History TearJerker / DarkSoulsII

* Sir Alonne is one of the few enemies you encounter in ''DarkSouls2'' that isn't hollow, corrupted, mindless, or simply evil by nature. You encounter him in a pristine version of the Iron Keep as it was at the height of its master's power. Alonne engages the player in honorable combat, rare enough in PVP and also unheard of in PVE, even bowing to you before his fight. Unlike the countless other knights in the series, whose arms and armor are worn, and who are far past their prime, everything about Sir Alonne from his {{Leitmotif}} to his boss arena radiates pride and honor. Especially given that the player confronts Alonne as (from his point of view) a mysterious intruder who has most likely been running around the area cutting down the soldiers he personally trained, it's hard not to feel bad about fighting Sir Alonne.

** She openly states in a later meeting that she knows that she has become so desperate and has deteriated from her original self so far, that if she thought her plight could be cured by killing the Curse Bearer, who she considers a close companion and friend, she would do so without hesitation and is utterly ashamed by this realization about herself. Tragically, one of the earliest rewards she gives you is a Human Effigy, stating she doesnt understand what its for...

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df_Zq5U4s7M The Raven and the Royal Aegis]]: Ever wondered exactly ''why'' the Fume Knight, a.k.a Sir Raime of Drangelic, fought Sir Velstadt and left King Vendrick's service in disgrace? The lore paints him as a DefectorFromDecadence who recognized what was happening to the kingdom due to [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Nashandra]] and attempted to stop it by denouncing the King and Queen, but Velstadt, whose faith in the King was absolute and in turn blinded him, faced him in battle for daring to question the monarchy. Velstadt fought for his king, Raime his kingdom, both possessing UndyingLoyalty and well-meaning, but also blind to the true threat that would doom them all. As the tagline to the video states:

** As for why Raime ended up in Brume Tower? After his exile, he went searching for other kingdoms that might have faced the same threat as Drangelic to find proof of the Queen's treachery, and so he came across the Old Iron Keep, and its new caretaker, Nadalia, the Ashen Maiden. Raime, while originally intending to kill her and bring back proof, rather found kinship with her: Both of them had no king or kingdom, so Raime swore his loyalty and life to her, allowing her essence to enter his sword and defending her from harm. This has extra weight if you're of the camp that Nadalia isn't evil, as the video asks why would he serve another Child of Dark if the one he already knew of was the reason he was exiled in the first place.

** As for why Raime ended up in Brume Tower? After his exile, he went searching for other kingdoms that might have faced the same threat as Drangelic to find proof of the Queen's treachery, and so he came across the Old Iron Keep, and its new caretaker, Nadalia, the Ashen Maiden. Raime, while originally intending to kill her and bring back proof, rather found [[NotSoDifferent kinship]] with her: Both of them had no king or kingdom, so Raime swore his loyalty and life to her, allowing her essence to enter his sword and defending her from harm. This has extra weight if you're of the camp that Nadalia isn't evil, as the video asks why would he serve another Child of Dark if the one he already knew of was the reason he was exiled in the first place.

* Velstadt himself qualifies in this category. He left Shulva before the attack on Sinh, allowing his home to be plunged into chaos. He befriended and aiding the aforementioned Raime, only to follow his kings command and declare him a traitor. Besting his only real friend in combat and reaffirming his allegiance to his king, Velstadt stood eternal guard in front of Vendrick's tomb. Once you arrive, you kill him and claim the King's Ring. Most players write him off at first, until you realize ''he wasn't hollow.'' The light surrounding him has protected him from the Darkness, making him conscious and able to recognise the impending doom he faces. Sure he attacks you, but he is so furiously protective of the king he has served for so long you can't help but empathise with him.

* Velstadt himself qualifies in this category itself. He left Shulva before the attack on Sinh thus plunging his home into chaos. Befriending and aiding the previous Raime only to follow in his kings footsteps and declare him a traitor. Besting his only real freind in combat and swearing his alliegance to his king Velstadt stood gaurd in front of Vendricks tomb. Once you arrive you kill him and manage to find the Kings Ring. Most players right him off at first until you realize he wasn't hallow. The light surrounding him has protected him from the Darkness making him conscience and able to recognise the impending doom he faces. Sure he attacks you but he is so furiously protective king it's hard not to see where he is coming from.

* Sir Alonne is one of the few enemies you encounter in ''DarkSouls2'' that isn't hollow, corrupted, mindless, or simply evil by nature. You encounter him in a pristine version of the Iron Keep as it was at the height of its master's power. Alonne engages the player in honorable combat, rare enough in PVP and also unheard of in PVE, even bowing should the player use a duel bow before his fight. Unlike the countless other knights in the series, whose arms and armor are worn, and who are far past their prime, everything about Sir Alonne from his {{Leitmotif}} to his boss arena radiates pride and honor. Especially given that the player confronts Alonne as (from his point of view) a mysterious intruder who has most likely been running around the area cutting down the soldiers he personally trained, it's hard not to feel bad about fighting Sir Alonne.

* Velstadt himself qualifies in this category itself. He left Shulva before the attack on Sinh thus plunging his home into chaos. Befriending and aiding the previous Raime only to follow in his kings footsteps and declare him a traitor. Besting his only real freind in combat and swearing his alliegance to his king Velstadt stood gaurd in front of Vendricks tomb. Once you arrive you kill him and manage to find the Kings Ring. Most players right him off at first until you realize he wasn't hallow. The light surrounding him has protected him from the Darkness making him conscience and able to recognise the impending doom he faces. Sure he attacks you but he is so furiously protective king it's hard not to see where he is coming from.

* Once more, "[[PunnyName Prepare To Cry]]" on YouTube continues its tradition of providing and expanding upon the lore offered in-game, and does it delight in making the tears flow even more.

* Aldia's obsession with the First Sin also claimed a large number of innocents. Even discounting the ''many'' aberrations created in his Keep, his experiments also tore a bunch of people from their worlds and reduced them to wandering spirits, transforming them into the Forlorn. Without a self, they were left to mindlessly wander worlds, with no beginning or end.

* The Giants in the game. You might have been wondering: these massive, powerful behemoths are undoubtedly capable of laying siege on the kingdom of Drangleic, as is told in the game that they left most of it in ruins. But how on earth did they ultimately lose to such puny humans? Why did they manage to destroy only most of the kingdom, and not all? Surely they could have done that no problem, given their enormous size and strength, and their ability to shake the ground with their footsteps. In order to understand the situation, we need to look at the Last Giant. You encounter him as a broken, tortured, and horribly-injured shell of a once-magnificent being; his haunting, whale-like moans echoing through the air as he drags himself out of the pile of rubble trapping him, just to do battle with you. But why? Right from his intro, you can feel that there's something not quite right about here. Why would he fight you while in such a decrepit state? And why does he seem so angry upon seeing you, wherein fact it's just your "first time" seeing him? You definitely feel that he's not quite happy to see you; his rage is so overwhelming, that he immediately ''runs straight towards you'' without any second thought, and that he even rips off ''his own arm'' to smack you with it in a desperate attempt to kill you. That's tragic enough on its own, but then you get into his backstory. [[spoiler:Later in the game, you can go back into the Forest of Fallen Giants and examine the trees scattered in the area that look like Giants. These are, in fact, dead Giants, and using the Ashen Mist Heart allows you to revisit their memories, shortly before their deaths. It's not until you get to the Memory of Jeigh, that you see a familiar face. You then realize that the Last Giant you defeated is actually the Giant Lord, a mighty king whose people were killed and their "keepsake" or "prize" stolen and exploited by King Vendrick and his people, all because Nashandra deceived him. There was no real threat from the far seas. In an effort to recapture the "prize" stolen from them and avenge their fallen kin, he led his fellow Giants across the seas and waged war against Drangleic, only to be defeated at the moment of his triumph, just as they were nearing their goal. The Giant Lord was captured, dragged beneath the stronghold and sealed for centuries as an example to others. The kicker? You were the one who denied him his revenge and left him to his fate, and he remembers it all too well.]] And so, going back to the whole story of the Giants, it wasn't King Vendrick and his men who managed to defeat the Giants and prevented them from re-claiming the "prize" that was rightfully theirs. [[spoiler:''You did.'' [[YouBastard You bastard.]]]]

* Lucatiel's story, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGc1QxhCpSY as told in Prepare to Cry]]. A young woman knight who hails from the land of Mirrah, she came from a very poor family but has decided to to stake her claim in the world by training in swordsmanship alongside her brother. She was successful in demonstrating her strength and capabilities in battle, and this allowed her to game honor, prestige, and riches in her homeland. But some time passes, and she unknowingly became afflicted with the Undead curse. This in turn stripped her and her family of honor, and this made her brother leave the family in search of a cure for the curse. Not long after, Lucatiel herself leaves for Drangleic with two missions in mind: to search for a cure to the curse as well, and to find her brother which has not returned home for a long time. Along her quest, she discusses her history with the Player Character and their common affliction (2nd meeting), showing that her face has become rotten. She resolves to press on, and you can encounter her later, her condition severely worsening each time. The last time you see her is in a shack outside Aldia's Keep (5th meeting), and she is slowly losing her memories and almost forgets you. She begs you to remember her name, as she is losing her mind bit by bit to the curse. Entering the keep will cause a black phantom to appear - named Aslatiel of Mirrah. While it is not directly stated or mentioned, it is very likely that Aslatiel is Lucatiel's long-lost brother, judging from the armor that they wear to the weapons that they wield. This could mean one of two things: a) Aslatiel became afflicted with the curse as somewhere along the journey, and so he went mad and became Hollow; b) Aslatiel died along the way while searching for a cure for the curse. Poor family, indeed.

* The Giants in the game. You might have been wondering: these massive, powerful behemoths are undoubtedly capable of laying siege on the kingdom of Drangleic, as is told in the game in that they left most of it in ruins. But how on earth did they ultimately lose to such puny humans? Why did they manage to only destroy most of the kingdom, and not all? Surely they could have done that no problem. In order to understand the situation, we need to look at the Last Giant. The poor, poor Last Giant. You encounter him as a broken, tortured, and horribly-injured shell of a once-magnificent being; his haunting, whale-like moans echoing through the air as he drags himself out of the pile of rubble trapping him to do battle with you. Right from his intro, you can feel that there's something not quite right about here. Why would he fight you while in such a decrepit state? And why does he seem so angry upon seeing you? You definitely feel that he's not quite happy to see you; his rage is so uncontrollable and overwhelming, that he immediately ''runs straight towards you'' without any second thought, and that he even rips off ''his own arm'' to smack you with it in a desperate attempt to kill you. That's tragic enough on its own, but then you get into his backstory. [[spoiler:Later in the game, you can go back into the Forest of Fallen Giants and examine the trees scattered in the area that look like Giants. These are, in fact, dead Giants, and using the Ashen Mist Heart allows you to revisit their memories, shortly before their deaths. It's not until you get to the Memory of Jeigh, that you see a familiar face. You then realize that the Last Giant you defeated is actually the Giant Lord, a mighty king whose people were killed and their "keepsake" or "prize" exploited by King Vendrick and his people, all because Nashandra deceived him. There was no real threat from the far seas. In an effort to recapture the "prize" stolen from them and avenge their fallen kin, he led his fellow Giants across the seas and waged a war against Drangleic, only to be defeated at the moment of his triumph, Just as they were nearing their goal. The Giant Lord was captured, dragged beneath the stronghold and sealed for centuries as an example to others. The kicker? You were the one who denied him his revenge and left him to his fate, and he remembers all too well.]] And so, going back to the whole story of the Giants, it wasn't King Vendrick and his men who managed to defeat the Giants and prevented them from re-claiming the "prize" that was rightfully theirs. [[spoiler:''You did.'' [[YouBastard You bastard.]]]]