History TearJerker / DragonsDogma

* The [[EvilCounterpart Corrupted Pawns]]. A Pawn only separates from their Arisen in two instances: Either their master dies, allowing the Pawn to inherit their soul and become human, or [[DemonicPossession being possessed]] by the Dragonkin bosses. Thankfully, the latter is only temporary and can be dispelled by [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight beating the shit out of them.]] Not so much for the Corrupted Pawns, who not only lost their masters, but the putrid energy of Bitterblack Isle has [[AndIMustScream absolutely destroyed]] [[DrivenToMadness their minds]] to the point where they're so far gone that they attack everyone in sight, even the player Arisen. There is no way to save them either, the only thing the player can do for them is to [[MercyKill reunite them with their fallen masters.]]

* The [[EvilCounterpart Corrupted Pawns]]. A Pawn only separates from their Arisen in two instances: Either their master dies, allowing the Pawn to inherit their soul and becoming human, or [[DemonicPossession being possessed]] by the Dragonkin bosses. Thankfully, the latter is only temporary and can be dispelled by [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight beating the shit out of them.]] Not so much for the Corrupted Pawns, who not only lost their masters, but the putrid energy of Bitterblack Isle has [[AndIMustScream absolutely destroyed]] [[DrivenToMadness their minds]] to the point where they're so far gone that they attack everyone in sight, even the player Arisen. There is no way to save them either, the only thing the player can do for them is to [[MercyKill reunite them with their fallen masters.]]

* The [[Evil Counterpart Corrupted Pawns]]. A Pawn only separates from their Arisen in two instances: Either their master dies, allowing the Pawn to inherit their soul and becoming human, or [[DemonicPossession being possessed]] by the Dragonkin bosses. Thankfully, the latter is only temporary and can be dispelled by [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight beating the shit out of them.]] Not so much for the Corrupted Pawns, who not only lost their masters, but the putrid energy of Bitterblack Isle has [[AndIMustScream absolutely destroyed]] [[DrivenToMadness their minds]] to the point where they're so far gone that they attack everyone in sight, even the player Arisen. There is no way to save them either, the only thing the player can do for them is to [[MercyKill reunite them with their fallen masters.]]

** Ends in a [[BittersweetEnding Bittersweet Ending]] when you kill Daimon for the first time and thereby free Ashe's spirit. His last lines show him [[DyingasYourself dying as himself.]]

* In Bitterback Isle, on Pilgrim's Gauntlet: First Floor, in a hallway that leads to a dead end filled with spideres, [[https://imgur.com/a/jTRaDKY there sits two corpses side-by-side]], one female and the other male, perhaps a couple. Their posture is strangely relaxed, almost as if they were frozen mid-conversation. Judging by the numerous Corrupted Pawns nearby and Barroch claiming that many Arisen had come before the player Arisen, it's likely that these two were Arisens that had perished in the harsh dungeon. The room the hallway is connected in seemed like remains of a camp, possibly set up by multiple arisen, and numerous dead bodies litter the area. There even seems to what looks like a dysfunctional Healing Spring to one side of the room. The camp was likely attacked, likely by the undead wyrm that appears after you picked up the Void Key, and these two Arisen were fatally wounded and without curatives or escape, leading them to both find refuge in the said hallway and [[TogetherInDeath quietly died together]]. They might not even be a couple, but two Arisens who subsequently became trapped in the hellish dungeon and [[YouAreNotAlone sought each other's company]]. It's also very likely that the pawns they left behind (as well as the other apparent dead Arisen around the area) became the corrupted pawns in the room connected to this hallway. There's not much you can do except [[RobbingTheDead loot their corpses]], rid of the spiders crawling over their remains and quietly pay your respects before going on your way.

!! Moments pages are Administrivia/SpoilersOff. You have been warned.

!!!The Game

!!!The Anime

----
!The Game

!The Anime

* Edmun Dragonsbane, the duke of Gransys, is a [[TheStoic stoic]] ruler and former Arisen who is generally seen as a mighty ruler (note that the entire country being full of dangerous monsters [[CrapsackWorld is relatively normal]]), though this mostly stems from the fact that he killed the previous [[BigBad Dragon]] that had been terrorizing the country for generations. [[DarkSecret Until you find out that he actually didn't.]] When you finally face the Dragon and he offers you the choice between fighting him or sacrificing your beloved in return for power, he will casually mention that Edmun himself [[DealWithTheDevil accepted the bargain too]], which is how he became a duke in the first place. This explains Edmun's BrokenTears and FreakOut in an earlier scene where he suddenly tries to kill his wife (you can let him succeed, leading to a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment) while screaming "I'M SORRY LENORE!" and "I WAS WRONG, I TAKE IT BACK!". He [[MyGreatestFailure always regretted sacrificing]] his former lover, Lenore, and has been suffering from SanitySlippage ever since. It is heavily implied that he saw the Dragon and convinced himself that [[HopelessBossFight trying to fight it would be hopeless]]. It's also possible that he was just a DirtyCoward. Either way, he ends up as a typical [[TragicHero Tragic]] FallenHero that [[BelievingTheirOwnLies believes his own lies]] in order to cope with his [[OutDamnedSpot immense guilt]]. When the player defeats the Dragon and returns to him, the now withered and old Duke will say that [[CassandraTruth no human hands could have slain that Dragon]]. He will accuse you of [[PsychologicalProjection having made the same bargain as he did.]]

---> '''Grette:''' Now, choose. Stand against me or speak your wish. Offer your beloved in forfeit, and I shall see your will done.
---> '''Ashe:''' Choose? How am I to choose? No matter my answer, the price is death; a hollow choice. Who am I to stand as arbiter of two lives.. of two loves? What would you have me do? You brought me here! You... If this be the will of the gods, the order of the world, [[ScrewDestiny then damn the lot of them]]! [[RageAgainstTheHeavens I’ll tear the whole of it asunder!]]
---> '''Grette:''' Very well. If that be your wish, I shall claim my prize.
---> '''Ashe:''' Stop! [[BigNo NOOOOOO!]]

** If you think about it, [[spoiler:pawns have been gifted with a part of the Arisen's soul, which they would later allow them to [[BecomeARealBoy become a true human]]. An Arisen and Pawn essentially share the same soul. If an Arisen dies, the main pawn has essentially ''lost the other half of their soul'', making their devastation justified. A similar situation when the main pawn dies for the Arisen, but unlike the Arisen, main pawns can be resurrected.]]

** When the Arisen finally gets to the meeting, they are greeted by Elysion who then welcomes the Arisen by [[spoiler:summoning a horde of undead, who slaughter the attendees, who scream and attempt to flee, only to ''all'' fall prey to the undead.]] Throughout the whole scene, the Arisen can be seen horrified.
** Right after the [[spoiler:slaughter]], the Arisen finds Mason who hands over the fate of Marcelo, [[spoiler:who was one of the sub-leaders of the Salvation. The Arisen then has the choice to spare or kill Marcelo. All the while you're trying to decide his fate, he begs the Arisen for his life, offering money, ''anything'' he could offer. After he's expended his whole dialogue begging the Arisen, he curls up on his side on the ground, shivering in fear.]] Even if he was an awful person who allowed misled people to die, it is rather pitiful to see him reduced to fear and tears.
*** [[spoiler:If you try to be benevolent and spare Marcelo, Mason kills Marcelo ''anyway'' and you won't get to do his quests later on. If you decide it's better to end his life yourself, the Arisen can be crouching over his corpse, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone looking rather guilty]].]] Your pawn also tries to assure that [[IDidWhatIHadToDo you did the right thing]] and that [[spoiler:Mason would have killed him anyway, which he does, implying that it probably would have been the best thing for Marcelo to [[MercyKill die by your hand]]]]. You can make this ending a little happier by [[spoiler:using a Wakestone to [[BackFromTheDead revive]] the poor sap right after Mason leaves.]]
* The whole story behind Ashe (better known as [[spoiler:Daimon]]) in the Dark Arisen version. Just like you, he was an [[ChosenOne Arisen]] once, but before that he was the companion of an earlier Arisen named Grette. Grette and her pawn, [[spoiler:Olra]], found the boy amid the [[DoomedHometown ashes of a village]] destroyed by the [[BigBad Dragon]]. Grette felt pity for him and took him under her care, serving both as his mentor and his mother figure. Tragically, only Grette's pawn, barely alive and visibly changed, returned from their final battle against the Dragon. The love he had felt for Grette turned towards her former pawn, in whom he was starting to notice more and more features that reminded him of her former master. When Ashe became Arisen he was eager to slay the creature that had taken both his village and Grette away from him. [[spoiler:When he finally faced the Dragon he found out that it was Grette herself, who had slain the former Dragon but was transformed into the new Dragon when she failed to kill the Seneschal. What was normally [[TheEasyWayortheHardWay The Easy Way or the Hard Way]] (either offering up one's beloved or trying to slay the Dragon) now became a [[SadisticChoice Sadistic Choice]], with one of the two people he loved most having to die. Refusing to choose between the two, his frustrated wish to tear the order of the world asunder [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor is inadvertently fulfilled]]. Thusly he sacrifices Olra in return for enough power to end the cycle. Twisted by hatred for the entire world and its cycle, he becomes the [[WoobieDestroyerofWorlds Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]] known as Daimon.]]
---> '''Grette:''' [[spoiler:Now, choose. Stand against me or speak your wish. Offer your beloved in forfeit, and I shall see your will done.]]
---> '''Ashe:''' [[spoiler:Choose? How am I to choose? No matter my answer, the price is death; a hollow choice. Who am I to stand as arbiter of two lives.. of two loves? What would you have me do? You brought me here! You... If this be the will of the gods, the order of the world, [[ScrewDestiny then damn the lot of them!]] [[RageAgainstTheHeavens I’ll tear the whole of it asunder!]]]]
---> '''Grette:''' [[spoiler:Very well. If that be your wish, I shall claim my prize.]]
---> '''Ashe:''' [[spoiler:Stop! [[BigNo NOOOOOO!]]]]
** Ends in a [[BittersweetEnding Bittersweet Ending]] when you [[spoiler:kill Daimon for the first time and thereby free Ashe's spirit. His last lines show him [[DyingasYourself dying as himself.]]]]
---> '''Ashe:''' [[spoiler:With my every breath I cursed the eternal chain and all who would perpetuate it. But more than this, I have waited... Waited for one with a will to outmatch my own, that they may break the bonds that hold me here. In hate's demise... freedom..."]]
* In Bitterback Isle, on Pilgrim's Gauntlet: First Floor, in a hallway that leads to a dead end filled with spideres, [[https://imgur.com/a/jTRaDKY there sits two corpses side-by-side]], one female and the other male, perhaps a couple. Their posture is strangely relaxed, almost as if they were frozen mid-conversation. Judging by the numerous Corrupted Pawns nearby and Barroch claiming that many Arisen had come before the player Arisen, it's likely that these two were Arisens that had perished in the harsh dungeon. The room the hallway is connected in seemed like remains of a camp, possibly set up by multiple arisen, and numerous dead bodies litter the area. There even seems to what looks like a dysfunctional Healing Spring to one side of the room. The camp was likely attacked, [[spoiler:likely by the undead wyrm that appears after you picked up the Void Key]], and these two Arisen were fatally wounded and without curatives or escape, leading them to both find refuge in the said hallway and [[TogetherInDeath quietly died together]]. They might not even be a couple, but two Arisens who subsequently became trapped in the hellish dungeon and [[YouAreNotAlone sought each other's company]]. It's also very likely that the pawns they left behind (as well as the other apparent dead Arisen around the area) became the corrupted pawns in the room connected to this hallway. There's not much you can do except [[RobbingTheDead loot their corpses]], rid of the spiders crawling over their remains and quietly pay your respects before going on your way.
* Edmun Dragonsbane, the duke of Gransys, is a [[TheStoic stoic]] ruler and former Arisen who is generally seen as a mighty ruler (note that the entire country being full of dangerous monsters [[CrapsackWorld is relatively normal]]), though this mostly stems from the fact that he killed the previous [[BigBad Dragon]] that had been terrorizing the country for generations. [[spoiler: [[DarkSecret Until you find out that he actually didn't.]] When you finally face the Dragon and he offers you the choice between fighting him or sacrificing your beloved in return for power, he will casually mention that Edmun himself [[DealWithTheDevil accepted the bargain too]], which is how he became a duke in the first place. This explains Edmun's BrokenTears and FreakOut in an earlier scene where he suddenly tries to kill his wife (you can let him succeed, leading to a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment) while screaming "I'M SORRY LENORE!" and "I WAS WRONG, I TAKE IT BACK!". He [[MyGreatestFailure always regretted sacrificing]] his former lover, Lenore, and has been suffering from SanitySlippage ever since. It is heavily implied that he saw the Dragon and convinced himself that [[HopelessBossFight trying to fight it would be hopeless]]. It's also possible that he was just a DirtyCoward. Either way, he ends up as a typical [[TragicHero Tragic]] FallenHero that [[BelievingTheirOwnLies believes his own lies]] in order to cope with his [[OutDamnedSpot immense guilt]]. When the player defeats the Dragon and returns to him, the now withered and old Duke will say that [[CassandraTruth no human hands could have slain that Dragon]]. He will accuse you of [[PsychologicalProjection having made the same bargain as he did.]]]]

* The Dragonforged is the only known Arisen to have tried and failed to defeat the Dragon. We don't learn the specifics of his story, but there's a palpable air of tragedy and defeat to his character. His arms are horribly burnt as an eternal reminder of his failure, and he lives apart from the world he fought to hard to save, alone save for his main Pawn as company, dismissed as a raving madman by locals. He tells you that he foresook all human connection to avoid temptation by the Dragon's offer, but nonetheless allows you that choice by granting you the Arisen's Bond. One can only imagine the relief he must feel as [[spoiler: he crumbles to dust upon the Dragon's demise]].
** When you visit his home post-game, you find [[spoiler: his main Pawn, The Fool, left alone without his master]].
* The vicious eternal cycle of the universe of Dragon's Dogma. [[spoiler:Turns out that god of the world was actually an Arisen who defeated the dragon (Savan on the first playthrough, other people's Arisen on the second or your own Arisen in Offline mode), having inherited the seat of Seneschal after defeating the previous one. Those who lost the battle against the Seneschal are turned into the next Dragon, who would then go to find an Arisen more suited to becoming the next Seneschal. The said Seneschal would then watch over the world for eternity, caring for the world, in solitude until the next Arisen comes to kill them, to which they would finally be freed from their duty]]. While this might not seem that bad, this means [[spoiler:there can never not be a Dragon terrorizing the world and the suffering that brings with (and after) it. People who are chosen as Arisens are always doomed to suffer, whether they succeed or fail. [[TakeAThirdOption Rejection of the destiny]] isn't really an option either, since Ashe, who had rejected the choice he was forced to pick with the Dragon and his beloved, ended up getting cursed, becoming the Dark Arisen. The ''least'' you can do to ignore this cycle is just embrace immortality like Barroch and pretend the Dragon doesn't even exist. Even then, there will ''always'' be another Arisen who would take up arms against the Dragon if you don't, meaning that given time, [[YourDaysAreNumbered you'll gain mortality once more]]. Depending on how much time you spent immortal, your age will catch up to you, or you'll just crumble to dust.]] Talk about a never ending ViciousCycle. [[spoiler:Us as players, infinitely restarting the game over and over with the New Game+ heeds the cycle true and never ending.]]
* The True Ending. It involves [[spoiler:the player Arisen having [[KillTheGod inherited the throne]] of Seneschal and 'gifted' with the power of God.]] The chamber of your [[spoiler:your new Eternal home is empty and running away from the throne merely brings you back. The only companionship is your pawn, who only offers little advice on what to do and remarks how thankful they are to be by the Arisen's side. The only thing you can do is sit on the throne and wander/observe a much more peaceful Cassadis and Gran Soren as an apparition.]] This is to be your duty, [[spoiler:until the next Arisen comes to fight you and attempt to inherit your position, however long that may take.]] [[CanonEnding Or]], [[spoiler:you arm yourself with the Godsbane...[[HeroicSuicide and end your own life]], which would put an end to the vicious cycle the world is trapped in. When you do decide to kill end your life, your main pawn, your loyal companion in the grueling adventure, watches in horror as you end your own life, quietly mourning until the chamber rejects your corpse and your Pawn. As your corpse and your pawn fall through the air, your pawn [[SayMyName calls out to in desperation]] and you both fall in the ocean. On the beach on Cassadis, your pawn wakes up only to find that they look exactly like you. The Bestowal of Spirit had gifted a piece of your heart to them and now with your death, they have become human, just like you. And so, [[BittersweetEnding the tale ends]], with your [[IDieFree death into freedom]] and with your pawn meeting your beloved to live a quiet life, the life ''you'' had wanted.]]
** [[spoiler:Imagine how your pawn feels after you died. Although they would have probably known someday that their Master would [[YourDaysAreNumbered no longer be there]] to guide them, but its likely that that the thought might have never crossed their mind that their all powerful master could die. Think about it, canonically in the storyline, the Arisen has never died. If they had, they would always [[VideoGameLives revive themselves with a Wakestone]]; a timeline where you died before making it to that point didn't happen. It probably never even ''occurred'' to your pawn that you could die. Throughout the whole game your pawn always stuck by your side and [[DeclarationOfProtection protected you]], asked if you were alright if you were tired, had always panicked and cried when you died, and had always showcased how immensely [[UndyingLoyalty loyally]] [[ActOfTrueLove loving]] they are to you. Their cry for you during the fall was ''real''; the day they understood what death really meant was the day you would no longer be there for them. [[NeverGotToSayGoodbye They didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to you]] before you two were separated for good. It's likely that they will [[TheMourningAfter mourn for their Arisen for a while]]. At least, they had a chance to tell you [[ItHasBeenAnHonor how lucky and honored they were to be by your side]] if you talked to them in the Seneschal's Chamber before using the Godsbane.]] At the end, you two are just another two people to fall victim to and suffer in the neverending cycle.
** The awful thing to realize is that the cycle might not have ''actually ended at all'' [[spoiler:with your death]]. It's unclear what really happened, but if you make a New Game+ and reach the end in Offline Mode, the [[spoiler:Seneschal is now ''you''. Your character that defeated the Seneschal in your ''last'' playthrough, in the same getup and everything]]. Both [[spoiler:Savan, your old Arisen, and the other random player's Arisen will pull out the Godsbane from their chest to hand to you so you could kill them. How does your Arisen kill themselves? ''Stabbing themselves with the Godsbane in the chest.'']] If this is how the game's story continuity works (rather than just being a gameplay element to allow for replay value), the cycle continues ''regardless if you had ''[[spoiler:killed yourself]]'' or not'' [[note]]either period, or simply because the countless worlds' Arisen ensures that it does[[/note]], meaning that your ultimate [[HeroicSuicide sacrifice]] and hard work was ''[[ShootTheShaggyDog ultimately for nothing]]''.
* While the original happy uppity tune of JPop opening song of the game, Into Free, was out of place and seemingly inappropriate for the game, [[spoiler:it gets a whole '''lot''' more heartbreaking when you [[LyricalDissonance analyze the lyrics]].]] The song starts off simple enough, [[spoiler:describing the moment the player Arisen wakes up from their victory against the dragon, to find the world vastly different. The song jumps to them contemplating about their choice to end their life to end the cycle, which they ultimately deice to do, and how it felt as they died. The song then ends with the fall that the Arisen has after their corpse is rejected from the Seneschal's Chamber, the Arisen 'flying into free', free from the cycle.]]

* [[spoiler: Most of the dragons in the postgame have a variety of boasts, challenges or taunts in their dialogue, but one in particular that can be encountered stands out; a Drake that speaks of a gnawing hunger and barely seems aware of where or what it is. When one considers that dragons are former Arisen, it becomes clear that this Drake has just awoken as a dragon and is still grasping what’s happened to them.]]

** The awful thing to realize is that the cycle might not have ''actually ended at all'' [[spoiler:with your death]]. It's unclear what really happened, but if you make a New Game+ and reach the end in Offline Mode, the [[spoiler:Seneschal is now''you''. Your character that defeated the Seneschal in your ''last'' playthrough, in the same getup and everything]]. Both [[spoiler:Savan, your old Arisen, and the other random player's Arisen will pull out the Godsbane from their chest to hand to you so you could kill them. How does your Arisen kill themselves? ''Stabbing themselves with the Godsbane in the chest.'' If this is how the game continuity works, the cycle continues ''regardless if you had killed yourself or not'']], meaning that your ultimate [[HeroicSuicide sacrifice]] and hard work was ''[[ShootTheShaggyDog all for nothing]]''.