Trot up to Cardinal Tower at the heart of Drangleic’s fortress, and we come upon a striking statue enshrined within. Beneath the overgrowth and murder of crows, the figure appears to be a holy woman — her dress and pose resembling depictions of the Virgin Mary — and exudes warmth, seeming inviting and motherly. Who […]
Birth of a Religion When we first explore the Lothric capital, we come across a peculiar sight: lines of armor suits — Lothric Knights — each missing their heads. And patrolling around them right in the barracks plaza is the beheader: a hefty warrior wielding a weapon of absurd weight, soaked in blood. More of […]
Much like the Darkwraiths before them, the Brotherhood of Blood are a covenant dedicated to invasions, using the Cracked Red Eye Orbs they have collected to safely slaughter others as dark spirits. Unlike the Darkwraiths, however, they do it as “blood warriors” (血の戦士) in service to their God of Blood, Nahr Alma. As depicted in […]
Millwood is the name of a legendary forest, home to its own human population. The fact then that this woodland was “discovered” long after that community had left implies it to be located in a relatively remote part of the world, its people having no interaction with “civilized” society outside of tradition and hearsay. We […]
Although described as short in stature in their helm’s Japanese description, the Gyrm’s size is exaggerated at best. The ones we encounter all stand roughly equal to us, either slightly shorter or even a little taller. Even accounting for their enormously thick armor, they are more bulky than physically modest. Indeed, these proportions make them […]
Among the children of Dark, Nashandra is the most uncomplicated. As the apostle of “craving”, (渇望) she embodies everything that makes these spawns of Dark what they are. She forever thirsts for one thing: power. According to Vendrick, the monster’s diminutive size as a fragment of Manus’ Abyss was the very reason for her hunger […]
Preface At its core, Demon’s Souls is the story of a hero setting out to defeat the demon king, an all too common premise in modern Japanese fantasy. But it is easy for this thought to never cross the mind, in large part thanks to the underlying conflict between the Old One and the Monumental […]
A New Phase Of all the surviving Old World nations, Carim has seen the most radical change. If Irithyll is the new Anor Londo, then Carim is the new Thorolund. With the sol haven’s implicit collapse following Lloyd’s downfall, Carim is now the country of clergymen, and this is reflected in its face option. The […]
After defeating the last Lord of Cinder, we return to Lothric to discover the world experiencing a solar eclipse. Normally, this would be the result of the moon blocking the sun, casting the lunar body’s shadow upon the earth. However, the timing of its appearance and its later reaction to us subverting the First Flame […]
In one of his many excellent videos, illusory wall proposes a “design trick” that the developers at FromSoftware, or at least Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki, employ for narrative and worldbuilding purposes, albeit rarely. While even he struggles to define it, the basic concept is that certain things, such as items, are actually something other than […]
Lokey Lore 