History Characters / DarkSoulsIIMainCharacters

* SoulPower: Vendrick eventually developed an ability to directly manipulate souls. He used this power to create his soul-powered Golems that are scattered around Drangleic and Eleum Loyce and was also able to "peer into the soul" which is how he discovered Nashandra's true identity. This even extends to his weapons, as his signature Ruler's Sword becomes more powerful the more souls are holding (it needs ''one million'' to do full damage).

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Taking Nashandra's counsel, he invaded the land of the Giants and captured many of them as experiment specimens for the cure of Undead curse. In vengeance, the Giant Lord and his army wrecked Vendrick's land and most of his royal force after decades of war. To add insult to injury, he disappeared at the peak of the war (implied to be due to his Hollowing) and left the people with no leader, until the Bearer of the Curse [[spoiler:went back in time and slay the Giant Lord, tipping the scale in Drangleic's favor]].

* AntiVillain: Vendrick, even with [[spoiler: Nashandra’s]] manipulations taken into account, did many horrible things and is ultimately responsible for his kingdom’s destruction. However he was dedicated to sparing the world fr the endless cycle of Fire and Dark and in his last moments [[spoiler: gifts you the cure to the Curse of Undeath so you can hopefully succeed where he failed.]]

* SelfDuplication: In the Japanese text, when encountered at the Dragon Aerie she states that her "''bunshin''" has been leading the Chosen Undead... which could explain how she can access sealed-off locations.

* SoulPower: His signature Ruler's Sword becomes more powerful the more souls are holding (it needs ''one million'' to do full damage).

* PeekABangs: Her right eye is covered to hide the fact that [[spoiler:its purple]]. Her left eye is brown.

* BonusBoss: Fighting him is an entirely optional encounter; fighting him ''properly'', that is. You'll need to gather several Souls of a Giant in order to even stand a chance against him, which takes a long while to do considering how said items are scattered in different locations, one of which is ''another'' BonusBoss.

** The fact that, when fighting him as the BonusBoss, he is simply called "[[FirstNameBasis Vendrick]]", as opposed to having a flowery or grandiose epithet like most bosses in the series have, is telling; it's as if his current form is so incomparably far gone, in contrast to the well-meaning and heroic king of Drangleic that he once was, that he ''doesn't deserve to be considered anything but''.

* MercyKill: While it's not necessary to kill him to finish the main storyline, this trope comes into play once you decide to fight him as a BonusBoss.

* YouCantFightFate: [[spoiler:It's revealed in the 'Scholar of the First Sin' that the cycle of Light and Dark will continue regardless of whether or not the Bearer decides to take the Throne of Want, just like the Chosen Undead's choice to Link the First Flame or become the Dark Lord, as humanity is forever bound to the cycle unless it seeks to destroy itself]]. [[ZigZaggedTrope However]], the DLC offers [[spoiler:[[TakeAThirdOption at least one]] [[ScrewDestiny solution]] that Vendrick or Aldia didn't have]]...

* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: She's only ever referred to as the Emerald Herald. She does have a name, though. [[spoiler: It's Shanalotte, and it was given to her by the dragons.]]

* AntiVillain: Vendrick, even with [[spoiler Nashandra’s]] manipulations into account, did many horrible things and is ultimately responsible for his kingdom’s destruction. However he was dedicated to sparing the world fr the endless cycle of Fire and Dark and in his last moments [[spoiler: gifts you the cure to the Curse of Undeath so you can hopefully succeed where he failed.]]

* YouCantFightFate: She was created by [[spoiler: the residents of Aldia's Keep in hopes of breaking the cycle caused by the undead curse]]. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and she ends up [[spoiler:simply perpetuating the cycle with your undead instead]].

* MultiMeleeMaster[=/=]MultiRangedMaster[=/=]BowAndSwordInAccord[=/=]MagicKnight[=/=]Etc: Any can apply depending on the player's choices.

* SouthpawAdvantage: Being able to use weapons in one's left hand certainly allows for more opportunities in combat!

* EveryoneHasStandards: Long ago, Vendrick and his brother, Lord Aldia, started thinking out ways to best the Undead Curse. While the brothers experimented to find a means to stop it, Aldia's experiments escalated to such extremes that Vendrick had to confine his brother to his estate, sealing the front gate with a massive door tied to Vendrick's ring.

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Possibly. Capt. Drummold mentions both his Father and Grandfather fought the giants, which means the war Vendrick started has been going on for decades by that point. The old woman says Dranlegic was created long ago, so unless time travel is involved during the opening cutscene, it could mean Vendrick was around for a very long time. And that's before he went hollow. There's no way of knowing how long he's been wandering aimlessly in the undead crypt since he went hollow.

* SelfDuplication: In the Japanese text, when encountered at the Dragon Aerie she states that her "''bunshin''" has been leading the Chosen Undead... which could explain how she can access sealed-of locations.

* BadassBeard: Vendrick has quite the thick beard, though its grey colour is toned down when you meet him through the DLC, and his depressed speeches turn it into a BeardOfSorrow.

* DubNameChange: In Japanese, Vendrick's name actuall reads out as "Vankladt" instead (literally Vankuraddo).
* EasyLevelTrick: If only for fun's sake, tt is possible to kill him [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I47xEGdwb30 from outside the arena]] by dealing a ''ton'' of damage at once before the fog gate is up and then finishing him off with Soul Appease.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Well, happy being relative. If Cursed Undead completes all three {{DLC}}s and collects all three crowns [[spoiler: They visit Vendrick one last time, who gives the Player his blessing. The power of these 4 kings together merge through the crowns and grant you immunity from hollowing. The Bearer of the Curse isn't exactly cured, but they 'have' broken the power of the curse, which they set out to do in the beginning. That makes you the only Undead in the world who has successfully removed themselves from the Cycle, while still maintaining their physical human form.]]

** Soul Appease does work on Vendrick but it is ineffective, taking a ton of buffs until it does significant damage despite him being one of the most hollowed people in the series.