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| 12 | This page details the [[PlayerCharacter Chosen Undead]], the Primordial Serpents, and the bearers of the Lord Souls. Head back through [[Characters/DarkSouls here]] for other character pages. '''Unmarked spoilers ahead.''' |
| 13 | |
| 14 | ---- |
| 15 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | !The Chosen Undead |
| 18 | [[folder:The Chosen Undead]] |
| 19 | |
| 20 | !!The Undead Hero/Chosen Undead |
| 21 | %%"Dark Lord" headline is commented out due to being a spoiler%% |
| 22 | |
| 23 | [[quoteright:188:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chosen_undead_2483.png]] |
| 24 | |
| 25 | The player character of the game. One of the Undead, those branded with the Darksign, locked into the Undead Asylum of Lordran. However, a chance encounter allows them to escape and change the fate of the world. |
| 26 | ---- |
| 27 | * ActionSurvivor: In a land where even the weakest enemy can kill a heavily armed and armored knight without too much effort, you ''will'' have to [[CombatPragmatist use every underhanded, cheap tactic at your disposal]] to survive against monsters and gods that can kill you with the flick of a finger. |
| 28 | * AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler:If you choose the Dark Lord ending, the Primordial Serpents bow to you and acknowledge your rule over the oncoming Age of Dark.]] |
| 29 | * CharacterCustomization: You choose your character's appearance and starting class when you start a new game. |
| 30 | * TheChosenOne: Played with, and possibly DoubleSubverted. At first, it seems that the Undead Hero is Gwyn's successor according to Frampt, who claims to be an old friend of the Lord of Sunlight. [[spoiler:Except that it's false according to Kaathe, who claims that the Undead Hero is instead supposed to be the next Dark Lord.]] Even then, there's an implication that the title of Chosen Undead [[TheUnchosenOne is granted to whatever Undead manages to earn it, rather than them actually being chosen]]. However, with Solaire, Lautrec, and Tarkus, who have their own world where they are the warriors with the most HeroicWillpower who are trying to become Gwyn's successor ([[spoiler:as well as the fact Solaire links the fire if he fights Gwyn with the Chosen Undead]]), it seems that there might be a chosen one for every world, or with the success of the Chosen Undead, there is only one "true" chosen one among them all. |
| 31 | * TheChosenZero: How they are generally treated. It's not that much of a stretch given how many Undead journey through Lordran for whatever reason or another. |
| 32 | * CurtainsMatchTheWindows: On the initial character creation screen, choosing a hair color will give the player character a matching eye color. However, if you go into the more detailed character creation screen, you can edit them separately. |
| 33 | * CuttingOffTheBranches: [[spoiler:The heavy implication that the Chosen Undead forms a large portion of the FinalBoss in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' would imply that the canon ending to this game is Linking the Fire, as the Soul of Cinder is formed from the combined power and souls of everyone that ever Linked the Fire.]] But then again, considering the TimeyWimeyBall nature of the universe, it's quite possible that [[spoiler:the Soul of Cinder is merely every Chosen Undead to have ever Linked the Fire across all time]]. |
| 34 | * {{Determinator}}: Since you're the one controlling the character, you'd have to be [[NintendoHard during the course of the game]]. Canonically, it seems the only thing that sets the ''Chosen'' Undead apart from all the others who journey to Lordran is simply their ability to persevere and avoid going Hollow through all the trials they face. |
| 35 | * DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: By the end of the game, your body count will include multiple gods, dragons, demons, and legendary heroes that no normal human would have a chance against. |
| 36 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:From the perspective of what few deities remain in Lordran at least, the Chosen Undead can completely disintegrate their plans to perpetuate the Age of Fire. Namely by killing said lingering gods, slaughtering the entirety of the Four Knights of Gwyn ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Smough]]), join the ranks of Darkstalker Kaathe and the Darkwraiths, MercyKill Gwyn, and snuff out the First Flame to become the Dark Lord of the Age of Dark, the Age of Men. And all this from someone who started off as just another nameless prisoner in some far-off asylum.]] |
| 37 | * HeroKiller: It is perfectly possible to kill several heroic figures during the course of the game, though it does depend somewhat on how noble you interpret certain characters to be, and in some cases, it can be justifiably considered self-defense. Most notably, with the release of the [[DownloadableContent Artorias of the Abyss DLC]], it is now possible to kill not only Ornstein (which is necessary), but the other three of the four knights of Gwyn as well. |
| 38 | * HeroicMime: Aside from a whimper upon getting staggered ([[TheManyDeathsOfYou or dying]]), the player character [[TheSilentBob doesn't really say anything]], although talking to [=NPCs=] seems to imply he/she does speak, as shown by the yes[=/=]no answer prompt. |
| 39 | * HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:If a specific series of gameplay decisions is made, the Chosen Undead can discover the terrible truth about Lord Gwyn's plan from Kaathe, and go forward with it regardless. Linking the Fire in this way is only a temporary solution, but it does allow the current generation Undead to die peacefully, and give a chance for living society to recover as seen in future ages.]] |
| 40 | * HyperspaceArsenal: You never have to put a single thing in your bottomless box. There is, however, a limit on the weapons & items that you can quick-switch to. |
| 41 | * IAmWho: Darkstalker Kaathe reveals that the Undead hero is [[spoiler:a direct descendant of the Furtive Pygmy]] and the next in line to give rise to [[spoiler:the Age of Dark that Gwyn tried to prevent]]. However, it's possible that Kaathe's claims extends to ''all Darksign bearers''. |
| 42 | * {{Immortality}}: Part type 4 and part type 5. |
| 43 | * InstantExpert: As long as you meet the minimum stat requirements, you're able to wield any weapon you come across, regardless of how eldritch or bizarre it is. |
| 44 | * LightningBruiser: While WeakButSkilled at the start, the player character will inevitably develop into this as they gain levels. Most high-level [[PlayerVersusPlayer PvP]] builds fall into this category, [[MagicKnight often with added magic spells]]. |
| 45 | * LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: All the classes start out with some kind of shield; they're pretty much essential to survival (unless one is a master of dodging or riposting). Averted for the [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome many]] who make use of the [[StatSticks Grass Crest Shield]]. |
| 46 | * MagicKnight: While the starting classes tend to either favor melee or magic, you can easily build your character up to this. |
| 47 | * MessianicArchetype[=/=]DarkMessiah: The Chosen Undead ultimately has to choose which one to be at the very end, either by taking on Gwyn's role as [[spoiler:fuel for the Fire]], or walk out of it and [[spoiler:start a new Age of Dark with the primordial serpents as their vassals]]. |
| 48 | * MultiMeleeMaster[=/=]MultiRangedMaster[=/=]BowAndSwordInAccord[=/=]MagicKnight[=/=]Etc: Any can apply depending on the player's choices. |
| 49 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: As ''Dark Souls II'' and one of its DLC expansions reveal, killing Manus, Father of the Abyss did the world more harm than good in the long term, leading to at least two of the shards Manus split into to wreak havoc in a kingdom each. (The third tried, but the Iron King mucked his kingdom up all on his own, and Karla and Alsanna aren't evil.) |
| 50 | * NotSoStoic[=/=]MyGodWhatHaveIDone: One of [[spoiler:Quelaag's sister's]] lines suggests that the player character is weeping as he/she talks to her. |
| 51 | ** Several lines from [[BitchInSheepsClothing Petrus]] (and interestingly, a couple from [[TokenEvilTeammate Lautrec]]) also seem to imply that the player character (regardless of gender) has strong feelings for [[ImpliedLoveInterest Reah of Thorolund]]. This is most evident when [[spoiler:Petrus admits that he abandoned Reah and her followers in the Tomb of the Giants and says in a lewd manner that in her state the protagonist can now do whatever they want with her. He also asks if the protagonist has been driven mad by emotion when they attack him if he's successfully murdered Reah.]] |
| 52 | * ProtagonistWithoutAPast: Aside from being stuck in the Undead Asylum and hints from your starting class, nothing about the protagonist's history is explained. |
| 53 | * RogueProtagonist: In a fashion; [[spoiler:the FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' is the corporeal manifestation of everyone that ever Linked the Fire, and assuming that the player linked the First Flame at the game's conclusion, then that includes the Chosen Undead]]. |
| 54 | * SilentSnarker: Although we never hear or see his/her dialogue, some NPC lines imply this. |
| 55 | * UnwittingPawn: Ultimately, the Chosen Undead is being tricked into [[spoiler:sacrificing him/herself in order to prolong the Age of Fire]]. Possibly subverted should the player [[spoiler:side with Kaathe and become the Dark Lord]], though he/she may be just as much of a pawn for [[spoiler:the Primordial Serpents' agendas]]. |
| 56 | * VirtualPaperDoll: The armor you wear is visible, so you can fight in anything from simple leather armor to a PimpedOutDress, or [[RainbowPimpGear any possible combination of the above]]. |
| 57 | * YourSoulIsMine: The Chosen Undead absorbs the souls of their enemies to become stronger. |
| 58 | [[/folder]] |
| 59 | |
| 60 | !The Primordial Serpents |
| 61 | |
| 62 | [[folder:In General]] |
| 63 | !!In General |
| 64 | * AncientConspiracy: |
| 65 | ** Both of them are involved in one, but neither ''seems'' to support the other's goal. [[spoiler:Put simply, Kaathe is working to begin the Age of Dark, using the Darkwraiths to steal Humanity and snuff out the First Flame, with his efforts often turning humans into deranged beasts if New Londo and Oolacile are anything to go by, although that's ''possibly'' unintentional. Frampt seeks to preserve the Age of Fire by having you replace Gwyn, but it is later revealed that the "Chosen Undead" prophecy was fabricated to lure undead to Lordran so their humanity could be used to kindle the bonfires and keep the First Flame lit a while longer until one undead manages to replace Gwyn, resulting in said undead being used to fuel the First Flame with their humanity. This is later muddied further when, if the Dark Lord ending is chosen, Frampt will rejoin his brethren to crown you as the new Lord of the Age of Dark, implying that Frampt was going along with Kaathe's plan the whole time even while telling you how to keep the Age of Fire going.]] |
| 66 | ** Both can give off whiffs of TheCon: short con, long con, possibly a two-man con if some theories are remotely correct... You're being carefully played, whichever one you deal with, whatever their reasons, and whether you can even partly agree with them or not. Frampt hits you with the high-minded, goal-orientated confidence style; Kaathe goes for what looks like the more honest, if outwardly underhanded one. On the surface, at least. |
| 67 | * AnimalisticAbomination: There really is no telling just ''what the hell they are''. The serpents are barely mentioned at all in the StoryBreadcrumbs of all three games, which only makes it seem as though they [[OutsideGenreFoe don't quite belong in the world]]. However, they are clearly ancient, very knowledgeable, and have been meddling in the affairs of humans and gods alike for a very long time to fulfill some obscure agenda. They are implied to be massive, but they lurk in the darkest corners of Lordran, only appearing to mortal eyes when they wish to be seen, and it's up in the air if they can even die or turn hollow like nearly everything else. Whatever the Primordial Serpents are, they clearly operate on different rules from everything else. Given how Frampt reacts to most things Seath-related should you try to feed him them, it's even possible Serpents are part and parcel of OurDragonsAreDifferent in some way: snakes are mentioned as being lesser dragons, too, in item descriptions... however much you trust those. Which puts an interesting spin on various events, if so. |
| 68 | * TheBusCameBack: After being put on it for the entirety of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'' and its DLC, you can happen upon some statues in Lothric Castle in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' that inexplicably have their faces. [[spoiler:Also, if you kill Yuria, she name-drops Kaathe and implies that she serves him in some capacity, hinting that he and the rest of his ilk may still be around and kicking. The Painter girl in the ''Ashes of Ariandel'' DLC also inexplicably has the same eyes and skin tone (and even some scales) as the Primordial Serpents.]] |
| 69 | * BusCrash: [[spoiler:However, the same game implies that Kaathe and likely the other Primordial Serpents are long dead.]] |
| 70 | * EveryoneHasStandards: If there's one thing that they can both agree on, it's in their disdain for Seath. Kaathe is open about it, referring to him contemptuously as "the traitor". Frampt, however, is more subtle; while he describes Seath diplomatically as "Gwyn's former confidante", he makes his true opinion clear with how little the scaleless dragon's soul is worth to him. |
| 71 | * HiddenAgendaVillain: One interpretation that's very easy to run with when it comes to either Serpent you can run into. Lies, half-truths, evasions, and foggy reasons nobody finds much out about pretty much sum both Frampt and Kaathe up, at the very least. How villainous either of them (or any other Serpents that might be involved) are, or from which angle? Choose your own take. There are options. |
| 72 | * {{Gonk}}: If the teeth didn't already set you off about them, then the orange bloodshot eyes, far too human nose, and what could accurately be described as ''flesh mustaches'' probably will. These things are not attractive in the slightest, and facially they barely even resemble serpents. Their voices are fine enough, just turned somewhat surreal coming out of those heads. |
| 73 | * LastOfTheirKind[=/=]SingleSpecimenSpecies: Frampt initially seems like the latter trope, and stays this way unless you know about Kaathe, and then they become the former trope. [[spoiler:Later gets [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] if you take the Dark Lord ending, which shows that there are many more Primoridal Serpents that live underneath Firelink Altar.]] |
| 74 | * ManipulativeBastard: Both Kaathe and Frampt to a certain degree, considering [[spoiler:the former has facilitated the spread of the Abyss twice in the past, while the latter is one part of the forged "Chosen Undead" prophecy that, if followed to its conclusion, ends with you being used to fuel the First Flame until some other poor schmuck comes to take your place and perpetuate a cycle that will eventually end regardless]]. |
| 75 | * MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: Their giant broad teeth are easily their most defining feature, and even as they talk to you, you can hear these chompers clacking away as they move their mouths. |
| 76 | * SatanicArchetype: They're ''[[Literature/BookOfGenesis primordial serpents]]'' who tempt humans with godlike power, usually leading said humans to ruin, and work to subvert the gods. |
| 77 | [[/folder]] |
| 78 | |
| 79 | [[folder:Kingseeker Frampt]] |
| 80 | !!Kingseeker Frampt |
| 81 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kingseeker_krampf_1647.png]] |
| 82 | --> '''Voiced by:''' Peter Marinker |
| 83 | |
| 84 | ->''Chosen Undead, who has rung the Bell of Awakening, I wish to elucidate your fate. Do you seek such enlightenment?'' |
| 85 | |
| 86 | A primordial serpent and friend of Gwyn, who wishes to help the Undead Hero return the world to light. He is the only "merchant" in the game whom you can "sell" equipment to, and the only means of breaking down Titanite. |
| 87 | ---- |
| 88 | * BigGood: He comes across as this, as he's ultimately guiding you on the path to undo the curse of Undeath and restore Fire to the world. [[spoiler:Given how that basically means tricking the Chosen Undead to sacrifice themselves in, at best, a temporary fix for questionable reasons and after having done even more morally questionable deeds, you might revise your opinion.]] |
| 89 | * BlatantLies: |
| 90 | ** If the player should wake him up after lapsing into a deep sleep for the first time, he'll act like he was never asleep in the first place. |
| 91 | --> No, no, I'm fine, I'm fine. Well and wide awake! |
| 92 | ** He claims that he was awoken by a single Bell of Awakening, but even the Crestfallen Warrior knows that there are actually two Bells of Awakening. |
| 93 | * DefectorFromDecadence: The other Primordial Serpents apparently view him as a traitor for siding with the gods and helping to prolong the Age of Fire, but given that [[spoiler:their preferred alternative may end up corrupting people into eldritch monstrosities]], it's hard to hold it against him too much. [[spoiler:He does rejoin his brethren if you go for the Dark Lord ending, though. Although it's up for interpretation if he isn't going to try to find another Gwyn to end your Age of Dark, as implied to have happened before.]] |
| 94 | * ExactWords: He tells the PlayerCharacter that it is their destiny to succeed Gwyn. Which they do, [[spoiler:[[FateWorseThanDeath as fuel for the Fire]]]]. |
| 95 | * ExtremeOmnivore: His means of "buying" your equipment is ''eating'' it and giving you souls in return. He'll even eat unique boss souls, most of the time outweighing the number of souls you gain from simply using them, with the exception of Smough's, for which he'll offer you a single measly soul. He also seems rather disgusted with Seath and anything related to him, only offering a single soul for crystal weapons and the Channeler armor set. |
| 96 | * GracefulLoser: He can be seen bowing before the Undead Hero in [[spoiler:the Dark Lord ending]], even if the PlayerCharacter disappointed him earlier by allying with Kaathe. But, like with all things with the Primordial Serpents, it's up for debate. |
| 97 | * ManipulativeBastard: He's actively deceiving the PlayerCharacter to a possible [[spoiler:FateWorseThanDeath in order to prolong the Age of Fire]]. |
| 98 | * MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Kaathe implies that Frampt is the only primordial serpent to side with Gwyn and help him in prolonging the Age of Fire, although the alternate ending makes it [[MindScrew ambiguous]] since he invariably shows up [[spoiler:along with Kaathe and several other serpents to serve the PlayerCharacter, who becomes the Dark Lord]]. |
| 99 | * SleepyHead: You'll often find him sleeping after bringing the Lordvessel back to him. Even earlier on, you'll hear a loud snore in Firelink Shrine after ringing one Bell of Awakening. |
| 100 | * {{Squee}}: He gets so excited when you bring the Lordvessel to him, that he unleashes some... very nasty-sounding growls from the depths of his throat. |
| 101 | * VocalDissonance: He speaks in a kind grandfatherly tone, which you wouldn't expect to hear from such a hideous-looking creature. |
| 102 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Says this is the case for the lords he sends you to kill, apart from the ones that have "fallen to wickedness". |
| 103 | * YouNeedABreathMint: He has ''terrible'' breath, at least according to the Crestfallen Warrior. Considering that he eats nearly anything you offer him, one such item being 'Dung Pies' which he pays you back a decent 200 souls for, this is fairly understandable. |
| 104 | [[/folder]] |
| 105 | |
| 106 | [[folder:Darkstalker Kaathe]] |
| 107 | !!Darkstalker Kaathe |
| 108 | [[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darkstalker_kaathe_79.png]] |
| 109 | --> '''Voiced by:''' Peter Marinker |
| 110 | |
| 111 | ->''Undead Warrior, conqueror of the Four Kings, is this not your wish? To know the truth of men, and the Undead?'' |
| 112 | |
| 113 | Another primordial serpent and the leader of the Darkwraith Covenant. He resides within the Abyss, and, when confronted by the Chosen Undead, wishes that the Undead Hero would end the Age of Fire and begin the Age of Dark. |
| 114 | ---- |
| 115 | * AffablyEvil: Sinister as he may be, Kaathe is still unflinchingly civil and polite to the player. |
| 116 | * AmbiguouslyEvil: He claims to be working for humanity's best interests and makes some good points about how [[spoiler:the Age of Fire is already on its last legs]], but historically, people who followed his advice were driven mad by the powers he encouraged them to wield. Later lore in the series averts this, making it clear that he has validity to his claims. |
| 117 | * BigGood: What he tries to present himself as in comparison to Frampt. Should you side with him, he acts as your guide to [[spoiler:becoming the Dark Lord and ushering in an age of man]]. Going in fresh, it can be unclear as to how honest he's being, though, and the game still leaves him in a state where it isn't clear how good he is. |
| 118 | * TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler:After the Primordial Serpents as a whole weren't mentioned at all in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', Kaathe gets name-dropped by Yuria in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' if you kill her, implying that he (and perhaps the rest of his kin) are still alive and kicking. However, the Japanese reading of Yuria's line suggests that Kaathe is ''[[BusCrash dead]]'', which implies that Londor is his legacy rather than something he built himself, and is also surprising given that many players assumed the Primordial Serpents to be immortal.]] |
| 119 | * TheCorrupter: He's got a history of doing this: |
| 120 | ** Because he is the leader of the Darkwraith covenant, and by extension [[spoiler:the one who taught them and the Four Kings the Art of Lifedrain]], he is implied to be [[spoiler:the root of New Londo's downfall]]. |
| 121 | ** In the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, we find out that [[spoiler:Oolacile was destroyed because its inhabitants were conned into trying to harness the power of the Dark (however, the Humanity of the primeval human they unleashed ran wild) by 'a toothy serpent']]. Sound familiar? |
| 122 | ** Considering his [[YouHaveFailedMe opinion of the rogue Darkwraiths]], he may really have meant well in both of these cases, [[spoiler:but the people he groomed to usher in the Age of Dark failed to properly harness the power he taught them and went insane]]. |
| 123 | * DarkIsNotEvil: {{Invoked}}. Kaathe does his best to convince the Chosen Undead that the Dark is not something really to fear outright by elaborating that it is supposed to be a natural part of the world. Later pieces of lore across the series imply that he is relatively correct; [[spoiler:Gwyn linking the fire to humanity screwed up the natural order of the world and shackled humanity to become undead and hollow]]. He's also arguably more honest and upfront than Frampt as well, but the player is left to decide how true he is. |
| 124 | * {{Determinator}}: Kaathe keeps trying to end the Age of Fire, no matter how many poor saps get corrupted in the meantime. |
| 125 | * DittoAliens: Has the same appearance as Frampt, [[spoiler:as well as the other primordial serpents who show up to greet the new [[PlayerCharacter Dark Lord]] in the alternate ending]]. |
| 126 | * EvilCounterpart: To Frampt, at least at first, with Kaathe being a proponent of ushering the Age of Dark, while the former conspires with Gwyn to keep the First Flame lit. |
| 127 | * GreaterScopeVillain: |
| 128 | ** This could well be the case, [[spoiler:for [[Characters/DarkSoulsArtoriasOfTheAbyss Chester]] reveals that Oolacile was tricked into awakening Manus by "that toothy serpent", and there's only one serpent in this game who is in any way associated with the Abyss]]. Even then, he's still the leader of the Darkwraiths, a covenant dedicated to [[spoiler:preserving its members' humanity through the art of Lifedrain, which corrupted the Four Kings and the knights under their command, though that likely wasn't Kaathe's intent]]. |
| 129 | ** [[spoiler:Even long after his apparent demise, he casts a shadow in ''III''. The Sable Church and the sinister kingdom of Hollows, Londor, was founded by three sisters who were loyal to him.]] |
| 130 | * {{Hypocrite}}: [[spoiler:He is quick to denounce and demonize Frampt and anything the latter says to the Chosen Undead, and yet Kaathe himself also deceives and manipulates the Chosen Undead as well.]] |
| 131 | * ManipulativeBastard: Just like his fellow-serpent, Frampt. [[spoiler:His grand stories of bringing about a new 'Age of Man' through the power of the Dark tend to result in anyone who listens to them ending up dead, insane, or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs dead]] ''[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs and]]'' [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs insane]]. Just ask the inhabitants of New Londo and Oolacile.]] |
| 132 | * MrExposition: If one believes that he's being honest, then he's pretty much the only one who actually explains what's really going on. However, his explanations of the way the world really works [[UnreliableExpositor tend to contain some troubling omissions and sound a little too good to be true]]. [[spoiler:The Artorias of the Abyss DLC confirms that at best [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain he's omitting the repeated disasters his methods have caused]], and at worst they are his true aim.]] |
| 133 | * RememberTheNewGuy: Can come across as this should you [[spoiler:give the Lordvessel to Frampt]] before attempting the Four Kings boss fight (which means you'll never even meet him at all) and then choosing [[spoiler:the Dark Lord ending]] after defeating the FinalBoss, [[spoiler:where he invariably appears alongside Frampt and several other primordial serpents to serve you]]. |
| 134 | * SinkOrSwimMentor: With the events of ''Artorias of the Abyss'' in mind, this is basically the most favorable interpretation of Kaathe: [[spoiler:namely that there really ''is'' a Golden Age achievable by mastery of the Dark Soul, but he'll quickly abandon anyone who becomes corrupted in the process]]. |
| 135 | * VillainousLegacy: In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', [[spoiler:Londor the Kingdom of Hollows and its Sable Church are Kaathe's legacy. Though he is long dead by this point, the Sable Church still works to bring the true Age of Dark. In one ending, they succeed and raise up the Unkindled to be their gracious Lord who will make Londor whole.]] |
| 136 | * VillainsNeverLie: Averted. He certainly appears a lot more forthright to the Chosen Undead than Frampt is. As the player learns more, however, it becomes clear that was only because he was exposing Frampt's deceptions and flowery language for what it really was. Kaathe himself makes similar grandiose promises of lordship and power while glossing over the unsavory aspects of his plan, like that [[spoiler:people who try to wield the powers of the Dark tend to be twisted into horrifying monsters]]. |
| 137 | * WalkingSpoiler: Not only do you only meet him under special circumstances, but he also has [[MrExposition tons of explanations]] about [[IAmWho the player's true purpose]], and is implied to be [[spoiler:the cause of the Abyss' spread, both in New Londo and in the past Oolacile]]. |
| 138 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:With the franchise's story finished after all three games and their DLC, a more charitable interpretation is that Kaathe was at least right about his summary of the world's problems, that the Age of Dark is the intended way forward and he's only trying to undo Gwyn's damage by bringing it about. That said, he is still manipulative, his methods treat the Dark's humans as expendable and have certainly led to some gruesome results, and it's not clear exactly how he intended his experiments to turn out, or if they actually would have worked if he ever had an attempt that hadn't GoneHorriblyWrong]]. |
| 139 | * WorthyOpponent: Considers Gwyn this, acknowledging that him linking the fire was indeed a sacrifice, and always refers to him as "Lord Gwyn". |
| 140 | * YouHaveFailedMe: Says this about the Darkwraith enemies found within the New Londo Ruins, having lost their way from the path to becoming [[spoiler:the Dark Lord]]. |
| 141 | [[/folder]] |
| 142 | |
| 143 | !Bearers of the Lord Souls |
| 144 | |
| 145 | The wielders of the Souls of Lords, who destroyed all the dragons, bringing an end to the Age of Ancients and starting the Age of Fire. |
| 146 | |
| 147 | [[folder:Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight]] |
| 148 | !!Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight |
| 149 | %% "Lord of Cinder" headline is a spoiler |
| 150 | |
| 151 | [[quoteright:318:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gwyn_7780.png]] |
| 152 | [[caption-width-right:318:[[labelnote:Click here to see [[spoiler:Gwyn, Lord of Cinder]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dark_souls_-_gwyn_lord_of_cinder_4163.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]]] |
| 153 | |
| 154 | Leader of the Lords, King of Anor Londo, and father of the Gods of Light. He led the Age of Fire, ruling over man from Anor Londo in Lordran. His Lord Soul granted him power over Sunlight and Lightning. |
| 155 | ---- |
| 156 | * AbusiveParents: Most notably to Gwyndolin, who he decided to raise as a woman just because he was born with powers of the moon, which he considered to be feminine. He also treated [[spoiler:the Nameless King, Filianore, and Yorshka]] like shit, [[{{Unperson}} erasing the former's name from history]] and exiling him from Anor Londo, and sending the latter to the Ringed City as their princess before sinking her into an eternal sleep to isolate the Ringed City from the world and restrain the Dark Soul's influence, and apparently didn't even name the last one! |
| 157 | * ActionDad: A mighty warrior king and father to at least 4 children. |
| 158 | * AFatherToHisMen: The Silver Knights ''adored him'', and when Gwyn witnesses Arkon apparently having slayed a dragon, he's beaming with pride, and rewards him handsomely. |
| 159 | * AllForNothing: |
| 160 | ** If the state of the world by the time of the games beginning is any indication, Gwyn's [[spoiler:sacrifice]] accomplished basically nothing. The gods of Anor Londo abandoned the city, mankind is now plagued by undead soul eaters called Hollows, and demons are beginning to pour out of Lost Izalith despite his efforts to contain them. The only upside seems to be that everyone still thinks he's running the show and burning for all eternity. |
| 161 | ** Incredibly enough, it gets even worse by ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'': sure, he managed to instate an almost religious fanaticism in keeping the First Flame alive through ritual sacrifice, but he himself has only barely been remembered, the Gods don't reign over the world, and the Fire has been growing weaker, causing stagnation in both time and space as the world starts to practically collapse on itself from the unnatural prolongation of the Fire: not only was Gwyn's sacrifice only delaying the inevitable, it made everything worse. |
| 162 | * AmbiguouslyAbsentParent: Not he himself, but despite his high number of offsprings, the mother is never mentioned or even hinted at. Indeed, it's not even known if all his children even come from the same mom. |
| 163 | * AmbiguouslyEvil: Despite most characters speaking of Gwyn as a benelovent father figure of a god, it's not difficult to draw the conclusion that he was a man (or [[OurGiantsAreBigger Giant]], rather) who was obsessed with being at the top of the Pyramid — whether as god-king of mankind, slayer of dragons, or Greatest of the Lords. He was so terrified at the prospect of losing his power that he [[spoiler:turned himself into kindling for the First Flame and created the Undead Curse]]. |
| 164 | * AndIMustScream: He has been [[spoiler:burning in the Kiln]] for a thousand years, meaning his defeat at the hands of the player can be seen as a MercyKill. [[spoiler:In ''Dark Souls 3'', he is revived inside the Soul of Cinder, a physical form of every soul who kept the First Flame lit.]] |
| 165 | * AntiVillain: He treated humanity and [[AbusiveParents his own children]] unjustly, and his actions had many consequences, but he successfully created the booming civilization of Anor Londo, is known to have many virtues, a new era for life to prosper, and ultimately performed the most heroic act the setting can allow for — [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice burning in fire for eternity to protect the rest of the world]]]], Gwyn usually comes across as somewhere between a NobleDemon and a WellIntentionedExtremist |
| 166 | * AxCrazy: [[spoiler:After spending an incredibly long amount of time burning to prolong the life of the First Flame, Gwyn has gone insane. Fittingly, despite being the final boss of the main game, he doesn't even have any dialogue, instead opting to attack you as soon as you enter his arena.]] |
| 167 | * TheBadGuyWins: Despite Gwyn's morally dubious actions he pretty much pulls off his BatmanGambit perfectly, [[spoiler: and manages to extend the Age of Fire by what's implied to be a couple thousand years.]] Though it's heavily {{Downplayed}}; not only is it a [[MortalityGreyArea a certain definition]] [[AntiVillain of "bad guy"]], it's a PyrrhicVictory with the whole ''burning in agony'' for eternity and the [[spoiler: fact he's unknowingly responsible for the end of his world.]] |
| 168 | * BatmanGambit: Done with Kingseeker Frampt by [[spoiler:fabricating the myth of the Chosen Undead, knowing that humans are {{Determinator}}s and will do anything to solve the problem... thus it's just the matter of feeding them the desirable bits of facts so that the Chosen Undead will arrive at the solution he favors.]] |
| 169 | * BigGood: He led the combined forces of his own army, Gravelord Nito, the Witches of Izalith, [[spoiler:the Pygmies]], and Seath the Scaleless against the Dragons in the war. He also put forward a successful plan to prevent the First Age of Fire from dying, [[spoiler:which would usher an Age of Dark and fulfill the Furtive Pygmy's own plan]]. |
| 170 | * BlackEyesOfCrazy: [[spoiler:By the time the player meets Gwyn in person at the end of the game, he has gone insane and his eyes are gone, replaced with black voids. He is also now crazy and will attack as the FinalBoss.]] |
| 171 | * BoltOfDivineRetribution[=/=]ShockAndAwe: What he used against the ancient stone dragons to [[ArmorPiercingAttack pierce their scales]]. [[spoiler:While he doesn't use this in the boss fight against him, you can acquire up to three spells to use this yourself, the third version requiring Gwyn's Soul to obtain it.]] |
| 172 | * BroughtDownToBadass: Somewhat. The Gwyn you meet in the game has only a small fraction of his godly power remaining, given he [[spoiler:divided his soul and power among his subjects before he set off for the Kiln, becoming an EmptyShell in the process and losing what little sanity he had left]]. Even then, once the PlayerCharacter reaches him, he still gives one final fight with his [[MasterSwordsman unparalleled swordmanship]] and [[LightningBruiser swift agility]]. |
| 173 | * CoolCrown: Fittingly enough for a god of his status. [[spoiler:You can purchase this, along with Gwyn's entire outfit, from Domhall of Zena once you meet the merchant in NewGamePlus.]] |
| 174 | * TheDeterminator: Gwyn's single greatest strength, as well as his greatest flaw, is that he will '''never''' let the Age Of Fire die. Immortal Dragons ruling over the world? Form a massive, combined force with all the other lords, and destroy these supposedly ''immortal'' things. [[spoiler:Fire fading? ''Throw himself'' to the flames, and burn in eternal agony. The person who's killed all the other lords comes to the Kiln? Blindly charge at them with a flaming sword, and throw yourself into a deathmatch you're unlikely to win. After ''thousands'' if not ''tens of thousands'' of years, the flame is threatened by an Unkindled? ''Manifest yourself'' and charge in to defend it one final time, stronger than ever.]] No matter what happens, Gwyn will never back down. |
| 175 | * DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:Sacrificed everything he had to link the flame and prolong the Age of Fire a while longer]], an act which the opening narration plainly states could only be delaying the inevitable. And when the [[spoiler:Soul of Cinder's power starts to wither, it calls upon his soul to fight. In the end, and for the same reason, Gwyn becomes the final opponent to both the Chosen Undead and the Ashen One]]. |
| 176 | * DestructiveSavior: Potentially. [[spoiler:Gwyn's actions to prevent the fading of the First Flame saved the world as we know it, but the world wasn't exactly in great shape and has only gotten worse. Ultimately, it's a matter of personal opinion whether it would have been better or worse to simply let everything end. People's lives are now full of oppressive misery and despair, but are they so bad it would have been better that they had never been born?]] |
| 177 | * EgomaniacHunter: An entire room in Anor Londo's Cathedral is filled with mounted Dragon heads, implied to have been hunted by Gwyn himself. |
| 178 | * EmptyShell: The fact that he had been [[spoiler:burning in the Kiln for almost a thousand years has turned him into a Hollow]]. |
| 179 | * EverybodyLovesZeus: While many characters like to spin Gwyn as a righteous god-king and architect for a world of light and beauty, various other characters (many of which [[UnreliableExpositor may or may not be trustworthy]]) claim that this is a case of WrittenByTheWinners. [=Darkstalker=] Kaathe accuses him of being a liar and a schemer, the war he and the other gods declared on the Everlasting Dragons being an unprovoked declaration of supremacy. [[spoiler:He allowed the pygmies into his armies, but because of their association with the dark, he did everything he could to keep the undying primordial humans out of the way, giving them the Ringed City to be their prison and branding them with a circle of fire, which turned what was supposed to be TheSacredDarkness into the Abyss, the Undead curse, and everything else that turned his kingdom into a CrapsackWorld in the first place.]] |
| 180 | * {{Expy}}: He's quite similar to [[Myth/NorseMythology Odin]] when you look at the lore. Both are mighty kings of their respective pantheons of gods whose fear of the inevitable end of the world causes them to take extreme actions to stave it off however they can, [[spoiler:which ultimately turn out to be futile as they are consumed by their fates anyway]]. Gwyn even looks fairly similar to most depictions of Odin, being a GrandpaGod with a giant beard. |
| 181 | ** Considering he liked to use the BoltOfDivineRetribution before he was burnt to cinders, he could also be one to [[Myth/GreekMythology Zeus]], if only toned down a bit on his [[JerkassGods asshole]] level. [[spoiler:Or depending on how you read his [[AbusiveParents treatment of his children]] and how his hubris led to the events of the entire series, maybe not toned down at all.]] |
| 182 | * FallenHero: You meet and fight him in a state where it's hard to even recognize him as the one who overthrew the dragons in the distant past. |
| 183 | * FantasticRacism: |
| 184 | ** He utterly ''hates'' dragons, with the sole exception being Seath the Scaleless. On top of the war with the Everlasting Dragons, he and his warriors also seemed to hunt other Dragonkin for sport. As revealed in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', the real reason why he ended up disowning his Firstborn was because he [[spoiler:fraternized with dragons]]. |
| 185 | ** Played with in regards to Humans. [[spoiler:While Gwyn was certainly afraid of the darkness within humanity and the Pygmies, he did seem to have some respect for humanity, as he trusted their prominent leaders, the Four Kings, with parts of his own soul.]] According to ''Age of Fire'', Gwyn cared about the humans in his own kingdom, enough to always defend them from people who would harm them. |
| 186 | * FatalFlaw: Gwyn had a fierce fear of the end coming to his kingdom and works. Much of Gwyn's impact on the world was born of his desire to stave off the end as long as possible. In particular, his fear of the Dark as the harbinger of that end spurred a lot of his actions, for good or ill. |
| 187 | * FinalBoss: Defeating him leads you to start a [[NewGamePlus new gameplay cycle]]. |
| 188 | * FlamingSword: Wields one during his boss fight. [[spoiler:Can be acquired through using Gwyn's Soul in a Weapon Ascension, but the crafted version isn't on fire.]] |
| 189 | * GeniusBruiser: His insanely destructive [[MagicKnight talent with Lightning Miracles]], overwhelming physical strength and [[MasterSwordsman unmatched skill with a greatsword]], hide a ''masterfully'' skilled and manipulative politician; ruling Andor Londo with both an iron-fist and brilliant statecraft. The way he navigated around the situation with the Pygmies [[spoiler: (appeasing them with generous gifts that's true purpose is to shackle there darkness and solidify his own rule without spilling blood and keeping them as loyal vassals)]] and formulated his own successful plot to sustain the Age of Fire are the biggest examples of his true cunning. It's very fitting for an {{Expy}} of Odin. |
| 190 | * TheGoodKing: ''Age of Fire'' reveals that he ''actually'' [[PetTheDog did care for his human subjects quite a bit]], sending his legions of Silver Knights to protect them from harm, even sending them to rescue people kidnapped by Seath. Enough that the Silver Knights actually grew discontent at Gwyn helping humans at the expense of them. |
| 191 | * GodEmperor: Ruled over all the nations of man from his seat in Anor Londo. |
| 192 | * GodIsDead: After Gwyn's departure for [[spoiler:the Kiln of the First Flame]], Anor Londo began to see a shift in leadership, [[spoiler:with nearly every deity leaving Lordran save for Gwyndolin]]. He is not met until the very end of the final dungeon, [[spoiler:where it turns out he has gone insane as a result of burning in the Kiln all this time]]. |
| 193 | * GodIsFlawed: While Gwyn did many heroic things, and was by all accounts a good Lord, he was a rather bad father, and was quite paranoid about ''all'' things related to the dark. |
| 194 | * GrandpaGod: Appears as a fairly classic example of this. |
| 195 | * GreaterScopeVillain: |
| 196 | ** To Dark-aligned Undead, he is this from one perspective: it was his plans that ensured that the First Flame would never truly fade. Sure enough, thousands of years later, the Age of Dark has still not emerged, leaving adherents to Dark forced to fight his legacy. |
| 197 | ** In ''The Ringed City'' DLC, it's shown that [[spoiler:Gwyn put a seal on the ancient Pygmies to repress the power of their Dark Souls, one that strongly resembles the Darksign. The implication appears to be that Gwyn's seal prevented humanity from being able to control the Dark, and as such is responsible for not only the undead "curse", but also the destruction caused by the Abyss]]. |
| 198 | * TheHeavy: Almost everything that happened in all three of the games has some ties back to Gwyn or something he did. The Undead Curse and Hollowing? [[spoiler:''The Ringed City'' hints it was his doing by placing the Darksign on the Pygmies and their descendants.]] The Cycle of Light and Dark? [[spoiler:Gwyn was determined to keep the First Flame lit and hold back the Dark despite the heavy implications that it is all part of a natural cycle.]] Even things such as the birth of Demons, the fall of many kingdoms after Lordran, and even the end of the world itself all have some ties to Gwyn in some way. |
| 199 | * HeroicSacrifice: After the Witch of Izalith [[spoiler:failed in her attempt to re-create the First Flame]], he gifted shards of his Lord Soul to the four kings of New Londo and Seath the Scaleless, and immediately set out for [[spoiler:the Kiln of the First Flame]]. He knew he wouldn't be returning from it, although it's unknown if he was aware of exactly what would happen when he would [[spoiler:relink the fire]]. Even Kaathe admits that what Gwyn did was a sacrifice, [[spoiler:to burn in the Kiln for eternity, slowly going insane from the pain...]] Unfortunately, everything just gets even ''worse'' with him gone: [[spoiler:those he entrusted his Lord Soul to go mad and all of his children besides Gwyndolin are too selfish to even bother trying to keep the country together]]. |
| 200 | * HistoricalHeroUpgrade: See JerkassGods and KickTheDog below for a few specific examples [[spoiler:relating to his treatment of mankind and those who bear the Dark Soul]], but Gwyn is still fondly remembered as the first Lord of Sunlight. His actions are ''often'' disputed InUniverse, and out of it. |
| 201 | * {{Hypocrite}}: He waged a war against the dragons to bring about a new age and bring an end to the eternal, unchanging Age of Ancients. But when his own age's end came, he refused to let nature take its course. |
| 202 | * ImmortalityImmorality: [[spoiler:Sort of. He wanted the Age of Fire to keep going forever, and his actions to ensure so doomed him, his entire family and kingdom, and countless others to an ultimately futile endeavor.]] |
| 203 | * JerkassGods: Considering how much of an expy of Zeus and maybe Odin he is, Gwyn being a massive jerk was a given. [[spoiler:His eldest son was disowned after supposedly siding with the dragons; he raised Gwyndolin as a daughter because he was born a moonlight sorcerer, to the point that Gwyndolin was fitted with a ring specifically enchanted to force him to use feminine movements and mannerisms; he sent his youngest daughter, Filianore, as a "gift" to the pygmies alongside gifting them the Ringed City, and is implied to have forced her into an eternal sleep in order to try and seal the Ringed City, therefore the Abyss, away from the rest of the world. He entirely ignored the existence of Yorshka, leaving her to be named and raised by Gwyndolin. And that's just his ''family''!]] |
| 204 | * KickTheDog: |
| 205 | ** Gwyn [[ZigZaggedTrope zigzags]] this with PetTheDog with his treatment of the [[spoiler:Pygmies, as ''The Ringed City'' reveals. Yes, their accomplishments were intentionally removed because of his fear of their control of Dark. Yes he put a ''branding of fire'', aka ''[[{{Curse}} the Darksign]]'' to seal the Abyss within them, possibly spawning the Undead Curse. But he ''did'' give them a massive beautiful city to call their own as a home, crowned several prominent members Lords in their own right, and gifted them his beloved youngest daughter, whom the Pygmies and Ringed Knights grew to ''adore'' and protect. Ultimately, the zigzag lands on "Kick" instead of "Pet" because while Gwyn rewarded the Pygmies, he also levied severe restrictions upon them and had ulterior motives behind said gifts out of fear for the Dark Soul within them]]. |
| 206 | ** On a non-[[spoiler:Pygmy]] related note, Gwyn's treatment of [[spoiler:his son, Gwyndolin. The boy was born a moonlight sorcerer, and instead of simply accepting this, [[AbusiveParents Gwyn's perception of moonlight sorcery as being a womanly art led him to force his child to act, dress, and look like a woman, to the point of forcing him to wear a ring that altered the way he moved]]. The fact that Gwyndolin is so fiercely loyal to his father after this horrific treatment says a lot, [[LoveMakesYouCrazy one way]] or [[StockholmSyndrome another]]]]. |
| 207 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLBybw-IJ5U "Gwyn, Lord of Cinder"]], a melancholic piano piece that initially doesn't sound fitting for a FinalBoss, but makes sense once [[spoiler:you learn about [[DefiantToTheEnd what motivates him still]] [[AndIMustScream despite his age-long suffering]]]]. |
| 208 | * LightIsNotGood: Gwyn is the single greatest example of it in the series. He may have defeated the dragons, brought order to the world, and [[{{Determinator}} willingly sacrificed himself]] to preserve the Age of Fire. [[spoiler:But his utter refusal to ever view [[DarkIsNotEvil the abyss]] as anything but a threat to be eliminated is the primary reason for why nearly ''everything'' bad in the series happened in the first place.]] |
| 209 | * LightningBruiser: Gwyn is unbelievably fast, unrelenting, powerful, and deadly with his greatsword, [[spoiler:traits that are put on display in the player's [[FinalBoss final fight]] against him]]. |
| 210 | * TheLastDance: His decision to [[spoiler:attack you at the end]] could be interpreted as this. [[spoiler:He already sacrified everything he had to relink the flame and [[EmptyShell has nothing left by the time you meet him]].]] So, keeping [[DefiantToTheEnd in character]], he may [[spoiler:have realized what the Chosen Undead came to do, and decided to go out with one last defiant act, assuming he wasn't completely mad]]. |
| 211 | * ManlyMan: An inhumanly large and strong PhysicalGod warrior-king who earned his throne by slaying dragons and demons using [[ShockAndAwe lighting bolts fired from his hands]] and a flaming sword [[{{BFS}} bigger than a man]]. [[SissyVillain Gwyndolin]] can't help but feel inadequate by comparison. |
| 212 | * MasterSwordsman: The only one who can come even close to rivaling him is [[TheBerserker Artorias]]. [[spoiler:He shows you just how dangerous he can be with it when you fight him.]] |
| 213 | * MeaningfulName: "Gwyn" means "White" in Welsh, fitting for an ancient king obsessed with fighting back the dark. |
| 214 | * LargeAndInCharge: At about [[https://i.imgur.com/3qth6eP.png 8'2 (248 cm)]], he towered over even his Silver and Black Knights (themselves close to seven and a half feet), much less his human subjects. When going up against him at the end of the game, you can see that the Chosen Undead's shoulders are about level with his waist. [[spoiler:Still not as tall as the Nameless King, though, who's nearly 10 feet. So is Dragonslayer Ornstein, and Smough is 15 feet. And maybe not as tall as his Giant-sized daughter Gwynevere, depending on how accurate Gwyndolin's illusion was. Though, Gwyn may also have been taller before he became a Lord of Cinder.]] |
| 215 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:There are hints of this in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', but ''The Ringed City'' implies the seal of fire he put on the Pygmies and their human descendants to hold back the Dark within them is the true cause of the Undead "Curse" plaguing the world whenever the First Flame begins to fade. It it also suggested that under the rule of the gods, humans grew to lose any control over the Abyss and the Dark they could have had, leading to them becoming such a danger in the present.]] |
| 216 | * NotQuiteDead: A lot of dialogue referencing Gwyn makes it seem like he died when he Linked the Fire, [[spoiler:which makes the reveal that he instead went insane down in the Kiln all the more shocking. Not only that, but even slaying him in this game isn't enough to fully keep him down; by the time of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', Gwyn has become part of the Incarnation of Kings/Soul of Cinder, and his move set being used in the second phase of the FinalBoss fight against it would imply that Gwyn forms a rather large part of this being.]] |
| 217 | * OddFriendship: While the rest of Anor Londo barely tolerated him, Gwyn seems to have genuinely liked (or at least respected) Seath, enough to give him a piece of Gwyn's own Lord Soul. Frampt refers to Seath as "Lord Gwyn's former confidant". |
| 218 | * OutGambitted: His long-run attempt to [[spoiler:prevent the rise of the Age of Dark]] ends up becoming this should you [[spoiler:take the ''Dark Lord'' ending]]. You can almost hear Darkstalker Kaathe laughing somewhere. This is seemingly averted in the long run, however, [[spoiler:as linking the fire seems to be the canon ending of ''Dark Souls 1''. He successfully kept the Age of Fire for thousands, if not ''tens of thousands'' of years, so he's remarkably successful in his plan]]. |
| 219 | * PhysicalGod: Arguably the most powerful of the bearers of the Lord Souls. |
| 220 | * ThePowerOfTheSun: Although it has less to do with [[PlayingWithFire fire]] and more with [[ShockAndAwe lightning]]. |
| 221 | * PrimalFear: Gwyn fought dragons and demons, yet the thing he feared most of all was the dark, indicative of change. |
| 222 | * RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Whatever else you can say about him, the guy was a true believer, being entirely willing to [[spoiler:condemn himself to thousands of years of unending agony just to preserve the kingdom he had built]]. |
| 223 | * ShockAndAwe: Lightning in Dark Souls is considered to be concentrated sunlight, and since Gwyn is the lord of sunlight, his power often takes the form of lightning. |
| 224 | %%* TopGod: Of Lordran. |
| 225 | * TragicHero: Probably one of the greatest in the series. Lost everything, and everyone he held dear, and ended up [[spoiler:going insane, and becoming an empty shell, after sacrificing himself for his people, and to stave off the dark, if only for a little]]. |
| 226 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: All Gwyn wanted to do was prolong his Age of Fire, and in doing so by Linking the Fire, [[spoiler:it's heavily implied that he committed the First Sin mentioned in ''[[VideoGame/DarkSoulsII Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin]]'' by Linking the Fire specifically to Souls and Humanity, beginning the cycle of Light and Dark that would result not only in the death of his kingdom, but of countless others and all the untold suffering caused by the Curse of Undeath that no one could undo because the cycle and souls are intrinsically linked by what he did.]] That's kind of a kick in the teeth for a guy who was just afraid of the dark and the power of humans, [[spoiler:although the Usurp the Fire ending to ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' would imply that the cycle can be undone. The lore also says that this cycle has happened before, so Gwyn was ultimately just holding off a part of a larger cycle.]] |
| 227 | * VillainousLegacy: Played straight, and Inverted, as Gwyn has ''both'' a villainous legacy and a heroic legacy. Villainous in [[spoiler:the whole cycle, noble intentions or not, is ''his'' fault, as is all the destruction it caused]]; heroic in [[spoiler:the Lords of Cinder, a line of Lords and heroes who selflessly submit themselves to the flame]]. |
| 228 | * VillainousValor: Regardless of your opinion of the results of his actions, even his opponents like Kaathe acknowledge Gwyn's decision to [[spoiler:burn himself alive as the First Flame's fuel]] was a powerful act of sacrifice. |
| 229 | * WalkingSpoiler: Trying to learn too much about him unravels the true plot for the latter part of the game once you meet either Primordial Serpent, given he [[spoiler:came up with a plan to perpetuate the dying First Flame, ensuring others would take up his role once he himself had lost everything]]. |
| 230 | * WeaksauceWeakness: A rather infamous example in the ''Dark Souls'' community. With his high speed and unrelenting attacks, Gwyn would actually be one of the toughest bosses in the game, on par with [[VideoGame/DemonsSouls False King Allant]]... [[spoiler:except almost all of his attacks can be parried, allowing you to kill him with just a few parries]]. Granted, even that requires a decent amount of skill to pull off. It's also likely that it's ''because'' of this weakness which shows that [[spoiler: Gwyn is just a shadow of his former self, with much of his divine power reduced to a mere fraction. A duel against him isn't even a glorious battle, but the MercyKill of an old man who's suffered for far too long]]. [[spoiler:[[ArtificialStupidity It's also possible to get his A.I. stuck on the pillars in the room, giving you time to heal that you're not supposed to have.]]]] |
| 231 | [[/folder]] |
| 232 | |
| 233 | [[folder:Gravelord Nito]] |
| 234 | !!Gravelord Nito |
| 235 | [[quoteright:341:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gravelord_nito_8065.png]] |
| 236 | The first of the dead, a literal mountain of corpses, and Leader of the Gravelord Servant Covenant. His Lord Soul granted him power over Death, and he functions as the Grim Reaper. After the great war against the dragons, he was content with laying dormant in his domain while death and misery spread over Lordran. Nito himself resides in a massive coffin deep within the Tomb of the Giants. |
| 237 | ---- |
| 238 | * AloofAlly: Unlike Gwyn and the Witch of Izalith, despite bearing a Lord Soul like them and fighting against the Everlasting Dragons, Nito does not care if the Age of Fire continues or comes to an end, and instead is content with distancing himself and focusing on spreading death and misery throughout Lordran as part of his Lord Soul's nature. |
| 239 | * AndIMustScream: Quite literally. Screaming can be heard with no clear source through many of Nito's movements and attacks, some more numerous than others, implying that some of the corpses that make him up may at least be partially self-aware. If they are, there's no doubt that they're in a great deal of pain. Or just very upset you woke them up. |
| 240 | * AtopAMountainOfCorpses: He ''is'' a mountain of corpses. Specifically, he's a giant skeleton wearing a mountain of skeletons as ''armor''. Hell, the greatsword he uses and the replica swords he makes for his servants are ''also'' made of corpses! |
| 241 | * BadassCape: A non-corporeal one. |
| 242 | * BadBoss: Of the accidental variety. He will very likely hit and kill several of the skeletons in his arena himself by trying to get to the player character, though his ability to bring them back mitigates this significantly. |
| 243 | * BlueAndOrangeMorality: His true intentions are more up in the air in comparison to his fellow Lord Soul Bearers. For one, he is not interested in helping with the Age of Fire or the Age of Dark, and is content with just spreading death. The flipside of this is that he's surprisingly compassionate with undead, if his creation of the Milfanito is any indication. |
| 244 | * BodyOfBodies: A giant skeleton that is made up of ''other skeletons''. |
| 245 | * DemBones: Is a giant skeleton wearing armour made from other skeletons. |
| 246 | * DramaPreservingHandicap: His Lord Soul description notes that he's much weaker than he was when he first gained his Lord Soul, as he's spread most of it out among the Undead. [[spoiler: And Pinwheel has been [[PowerParasite siphoning some off]] for an unknown amount of time]]. This has taken him down from 'unstoppable force of nature' to just 'late-game boss fight.' |
| 247 | %%* FluffyTheTerrible: ... Although this is blunted somewhat by the fact that his name is pronounced just like "neat-o", or "{{NEET}}-o" for the Website/{{Pixiv}} community. |
| 248 | * FlunkyBoss: He's flanked by several skeletons, all of which resurrect quickly unless [[DeaderThanDead you kill them with Divine-type weapons]]. If you take a few steps further into the boss area, a few [[GiantMook giant skeletons]] will also assist Nito. |
| 249 | * GodOfTheDead: Nito, the First of the Dead, has dominion over death, decay, and necromancy, and one of the original Lords that fought against the Eternal Dragons. Subverted ultimately in that rather than preside over an afterlife, Nito prefers to lay at the bottom of a gigantic catacomb underneath Lordran. |
| 250 | * TheGrimReaper: Serves as one for the game's setting due to his Lord Soul giving him power over death. |
| 251 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X39HV_s0RdI "Gravelord Nito"]], a haunting piece which features an equally foreboding chorus and an eerie wail that imitates the wind. |
| 252 | * MagicKnight: Uses a wide array of Gravelord-related magic spells during his boss fight, on top of his trusty sword and grab attacks. |
| 253 | * MightyGlacier: Slow, limping, and telegraphs his attacks a lot, but he's got the standard late-game boss health pool, and his attacks are devastating to low-stamina players. |
| 254 | * TheMinionMaster: The most dangerous thing about the fight against Nito are the swarms of reanimating skeletons he has at his beck and call. |
| 255 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: It doesn't get more intimidating than having the moniker ''Gravelord''. |
| 256 | * {{Necromancer}}: Like the necromancers encountered in the Catacombs, Nito regenerates his Skeletal minions unless they are slain with Divine weapons. Unlike the necromancers encountered in the Catacombs, Nito is not a SquishyWizard. |
| 257 | * TheOmniscient: Of a sort; the flavour texts repeatedly state that he's able to oversee from his tomb all matters of death, as well as members of his covenant. |
| 258 | * OneManArmy: To the war against the dragons, Gwyn brought his army of knights and possibly even a few members of his own family. The Witch of Izalith brought all seven of her daughters, powerful fire witches like herself. The Furtive Pygmy [[spoiler:also partook in the war with his brethren]]. Nito brought... himself, and his awesome powers of death and decay. |
| 259 | * OutOfFocus: In the long term, anyway. While in his initial appearance in ''Dark Souls 1'', he was just as powerful and noteworthy as the other bearers, he receives less and less attention in comparison to the others as the series progresses. He's tied to the lore of two important zones in ''Videogame/DarkSoulsII'', and is mentioned throughout those areas, but that's all he gets. It's to the point where come ''VideoGame/DarkSouls3'', Nito doesn't even receive a reference in any flavor text.[[labelnote:*]]Though in a strange sense, this may actually fit his character more; where while the other lords specifically went out of their ways to build great kingdoms or ensure that they'd either be remembered or live forever, Nito only focused on doing his job without caring if he was acknowledged for it.[[/labelnote]] |
| 260 | * PlagueMaster: His covenant is dedicated to infecting unwitting Undeads' worlds with powerful monsters that only disappear when the Gravelord servant is defeated. |
| 261 | ** This is also how he contributed to the war with the dragons, by "unleashing a miasma of death and disease". |
| 262 | * SinisterScimitar: Which is made of corpses and spreads plague! [[spoiler:By joining his covenant, you will receive one and, if done early in the game, it becomes a long-lasting DiskOneNuke.]] |
| 263 | * UndeadAbomination: A god of death, he seemingly spawned from nowhere, having come into existence as the first undead shortly after the disparity between life and death came into existence. |
| 264 | * WalkingOssuary: As the embodiment of Death and Disease itself in Lordran, Nito is comprised of countless ''entire human skeletons'' pressed together in a 25 foot bipedal humanoid shape wrapped in a wispy cloak shaped cloud of black smoke, with a large central skull being his "head." |
| 265 | [[/folder]] |
| 266 | |
| 267 | [[folder:The Witch of Izalith]] |
| 268 | !!The Witch of Izalith |
| 269 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/witch_of_izalith_252.png]] |
| 270 | |
| 271 | The mother of the Daughters of Chaos and one of the greatest wielders of the Old Fire Arts. Her Lord Soul granted her power over Flame and Chaos. |
| 272 | ---- |
| 273 | * TheArchmage: Naturally considering she's a master of [[PlayingWithFire fire magic]], even making a unique branch of pyromancy that's been lost to history. |
| 274 | * FateWorseThanDeath: It's implied that there are still [[spoiler:traces of her consciousness within the Bed of Chaos, since Quelana asks you to MercyKill her]]. |
| 275 | * GoneHorriblyWrong: The Witch of Izalith decided to create her own First Flame using the power of her Soul. [[spoiler:She succeeded at first and managed to contain its power and give birth to a sprawling civilization, but she eventually lost control, which resulted in the Flame of Chaos completely taking her over -- or whatever it did to her and her city. The resulting abomination became known as the Bed of Chaos: a font of life that became the source of all demons in Lordran. This event also spawned pyromancy, replacing the old fire arts.]] |
| 276 | * PlayingWithFire: She and her daughters weaved storms of fire in the war against the dragons, and she even created a unique form of pyromancy that has since been lost to history. [[spoiler:The Bed of Chaos itself casts some very powerful fire spells as well.]] |
| 277 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple: The only female bearer of a Lord Soul. |
| 278 | * StatuesqueStunner: What is seen of her in the prologue cutscene; she's much taller than her daughters, who are more human-sized. |
| 279 | * TheUnseen: Unlike Gwyn and Nito, you don't seem to meet her in the game, even though Frampt and Kaathe explicitly include her in your new quest to gather Lord Souls as to satiate the Lordvessel. This is because [[spoiler:she has become the present-day Bed of Chaos]]. |
| 280 | * WalkingSpoiler: Moreso than the other Lords in their present-day state, due to the fact that [[spoiler:she had been devoured by [[Characters/DarkSoulsEnemyNPCsAndBosses the Bed of Chaos]], making it hard to talk about either character]]. |
| 281 | [[/folder]] |
| 282 | |
| 283 | [[folder:The Furtive Pygmy]] |
| 284 | !!The Furtive Pygmy |
| 285 | [[quoteright:144:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/furtive_pygmy_470.png]] |
| 286 | |
| 287 | An unknown Lord, both figuratively and literally. Unlike the three other Lords, he doesn't seem to have participated in the war against the dragons, and is ultimately relegated to the background, "so easily forgotten". |
| 288 | ---- |
| 289 | * AmbiguousGender: The Furtive Pygmy is not referred to with a gendered pronoun, being referred to by name in the opening and as "[[spoiler:your ancestor/progenitor]]" by Kaathe. The opening silhouette seems vaguely male, but also somewhat inhuman. [[spoiler:As the individual who all humans come from, it's possible the Furtive Pygmy predates humans having sexes. The ''Ringed City'' makes it known that there were many Pygmies, meaning it wasn't the sole parent and even shared its Dark Soul with the rest.]] Miyazaki has confirmed the Pygmy is male however. |
| 290 | * AlmightyJanitor: Despite being so easily forgotten in comparison to the other Lords, [[spoiler:he is responsible for creating humanity and his efforts to give rise to an Age of Dark were effective enough to bring the other Lords to their knees and threaten the Age of Fire. You can argue that some of his efforts finally come to fruition in ''Dark Souls III'', when the First Flame finally begins to flicker out... yet, with so little known about him, it's debatable whether he ever had a plan at all.]] |
| 291 | * CharacterTitle: A subtle example, as [[spoiler:the Pygmy's Lord Soul is the titular Dark Soul]]. |
| 292 | * TheChessmaster: According to Kaathe, the Pygmy [[spoiler:waited out the war against the Dragons and even the Age of Fire in order to give rise to the Age of Man[=/=]Dark]]. But the Pygmy's mission was lost to man due to [[spoiler:Gwyn's efforts in preserving the dying Age of Fire]]. Despite this setback, [[spoiler:his plans are possibly carried out by his descendants, i.e., the human race, all of which received pieces of his Lord Soul]]. [[spoiler:''The Ringed City'' shows that the Pygmy lords, implicitly his direct descendants, truly respected the Gods, but were sealed away in the Ringed City due to their Dark Souls. It's unclear whether Kaathe was simply lying, or if the Pygmy's desire to bring down the gods and elevate humanity was inspired by this betrayal.]] |
| 293 | * FourIsDeath: He is the fourth and final Lord Soul bearer mentioned in the prologue, and despite being forgotten compared to the three others, is said to have made a long and elaborate plan in which he [[spoiler:scattered his soul and gave a fragment to all his descendants, who would become the humans of the ''Dark Souls'' universe]]. Throughout the main game and the DownloadableContent, you get to witness the fruits of said plan, [[spoiler:in which the influx of humanities, being closely related to the darkness of the Abyss, starts corrupting several locales and spawns unrecognizable abominations, the greatest of which is Manus, Father of the Abyss]]. However... things may not be that clear. Because that picture depends on how trustworthy you take [[spoiler: Kaathe]] to be. |
| 294 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: He was said to be most likely too physically weak to truly help the other Lords fight the war against the dragons, yet [[spoiler:[[ThePlan was also said to have proved to be the most clever of the Lords; by splitting his Lord Soul, the Dark Soul itself, and granting the shards to his descendants, whom would eventually became the human race... they are set to rule in an Age of Dark after the Age of Fire finally ends.]] It's also possible that he's actually Manus, Father of the Abyss; if so, then he began as a pathetic nobody and ended as the most nightmarish being Lordran has ever seen, playing this trope twice over.]] However, buyer beware. [[spoiler: Propaganda from a lot of sides means all of this is almost certainly lies.]] |
| 295 | * TheGhost: Is mentioned once by name in the opening narration, and what scarce few information is left is provided from an NPC that will [[GuideDangIt only appear under very specific circumstances.]] He never appears in-game proper [[spoiler:unless he was warped into Manus, Father of the Abyss]]. |
| 296 | * MeaningfulName: The reason he is called the Furtive Pygmy is possibly because of his frail stature compared to the other bearers of the Lord Souls. [[spoiler:It also makes sense considering he is the progenitor of the human race, and the average human is small when compared to lesser deities such as Ornstein and Artorias.]] |
| 297 | * NonActionGuy: Unlike the other lords, he was said not to have taken part in the war against the dragons. Given his only appearance in the prologue makes him look rather frail, he probably just wasn't fit to fight the dragons. [[spoiler:Then ''The Ringed City'' reveals that the pygmies did help in the war against the dragons, though whether the Furtive Pygmy himself played any significant role is unclear.]] |
| 298 | * OriginalMan: [[spoiler:Kaathe calls the Furtive Pygmy the Chosen Undead's "ancestor" because ''all'' humans are descended from the Pygmy.]] |
| 299 | * ThePlan: The Furtive Pygmy [[spoiler:waited out a whole war and the First Age of Fire to give rise to an age where humans ruled]]. While Gwyn took measures to prevent this, he was only delaying the inevitable, [[spoiler:although whether this happens in the present is still up to the player. ''The Ringed City'' throws a massive hole into the story: the Pygmies never had any plan to try and overthrow the Gods, they respected them. Though the Pygmies harnessed Dark and Fire in equal measure rather than obsessing over one.]] |
| 300 | * TitleDrop: According to Kaathe, [[spoiler:the Pygmy's Lord Soul was the Dark Soul]], going as far as to say it was unique, even compared to [[spoiler:the other three Lord Souls]]. |
| 301 | * {{Unperson}}: Aside from the opening cinematic and some oblique references made by Kaathe, we know next to nothing about the Furtive Pygmy, [[spoiler:and this isn't for no reason. Gwyn had a very nasty habit of striking things he didn't like from the annals of history, and the Pygmies were one such thing; ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' reveals in The Ringed City DLC that the Pygmies and their armies did aid Gwyn in his war against the dragons, wielding weapons and armor forged in the Abyss to great effect. However, Gwyn feared the Dark and their Dark Souls, so he sealed them away in time in the titular city while placing a seal of fire on all bearers of the Dark Soul and Humanity that would later turn into the Darksign. Thus, the Furtive Pygmy "so easily forgotten" was really forcibly erased from history to support Gwyn's political narrative.]] |
| 302 | * TheUnseen: Only appears in the prologue cutscene as a silhouette, but not in the game proper. We think. |
| 303 | * WalkingSpoiler: Despite not appearing in the game proper, his existence is perhaps the most crucial plot point in the entire story, as it is impossible to talk about it without giving away the fact that [[spoiler:it's the other face of the coin in the debate over whether or not the Age of Fire should continue, with the opposite being Gwyn's struggle to prolong it, which is another major spoiler]]. Then, there's the possibility of him [[spoiler:having turned into Manus, Father of the Abyss]], which is an even bigger bag of spoilers. |
| 304 | [[/folder]] |
| 305 | |
| 306 | [[folder:Seath the Scaleless]] |
| 307 | !!Seath the Scaleless |
| 308 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/seath_the_scaleless_743.jpg]] |
| 309 | |
| 310 | A primordial dragon who betrayed his brethren because he was born without scales. Lord Gwyn presented Seath a Dukedom and the archives of Anor Londo. He holds the title "Grandfather of Sorcery". Gwyn gave Seath a fragment of his Lord Soul before attempting to stave off the end of the Age of Fire. Seath drove himself insane and blind while researching the Scales of Immortality he was born without. |
| 311 | ---- |
| 312 | * TheArchmage: Say what you will about Seath, but founding an entire school of magic can't have been an easy feat. |
| 313 | * AssholeVictim: Unlike Nito, who just wanted to be left alone, Gwyn, who sacrificed everything in the futile attempt to continue the reign of his family, the Witch of Izalith, who was consumed by the Flame of Chaos, Seath the Scaleless has little to no redeemable qualities both in-game and in-lore, being an EvilSorceror and MadScientist who betrayed his own kind out of spite, assisted their enemies in a genocide against the dragons, and performed depraved experiments of humans. [[spoiler: If you believe the theory that Priscilla is his spawn, he may be her father and Gwynevere her mother, due to the painting of Aramais being in her cathedral]]. |
| 314 | * AtopAMountainOfCorpses: In the intro. A mountain made up of his own kind, no less. |
| 315 | * AxCrazy: Shown nicely in his first appearance, where he is standing on top of a collection of dragon bodies, blood dripping from his mouth, steadily crushing their intestines in his hands. Going insane by the time the game starts can't have helped. |
| 316 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: In his desperate search to become immortal, he vehemently researched the Everlasting Dragons' scales after helping the Lords win the war. [[spoiler:He obtains his wish due to the powers of the Primordial Crystal, but by then he's become too insane to really embrace his newfound immortality.]] |
| 317 | * BirdsOfAFeather: Scared and envious of that which he cannot truly understand, he strikes out at everything he fears and goes to great lengths to deny reality? Gosh -- no wonder he and [[spoiler: Gwyn]] got along ''so well''. Says something that those who loved one couldn't stand the other, when they were so much alike. |
| 318 | * BoomerangBigot: Seath doesn't just envy other dragons, he ''despises'' them. He personally massacres more than a few of his kin, and [[spoiler: in ''VideoGame/{{Dark Souls II}}'' it's implied he butchered the dragon living in Brightstone Cove Tseldora after taking possession of the Duke's pet spider]]. Doubles as a BerserkButton. |
| 319 | * BreathWeapon: Uses "crystal breath" which takes the form of a powerful beam that grows crystals on the ground where it hits and can curse you. Later, you can "acquire" a reverse-engineered spell based on it from Big Hat Logan, though it lacks the ability to curse. |
| 320 | * CombatTentacles: Has three tails that function as these. [[spoiler:You can cut the tip of the middle tail in order to obtain the powerful [[InfinityPlusOneSword Moonlight Greatsword]], which is ideal for most magic-oriented builds.]] |
| 321 | * CompleteImmortality: By way of [[spoiler:his primordial crystal, which lets him shrug off all kinds of damage until it is destroyed]]. |
| 322 | * CrazyPrepared: [[spoiler:He actually ''puts a cell around the nearest bonfire'' so that when you resurrected after his HopelessBossFight, you'd be captured!]] |
| 323 | * DraconicAbomination: Unlike the other [[DragonsAreDivine Archdragons]] — who had stone scales and four wings — Seath the Scaleless has no eyes, pale slimy-looking skin, tentacles instead of legs, eight flexible dragonfly-like wings, and rather than breathing fire he fires beams of energy that create cursed crystals. Obsessed with immortality, Seath obtained a piece of Gwyn's Lord Soul and a mystical crystal that made him into a unique undead. [[spoiler:Even after death, his soul persisted to the time of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', with Sweet Shalquoir indicating that he was reincarnated as the arachnid Animalistic Abomination Freja (which his soul is obtained from) and Manscorpion Tark commenting that his master cannot truly be killed and will simply be reborn so he can "seethe" for all eternity. By the time of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' a secret cult worshipping Seath had formed in Lothric's Grand Archives, with King Oceiros going so far as to mutate into a DraconicHumanoid strongly resembling the Old Paledrake himself.]] |
| 324 | * DramaticallyMissingThePoint: [[Videogame/DarkSoulsII Manscorpion Tark]], implied to be one of his creations, pities him because he drove himself insane trying to find out why he was born different and mortal, never realizing what it was he truly lacked. |
| 325 | * DubNameChange: Mild example, his moniker was changed from "White Dragon" in the Japanese to "The Scaleless" in English. |
| 326 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: The first time we see Seath in the opening movie, he's perched on top of a pile of dragon corpses, roaring triumphantly. |
| 327 | * EvilChancellor: Or evil duke, at any rate. It's implied that Seath used to be less insane during Gwyn's time, but whether or not he was any less malevolent is up for debate. |
| 328 | * EyelessFace: As if he wasn't weird enough already, he has no eyes and "sees" through magic. |
| 329 | * FreudianExcuse: He was born without scales, and thus without the standard dragon immortality -- in other words, he basically had a terminal disease from his race's perspective. Much of his betrayal was based around fixing that. |
| 330 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes: Seath was by far the most controversial figure under Gwyn's lordship. While the Lord of Sunlight rewarded him generously with his own dukedom, archive, and even a fragment of his soul, the Scaleless was hated by many other close confidantes of Gwyn, including Havel and Frampt. |
| 331 | * GreenEyedMonster: Betrayed his kin just for being born ''different''. |
| 332 | * HandicappedBadass: He's completely blind. You can exploit this with the Slumbering Dragoncrest ring or the Hush sorcery. |
| 333 | * TheHeavy: He's the most active, prevalent, and dangerous of the Lord Soul bearers besides Gwyn, as his experiments are loose all across Lordran. The sidequests of [[spoiler: Rhea and Logan]] end in some way because of him, and he is the only boss who is [[spoiler: fought twice]]. Nor does dying stop him from causing problems; his spirit shows up in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'' [[spoiler:in the form of [[GiantSpider the Duke's Dear Freja]]]] to wreak havoc, Manscorpion Tark and Scorpioness Najka are the results of his experiments, and in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' Oceiros is turned into a blind part-dragon monster by digging into Seath's work. |
| 334 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: You can make him [[spoiler:accidentally destroy his own SoulJar]] by goading his attacks towards it. Making him destroy it himself [[OhCrap shocks him]] enough that he's left wide-open for attack for a couple of seconds. |
| 335 | * HopelessBossFight: In the first encounter with him, [[spoiler:his SoulJar is nowhere to be seen, meaning he regenerates from any damage dealt to him]], and you are helpless as he wails on you with constant magic attacks. [[spoiler:Dying to him is required to progress, so wearing a (Rare) Ring of Sacrifice to prevent losing souls and Humanity and possibly being cursed is very recommended.]] |
| 336 | * ImmortalityInducer: [[spoiler:The Primordial Crystal.]] |
| 337 | * ImmortalitySeeker: He founded Sorcery, conducted endless horrific experiments, and drove himself blind and insane in his search for immortality. |
| 338 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRuvdP3qjUM "Seath the Scaleless"]], a schizophrenic track which reflects his [[SanitySlippage insane]] [[MadScientist state]]. |
| 339 | * LightIsNotGood: His skin is white and, as the Grandfather of Sorcery, his power lies in the bending and manipulation of light. He's also one of the cruelest beings in the entire game. |
| 340 | * MadScientist: While he is implied to have been quite sane initially, he went mad well before the game takes place. |
| 341 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Mostly resembles a Western dragon, but his fleshy skin, lack of eyes, invertebrate-like wings and slug-like tails all make him vaguely resemble a sea slug, one species of which is ''Glaucus atlanticus'' (the blue dragon slug). |
| 342 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Continuing (or perhaps starting) the tradition of dragons having ominous names, Seath is a homophone for 'seethe'. [[MeaningfulName Which is also what he spends most of his time doing]]. |
| 343 | * OurDragonsAreDifferent: A Western-style dragon like the brethren he betrayed. But he has white flesh instead of scales, insectoid wings, no hind legs, and three tails instead of one, the lesser two on either side of him essentially functioning as legs. The lower half of his body is now covered in crystals due to the years spent in proximity to the primordial crystal. |
| 344 | ** Not to mention that Gwyn made him a [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership Duke]]! |
| 345 | ** To top it all off, he isn't naturally immortal like his brethren, all because he lacks scales. [[spoiler:His SoulJar functions as a very good substitute, though.]] |
| 346 | * OurLichesAreDifferent: By the time you meet him, he has essentially become a {{Dracolich}} due to [[spoiler:the primordial crystal, which acts as his SoulJar]]. This leads to... |
| 347 | ** SlidingScaleOfUndeadRegeneration: Type IV, but only so long as [[spoiler:the primordial crystal found at the end of the Crystal Caves is intact, which you must destroy to be able to damage and kill Seath during your rematch]]. |
| 348 | * RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: Averted. Gwyn did pretty well by him, granting him a dukedom and an archive to further his research, much to Havel's dismay, who is extremely wary of Seath. |
| 349 | * SanitySlippage: According to the Darkmoon Knightess, Big Hat Logan, and [[Videogame/DarkSoulsII Sweet Shalquoir]], Seath drove himself insane in his search for the Scales of Immortality he was born without. [[spoiler:He ironically became immortal due to the primordial crystal he took when he defected from his brethren, and the sequel implies he's been able to reincarnate himself into different beings ever since, with the latest form being the [[GiantSpider Duke's Dear Freja]].]] |
| 350 | * TokenEvilTeammate: All of the Lord Soul bearers have at least [[GreyAndGrayMorality gray]] morality (or [[BlueAndOrangeMorality blue/orange]]), but Seath is pretty firmly in the 'black' zone; he's a psychotic jackass who betrayed his entire species out of envy, and as such is despised by at least two members of Gwyn's inner circle (Frampt and Havel) and presumably more still. |
| 351 | * {{Transplant}}: Originated in the ''VideoGame/KingsField'' series. |
| 352 | * VillainousLegacy: While Seath himself remains dead, [[spoiler: his spirit lives on and causes a whole host of problems all across ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', and his archives end up critical in King Ocerios' downfall to madness and the fall of the kingdom of Lothric in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'']]. |
| 353 | [[/folder]] |
| 354 | |
| 355 | [[folder:The Four Kings]] |
| 356 | !!The Four Kings |
| 357 | [[quoteright:297:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/four_kings_9041.png]] |
| 358 | |
| 359 | Rulers of former New Londo whom Gwyn granted their positions and a piece of his Lord's Soul for their counsel. However, they fell prey to the beasts of the Abyss that appeared under New Londo, and the knights of the city were corrupted into Darkwraiths. This event led to the whole of New Londo being flooded and magically sealed. They now reside within the Abyss itself: a pitch black void in which nothing can survive, save those who have made a covenant with the beasts that dwell within it. |
| 360 | ---- |
| 361 | * AreaOfEffect: If you remain close to them for too long, they may retaliate with a magical explosion that spreads over a large distance, which is deadly if not blocked or avoided. |
| 362 | * AxCrazy: Their use of lifedrain made them corrupted and violent, to the point where New Londo had to be flooded with everyone still inside to contain them. |
| 363 | * BishonenLine: In spite of their heavy corruption from the Abyss and the rest of their bodies being quite eldritch looking, their heads and faces are those of {{Long Haired Pretty Boy}}s, albeit with some HornsOfVillainy. Compare this with the regular Darkwraiths, who have a SkullForAHead. |
| 364 | * DepthPerplexion: The ceiling and horizon of the Abyss blend together, making it quite difficult to tell how far away the Four Kings or their magic projections are, especially when you first fight them and can't tell how big they are. |
| 365 | * DamageSpongeBoss: The total health bar for this boss is the highest in the game, topping at around 9,500 in the base game. The NewGamePlus also gives them a significant health boost, elevating them to a whopping '''16,000''' HP. In a game where the hardest-hitting non-augmented attack doesn't deal beyond 800 damage or so in a single hit against bosses, this is saying something. |
| 366 | * DarkIsEvil: A sterling example of what the powers of Dark can do to a person. This even extends to the point where their arena is nothing but a featureless black void. |
| 367 | * DeathCryEcho: Every time you whittle down an individual king's health to zero, he disintegrates and lets out a high-pitched scream that resonates within the Abyss. |
| 368 | * TheDividual: Everything in the game treats them as pretty much the same character, from their lore to their boss battle. |
| 369 | * EvilMakesYouUgly: It's implied that [[spoiler:prolonged use of Life Drain]] corrupted their form even further than the mindless Darkwraiths that wander the New Londo Ruins. |
| 370 | * {{Expy}}: Of the [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Nazgul]]; they're former rulers of men who fell prey to [[TheCorruption a form of temptation]] and became [[EvilMakesYouUgly deformed]], [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghastly]] shadows of their former selves. They also wield magic[=/=]cursed swords, and, if given the chance, they will also attack you [[WolfPackBoss together]]. |
| 371 | * FallenHero: Were once noble and just rulers, enough for Gwyn to entrust shards of his Lord Soul before he departed for [[spoiler:the Kiln of the First Flame. Then Kaathe appeared and tempted them with the Art of Lifedrain.]] |
| 372 | * FourIsDeath: There are four of them, and they're once-great rulers who fell prey to temptation, which twisted them into {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and plunged their kingdom into the darkness of the Abyss. They're also regarded as one of the toughest boss fights in the game, so the Chosen Undead is likely to die many times fighting them. |
| 373 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: According to the ''Dark Souls'' lore, there are only four kings of New Londo and they can all spawn during the fight against them if you drag it out for too long. If you somehow manage to kill all four and there's still some life left in the overall boss health bar, a fifth will spawn in, presumably to prevent an unwinnable state. This is probably intentional from a programming standpoint, but almost impossible inside the lore. The ''only'' way it can be HandWaved in-universe is the [[TimeyWimeyBall convoluted to hell flow of time]] allowing the slain kings to fade back into existence. That, or the Kings are such {{Eldritch Abomination}}s that they can pull a DoppelgangerAttack. |
| 374 | * GhostlyGlide: They float in the middle of the void. |
| 375 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xpreRWuUWo "Four Kings"]], a nerve-wrecking theme which features a deep male chorus, oppressive brass, and panic-inducing violins. |
| 376 | * LifeDrain: One of their close proximity attacks is to spin and grab the player, draining some health and one Humanity. Aside from the obvious effects, a secondary effect is that the timer between King spawns continues counting down during the animation while you're not able to do any damage, making the fight even harder despite the attack itself being one of their less damaging moves. |
| 377 | * {{Magic Knight}}s: They all wield a sword in battle, and are able to cast various homing magic projectiles at you. |
| 378 | * NoNameGiven: Their names are never mentioned and are likely forgotten by history. |
| 379 | * NoSell: They're immune to bleeding and poison, and never flinch, even as you kill them. |
| 380 | * NothingIsScarier: As soon as you fall down to the Abyss and land on a pitch-black, horizonless void, you are greeted with... ''nothing''. [[spoiler:Not long after, the first of the Four Kings emerges from the shadows and engages you in battle, with more kings spawning every subsequent minute.]] |
| 381 | * OurGhostsAreDifferent: They have a very spectral appearance, almost to the point that it's easy to forget that [[spoiler:overuse of the Art of Lifedrain [[EvilMakesYouUgly made them this way]]]]. |
| 382 | * RushBoss: Welcome to the official ''Dark Souls'' DPS test. Do you have enough DPS to down a King before the next one spawns (or at least, quickly after it does)? Congratulations, this shouldn't be too difficult. Do you ''not'' have sufficient DPS, forcing you to [[WolfPackBoss deal with two or even three or more Kings at a time]]? ThisIsGonnaSuck. |
| 383 | * {{Synchronization}}: Though each King has their own health bar and can be individually killed, their boss health bar represents the collective health of all four (though there are actually five of them, to prevent softlocking) and takes damage regardless of which King you attack. |
| 384 | * WalkingSpoiler: You do not learn about them until you speak to Ingward, who briefs you on the situation in New Londo. The fact that [[spoiler:they have been corrupted by the Art of Lifedrain introduced by Kaathe]] also turns the latter into one. |
| 385 | * WolfPackBoss: Each King's health equates to about one-fourth of the boss health meter, but this is played with in a few ways: the total boss health is actually ''less'' than four individual kings' health added up, the kings respawn when slain, and inflicting enough damage to empty the boss health, however distributed between the individual kings, will win the fight, even if some of them are still alive. This can lead to such shenanigans as beating the Four Kings by fighting a total of five kings, killing two and only wounding the other three. |
| 386 | * YouHaveFailedMe: This is evidently how [[spoiler:Kaathe]] sees them. |
| 387 | [[/folder]] |
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