Nashandra

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 […]

Olaphis

Preface It is always fascinating to see how fantasy worlds incorporate magic into the setting. Dark Souls is rather mild in this regard, magical power, while ubiquitous, not seeing universal practice — it is only those relative few with the will and ability to manipulate the power all around them who earn that privilege. Even […]

Aldia

Preface Despite my public criticism of Dark Souls II in total, I can still recognize that Aldia is one of the best characters introduced into the franchise as a whole. He may not have as creative an appearance or backstory as Seath in the original Dark Souls, (DS1) but he nonetheless stands out among the […]

Navlaan

Based on how he is named in-game, Royal Sorcerer Navlaan, originally Navarran, (ナヴァーラン) is a court sorcerer for Drangleic. “Royal” refers specifically to a royal court, (宮廷) and his presence in Aldia’s manor suggests that court to be at Drangleic Castle. The man sells various items related to sorcery and dragons at the mansion and […]

Lindelt

Flogging Faith When the survivors of the Drakeblood Knights left Shulva to its ruin, they brought the kingdom’s wisdom with them. And where did they go with that pillaged culture if not back home to their country of origin? The name of this country has now been lost, but this is be probably because it […]

Lanafir

Lanafir, or Lal Canal, (ラル・カナル) is a country at the far southern end of the known world in Dark Souls II. That we learn so little about this far-off land can largely be attributed to its policy of isolationism. Unlike most nations, Lanafir has cut off any political and economic relations with foreign states, leaving […]

Forossa

Deus Vult Forossa, original name Forozza, (フォローザ) was a remote country far to the east of Drangleic, mainly known for constantly warring with its neighbors to the point that — based on Vengarl’s dialogue — the nation seems to have been perpetually at war. And to their credit, Forossans were well equipped for the task, […]

Volgen

Volgen is a nation west of the Drangleic continent, characterized as a hyper-competitive merchant town. While Chloanne’s English dialogue suggests that the country has several bustling cities, the Japanese script makes clear that the country is actually just the one big city that never sleeps in keeping with the vast majority of Dark Souls countries […]

Caitha

Much is made about the true identities of the various deities that have been worshiped in Drangleic throughout the continent’s history. The Name-engraved Ring makes a point of these gods possibly having gone by different names in the past, driving most to make connections between them and characters from the original Dark Souls. (DS1) None […]

Jugo

The kingdom of Jugo, originally Hugo, (ウーゴ) is a desert nation to the far east characterized as a country of “real men” (漢) with connotations of being physically strong and tough, brave and aggressive, straightforward and forthright, and honorable and reciprocal. All of these qualities encompass the idea of the fighting spirit, which may be […]