Preface
When first compiling my, very lengthy, analysis for Godfrey, I was amazed to discover just how much I kept coming back to characters and events largely unrelated to him. Despite him and Marika defining the world order, the Elden Lord’s rise and subsequent reign were very much informed by what came before. If not for very specific circumstances, their lives might not have turned out the way they did. This required more than the odd aside to contextualize. Thankfully for this article, all of this set dressing can be traced back to that one mysterious plant whose fallen leaves tell a story. To fully understand the tale of Godfrey, we must see it in the grander tapestry. Elden Ring has a long and complicated history to unravel, and the Erdtree serves as a, very tall, tent pole for reconstructing it.
Seeding the Future
As the single most prevalent landmark in the Lands Between, the Erdtree has unsurprisingly been the greatest catalyst of change since the Elden Ring first arrived on earth. This is especially appropriate given that they are one and the same. The prologue for the game’s official website declares the Elden Ring to be the “source” of the Erdtree, a spirit likewise equates the tree with the Golden Order. Cut dialogue similarly uses Elden Ring and Erdtree interchangeably in its request for order and guidance. In short, all three are synonymous; the Order is an extension of the Tree which is an extension of the Ring. They are inexorably intertwined, hence breaking the Ring causes the “Golden Tree” (黄金樹) to wither as well. Meanwhile, the name Erdtree derives from the Germanic erde meaning “earth”, making it the “earth tree” in obvious parallel to the world tree of Norse mythology — a fitting allusion for the tree whose gold at its root defines the world. The great tree is sustained by the Elden Ring’s lifeforce and conversely acts as a conduit for its power. But how and when did this Erdtree come about?
In the Lands Between where the Eternal Queen Marika reigns, the Elden Ring, which is the source of the Golden Tree, was broken.
…Ohh, Golden Tree, Golden Tree, Golden Regulation that towers unwavering, please do guide him. Our Elde King. And mend the world…
Golden Tree, Golden Ring, give us your drops of life. Regulate and guide us.
Some fans have posited that the Erdtree is merely a successor to the Greattree, parasitized or otherwise replaced by the tree we know. However, this assumes that this so-called Greattree is a separate entity. Japanese lacks any formal capitalization or spacing, making the compound noun “great tree” (大樹) indistinguishable from the localization’s rendering of it as a kenning. The implications behind the terminology thus rely solely upon their immediate context. And at least in the case of the Tree-and-Beast Surcoat, (大樹と獣のサーコート) it is actually naming a “great tree” which the description clarifies to be the Erdtree. The “great tree” ornamentations on the Crucible Tree Helm similarly tie into the original Erdtree in its description. The “great tree” roots in the Deeproot Depths and catacombs are likewise expressly connected to the Erdtree. In all cases, the proposed two trees are equated with one another, “great” simply describing the size of the plant, its roots, or ornaments modeled on it.
Helmet of the Crucibles Knights who served Godfrey, first Elde King.
The great tree decoration are the symbol of the knight Siluria and her subordinates.
It harbors the power of life’s Crucible, the original Golden Tree, and enhances aspects of the Crucible prayers.
Natural tree resin that can mainly be harvested from the underground great tree roots. May be found in the vicinity of trees above ground and the like. One of the materials used in item crafting.
Those roots are said to have once connected to the Golden Tree. Thus, catacombs are constructed by selecting lands with great tree roots.
This means that any hypothetical Greattree distinct from the Erdtree can only be surmised from necessity of circumstance. For that, some fans point to statues of a bald man picking a flower from among various branching on a stalk. This flower is depicted in gold at the Fortified Manor, thereby definitely representing the Erdtree. From this, it is suggested that the Erdtree is the product of horticulture, a grafted or competing branch in the Greattree selected out to become the singular defining aspect of the plant through coppicing. To bolster the inference, they point to the two variations of this statue, one with the many other branches growing wildly; another, the branches mere stubs. However, this appears to flip the intended image. Rather than coppicing, the statues clearly depict the singular stalk already growing branches suddenly explode in growth from the roots, larger flowers blossoming at each tip — including the central flower initially picked. Such dynamism is consistent with a tree derived from the source of life itself. It is not evidence of selective breeding.
And so, there is no reason to believe that the Erdtree is the product of anything other than the Elden Ring. The Ring generated a medium with which to project its power, though this wasn’t always the case — for the Erdtree did not exist during the history of Placidusax’s reign as Elden Lord. This implies two things: one, that something involving the Elden Ring incited it to spawn the Erdtree, and two, that this occurrence coincided with the end of the dragon king’s time as Lord. Put simply, it relates to the departure of his queen. After all, the Ring must have ended up within the bounds of Altus to grow the Erdtree on the Plateau. Moreover, the location was specifically the Deeproot Depths, where the Erdtree’s roots become the great roots stretching beneath the entire Lands Between; we can even see the great trunk of the tree aligned with its trajectory above ground. Only the Elden Ring’s vessel could bring the Ring to such a remote location. When Placidusax’s god left Farum Azula, she took the great runes there, where something occurred to prompt the golden tree’s germination.
In all likelihood, the Erdtree was a byproduct of the first god’s death. After we die, we can see that the runes we leave behind begin sprouting trees in our wake. The same should therefore hold true for even the largest runes, which amass into the amalgamation we call the Elden Ring. If a collection of runes spawn a tree, then a collection of great runes logically spawn a great tree. There is also no denying the death of some god in the area. The Fingerprint Shield is the piece of an “old” god’s tombstone desecrated by the Three Fingers. Where do we find it? The same catacombs as the Fingers at the bottom, where behind an illusory wall hides a passage out to the Deeproot Depths. What god of significant age would be memorialized all the way down there and warrant an agent of Chaos violating the deity’s memory to spread its message? The medium of the Greater Will whom Chaos opposes, bearing the golden source of the roots in those deep depths. Placidusax’s queen is the perfect candidate. We might even have a body.
The Fingerslayer Blade is peculiar in that the dagger strongly resembles the Sacred Relic Sword. Said “god’s left sword” (神の遺剣) is derived from the corpse — literally, “left body” (遺体) — of the current god, Marika and Radagon. And since the dagger is also derived from a corpse, their likeness suggests an equally divine body. Indeed, what corpse would possess the potential to irrevocably harm a Two Fingers except one similarly touched by the power of the Greater Will? The fact that the blade can theoretically harm the master itself demands a force with power comparable to its own. On top of that, there is the color. Close inspection of the sword reveals that it stitches together the two halves of the one god with matching skin tones; gold for Marika, silver for Radagon. The Fingerslayer Blade, by contrast, is a uniform pitch black closer to the hue of the Nox. This indicates that the corpse belongs to a Numen of their ilk. Finally, Sacred Relic Sword’s description makes a point of some viewing this proof of god’s death as symbolic of destruction, just like its dagger counterpart.
Secret treasure of Nokron, Eternal Capital. Blade considered to have been born from a corpse.
It is proof of the Eternal Capital’s high treason and a blood-drenched fetish symbolizing their destruction.
The fateless cannot wield it, and it is said to be capable of wounding the Greater Will and its envoys.
Sword born from the corpse of a god who should eternally not die.
Everyone finds different meanings in it. A great sin, destruction, the end of an age, or the beginning of one.
In total, there is ample reason to believe that the Nox crafted a blade using the corpse of the Dragonlord’s god. Whether or not this makes them the culprits in her death, their access to her body is consistent with her burial deep underground. The queen left Farum Azula with no indication of where she was going, only to perish in the subterranean caverns deep under Altus Plateau. She was at some point respected with a burial to be later desecrated, but otherwise ignored by the world at large. And because of this, the collection of Great Runes she previously harbored was left to its own devices. Perhaps, sensing the expiration of its vessel, the Elden Ring sought to create new life as emergency protection — the tree does prove resilient to its obvious antithesis, fire, requiring special flames to even do significant harm. Until the Greater Will and the Two Fingers select a new god, the Ring would act on its own from the safety of this shell.
The first stage of any tree is for the seed to grow out its root. And so, much like its depiction in Farum Azula, the Elden Ring began growing roots which eventually came to stretch across every corner of the Lands Between. We see this not only within the various catacombs burrowed deep beneath the land, but also the numerous graveyards on the surface, many of which give rise to Those Who Live in Death — skeletons reanimated by the Deathroot which stems from the great roots. Beyond the natural resin used to craft various greases for weapon enhancement, these especially large roots bring no particular change to the land. Neither do they demonstrate any degree of golden power. However, this is because the primary function of roots is to nourish the tree, collecting resources for the seed to grow and thrive. And as is so often the case, this nourishment derives from entropy.
One characteristic practice of Marika’s kingdom is Erdtree Burial. Framed as “returning” to the golden tree, bodies are laid to rest close to the roots. When the roots are too deep for a ground burial on the surface, catacombs are dug so as to expose them directly. The effect these roots have on the dead is most obvious in these underground graveyards. The main burial chamber is covered in roots seeming to drag in the skeletal bodies lying all over the floor. At the back are the core roots where more fleshy bodies look to be assimilated. This is the intention, as shown by the statue atop hero graves — the hooded figure always offering a corpse that longs for something out of reach to the towering trunk. From this, anyone might be taken, body and soul, and incorporated into the Erdtree. Just as the Elden Ring has permeated the world with runes, so too has it developed a means to recover that lost power, returned via burial; a new cycle of life and death. The practice of “tree-returning” (還樹) helps optimize the recycling process, but it is ultimately the great roots’ behavior. Even in its original form as the Crucible, the Ring’s vessel was attempting to reclaim some of that life for longevity.
The Erdtree shows itself to be not just a collector, but a recorder of souls as well. Defeating certain bosses rewards us with a remembrance, a large collection of runes arranged to resemble the enemy as encountered prior to death; based on their individual menu graphics, even taking on the hue of the owner’s specific magical affinity. These recollections aren’t mere hollow imitations, however, since Enia can use the Two Fingers’ power to derive items either owned by the boss or somehow related to them — for example, the Grafted Dragon is a unique weapon based on the head Godrick grafts to his arm during our fight. This may only be a slice of the complete soul record, hence the ability to record even the Elden Beast. Still, each and every one is engraved into the Erdtree, a permanent database for at least the powerful souls. And this is most likely due to the pervasiveness of its roots wherever we encounter a boss, sensing nearby runes it hopes to one day absorb through the soil. If so, then it explains why the subterranean bottom half to the tree doesn’t express any overt holiness.
However, the power of gold is certainly present in the Erdtree, whose bark above ground glows the color. This phantomic radiance was even brighter before the Elden Ring broke according to the Erdtree Seal’s description, and many lamps in Leyndell use leaves shining white like glowstones compared to the faintly glowing yellow leaves which occasionally fall from the sky. We can see how these leaves adrift on the wind exert a more noticeable influence upon the land. When the winds blow large amounts in a particular area, it stimulates our fate, increasing both the runes we absorb from fallen enemies and our chances of item discovery. And after touching ground, aged leaves eventually grow dark yellow flowers whose inherent gold can be used to craft various items tied to grace. Although the name “Erdleaf” is a product of the localization, these “fallen-leaf flowers” (落葉花) undeniably affirm the golden tree’s true nature.
Dark yellow-colored flower that has wilted to a brown color. One of the materials used in item crafting. Can be obtained in various Lands Between.
Flower growing upon old fallen leaves of the Golden Tree.
The Erdtree’s radiance in itself is far-reaching. With few exceptions, the larger trees in the Lands Between grow yellow leaves, presumably a result of disproportionately absorbing the golden tree’s power constantly lighting the sky on even the darkest nights — these species have even spread to the underground. The effect is, naturally, more pronounced on the plateau, where not only are the leaves more vibrant; even the bark has uniquely adapted to resemble a white birch. This is further supported by description for the Warming Stone. Before the Elden Ring was shattered, its rays providing a soothing healing effect replicated in the enchanted stone crafted with Erdleaf flowers. If the power of life-giving gold can be felt in purely the light emanating from the tree, then surely the plants adapted to feed on sunlight will experience even stronger effects. With the Erdtree crowding the sky, it was inevitable that certain species of trees would evolve to retain at least some of that gold, yellowing their leaves in the process.
Initially, this gold radiating from the Erdtree itself was of a different hue. Much like with the birth of the ancient dragons, the power of life overflowed into the growing tree to tinge it red. This is most obvious looking at the roots. The Erdtree’s great roots can be found both above and below ground in Altus, in some cases ending in new branches with another yellow leaves. However, only the roots in the Deeproot Depths are themselves covered in a unique dark red grass. The liable reason is that these parts closest to the base of the tree where the Elden Ring took root also hold residual reserves of that power. After all, if any of that primal gold remained, it would be at the heart of the tree. And as seen in Farum Azula, that power can have an effect on the evolution of plants. It is a remnant of the excess life from the seed growing additional grass of that coloration atop the deepest roots. And that power once flowed, even if to a weaker extent, through the entire tree.
Metal greatshield applied with a gold coating. Choice weapon of knights serving Godrick.
That coating emulates the origin of the Golden Tree and is tinged reddish. It is the color of nostalgia.
Some fans argue that the Crucible must long predate the Erdtree because it and its power are “primordial” according to item descriptions. But genshou (原初) refers more broadly to any kind of origin or starting point. In other words, this kind of reddish gold need not be limited to only the beginning of time itself. And in this case, the “original” Erdtree came about immediately after Placidusax’s heyday as Elden Lord. Naturally, there was still that old holy power leftover from that earlier time, and the Elden Ring channeled it into the tree it spawned. So, if this primal Erdtree is to be considered primeval or primordial, it is relative to the larger history of the Lands Between. Indeed, events up through Godfrey’s reign as Elden Lord are described as part of the “Old Age”, (古い時代) so the framing is consistent. This first phase of the golden tree’s existence is identified as the Crucible, and the excess life energy also had a marginal effect on the wider Lands Between.
The Arteria Leaf is clearly named for the “artery” due to the way the dark red leaf’s thick veins subtly pulsate to resemble blood veins. This same imagery is present in Crucible Knight armor, earlier iterations of the Crucible Axe Armor’s description acknowledging how the “blood vessels ” (脈管) stretch chaotically from the heart area of the breastplate. Likewise, the leaf possesses an invigorating effect befitting the Crucible of life and is found in most areas like the Erdleaf Flowers. The only difference is that it is rare in the wild, despite being common to loot from random corpses. In essence, it was likely much more common once upon a time, but the underlying supply has dwindled, just as the initial red-gold phase of the Erdtree eventually ended. Therefore, the Crucible’s fallen leaves probably grew their own plant life around the Lands Between, filled with that same overwhelming life energy. When the golden tree lost that reddish color and its branches stopped producing such leaves, the Arteria became a rarity to continue harvesting; largely replaced by the fallen-leaf flowers over time.
Helmet of the sixteen old knights who served Godfrey, the first Elde King.
The helmet ornamentation is the symbol of the knight Ordovis and his subordinates.
Harbors the power of life’s Crucible, the original Golden Tree, so vessels tightly bulge.
It wasn’t just the flora. Various fauna also exhibit so-called “vestiges” of the Crucible in the odd example. In the case of herbivores like deer or sheep, they sometimes manifest a number of extra horns budding from the same root as the original, the immature growths overcrowding it. In the case of carnivores like boar or runebears, they occasionally see the same happen to their fangs, additional teeth overlapping from the same root. Twice as many are looted from the lion guardians, who are encountered in Altus or areas affiliated with members of the Erdtree kingdom and thus presumably from Altus. Indeed, these lions additionally possess six horns growing irregularly on their head, suggesting the entire species has been particularly affected by the glow of the Crucible. And with that comes the implication that the Erdtree’s introduction to the Lands Between had the largest impact close to home.
Much like with the Elden Ring in Farum Azula, the power of gold has seeped into the earth surrounding the tree, with more obvious results. Besides the gold smithing stone plentiful across the plateau, the earth in general possesses gold veins, and almost the entirety of the plant life exhibits yellow foliage down to the shrubs and grass. This includes the conifers, which are otherwise exceptions to this yellowing phenomenon. Not even trees from the chilly Mountaintops can resist the Erdtree’s warm influence so close to the source. The great tree has also allowed the evolution of completely new and unique flora like the Altus Bloom. This plant stands out on the plateau for maintaining a green stalk and leaves, the gold concentrating entirely into the flower at the top. In a similar vein, the rowa fruit so prevalent across the Lands Between has also seen peculiar changes on Altus. The bush it comes from has similarly maintained its green foliage, with the power instead manifesting in the golden rowa. This concentration causes its golden juices to taste like sweet honey. Considering the effects of the tree’s rays abroad, this isn’t a surprise.
But, such effusion of gold throughout the ecosystem began well before the Erdtree began towering over the lands. The Altus Bloom was being used in burials in the age prior to the golden tree proper, so before its new medium even broke ground, the Elden Ring was already spreading its influence through the great tree roots and burgeoning trunk rising beneath the surface. This was limited to the immediate area of the highlands, but it reveals that not all the goldening is a result of the tree shining overhead. The efficacy is evident on the fringes. Neighboring Gelmir’s environment lacks the same gold veins, yet the trees and bushes — what haven’t burned to a crisp — are gold; only the grasses deep in the mount are exempt. The Erdtree has not permeated as pervasively only because of the competing volcanic power. Similar behavior can be observed in the Mountaintops of the Giants; we can loot gold smithing stones from the miners of Yelough Anix Tunnel, located in the southern edge to the Consecrated Snowfield. Not even the ice and snow are able to completely offset the goldening within the tree’s vicinity.
Succulent flower colored gold. One of the materials used in item crafting. Blooms in the Altus Plateau.
It is said to have been buried with death in the age before the Golden Tree.
Without a doubt, Altus saw some radical changes both before and after the Erdtree emerged proper and reached maturity. One can only imagine how all these alterations were received by the peoples living in the Lands Between, but especially those first experiencing the goldening on the plateau with yet no tree for a reference point. That is to say, there were humans residing on the plateau throughout this whole history. The modern-day Erdtree kingdom didn’t emerge from nowhere. Before Queen Marika and Leyndell, there were already cultures thriving on Altus. Some were likely holdovers from older eras, others perhaps migrants arriving during the transition, and a few surely entirely new civilizations shaped by the Erdtree’s introduction. Together they set the stage for the Order that was to come.
Blood Gold
At the time, Altus Plateau was rife with barbarians. A scarab rolls up Barbaric Roar at the base of the waterfall streaming from the Ruin-Strewn Precipice leading into Altus. Another scarab along the Altus highway collects Earthshaker, which uses blunt or otherwise inelegant weapons like large hammers and axes to erupt the earth around its user. This is notable since the skill is similar in both name and effect to Hoarah Loux’s Earthshaker, derived from his remembrance. The man who later ruled the plateau as King Godfrey was originally just a simple warrior and ultimately took up the name Hoarah Loux again when becoming chief of the Badlands — the “barbaric lands”, (蛮地) to be more accurate. Clearly, there were “uncivilized” men living out in the wilds of the upland, who hollered like beasts and slammed the ground with boorish weapons like brutes. Such uncultured troglodytes were liable to fight amongst themselves in tribal warfare indefinitely, but there were some who established their own permanent settlements.
Across the northeastern ridge lies the humble village of Dominula. With a Latin name meaning “mistress”, it comes as no surprise to see that women hold a particularly special role in this society. This is because, in spite of the community using the northern winds from the Mountaintops to operate grain mills, it prefers meatier delicacies. The hamlet maintains a number of horse pastures, though its livestock have long since starved to death and been stripped clean by the local canines. Meanwhile, the women simply enjoy their traditional festivities, singing and dancing in ceremonial dress. But despite the seemingly innocent revelry, one need not go far off the beaten path to find a village woman chowing down on her blade while standing over a dead man. Indeed, these ladies all have blood staining their mouths and clothes, wielding rakes, cleavers, sickles, and lanterns crafted with human bone. The women are cannibals, though not exclusively; their hammers made with skulls so big as to be undeniably inhuman — probably troll — in origin. And given the stark gender disparity, they are maneaters in every sense.
All of this is done as part of the festival. A male spirit in the hamlet cowers from the reveler’s song for fear of being skinned alive. We do see village women dance around a burning pile of skinless, rotting enemies at the East Windmill Pasture. This handful weren’t the only ones, as more of the rotten can be found in a nearby pond, mostly laying their full bodies in the waters. Without a doubt, many men were rounded up and skinned alive, their undying flesh left to rot in imprisonment before their mutilators finally decided to cook their meat. Some managed to run straight for the pond to put out the flames, but as the one curled up in despair shows, with still no hope of escape. This depraved cannibalism ritual is why we see so many women dance around crosses draped in pink flowers. The same flowers hang as wreathes on the villagers’ heads or doors. That last example is a sign of celebration as well as of mourning, with the wreathe representing the cycle of life — which takes on a more ominous meaning in the context of these festivities. In short, the women are giving a cheery sendoff to those they sacrifice.
With that in mind, many of the practices do have a sense of ceremony to it. The weapons they craft with bone leave no part of the body wasted and serve as excellent tools for the dissection of new bodies in preparation to eat. The young maidens are also given blue cloaks contrasting the green mantles of their elders for their key role in the festival. Presumably, this entails performing their first kill, thereby celebrating becoming old enough to join in on the ritual sacrifice. There is no denying the respect afforded to this hallowed event. But whatever its trappings of civility, this festival is nonetheless savage. Ignoring the one instance of a makeshift cookout, the women consume their meat raw, biting their arms to spray a poisonous bloody mist. Moreover, the skills for their bone weapons mainly consist of Barbaric Roar and Wild Strikes, demonstrating how this northern settlement is no better than the brutes living out in the wooded countryside. As to why they specifically developed this cannibalistic matriarchy, we need to look west to Mt Gelmir.
The Hermit’s Village roosts on the south crag of the volcano, though small collections of dwellings stretch around to the western side. True to its name, it is a reclusive sort, accessible solely by crossing the steady volcanic outflow beyond the Seething River. And yet, the corpses littering the place are the same women seen in Dominula. Although we see no flowers on doors and crosses to coincide with their ceremonial dress, the village does have the same style of housing. This suggests a cultural connection between these hermits and Dominula, and thereby Dominula and Gelmir. In fact, the “hidden” location by the lava may be intentional, especially considering the Hermit’s Shack closest to it keeps the text for Roiling Magma. With a name like “boiling lava”, (たぎる溶岩) this sorcery evokes the image of a bubbling pot about to overflow, just like how the condensed magma we fire then bursts — and how the magma near the village spills out of the volcano. Perhaps then the village was positioned behind where the lava flowed out not just for their seclusion but also inquiry, adopting other elements in the process.
Exploring the Ruins-Strewn Precipice beneath the volcano, we can come across the Serpent-God’s Curved Sword, named for its shape after the immortal reptile worshiped in Gelmir’s old faith. The volcano where that snake resides is home to its own town, so it is easy to imagine a spiritual movement revolving around the creature emerge among those attracted to that fiery mountain. This new religion constituted human sacrifice, the sword used in rituals to prepare others as offerings to this god; for that reason, the snake is depicted with an open mouth ready to dig into whatever offering the blade digs into, the sustenance it gains at the expense of others’ life force represented in the wielder recovering HP from the slain. Evidently, these pagans helped feed the immortal serpent with their own, likely in the hopes for power from their god.
Curved sword modeled on an old snake god. Ritual tool of the lost faith of Gelmir.
Considered to have been used for offering up sacrifices, so recovers HP when defeating enemies.
Like with the ancient death cult, Gelmir was long ago home to hexes combining the intelligence of later academic sorcery with traditional faith. In this case, the conjury focused primarily on manipulating the volcanic lava. And as the Wrath of Gelmir sorcery highlights in its description, believing one can control something so volatile and immense as a volcano is the arrogance of men. The pagans settling Gelmir were fascinated by this mountain of fire with its intense heat hollowing out the very rock. And at the source of that molten rock is the immortal serpent; it is only natural that they venerate it. The snake god had more to offer than its fire as well. The Serpent Bow coats the arrows it fires with poison thanks to similar pagan hexes, its form and venomous function tying its creation back to Gelmir. But whether flame or toxin, such spells peg the pagans of the mount as a primitive culture, not unlike the barbarians down on Altus.
Atypical bow modeled on two poisonous snakes. Endows arrows with the poison attribute via pagan conjury and demonstrates its true value when using poison arrows in particular.
Used in assassinations, and its users are also called Formless Snakes.
With that in mind, the common culture seen in the Hermit’s Village and Dominula are likely derived from association with the snake pagans. The sacrifice to a voracious serpent deity for boons evolved into matriarchal cannibalism, probably aiming to replicate the results by copying the act — who is to say only a god can benefit from eating flesh? This culture then spread across the northern ridge to the plateau. Indeed, the Bridge of Iniquity linking that end of the plateau to Gelmir uses rope rather than the typical solid stone like the one a little further up the road. The contrast highlights their individual nature, stone generally requiring a more organized effort in civil engineering. In that case, the Bridge of Inquity was very likely built by those less advanced tribes during the migration, filling the gap between Dominula and Gelmir. The Writheblood Ruins might also qualify, as the settlement sits by the road between that rope bridge and Dominula.
The same can be said for the Lux Ruins. Unlike the Writheblood Ruins, we are given a proper name for the village and its people. Currently, the area has become a den for demi-humans led by Queen Gilika. This alone is notable since her regal scepter confirms contact with glintstone sorcerers. What sorcerers on the plateau were they in contact with? Perhaps from the ruins they now squat in? The village is situated on the south end of Altus, between the ancient Ruins-Strewn Precipice and modern Grand Lift of Dectus. This makes it the closest to Liurnia with most feasible access to traversal down the plateau. In that case, the Lux may be a tribe which broke off from the Laskyar and migrated back up north, taking their sorcery with them; they then established relations with the local demi-humans along with their village. Their choice of location near the source of their glinstone flowing from Gelmir betrays their motives for the split, with the cliff they built upon perhaps aiding with stargazing. In the end, the sorcerers wanted to study glinstone and its relation to the cosmos.
With this, Lux can function as a go-between for the highland and lowland, which is consistent with the area layout. Most of the village roosts atop the valley stretching from the rope bridge up west down to the general south, with some more of the settlement also along the cliff base. Given how short this specific precipice is, there may have been some means to connect the two parts without taking the long route through the basin to climb the slope back up the bluff. Regardless, it begs the question why set up the village at two different elevations. Perhaps to avoid total isolation? Building some edifices at the base of the cliff is perfect for interactions with other people groups. But if so, who? Probably not the wild barbarians, or the faraway villages further north. Rather, it was most likely other peoples from places much farther.
Manifest Destiny
Soon came the migration of new peoples from Farum Azula. The Fortified Manor is a Norman-style castle nestled within the walls of Leyndell on the eastern end of Altus. And while the manor does hang portraits of Godfrey and Marika and house other furnishings from the capital, these are no doubt later additions. Despite sitting at the heart of the Erdtree capital, the simple and practical Fortified Manor starkly clashes with the bright and opulent Romanesque architecture around it. This indicates that the place predates the modern city, hence confined to its own small quarter like a time capsule. The main entrance and castle courtyard are decorated with unique red-leaf trees in stark contrast to most of Altus — yet highly reminiscent of the beast capital. The interior, meanwhile, is adorned with images of lions, hawks, and dragons as well as equipment of Banished Knights and the exile soldiers often alongside them. Basically, it appears to have been owned by humans affiliated with Farum Azula.
In all likelihood, the Farum warriors came to colonize the highlands. Seated on a small tableland across from Lux and bordering Gelmir, Wyndham is one of the largest ruined settlements remaining in the Lands Between, with its own catacombs at its highest point. Aside from confirming an exceptionally large populace, both areas say much about the old culture living there. The ruins themselves harbor stormhawk feathers primarily looted from in and around Stormhill. This suggests that Wyndham, like Stormhill, was home to the stormhawks seen in Farum Azula; it is called the “wind village” in Old English. We can also acquire a Pearldrake Talisman linking the ruins to the ancient dragons generally. This lines up with the corpses in the catacombs, who carry items related to draconic power like the Lightning Scorpion Charm and first Ancient Dragon Apostle’s Cookbook. Factored in with the lightning traps and pots thrown by the resident imps, and Wyndham was established by the storm-wielding dragon worshipers from Farum Azula.
Indeed, we find their one-time presence not just there but all across the plateau. Overlooking Dominula from a hill stands the Highway Lookout Tower in Altus. Although now in ruins, the remaining walls betray the tower as once part of a larger fortification, standing in vigilance over the windmill village and beyond. And who stood watch from this Norman tower except the same Farum warriors? Leftover armaments in the tower like at the Fortified Manor and a corpse carrying stormhawk feathers in Dominula like in Wyndham are a dead giveaway to their presence. The same can be said for Fort Laiedd, another Norman construct on the opposite end of the Seethewater River as Wyndham. Even ignoring the shields and weaponry, the magma wyrm lurking in the neighboring lava from the volcano betrays the dragon worshipers’ presence in the area. And this presence extends all the way to the top of Gelmir.
Although not in name, the Volcano Manor is very much a “castle manor” like the so-called “Fortified” Manor in Leyndell, built with the same Norman stonework. However, it includes many unique Gothic additions — such as its rooftop spires — and the town enclosed within its walls is equally as distinct. Even so, it is probably still the work of the same people who constructed the other castles and forts. That another wyrm hides in the lava within the walls already insinuates the dragon worshipers’ presence. Moreover, the rampart towers house the Farum warriors’ weaponry along with their dragon banners. The streets also feature braziers with lion imagery like in Farum Azula. And on the inside, the actual manor is furnished with similar lion and hawk icons. Therefore, the differences in architecture can be attributed to a collaboration between the Farum colonists and the native pagans. This explains the statues depicting a hawk with a snake head ornamenting various parts of the architecture: two animal religions joining hands for mutual benefit.
Their colonization wasn’t even strictly limited to the plateau. Nestled along the cliffs in the northernmost valley of the Stargazers’ Ruins, Castle Sol sits high on the cold Mountaintops of the Giants. It too possesses the armaments of the exile soldiers and Banished Knights whose spirits now haunt it, led by their commander Niall. Garrisoned there with them are wolves, tamed locally as war dogs when not skinned for warmth as Niall and certain unique knights demonstrate. Perched above them is a war hawk, with two more stormhawks just outside the castle walls — their plumage turning white in the icy climate as is common for such raptors. A corpse within the castle likewise carries the Stormhawk Axe, complete with its Thunderstorm skill combining draconic lightning with the storm abilities exhibited by the knights. The same axe can also be acquired at the Fortified Manor, leaving no room to doubt the cultural connection between the dragon worshipers in Sol and those at Altus. The Farum natives came with their hawks from the plateau and built this castle.
The relationship goes both ways. Among the exile soldiers we encounter at Castle Stormveil, a small number wield the Crescent Moon Axe, named for the shape of its blade. According to the weapon’s description, this was because of “homesickness”, (郷愁) implying that the soldiers are nostalgic for another land somehow associated with this moon — specifically, a “third-day moon” (三日月) evoking a waxing crescent. The Mountaintops of the Giants features just such a moon, day or night. Moreover, Castle Sol is home to the same axe-wielding soldiers, albeit as ghosts. In short, this is the place making the Stormveil warriors homesick, which indicates that the culture at Sol spread just as much to the Fortified Manor and beyond. Perhaps the castle was the first colony after the manor, hence its special place in Stormveil’s memory. Even so, it affirms that Sol’s separation from the other colonies wasn’t some form of rebellion. It, and presumably the other colonies, were one nation with their Farum heritage.
Suffice to say, the highlands saw a huge influx from Farum Azula, and their migration all traces back to the Fortified Manor. The main reason is because of Serosh. The description to the Golden Beast Crest Shield affirms that the emblem in question represents Godfrey’s chancellor. And that exact beast crest is featured above the manor’s entrance as well as the second-floor balcony overlooking the foyer, emphasizing his importance to the original builders; yet more lion iconography hangs beneath the balcony and elsewhere. Indeed, for the Beast King to have become such an important adviser to the king of Leyndell, he must have been present in the area when the capital was established. The lion was thus most likely residing at the manor, probably the adjoining garden barred like an animal cage specifically. He may not have been alone, given the lion guardians’ origin and withering grey manes — if the colonists brought their hawks, why couldn’t Serosh have his lions? Still, the implication is that the manor served as the headquarters for these wide-stretching colonies, hence Sol’s resident commander Niall’s battle standard features their knight shield’s stylistic rendition of the beast crest.
However, there is another reason to believe the Fortified Manor was part of the first colony. The castle courtyard directly connects to the broken Divine Bridge whose waygate leads to the Isolated Divine Tower — in other words, to Farum Azula. This opens up the possibility of the beast capital having direct access to Altus Plateau via this bridge. That would explain the reddish tint to much of the foliage on the bridge, not to mention the red dragon banner adorning the lever to the lift up to it. Moreover, we do see the viaduct network for the Divine Tower of East Altus connects not just Leyndell and the tower itself but also the Forbidden Lands to the Mountaintops. A similar lift waypoint would reasonably exist at the ancient city of dragons. How convenient then that Farum colonists established their castle as effectively a gatekeeper to this bridge. It is almost as if they constructed the manor after first setting foot on the plateau by crossing it. Factor in Serosh as the specific gatekeeper, and it is obvious that this castle was their initial base of operation.
Despite often building fortifications for their own protection, the colonists didn’t come to strictly conquer, so also built relations with the locals wherever possible. The Volcano Manor is one such instance, but another example is Castle Sol. The dragon worshipers there had taken a scale from Borealis and fashioned a hand axe to offer as tribute to Liurnia — the lake ruins’ Temple Quarter is where the Icerind Hatchet is now located. In essence, Sol maintained relations with a faraway culture which originated from the Mountaintops it sat upon. The settlement of origin for those lowlanders also happens to be Sol’s southern neighbor. Factoring it all in, the castle developed close relations with the stargazers even before the Laskyar migrated south, using their brethren’s presence at places like the Fortified Manor and Wyndham to facilitate that new diplomatic connection. And if the castle is that old, then that leaves the colonists plenty of time to likewise befriend giants.
Hand axe possessing a blade with a frozen rind. Tribute from Sol, castle fort of the Far North.
Considered to be the scale of a dragon called the Freezing Fog, so possesses a strong chill status abnormality effect.
The graveyard sandwiched between Castle Sol and the Stargazers’ Ruins, atop the valley, stands out for multiple reasons. For one, the massive cemetery maintains mostly small graves, but far larger ones begin interspersing them as we approach the northern end, particularly along the path to Sol. While oversized headstones are no oddity in the Lands Between, rarely are they mixed with the smaller graves in this fashion. The contrast implicates a certain grandeur to the sort buried amongst ordinary men at the northern end, and we can confirm this a physical grandeur by the giant skeleton spirits that arise only in this part of the graveyard. These are fire giants who lived, died, and were buried alongside humans in the area, namely from Castle Sol. It is not just there. The Tibia Mariner in the Wyndham Ruins also summons those giant skeleton spirits, placing the race there with the stormhawks and dragon worshipers as well. That being the case, the colonists definitely established close relations with the giants.
Perhaps some of the fire giants came down to Wyndham as part of a collaboration. The village does sit at the foot of Mt. Gelmir, the Old Altus Tunnel digging into the cliff beneath it. With the earlier mine hiding a Boltdrake Talisman among the corpses, the dragon worshipers were probably the first to dig into these smithing stone deposits. In that case, it is possible that nearby Wyndham was working with the giants of the Mountaintops to develop new smithing techniques using the flames of the volcano. Regardless, their presence is proof of the diplomatic friendship shared between the two parties, which we can trace back to Castle Sol. In effect, the Farum colonies had created a sophisticated network of relations spanning north to west. The question is, for what purpose? Farum Azula had limited its culture to the east before this point. Why come to Altus now, after all this time?
In all likelihood, the colonists were beckoned by the goldening of the plateau. Recall that Placidusax has been awaiting the return of his departed queen, unaware or in denial of her fate. Coinciding with this, the beast temple has gone without its god and precious Elden Ring so central to their religion. How were they to react when the woman simply disappeared? It is only natural that they give chase at first sign of her. And what better signal of her presence than gold taking over an entire region? The radical change in ecology on the highlands would be visible to the residents of Farum Azula even from a distance. Thusly, the colonies probably began as a massive search party sent to investigate this phenomenon, with hopes to find the missing god. That justifies the settlers extending out across the plateau and then the neighboring mountains on either side: they were widening the scope of the search. In the end, of course, the dragon worshipers found no living god, and their colonies remained.
Perhaps they ultimately found nothing, or perhaps they did discover the reason for the gold and thereby fate of Placidusax’s queen — someone did have to erect her grave underground. Whatever the specifics, it appears that too much time had passed by that point. The search party had long settled in, possibly for generations. Even if they still maintained their Farum heritage, the plateau colonies wouldn’t simply pack up and return home. Put another way, the colonists seem to have had become more or less independent, establishing their own roots in the land and developing their own friendships with the locals. The dragon worshipers perhaps still paid lip service to Farum Azula, and they always had an avenue to reconnect with the beast capital. But how much they actually took advantage of that option is less obvious. Given the distance between them, it is possible that the colonies became estranged from Farum Azula as time passed and they had no good news to report. Their chief concern was the peoples closer to home, their new home.
Beacon on a Highland
As detailed in the sword monument at Castle Morne, a lone hero was defeated by Godfrey. This hero is the sole survivor of his ruined nation, having collected the swords of its fallen warriors and grafted them together into one, massive greatsword. From what tribe did he hail from? None near Morne. Crowning the cemetery behind the castle is a particularly large grave with a sizable hole in the center. Considering that this graveyard is where we acquire the sword Morne has kept as a treasure, this must be the hero’s tombstone. And although certainly striking among the generic graves at the castle, it is not unique. We see the same style of graves, big and small, on Altus in the Capital Outskirts. Additionally, a little southwest of the cemetery, on the other side of the capital rampart, is the newer Altus Tunnel where we can loot the Arsenal Charm. This talisman draws connection to the Grafted Blade Greatsword and its wielder in its description, and the proximity to identical graves as the one for the hero leaves no doubt that this cemetery up north are the remains of his clan.
In the Morne Siege, a vengeful hero battles all alone and is defeated by King Godfrey.
Legendary weapon in the possession of Morne’s Castle. Greatsword of revenge shouldering countless griefs and wraths. One of the “legendary weapons”.
Once, the hero of a destroyed country, who alone survived, collected all the swords of his clan’s warriors and continued battling.
In summation, the hero was a native to Altus; to be specific, he was a citizen of the Sun Capital. Among the variety of skeletons who rise from that graveyard, the largest share are armored knights carrying the Sun Realm Shield. As its description elucidates, the red shield depicts a capital “crowned” by the sun in the background, almost like a halo. The knight likewise dons a red cloak with similar sun emblazoned on the back in gold, affirming his affiliation with this capital. This opens the possibility of these graves belonging to warriors of the metropolis, hence the holes — representations of their allegiance to the ball of light in the sky which might shine through them.
Some fans might argue that these skeletal swordsmen with the Sun Realm Shield aren’t exclusive to this graveyard. True, while not as numerous as at the Capital Outskirts, these knights are buried all across the Lands Between; even their largely naked beast variant at Farum Azula still utilizes the shield. However, there is a pattern to these locations: they trace the migration of Banished Knights. Wherever we find skeletons bearing this shields, there are also Banished Knights, or at least signs of their presence in the region at one point — for example, the human-giant graveyard by Castle Sol. This is relevant since the Fortified Manor too exists within Leyndell’s walls. That is no coincidence. The Farum colony spread the Sun Capital’s culture all across the Lands Between with its people, right up until circling back to Farum Azula.
Indeed, if someone were to establish a large city dedicated to the sun, it would be at Altus. The temperate plateau lies closest to that warm body of light, ignoring the surrounding icy or volcanic mountaintops. Then there is the naming scheme to the various areas across the tableland. The village of Lux is named the Latin for “light”, whereas Fort Laiedd makes a similar reference —“Lighdd” (ライード) bears obvious similarities to the English “light”. (ライト) Conversely, the Shaded Castle specifically uses the term hikage (日陰) evoking shade from the sun. Even the present-day royal capital of Leyndell at the base of the Erdtree is, fittingly, called “Lowdayl” (ローデイル) for the “low daylight” from the tree shining closer than the sun. With the names of so many locales alluding to sunlight, what better location for an actual Sun Capital?
Although the city itself no longer exists “anywhere”, some legacy of it may still remain. To infiltrate Leyndell from the side entrance, we must cross a bridge into the second rampart. The viaduct stands out from the walls and archway sandwiching it with its darker stonework. The saint statues lining the bridge are likewise used sparingly in the Erdtree capital proper, mainly areas with roots predating the current city like the divine bridges and Fortified Manor. Otherwise, we only witness similar architecture from greatbridges at Altus, Gelmir, and Limgrave. Even assuming that these are all of Leyndell construct, the differences suggest some degree of foreign influence in the design. And what is the stonework most similar to except the staircase up the cliff to the gold bone graveyard? And so, this staircase and bridge around Leyndell might be the last remnants of the Sun Capital’s infrastructure.
Adding to this implication, Grafted Blade Greatsword features Serosh’s beast crest fastening the blades at the hilt. Although an earlier version of the description suggests that the original plan was for it to simply be Godfrey’s weapon, it nonetheless insinuates that this hero felt close affinity with the Beast King. Why? Because his city was deeply involved with the castle manor on the eastern end of Altus. In fact, the Fortified Manor was probably once part of the Sun Capital. According to the shield’s description, the city no longer exists anywhere. How is this possible when there are so many ancient structures which have survived as ruins? The obvious explanation is site leveling; the destroyed city was then replaced. And what now occupies the land where the Sun Capital’s dead are buried? Leyndell, which preserves the Fortified Manor. Put simply, before the Erdtree capital was established, a different capital stood on that spot shared by that castle manor, closely collaborating with Serosh and the colonists under him. In fact, the Sun Capital was likely only built with the help of the golden lion’s party.
The metropolis depicted on the Sun Realm Shield is enclosed by large walls with only the tallest tower at the center visible behind them. At first glance, one might draw comparisons to the Norman style of the Farum colonies. However, this notion is thwarted when comparing this shield to the Manor Towershield. Although the description claims that it depicts the Roundtable Hold, this is not referring to the special hub area currently utilized by Tarnished. The terms for “manor” and “hold” used for the shield are the same word: joukan, (城館) meaning “castle manor”. This is the same term as the so-called “Fortified” Manor, which is only identified as such by the local grace point. The Roundtable Hold which we can warp to from early in our journey is called simply the “Round Table” (円卓) and exclusively referenced by that name in Japanese dialogue. Although the two areas’ interiors are identical, they are different places, with the Manor Towershield illustrating the round table castle manor in Leyndell.
Iron greatshield large enough to cover the whole body. Depicts the Round Table Castle Manor, where heroes gather.
Great shields have both high cut rates and guard strength and easily deflect enemy attacks.
With that in mind, the differences between the depictions of the Fortified Manor and Sun Capital are stark. The latter’s windows and main gate possessed pointed arches, while its towers and walls were topped by extra flourish emphasizing curves and points. While certainly evocative of the sun in the shield’s background, these artistic elements are a far cry from the simple Norman castles that Farum colonists construct. It is evident that they were built in different styles. However, this doesn’t exclude the possibility of their involvement either, like with the case of the Volcano Manor. Is it any accident that, in a land rife with barbarians, one tribe builds a whole city around the time that the Farum colonists come and help other tribes build more? Of course not. More likely, the Sun Capital was the first collaborative project with the natives, wise Serosh seeking friendly relations to gain a foothold in this new and unfamiliar land without issue. The barbarians would enter “civilization” and the Banished Knights would have a buffer nation helping protect their first of eventually many castles.
The choice of location also cannot be ignored. Both parties had a vested interest in this land where the power of gold was most concentrated. The skeletons of the Capital Outskirts graveyard all have uniquely golden bones, implying that they were particularly entrenched in that power; none of Those Who Live in Death elsewhere on the plateau, even within the capital itself, manifest this color. This is likely because they were the ones burying their dead with the Altus Blooms before the Erdtree emerged, the flowers’ gold seeping into the bones. Clearly, it is that one tribe’s obsession with the gold on the plateau proliferating across their highland which drives their veneration of the sun. Even when the source of that gold finally broke ground next to the capital, it would just be another aspect of gold for the clan to study. This is most apparent looking at the Sun Capital’s last king, Ensha.
Gideon Ofnir’s silent henchman isn’t Tarnished. His armor is embedded with bones of an old human king by the same name. This suggests that “Ensha” is the bone armor itself, not a person wearing it. The name “Ensha of the Royal Remains” (王骸のエンシャ) can also be read as “Ensha the Royal Remains”, the title denoting the king’s bones in particular. Moreover, the Royal Remains set slowly restores the wearer’s HP, as if trying to resist death — one might even say, to live in death. The armor is lathered in the same viscous black substance present in all Those Who Live in Death. Its description likewise refers to him as a soulless king, paralleling the source to the skeletons reanimated by deathroot Godwyn. And although the localization additionally addresses him as the king of the “lost and desperate”, the Japanese text merely calls him a “clinging” king in obvious reference to his weapon of choice. The Clinging Bone is up to two hardened skeletal arms the wielders tightly grasps by the hand bones, which the king clinging it never lets go of according to its description. And the weapon’s skill? Lifesteal, robbing others of their vital energies to add to the wielder’s own vigor.
Armor arranged with golden human bones. Equipment of the silent follower of the All-Knowing Lord Gideon.
It is said that those human bones are the remains of an old king. A soulless king, a clinging king. It is said that his name is Ensha.
Bizarre weapon which made arms of human bone hard. Choice weapon of Ensha the Royal Remains.
The more you clench your fist to equip it, the more it digs in. One clinging, a king does not let go of that hand.
All of this pins Ensha as one of Those Who Live in Death, unique only in that his soulless bones cling so deeply to his old armor. This certainly explains why, under the armor, he possesses a male face but a female body. We would never see this fleshy form in normal gameplay, but we might see Ensha’s gestures, males standing with thighs stretched slightly wider to accommodate the bulge between them — and skeleton armor doesn’t have that concern. Lacking the fleshy parts justifies Ensha’s silence just as well. Without a voice box, he can only stand around looking intimidating. Still, these bones once belonged to a living man who ruled a kingdom, and that begs the identity of his kingdom. Thankfully, the dead don’t lie. The bones of Ensha and whoever he deprived of arms are both golden, linking them to the skeletons at the Capital Outskirts graveyard. In short, he was king of the Sun Capital.
With that in mind, note that Ensha is a sorcerer. Wielding a Meteorite Staff, the living dead conjures Rock Sling and Collapsing Stars. The staff by itself betrays the old king’s interest in mastering gravity magic in particular. However, each sorcery is just as revealing. Collapsing Stars unleashes a flurry of gravity projectiles; an advanced spell proving the caster is at the level to arrest the very stars, as later demonstrated by Radahn. King Ensha lived long enough to become such a proficient gravity sorcerer if the long strands of grey hair still hanging off the skull are any indication. One can almost imagine the ruler dreaming of holding back the setting sun, letting day forever shine. But more important is his use of Rock Sling, which employs gravitational power to rip the earth from beneath one’s feet. Curious when that land in this case is the source of the plateau’s gold, the Erdtree.
Taken together, Ensha studied gravity sorcery as a means to an end, hoping to better understand the gold hanging from above and emerging from below. This was presumably a huge focus of the Sun Capital’s royal government. The city would learn anything to help control the heavenly bodies’ movements or dig into the roots of a great tree. They were not interested in the subject of meteors or glinstone or gravity in itself, like the more broadly curious Academy of Raya Lucaria. They just needed to acquire the magical toolkit for their true area of interest: gold. For their aid in developing their culture, wise Serosh and his ilk were allowed to stay in a manor of their own make within the capital. And together, they would become stewards for the golden tree they had eventually realized would appear at their location.
Unlike the ground burials previously seen in Farum Azula or the Ancient Dynasties, the sun kingdom interred their dead in the soil to be with the great roots. This is a huge break from the more widespread cremation practices with Deathbirds at the time. And if these burials with Altus Blooms predate the Erdtree proper, then the kingdom must have already become vaguely aware of the connection between their venerable gold and the tree burgeoning where they stood. This too may have been accomplished with the help of Serosh and his associates. After all, Erdtree Burial became similar practice of Farum colonists.
The main street to the “Upper Quarter” in Leyndell connects districts at both ends. One is for the Fortified Manor, the other is for residential. Both keep divine bridges, the latter leading to the Mountaintops of the Giants and the West Altus Divine Tower. Residents of this quarter maintain their own private graveyard, with one variant of headstone standing out from the rest. This distinctive asset is reused from Dark Souls III, like many others, except with the half-flower ornamenting the top removed. The unchanged asset is still used prominently at churches enshrining Marika or Radagon, however. The flat-top graves in this quarter thus seem to denote the deceased as outside Leyndell’s faith. The cemetery also features the saint statue, which additionally lines both gateways to this district. Both yards along the ramparts likewise grow the same red trees seen at the Fortified Manor. Even the lift to the divine bridge uses the same dragon banner for its lever. Altogether, the various unique elements imply the walled section to be a pagan quarter connected to the manor opposite end of main street.
Without a doubt, the Erdtree became key to both cultures despite not recognizing Marika as god with the subsequent rise of her kingdom. This is why the first archway for the two Divine Bridges possesses tree reliefs the same as the Fortified Manor, with Castle Sol emblazoning a similar image above the archways to its keep. Some of the colonies’ dark red banners also feature this tree symbol instead of the typical dragon iconography. The golden tree growing underneath was put on equal footing to beasts, much like the Elden Ring before it. This interest in the giant plant of gold overlapped with the sun kingdom, hence the two tribes’ continued collaboration even as the Farum colonies spread far and wide. It is because this still burgeoning Erdtree became a permanent fixture in both societies that so much emphasis was placed on assimilating the dead into its roots. But it also reveals their longing for a force which was yet underground, a fact which seems to have brought them into contact with a third party of import.
Day Meets the Night
In those Deeproot Depths beneath Leyndell are the ruins of a nameless Eternal City. And while we do not witness any residents of this third Nox capital — at least alive — we can still infer much about its particular culture. For one, there is the location. The only incentive for a population of Nox to build yet another metropolis above Nokron and Nokstella is interest in either tracing the source to the Siofra and Ainsel Rivers or investigating the great tree suddenly growing alongside it. Whichever the case, it was inevitable that these Nox would seek to comprehend the mysterious new plant whose roots we see now weave around its buildings. And despite the golden tree’s obvious connection to the Greater Will, these Nox appear to have developed a certain tolerance of it, made plain by their friendly relations with Erdtree culture above ground.
Gargoyles are found primarily in and around both the Deeproot Depths and Altus capitals, suggesting some degree of crossover between the two civilizations. Residing just outside the Deeproot ruins is also Siluria, one of the Crucible Knights similarly associated with Leyndell. We likewise acquire Marika’s Scarseal from a corpse lying at the bottom of the waterfall to Siofra Aqueduct in Nokron; tracing the water’s flow, we come across two more of both Crucible Knights and gargoyles before arriving back at the Deeproot Depths. In essence, this cursed eyeball had most likely flowed downstream, with or without the corpse we find carrying it. The apparent reason is because the cursed individual, like those enemies, came from the nameless Eternal City, implying that Leyndell’s Queen had visited at one point. Overlooking the base of the Erdtree from a cliff neighboring the city, another corpse harbors the text for its oldest incantation — fittingly, it is Elden Stars, the art of the beast incarnation of the Ring that took root there.
All of this suggests that the Nox of this Eternal City interacted closely with the Erdtree capital until its destruction, ending with the vacation by many and death or damage of those who failed to. The surface reflects the same implications. Among the various residential zones of Leyndell, one stands out for its place at a lower elevation from the “Upper Quarter” and red-roofed homes employing the same architecture as Sellia. The observable residents of this Lower Quarter are either generic corpses, the rotten-bodied enemies, or skeletons, making it impossible to verify their identities — particularly their skin tone. And if Sellia is descendant of one Eternal City, then it is possible for this district to be another. Indeed, the Lower Quarter is the only area to utilize green bushes and small trees in Altus, with only one yellow bush bizarrely overlapping presumably due to oversight by the developers. The residents there must be unique from the rest of the humans living in Leyndell. Therefore, some Nox in cultural exchange with Leyndell chose to assimilate, their housing less garish and more shadowy per their preferences.
This assimilation extended to religion. The Lower Quarter keeps its own graveyard, by and large employing the flower-top graves indicative of Marika worship. The destroyed part of the quarter also possesses a small Erdtree church, complete with small yellow trees around it. That ruined part of the district likewise hides tortured Albinaurics, who additionally lurk in the sewers beneath Leyndell — which, curiously, are most readily accessed from the open channel cutting through the Lower Quarter. Factoring it all in, these silver-men were most likely brought above ground by their Nox masters, where they were subsequently tormented until either escaping down the channel or left behind with the destruction to the zone. Why do this unless to show fealty to Marika’s Order, which considers artificial life corruption? We even see a rotten resident giving praise to the one destroyed part of the district with yellow bushes; the ulcerated tree spirit bursting from the ground suggests that one or more great roots were once present, probably as centerpiece to a cul-de-sac.
None of this would be possible if the Nox in the Eternal City below held any prejudice toward the Erdtree. At the very least, their culture must have developed into a sort of hybrid which accepted this gold derived from the Greater Will alongside their silver derived from night. Certainly, it is the only Eternal City with no sign of a Chair Crypt to seat their Lord of Night. At the same time, these Nox didn’t simply abandon their heritage. The false sky in the boss room for the Astel blocking way to the Moonlight Altar was taken from an Eternal City it destroyed, and the nameless capital is the only one matching the criteria. The description to its remembrance further clarifies that this “spawn of the darkness” (暗黒の落とし子) came shooting out from the faraway void. This was facilitated by Eternal Darkness, a sorcery lost with the city after generating that black hole which brought about its destruction. Given that the now forbidden spell is designed to suck all manner of magics into the portal, we can presume that the Nox developed it in an attempt to return to the cosmos, Astel the unexpected byproduct.
Basically, this nameless Eternal City diverged from Nokron and Nokstella, losing interest in taking revenge on the Greater Will in favor of simply returning to their ancestral homeland among the stars. This was evidently brought upon by their coexistence with the Erdtree, coming to respect that manifestation of the Elden Ring. As a result, some would even convert to Erdtree worship, choosing to live beneath the shining tree above ground. This may even predate Leyndell, since the Lower Quarter uses the same red trees seen in the Fortified Manor and Pagan Quarters. The Sun Capital did have interest in unearthing the tree rising from below. And if the Nox did have diplomatic ties with the kingdom preceding Marika’s own, perhaps it was their influence that brought sorcery to the tribe — the gravity aspect bleeding in from investigating the surrounding Divine Towers. Nox relations might also be responsible for the establishment of Sellia’s sister town.
Recollection of Astel, spawn of the darkness, engraved in the Golden Tree.
Can acquire the owner’s power via the Finger Reader. Also, can use to acquire vast runes.The star grotesque born in the lightless darkness far beyond. It is a malicious shooting star that once destroyed an Eternal Capital and robbed the sky from them.
Forbidden sorcery of the Sorcery Town of Sallia.
Generates darkness and draws in sorceries and incantations. Can be used without stopping movement.
It is a lost sorcery of an Eternal Capital, and it said to have been the despair which brought about its destruction.
Nestled upon a cliff at the end of the Freezing Lake river, Ordina bears the same architecture as the sorcery town in Caelid and Leyndell’s Lower Quarter, betraying Nox influence. Further north in the Consecrated Snowfield are likewise the spirits of dragonkin soldiers. At the same time, the blue flames of their torches suggest more conventional human sorcerers’ presence; the witch statues typically seen in Liurnia reinforce that impression. Perhaps another population of astrologers from the mountaintops mingled with Nox from a nearby Eternal City, the nameless city in this case. After all, if the capital was even partially interested in tracing the rivers’ source, then settling a colony above ground isn’t completely out of the question, with the Freezing Lake potentially originating from the same headwaters. There are at least signs of the Nox making exchanges with the stargazers on the Mountaintops.
Castle Sol is home to its own torture chamber. Among the cages hanging from the ceiling are the aged Alibinaurics, their bodies restrained in a wooden variation of the Skevington’s gyves. On the floor crawl a number of similarly tortured silver-men, their bloated heads covered in black leather masks like at Leyndell. Even assuming that Sol’s capture and abuse of these artificial beings is a more recent event, where did they come from in the first place? Perhaps their friendly neighborhood stargazers, who might have an interest in studying the Albinaurics’ nature in connection to the cosmos — and certainly shared interests with their Nox creators. In other words, the Albinaurics at Castle Sol were originally provided to the astrologers as part of interactions with the Eternal City. If so, then it is no surprise that some from both parties might establish a permanent settlement at the other end of the frozen waterflow the Nox were studying. This was a chance for both to learn more about the stars.
But regardless of how closely it collaborated with the stargazer village, a town of this nature would require the Nox to be granted safe passage by the current stewards of Altus Plateau, namely the Sun Capital and Farum colonies. This highlights the complex web of relations both within the plateau and between it and neighboring lands. With so many different hegemonies, it is possible that there was a history of conflicts — the castles and forts prove that the Farum colonists at least anticipated as much. Yet overall, it appears that the different peoples coexisted peacefully. The only faction who might have still ignited skirmishes were the local barbarians. But clearly, these intransigent resistors to civilization, in more ways than one, weren’t even worth the effort of exterminating. Less primitive plateau society seems to have simply put up with any harassment from the savages, soldiering on with their disparate allies. But soon enough, Altus would see itself united under one king, one country, one god.
Lokey Lore 