This page details the leaders and members of the 9 different covenants the player can access to throughout the game. Head back through here for other character pages. Note: contains unmarked spoilers
open/close all folders
The Way of White
A covenant that regroups the followers of the Great Lord Gwyn, seeking to kindle bonfires in order to sustain the power of the gods. The very first covenant available to beginning players, and one that makes multiplayer matchmaking easier among members of the Way of White.
Petrus of Thorolund
- Voiced by: Sean Barrett
"Have you business with us? If not, I'd prefer to keep a distance, if possible."
A cleric from Thorolund, accompanying the Princess Reah on an Undead mission through Lordran. Allows the player to join the Way of White Covenant, and sells a few basic miracles.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At first, he seems polite if haughty. He asks you to keep your distance, but does give you a coin to show that it isn't personal. But as the story continues, he starts showing his true colors: he eventually abandons Reah and her other two bodyguards in the Tomb of the Giants, knowing that she would potentially fail in her mission because she was inexperienced and of high-class. After you've rescued Reah from the Tomb, he will murder her if given the opportunity.
- Church Militant: He's pretty much geared to venture into the Catacombs when you meet him. Given his destination is quite hazardous, he'd have to be.
- Distressed Dude: In the cut content, Petrus was apparently going to be a Human Sacrifice to a necromancer and can be rescued by the player, after which he can teach them miracles at Firelink Shrine.
- Et Tu, Brute?: He seems to be genuinely surprised when the player attacks him after he murders Reah.Petrus: What is it, fool? Driven to madness by emotion? So be it. You'll make a fine Hollow! You can waltz in the infernal depths together!
- Evil Laugh: Once you get him to reveal what he's done to Reah and her followers, as well as his reasons for doing so, he starts to finish his statements with a sinister chuckle.
- Hate Sink: He tried to kill Reah, Vince, and Nico, in addition to being a massively condescending douchebag.
- Holier Than Thou: He won't hesitate to tell you he'd rather keep a distance from Undeads like you, and his overall speech mannerisms are quite condescending.
- It's All My Fault: Interestingly, should the player not talk to Lautrec about Reah, Petrus will start crying and blaming himself should Reah die/turn Hollow.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: After you speak with Lautrec several times, then talk to Petrus, the cleric will reveal he abandoned Reah and her followers in the Tomb of the Giants, all because he loathed her status as a Blue Blood, thus dismissing her as an incompetent purebred.
- "Not So Different" Remark: If the player happens to be a sinner himself, which Oswald even brings up. Unlike most examples, it shows to serve just what an asshole both you and he really are, rather than being an idealistic case.
- Paper Tiger: Despite being an elite cleric, he's probably the weakest NPC in the game, even struggling with fighting skeletons if pitted against one.
- Recurring Element: Of the nameless Acolyte of God from Demon's Souls. His appearance, story, and personality are all eerily similar.
- Shipper on Deck: For the Chosen Undead and Reah, but in a dark, twisted way. He mocks the player by gloating over his betrayal and abandonment of Reah in the Tomb of the Giants, saying that she must be crying all alone. He then adds in a lewd manner that, in her state, the player can do with her as they please. If the player attacks Petrus after he's successfully murdered Reah, he says that the player will make a fine Hollow, and they can be together with Reah in the infernal depths.
- Sinister Minister: Becomes unsettling once he reveals his plans for Reah to you.
- Teaser Equipment: A minor example: he sells you some basic miracles, but his pricing is quite expensive for beginning players, ranging from 2000 to 10000 souls in an area where killing Hollow warriors only nets you 100 or less. Made even more apparent when Reah later starts selling them at a lower price.
- Walking Spoiler: He sure looks like a decent starting NPC, if a bit dickish. Then you learn all about his evil schemes from Lautrec.
- A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Says this word-for-word if he kills you, should you attack him. However, his true personality is more of a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing than anything.Petrus (after killing you): Fool...What were you thinking? Too bad for you, I'm a wolf in sheep's clothing. Best of luck as a Hollow! Gah hah hah hah hah!
Reah/Rhea of Thorolund
- Voiced by: Charlie Cameron
"We must not let this curse overcome us."
The Princess of Thorolund, an inexperienced cleric on an Undead mission through Lordran to learn the Rite of Kindling. Allows the player to join the Way of White Covenant if they didn't take Petrus's offer; she also shares some of the spells sold by Petrus, thankfully at a cheaper price. She and her two bodyguards only spawn in Firelink Shrine once you defeat the Capra Demon, after which they, along with Petrus, will shortly depart for the Catacombs.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: If you keep her alive and buy out all her Miracles, she will disappear, and you can find her Hollowed out in the prison of the Duke's Archives.
- Antiquated Linguistics: Even more than the other characters, at times bordering Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: She's a lot friendlier towards the player after they save her from the Tomb of the Giants.
- Break the Cutie: Petrus' betrayal, along with her two followers turning Hollow really did a number on her during the story.
- Call-Back: Her overall appearance is meant to evoke memories of Maiden Astraea from Demon's Souls. Their names even sound similar.
- Damsel in Distress: Later on in the story, you meet her in the Tomb of the Giants, alone and scared, with her two followers gone Hollow. Only by killing Vince and Nico can you convince her to move out of the dungeon.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Somewhat. She starts off uncomfortable around the Player Character, but warms up after he/she saves her in the Tomb of Giants.
- Implied Love Interest: In a way. She becomes enamored with the player character (regardless of gender) after they save her in the Tomb of the Giants and will express happiness and relief at seeing them safe whenever they come and speak to her. Oddly enough, some of Petrus and even Lautrec's dialogue seem to imply that the player character himself/herself has an interest of sorts in Reah, or at least, that's how they see it. Unfortunately, nothing ever comes out of it, since Reah either dies at Petrus's hands or goes Hollow in the Duke's Archives.
- In the Hood: If only to further her image as a religious maiden.
- It's All My Fault: She blames herself for the hollowing of her two friends, even though she also knows Patches tricked them and Petrus betrayed her.
- Kill the Cutie: Aside from killing her as you would to any other NPC, once you rescue her from the Tomb of the Giants, Reah's sidequest can end in two ways: either Petrus will assassinate her if you don't immediately talk to her in the Undead Parish after the rescue; or once you buy all of her one-time inventory, she will be kidnapped for experimentation in the jail of the Duke's Archives and becomes a Hollow, forcing you to kill her in self-defense. It is possible for her to survive the game simply by killing Petrus before he can assassinate her and then not buying her last Miracle so she doesn't get kidnapped, but that's basically just leaving her sidequest incomplete.
- Shrinking Violet: Dislikes strangers and only warms up to the player after saving her in the Tomb of the Giants.Reah: I do not warm easily to unfamiliar faces. The bonfire below is so frequented, it makes it difficult... I have lost all those who were close to me.
Vince & Nico
The two bodyguards and former classmates of Reah of Thorolund. They, along with their princess and Petrus, are tasked with the mission of finding the Rite of Kindling in order to accomplish their covenant's main objective.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: Both of them turn Hollow after Patches traps them in the Tomb of the Giants.
- Carry a Big Stick: Vince wields a standard Mace.
- Elective Unintelligible: Nico could probably be understood by the player if he chose not to mumble under his breath all the time.
- Jerkass: Subverted with Vince, who initially acts rude towards the player the first time they talk. If the player talks to him again, he starts responding more politely.
- Those Two Guys: Never seen separately from each other. Not even when fighting them as Hollows in the Tomb of the Giants.
- The Unintelligible: Nico, who just seems to mumble whenever the player speaks to him.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: The next time you encounter them, they already turned Hollow and Reah pleads with you to kill them.
Paladin Leeroy
A paladin knight available for summoning against the Pinwheel boss in the Catacombs, but then invades you as you approach Gravelord Nito.
- Assist Character: He can be summoned as a White Phantom for the boss battle against Pinwheel.
- Bling of War: Decked out in brilliant golden armor, fitting for a reverant paladin.
- Carry a Big Stick: His Grant, some massive, hammer-mace-bludgeon is one of the three treasures of the Way of White covenant, and, just like other divine weapons, permanently kills skeletons. It also deals immense damage to Pinwheel, or you. Defeating him when he invades you causes him to drop it as well as his shield, Sanctus.
- Face–Heel Turn: Will invade you even if you summoned him for the Pinwheel battle, as you pass the foggy chasm of Ash Lake in the Tomb of the Giants. Most other NPCs attack you because they've gone Hollow, but Leeroy is most likely aware of his actions (given that red phantom invaders must be in human form).
- Leeroy Jenkins: Usually charges headlong into battle, and isn't dissuaded by Pinwheel's copies. You don't even need to attack Pinwheel with Leeroy killing the monster in a few hits.
- Light Is Not Good: He's a Paladin and a member of the Way of White covenant (its first Undead member, in fact) and he's blessed with two of the covenant's holy treasures (Grant and Sanctus). He also tries to kill you for unknown reasons without having gone Hollow.
- Mighty Glacier: He's just as slow as Tarkus, but his armor set and overall health is slightly lower, and he has a few more offensive options besides his weapon, which leans him more towards a Glass Cannon.
- Our Founder: The first undead paladin of the Way of White, who began the tradition of all undead clerics traveling to the Catacombs. It's implied that they do this to acquire the Rite of Kindling, given how their order venerates Gwyn. However, it's implied he joined the Gravelord Servant covenant, due to how he later protects Nito's tomb from your advance.
- The Paladin: It's in the title.
- Really 700 Years Old: As the first Undead of the Way of White, it's likely that Leeroy has been around for longer than even Logan.
- Shout-Out: To Leeroy Jenkins of
Internet and World of Warcraft fame, who was also a paladin. - What Happened to the Mouse?: Is not seen again after you defeat him when he invades you in the Tomb of the Giants. However, a corpse carrying his armor set is found in Nito's boss room, implying he failed to defeat the Gravelord, or that he's a Gravelord Servant and he failed to protect the Gravelord from you.
- You Shall Not Pass!: He invades you right before you can enter the tunnel leading to Nito's chamber, although it's unclear whether or not he intended to block your path. He can easily send unsuspecting players to their deaths should he use his Grant's special ability or Wrath of the Gods, which is made all the more easier since he spawns near a cliff overlooking the Ash Lake.
Warriors of Sunlight
A covenant comprising of the dedicated followers of the firstborn of the Great Lord Gwyn. They harness the power of sunlight, manifested as lightning powers. Similar to the Way of White, it is a covenant specialized in co-op multiplayer, altering the member's summon phantom colour to yellow and granting everyone a Sunlight Medal after defeating a boss, which they can use to progress further in the covenant's ranking.
- Legacy Character: The Warriors of Sunlight are the only Covenant that makes an appearance in every game in the series with next to no changes (they were called the Heirs of the Sun in Dark Souls II, but that's the only real change to them). Even the Red Eye Invaders covenant changed from the Darkwraiths to the Brotherhood of Blood to Rosaria's Fingers.
- Light Is Good: They serve as a knightly order to assist other undead in their trials, and everything about them, from their name, their magic, and the color of their phantoms, is affiliated with light.
- Milking the Giant Cow: All members of this covenant (including Solaire, who is usually the first person you see doing it) can learn an emote which makes them raise their arms above their heads in a "V" shape
◊. Said emote is aptly named as "Praise the Sun". - Shock and Awe: Progressing in this covenant grants you miracles that allow you to shoot powerful lightning bolts. The most powerful gift, the Sunlight Spear obtained from offering Gwyn's Soul to the altar, requires you to stay in that covenant in order to be able to use it.
Sunlight Altar
A simple altar made in front of a broken statue for worshiping the sun and Gwyn's firstborn child, a god of war whose foolishness led to him being stripped of his deific status and his name stricken from the annals of history. Kneeling at this altar will allow the player to join the Warrior of Sunlight Covenant if your Faith stat is 50 (unpatched game) or 25 (patched game), although this requirement is lowered by 5 each time you are summoned by another player and successfully help defeat a boss.
- Un-person: Fucked up so badly, he was stripped of his status, sent into exile, and even his name was removed from the records. There are several empty statue alcoves that may have once contained statues of him. Whatever he did really pissed off the gods. Dark Souls III all but states that the Nameless King was that firstborn, and was erased from the records due to siding with the dragons in the war.
- War God: He was this, until he was stricken from the records.
Solaire of Astora
- Voiced by: Daniel Flynn
"Use this to summon one another as spirits, cross the gaps between the worlds, and engage in jolly co-operation!"
A knight from Astora who journeyed to Lordran on a personal quest to find his own inner Sun.
- Ambiguously Bi: He comes out with this in Anor Londo, regardless of the Chosen Undead's sex:If I didn't know better, I'd think you have feelings for me! Oh, no, dear me. Pretend you didn't hear that!
- Artificial Stupidity: Solaire's combat AI is not very good at all (see Good Is Dumb) so it's a good thing he has such massively-inflated stats to compensate for it.
- Assist Character: He is the NPC with the most available summons in Dark Souls, being able to be summoned for the boss battles against the Bell Gargoyles, Gaping Dragon, Ornstein and Smough, the Centipede Demon, and Gwyn himself if you keep him from going insane.
- Badass Normal: The descriptions for all his equipment summarizes that all his combat prowess is from good, old-fashioned, rigorous training. No magical enchantment here!
- Barbarian Long Hair: But only wearing the Sunlight maggot, otherwise he has his long hair neatly combed.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: His journey is all about finding his own personal Sun. He "gets" it when he's infected and possessed by a Sunlight Maggot. Alternatively, he links the Fire in his own world and becomes grossly incandescent.
- Beware the Nice Ones: It often takes invading as a Darkwraith and running into a host with Solaire in tow for players to realize just how strong he can be, when he's not suffering from a bout of temporary stupidity. Also, unaware players who run into him in Lost Izalith are in for a nasty surprise.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: One of the possible conclusions to his sidequest has him possessed by a Chaos Bug in Lost Izalith, leaving the player little choice but to kill him in self-defense.
- Breakout Character: Is the most popular and most recognizable character from the game (his lovable personality, badassery, and Fountain of Memes status helps a lot). Knight Artorias comes in at a close second.
- Break the Badass: Solaire begins the game as a jolly knight with impressive combat capabilities, but as the game goes on, he becomes deeply depressed at his inability to find himself a Sun, and lets his guard down just long enough to get possessed and become murderous as a result. (Unless the player manages to find out how to save him, but even then he has become broken by his failure to complete his quest the last time you are able to find him.)
- Cloudcuckoolander: His obsession with and innocent, wholehearted devotion to the sun is just as bizarre to everyone else he's met as to the player character, he's quick to reassure you.
- Death by Irony: During your trip to Lost Izalith, it's possible to find Solaire, who is obsessed with finding his own personal sun, being possessed by a Sunlight Maggot. At least he dies happy.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: If you destroy the Chaos Bug wearing the Sunlight Maggot in time, Solaire only suffers a temporary Heroic BSoD and recovers in time to team up with you one last time against Gwyn, then links the flame in his own world to become as grossly incandescent as the sun, although considering what happened to Gwyn and potentially yourself should you link the flame, this may be a case of Earn Your Bittersweet Ending.
- The Faceless: Subverted if he gets possessed, where you can see that he has blonde hair.
- Fate Worse than Death: It's up for debate which of his potential fates is worse — getting possessed by a parasite or linking the Fire, making him burn for eternity.
- Good Is Dumb and Dumb Muscle: Patches' opinion on Solaire — it's more than a little hard to disagree with him. His in-combat AI is remarkably spotty, proving to be a bona fide Cloudcuckoolander, standing cluelessly directly underneath a falling dragon or in a pit of boiling lava, slowly backing off just when the enemy's vulnerable, and deciding to stop and throw a lightning bolt at perhaps the worst possible time. On the other hand, the damage output he gets from that straightsword — with just one hand! — is impossible for a player of any soul level (only getting stronger in subsequent playthroughs), and he can have his face blasted with gargoyle fire breath, be chewed up and spat out by the Gaping Dragon, or stabbed and turned into a human lightning rod several times over by Ornstein, and often still remain standing with a little health left over.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Although you won't know it if you manage to save him, thus sparing him the fate of being possessed by a Chaos Bug.
- Heroic BSoD: As the game goes on. As he becomes depressed, he can be found slumped on the floor and barely responsive.
- He's Back!: His summon sign appears for the final battle if you managed to prevent his downfall in Lost Izalith.
- Hero of Another Story: He is the only other NPC you meet who, if you manage to keep him alive by going through the shortcut into Lost Izalith and killing all the chaos bugs within, makes it to the endgame. His summon sign can be found right outside the fog gate leading to the Final Boss, and ultimately links the Fire in his own world.
- Hidden Depths: Has a good deal of knowledge about the time distortions that permeate Lordran.
- Ideal Hero: He's charismatic, good-looking, strong, and overall a really good person; he even saves his world. If you save him.
- It Was with You All Along: By the end of the game, Solaire himself was the sun he was looking for the whole time.
- Kindhearted Simpleton: He and Reah are the most unambiguously good and nice characters in the game, though unlike Reah, he certainly isn't the brightest bulb in the box.
- Knight in Shining Armor: His armor might not be that shiny, but he otherwise has the honorable and virtuous attitude that goes with it.
- The Lancer: Solaire is about as close as it gets in terms of a true companion for the protagonist, especially considering the solitary nature of the game. He is the NPC with the most summon signs, being available for 5 boss fights, the last of which is Gwyn, Lord of Cinder. The final example will only be available if you save him from the maggots in Lost Izalith.
- Legendary in the Sequel: If the design of the Heirs of the Sun's Sunlight Parma shield is anything to go by.note
- Nice Guy: "But, use this [summon stone], to summon one another as spirits, cross the gaps between the worlds, and engage in jolly co-operation!"
- Recurring Element: Much like Siegmeyer, he is very similar to Ostrava in spirit and Biorr in character. He inherits his attitude and affinity for combat from Biorr, while his side story is very reminiscent of Ostrava's in that it leads to a downward spiral into depression and unfortunate death. Although his death can be averted.
- Sacrificial Lion: In a way, Solaire's potential death in Lost Izalith serves as an extremely somber reminder that nobody is safe from death in Dark Souls.
- Sense Freak: "I will stay behind, to gaze at the sun. The sun is a wondrous body. Like a magnificent father! If only I could be so grossly incandescent!"
- Shock and Awe: As a Warrior of Sunlight, Solaire is able to fling lightning bolts at foes.
- The Power of the Sun: As with the game's setting, the power of sunlight roughly equates to throwing super powerful bolts of lightning capable of bringing down immortal dragons.
- Punny Name: "Solaire" sounds like "solar".
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: He stands out as the only character in the game who believes in a higher calling, as well as helping others on their journeys just for the sake of helping them. As many players have noted, Solaire in terms of personality is essentially a stand-in for the cooperative-minded player. He likes to help in boss fights, is always nice to you, and openly encourages you to help others. Which makes it all the more tragic when you consider that his search for his sun is essentially a search for meaning. He is so focused on helping others that he has little more than a vague idea of his own goal in life.
Forest Hunter
A covenant made up of warriors who stop at nothing to prevent intruders from desecrating Artorias' resting place in the Darkroot Forest. One of the earliest accessible PvP covenants.
- Animal Motifs: Cats, the covenant emblem is Alvina, who is a large cat. Alvina is also the leader of the covenant and another covenant member is Shiva of the East, who wears cat themed armour. Which is represented by his lion designed shoulder guard. When you join the covenant, your membership is signified by the cat ring.
- David Versus Goliath: The invading formula for this covenant lets you fight players around your level or infinitely higher, which means you can potentially fight someone at max level (700~) while you're at level 1.
- Determinator: The covenant only cares about protecting Artorias' grave. Once you join the covenant the respawning enemies will lose interest in attacking you and will resume their duties.
Alvina of the Darkroot Wood
- Voiced by: Eve Karpf
"I command a clan of hunters who track down defilers of the forest graves. What dost thou say? Wilt thou not join us?"
A large, grey-white, talking cat that resides in the Darkroot Woods. Allows the player to join the Forest Hunter Covenant. She is friends with the late Sir Artorias and his companion the Great Grey Wolf Sif, and considers the legend of Artorias's covenant with the Abyss naught but a fairy tale. She orders her Hunters to protect the forest and guard Artorias's gravesite.
- Cats Are Mean: Although less so than her kin, the Great Felines who lurk near the gateway to Sif's boss fight. Mean gossip, though: she readily dishes dirt on both dearly held beliefs and even covenant members.
- Civilized Animal: Is quite affable when you meet her.
- Flowery Elizabethan English: She doth speaketh in theatrical tongue.
- From a Certain Point of View: She dismisses Sir Artoria's legend as a fairy-tale. She's not entirely right, but a good chunk of what was attributed to Artorias was performed by the Player going back in time.
- Glasgow Grin/Cheshire Cat Grin: Which further emphasizes how unusual of a creature she is.
- Mega Neko: She's around the size of a grizzly bear.
- More Teeth than the Osmond Family: If you look closely, that huge grin of hers has a lot of teeth, although less so than the Gaping Dragon, whose teeth are made from its ribcage.
- Shout-Out: To the Cheshire Cat.
- Talking Animal: The only one to do so in the game, not counting Snuggly, who is not even seen by the player.
- Teleporters and Transporters: Using mist. She can also summon players equipped with the Cat Covenant Ring to attack those who intrude on the area between the Seal of Artorias and Sif's boss fight. She also uses this in the Chasm of the Abyss, guiding you towards where Sif is making his last stand, protected by Artorias' barrier.
- Verbal Tic: When she speaks, an undertone of deep yowling can be heard.
Shiva of the East
- Voiced by: Kuei Lin Hsu
"Fight and hunt as you like. Whoever's fastest gets the prey. That's the way we do it."
A mysterious merchant from an unnamed country from the Far East, which is modeled on real-life Asia. Sells you his wares if you're a member of the Forest Hunter covenant. He has a ninja bodyguard.
- Aborted Arc: Shiva was supposed to be something similar to what happens with Lautrec: he would attack you if you either showed him the Chaos Blade — in an attempt to take it from you — or gave it to him, in an attempt to test it on a worthy opponent. This would also serve as a Call-Back to Demon's Souls, in which Master Satsuki would attack the player if they showed him the Magic Sword "Makoto" (or would attack them if they voluntarily handed it over to him). In addition, he was also supposed to be invaded with a Black Eye Orb (as with Lautrec); but instead of retrieving a Fire Keeper's Soul, you were to retrieve the Chaos Blade.
- Ax-Crazy: Would have become this in his Aborted Arc, gleefully sending out a maniacal laughter according to the deleted audio files.
- BFS: Shiva wields a rather large katana-like sword called the Murakumo.
- Bus Crash: It's heavily implied that he died between the events of Dark Souls I and Dark Souls III, with the description of the Easterner's ashes enforcing this, describing the Easterner as a captain of a clan of hunters, which matches the description of the Forest Hunters and Shiva. In other words, he became the Deceased.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Implied, but not revealed outright. Both Alvina and Patches don't trust him one bit, but nothing ever really comes of it.
- Collector of the Strange: If you find him in Blightown, he sells you some exotic weapons and equipment; most of which are either rare enemy drops, can only otherwise be found once per playthrough, or can't be found at all.I love collecting these things, but I can only keep so many.
- Enigmatic Minion: Despite being a captain of the Forest Hunters, Alvina still doesn't seem to trust him and his ninja companion.
- Highly-Visible Ninja: Averted. Shiva's bodyguard is wearing a Ring of Fog.
- Nice Guy: Scrapped betrayal aside, he's always polite and sells some of the rarest equipment in the game, potentially saving the player hours of grinding off of difficult enemies, at a discount for a fellow hunter.
- Samurai: Seems to look like one at least.
Chaos Servant
A covenant dedicated to Quelaag's sister, a crippled woman with an equally crippled demonic spider for a lower body. Joining this covenant doesn't give you any PVP benefits, but instead some pyromancy spells and a shortcut to Lost Izalith.
- Sequence Breaking: Giving enough humanities to Quelaag's sister opens a shortcut to Lost Izalith, allowing you to skip two bosses in the Demon Ruins, go straight to fight the Bed of Chaos, and kill the Chaos Bugs, preventing Solaire from being possessed by one.
- Playing with Fire: This covenant gives some of the more advanced pyromancies, one upon joining it, one upon progressing far enough in the ranking, and two more sold by Eingyi.
Quelaag's Sister/The Fair Lady/Daughter of Chaos
- Voiced by: Charlie Cameron
"Quelaag? Please, sister, do not cry—I am happy, truly. I have you, don't I?"
One of the seven Daughters of Chaos and sister of Quelaag the Chaos Witch and Quelana of Izalith. Found in a hidden room off of her sister's boss arena, alongside her servant Eingyi. Allows the player to join the Chaos Servant Covenant.
- Artificial Hybrid: In the same manner as her sister Quelaag, she became fused with a Chaos Spider from the waist down when the Bed of Chaos was born and Izalith was brought to ruin.
- Bitter Sweet Ending: In Dark Souls III, it becomes canon that she didn't remain alone after the end, whatever else the outcome. At some point after the first game, in this timeline, Quelana finally found the courage to head back home to be with her last remaining sister. You find their remains together. Awww — is it me, or is it dusty in here...?
- Body Horror: On top of being fused with a demonic spider in the distant past, she is also a Fire Keeper, which means she contains all the humanities poured into the bonfire she watches over.
- Cute Monster Girl: Her actions, mannerisms, and dialog... really don't scream the "murderous, world-destroying spider-girl" you'd expect from her shape alone. Add the crap the plot definitely puts her through with what the player can add on top... you'll feel like a heel and want to reach into the screen to hug the poor, doomed sweetie — even if you choose to end her misery.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite being transformed into a half-demon by the Flames of Chaos and leading the Chaos Covenant, she is arguably the kindest and most selfless person in the game.
- Delicate and Sickly: Unlike her sister Quelaag, she's unusually pale, hardly moves at all, and if you wear the Old Witch's Ring to hear her dialogues, she painfully struggles to speak with you. This is because she sucked the blight pus from the residents of Blighttown and became deathly ill and blind, losing most of her powers as a result. The eggs she lays can never bring life and she's in constant pain. She became a Fire Keeper to survive, but the damage was done. If you feed her A LOT of humanity, she stops using the 'pained' dialogue when speaking to you and her legs begin to move with more strength, indicating you at least relieved the worst of it.
- Expy: Of Maiden Astraea from Demon's Souls, perhaps even more so than Rhea or Priscilla. Both are technically demons but retained their free will, and both used their respective powers to heal the sick in a land full of blight and defilement, taking the diseases of the ones they healed unto themselves. They also both have a loved one (Garl Vinland and Quelaag, respectfully) looking out for them who will fight the player on their behalf. Though thankfully, unlike with Astraea, you don't have to kill the Fair Lady in order to progress in this game.
- Godiva Hair: More subtle than Quelaag since she's almost entirely white, not counting the crimson blood coming from her spider body.
- Ironic Name: "The Fair Lady" is a giant, bleached demon spider from the waist down; moreover an incredibly sickly one that appears almost dead. She herself is also bleached white by her illness and is completely blind.
- Leitmotif: "Daughters of Chaos".
- Mistaken Identity: Equipping the Old Witch's Ring will enable the player character to communicate with her, but she will mistake him/her for her sister Quelaag.
- Morality Pet: For Quelaag, who ultimately uses the Bell of Awakening as an excuse to steal humanity from the undeads that come down to Blighttown to ring it.
- In a meta way, for many players too, she's such an utterly kind, selfless girl that many players, even those who spent the game gleefully killing everyone, will want to help her.
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: Like you would not believe. Well, once you understand that she thinks you're Quelaag come to look after her. Gee, thanks, Old Witch's Ring: that box of tissues was just sitting there bored, anyway.
- Really 700 Years Old: Same deal with her sisters, who were all present when the war against the Everlasting Dragons took place.
- Together in Death: The poison claimed her some time before Dark Souls III. You can find her body, and cradled with it is the corpse of another (implied to be Eingyi or Quelaana).
- The Unintelligible: Speaks the Chaos Language instead of English/Common. You can understand her if you equip the Old Witch's Ring you chose as your Gift or by trading with Snuggly the Crow. Then proceed to kick yourself once you can understand her.
- Video Game Caring Potential: You can help ease some of her pain by joining her covenant and feeding her your humanity. You stop gaining gameplay bonuses after giving up 30 humanity, and after 80 you won't even get cosmetic rewards, either, but that hasn't stopped some long-time players from hitting the Cap at 60,000 humanity.
Eingyi
- Voiced by: Peter Marinker
"There is no time for idle chat. Think only of Our Fair Lady, and what she may need."
An egg-burdened pyromancer who serves the Daughter of Chaos. He was originally a resident of the Great Swamp, but was cast out as a heretic for inventing the Poison and Toxic Cloud pyromancies, but became dedicated to Quelaag's sister when she showed him her kindness. He is deeply distrustful of the player (unless the player is either egg-burdened themselves or is equipped with the Old Witch's Ring), but will tolerate them if they seek to ease the pain of his mistress.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: His loyalty and dedication to the Daughter of Chaos stems from the fact that she cured him of the Blight, at the cost of her own health.
- Body Horror: Is no different from the egg-burdened Undeads you find upon entering the Demon Ruins.
- Brutal Honesty: Although he is pleased should the player become egg-burdened, he isn't afraid to inform them that their head looks "awful" as a result.
- Love Redeems: Was considered a heretic by his peers in the Great Swamp for his less-than-social applications of pyromancy, on top of his Body Horror. He then becomes dedicated to Quelaag's sister after she sucked the blight pus from him, falling ill and powerless as a result.
- Plague Master/Poisonous Person: He invented the Poison and Toxic Cloud pyromancies, which led to his banishment from the Great Swamp on top of his blight pus problem. The player can learn them from him should they earn his trust. They basically turn you into as much fun as a basilisk at parties. Their meaner cousin, Acid Cloud, can be found locked up in the Painted World, if that's any indication about how well his research was received.
- Undying Loyalty: And, you really can't fault him when you find out why he sticks by his mistress. He can't do much for her, but he's determined to at least make sure she's never lonely, however much he suffers to do it.
- You Monster!: He says this word-for-word should the player attack his mistress.
Princess' Guard
The guardians of Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight. They have received blessings from the princess herself, so that they may aid each other. This covenant is mostly for co-op purposes, with an additional focus on support Miracles (contrast the Warriors of Sunlight). Joining this covenant will allow the player to use two unique defensive miracles. The player will also receive a ring that boosts miracle synergy.
- Useless Useful Spell: The two miracles that can be used while belonging to this covenant have a rather high Faith requirement, and force your friendly phantoms to stay close to you in order to reap their benefits. Doubly so when the summoned players can just chug one humanity to heal themselves to full health.
Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight
- Voiced by: Clare Corbett
"Since the day Father his form did obscureth, I have await'd thee."
Daughter of Gwyn, Queen of Sunlight, Princess of Anor Londo, and Keeper of the Lord Vessel. Allows the player to join the Princess's Guard Covenant.
- Big Good: She gives you the means to further the quest given to you by Frampt, and is a vital figure to the gods of Anor Londo. Subverted in that the illusion is the "face" that is intended to legitimize the plan by Frampt and Gwyndolin to get someone to link the Fire and succeed Gwyn as its fuel.
- Babies Ever After: She's referred to as the Godmother, implying she had kids even when living in Anor Londo, Gwynevere is also the most likely candidate for the mother of Crossbreed Priscilla. The description on the Sun Princess Ring in Dark Souls III reveals that after she abandoned Anor Londo to go across the seas, she gave birth to "several heavenly children."
- Cleavage Window: It's certainly the first thing players will notice upon entering her room. Just look at her picture on the side!
- Decoy Leader: It turns out she is not exactly the leader figure everyone makes her seem to be. The one you meet in the game is just an illusion created by her youngest brother, Gwyndolin, while the real Gwynevere already left Anor Londo long ago with her husband (and other gods, for that matter), according to her ring's description.
- Fertility God: The Divine Blessing item states that she's revered as a symbol of bounty and fertility.
- Giant Woman: She's a beautiful giantess.
- Hot Goddess: Of all the deities of Anor Londo seen in the game, she's definitely the prettiest. It's unclear how much this really resembles the true, unseen Gwynevere, since by nature it's a constructed illusion, and her hair color isn't anything like the silvery hair her father, her siblings (both known and all-but-certain), and her (likely) niece have.
- Leitmotif: "Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight", an epic orchestral piece that captures the radiance of her status as the Big Good.
- Ms. Fanservice:
Word of God from the Design Works artbook says that Miyazaki preferred a more elegant design, but the artist who drew Gwynevere was so satisfied with his design that when Miyazaki looked at the artist's face, he couldn't say no to him. - Our Giants Are Bigger: She takes up a portion of her chamber and the player character is toy-sized compared to her. Once again, how much of this is true-to-life and how much of this is Gwyndolin making the illusion bigger for — ahem — impact, is unclear. However, given the size of goddesses like her sister Filianore and Rosaria, along with the size of her sofa, that's probably how big she really is.
- Princesses Rule: Her official title is 'Princess of Sunlight', and in Gwyn's absence she rules Anor Londo. Or she did before leaving; now it's Gwyndolin acting through an illusion of his sister. By the time of Lothric, on the other hand, she's officially Queen - if, as implied, the unseen and unnamed Queen of Lothric is her.
- Reclining Reigner: She's depicted◊ reclining on a sofa when you meet her in person. And she always stays in that position, even when you attack her.
- Riddle for the Ages: "What happened to Gwynevere?" becomes a prominent question in the series. It's possible that after leaving Anor Londo she shacked up with her then-husband Flame God Flann in Drangleic and lived in Heide's Tower of Flame. It's heavily implied that she is actually the Queen of Lothric and the mother of multiple characters and bosses the player either encounters or reads about. There's no hint towards her final fate however, all that we know is that she is no longer in power in Lothric by the time of Dark Souls III.
- Sideboob: Not only does she sport a Cleavage Window, there are also openings to the side.
- Statuesque Stunner: She's huge even by divine standards, easily half again as tall as her father and brother. It's your first hint that this isn't what it seems. She's even bigger than her sister!
- Stripperiffic: While it's hard to see due to the dim lighting in her chamber, she's basically wrapped around in white pieces of cloth, nothing more.
- The Woman Behind The Man: Dark Souls III implies that she was this for the Kingdom of Lothric, given their obsession with creating an heir to Link the Fire, and that she is the mother of the Twin Princes. Though Subverted in that by the time the game starts, Prince Lothric has clearly ousted her from power.
- Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: How she talks.
Blades of the Darkmoon
A covenant that dedicates itself to hunting sinners throughout Lordran. Their base of operation lies in Anor Londo, where their leader Gwyndolin resides as well. Progressing in this covenant requires you to offer Souvenirs of Reprisal, which are mostly obtained from killing sinners.
- David Versus Goliath: The invading formula for this covenant reverses the usual trend, meaning you will invade sinners who are around your level or infinitely lower. Don't be surprised if you invade someone 50-100 levels below you just because they accumulated too many sin points. This is no longer the case in the Remaster version where the formula was changed to function just like the others.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Members of this covenant get the chance to invade any and all who have sinned either by slaying NPCs, betraying covenants, or getting indicted by invasion victims.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to the Darkwraith's red, which is further reinforced by the Darkmoons, who appear as blue phantoms, invading players who were indicted during their playtime as red phantom invaders.
- Secret Police: In addition to invading those who committed sins, they also get summoned by Gwyndolin to kill and silence those who see the true state of Anor Londo.
- This Is Unforgivable!: A non-verbal gameplay example. Killing Gwynevere's illusion will earn the player a permanent point towards their Sin, which essentially leaves them on the Darkmoon's hit list for the remainder of that New Game cycle.
- Unwitting Pawn: The entire covenant is also being used by Gwyndolin as his own personal hit squad on anyone who isn't fooled by his illusions, whether they've actually sinned or not. It's strongly hinted in-game that the Darkmoon was dedicated to Velka in its inception: the red soapstone may have been its actual method of invasion, just as it's her pardoners you need to seek names from by getting hold of her book.
- Video Game Cruelty Punishment: This covenant specializes in punishing sinners and invaders by constantly hounding them with invaders. And unlike the other PvP covenants where the invader and host are usually either evenly-matched or stacked in the host's favor, a Darkmoon invader will likely have a massive level advantage on the host.
Dark Sun Gwyndolin
- Voiced by: Harry Lister Smith
"If thou art a true disciple of the Dark Sun, cast aside thine ire, hear the voice of mineself, Gwyndolin, and kneel before me."
The lastborn son of Gwyn and guardian of Anor Londo. Born a Moon Sorcerer, he was raised like a daughter and has a feminine appearance as a result. Allows the player to join the Blade of the Darkmoon Covenant.
- Ambiguous Gender Identity: While a common fan interpretation is that Gwyndolin was forced to present as female and the games consistently use masculine pronouns, Gwyndolin's feelings on the matter are never really made clear. The description of the Reversal Ring compares Gwyndolin as a "sullen and brooding goddess," but it's not specified if this was due to wearing the ring or if that was just Gwyndolin's regular personality. It's worth noting that by the time of the first game there's no one left in Anor Londo who has the authority to make Gwyndolin do anything, so continuing to present as female would need to be an intentional choice on his part.
- Ambiguously Evil: Really hard to say if he's good, bad, or somewhere in between. At best, he's an Anti-Hero who knows sacrifices have to be made, at worst a Manipulative Bastard intending to keep the Age of Fire going indefinitely. There is also a possible side bet on just plain bonkers, if in a sort-of functional way. For a certain definition thereof. Later lore in Dark Souls III suggest he was verging closer to I Did What I Had to Do with a lot of And I Must Scream. The lack of interaction with him makes his motivation, mental state and aspirations a bit hard to ascertain.
- And I Must Scream: See Fate Worse than Death below. And, it's not like he was taking on an easy task to begin with.
- Back from the Brink: After assuming the throne of Lord Gwyn and claiming the title of All-Father, Gwyndolin was able to successfully recolonize the abandoned Anor Londo, now christened 'Irithyll'.
- Berserk Button: Do not enter Gwyn's honorary tomb or else he will come after you, triggering a boss fight. According to the Darkmoon Blade Covenant Ring, the reason why he created the illusion of his sister Gwenevere to help him guarding over Anor Londo is because he's all too aware of his repulsive, frail appearance. An unmasking of these deities would be tantamount to blasphemy.
- Boss-Arena Idiocy: His boss fight takes place in an endless hallway with pillars on either side that can be used to block his attacks. However, his most powerful magic attack pierces cover, so if you linger there too long, he'll punish you for it.
- Bus Crash: Dark Souls III reveals that Aldrich ate him alive.
- The Chessmaster: Continues his father's instructions to prevent the waning of the Age of Fire, intending for Undead to further fuel the First Flame.
- Cool Chair: Is depicted as sitting on one in the official artbook. You can find it right next to Gwyn's honorary tomb.
- Cool Crown: And it looks like a sun, which is ironic because his powers are related to the moon.
- Creepy Good: Moon-themed, linked to serpents (egads, is he ever!), gender-ambiguous, described as weak and sickly (for a god), in charge of a Covenant that seeks vengeance, master of illusion — but, still seeking to maintain the world and people as he knows it in the only way he knows how to. He's a contender.
- Cutting Off the Branches: In Dark Souls III, we find out that the player did not kill him during Dark Souls I... which means he's then in place to get eaten alive by Aldrich.
- Dragged into Drag: Gwyndolin's affinity for the Moon meant that he was raised as female, complete with the Reversal Ring, which forced him to move and act like a woman. Though it's never really made clear what his feelings on the matter were, the ring's description is interpreted by many to mean that he really didn't like it.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Has deathly pale skin, long wavy hair, and dark lips, befitting of a character Raised as the Opposite Gender. His character model also has breasts, though that may just be padding—what's left of him in III is a bit more masculine-bodied.
- The Dutiful Son: Gwyndolin does whatever it takes to preserve his father's legacy, even when almost all the gods are gone. Sadly, this respect seems not to be reciprocated. It's implied that Gwyndolin actually identifies as male, but still dresses as a woman simply because his father wanted him to, even long after Gwyn left.
- Dying Curse: Naturally has one should you defeat him.Oh Heretic, swathed in Dark. An eternal curse upon thee...
- Expy : Rather obviously, of Space Sheriff Shaider 's High Priest Poe.
- Fate Worse than Death: In Dark Souls III Gwyndolin is devoured by Aldrich and used as a body puppet to fight the player. There are some in-game indications that Gwyndolin is still alive and conscious but not in control of his body at all. This is serious Nightmare Fuel when you consider he could have been in this position for hundreds or thousands of years.
- Freakiness Shame: Gwyndolin considers himself "repulsive". While we can't actually see his face and his snake feet are rather disturbing (and some people might find his enforced femininity disconcerting in a male character), it's hard to call him "ugly" by any stretch. It's likely self-loathing at not measuring up to his father's standards of masculine strength.
- Gender-Blender Name: While he is male, he still shares a similar-sounding, feminine name to his sister, Gwynevere; likely due to his upbringing as a daughter. Having said that... compare and contrast with Gywn. Somebody had an ego...
- Glass Cannon: He has no melee attacks and can't take many hits by late-game standards, but his spells sure do pack a wallop, as does his bow if you run into a full barrage of arrows. It helps that he can teleport. In particular, his magic orb attack fires eight energy projectiles that can kill most players in two or three hits. Good thing they're slow, and that there are no shortage of pillars to hide behind.
- Inadequate Inheritor: It is all but stated that Gwyndolin was never really accepted by Daddy for who he was, and as he is the only remaining god in Anor Londo, he is, to all intents and purposes, the actual ruler of the place; Gwyn would never see him as a worthy heir, however, regardless of how much work Gwyndolin has put into trying to maintain Gwyn's legacy.
- Jerkass Gods: Most of his dialogue is dripping with either contempt for anyone who trespasses on Gwyn's honorary tomb and/or destroys Gwynevere's illusion or a cold, distant attitude towards members of his covenant. He also carries on Gwyn's plan to cajole the undead humans into preserving the Age of Fire. On the other hand, he's outright polite if you join his covenant.
- Leitmotif: "Dark Sun Gwyndolin", an eerie track which features One-Woman Wail after another, reflecting Gwyndolin's enigmatic presence. It is also shared by the Moonlight Butterfly's boss fight.
- Mage Marksman: His combat style involves Darkmoon Bow and sorceries.
- Male Sun, Female Moon: Enforced by Gwyn. Since Gwyndolyn has more of an affinity with the moon, Gwyn forced his son to be raised as and perform his duties as a woman. His father and eldest brother, on the other hand, are masculine presenting and are associated with fire and the Sun. Downplayed, however, since his sister Gwynevere is also associated with the sun, but the Gwynevere you see throughout 1 is just an illusion.
- The Man Behind the Man: He's the true mastermind behind Gwynevere's illusion, which he explicitly created to hide his unsightly appearance.
- Master of Illusion: His forte. He is able to make it as if Anor Londo was still bathing in daylight while it really is Always Night, as well as create illusions of Royal Sentinels and his sister Gwynevere. The snakes under his robe might be this as well, but no one's really sure.
- Mercy Kill: Killing Aldrich may put him on the receiving end of this, as there are some suggestions he's still alive even as Aldrich is using him as a puppet.
- No Ontological Inertia: Averted. If you kill him before Gwynevere, the latter, along with all the other illusions in Anor Londo, will persist without him as if nothing happened. And come Dark Souls III, even having died quite possibly centuries or even millennia ago, his powers still maintain the illusion hiding the bridge to Yorshka, ensuring her safety.
- Optional Boss: His fight is entirely skippable, and it's extremely easy for beginners to forget he even exists outside of the lore since he lies beyond an illusionary wall, which can only be accessed by either wearing a special ring or by simply killing Gwynevere, herself an illusion.
- Pet the Dog:
- Gwyndolin accepts the Lady of the Darkling despite her appearance and even gave her a suit of armor to hide it. As someone born disfigured himself, he empathizes with her situation.
- Gwyndolin is implied to be the founder of all the blue covenants and is the only god not to abandon Anor Londo.
- According to Dark Souls III, he sacrificed himself to save his little sister apparent, Yorshka. Her chime even states he named her. And moreover, it's strongly implied he was thinking remorsefully of Priscilla, his possible lover or niece, as he was being devoured by Aldrich. Though ironically this spared her the same fate.
- Gwyndolin has great reverence for his family, despite Gwyn's neglect and their later attitude shifts.
- Pimped-Out Dress: He is dressed like a bride.
- Raised as the Opposite Gender: Due to his affinity with the moon instead of the sun, Gwyndolin was raised as a daughter and thus is dressed as one when you see him. This included making him the Reversal Ring, which caused him to adopt feminine mannerism. Its description implies Gwyndolin wasn't comfortable with any of this, and possibly keeps it up even as the only god left in Anor Londo because of his sense of duty.
- Sissy Villain: He's a morally ambiguous potential antagonist and incredibly effeminate in terms of looks, though not speech. It's implied in Dark Souls III this isn't his natural behavior, but due to a ring he wore.
- Snakes Are Sinister: He's in cahoots with Frampt — whatever either them are up to. And, then there's whatever the hell is going on underneath his robes. Snakes do not belong there!
- Squishy Wizard: As a boss, he has slightly more health than the Pinwheel (which is not saying much), but has a wider range of magic attacks, some of which are homing at the player, and starts firing arrows if you are closing in on him. Also, good luck hitting him... he really doesn't make it easy.
- Teleport Spam: He will teleport away to a safe distance seconds after you come within arm's reach of him, prompting you to get the most hits on him within that small timeframe.
- Top God: By the time of Dark Souls III, he's essentially become this, after being elevated to the position of Allfather after Lloyd fell from grace. Gwyn is dead, Gwynevere and Filianore are gone, and no one knows what happened to the Sun's firstborn, making Gwyndolin the most powerful remaining god.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: It's obvious that Gwyndolin has a deep reverence for his father and is entirely devoted to prolonging the Age of Fire for as long as possible. Too bad Gwyn didn't seem to feel the same.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Gwyndolin was born with an affinity for the moon, and thus was raised as a woman rather than a man. This carries over to his choice of clothing as well as Darkmoon Covenant's standard garb (i.e. the Darkmoon Knightess' armour set), as it was designed to have a feminine image.
- Yandere: You could easily argue that the almost fanatical love he has for his family... isn't all that healthy for him. His actions drip with clinginess and a disregard of the worth of outsiders, even if you consider most of what he does warranted to some degree. Even his illusion of Gwynevere is quietly over the top and could, possibly, be distorted by both time and his own identity issues. Of course, it was this fanatical love that was the only thing which kept Yorshka and Priscilla alive in the end.
Darkmoon Knightess/Lady of the Darkling
- Voiced by: Jenny Funnell
"Welcome to the lost city of Anor Londo, Chosen Undead."
Servant of Gwyndolin, a member of the Blade of the Darkmoon, and the Fire Keeper for the first bonfire found in Anor Londo.
- Action Girl: As a Blade of the Darkmoon, naturally.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Serves Gwyndolin because he accepted her as a follower despite her hideous appearance and gave her a suit of armor to hide her Undead form.
- Berserk Button: She won't like it one bit if you choose to kill Gwynevere and/or Gwyndolin.
- Bling of War: Her jewel-encrusted brass armor, which was at one point going to be one of the starter armor sets.
- Body Horror: Par for the course for Fire Keepers, but never seen by the player due to her armor.
- Bus Crash: In Dark Souls III, a corpse that may or may not be hers can be found in Gwyndolin's old chamber that you can loot her brass armour set from.
- Contralto of Strength: Her voice is noticeably deeper than the other female NPCs, which denotes her curt, battle-hardened nature.
- Dual Wielding: Wields a parrying dagger in her off-hand, and she's quite dangerous if you allow yourself to get parried by her.
- The Faceless: Par for the course for fully armored NPCs, but it's also mentioned she wears it to hide her ghastly appearance. Her actual character model isn't even hollow.◊
- Informed Deformity: Apparently her body is hideous under her brass armour (given to her by Gwyndolin to conceal her deformity), thanks to the hundreds of humanities poured into the bonfire she's bound to. We can only take her word for it...and as you can see in the screenshot under The Faceless, even the game isn't willing to show you what she actually looks like under the armor.
- Ms. Exposition: The very first time you speak to her, she will indicate to you where to head next. Subsequent dialogues has her speaking about Seath's legend, and promptly warns you about trying to set foot in his lair.
- The Stoic: Aside from the small bouts of information she gives you, she really doesn't say much and contents herself by watching over her bonfire.
Darkwraith
A covenant comprising of the dreaded knights who were sealed in the New Londo Ruins, led by Darkstalker Kaathe. The premier covenant for invading other players. Progressing in this covenant requires liquid humanity, which can be obtained through various means, although this covenant makes it easier to obtain some through invading.
- David Versus Goliath: Same deal as the Forest Hunters, although this covenant is not limited to the Darkroot Garden.
- Evil Versus Evil: Are there two darkwraiths invading the same host?? They can choose to kill each other instead.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: The color scheme for any player who uses the Red Eye Orb, its cracked variant, and the Red Soapstone, and since your usual objective for invading other worlds is killing their players, this doesn't paint you in a good light.
Darkstalker Kaathe
The leader of the Darkwraith covenant, who resides in the void of the Abyss. For more information on this character, see Dark Souls: Main Characters and Lords.
- Permanently Missable Content: He will not show up after you defeat the Four Kings, should you already have placed the Lordvessel beforehand. Attacking him too many times is also a great way to earn his ire.
Gravelord Servant
A group of rogue Undeads who worship the Gravelord himself, and spread misery throughout other worlds. One of the more elusive covenants, and one dedicated to increasing the difficulty of enemy NPCs for players around the same level. Progressing in this covenant requires obtaining Eyes of Death from invaders who try to kill the Plague Master or from the Basilisks. This quick video helpfully showcases all the perks (and annoyances) of Gravelords.
- BFS: Upon joining his covenant, you are immediately rewarded with Nito's signature Gravelord Sword. If done right, it can potentially become a long-lasting Disc-One Nuke.
- Field of Blades: Progressing even further in his covenant rewards you with miracles that produce this.
- Guide Dang It!: Nope, that open coffin near the Titanite Demon in the Catacombs doesn't trigger anything in particular.
- Permanently Missable Content: Like most other covenants, but this one stands out since defeating him to progress in the story negates your chances of either joining the covenant or ranking up until you re-access him in New Game Plus.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: The additional enemies spawned by a gravelord infection are painted in red and black, just like regular invaders, and they are much more aggressive than standard NPCs.
Gravelord Nito
The leader of the Gravelord Servant covenant, only accessed through unconventional means. For more information on this character, see Dark Souls: Main Characters and Lords.
Path of the Dragon
A covenant found in the deepest parts of the Ash Lake, where a descendant of the Everlasting Dragons lives. Usually dedicated for honorable duels, with the reward for such a duel being the elusive dragon scales, which are necessary for progressing in the covenant or upgrading dragon-type weapons.
- Breath Weapon: Your first gift from this covenant allows you to turn your head into that of a dragon's, and enables a breath attack that has a good stagger potential if used constantly, at the cost of a massive stamina drain.
- Dark Is Not Evil: You spawn as a jet-black phantom with few white highlights, but since you are usually summoned for a duel, you're less likely to illicit negative reactions from other players compared to a bonafide invader.
- David Versus Goliath: Surprisingly averted for a PVP-oriented covenant. Only players within a similar level range can summon you in contrast to the invading covenants.
- Draconic Humanoid: Members of the covenant can use the Dragon Stones to turn into a dragon. By becoming a dragon, you receive a pair of claws for unarmed combat, as well as the ability to breath fire and a roar that can stagger your foes. However, in order to turn back into a human, you have to die either as a phantom, which turns you back into a human, or to die in your own world, which turns you into a hollow.
- Mighty Roar: Progressing further into the covenant grants you an item that turns your entire body into an anthropomorphic dragon and allows you to emit powerful roars that dramatically boost your physical attack power for a few seconds, all while staggering anyone who isn't blocking in the roar's direction, regardless of poise.
Everlasting Dragon
One of the few remaining descendants of the ancient stone dragons, a whelp stuck in the Ash Lake. Allows the player to join the Path of the Dragon Covenant.
- Extreme Doormat: Takes no action if the player decides to cut off his tail for the Dragon Greatsword and still allows the player to join his Covenant afterwards. The cutting also does not break Covenant if the player has already joined. It's been revealed that due to the Dragons being akin to elemental spirits inhabiting constructed bodies, it losing its tail isn't exactly that big of a deal, as it can reconstruct it.
- Gameplay Ally Immortality: Not an ally per se, but is harmless and offers perks if the player joins his Covenant. More importantly, apart from his tail, he is immune to all damage. Given this is a true dragon with scales of immortality, this is completely justified.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: All of the everlasting dragons are weak to lightning, as it could strip off their stone scales and make them mortal. However, no amount of Sunlight Spear or its variants can damage this dragon regardless of the player's stats. That said, it is possible this implies the Chosen Undead is simply not strong enough to create lightning spears capable of stripping a true ancient dragon's scales (unlike Gwyn in his prime).
- Leitmotif: "The Ancient Dragon", a stern, foreboding Ethereal Choir which plays as soon as you set foot in the Ash Lake.
- Permanently Missable Content: Averted! He takes no action even if the player attacks him for his tail weapon.
- Super-Empowering: Grants covenant members the Dragon Head Stone and Dragon Torso Stone, which allow players to turn into anthropomorphic dragons.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: It's an actual Everlasting Dragon still alive thousands of years after they were supposed to have been wiped out with the exception of Seath (and hundreds of years after Kalameet was slain in the DLC). Not only is it not plot-relevant at all, it's never mentioned again (and the matter is muddied further by several other "extinct" dragons showing up later in the series like Sinh the Slumbering Dragon, the Nameless King's mount, and Darkeater Midir).
