Lore Revelations in the Shadow of the Erdtree

everyone apologize to Mohg

Sorry Mohg..

We all know very well that the only one for whom Radhan would become a consort was his horse.

Messmer's eye being a Marika Soreseal type thing was so cool. That was the only ounce of Grace that was left within him and by removing it, he became Graceless like us which is why he tells us to embrace our oblivion as he'll do the same. Amazing character.

Sir Ansbach is the best NPC in this DLC by far, he says one of the best lines if he gets defeated during the Radahn fight: "Righteous Tarnished, become a lord, not for gods, but for all men." Like literally "fuck the gods, do it for us"

"on your 400th attempt" You didn't have to fucking rub it in...

Shaman flesh melding easily with other flesh honestly explains a LOT: Why Marika and Radagon are a single being How Rykard was able to merge with the Great Serpent Why Outer Gods like the Outer God of Rot or the Formless Mother are easily capable of possessing demi-gods with their own physical essence And it may even explain why Godwyn’s corpse is so effed up Edit: Can’t believe I didn’t even think about Godrick’s grafting. Plus there’s Mohg administering his blood to his followers and why it physically effed up Miquella’s body in the cocoon

I just want to point out that ”Shaman Village” is kind of a funky translation. The original Japanese one is called 巫女の村. "Miko" being a shinto shrine maiden. Mikos are women exclusively, and they are from the shinto religion. They are women who assist in the work of priesthood. So this might be an important hint as to what their "divine role" is in the context of the game. Since they are technically "assisting" by becoming jars.

"Without intent to cause harm" - Vaati "Sister, go nuke Radahn." - Miquella

I just noticed that Messmer is actually a great foil to Miquella. All the trailers made Messmer look like a diabolical, genoocidal psychopath whose actions were so evil that he was erased from history. But in game he’s actually a pretty chill dude who was well liked and inspired loyalty from the people around him like Rellana and Commander Gaius, Radahn even looked up to him as a big brother. When one of his Black knights betrays him, he doesn’t have him tortured or killed like a typical villian would, he just imprisons him and mourns the loss of a brother at arms. He even has an entire clinic in his castle for treating and trying to cure the shaman jars. That same castle is also built in a way that hides and protects his mother’s village. It’s clear he only did evil things because Marika ordered him to, and it becomes really tragic that he was essentially abandoned by her and only realized it upon death. If he was actually allowed to be his own person and pursue his own goals and ambitions, I feel like he could have been one of the most revered demi gods, right up there with Radahn and Godwyn. He instead ends up dying alone and abandoned with no legacy to leave behind since he was erased from history. A fate that not even the omen brothers suffered. Meanwhile Miquella is said to be a beautiful kind hearted savior who in reality is a monster who only inspires loyalty because it’s literally his ability to enchant and manipulate people. He casts aside his humanity in order to become a god and seeks to enslave everyone beneath him under the guise of love. Fantastic Juxtaposition and misdirection on Fromsoft’s part.

So, the reason Merika was so insanely cruel to those with horns was because they kidnapped her people, whipped them and then placed them in Jars. Then Marika gained godly power and took her revenge against them. It's cruel, but cruelty is a snake eating itself.

Okay so I just had a realization. I feel like the shamans, the jars, and Godrick's ancient art of grafting are all linked. If the art of grafting to make one stronger is really "ancient", it may have been what was invented by the Hornsent, and somehow survived the purging of the land of shadow, only to be rediscovered and used by Godrick later.

"I think the fingers had a hand in it" Damn you Vaati

Radahn: “I’ll die before I become your consort.” Miquella: “okay, deal!!”

no meme, I think the addition of the "recent items" tab was the single most important new feature to make the story more understandable. I really like the strives that Fromsoft took with this release to make storytelling a little more of a feature without shoving it in your face, still letting you explore and piece together the world on your own. but the recent items tab was such a huge game-changer. EVERY time i got a new crafting material or book or weapon or armor piece, I would press escape and immediately read its lore entry. so accessible and easy to do, to the point where I had a pretty good understanding of the different areas and the story going on in the background. they absolutely nailed it with this dlc.

I also feel like Godwyn not being a crucial part of the DLC is a pretty strong statement on death itself. A lot of times we lose a loved one and the finality of it all isn't realized until enough instances remind you they're just not coming back.

Marika before SotE: Crazy controlling anarchist. Marika after SotE: Traumatized farm girl.

"Goodness, why did Marika do something so horrible to the Hornsent?" A few hours later "Oh. Yeah, that makes perfect sense now."

Vaati, my favorite thing about your videos is how you well you piece the lore and the meanings together to tell a story, but you also never forget it’s from a difficult game, and you use humor at the right times. I still think about the cuts you made with the “Malenia, Blade of Miquella” (x4) thank you for your work!!

I missed a good chunk of Redmane Freya's storyline so I could be short a few details but I've had this thought: Miquella and Radahn make same kind of pact/promise but Radahn at some point decides he wants out. Radahn knows fate is tied to the stars and fights them, halting them and thereby stalling his fate indefinitely and avoiding his part of the deal on a technicality. Miquella catches on and gives him the "oh no you don't" and sends Malenia after him to kill him in order for the stars to resume their course, along with the fates of Miquella and Radahn. Of course, Malenia fails and Radahn spends the next however many years clinging to life and stalling the stars for as long as he can. However, the plan fails when Radahn is eventually slain by a tarnished seeking either glory or the favour of Radahn's cute sister. This theory implies Radahn could resist Miquella's charms to a degree and that interfering with Ranni's fate was more of an unfortunate coincidence than a deliberate plot. I also don't recall seeing or hearing any previous lore stating Radahn's motivations for stopping the stars so if there is anything that states otherwise, just disregard this theory as bollocks. Still a fun idea though.