a reddish tint—the color of homeward yearning.[14] The power of the Crucible was also held in the armor of the Crucible Knights,[15] and channeled by their weapons.[12]

    Age of the Erdtree ER Spell Sigil Erdtree (Color) The age of the Erdtree began with the Golden Order

    The birth of the Erdtree coincided with the time of War Against the Giants.[16] Everything was once in opposition to the Erdtree, but it became the embodiment of Order through countless victories in war.[17] Following the defeat of the Fire Giants and their Fell God, and the confinement of the Flame of Ruin, Queen Marika declared the beginning of a new epoch, glistening with life, known as the Age of the Erdtree.[18] When the new age began, special blessings of the Erdtree were personally bestowed by Queen Marika herself.[19] Blessings once fell like tears from the Erdtree.[20] These tears were used to spread the faith, and were worshiped in the churches of all lands.[21] Under the Erdtree, commingling with the demi-humans was made possible.[22]

    The old sap of the Erdtree becomes amber, wherein dwells a primordial life energy. In the time of Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, it was treasured as the most precious of jewels.[23] The Erdtree once flourished with abundance—yet it was only for a fleeting moment, as is the course of all life.[24] It was thought that the blessed sap of the Erdtree would drip from its boughs forever, but that age of plenty swiftly came to a close, and with time, the Erdtree became more an object of faith.[25]

    Erdtree Burial Erdtree burial was an honor awarded to heroes as a proper death meant returning to the Erdtree.[26][27] The remains of such champions were deposited within the catacombs built around the great tree roots that once connected to the Erdtree.[28][29] Indeed there were once heroes abundantly blessed by the Erdtree who upon earning their honors simply died.[30] Statues of Rosus, Usher of Death, were erected in order to guide the dead who lose their way during their return to the Erdtree roots.[31]

    On the Night of Black Knives, a stolen fragment of the Rune of Death was used to murder Godwyn the Golden. As a hero and the first demigod to die, Godwyn's body was buried deep beneath Leyndell in the Deeproot Depths overlooking the Nameless Eternal City. Although his soul has perished, his body did not, and his Erdtree burial enabled the Rune of Death to spread throughout the great tree roots, sprouting in the form of Deathroot across the Lands Between.[32] Deathroot violated the catacombs and gave rise to Those Who Live in Death, who refused the Erdtree's call to return.[33] At some point, either before or after the Elden Ring was shattered, the connection between the Erdtree and the great tree roots was severed.[28]

    The Shattering Minor Erdtrees were considered to be the offspring of the Erdtree.[34] After the Elden Ring was shattered, golden seeds flew from the Erdtree and scattered across the Lands Between, as if life itself knew that its end had come.[35] It used to be believed that Erdtree seeds could not exist, as the Erdtree was once perfect and eternal.[36] Erdtree Avatars emerged following the shattering of the Elden Ring, determined to protect the withering Erdtree's offspring.[34] Illusory trees, or phantom trees, also grew from the scattered golden seeds.[35] Additionally, the Wrath of Gold incantation was discovered, and feared as a sign of the Erdtree's wrath.[37]

    Queen Marika was imprisoned inside the Erdtree after she shattered the Elden Ring.[38] At some point following the shattering of the Elden Ring, the entrance to the Erdtree was blocked by impenetrable thorns, emblazoned with the seal of King Consort Radagon,[39] which prevent access to anyone outside.[40] The Flame of Ruin was capable of burning the Erdtree and destroying the impenetrable thorns, but doing so was long held to be the first cardinal sin.[41]

    Present After the defeat of Morgott, the Omen King, The Tarnished attempted to enter the Erdtree to repair the Elden Ring, become Marika's consort, and ascend as Elden Lord.[42] However, they were unable to enter due to the impenetrable thorns. The Tarnished then traveled to the Mountaintops of the Giants to rekindle the Flame of Ruin and burn the Erdtree, either by sacrificing Melina (as was her duty as the kindling maiden)[43] or by using the Frenzied Flame. This journey eventually led them to Crumbling Farum Azula, where the defeat of Maliketh, the Black Blade unbound the Rune of Death, enabling them to enter the burning Erdtree.

23. #23The Crucible

    Keys: , dragons, primordial, Marika, Elden Ring, Erdtree

    The Crucible, also known as the golden Crucible, primordial crucible, or the crucible of life, was the primordial matter in which all life was blended together and the prior form of the Erdtree.[2]

    Overview The primordial Crucible was the divine essence that became the Erdtree and the place where all life energy was once blended together.[2][4][5] It was said to be close in nature to life itself,[6][7] and was represented by gold with a reddish tint—primordial gold, the color of homeward yearning.[8] The power of the Crucible was also held in the armor of the Crucible Knights,[9] and channeled by their weapons.[6]

    Aspects of the Crucible MENU Knowledge 18939 The "mother of all crucibles" once grew on the giants

    The aspects of various creatures grew on the bodies of humans and giants long ago, such as feathers, scales, and knots. Now considered vestiges of the Crucible, their presence was considered the mark of divinity in ancient times.[10] Of the Crucible's gifts,[11] the hornsent considered the tangled horn to be the most significant sign of primacy.[12] As society advanced, they were increasingly disdained as an impurity.[13] Budding horns and overlapping fangs that grew on herbivorous and carnivorous beasts were held in the same regard.[14][15]

    List of aspects Ash of War: Aspects of the Crucible: Wings Aspects of the Crucible: Bloom Aspects of the Crucible: Breath Aspects of the Crucible: Horns Aspects of the Crucible: Tail Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns Divine Bird Feathers[3]

    Ancient legends from the tower of Enir-Ilim claim that the "mother of all Crucibles" first appeared among the giants.[16] The chimeric Misbegotten were believed to be a punishment for making contact with the Crucible.[17] Crucible Knight Devonia uncovered lost Aspects of the Crucible in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh.[18] They journeyed to the realm of shadow in search of the Crucible's origin.[19] Devonia calls upon an unnamed Aspect of the Crucible that transforms their lower body into a pachyderm centaur with six limbs. Its four back legs resemble those of even-toed ungulates, while the front legs terminate in large hands with opposable thumbs. The Fine Crucible Feather Talisman depicts the membraned wings of butterflies and dragonflies. The inhuman physiology of the Godskin Apostles may not have been derived from the Crucible.[20]

24. #24The Shattering

    Keys: Tarnished, War, Marika, two fingers, Radagon, Elden Ring, Great Runes, Elden Beast

    The Shattering (破砕戦争, Hasai Sensō) refers to the devastating and widespread war that broke out between Queen Marika the Eternal's offspring, and her demigod step-children, after the Elden Ring was shattered

    The Night of Black Knives Godwyn's assassination The assassination of Godwyn the Golden.

    Main article: Night of Black Knives

    During the Golden Age of the Erdtree[1], a fragment of the Rune of Death was stolen by Lunar Princess Ranni, who used it to forge godslaying knives.[2] These knives were used by the Black Knife Assassins who, one night, entered Leyndell and assassinated Godwyn the Golden. As the assassins fled the capital, an assassin named Tiche was killed protecting her mother Alecto, the leader of the assassins.

    Ranni killed herself[3] at the moment of Godwyn's death, causing the Cursemark to break into two half-wheels rather than form a circle.[4] While Ranni died in the flesh, Godwyn's soul alone perished, sentencing him to live in death.[5] His body was interred in the Erdtree's roots beneath Leyndell, where it mutated and warped. Later, the Rune of Death began to spread through the roots in the form of Deathroot, giving rise to Those Who Live in Death.[6]

    In preparation for the fallout of the Night of Black Knives, earlier that same night, Ranni met with her elder brother and co-conspirator, Praetor Rykard. She gifted him a slab of rock inscribed with traces of the Rune of Death, which was to serve as a last-resort foil to Maliketh, the Black Blade, in case a battle between Rykard and Maliketh came to pass.

    Advertisement The Shattering of the Elden Ring MarikaShattersTheRing Queen Marika shattering the Elden Ring

    Er-Radagon-trying-to-repair-the-ring Radagon repairing the Elden Ring

    The Night of Black Knives became the catalyst for the Shattering.[7] In response to Godwyn's death, Queen Marika the Eternal used her hammer to shatter the Elden Ring. Elden Lord Radagon, her alter ego, attempted in vain to repair the Elden Ring.[8] As punishment for her offense, the goddess Marika was imprisoned within the Erdtree.[9]

    Consequently, the shattering of the Elden Ring corrupted the Golden Order, and lead to a Shattering War that would leave the Lands Between in ruin.[10]

    The Shardbearers Main article: Shardbearers

    The shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes[11], were inherited by Marika's Demigod offspring.[12] Tainted by the strength of the Great Runes, the Demigods warred[13], with the conflict becoming known as the Shattering.

    Morgott, a Demigod of the Golden Lineage who was born as a graceless Omen[14], inherited a Great Rune known as the anchor ring which houses the base, proving his pedigree as a member of the Golden Lineage and as the Lord of Leyndell.[15] Taking on the moniker of the "veiled lord"[16], Morgott ruled over Leyndell, slaughtering countless champions in defence of the Erdtree under the guise of Margit, the Fell Omen.[17]

    Rykard and the god-devouring serpent The Blasphemous Serpent devouring Rykard.

    Praetor Rykard, whose noble ambitions had turned to gluttonous depravity[18], fed himself to the blasphemous serpent after obtaining his Great Rune.[19] His consort, Tanith, established the recusants of Volcano Manor, waging a war against the Erdtree in his stead.[20]

    Godrick, a distant relation of Marika whose blood was sorely diluted[21], escaped the capital by hiding amongst the womenfolk[22], bringing with him a multitude of treasures including the Mimic's Veil.[23] He hid from General Radahn in Stormveil Castle, and later insulted Malenia, only to grovel for mercy after he himself was defeated at her hands.[24] He turned to the act of grafting in order to attain power, so that one day he could return to the capital.[25]

    Malenia and Radahn preparing to battle each other Malenia and Radahn, two of the shard bearers and the most powerful demigods.

    General Radahn, famed as the scourge of the stars[26], led the Redmane Knights[27] during the Shattering. They were met in battle by Malenia, Blade of Miquella, and her undefeated army of Cleanrot Knights.[28] They fought to a standstill[29], until Malenia unleashed her Scarlet Rot, ending the duel inconclusively. Radahn was driven mad by the rot and was forced to wander the battlefield as a mindless beast, devouring the corpses of those who died during the conflict, whether they be a friend or foe.[30] Malenia, who became comatose, was carried back to the Haligtree of her brother Miquella by Cleanrot Knight Finlay, one of the few survivors of the battle.[31]

    Mohg carrying Miquella Mohg abducting Miquella.

    Ranni, the instigator of the Night of Black Knives, is said to have cast aside her Great Rune[32], and its present whereabouts are unknown.

    Mohg, known only as the Lord of Blood[33], began building his dynasty underground in secret.[34] To this end he abducted Miquella from his resting place in the Haligtree,[35] wishing to raise the Empyrean to full godhood and become his consort.[36]However, Miquella never responded to Mohg, no matter how hard the omen tried, and continued to remain asleep in his cocoon.

    Conflicts The First Defense of Leyndell

    The First Defense of Leyndell was precipitated by the deterioration of a sovereign alliance.[37] Godefroy the Grafted was captured by Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff during this conflict, earning the latter the honor of Erdtree Burial.[38] The belligerents of this conflict are not confirmed, however Godefroy's involvement may suggest that the remnants of the Golden Lineage were the attackers.

    Margit the Fell Omen vs Morgott fighting General Radahn.

    The Second Defense of Leyndell During the Second Defense of Leyndell, Morgott, in the guise of Margit the Fell Omen, slaughtered many heroes in his defense of the Erdtree and engaged in conflict with Radahn.[39] Whether Radahn was actually defeated by Morgott is unclear, as his description as the mighest hero of the demigods would suggest not. Regardless, the walls of Leyndell did not fall, Radahn survived, and his forces were repelled.

    The Assault on Volcano Manor Said to have been the most appalling battle in the Shattering[40], the conflict took place on Mt. Gelmir, seemingly between Praetor Rykard's army and the forces of Leyndell. The squalid, the sick, and the blasphemous are said to have participated in this battle, which went on without end.[41] The attackers brought the Jar Cannon to the assault, however it was discovered that nobody knew how to use it.[42] Remnants of Leyndell's army can be found at campsites around the volcano, with most of the soldiers afflicted by Frenzy and many seemingly consuming the dead. Rykard's own men deserted him following this conflict, no longer able to abide the consequences of his blasphemy.[43]

    Godrick vs Malenia Scarcely deserving of being considered a balanced conflict, on her journey to face Radahn in the Battle of Aeonia, Malenia and her Cleanrot Knights marched passed Stormveil Castle, where Godrick the Grafted and his own forces had being cowering from the General. Apparently, Godrick said something to insult Melania, which led to a battle between the pair. Godrick was defeated, and rather than chosing to die in battle, he begged Malenia for mercy. Godrick was spared, and Melina pressed on to meet Radahn.

    The Battle of Aeonia Malenia the Severed vs General Radahn Malenia and General Radahn during the Battle of Aeonia.

    The last battle between General Radahn and Malenia, Blade of Miquella.[44] This conflict took place in the area south of Sellia, Town of Sorcery in Caelid, in the region now known as the Swamp of Aeonia. Malenia and her army of Cleanrot Knights marched southward[45] before arriving in Caelid, where they met Radahn's Redmane Knights in battle. The battle ended in a stalemate after Malenia unleashed her scarlet rot, driving the Redmane Knights to defeat while their leader was infected with the rot, which drove Radahn into becoming a mindless beast.[27]

    Aftermath Ultimately, none of the Demigods succeeded in becoming Elden Lord,[46] and they were abandoned by the Greater Will.[47][48] Instead, the guidance of Grace was extended to the Tarnished[49], who were called to the Lands Between to claim the Great Runes, become Elden Lord, and restore the Golden Order.[50]

25. #25Elden Beast

    Keys: Greater Will, Two Fingers, Marika, radagon, Elden Ring, Metyr

    Elden Beast is the final boss of Elden Ring. It is encountered inside the Erdtree in Leyndell, Ashen Capital.

    Overview Long ago, the Greater Will sent a golden star bearing a beast into the Lands Between, which would later become the Elden Ring.[1] It was the vassal beast of the Greater Will and the living incarnation of the concept of Order.[2] Marika, a Numen Empyrean, would became a goddess and the vessel of the Elden Ring[3] and would establish the Golden Order and rule over the Lands Between as the one true god.[4] However, Marika would eventually shatter the Elden Ring, leading to her imprisonment inside the Erdtree.[5]

    After untold hardships, a Tarnished champion fights their way into the Erdtree where they find the shackled Marika, and face Radagon, Marika's male "other self"[6] and the reigning Elden Lord, the two of them sharing the same body. After his defeat, the Elden Beast emerges from Radagon, transforming Radagon's defeated body into a large sword[7], and faces the Tarnished.

    The Tarnished manages to triumph, and with the Elden Beast defeated, they were free to usher in a new age of their choosing.

    It is heavily implied that the Elden Beast was the being who imprisoned Marika inside the Erdtree based on one of its attacks where it attempts to grab the player and lift them up in the air to crucify and then pierce them with a barrage of golden spears, similar to how Marika was seen in the cutscene before the final boss battle.

    The Elden Beast is internally referenced as the "NebulaDragon". It resembles the dragon associated with the alchemical Rebis, paralleling Marika and Radagon. The Rebis represents a single entity split into male and female halves, later reunited as a transcendent being empowered by a dragon. A patch released just prior to the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC made it possible to summon Torrent when fighting the Elden Beast.

26. #26RoundTable Hold

    Keys: Gideon, Grace, D, Rogier, Round Table, grace, Roderika, Hewg, Enia

    Roundtable Hold is the main hub area in Elden Ring.

    Entry to Roundtable Hold is possible after receiving an invitation from Melina. This can be achieved either by resting at a Site of Grace in Liurnia of the Lakes or Caelid, or by defeating Margit, the Fell Omen before resting at any Site of Grace.

    Roundtable Hold can only be accessed via fast travel from the map.

    Overview Roundtable Hold was once a gathering place of champions[1], who would receive the wisdom of the Two Fingers.[2] Great Tarnished champions, such as Vargram the Raging Wolf[3], Errant Sorcerer Wilhelm[4], Mad Tongue Alberich[5], and Roundtable Knight Vyke[6], all convened in the Hold in the distant past. Presently, however, it is a shadow of its former self, with its present occupants not holding the venerable status of those past heroes.[7]

    Layout Roundtable Hold consists of a main floor and a cellar, each comprised of several rooms. Certain rooms are inaccessible until certain requirements are met.

    Lobby The central chamber of the Hold, containing the Table of Lost Grace from which it gets its name. The player will appear in this chamber every time they visit Roundtable Hold. Brother Corhyn, Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing, and Knight Diallos can all be found here initially, later joined by Roderika, Spirit Tuner and D, Hunter of the Dead. A statue by the fireplace can be used to access the Colosseums.

    Northern Wing ER Roundtable Hold Northern Wing The northern wing, ahead and to the left upon arriving in Roundtable Hold, consists of a corridor which branches into Gideon's study and the Twin Maiden Husks' room. Ensha of the Royal Remains stands guard outside Gideon's study, and Nepheli Loux, Warrior briefly appears here after Godrick the Grafted has been defeated.

    Advertisement

    Gideon's Study ER Roundtable Hold Gideon's Study A spacious room which has been adapted into a study by Gideon Ofnir, who can usually be found behind his desk. It will be locked upon first visiting Roundtable Hold, but will open either after claiming a Great Rune or talking to Gideon and reloading.

    Twin Maiden Husks ER Twin Maiden Husks The Twin Maiden Husks can be found in a room through a door in the northern wing. Here, the player can buy and sell various items.

    Library ER Roundtable Hold Dung Eater A small library behind a door in the Twin Maiden Husks' room, which will only open after touching a Site of Grace in Altus Plateau. The back of the library is piled with decaying corpses, and is occupied by the spirit of the Dung Eater.

    Eastern Wing ER Roundtable Hold Eastern Wing The eastern wing is a corridor which connects to Fia's room, the armory, and the cellar. Smithing Master Hewg resides here, and is later joined by Roderika.

    Fia's Room Fia A large bedroom occupied by Fia, Deathbed Companion. The mirror to the left upon entering can be used to alter one's appearance.

    Balcony ER Roundtable Hold Balcony A balcony, situated between the northern and eastern wings, which overlooks the great hall. Sorcerer Rogier takes up residence here after leaving Stormveil Castle.

    Advertisement Hall ER Roundtable Hold Hall A large hall lined with banners and statues, accessed by dropping down from the balcony. Mad Tongue Alberich will invade when the player approaches the far end of the hall. After he has been defeated, a wisp of light will appear which allows the player to return to the balcony above.

    Living Quarters ER Roundtable Hold Living Quarters A series of rooms connected to the hall, to the left after dropping down from the balcony. The Cipher Pata can be found on a corpse lying on one of the beds.

    Armory A locked room at the far end of the eastern wing. It will only open after giving D the Weathered Dagger, received from Fia.

    Pantry ER Roundtable Hold Pantry A storage room on the lower level, at the bottom of a flight of stairs past Hewg in the eastern wing. It is initially empty, but Nepheli Loux will move here after the Omenkiller in the Village of the Albinaurics has been defeated.

    Dining Room ER Roundtable Hold Dining Room A narrow room connected to the pantry, which requires a Stonesword Key to open. There is a treasure chest containing Crepus's Black-Key Crossbow and 20 Black-Key Bolts.

    Kitchen ER Roundtable Hold Kitchen A room connected to the dining room, requiring two Stonesword Keys to open. A treasure chest contains the Assassin's Prayerbook.

    Audience Chamber ER Roundtable Hold Two Fingers A throne room connected to the lobby, wherein resides the Two Fingers and Finger Reader Enia. This chamber is locked until at least one Great Rune has been obtained.

    NPCs Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing Brother Corhyn Roderika, Spirit Tuner Knight Diallos D, Hunter of the Dead Ensha of the Royal Remains Nepheli Loux, Warrior Twin Maiden Husks Dung Eater Smithing Master Hewg Fia, Deathbed Companion Sorcerer Rogier Finger Reader Enia Two Fingers Advertisement

27. #27Maliketh, the Black Blade

    Keys: Farum Azula, shadow-bound, Beast Clergyman, Marika, Maliketh, maliketh_the_black_blade, Gurranq, Rune of Death

    Maliketh, the Black Blade is a boss in Elden Ring, encountered in Crumbling Farum Azula. This is not an optional boss as Maliketh must be defeated to unlock Leyndell, Ashen Capital and reach the endgame of Elden Ring.

    Overview Maliketh is the loyal Shadowbound Beast and half-brother of Queen Marika the Eternal,[1][2] an Empyrean of Numen descent,[3] who would become the vessel of the Elden Ring.[4]

    Maliketh fought and defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen, the leader of the Godskin Apostles.[5] On Marika's orders, Maliketh sealed away the Rune of Death,[1] binding it within his blade,[6] causing the true power of the god-slaying black flame to be lost.[7]

    When the Rune of Death was plucked from the Elden Ring,[8] and confined,[9] the Golden Order was created, with Queen Marika as its one true god.[10] Marika's offspring were granted a form of immortality owing to the removal of their fated deaths from the Elden Ring,[11] however there was not one Demigod who did not fear Maliketh and his blade imbued with death.[2] He was a beast of such terrifying ferocity that his name came to mean "Death of the Demigods".[12] He also led the Black Blade Kindred, living gargoyles who wielded weapons held together by blackened corpse wax.[13]

    During the Golden Age of the Erdtree, a fragment of the Rune of Death was stolen from Maliketh.[14] The perpetrator was Ranni the Witch, who used it to forge godslaying black knives,[15] which were wielded by the Black Knife Assassins during the assassination of Godwyn the Golden on the Night of Black Knives.[16] Maliketh responded by binding his blade- and the Rune of Death sealed within- into his own flesh, to prevent death from ever being stolen again.[6] Later, the Rune of Death sprouted from Godwyn's corpse and began to spread through the Lands Between in the form of Deathroot. Maliketh, under the name Gurranq, resolved to track down and devour the Deathroot,[17] eventually gaining an insatiable hunger for it.[18]

    Maliketh, now Gurranq, eventually came into contact with D, Hunter of the Dead. D entered Gurranq's service and assisted him in weeding Deathroot, the source of Those Who Live in Death.[19] D would later find a Tarnished, who agreed to take his place in weeding Deathroot.[20]

    The Tarnished encounters Gurranq in the Bestial Sanctum in Caelid. The beast, dressed in the robes of a clergyman, gives them an eye which trembles in the presence of Deathroot,[21] and instructs them to bring him any Deathroot they find in return for bestial incantations.[22] Despite consuming all the Deathroot the Tarnished could bring him, Gurranq is not sated. Despondent, he realises that he has done all he can for the land and departs, with his hunger as his only companion.[23]

    When the Tarnished arrives at the foot of the Erdtree, they find the entrance obstructed by thorns. To remove the thorns, the Tarnished and their companion, Melina, set the Erdtree ablaze at the Giant's Forge.[24] After doing so, the Tarnished finds themselves in Crumbling Farum Azula, an ancient city in the sky, where they seek the Rune of Death.[25] The Tarnished finally comes upon Gurranq, who attempts to stop them from stealing the Rune of Death from him.[26] Despite his best efforts, Gurranq struggles to overcome the Tarnished. As a last resort, he unbinds his death-imbued blade from his flesh and reveals his true identity to the Tarnished.[27] Nevertheless, Maliketh falls to the Tarnished, and with his dying breath cries out to Marika for forgiveness.[28] The Rune of Death is unbound, and enshrouds the Lands Between. However, this allows the impenetrable thorns to finally burn away,[29] allowing the Tarnished to finally gain access to the Erdtree.

28. #28Greater Will

    Keys: Greater Will, Order, Golden Order, Marika, Outer Gods, Metyr, Great one, ErdTree, Elden Beast, God

    The Greater Will is a mysterious and supremely powerful entity or force from beyond that has great influence over the Lands Between. The vassals and envoys of the Greater Will are central to the Golden Order. It inhabits a lightless void outside the Lands Between.[1]

    Background Long ago, the Greater Will fractured the One Great, creating births and souls.[2] The adherents of the Three Fingers consider this action to be a mistake, because it resulted in torment, despair, affliction, sins, and curses.

    Together with a golden star, the Greater Will once sent an Elden Beast to the Lands Between that would later become the Elden Ring.[3] This beast was its vassal, and the living incarnation of the concept of Order.[4] The Greater Will has other vassals and envoys known as the Two Fingers,[5] who speak in a sign language of light.[6]

    Eternal Cities Before the age of the Erdtree,[7] the denizens of the Eternal Cities rebelled against the Greater Will. To shield themselves from its influence, the Nox donned ritual mirrorhelms to block its intervention and that of its vassals.[8] In an act of blasphemy, they drew the ire of the Greater Will by wielding the Fingerslayer Blade against one of its vassals.[9] In response to this transgression, the Greater Will unleashed Astel, whose destruction of the Eternal Cities condemned them to an existence underground.[10]

    Age of the Erdtree During the age of the Erdtree begun by Queen Marika the Eternal[11] and at least the era immediately preceding it, the Greater Will's envoy Two Fingers selected Empyreans as candidates to become the God of the coming age.[12] Queen Marika was one such candidate, and created the Golden Order by confining the Rune of Death.[13] However, Marika would eventually shatter the Elden Ring,[14] leading to her demigod offspring inheriting the Great Runes which in turn would trigger a war known as the Shattering.[15] The Greater Will abandoned the demigods following the Shattering, as none managed to claim title of Elden Lord.[16]

    According to the Two Fingers, the Greater Will has not abandoned the realm, nor the life that inhabits it, proclaiming this is why the Tarnished have been extended the Guidance of Grace.[17] After the Tarnished returned to the Lands Between following the Shattering, the Two Fingers, at the behest of the Greater Will, bade them kill the demigods in order to claim their Great Runes to become Elden Lord by becoming Marika's consort,[18] as the Greater Will had long since renounced the demigods.[19]

    In the time of The Tarnished (Protagonist), it was discovered that the entrance to the Erdtree was blocked by impenetrable thorns, preventing anyone from becoming Elden Lord. This caused the Two Fingers to commune with the Greater Will in search of answers, which may take thousands or tens of thousands of moons.[20][21] When The Tarnished (Protagonist) suggested burning the Erdtree, which would unbind Destined Death and slay the world itself,[22] Finger Reader Enia exclaimed that the Fingers and the Greater Will would never allow it.[23]

    After The Tarnished (Protagonist) caused the Volcano Manor's recusants to disband following the defeat of Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, the recusant known as Knight Bernahl declared himself the inheritor of his comrade recusant's will. He declared their refusal to become the Greater Will's pawns and swore it would fall by his blade.[24]

    It is often speculated that the Greater Will is an Outer God or equivalent due to its God-like standing in the world of Elden Ring. It is never directly referred to as one in the game's text, however. The Nox Mirrorhelms presumably worked by reflecting the Greater Will's language of light.[25]

29. #29Nox

    Keys: Nokron, Numen, Nokstella, Eternal City, lord of night, Sellia, fingerslayer

    The Nox are the inhabitants of the Eternal Cities of Nokron and Nokstella. They are a grey-skinned, cold-blooded race known for wielding flowing weapons[1] forged from the liquid metal of Silver Tears.

    Long ago, the Nox committed treason against the Greater Will and its vassal Fingers, fashioning crystalline helmets out of glass to ward off their intervention.[2] However, they invoked the ire of the Greater Will and were banished deep underground, forced to live under a false night sky in eternal anticipation of the coming age of stars, and of their Lord of Night.[3]

    Variant Description Monks clad in armour with silk capes and hoods. They wield Flowing Hammers which can elongate in a whip-like fashion for additional range, turn into semi-spherical spiked fist weapons which they dual-wield, or into single, spherical weapons resembling censers.

30. #30Hornsent

    Keys: messmer, Marika, belurat, Hornsent, real of shadow, realm of shadow, shaman

    The Hornsent were the inhabitants of Belurat and the tower of Enir-Ilim. They associated the spiral and tangled horns with the divine.[1] The hornsent butchered undesirables and stuffed them into jars. They conducted a divine ritual to rebirth the jar contents as better people. The Hornsent performed such rituals with the jars, mixing and amalgamating different people into a formation of flesh and spirit, in a sort of attempt to obtain a higher being through the sacrifice of many beings contained in said jars.

    The Hornsent's ambition, through the jars, was to reach beings with the quality of divinity. The pillars and spiral-shaped symbols are the representation of this ambition.

    Downfall Queen Marika betrayed hornsent.[6][7]. Their tower and and its Divine Gate was sealed by shadow[8] and their lands hidden in the Realm of Shadow. The hornsent were later attacked by forces of the Erdtree led by Messmer, son of Marika. His flame burned their armies and settlements.[9][10] Those who survived bore a deep grudge or swore vengeance.[11][12]

31. #31Ancient Ruins of Rauh

    Keys: ruah, real of shadows, hornsent, Ancient Ruins

    The Ancient Ruins of Rauh, also known as the Rauh Ruins, is a subregion of the Realm of Shadow in Shadow of the Erdtree.

    The Ancient Ruins of Rauh are perched above the Rauh Base and connected to the Shadow Keep via a bridge to the east. These ancient ruins are the upper section of the Rauh Ruins, located within the Land of the Tower, adjacent to the towering Enir-Ilim. A small portion of this area can be accessed early through a Sending Gate at the Fifth Belfry, found behind Castle Ensis on the Scadu Altus.

    The Rauh Ruins are densely overgrown with vegetation.[1] These remnants are what remains of a long-forgotten civilization that mastered the lost art of sprite magic long before the rise of the hornsent and advent of Marika's Erdtree.[2] A mysterious woman with an octagonal hat is prominently featured in much of the ruin's architecture. The ruins narrowly escaped destruction during Messmer's cleansing Crusade, thanks to the intervention of Fire Knight Salza, who defied orders to burn them.[3]

32. #32Messmer the Impaler

    Keys: serpent, Realm of Shadow, Marika, Messmer, rellana

    Messmer the Impaler is a mandatory Remembrance boss in Shadow of the Erdtree. He is a Demigod who is encountered in the Shadow Keep and the source of the Messmer's Flame Incantations.

    Messmer was born to Queen Marika the Eternal prior to the Second Liurnian War.[6] His birth was cursed by a dark entity, an evil serpent coiled within that threatened to subsume him.[8] Known to Messmer as the Abyssal Serpent,[9] this force was restrained only through Marika's intervention—she removed her son's right eye and replaced it with a seal of her Grace.[3] Ever since his accursed birth, Messmer was in constant company of the winged serpents, friends who suppressed the base serpent.[5]

    Much like his younger sister, Messmer bore a vision of fire.[8] He despised this flame, and time and time again hoped to rid himself of it, but found that it ever burned.[10]

    At some point, Messmer befriended Commander Gaius, an Albinauric who like him was cursed from birth. Gaius would go on to command Messmer's armies in the wars to come. They both acted as "older brothers" to General Radahn.[6]

    Crusade Before the Shattering, Messmer was charged by his mother with carrying out a purge of the tower-dwelling hornsent of the Land of Shadow, who did not bear the light of grace. At some point during his Crusade, Messmer was abandoned in the Land of Shadow, but continued to zealously enforce the purge even though Marika ceased all contact with him. Messmer came to reside in a fort known as the Shadow Keep.

    Key in his army were the Black Knights, commanded by Black Knight Commander Andreas and his son and second-in-command Black Knight Captain Huw. Although they remained devoutly loyal to Messmer despite his abandonment by Marika, they ultimately rebelled upon learning of his serpentine nature. The pair were imprisoned in an underground tomb, and despite his betrayal, Messmer mourned the loss of Huw, whom he had considered a brother-in-arms.[11] [12] His Fire Knights rebelled against burning the Ancient Ruins of Rauh and the destruction of the specimens in the Specimen Storehouse.[13][14]

    Eventually, an intruder invaded Messmer's stronghold, the Shadow Keep, and was noticed by the demigod's serpents, who identified them as a Tarnished Champion and a pretender to the title of Elden Lord. Though surprised that a Tarnished had come to the Land of Shadow, Messmer nonetheless attacked them to continue enforcing the purge. However, the serpentine demigod struggled overcome the Tarnished. Unwilling to accept "a Lord devoid of light" and desperate to regain the upper hand, Messmer ripped out Marika's seal and unleashed the power of the Abyssal Serpent, allowing him to frequently transform into a massive serpent. Nonetheless, the Tarnished was able to land a fatal blow upon Messmer. Realizing that his mother had indeed forsaken him, Messmer used his dying breath to curse Marika.

    Messmer, much like his siblings Malenia and Miquella, was also born cursed. Exactly when he was born remains unknown as all mention of him was erased by his mother after she abandoned him in the Land of Shadow. Messmer did, however, act as an elder brother to Radahn, who is older than the twins, making Messmer at the very least their older brother. In one of the item descriptions of Messmer's Kindling it says that "His younger sister also bore a vision of fire", possibly relating to Melina. She serves as kindling to burn the Erdtree, and so too did Messmer have kindling capable of burning a tree. While unconfirmed, Messmer is implied to be a child of Radagon: He is red-haired, a trait commonly seen in Radagon's children. He was born cursed, much like Malenia and Miquella, who were born "from a single god". There are four butterfly items shown in the game and its expansion: Nascent - Miquella, Aeonian - Malenia, Smouldering - Melina, and Black Pyrefly - Messmer. Radagon's motif is present in the soundtrack of Messmer's fight. If Messmer is a child of Marika-Radagon, then he had the potential to rise as an Empyrean.[15] Upon his defeat, Messmer denounces his mother and curses her with his dying breath.[16] This is the only time he refers to Marika by name.

33. #33Gideon Ofnir, The All-knowing

    Keys: roundtable, Gideon, Tarnished, Marika, Leyndell, radagon, Elden Ring, Nepheli

    Gideon Ofnir is the Tarnished leader of Roundtable Hold and the adoptive father of Nepheli Loux.[1] Called to the Lands Between by the guidance of Grace, Gideon wishes to become Elden Lord.[2] To this end he accumulates information on the Shardbearers, employing a network of spies[3] to aid in his hunt for knowledge. Initially, he is apprehensive of the Tarnished, but after they have claimed a Great Rune he becomes willing to share his knowledge of the remaining shardbearers.

    In the past, Gideon took in Nepheli Loux after she lost sight of the guidance of Grace, taking advantage of her youthful credulity.[4] He promised her that he would not allow the downtrodden to be cheated any longer if he became Elden Lord.[5] He also became acquainted with Preceptor Seluvis and Dolores the Sleeping Arrow, although he and Seluvis would go their separate ways because of Dolores.[6]

    At some point, Gideon engaged in a long exchange with the Two Fingers, and in doing so learned that everything- including the Erdtree and the Two Fingers themselves- had been broken.[7] He also glimpsed into the will of Queen Marika the Eternal, shuddering in fear at an end that should not be.[8] He concluded from this that the queen wished for the Tarnished to struggle eternally.[9]

    When a Tarnished champion makes their way to the Roundtable Hold, the first in a long time, Gideon is initially dismissive of them, welcoming them to the Hold but calling them a mere visitor. Gideon encourages the Tarnished to seek a Great Rune in order to gain audience with the Two Fingers and be welcomed as a proper member of the Roundtable Hold.

    True to his word, Gideon inducts them as a true member of the Roundtable upon their meeting with the Two Fingers, and shares with them some of the information he has amassed on the Shardbearers.

    Although Gideon had amassed knowledge on many of the shardbearers, he had not ascertained the whereabouts of four demigods: Ranni the Witch; Mohg, Lord of Blood; Malenia, Blade of Miquella; and Miquella of the Haligtree. In his search for the latter, he sends his men to ransack the Village of the Albinaurics in Liurnia of the Lakes, knowing that the Albinaurics possess half of a secret medallion that would open the path to the Haligtree. The slaughter of the Albinaurics causes Nepheli to lose faith in him, which causes him to abandon her.[10] He also sought Latenna, an Albinauric woman with knowledge of the location of the other half of the medallion.[11] If the Tarnished claims one half of the medallion, Gideon's underling Ensha will ambush them in Roundtable Hold, apparently of his own volition.[12] After Ensha is defeated, Gideon compensates the Tarnished by sharing the possible whereabouts of the medallion's other half.

    When the Erdtree rejects the Tarnished, forcing them to contemplate journeying to the Forge of the Giants to burn the thorns barring entry into the Erdtree, Gideon encourages them to take no heed of the Fingers' warning that this would be a cardinal sin. He also offers to reward the Tarnished for any information they can deliver on the four great runes whose locations are unknown. If the Tarnished pursues this quest to its ending, finding the cocoon of Miquella within the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum, Gideon thanks them, declaring that this is one of the last pieces he needs to put everything together.

    After the Tarnished burns the Erdtree and unseals the Rune of Death, Gideon makes his way to Leyndell, Ashen Capital, where he confronts the Tarnished in the Erdtree Sanctuary. Upon his defeat, he warns them that a Tarnished could not become a Lord, and that a man cannot kill a god.[13]

    Character Information Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing is a boss encounter in Leyndell, Ashen Capital. He utilises both sorceries and incantations in combat, and learns new spells depending on whether you have defeated Rykard, Malenia, or Mohg. He only has seven memory slots, and knows six spells by default, meaning that the spells learned by defeating the aforementioned bosses can replace his default spells. If two of these bosses have been defeated, Gideon will lose Comet Azur. If all three have been defeated, he will lose Triple Rings of Light.

    The Omenkiller in the Village of the Albinaurics is implied by Nepheli to be one of Gideon's agents. Due to the connection between Omenkillers and perfumers, the Depraved Perfumer in the village may be working with the Omenkiller. Recusant Henricus, an invader in Limgrave, wears the Eye Surcoat which is said to be worn by Gideon's "eyes and ears". The Eye Surcoat can be looted from a corpse in Rykard's boss arena. This is potentially another agent of Gideon.

34. #34Nepheli Loux, Warrior

    Keys: Tarnished, Kenneth Haight, stormveil castle, Gideon Ofnir, Hoarah Loux

    Nepheli Loux is a Tarnished warrior [1]from the Badlands. In her infancy, Nepheli lived through murder and pillage unchecked[2] At some point, she lost the guidance of grace, and was taken in by Gideon Ofnir, who became her foster father.[3] Gideon promised Nepheli that if he became Elden Lord he would never allow the downtrodden to be cheated again[4], earning her loyalty and aid in his pursuit of the title of Elden Lord.[5]

    At the behest of Gideon, Nepheli infiltrates Stormveil Castle[6], the home of the demigod Godrick the Grafted. Here, she encounters a Tarnished, who aids her in defeating the decrepit demigod. With Godrick slain, she returns to Roundtable Hold, where she awards them with an Arsenal Charm she found in Stormveil, and encourages them to speak to her foster father.

    Travelling to Liurnia of the Lakes, Nepheli comes upon the Village of the Albinaurics, where she witnesses the slaughter of the Albinauric inhabitants at the hands of her father's men.[7] Reminded of the brutality she witnessed as a child, Nepheli vows to deliver justice to the oppressors[8], assisting the Tarnished in defeating the Omenkiller responsible for the slaughter.

    For giving into her emotions and abandoning the mission, Nepheli is cast aside by Gideon.[9] Without her estranged father's guidance, she becomes crestfallen, resigning to the lower levels of Roundtable Hold where she questions the faith she had in Gideon.[10]

    The Tarnished obtains the ashes of The Stormhawk King in the Chapel of Anticipation, which they may choose to give to Nepheli. She can smell the ancient storm within the ash[11], and is reminded of her first hawk.[12] Despite her inability to sense spirits within ash[13], she gladly receives them.

    After claiming the Stormhawk King's ashes, Nepheli encounters Kenneth Haight, who recognises her as a worthy heir of Limgrave.[14] Nepheli accepts the role, having been reminded by Limgrave of her own home.[15] As the new lord of Limgrave, Nepheli pledges to aid the Tarnished should they become Elden Lord[16], pledging to call upon the storm to drive away the foulness that has settled on the winds.[17]

    Nepheli Loux's name implies that she is related to Godfrey, who's name following his banishment from the Lands Between is Hoarah Loux. This connection is also supported by Kenneth Haight's decision to appoint her as the new lord of Limgrave, following his proclamation to find someone of the "proper lineage".

35. #35Roderika, Spirit Tuner

    Keys: spirit tuner, RoundTable, Tarnished, spirit tuning, Hewg, spirit ashes

    A Tarnished[1] noblewoman who, despite having never seen the guidance of grace[2], travelled to the Lands Between along with her companions. After arriving, those companions fell victim to Godrick, becoming subjects for his grafting.[3] Roderika alone survived, taking refuge in Stormhill Shack. It is here that she meets the Tarnished. She beseeches the Tarnished to bring a message to her grafted companions, whom she refers to as chrysalids, assuring them that she loves them and will join them soon.[4]

    Roderika then heads to Roundtable Hold. Here, she becomes acquainted with Smithing Master Hewg, who takes notice of her gift for spirit tuning and is reminded of a spirit tuner he knew long ago, whose eyes were of the same hue as Roderika's.[5] Reluctantly, Hewg agrees to teach Roderika everything he knows about spirit tuning.

    Roderika remains at Roundtable Hold, where she hones her newfound talent and eventually becomes a fully-fledged spirit tuner.[6] Her ability to sense spirits allows her to notice the Dung Eater's presence, which she warns the Tarnished about.[7]

    After the Erdtree burns, Roderika attempts to convince Hewg to leave Roundtable[8], but to no avail. She chooses to respect Hewg's decision, and remains behind with him even after he forgets her.[9] As the hold burns, she begs the Tarnished to become Elden Lord, and to use the weapons Hewg forged to slay Queen Marika the Eternal.[10]

36. #36Smithing Master Hewg

    Keys: Roderika, Marika, Tarnished, Roundtable Hold

    Hewg is a prisoner of Roundtable Hold, tasked with smithing weapons for the Tarnished.[1] His duty, given by Queen Marika the Eternal, is to smith a weapon to kill a god.[2][3] In the past, Hewg was indebted to a spirit tuner,[4] and when he meets Roderika he recognises that her eyes share the same hue as those of his old acquaintance.[5] Although reluctant at first, Hewg agrees to take Roderika under his wing at the insistence of the Tarnished.

    After the Tarnished sets fire to the Erdtree, the Roundtable Hold also begins to burn. Hewg's chains are broken, yet he insists on remaining in the hold, where he can continue to smith weapons to slay a god, despite Roderika's pleas for him to leave.[6] As the Roundtable burns, Hewg's mental state appears to deteriorate, causing him to slur his words and, eventually, to forget both Roderika and the Tarnished.[7] Roderika decides to respect Hewg's decision to stay at the Roundtable, and resolves to remain with him.[8] Her last request is for the Tarnished to use the weapons Hewg smithed to slay Queen Marika.[9]

37. #37Blaidd Half-Wolf

    Keys: shadowbound beast, Ranni, Tarnished, half brother, two fingers, shadow

    Blaidd was created as a vassal to Lunar Princess Ranni by her Two Fingers when she was chosen as an Empyrean. His inclusion was approved by Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon and he was raised as Ranni's stepbrother. [1]

    As a shadowbound beast, Blaidd was incapable of treachery against his master. His unwavering loyalty to Ranni and her Dark Moon meant he was prepared to descend into madness to uphold her will, acting from his heart to support her every decision.

    Unbeknownst to Blaidd, the Two Fingers had implanted a failsafe within him. Should Ranni ever reject the destiny prescribed by the Greater Will and choose rebellion, Blaidd’s unwavering loyalty would twist into madness, transforming him into a Baleful Shadow and posing a dire threat to Ranni herself.

38. #38War Counselor Iji

    Keys: Ranni, Blaidd, Tarnished

    A good-natured troll who once served the Carian Royal Family as a blacksmith.[1] Currently, Iji serves Ranni, the Carian princess, as her war counsellor,[2] while still plying his trade as a blacksmith outside the Kingsrealm Ruins, near the Caria Manor.

    Iji has known Ranni and Blaidd since they were children, and they would let him join in when they played.[3] Along with Blaidd, he swore allegiance to Ranni when she renounced her flesh and chose the dark path of the Empyrean.[4] Iji is also shown to care for Blaidd[5], however he also harbours some reservations. Fearing that, as her sworn shadow, Blaidd will go mad and become a curse for Ranni for resisting the Two Fingers[6], Iji imprisons Blaidd in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol.[7]

    Iji became acquainted with Jerren when he was a guest of the Carians.[8] Jerren recalls that the weapons Iji smithed were blunt, yet did not decay when faced with Scarlet Rot.[9] Jerren may also offer a vital clue regarding Ranni's fate, which helps Iji to come to the realisation that General Radahn must be killed in order to release the stars and Ranni's own fate.[10]

    Later, after Blaidd breaks free of his imprisonment and gives his life in defence of Ranni, Iji admits that he misjudged Blaidd's loyalty, and senses that he will soon join Blaidd in death.[11] Later, he can be found dead, his body ablaze with black flame, with the corpses of Black Knife Assassins nearby.

39. #39Primeval Current

    Keys: Carian, Ranni, Raya Lucaria, Lusat, Azur, Sellen, Rennala, graven

    The primeval current of glintstone sorcery is intrinsically tied to the cosmic vitality of the stars,[2] shaping both the land and fate of the Lands Between.[3][4] It is described as a torrent of glintstone flowing from a distant star cluster,[5] often likened to a celestial procession of stars.[1]

    However, those who gaze into the current are bewitched by its cosmic mysteries, often driven to the brink of despair.[5][6]

    Long ago, the Greater Will triggered a great rupture in the One Great,[7][8] scattering the ancient life of the stars across the cosmos.[2] This celestial event is seen as the primordial causality that led to fractures, births, and souls.[9]

    An ancient astrologer on the Mountaintops of the Giants perceived the primeval current, giving it form[citation needed] and bringing its amber raining down upon the Lands Between.[10] These celestial phenomena introduced glintstone sorcery and its cosmic vitality into the world.

    Many of these shooting stars became meteors that struck the Lands Between, giving rise to the Alabaster and Onyx Lords and lifting Farum Azula into the sky.[11][12][13][14] The first star to arrive carried Metyr, Mother of Fingers, daughter of the Greater Will.[15] Later, a golden star descended, bearing the Elden Beast, which would become the Elden Ring.[16]

    The Black Moon once hung over Nokstella, guiding countless stars.[17][18] However, it was lost when the Nox used the Fingerslayer Blade against Metyr,[19][20] enraging the Greater Will.[21] In response, the Greater Will sent Astel, Naturalborn of the Void,[22] to assault the Eternal Cities.[23][24] Astel unleashed a hail of meteorites, destroying the Nameless Eternal City and stealing its night sky,[25] an act that banished the Eternal Cities underground.

    The Academy of Raya Lucaria was later founded by two glintstone sorcerers, Azur and Lusat, who sought to uncover the secrets of glintstone and the enigmatic Crystalians. Both peered beyond the "wisdom of stone"[26][27] into the primeval current and were irrevocably changed by what they saw.[28][29] Azur was left bewitched and haunted by the abyss,[5] while Lusat was shattered after witnessing the dying light of a star cluster.[6]

    When the Carians, worshippers of the Moon and allies of the crystalians,[30] gained control of the academy,[31][32] they suppressed the study of the primeval current.[33] However, Sorceress Sellen defied this ban, obsessively pursuing its secrets. Operating under the alias of the Graven Witch, she transformed her fellow sorcerers into Graven Masses—the seeds of stars.[34][35] For her treachery, she was expelled from the academy.[36][37]

    After the Shattering, a young General Radahn applied the Gravity Sorcery he had learned from an Alabaster Lord in Sellia, Town of Sorcery.[38][39][40] In the ensuing Starscourge Conflict, Radahn stood alone against the stars and triumphed.[41][42] His victory halted the movement of the stars, thereby forestalling the fate of his sister, Ranni.[43]

    The Demi-Human Queens task their Demi-Human Swordsman with discovering what lies beyond the procession of the stars.[1][44] Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze sealed himself in the Belurat Gaol to forestall the ruinous fate he perceived.[45] The Greater Will exists in a lightless abyss, or void, far beyond the Lands Between.[46] It is the home of Astel and the Fallingstar Beasts.[47][48] It is possible Astel used a wormhole to reach the Eternal Cities.[23][49] Azur slowly transformed into blue-green glintstone.[28] Lusat slowly transformed into deep blue glintstone.[29] Mad Tongue Alberich and the Guilty transform blood sacrifices into red glintstone.[50]

40. #40Sorceress Sellen

    Keys: Carian, Seluvis, Raya Lucaria, Primeval Current, Tarnished, Lusat, Azur, Glinstone

    Sellen was considered to be the most promising glintstone sorceress to ever attend the Academy of Raya Lucaria.[1] Her first teacher at the academy was the sorcerer Azur, one of the founding glintstone sorcerers and originator of the Karolos Conspectus.[2][3] Azur, along with Lusat, was banished from the academy due to their study of the primeval current[4], a study Sellen wished to pursue. However, following accusations of unspeakable treatment of her fellow scholars under the name of the Graven Witch, Sellen too was expelled from the academy.[5] Sellen had sought to restore the Primeval Current, desiring glintstone sorceries unbound by terrestrial taboos and the pedantry of the Carian Royal Family.[6]

    Sellen was also an acquaintance of Preceptor Seluvis, and a frequent visitor to his underground cellar[7], where he kept his collection of puppets. When Sellen was expelled, Seluvis helped her in some capacity, for which she owes him.[8]

    At some point following her banishment, Sellen was imprisoned in Witchbane Ruins on the Weeping Peninsula, bound by the Academy's shackles.[9] She managed to manifest a projection of herself[10] in the Waypoint Ruins in Limgrave. It is here that she meets the Tarnished, who becomes her apprentice[11], learning glintstone sorceries from her. When she learns that the Tarnished has found Master Azur on Mt. Gelmir, she requests that they seek out Master Lusat, speculating that he returned to his home of Sellia, Town of Sorcery.[12] The Tarnished discovers Lusat, in a near-inorganic state[13] much like Azur, in Sellia Hideaway, and reports back to Sellen.

    Freeing Sellen Much like Ranni the Witch, Sellen's fate is tied to the stars, and with the defeat of Starscourge Radahn, Sellen becomes dispossessed of her immortality.[14] This makes her a target of Jerren, a friend of the Carian Royal Family who once made a promise to exterminate the witch. Sellen reveals to the Tarnished that the form they have been speaking to is a projection[10], and that her true body resides in Witchbane Ruins.[15] The Tarnished meets with Sellen's true body, shackled in the ruin's cellar, and she asks them to remove her Primal Glintstone, beseeching them to look after it.[16] Jerren arrives to find Sellen's previous body already perished.[17] The Tarnished later places Sellen's Primal Glintstone into a puppet in Seluvis's basement, which bears a striking resemblance to Sellen's old body.

    Sellen, now in her new, more youthful body[18], returns to the Academy and displaces Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon.[19] She has the bodies of Azur and Lusat moved back to the Academy, so that she can finally hone the Primeval Current.[20] She offers her support to the Tarnished in their mission to become Elden Lord, and requests that when the time comes, they illuminate her about the secrets of life which course the Elden Ring[21] Before long, however, Jerren finally catches up to her. [22] Should the Tarnished aid her in beating back Jerren, she will continue her research. When the Tarnished next sees her, she has transformed into a Graven Mass.

    Portraits of Sellen are hung around the Academy of Raya Lucaria, notably the Debate Parlor. Sellen may be summoned as a cooperator against the Red Wolf of Radagon if her Primal Glintstone has been inserted in the doll body from Seluvis's Cellar. Given that this requires both reaching the top of Mt. Gelmir and defeating Starscourge Radahn before you have made significant progress in the Academy of Raya Lucaria, this is rather unlikely to happen naturally.

41. #41Fire Giant

    Keys: Forge of the Giants, Flame of Ruin, Melina, Fell God, war, Erdtree

    The Fire Giant is a boss in Elden Ring. He is encountered at Flame Peak on the Mountaintops of the Giants. This encounter is not optional as it must be completed to unlock Crumbling Farum Azula and advance the main storyline.

    n the days before the Erdtree, the Giants carved out a civilization in the inhospitable mountains to the north, after chasing away the Ice Dragons who had previously ruled it.[1] Here, they worshipped a Fell God and were bound to tend the Flame of their god for eternity.[2]

    Before Queen Marika the Eternal ushered in her Age of the Erdtree, she had her then husband, Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, launch an attack against the Giants,[3] fearing that their fire might burn her Erdtree.[4]

    The mighty Giants borrowed the power of their fell god, but were still defeated[2] by Godfrey[5] and his Crucible Knights,[6] with Marika allegedly striking down the fell god.[7] Only a single Fire Giant remained, and Marika cursed him to forever tend his Flame, ensuring it could not harm her Erdtree.[8] During this time, the Fire Giant crafted a leg brace for a wound on his left leg.

    After untold ages of tending the flame, the Fire Giant's vigil is interrupted by a Tarnished, seeking to harness the Flame to burn the Erdtree. The Fire Giant fights to crush the champion, but the Tarnished repeatedly strikes at the Giant's legs, slicing apart his leg brace and causing the Giant's left leg to break. In immense pain, the Fire Giant tears off the foot of his broken leg, using it as a sacrifice to unleash the power of the fell god. Despite being on more even terms, the Fire Giant is eventually felled by the Tarnished.

    The War Against the Giants refers to the conflict between the Fire Giants and the champions of the Erdtree, long before the events of Elden Ring.

    Long ago, the red-haired Fire Giants took up residence in the northern Mountaintops, chasing away the ice dragons who were the former lords of the region.[1] The Fire Giants were considered neighbors by the astrologers who had also established themselves on the mountaintops.[2]

    The Giants borrowed a destructive, fiery power from a fell god, whose one-eyed visage[3] manifested upon their chests, however the cost for this was eternal servitude as keepers of the flame of ruin[4], which resided within the forge of the Giants.

    Meanwhile, Queen Marika the Eternal, an Empyrean vessel of the Elden Ring, had begun to establish her reign over the Lands Between. The flame of ruin posed a threat to the burgeoning Erdtree, being capable of burning it[5], and thus needed to be neutralized. And so, Queen Marika and her consort Godfrey, First Elden Lord, marched upon the Mountaintops of the Giants.

    The War Against the Giants

    The war against the Giants, fought at the birth of the Erdtree[6], was led by Godfrey.[7] They marched through the western Mountaintops, carving winding paths to the summit.[8] Upon arriving in the Mountaintops, Queen Marika issued a proclamation to Godfrey and his warriors, commanding them to put the Giants to the sword and confine their flame, so that the Age of the Erdtree could begin.[9]

    The heroes of the Erdtree were accompanied by the Fire Monks, who devised an incantation which could protect them from the Giants' flame.[10] They were also joined by the Knights of Zamor, who had been mortal enemies of the Fire Giants since time immemorial[11], having challenged them many times in the past.[12]

    The Trolls, who were descendants of the Giants[13], betrayed their ancestors[14] and fought on behalf of the Erdtree. They were furnished with gilded swords[15] to commemorate their fealty.

    The Giants retaliated, using their bellowing roars to trigger avalanches and whip up storms of flame.[16] Facing a Fire Giant was seen as a horror, thanks in part to their dreadful visages and the flames they wielded.[17] Enormous, crushing weapons were deployed to counter their onslaught[18], and the heroes of the Erdtree strengthened their arms using semi-vitrified smithing stones found in the cold, northern regions.[6]

    Queen Marika herself did battle with the one-eyed fell god, and it is believed to have been slain by her.[3] In truth, the fell god continued to lurk within the Fire Giants themselves.[19] Despite the odds, the champions of the Erdtree prevailed over the Fire Giants[4], leaving the battlefield littered with their corpses.

    Although the Giants had been defeated, it became apparent that the flame of ruin would never die. Seeing this, Queen Marika marked a lone surviving Fire Giant with a curse, compelling him to tend to the flame for eternity.[20] With the flame sealed away, the Fire Monks and Flame Guardians were appointed to watch over it.[21][22] They would later succumb to the allure of the flame[23], emblazoning their chestplates with depictions of the fell god.[24]

    The Knights of Zamor earned great renown[25] for their actions during the war, and were hailed as heroes. They can be found in Hero's Graves, seemingly serving as guardians. The Trolls, despite their own efforts in the war, did not receive such recognition, and can often be found performing menial labour, working in mines or dragging carriages.

    The end of the war marked the dawn of the era of the Erdtree[14], presided over by Queen Marika and Godfrey. The Erdtree itself would go on to become the embodiment of Order[26], its blessed sap dripping from its boughs. The age of plenty which ensued ended swiftly, however, and the Erdtree became more an object of faith.[27]

    Although the flame of ruin was sealed, the burning of the Erdtree was considered to be the first cardinal sin[28]. Prophets would occasionally glimpse the flame of ruin in their faith, envisioning the ruin that it would bring.[29] Prophets who had such visions would be banished[30], forced to wear shackles around their necks to warn passersby against listening to them.[31]

    Some time after The Shattering, a Tarnished would arrive in the Lands Between and meet Melina, a mysterious woman who would guide them along the path to become Elden Lord. Finding that the entrance to the Erdtree was obstructed by thorns, Melina advises the Tarnished that the only way to gain entry was to set the Erdtree aflame.[32] The pair journey to the giant's forge, where the Tarnished fights and defeats the Fire Giant whom Marika had left to tend the Flame. Melina offers herself as kindling, and sets fire to the Erdtree using the fire that had long been sealed away.

42. #42Fell God

    Keys: Giants, Marika, Godfrey, Forge, Flame of Ruin

    The fell god,[1] also known as the one-eyed god,[2] is an unseen character in Elden Ring. It is the source of the Giants' Flame and Giants' Flame Incantations.

    The fell god is an ancient deity worshiped by the Fire Giants. It is commonly referred to with a myriad of derogatory terms by the inhabitants of the Lands Between, such as the "corrupt", "grotesque", "malformed", "fell" or "evil" god of the Fire Giants. It is represented in the visage of a single eye with a fiery-orange iris and nine pupils within.

    It physically manifests itself in the shape of a grotesque face in the torsos of its followers, channeling its power through them, its greatest flames emerging from its mouth (commonly located in the host giant's stomach) along with the undying flames found seeded within their giant black forge enabling its followers to develop innumerable fire incantations.

    The fell god of fire has been around for a long time and predates the Erdtree. It was a dreaded figure in the old legends of the hornsent of Enir-Ilim.[3] It was worshiped by the Fire Giants,[2] who it cursed for eternity to tend the Flame within the Forge of the Giants.[1]

    The powers of the Flame were once deemed as a threat to the Erdtree by Queen Marika and the Golden Order and thus they waged a bloody War Against the Giants. Once the Fire Giants were defeated,[1] Queen Marika realized the fires of their forge could not die and thus sealed it away,[4] reducing its once formidable flame into mere embers and cursing the last surviving Fire Giant to keep them so for all eternity.[5]

    Even then, after countless years, innumerable Prophets would be haunted by visions of its flames consuming the Erdtree.[6] And the one-eyed god still lurks dormant within its subjects,[7] on the cusp of being awakened at any moment with a sufficient sacrificial offering.

    The Furnace Golems, One-Eyed Shield, and Fire Monk Armor were created in the image of the fell god. The fell god was said to possess curled horns.[3] Eight small pupils encircle the central pupil of the fell god's eye. This distinctive pattern appears on the Divine Towers, with some pillar reliefs featuring central cavities filled with glowing meteorite ore. The Troll's Hammer also displays the nine-circle design, used by giants during an age when smithing held divine significance.[8] The Verdigris Discus shares this pattern with the fell god's eye. Verdigris, believed to be a gift from an outer god,[9] also appears on the talismans and great dish carried by the Fire Giant. This pattern is also seen on the One-Eyed Shield, Furnace Visage, Verdigris Armor, and Verdigris Greaves. The fell god’s Flame was said to cleanse the body of poison and scarlet rot.[10] The sun medallion on the Dung Eater's Omen Armor resembles the Furnace Visage. Red hair appears to grow from the severed Omen horns. Red hair grows on many of its followers.

43. #43Starscourge Conflict

    Keys: Jerren, Nox, Radahn, Stars, Sellia

    The Starscourge Conflict refers the clash between General Radahn and the stars of the night sky. Commonly described as a completely one-sided battle in Radahn's favor, the conclusion of this confrontation would earn the young warrior the title of "Starscourge" (星砕きの "Hoshi-Kudaki" litterally meaning "star crusher" or "star smasher"), secure the safety of the town of sorcery, Sellia and would fetter the very movement of the stars, halting the fates they'd ordain for their subjects, which would include the fate of Lunar Princess Ranni, Radahn's own sister. From this day onward, only when Radahn has fully perished, will the stars ever dare to resume their movements.

44. #44Alexander, Warrior Jar

    Keys: Jar, Tarnished, warrior

    Alexander is a living jar who travels the Lands Between, honing his strength in order to become a great warrior.[1] Alexander was created to be a warrior vessel, and the remains of many great warriors reside within him.[2] He originally came from Jarburg, a hidden village of living jars in Liurnia of the Lakes, however he vowed never to return[3], claiming that "the path of champions must be trod alone".[4]

    On his journey to become a great champion, he seeks out Redmane Castle in Caelid, following rumours of a festival of combat.[5] On his way to the festival, he crosses paths with the Tarnished multiple times, often requiring their assistance to get out of unfortunate situations such as being stuck in potholes.

    Alexander finally gets the chance to participate in the Radahn Festival, a brawl between several champions and Starscourge Radahn. Alexander survives the ordeal, however he suffers damage to his body and is forced to hide for the remainder of the battle.[6] Undeterred, he replenishes himself with the bodies of mighty warriors littering the battlefield, vowing to grow even stronger.[7]

    Next, Alexander travels to Mt. Gelmir, hoping to temper his body in the sea of fire[8] such that it would never crack again. Finding the lava to be lukewarm and insufficient to strengthen his vessel, he sets his sights upon the Mountaintops of the Giants, seeking out the flame of ruin.[9]

    Alexander travels to the mountaintops, where he witnesses the Tarnished's fight with the Fire Giant.[10] He then finds himself in Farum Azula, where he encounters the Tarnished for a final time. Impressed by his companion's feats of strength, he requests a duel[11]. The Tarnished emerges victorious and Alexander accepts his defeat, asking the Tarnished to take his innards with his final words.[12]

    The Tarnished may present these innards to Alexander's nephew, the Jar-Bairn, who vows to become strong just like his uncle Alexander.[13]

45. #45Torrent

    Keys: Melina, Marika, Tarnished, Ranni

    Torrent is a spectral steed resembling a horse with two short horns on his head and a white mane. Prior to meeting the Tarnished, he is in the company of Melina. The pair find the Tarnished unconscious in the Stranded Graveyard, where Melina reassures Torrent[1] before granting the Tarnished two flasks. Later, when the Tarnished enters into an accord with Melina, she grants them the Spectral Steed Whistle which allows them to call upon Torrent, revealing that Torrent has chosen them.[2]

    Torrent has a taste for Rowa Raisins,[3] Sweet Raisins[4] and Frozen Raisins,[5] which can be used to restore his health. He had a former master who also gave Ranni the Witch the Spirit Calling Bell to pass onto his next master.[6] The identity of this individual is not currently known.

    Should the Tarnished choose to become the Lord of Frenzied Flame and incinerate the Erdtree, a final cutscene will show Melina picking up the Spectral Steed Whistle, which disintegrates in her hand (though the player still has access to it in-game).

    Besides allowing a player to get around relatively quickly, Torrent also doesn't appear to take fall damage from certain heights. This allows one to easily jump down from heights that'd normally kill the player as long as they're mounted on Torrent. That said, Torrent isn't immune to dying from jumping from too high of a height: even if a double jump is used to get to a lower level, if the starting point is too high up, Torrent will dissipate on landing and the player will die from the impact.

    Jumping again while in mid-air will cause Torrent to perform a second jump. This can only be done once until he touches the ground again and can be used to change direction at the moment of the second jump.

    Players can also fight from horseback against enemies, such as shooting arrows or casting spells. However, only one of the player's weapons can be used at a time as the left hand is constantly occupied holding Torrent's reigns, it is still possible to switch between the right-hand and left-hand armament while riding by using the same input the player uses to two-hand their weapons.

    Note that it is not possible to change from wielding a weapon one-handed to two-handed while mounted. It is however possible to get the bonuses of two-handing by performing the action before mounting up.

    Spirit springs can be used by jumping while riding Torrent to reach higher altitudes. Landing on or close to a spirit spring will completely negate fall damage.

    Torrent's HP can be restored by consuming Rowa Raisins, Sweet Raisins and Frozen Raisins. Using a Flask of Crimson Tears will also restore his health on top of the player's own, however only while the player is riding him. If Torrent is killed, using the Spectral Steed Whistle will bring up a prompt to expend a single charge of the Flask of Crimson Tears to revive him.

46. #46Dung Eater

    Keys: Tarnished, omen, ending, sewers, mending rune, curse

    Background The Dung Eater once saw guidance and a ring that would appear at the end of his journey.[1] His vision is of a curse he calls the "pox upon life itself" or the "reviled blessing",[2] with everyone sustaining it in despair and their souls not being able to return to the Erdtree.[3][4][5] He decided to wear a disfigured armor, resembling the Omen, representing the vision of the landscape of his mind, and his appearance as he wished to see it.[6] He donned his armor with a heavy sun-shaped medallion to represent both the guidance and the ring he once saw.[7]

    He assumed he would personally curse all life himself, so he started indiscriminately killing people and defiling their corpses to nourish the pox.[8] In each defilement, the Dung Eater cultivates a Seedbed Curse on a corpse that prevents the dead soul to go to the Erdtree, leaving it forever cursed.[9]

    He was eventually captured and publicly hanged in front of an angry crowd, who strongly despise him for his vile crimes. However, killing the Dung Eater only resulted in his revival by grace as a Tarnished,[10] so he was perpetually jailed in the Forsaken Depths below Leyndell, the Royal Capital.

    When The Tarnished (Protagonist) travels to the Roundtable Hold, an apparition of the Dung Eater is discovered within, resting and with his bloodlust quenched by his abidance of the pact of non-aggression[11][12]; but should he feel the presence of his Seedbed Curse within the player, he'll instruct to set his body free from the jail hidden away in the sewer below the capital,[13] with the intention of fully cursing The Tarnished.[14]

    If The Dung Eater is released, he will attack and defile Blackguard Big Boggart, and will invade the player when they arrive at the scene. When defeated, Dung Eater will claim something unexpected happened, his blessing was warded off by the protagonist, despite the curse stirring within, a feat no one had succeeded in before. [15] At which point he has a revelation: he was not the one who could curse the world as in his vision, that's The Tarnished. And the Dung Eater is just a means to get there, and should be doing what his moniker implies — his flesh is the one that must receive the blessing.[16] And so, he tasks his flesh to be defiled with the seedbed curse again and again until the ring he once saw coalesces and is able to defile Order itself,[17], an act that would cost his life but that he would be proud of.[18]

    The player can choose to follow the Dung Eater's will, defiling his body unto a Mending Rune is created, and using it to bring a new age of despair in the end. The Tarnished may also choose to put a stop to his trail of blood by simply killing him in his jail, or to reduce the Dung Eater to a mindless puppet through Seluvis' Potion. Still, perhaps this is a fate too cruel even for a monster like him.

    The Dung Eater’s name and methods of killing might be inspired by an ancient Japanese myth; it was once believed that a person’s soul was contained within a special organ located in the anus. Demons would tear this organ out of their victims in order to steal their souls.

47. #47GoldMask

    Keys: mending rune, Erdtree, Golden Order, radagon · Secondary:

    Goldmask is a Tarnished scholar and staunch Golden Order fundamentalist.[1] He predicted the guidance of Grace, and upon being beckoned by it he came to the Lands Between to contemplate the Golden Order.[2]

    Although a Golden Order fundamentalist himself, Goldmask was critical of the hunters of Those Who Live in Death, lamenting that their learnedness had been reduced to fanatical raving and an obsession with finding a great evil to contend with, a concept which he did not believe existed within the Golden Order.[3]

    While contemplating the Erdtree in the Altus Plateau Goldmask is approached by Brother Corhyn, a man of the cloth who wished to travel alongside him as a scholar. In Leyndell, Goldmask becomes perplexed by the identity of Radagon, whose existence calls into question the principle that Queen Marika the Eternal is the one true god.[4] With the help of the The Tarnished, Goldmask learns that Radagon is Marika.

    Goldmask and Corhyn then travel to the Mountaintops of the Giants, where Corhyn becomes aware of Goldmask's suspicions regarding the holism of the Golden Order.[5] Corhyn begins to doubt Goldmask's faith, questioning his decision to travel to the Mountaintops.[6]

    Goldmask had come to the revelation that the imperfection of the Golden Order and the instability of ideology was due to the fickleness of the gods.[7] After the Erdtree burns, Goldmask returns to Leyndell and dies on the hill near the Erdtree Sanctuary, leaving behind the Mending Rune of Perfect Order, which would allow the Golden Order to be perfected.

    Goldmask is among the Tarnished listed in the game's intro. He is depicted splayed on the ground across a carving of the Erdtree Incantation sigil, alongside a book and a container leaking a golden fluid. Grace can be seen gleaming in front of him.

48. #48Miriel, Pastor of Vows

    Keys: Rennala, Radagon, Golden Order, Church of Vows

    Miriel, Pastor of Vows is the steward of the Church of Vows in eastern Liurnia of the Lakes. A gigantic tortoise wearing a large white mitre, Miriel is a gentle soul who will happily assist The Tarnished on their journey.

    Well-versed in both sorceries and incantations, Miriel can be given scrolls as well as prayerbooks, and will readily teach new spells to the player for an appropriate fee.

    Miriel also serves as an excellent source of lore on Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, and her former husband, Radagon of the Golden Order. Exhausting Miriel's dialogue can direct the player toward secrets that advance multiple questlines.

    Miriel is the most reliable cleric NPC for prayerbooks, since he never moves away from the church, accepts all types of books and only becomes unavailable once during the Bell Bearing Hunter invasion.

49. #49Crumbling Farum Azula

    Keys: Farum Azula, Dragons, Lord, crucible, Maliketh, Placidusax, Elden Ring

    Crumbling Farum Azula is a subregion of the Lands Between in Elden Ring. This legacy dungeon is accessible after burning the Erdtree at the Forge of the Giants found on Flame Peak in the Mountaintops of the Giants.

    A giant temple in the sky, located above the sea to the east of the Lands Between. Once a royal city and the seat of the Dragonlord Placidusax, Farum Azula has been crumbling since time immemorial.[1] Now, it is a mausoleum, guarded by chosen Beastmen who wield weapons clad in lightning.[2] The storm beyond time rages in the center of the crumbling city, and at its heart is the Dragonlord's seat, where he awaits the return of his god.[3]

    As well as Beastmen, Farum Azula is home to a number of Ancient Dragons, who roost on the floating fragments of the city. There is also a population of Wormfaces dwelling in one of the lower levels of the city. It appears that Deathroot has spread throughout parts of the city as well.

    Farum Azula is the dwelling place of Maliketh, the Black Blade, the protector of the Rune of Death. It is here that the Tarnished finds themselves after the Erdtree is set aflame, and where they finally unbind the Rune of Death, releasing it upon the Lands Between.

50. #50DragonLord Placidusax

    Keys: Dragon, Elden Ring, Farum Azula, God

    Dragonlord Placidusax is a boss in Elden Ring, encountered in Crumbling Farum Azula.

    In the prehistoric era before the age of the Erdtree, the world was ruled by the Ancient Dragons[1]. Above them all was Placidusax, a many-headed Ancient Dragon who ruled as Elden Lord[2] from the royal city of Farum Azula.[3]

    At some point, Placiudsax was betrayed by one of his own; Bayle the Dread. Bayle inflicted a grievous wound upon the Dragonlord before fleeing, eventually coming to reside in the Realm of Shadow. Placidusax had his servants shephard the humans into hunting Bayle and his brood, the drakes, laying the foundations of Dragon Communion.[4]

    When Placidusax's god fled, the Dragonlord resolved to await its return, withdrawing to his seat at the heart of the storm beyond time.[2] Farum Azula became a mausoleum enshrining Placidusax, guarded by chosen Beastmen.[5] In his absence, the age of the Erdtree began under the rule of Queen Marika the Eternal, and the descendants of the Ancient Dragons became enfeebled, weak to the primeval lightning wielded by their forebears.[6][7] Placidusax's Gravel Stone Scales were disseminated throughout the world, used as smithing stones said to allow for the creation of god-slaying weapons by lightly twisting time.[8]

    Despite his stasis, Placidusax continued to grant blessings to his followers.[9]

    A Tarnished eventually finds their way into Placidusax's seat at the heart of the storm while exploring Farum Azula in search of the Rune of Death. They approach Placidusax, who attempts to ward off the intruder. Placidusax ultimately falls to the Tarnished interloper, dying without ever being reunited with their missing god.

    Placidusax shows serious signs of damage on it's body. Notably he is missing three of his five heads and second pair of wings, in spite of the Old Lord's Talisman showing just four with complete wings.[10]

    Two of the Dragonlord's lost heads, as well as parts of their respective necks, can be found on the body of Bayle the Dread, still biting into the drake's neck.

    Part of a dragon’s body (an arm, wing, and head) resembling Placidusax can be seen sticking out of a body of rock in Farum Azula prior to reaching his arena. According to the Remembrance of the Dragonlord, Placidusax was an Elden Lord before the era of the Erdtree, making him the earliest known Elden Lord. Placidusax's design is most likely modeled after King Ghidorah.

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