Main Characters (The Tarnished | Marika) | Roundtable Hold | Secondary Characters (Renowned Ashes) | Outer Gods | Demigods (Godfrey | Morgott | Mohg | Radahn | Rykard | Ranni the Witch | Malenia) | Enemies and Bosses (Dragons | Liurnia of the Lakes | Recurring Enemies and Bosses | Tarnished Invaders and Targets)
This page details the various NPCs the Tarnished is invaded by throughout the Lands Between. Warning: Unmarked spoilers ahead.
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Tarnished Invaders
Bloody Fingers
Followers of Mohg who serve his dynasty by invading people.
Bloody Finger Nerijus
A Bloody Finger that invades the Tarnished in the ravine north of Lake Agheel, just outside of Murkwater Cave.
- Bald of Evil: It's impossible to see without datamining, but he's completely bald. And as a servant of Mohg who goes around invading and killing people, the 'evil' is fairly obvious.
- Bloody Murder: Dual-wields the Reduvia, which allows him to spray blood blades towards the Tarnished, causing blood loss. He drops a single Reduvia upon defeat.
- Flat Character: He's as generic as the Bloody Fingers come and gets nothing to his name aside from being a servant of Mohg; he's never mentioned outside of his fight and the descriptions of his armor and weapon state that they're standard use for Mohg's faction. Even his fellow starter invader Henricus gets more of a story than him. The closest thing he gets is Yura calling him by name during his invasion.
- Psycho Knife Nut: Uses daggers with nasty bleed effect.
- Starter Villain: He's your introduction to Yura, the Bloody Finger invaders, and possibly invasion in general if you find him before Recusant Henricus, the other Limgrave invader..
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: His eyes, like most Bloody Fingers, are reddish in color.
- Undeathly Pallor: His skin is a pale white under his robes.
Ravenmount Assassin
A Bloody Finger and assassin from Ravenmount that Yura invades at the Main Academy Gate. The Tarnished can be summoned to assist Yura in defeating him.
- Animal Motif: Ravenmount assassins are associated with birds of prey, and their armor set is designed to resemble Deathbirds.
- In the Hood: Wears the hooded Skeletal Mask.
- No Name Given: He's only referred to by his job title. Or rather, former job title, since he's clearly working for Mohg now.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He's the only living Ravenmount Assassin the Tarnished meets on their quest, where he is killed by Yura.
- Wolverine Claws: Dual wields two Raptor Talons.
Eleonora, Violet Bloody Finger
A Bloody Finger who ambushes the Tarnished at the Second Church of Marika at the Altus Plateau, potentially right after she has just mortally wounded Bloody Finger Hunter Yura in a duel.
- Ambiguous Situation: How loyal to Mohg is she? Yura certainly believes she's gone off the deep end as a Bloody Finger, and she invades you like any other, but she also drops a Physick Tear only useful for fighting Mohg, and if you look at her model you can see that she doesn't have the tattoo that other Bloody Fingers have on their faces.
- Double Weapon: She wields her signature Poleblade, a quick, nimble twinblade that inflicts hemorrhage buildup.
- Dragon Knight: She wears the Drake Knight set and uses Dragon Communion incantations such as Agheel's Flame and Greyoll's Roar. Given that Yura warns the player against partaking in Dragon Communion, as it can cause one to become consumed by the desire to gain more and more power, Eleanora's reason for throwing her lot in with Mohg seems clear.
- The Dragonslayer: Implied, given the nature of the Drake Knight set as armor draped in the spoils of the hunt of a dragon, as well as her use of Dragon Communion incantations which require eating the hearts of dragons to obtain. In fact, given that Agheel's Flame requires two Dragon Hearts to purchase and Greyoll's Roar requires 3, she's implied to have slain 5 dragons (though two dragons the player can defeat, Adula and Theodorix, drop three hearts).
- Naginatas Are Feminine: Her poleblade is explicitly described as a 'twinned naginata', and Yura describes her skill with the blade as immaculate.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Her fight with Yura ended with her killing him, but him removing her Bloody Finger, leaving her with a limited number of invasions.
- The Silent Bob: She is heavily implied to be a Drake Knight, who are apparently speechless from birth according to their armor description.
Bloody Finger Okina
An swordsman from the Land of Reeds whose battles ultimately caused him to succumb to his bloodlust, becoming a deadly murderer. He invades the Tarnished at the Church of Repose.
- Assist Character: Okina is one of many the participants of the Radahn Festival, and can be summoned to help with the fight.
- Ax-Crazy: With his Blood Knight characterization and general theme of murder, Okina dosen't seem like he's in the best state of mind. But what really takes the cake is the Japanese text of the game explicitly refers to him as Shura, a concept taken from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which refers to a swordsman who becomes so entrhalled and enraptured by the concept of killing, they transform into a literal demon.
- Blood Knight: Is entirely focused on fighting and murdering people. He doesn't care why or for whom (his mask description states that he found such things absurd), which is why he now serves Mohg; infinite invasions are right up his alley.
- Bloody Murder: Corpse Piler is Double Slash enhanced with blood.
- Boss in Mook's Clothing: Okina's katana, Rivers of Blood, utilizes the Corpse Piler weapon skill, which is the Double Slash skill, but has extended range and can rapidly build up bleed. Getting caught in a combo typically results in death. The biggest problem is that, due to having infinite focus points, Okina is always able to use this skill if given the opportunity.
- Cool Mask: The Okina Mask is reminiscent of a Japanese oni mask. It also raises dexterity, albeit at the cost of focus, when equipped.
- Devil's Job Offer: At some point, Okina met and attempted to kill Mohg. Mohg, either out of fear for his life or admiration of his bloodthirst (or maybe a little of both), offered him a job instead, promising him that said bloodthirst would never go unsated, which Okina happily accepted.
- Enlightened Antagonist: As his mask tells: "The more he sharpened his mind, the more the absurdities of the world came into stark relief. And so Okina renounced it all, and rose to a higher plane. There was only himself. His katana. And its mastery." Okina is called a mad bloodthirsty demon, but he and his disciples would call him enlightened by fully dedicating himself to the struggle of combat and his art of the sword. As you learn more secrets about the cosmology of the world, there could be a insane ring of truth their claims.
- Evil Weapon: His sword, Rivers of Blood, is described as being cursed, and seems to be permanently stained across its entire length with blood.
- Master Swordsman: One of the best swordsmen to come from the Land of Reeds, and his sole desire is to further his mastery of his katana. He even has a group of disciples, the Inaba, following in his wake, and they're almost as capable as him of quickly killing you. Okina himself was capable of wounding the Demigod Mohg per the description of his sword, impressing the Lord of Blood enough that he recruited Okina more or less on the spot.
- Mythology Gag: His homeland is the Land of Reeds (the 葦 Ashina/葦名 means reeds) and his sword's description says Mohg tempted him to live the life of a Shura (in English, it just says "demon") before he proceeded to slaughter countless people in his bloodlust. He's Sekiro from the bad ending. His sword even kind of looks like the Mortal Blade...
- Old Master: His face looks wizened and wrinkly
◊ under that mask. - Only Known by Their Nickname: The description of the Okina Mask he wears notes that "Okina" is a nickname derived from the mask itself, not the man's actual name. Given that his lore states that he was completely devoted to mastering the art of swordsmanship, he probably doesn't think he needs one.
- Recurring Element: Joins the long Souls tradition of foreign, Japanese-esque Samurai from a distant, unseen land wandering the world to test their skills. More specifically, he's practically an Evil Counterpart to Sir Alonne, being a Blood Knight wielding an Evil Weapon in service to a local Lord.
- Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Okina and his apprentice, Inaba, refer to one of the oldest and longest spanning legends in Shinto. Okina, or The Old Man, is a mask in Noh Theatre said to be the face of Matarajin, the God of Noh and deified form of Hata no Kawakatsu who, in turn, was regarded as the reincarnation of Ōmononushi, the spirit of Ōkuninushi, the deity who founded the nation of Japan, whose legend began when he saved the life of the White Hare of Inaba.
Sanguine Noble (Invader)
A Sanguine Noble who appears to be a Tarnished and invades the player in the Consecrated Snowfield. Essentially a stronger version of Nerijus. Drops the Sanguine Noble Set.
- Dual Wielding: Dual wields the Reduvia.
- Gate Guardian: He guards the teleporter to the Mohgwyn Palace, and defeating him allows the player access one entrance to the area.
- Flat Character: Even worse than Nerijus; this guy doesn't even get a name.
- Optional Boss: Defeating him is optional, as there exists an alternate way to enter Mohgwyn Palace, but defeating him has him drop the Sanguine Noble armor set.
Recusants
Members of the Volcano Manor who seek to defy the Erdtree (and earn some goodies from Tanith) by invading Tarnished who still hold true to the quest to repair the Elden Ring.
Recusant Henricus
A mace-wielding knight that invades the Tarnished in front of a large coliseum north of the Warmaster's Shack.
- Carry a Big Stick: Wields a Great Mace as his sole weapon when he invades the Tarnished.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: Whatever he was trying to do by posing as a Recusant, it doesn't seem to have worked, as Rykard is still alive when you get there and Henricus's chestpiece can be found in Rykard's arena.
- Highly-Conspicuous Uniform: His Eye Surcoat isn't that eye-catching, but he gets bonus points for wearing a shirt specifically declaring him an agent of Gideon while undercover at Volcano Manor.
- Killed Off for Real: Implied by the Eye Surcoat found in Rykard's boss arena. He most likely followed his own assigned tasks to kill other Tarnished in order to get to Rykard and kill him, only to fail at that last step.
- The Mole: His Eye Surcoat marks him as one of Gideon Ofnir's agents sent to infiltrate Volcano Manor and obtain Rykard's Great Rune for Gideon.
- Playing with Fire: His Great Mace has the Eruption Ash of War applied, the signature skill of Volcano Manor.
- Starter Villain: He's your first encounter with Volcano Manor's Recusants, and might be your first invader if your wanderings didn't take you to Bloody Finger Nerijus's territory first.
- Villainous Widow's Peak: A downplayed example, since it isn't prominent (and is covered by his helmet) and he's morally gray at worst as a servant of Gideon trying to kill Rykard.
Anastasia, Tarnished-Eater
An invader who's infamous for eating the bodies of Tarnished while being disguised as a Finger Maiden.
- Facial Horror: If you can somehow get a good look at her face, you'll see she has some nasty burns.
- I'm a Humanitarian: If you couldn't tell from her name, she eats Tarnished, using her giant butcher knife to dissect them.
- Light Is Not Good: For a cannibalistic Serial Killer, she has a pretty strong Holy theme going. She dresses like a Finger Maiden, her Butcher Knife drops with the Sacred affinity already on it, her Caelid invasion takes place in a church, her Gelmir invasion takes place in the spot where you find the Golden Vow incantation, and her Snowfield invasion has her switch the Ash of War on her Butcher Knife from Wild Strikes to Prayerful Strike.
- Our Ogres Are Hungrier: The description for the Sacred Butchering Knife describes her as “Ogress”. There whether she’s actually s different species or if it was just meant as an insult toward her savagery is ambiguous.
- Recurring Boss: Invades you three times during the game: once at the Smoldering Church in Caelid; then in Mt. Gelmir near the Corpse-Stench Shack; and finally at the Consecrated Snowfield.
- Recurring Element: The latest in the line of cannibalistic female invaders/hostile NPCs armed with a butcher cleaver that started with Maneater Mildred. Though she's a bit more modestly dressed than they usually are.
Miscellaneous
The Bloody Fingers and the Volcano Manor are the two organizations who deal with invasion, but not all invaders are beholden to these groups.
Mad Tongue Alberich
An aloof yet disturbed sorcerer who was driven mad by the taunts of others during his service to the Roundtable Hold. He invades the player below the balcony of the Roundtable Hold.
- An Ice Person: His Scythe has a Cold affinity and he uses the Glintstone Icecrag and Freezing Mist spells, all of which can give the Tarnished frostbite.
- Blood Magic: In addition to his ice spells, he also uses the Briars of Sin thorn sorcery, and carries a Staff of the Guilty which boosts its effectiveness. His armor set also boosts thorn sorceries, being inlaid with red glintstones.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: While it is hard to see when he invades you, datamining his face shows that he has a very effeminate face, as well as long flowing white hair.
- Robe and Wizard Hat: His armor set.
- Foreshadowing: His armor set appears at the Fortified Manor in Leyndell. The connection between this and his invasion spot becomes clear once you realize the Fortified Manor is the original Roundtable Hold.
- Sanity Slippage: Being constantly jeered at while at the Roundtable Hold is said to have driven him mad. If his set's description is any indication, he was already disturbed before this happened.
- The Heretic: His set is described as "heretical" and marked with red glintstones, which are said to come from blood sacrifices.
- Tongue Trauma: Drops the Taunter's Tongue item, a severed tongue which allows the player to beckon invaders into their world without needing to summon a cooperator first. It's likely he ripped this tongue out from the one who taunted him.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Alberich hits a lot harder than the other two Invaders you're likely to meet before him, such that an unprepared player can die within seconds of the invasion's start. His cold affinity equipment and spells are also practically tailor-made to wreck anyone who relies on a shield, and you can't get out of his arena unless you die or beat him. More than a wake-up call, he seems directly designed to mess with new players exploring the Roundtable Hold for the first time.
- White Hair, Black Heart: It's hard to notice in-game, but he has white hair.
- Who's Laughing Now?: Being mocked by the other members of the Roundtable Hold eventually drove him mad enough that he killed the main instigator of his suffering, and now hunts members of the Hold that rejected him. His pre-existing instability did not help.
- Worthy Opponent: He will always bow at the Tarnished before battling them, giving them the Reverential Bow gesture if they wait. Attacking him before he can bow, however, will cause him to start battling right away.
Festering Fingerprint Vyke
Festering Fingerprint
One of the few surviving Tarnished from antiquity, Vyke came the closest to claiming the Elden Ring out of any of his comrades. He can be fought as both an Invader and an Evergaol boss. As the former, his title is Festering Fingerprint Vyke and he uses Frenzied Flame incantations. As the latter, he instead uses dragon sorcery and is called Roundtable Knight Vyke.- All for Nothing: The Tarnished can potentially encounter Vyke in Liurnia outside the Church of Inhibition, which houses the corpse of a dead Finger Maiden heavily implied to be his. Keep in mind that Vyke abandoned his quest to become Elden Lord when he learned his maiden would have to sacrifice herself to make it happen, and turned to the Frenzied Flame to prevent her sacrifice.
- Ambiguous Situation:
- The description of his armor raises the question as to whether Vyke abandoned his quest to become Elden Lord for the sake of his maiden and sided with the Three Fingers or if the power of the Frenzied Flame tempted him. Similarly, the flavor text of his spear and some Frenzied Flame Incantations, as well as the difference between his Invader and Evergaol boss fights, implies Vyke managed to break free from their influence; in comparison to his Invader self as the Festering Fingerprint, Vyke doesn't use any Frenzied Flame incantations in the Lord Contender's Evergaol and strictly uses Dragon Incantations. It's likely attributed to the fact that Vyke never fully became a would-be Lord of Chaos since he never took off his armor when meeting with the Three Fingers, unlike the Tarnished who can inherit the Frenzied Flame after divesting their garments before being embraced by the Three Fingers.
- Although Vyke is stated to have been the closest to becoming Elden Lord, it's not made clear how. Finger Reader Enia states she's only met one other Tarnished besides the Player Character who gained two Great Runes, heavily implied to be Vyke himself, but she doesn't specify how he got them or which Great Runes he obtained as the only known Shardbearers by the time the player Tarnished arrives in the Lands Between are Godrick, Rennala, Rykard, Morgott, Ranni, Miquella, Malenia, and Mohg. It is worth mentioning that Ranni and Miquella's Great Runes are unaccounted for, but Ranni states she hid hers away to where no one could reach it, and the DLC trailer seems to show Miquella's Great Rune out in the Land of Shadow. It's also possible Vyke defeated other Shardbearers other than the ones we know of in-game, but if he did, the demi-gods' names are not brought up.
- Body Horror: From the description of his Fingerprint Armor set, he got burned horribly with fingerprint like markings all over his armor and body, presumably from being embraced by the Three Fingers.
- Despair Event Horizon: It's implied he gave up on his quest and began to seek the Frenzied Flame when he realized buring the Erdtree would cost the life of his Maiden.
- Evil Counterpart: He's a dark mirror to the Tarnished in regards to their motivations and relationship with their maiden Melina. Vyke is noted to have been a strong contender for the seat of Elden Lord, but he gave up on his quest when he learned he would have to kill his own maiden to burn the Erdtree and gain access to its inner sanctum, which led to him being manipulated by Shabriri into meeting with the Three Fingers and become the Lord of Frenzied Flame. He was thankfully locked away in the Lord Contender's Evergaol before that could happen. Nevertheless, it's possible for the Tarnished to follow in his footsteps and succeed where he didn't, albeit at the cost of making an enemy out of Melina.
- Failure Hero: He failed at becoming Elden Lord, failed at becoming Lord of Chaos, and even failed to save his maiden (which was the whole reason he gave up on becoming Elden Lord and turned to the Frenzied Flame in the first place).
- Fallen Hero: Before the Player Character came along, he was the closest to becoming the Elden Lord. His fall from grace occurred when he learned his maiden would have to sacrifice herself and he turned to the Frenzied Flame to spare her from that fate. He's currently stuck in an Evergaol and only influences the outside world by invading various unlucky targets.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: His armor has been burned and warped by the Three Fingers embracing him, indicating he was wearing it at the time. Given that you have to strip naked to even open the door to the Three Fingers, much less get embraced, it's entirely possible and even likely that Vyke's lack of nudity was the only reason he failed to inherit the power of the Frenzied Flame and become Lord of Chaos.
- Heel–Face Turn: Implied. When fought in the Lord Contender's Evergaol, Vyke fights without using any Frenzied Flame Incantations or Sorceries, implying he's since turned away from the Frenzied Flame. It doubles as a door slam since the Tarnished has no choice but to kill Vyke in this encounter.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: Roundtable Knight Vyke, representing Vyke as he was prior to the Frenzied Flame, is a much harder fight than Festering Fingerprint Vyke, which is what he's been reduced to after it.
- Interspecies Romance: While it's unknown what the extent of his relationship was with Lansseax the Ancient Dragon, the latter is mentioned to have fallen for him quite hard.
- Love Makes You Evil: Although the exact relationship between him and his Maiden is unknown, Vyke cared for her enough that he'd rather throw his lot in with the Three Fingers than allow his Maiden to sacrifice herself so he could be crowned Elden Lord.
- Minor Major Character: Very important in the backstory of the Lands Between, as the previous Tarnished contender for Elden Lord, lover of Lansseax, and a major link to the Frenzied Flame. Despite all this, as well as being featured on the cover, he is relegated to two optional and easily missed boss encounters in the latter half of the game, and only Flavor Text explains his backstory.
- The Paragon Always Rebels: Not only was he closest of the Tarnished to becoming the Elden Lord, he was really popular to the point of earning the love of Lansseax, an Ancient Dragon. Unfortunately, he gave in to the offer of the Frenzied Flame to save the life of his Maiden, becoming the Festering Fingerprint.
- The Poorly Chosen One: Gets hit with this twice. He was the closest of all Tarnished to becoming the Elden Lord, only to abandon it to try and become the Lord of Chaos, only to also fail at becoming that.
- Recurring Boss: Is fought twice, first as the Festering Fingerprint invader at Liurnia of the Lakes, then as his original Roundtable Knight form at the Lord Contender's Evergaol at the Mountaintops of the Giants.
- Red Baron: In the flavor text for the Dragon Communion incantation, he was once known as "Vyke the Dragonspear". By the present day, he's also earned himself the nickname "Festering Fingerprint Vyke"; in reference to the fingerprint-like markings on his armor.
- Series Mascot: Kind of; the Tarnished on the cover of the game is wearing his armor, and thus implied to be him. While Vyke certainly is an important character as one of the only Tarnished from antiquity who stayed in the Lands Between (and even more so if you are going for the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending), he has no dialogue and only exists as a pair of challenging boss fights, with all of his importance relegated to the flavor text of his Fingerprint set, spear, and a Frenzied Flame Incantation.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Given that Vyke implicitly sought the Flame of Frenzy to spare his Maiden from having to sacrifice herself, and that she seems to have died anyway and can be found dead in the Church of Inhibition where he invades you as Festering Fingerprint Vyke, his entire reason for giving up on becoming Elden Lord appears to have come to nothing.
- Shock and Awe: His Roundtable Knight version can wield red lightning, calling it down on you or forming it into two glaives to swing at you.
- Villainous Legacy: Calling him a villain is a bit of a stretch given his motivations, but his motivations and reasons for becoming a Lord of Chaos can be inherited by a Tarnished wanting to prevent Melina from sacrificing herself at the cost of alienating her and follow in his footsteps.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He attempted to become the Lord of Chaos to save his Maiden's life, not out of any malice or contempt.
Inquisitor Ghiza
A former inquisitor under Praetor Rykard who invades the Tarnished in the dining hall of Volcano Manor, upstairs from Tanith's throne. Notably not a Recusant.
- Bald of Evil: He's bald under those bandages, and a follower of Rykard.
- Bandaged Face: He covers his face with bandages to hide its "festering" appearance. Removing it and looking at his model reveals that his face has some nasty burns, though it's hardly less "inviting" than the bandages (as the description claims; presumably this was Ghiza's own opinion on his looks).
- Chainsaw Good: Wields Ghiza's Wheel, a massive spinning blade that doubles as a torture device and is classified as a colossal weapon. It's noted that it is also the original weapon that would be adopted into the Iron Virgins' design.
- Dirty Business: His robe describes him as an Inquisitor who did this sort of thing for the royal family.
- Glass Cannon: His weapon inflicts severe damage and serious hemorrhage buildup if it connects, but Ghiza himself wears only cloth robes and is prone to getting stunlocked due to his low poise.
Millicent's Sisters
Millicent's four sisters, who are apparently more loyal to Gowry than she is, and invade her at the conclusion of her quest. The player can either help Millicent defeat them, or drive Millicent to despair by siding with the Sisters. In order of oldest to youngest, they are Mary, Maureen, Amy, and Pollyanna.
- Aerith and Bob: They all possess very ordinary Western names, which makes them stand out in the setting.
- Assist Character: Pollyanna is summonable for the fight against Commander O'Neil.
- Blind Weaponmaster: Mary and Amy are both blindfolded, and presumably actually blind as well given their scarlet rot infection, but it doesn't slow them down as invaders in the slightest. Appropriately, Amy wields a pair of Flowing Curved Swords, the signature weapon of the setting's original Blind Weaponmaster, the Blind Swordsman.
- Cain and Abel: Collectively, they're the Cain to Millicent's Abel.
- Dual Wielding: Amy wields two Flowing Curved Swords.
- Eyepatch of Power: Maureen and Pollyanna wear eyepatches, while Mary and Amy have full blindfolds.
- Facial Horror: They all have white patches of skin from Scarlet Rot on their faces.
- Flat Character: In sharp contrast to Millicent, these four don't get anything besides being Millicent's evil sisters. They just invade her once, and that's it for their story. They don't even have any lines or appear outside of phantom form. The closest any of them come to receiving additional characterization is Pollyanna assisting you in the fight against Commander O'Neil, presumably at Gowry's behest. The manga seems to give them a bit more personality, with Polyanna exhanging words with Aseo and later talking with her sisters about some mysterious goal.
- Four Is Death: Zig-Zagged. There are four of them, but Millicent is the fourth sister.
- Light Is Not Good: With the exception of Amy's dual Flowing Curved Swords, all of their weapons deal innate Holy damage and scale from Faith.
- Secret A.I. Moves: Pollyanna's Blade of Calling somehow has Quickstep on it. The Blade of Calling is a unique weapon which normally can't have its default Ash of War (Blade of Gold) changed at all.
- Semi-Divine: Like Millicent, they appear to all be buds of Malenia from when she unleashed the Scarlet Rot at the Battle of Aeonia, and are thus somehow descended from Marika. They seem to be this to a lesser degree than their sister, however, as they were apparently "doomed never to blossom."
- Sinister Scythe: Mary wields a Halo Scythe.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: In the manga, Polyanna is gone as soon as Aseo turns his back. This is not a reference to the way assist summons fade away in the game either, as she's still there, just out of eyesight.
- Strong Family Resemblance: They greatly resemble Millicent, except for their hairstyles, eyepatches, rot scars, and weapons of choice. They even have the same outfit as her.
- Weapon-Based Characterization: Interestingly, all of them carry weapons that have some association with other characters that have a connection to Malenia. If Millicent's unique use of the Waterfowl Dance is any indication they probably inherited their weapon skills from Malenia herself in some sort of vague magical genetic muscle memory.
- Mary's weapon is a Halo Scythe, characteristic of Malenia's Cleanrot Knights. Its Ash of War is the Ring of Light, the same one the Cleanrots use.
- Amy's is a pair of Flowing Curved Swords, once wielded by Malenia's mentor, the Blind Swordsman. She retains their Spinning Slash Ash of War.
- Maureen's Treespear is the loosest connection, but is wielded by the protectors of Leyndell, where Malenia would've been born and home to her older brother Godwyn, who is depicted in a statue embracing the twins, implying a good relationship. Not to mention her mother also dwells in Leyndell. Also, while it's not the same model, Malenia's Cleanrot Knights do use golden spears as their primary weapons alongside scythes and swords. Furthermore Maureen's Treespear is unique in that it has the Charge Forth Ash of War on it, which resembles one of the spear knights' special moves.
- Pollyanna's is a Blade of Calling, which is otherwise only wielded by Melina, who is implied to be Malenia's sister. Unlike the player's version, Pollyanna's also has the Quickstep Ash of War, which resembles one of Malenia's dodge animations.
- Wolfpack Boss: If you side with Millicent, you and her will face all of them at once in a very hectic 2 vs. 4 fight. The four of them have over 22,000 hit points collectively and deal damage per-hit on par with late bosses while attacking quite fast,note but they also stagger as easily as any other invader-type enemies, and Millicent is more than capable of taking two or three on her own.
Nameless White Masks
In Mohg's attempts to tame the cursed blood, he kidnapped several War Surgeons. One of them, Varré, succeeded and retained his identity, but these three weren't so lucky, going mad and invading people in the Lake of Blood.
- Bloodlust: The White Masks they wear slightly increases attack power whenever blood loss occurs near them.
- Driven to Madness: Appear to have gone mad after being cursed by the Lord of Blood, now invading anyone who enters Mohgwyn Palace.
- Mad Doctor: The description of the White Mask describes them as former War Surgeons, whose job was not to heal wounded soldiers but to Mercy Kill them.
- Malevolent Masked Men: Masked invaders that attempts to kill the Tarnished.
- No Name Given: As their name indicates. Considering Varré is also like them but his name is still known, it's possible their names were forgotten when they failed at "taming" the accursed blood.
- Pest Controller: Use the Swarm of Flies incantation, which releases a horde of bloodflies that target their enemy and cause blood loss.
- Psycho Knife Nut: They wield the Miséricorde dagger of their former profession as War Surgeons, with a Blood infusion indicative of their current service to Mohg.
- Unique Enemy: Only three are encountered at the blood-filled lake in Mohgwyn Palace.
Recusant Targets
Old Knight Istvan
One of the oldest Tarnished to still live, and your first target as a Recusant. He can be found in northern Limgrave, in the same spot where Recusant Henricus previously targeted you.
- Ambiguously Brown: He has dark skin, hair, and eyes, and a Hungarian name.
- Assist Character: Can be summoned for the dual Demi-Human Chief boss fight of Coastal Cave, making him potentially a new player’s first introduction to the mechanic, and is likely to trivialize the whole encounter. The fact that he’s your first target as a Recusant is a fun indicator of what it means to work for Volcano Manor.
- The Dragonslayer: His armor is reinforced by what appear to be dragon scales. It's anyone's guess as to how he got them, but given the state of the Lands Between, he probably had to kill the dragon himself.
- Older Than They Look: He's described as "old" and "withered", but his model looks quite young.
- Old Soldier: He's been doing the Tarnished thing for a long time. You can either end his career to get an invitation to meet Rykard... or you could leave him be and find Rykard on your own.
- You Will Not Evade Me: His Dismounter has the Gravitas Ash of War on it, allowing him to draw you into melee range if you try keeping your distance from him.
Great Horned Tragoth
A hero famed for lending his assistance to other Tarnished in need. Patches is tasked with eliminating him, but passes the task off to you once you have slain Istvan.
- Animal Motifs: Goats. His armor features giant curved horns emerging from the breast plate, and his name is similar to "tragos", the Greek word for goat.
- Assist Character: Per his reputation as a "knight of assistance", he can be summoned for the Magma Wyrm Makar boss fight in the Ruin-Strewn Precipice and the Draconic Tree Sentinel boss fight in the Capital Outskirts, along with participating in the Radahn Festival.
- Ass Kicks You: His Giant-Crusher has the Ground Slam Ash of War applied to it.
- The Dreaded: He's such a fierce, powerful warrior that Patches passes the buck to you when the Volcano Manor gets him in their sights.
- Fiery Redhead: Downplayed; he's a redhead under his helmet and is no stranger to a good scrap, but the game puts more emphasis on his fighting to aid others.
- Hero Antagonist: By all indications, Tragoth seems like a pretty great guy, and he'll even come to your aid in multiple boss battles before you're tasked with killing him.
- Knight Errant: His armor states him to be a wanderer well known for appearing to rescue other Tarnished from peril. You can only get his armor by killing him.
- Mighty Glacier: The very definition of a tank build, Tragoth wields some of the heaviest equipment in the game (which also features higher physical protection and poise scores than any other armor set) and deals immense damage with his Giant-Crusher, at the cost of mobility.
- Recurring Element:
- Is Elden Ring's answer to Biorr from Demon's Souls. A helpful warrior who uses the heaviest equipment in the game and an off-hand crossbow. The fact that killing him is the key to getting his armor is a good indicator of the Lands Between.
- Doubles as one to Havel, a heavily armored knight you have to kill for his equipment. Though Havel commanded many like minded knights and Tragoth seems completely unique as a fighter himself.
Rileigh the Idle
A church Confessor and your second target as a Recusant. He can be found in the Altus Plateau, on the path leading to the Shaded Castle.
- Church Militant: As a Confessor, he was tasked with assassinating Tarnished who had forsaken the guidance of grace and went against the Two Fingers. Which is a pretty good reason for the deicidal blasphemers of Volcano Manor to want to assassinate him first. Ironically, his use of rot-inflicting equipment and his proximity to the Shaded Castle, the (former) home of the rot-worshipping House Marais, could indicate that he's gone against the Two Fingers to become a rot worshipper himself.
- Poisonous Person: He wields the Scorpion's Stinger dagger and fires Black-Key Bolts from his crossbow, both of which deal scarlet rot buildup.
- Stealth Expert: All Confessors are supposed to be this, but given that you invade him in a somewhat narrow canyon he doesn't get a chance to show it off. He does, however, wear (and drop) a talisman that makes the wearer completely silent when moving, and uses a long-ranged crossbow built specifically for sniping distant targets with rot-coated bolts.
Vargram, the Raging Wolf
One of the targets of the Volcano Manor, alongside Errant Sorcerer Wilhelm. Both targets were assigned to Bernahl, who enlists your help in making the 2-on-1 fight a little more even once you've taken care of Rileigh. They are found on the first floor of the Fortified Manor in Leyndell.
- Aerith and Bob: Vargram and Wilhelm.
- Ambiguously Evil: Wields the Godslayer's Greatsword, once the personal weapon of the Gloam-Eyed Queen, implying some sort of connection with the Godskins, who are very nasty customers overall. The 'ambiguous' part here comes from how little information we have about Vargram and how he came about the sword; he might have received it from the Gloam-Eyed Queen's followers, or he might have just found it hidden somewhere in the Lands Between, much like like the player finds the Legendary Armaments.
- Animal Motifs: Wolves. Vargram desired to become an Empyrean's shadow, all of whom are wolfmen, thus he styled his armor with a wolf motif and wears a white wolf pelt as a cape in an attempt to emulate them.
- BFS: Vargram's weapon of choice is the Godslayer's Greatsword. Why and how he got the sword is a mystery, save that he most-likely uses it to emulate the Emyprean's Shadows, specifically Maliketh whose Black Blade is imbued with Destined Death, just as the Godslayer's Greatsword is imbued with the blackflame associated with Destined Death.
- Dual Boss: Fought alongside Errant Sorcerer Willem.
- Meaningful Name: Vargram, "vargr" being a Norse word for "wolf" typically reserved for Fenrir and his children.
- Playing with Fire: Vargram himself doesn't use any fire-related incantations or sorceries, but his weapon, the Godslayer's Greatsword, comes with a unique skill that lets him wreathe the sword in blackflame and swipe at his enemy.
- Series Mascot: Like Vyke above, kind of; while Vargram himself has next to no lore or relevancy outside of the Volcano Manor questline, the Raging Wolf armor set he wears is considered the Iconic Item of the player Tarnished, being the armor set they are seen wearing throughout all of the promotional material for the game (and was available as one of the starting loadouts for the Network Test), joining the ranks of the Elite Knight Set, Faraam Set, Hunter Set, and Firelink Set.
Errant Sorcerer Wilhelm
A sorcerer of the Hierodas conspectus and one of the first Tarnished to visit the Roundtable Hold. He is fought alongside Vargram, the Raging Wolf.
- Aerith and Bob: Wilhelm (a normal German name) fights alongside Vargram (purely fictional).
- Duel Boss: Fights along with Vargram, the Raging Wolf.
- Old Master: One of the first Tarnished to return to the Lands Between, and a powerful sorcerer besides. He's even able to use Stars of Ruin, showing that he has at least 43 intelligence and managed to glimpse the Primeval Current without losing his mind.
- Our Founder: He may be the founder of the Hierodas conspectus, seeing as his face under the crown is nearly identical to the face on the crown.
- Silent Bob: It's normal for an invader/invadee to have no voice lines, but his robe calls him a "silent seeker of sorcery."
- Walking the Earth: The description of his Hierodas Glintstone Crown states that it was given to scholars engaged in long periods of study away from Raya Lucaria.
Juno Hoslow, Knight of Blood
A nobleman from the House of Hoslow, and the third and final target of the Volcano Manor questline. He can be invaded at the Mountaintops of the Giants.
- Always Someone Better: To his little brother. Stronger Sibling nature aside, Juno was a powerful warrior while his brother was "all talk and no trousers," honorable while his brother was weak-minded, and saw through the Volcano Manor's attempts to manipulate him while Diallos fell for it hook, line, and sinker. It's no wonder Diallos has a bit of an inferiority complex. To really hammer it in, while the two wear the same armor set, Juno's version of the helmet is fancier and has better stats in all areas (except weight).
- Big Brother Instinct: Juno recognized Diallos' indecisiveness and chose to inherit House Hoslow's legacy in order to better support his younger brother.
- Cain and Abel: Completely unintentional, and can be avoided if the Tarnished doesn't pursue Diallos' questline. When the latter joins Volcano Manor, the two are unknowing enemies and Diallos himself isn't made aware of it until he learns of Juno's death at the Manor's orders.
- Bling of War: Wears the same ornate silver/red armor as Diallos with the complementary helmet as well. He's actually Diallos' older brother.
- Cool Mask: Hoslow's Helm is more mask than helmet, featuring a Venetian-style face crying blood with twin horns and flowery adornments.
- Flash Step: He uses the Bloodhound's Step skill, which enhances his overall mobility during his fight and allows him to constantly stay out of your melee range while still keeping you within his own.
- Honor Before Reason: Choosing to gesture before starting to fight gives you ample time to apply buffs, or even just smack him while he's in the middle of it for free damage.
- Humble Hero: By all means he is a honorable man who cherished his little brother when everyone considered him dead weight, yet when the Volcano Manor invites him and call him a champion he discretely turn them down. Juno does not see his bloody battles as heroic and doesn't boast around his plans and intent like his brother.
- I Am a Monster: Juno has a bloody history and doesn't try to mince words about it. He refused to join the Volcano Manor, claiming his actions don't warrant the title of "champion".
- Meaningful Name: "Juno" is the name of the goddess of love and marriage, and the Roman counterpart to the Greek Goddess Hera.
- Poor Communication Kills: Had he actually explained to Diallos why he chose to become the lord of House Hoslow, odds are Diallos wouldn't have left and he wouldn't have been in a position to be manipulated by Volcano Manor.
- Stronger Sibling: To Diallos, which was what made the latter leave their household in an attempt to prove himself.
- Worthy Opponent: Always gives the "Hoslow's Oath" gesture before the Tarnished during every invasion attempt.
Bloody Finger Targets
Magnus the Beast Claw
A Tarnished added to the game in Patch 1.06. He can be found in the Writheblood Ruins on the Altus Plateau and invaded to advance Varré's questline.
- Anti-Frustration Features: His entire purpose in being added to the game is to give offline players a way to complete Varré's questline.
- Chained by Fashion: He wears the Prophet Trousers, which feature a shackle around the left ankle.
- Carry a Big Stick: He wields the Great Stars greathammer, which he also drops upon defeat. Incidentally, this means you can now get two copies of this weapon in one New Game cycle for the purposes of Dual Wielding them.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Like his name suggests, his main method of attacking is casting bestial incantations, primarily Beast Claw and Gurranq's Beast Claw.
- Earthy Barefoot Character: A wild-looking man with an array of Dishing Out Dirt spells who wears the footwear-lacking Prophet Trousers.
- Guide Dang It!: His addition to the game did not come with any new dialogue from Varré even hinting at his existence, or even a mark added to the map. You either need to know where he is or just stumble upon him randomly.
- In the Hood: His face his covered by a Page Hood.
- Pelts of the Barbarian: Wears the Fur Raiment.
- Tribal Face Paint: Not that you can see it normally, since his Page Hood covers it up.
