The Lost Saint

Common across the Lands Between is one statue depicting a cloaked man with a sword, the figure decorating bridges especially. The name of Saintsbridge in particular clarifies that this character is a saint — seijin (聖人) more literally referring to a “holy man” — and therefore carries the sword as some sort of warrior hero […]

Confessors

When some of the Tarnished who left with Godfrey established churches dedicated to the Two Fingers, they obviously were spreading their religion in preparation for when Marika summoned them back as promised. After untold generations of building up support and resources, the church’s prophesy was finally fulfilled, and its clerics contributed their own to the […]

Rykard

Preface Whether or not it is deliberate, Rykard twists the moral of many a fairy tale. Hansel and Gretel best captures the life lesson: beware of greedily indulging in motherly affection, lest you end up devoured. Sound advocacy for moderation from the best-intentioned mother hens, but what if you flip it on its head? Let […]

Company of the Fallen Hawk

Compared to any other band of warriors, the Company of the Fallen Hawk stand out as peculiar. Dressed in not even the meagerest of protection, save maybe a helmet, you would hardly expect them to make for much of an army. True enough, descriptions of their ashes deem the naked soldiers as “immature” with how […]

The Shattering

Preface I am no fan of the Shattering. For a war, it is remarkably straightforward, with fewer epic battles born of the twists and turns of competing egos than you would expect. As grand as the narrative makes it sound, laying out this all-encompassing civil war all out leaves me with a bit of letdown. […]

Order’s Breaking

Preface Near as I can tell, I have been somewhat of a contrarian when it comes to Marika. Where others see a master manipulator calculating every step with prophetic precision, I see a woman bumbling through her almost every situation, constantly forced to adapt to unexpected complications. Where others see a heartless tyrant born from […]

Omen Curse

To this day, the Hornsent Grandam beseeches her precious divine beast to unleash its wrath upon Marika’s “children” — the entire tribe she rules — for betraying her people, cursing them even with her dying breath. What she doesn’t realize is that her prayers were already answered long ago. Among those bearing vestiges of the […]

Nomadic Merchants

Just Another Path The nomadic merchants were once a great caravan, flourishing as their clan traveled around doing business with others. Taking clear inspiration from cultures of the Eurasian Steppe, they garb themselves in distinctive clothes of varying colors and ride pack mules across the lands. Looking at their different inventories, their wares tend to […]

Radagon’s Reign

Preface There isn’t much to say when the good times are good. More often than not, these eras of peace and prosperity are the prelude to inciting incidents and great tragedies. Rarely do we see them carry a tale, yet it is always when those peaceful days are no more that we long to have […]

Farum Colonies

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 […]