History Woobie / DarkSouls

* Gwyndolin, [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation if you interpret him]] as a WellIntentionedExtremist. A moon god born into a BadassFamily of [[ThePowerOfTheSun solar deities]], he's [[RaisedAsTheOppositeGender raised as a second daughter]], which [[JockDadNerdSon probably wasn't easy]], given [[RatedMForManly who his father was]]. Unlike Gwyn, he's had a front-row seat to the dissolution of both Lordran and his family. As of the game, he's the only deity who hasn't lost his mind, died, or selfishly abandoned Anor Londo. Using [[DecoyLeader his sister's image]] may indicate that he doesn't believe in himself enough to rule directly, and personally defending Gwyn's tomb [[WellDoneSonGuy has its own implications]] as well. And if the player ''doesn't'' kill Gwyndolin or Link the Fire, he'll also get to watch his father's dream permanently ruined and the Lords' last hopes crushed with the onset of the Dark.

With so many unfortunate fates befalling the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters huge cast of characters]] ([[UpToEleven and even some of the monsters]]) in ''Videogame/DarkSouls'', it is clear as day that Lordran is [[CrapsackWorld a very depressing place to live in]]. '''This page contains unmarked spoilers, so beware.'''

* Great Grey Wolf Sif. When he's near death, he begins to limp, his attacks slow, and he stumbles in great pain. This is also a massive PlayerPunch for many players, to the point that most of them [[EnsembleDarkhorse fondly remember Sif]] for that particular instance. [[spoiler:And if you rescued him in the DLC, a different cutscene happens when you trigger his boss fight, where he ''does'' remember you, but reluctantly proceeds to guard Artorias' grave nonetheless.]] [[UpToEleven Double]] [[PlayerPunch punch]] [[TearJerker indeed]].

** [[spoiler:''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' pushes his Woobieness UpToEleven, partly by CuttingOffTheBranches. Official canon now has it that the [[PlayerCharacter Chosen Undead]] both [[HopeSpot Linked The Fire and spared Gwyndolin's life]]. Unfortunately, [[ShootTheShaggyDog disaster just found him in a different way]]: specifically, being abducted and ''[[ImAHumanitarian eaten]]'' by a former Cleric, who then turned Anor Londo into his own base of operations. Said former cleric became an EldritchAbomination and ''[[PuppeteerParasite used Gwyndolin's body as its "face"]]''. Odds are that Gwyndolin is ''[[AndIMustScream still alive]]''. Oh, and his former moral ambiguity gets a little more weight on the HeroAntagonist side since, [[WellIntentionedExtremist however]] [[TheExtremistWasRight you feel]] [[MoralEventHorizon about his methods]] [[HumanSacrifice of finding more fuel for the First Flame]], he met his (hopefully) final end by [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]] [[BigBrotherInstinct to save his younger sister]] and DyingAlone. Oh, and [[MyGreatestFailure his last thoughts were of Priscilla]], [[FridgeHorror who would of course]] [[SealedRoomInTheMiddleOfNowhere now be lost forever inside Ariamis...]] which the DLC reveals to be slowly rotting to nothing and unsalvageable. [[TearJerker OUCH.]]]]

%%Good Morning Editors, If you wish to add more woobies, please consult the cleanup thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15391212720A38366900&page=1

* ''[[NintendoHard Players.]]'' You start as a mentally broken Asylum prisoner and have to fight your way out of it. [[{{Determinator}} No matter the cost]]. [[DeathIsCheap No matter the many deaths that ensue]]. Throughout your quest, you meet several [=NPC=]s, some of which are also {{Woobie}}s, and often have to witness their misery unfold without being able to do anything to save them. By the end of your journey, you eventually realize that [[spoiler:your quest might have been a big, fat lie forged by the serpents to satisfy their personal agendas, and one ending literally condemns you to eternal suffering -- [[FateWorseThanDeath as fuel for the First Flame]].]]

** [[spoiler:''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' pushes his Woobieness UpToEleven, partly by CuttingOffTheBranches. Official canon now has it that the [[PlayerCharacter Chosen Undead]] both [[HopeSpot Linked The Fire and spared Gwyndolin's life]]. Unfortunately, [[ShootTheShaggyDog disaster just found him in a different way]]: specifically, being abducted and ''[[ImAHumanitarian eaten]]'' by a former Cleric, who then turned Anor Londo into his own base of operations. Said former cleric became an EldritchAbomination and ''[[PuppeteerParasite used Gwyndolin's body as its "face"]]''. Odds are that Gwyndolin is ''[[AndIMustScream still alive]]''. Oh, and his former moral ambiguity gets a little more weight on the HeroAntagonist side since, [[WellIntentionedExtremist however]] [[TheExtremistWasRight you feel]] [[MoralEventHorizon about his methods]] [[HumanSacrifice of finding more fuel for the First Flame]], he met his (hopefully) final end by [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]] [[BigBrotherInstinct to save his younger sister]] and DyingAlone. Oh, and [[MyGreatestFailure his last thoughts were of Priscilla]], [[FridgeHorror who would of course]] [[SealedRoomInTheMiddleOfNowhere now be lost forever inside Ariamis]]. [[TearJerker OUCH.]]]]

* Knight Solaire's [[BreakTheBadass downfall]], [[GuideDangit if you let it happen]], comes as particularly haunting. Throughout the entire game, [[TheLancer he's the only person you can really call a friend]]. [[BashBrothers He assists you in combat more times than any other phantom.]] No matter what's happened or how dangerous things may be, he keeps up an upbeat, jolly attitude, and has one of the few genuinely non-creepy laughs. But his own quest is to search, battle, and find his very own Sun. As time goes on, he grows more and more distressed at his inability to find it, and slowly falls from cheerful, to depressed, to slowly going mad. If the player doesn't the take steps to save him, [[spoiler:he ends up being possessed by a Chaos Bug, driving him completely mad and forcing the player to [[MercyKill put him down]]]]. If the player does save him, however, [[spoiler:he'll appear to fight with you against Gwyn one last time, before linking his own fire with that of the First Flame]]. It's a FateWorseThanDeath for most, but for him, [[AvertedTrope this is what it will take to be truly happy]].

* ''Gwyn himself'' is no stranger to misery. [[spoiler:He breaks his soul into 5 pieces (one for Seath and each of the Kings) and sacrifices himself to keep the First Flame burning. He then spends at ''least'' 1000 years burning in the Kiln, to the point where, when you reach him, he is utterly insane and attacks you, even though the only reason you are there in the first place is a fail-safe he set up if his power is no longer enough to sustain the flame. Oh, and the kingdom he sacrificed everything to save has fallen apart due to the Darksign [[note]]which the DLC for ''Dark Souls 3'' reveals to be '''[[HoistByHisOwnPetard his fault]]'''[[/note]]and his children's apathy[=/=]incompetence. And ''then'' the Cathedral of the Deep moves in...]]

* Sir Artorias, one of the original Knights of Gwyn, who perfected the art of Abysswalking. [[spoiler:He tried to save Oolacile from Manus, Father of the Abyss, but failed and was ultimately defeated. He sacrificed himself to save Sif the Great Grey Wolf, who was only a pup at the time. But he didn't die; that would be too easy. Instead, Manus corrupted him, turning him into a slave of the Abyss. He now exists only to serve and protect Manus's world, his sword no longer holy, his form permanently cursed and degraded from exposure to the Abyss, trapped in the realm he gave his life fighting against.]] By the time you meet him, [[spoiler:you're pretty much about to perform a MercyKill so he can rest in peace. This is made even worse with the cut dialogue, where he ''explicitly'' begs you to kill him.]]

* Siegmeyer Of Catarina. The guy is an adventurer who keeps himself from going Hollow by continuing to go on adventures like he always loved to do. Until the player keeps saving or helping him, resulting in him doubting and hating himself more and more since he's basically relying on you to do everything. [[spoiler:In a last, desperate attempt to actually feel like he's done something useful for once, he attempts a SelfSacrificeScheme by [[DyingMomentOfAwesome valiantly holding off a group of monsters so that you can escape, at the cost of his own life]]. If you save his life once again, he ends up going completely Hollow because you simply refused to let him have any sort of true honor. If the latter happens, then he ends up being killed ''by his own daughter''.]]
* Knight Solaire's [[BreakTheBadass downfall]], [[GuideDangit if you let it happen]], comes as particularly haunting. Throughout the entire game, [[TheLancer he's the only person you can really call a friend]]. [[BashBrothers He assists you in combat more times than any other phantom]]. No matter what's happened or how dangerous things may be, he keeps up an upbeat, jolly attitude, and has one of the few genuinely non-creepy laughs. But his own quest is to search, battle, and find his very own Sun. As time goes on, he grows more and more distressed at his inability to find it, and slowly falls from cheerful, to depressed, to slowly going mad. If the player doesn't the take steps to save him, [[spoiler:he ends up being possessed by a Chaos Bug, driving him completely mad and forcing the player to [[MercyKill put him down]]]]. If the player does save him, however, [[spoiler:he'll appear to fight with you against Gwyn one last time, before linking his own fire with that of the First Flame]]. It's a FateWorseThanDeath for most, but for him, [[AvertedTrope this is what it will take to be truly happy]].

* ''[[NintendoHard Players.]]'' You start as a mentally broken Asylum prisoner and have to fight your way out of it. [[{{Determinator}} No matter the cost]]. [[DeathIsCheap No matter the many deaths that ensue]]. Throughout your quest, you meet several [=NPC=]s, some of which are also {{Woobie}}s, and often have to witness their misery unfold without being able to do anything to save them. By the end of your journey, you eventually realize that [[spoiler:your quest might have been a big, fat lie forged by the serpents to satisfy their personal agendas, and one ending literally condemns you to eternal suffering - [[FateWorseThanDeath as fuel for the First Flame]].]]

* Priscilla the Crossbreed. Her whole existence is misery upon misery, and all because she was born different. Even appearing as a boss, she asks the player to simply leave and offers you the exit from her world. She points out that you have no reason to be there. Based on her backstory, she is possibly one of the most innocent creatures in Dark Souls, and there really is [[YouBastard no moral justification]] [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential for killing her]]. Even her final words can only ask why you did it.
* The Daughter of Chaos. You need the Old Witch's Ring, but if you don't feel absolutely horrible listening to [[spoiler: Daughter of Chaos, who is so overburdened with eggs that she can't move and is in constant pain, talking about how her children died (you can see the bloody eggs all around her) and how much it hurts with that fragile and pained voice]], chances are you're already hollow inside. They really drill it in with [[spoiler: her repeatedly saying how she'll be fine because at least she has [[ThoroughlyMistakenIdentity you]], [[BossFight her dear sister]]...]]
* You also can't forget Rhea of Thorolund, an inexperienced cleric who is tasked with a mission to venture into the hellish Tomb of the Giants. [[spoiler:The player can later find her there cowering in a corner, filled with forlorn despair as her knights have Hollowed and she has failed with her mission. She can make it out of the Tomb and set up shop in a church, but she will either be killed by a knight who abandoned the mission or be abducted by Channelers and brought to the Duke's Archives to be turned into a Lovecraftian monster called a Pisaca. In the latter situation she will go Hollow and when you find her you'll be forced to kill her yourself.]]

* ''Gwyn himself'' is no stranger to misery. [[spoiler:He breaks his soul into 5 pieces (one for Seath and each of the Kings) and sacrifices himself to keep the First Flame burning. He then spends at ''least'' a 1000 years burning in the Kiln, to the point where, when you reach him, he is utterly insane and attacks you, even though the only reason you are there in the first place is a fail safe he set up if his power is no longer enough to sustain the flame. Oh, and the kingdom he sacrificed everything the save has fallen apart due to the Darksign and his children's apathy/incompetence. ]]

* Gwyndolin, [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation if you interpret him]] as a WellIntentionedExtremist. A moon god born into a BadassFamily of [[ThePowerOfTheSun solar deities]], he's [[RaisedAsTheOppositeGender raised as a second daughter]], which [[JockDadNerdSon probably wasn't easy]], given [[RatedMForManly who his father was]]. Unlike Gwyn, he's had a front-row seat to the dissolution of both Lordran and his family. As of the game, he's the only deity who hasn't lost his mind, died, or selfishly abandoned Anor Londo. Using [[DecoyLeader his sister's image]] may indicate that he doesn't believe in himself enough to rule directly, and personally defending Gwyn's tomb [[WellDoneSonGuy has its own implications]] as well. And if the player ''doesn't'' kill Gwyndolin, he'll also get to watch his father's dream permanently ruined and the Lords' last hopes crushed with the onset of the Dark.
** [[spoiler:''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' pushes his Woobieness UpToEleven, partly by CuttingOffTheBranches. Official canon now has it that the [[PlayerCharacter Chosen Undead]] both [[HopeSpot Linked The Fire and spared Gwyndolin's life]]. Unfortunately, [[ShootTheShaggyDog disaster just found him in a different way]]: specifically, being abducted and ''[[ImAHumanitarian eaten]]'' by a former Cleric, who then turned Anor Londo into his own base of operation. Said former cleric became an EldritchAbomination and ''[[PuppeteerParasite used Gwyndolin's body as its "face"]]''. Odds are that Gwyndolin is ''[[AndIMustScream still alive]]''. Oh, and his former moral ambiguity gets a little more weight on the HeroAntagonist side since, [[WellIntentionedExtremist however]] [[TheExtremistWasRight you feel]] [[MoralEventHorizon about his methods]] [[HumanSacrifice of finding more fuel for the First Flame]], he met his (hopefully) final end by [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]] [[BigBrotherInstinct to save his younger sister]] and DyingAlone. Oh, and [[MyGreatestFailure his last thoughts were of Priscilla]], [[FridgeHorror who would of course]] [[SealedRoomInTheMiddleOfNowhere now be lost forever inside Ariamis]]. [[TearJerker OUCH.]]]]
* Siegmeyer Of Catarina. The guy is an adventurer who keeps himself from going Hollow by continuing to go on adventures like he always loved to do. Until the player keeps saving or helping him, resulting in him doubting and hating himself more and more since he's basically relying on you to do everything. [[spoiler:In a last, desperate attempt to actually feel like he's done something useful for once, he attempts a SelfSacrificeScheme by [[DyingMomentOfAwesome valiantly holding off a group of monsters so that you can escape, at the cost of his own life]]. If you save his life once again, he ends up going completely Hollow because you simply refused to let him have any sort of true honor. If the latter happens, than he ends up being killed ''by his own daughter''.]]
* Knight Solaire's [[BreakTheBadass downfall]], [[GuideDangit if you let it happen]], comes as particularly haunting. Throughout the entire game, [[TheLancer he's the only person you can really call a friend]]. [[BashBrothers He assists you in combat more times than any other phantom]]. No matter what's happened or how dangerous things may be, he keeps up an upbeat, jolly attitude, and has one of the few genuinely non-creepy laughs. But his own quest is to search, battle, and find his very own Sun. As time goes on, he grows more and more distressed at his inability to find it, and slowly falls from cheerful, to depressed, to slowly going mad. If the player doesn't the take steps to save him, [[spoiler:he ends up being possessed by a Chaos Bug, driving him completely mad and forcing the player to [[MercyKill put him down]].]] If the player does save him, however, [[spoiler:he'll appear to fight with you against Gwyn one last time, before linking his own fire with that of the First Flame.]] It's a FateWorseThanDeath for most, but for him, [[AvertedTrope this is what it will take to be truly happy]].

* The Pinwheel, if {{Fanon}} is to be believed. He's implied to be a necromancer who attempted to resurrect his lost child and wife, as hinted by the Masks of the Child and Mother, respectively, with him sporting the Father's. Eventually, he did succeed, but at a terrible cost: somewhere down the line, his desire to be reunited with his wife and child [[GoneHorriblyRight went horribly right]], and he was ''literally'' reunited with them. As in ''[[BodyHorror their bodies were fused together]]'', and now he has [[HumanoidAbomination three heads and pairs of limbs]],
** The Pinwheel's own [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sur4qN_4Oi8 boss theme]], which has creepy whispers resembling [[TragicMonster "I'm sorry", "Help me" and "Make the pain stop"]], further accentuates this theory.

* Siegmeyer Of Catarina. The guy is an adventurer who keeps himself from going hollow by continuing to go on adventures like he always loved to do. Until the player keeps saving or helping him, resulting in him doubting and hating himself more and more since he's basically relying on you to do everything. [[spoiler: Eventually he either performs a HeroicSacrifice and [[DyingMomentOfAwesome holds off a group of monsters so that you can escape]] or ends up going completely hollow because you simply refused to let him have any sort of true honor. If the latter happens, than he ends up being killed ''by his own daughter''.]]

* The Pinwheel, if {{Fanon}} is to be believed. He's implied to be a necromancer who attempted to resurrect his lost child and wife, as hinted by the Masks of the Child and Mother, respectively, with him sporting the Father's. Eventually, he did succeed, but at a terrible cost: somewhere down the line, his desire to be reunited with his wife and child backfired, and his body was merged together with the deceased's, and now he has [[HumanoidAbomination three heads and pairs of limbs]],

** [[spoiler: ''DarkSoulsIII'' pushes his Woobieness UpToEleven, partly by CuttingOffTheBranches. Official canon now has it that the [[PlayerCharacter Chosen Undead]] both [[HopeSpot Linked The Fire and spared Gwyndolin's life]]. Unfortunately, [[ShootTheShaggyDog disaster just found him in a different way]]: specifically, being abducted and ''[[ImAHumanitarian eaten]]'' by a former Cleric, who then turned Anor Londo into his own base of operation. Said former cleric became an EldritchAbomination and ''[[PuppeteerParasite used Gwyndolin's body as its "face"]]''. Odds are that Gwyndolin is ''[[AndIMustScream still alive]]''. Oh, and his former moral ambiguity gets a little more weight on the HeroAntagonist side since, [[WellIntentionedExtremist however]] [[TheExtremistWasRight you feel]] [[MoralEventHorizon about his methods]] [[HumanSacrifice of finding more fuel for the First Flame]], he met his (hopefully) final end by [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]] [[BigBrotherInstinct to save his younger sister]] and DyingAlone. Oh, and [[MyGreatestFailure his last thoughts were of Priscilla]], [[FridgeHorror who would of course]] [[SealedRoomInTheMiddleOfNowhere now be lost forever inside Ariamis]]. [[TearJerker OUCH.]]]]

* Laurentius of the Swamp. The stuttering pyromancer was shunned as an outcast by others for being an Undead, and if you save him from certain death in the Depths, he reveals he had no friends due to this. And, as further interactions with him show, he grows to consider you as his OnlyFriend. [[spoiler:If you make the mistake of picking his curiosity up with Quelana's advanced pyromancy flame, he will search for her in the Blightown swamp, but fails and becomes hollow in the process.]]

* The Daughter of Chaos. You need the Old Witch's Ring, but if you don't feel absolutely horrible listening to [[spoiler: Daughter of Chaos, who is so overburdened with eggs that she can't move and is in constant pain, talking about how her children died (you can see the bloody eggs all around her) and how much it hurts with that fragile and pained voice]], chances are you're already hollow inside. They really drill it in with [[spoiler: her repeatedly saying how she'll be fine because at least she has [[MistakenIdentity you]], [[BossFight her dear sister]]...]]

* Siegmeyer Of Catarina. The guy is an adventurer who keeps himself from going hollow by continuing to go on adventures like he always loved to do. Until the player keeps saving or helping him, resulting in him doubting and hating himself more and more since he's basically relying on you to do everything. [[spoiler: Eventually he either performs a HeroicSacrifice and [[DyingMomentOfAwesome holds off a group of monsters so that you can escape]] or ends up going completely hallow because you simply refused to let him have any sort of true honor. If the latter happens, than he ends up being killed ''by his own daughter''.]]

With so many unfortunate fates befalling the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters huge cast of characters]] ([[UpToEleven and even some of the monsters]]) in ''Videogame/DarkSouls'', it is clear as day that Lordran is [[CrapsackWorld a very depressing place to live in]]. '''This page contains some unmarked spoilers, so beware.'''
* ''[[NintendoHard Players.]]'' You start as a mentally broken Asylum prisoner and have to fight your way out of it. [[{{Determinator}} No matter the cost]]. [[DeathIsCheap No matter the many deaths that ensue]].

* [[spoiler: ''Gwyn himself'' is no stranger to misery. He breaks his soul into 5 pieces (one for Seath and each of the Kings) and sacrifices himself to keep the First Flame burning. He then spends at ''least'' a 1000 years burning in the Kiln, to the point where, when you reach him, he is utterly insane and attacks you, even though the only reason you are there in the first place is a fail safe he set up if his power is no longer enough to sustain the flame. Oh, and the kingdom he sacrificed everything the save has fallen apart due to the Darksign and his children's apathy/incompetence. ]]

* [[spoiler: Sir Artorias, one of the original Knights of Gwyn, who perfected the art of Abysswalking. He tried to save Oolacile from Manus, Father of the Abyss, but failed and was ultimately defeated. He sacrificed himself to save Sif the Great Grey Wolf, who was only a pup at the time. But he didn't die; that would be too easy. Instead, Manus corrupted him, turning him into a slave of the Abyss. He now exists only to serve and protect Manus's world, his sword no longer holy, his form permanently cursed and degraded from exposure to the Abyss, trapped in the realm he gave his life fighting against.]] By the time you meet him, you're pretty much about to perform a MercyKill so he can rest in peace. [[spoiler:This is made even worse with the cut dialogue, where he ''explicitly'' begs you to kill him.]]

* Knight Solaire's [[BreakTheBadass downfall]], [[GuideDangit if you let it happen]], comes as particularly haunting. Throughout the entire game, he's the only person you can really call a friend. [[BashBrothers He assists you in combat more times than any other phantom]]. No matter what's happened or how dangerous things may be, he keeps up an upbeat, jolly attitude, and has one of the few genuinely non-creepy laughs. But his own quest is to search, battle, and find his very own Sun. As time goes on, he grows more and more distressed at his inability to find it, and slowly falls from cheerful, to depressed, to slowly going mad. If the player doesn't the take steps to save him, he ends up being possessed by a Chaos Bug, driving him completely mad and forcing the player to [[MercyKill put him down]]. If the player does save him, however, he'll appear to fight with you against Gwyn one last time, before linking his own fire with that of the First Flame. It's a FateWorseThanDeath for most, but for him, [[AvertedTrope this is what it will take to be truly happy]].

With so many unfortunate fates befalling the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters huge cast of characters]] ([[UpToEleven and even some of the monsters]]) in ''Videogame/DarkSouls'', it is clear as day that Lordran is [[CrapsackWorld a very depressing place to live in]]. '''This page contains some unmarked spoilers, so beware.''' Click [[Videogame/DarkSouls here]] to go back to the main page.

With so many unfortunate fates befalling the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters huge cast of characters]] ([[UpToEleven and even some of the monsters]]) in ''Videogame/DarkSouls'', it is clear as day that Lordran is [[CrapsackWorld a very depressing place to live in]]. '''This page contains some unmarked spoilers'''

* [[spoiler: Great Grey Wolf Sif. When he's near death, he begins to limp, his attacks slow, and he stumbles in great pain. And if you rescued him in the DLC...]]
* [[spoiler: ''Gwyn.'' Breaks his soul into 5 pieces (one for Seath and each of the Kings) and sacrifices himself to keep the First Flame burning. He then spends at ''least'' a 1000 years burning in the Kiln, to the point where, when you reach him, he is utterly insane and attacks you, even though the only reason you are there in the first place is a fail safe he set up if his power is no longer enough to sustain the flame. Oh, and the kingdom he sacrificed everything the save has fallen apart due to the Darksign and his children's apathy/incompetence. ]]

* [[spoiler: Sir Artorias, one of the original Knights of Gwyn, who perfected the art of Abysswalking. He tried to save Oolacile from Manus, Father of the Abyss, but failed... And, in the process, was defeated by it. He sacrificed himself to save Sif the Great Grey Wolf, who was only a pup at the time. But he didn't die; that would be too easy. Instead, Manus corrupted him, turning him into a slave of the Abyss. He now exists only to serve and protect Manus's world, his sword no longer holy, his form permanently cursed and degraded from exposure to the Abyss, trapped in the realm he gave his life fighting against.]]