Chapter Text
“The fallen leaves tell a story.” That’s what the voice said. Even now, the words fade. Names and descriptions fully unknown. And now there is just me. A poor wretch in naught but a loincloth and wielding a crude club. I remember a long march. From where and to where, I cannot recall. Violence, war, and death. My name, my life, what I was…all gone.
There was something else the voice mentioned. Something about standing before the Elden Ring…
This church is derelict, long abandoned. A dead woman in the corner. She seems to have written a message before she perished, with a finger made from the wax of a corpse. She says I am to claim my place as Elden Lord. But is this message even for me? I feel like I am the last, but the last of what?
What in the hells was that? The Chapel of Anticipation I found myself in was little more than a ruin on an island. In a courtyard, I found a statue of a woman arms raised in a “Y” above her bowed head. As I moved closer, this…THING attacked me, all writhing limbs on a cloaked body. I barely had time to register what it was before I felt its sword pierce my chest.
And yet, I am here. Wherever here is. A dank cave of bones with a golden sapling ahead of me. As I came to, this woman approached on a steed. Through the daze of my resurrection, I heard her call the animal “Torrent.” She said something about the “Golden Order” and left two flasks before I came fully to my senses. Both smell of salty teardrops, one colored red, the other blue. There’s a hole in front of the sapling, with a spirit sitting by. He tells me to “Take the plunge into the Cave of Knowledge, to remember my warrior spirit.” Am I a warrior? I don’t know, but I’m apparently foolish enough to heed the words of ghost.
Miserable half-alive men with rusty swords. That’s what the Cave of Knowledge mainly held. Some soldiers as well, wearing tabards with a golden lion on red on the right against a golden tree on green on the left. The one at the end put up a decent fight. Helped me discover what the flasks are for. Drank the red one after our fight and my wounds instantly healed! Tried the blue one and felt my mind become sharp and focused again. Hell of a thing.
I have found these glowing streaks of light rising from the ground, maybe two feet at most. They seem to make do as a makeshift campfire. Good for resting, at least until I find something better.
The cave opened into a crypt. Found two more ghastly items on a corpse. One is a golden, hooked finger. The other is a small phantom blade, perfect for severing a finger. Why is it always fingers? Would they were some clothes.
Gods be good, what land is this? I will try and be coherent, for I have seen nothing like it (or, at least, I THINK I have seen nothing like it). Stepping from the catacombs, before me is a rich, autumnal field of pale grass and yellow trees. Giant pieces of ruined buildings dot the land, almost as if they plunged from the sky into the ground long ago. There is a church at the bottom of this hill, a castle beyond that, cyclopean towers beyond THAT, and finally…the tree. A great, golden tree, taller than any mountain, both corporal and intangible at once. It must be kilometers away, yet I still stand under its branches. What could cause something like that to be? Where am I?
Well, I have answers to some questions.
He calls himself Varre, and wears the blood-stained cloths of a surgeon, accentuated by a pale, white mask. Between the snark and quips, I was able to make out the following:
1. I am both Tarnished and maidenless (was that the dead woman in the church? Was she my maiden?). The former indicates I am here for the Elden Ring. The latter means I am doomed to fail for I have no guidance, no way to harness the strength of runes, and no invitation to a place called the Roundtable Hold.
2. This continent is named The Lands Between. The castle on the hill is Stormveil and is home to Godrick the Grafted, described by Varre as a “decrepit demigod.”
3. The golden lights I keep finding on the ground are known as Sites of Grace. Extending from some of them are rays of glittering light. Varre called them the guidance of grace, and they indicate to we Tarnished where we are to go next.
If I have no guidance due to my lack of a maiden, how do I see these rays of grace? No matter. It is enough, now, that I do. Varre (what an asshole) suggests I head to Castle Stormveil, but the guidance points to the church yonder. Between it and me is a field of crucified men patrolled by a large golden armored knight with a halberd the size of my chest. I think I’ll go around.
Oh, and I found this little effigy. It’s that woman again, crucified in the same pose as these poor bastards. She seems to be honored in these lands. The agonized moans of these tortured souls leads me to believe they are not regarded in as great a manner.
Made my way to the Church of Elleh without incident, except for discovering that the goats of this land can curl into a ball and roll around. Delightful. At the church I found a merchant named Kale. Much more pleasant than Varre. Wears a read getup with a conical hat. Plays some sort of stringed instrument. Says he’s part of a nomadic people and that he stays afloat by selling his wares. But people in these lands use runes instead of coin. I’ve collected some runes simply by killing those folks who attacked me in the cave. Might as well put them to some use, as I am maidenless. Kale suggests a crafting kit, but he has much to sell.
Bought some chain armor, a torch, a shield, that crafting kit Kale recommended. He had more to say. He is not the only merchant in these lands. He claims that all of his kind have been “spurned by the grace of gold” and that they are forced to roam the world without end. And then, offhand, he said the Elden Ring is shattered. I am ill at ease, and cannot say why.
There is much to do, and the grace now points northeast through the woods. I cannot see any better idea than to follow.
And my day becomes stranger still. Coming through the forest, I find a Site of Grace by a gatefront. Resting there, the woman from the caves appears from the aether. Getting a better look than before, she wears clothing similar to that of the dead woman at the Chapel. She is young and speaks in a slow, calming cadence. Most striking of all, her left eye remains closed, covered in a dull tattoo.
Melina is her name. She offered me an accord. Melina explained that the finger maidens serve the will of the Two Fingers, and that is why I am doomed without one. But she offered to take over that role for me on the condition that I take her with me to the foot of the Erdtree. Now I have a name for that gargantuan arboreal marvel. (At night, the tree beams rays of light into the Lands Between. It really is spectacular.)
Finally, she gave me a small golden ring, which can be used as a whistle to summon Torrent, the spectral steed she was riding. Melina says he has chosen me. I am honored. Time to ride.
And the strangeness continues on. I rode back to the Church of Elleh. Torrent is a fine companion, able to appear and disappear at a whistle. He is fast, agile, and adores Rowa Raisins, a local fruit. He may be a horse with horns, but that is not what is strange.
At the church, under the light of the moon, sat an enthralling figure: blue skinned, four armed, and clad entirely in white (what a hat!). She called me over, introducing herself as Renna the witch. Renna knows Torrent, and wished to pass on something from his previous master: a small bell that can call spirits from ashes. In this world, the ashes of the dead are returned to the Erdtree for burial, but those that are not can be summoned as aides in combat. Renna provided the ashes of three lone wolves, abandoned by their pack, that served a nameless Tarnished before their passing.
The snow witch said we would likely not meet again. Her last words before fading away still ring in my ears. “How long will it be, I wonder, before the Tarnished tire of obeisance to the Two Fingers?”
Grace points me northwest, through the gateway. I think I shall instead head southeast.
I am north of lake Agheel, and have learned more:
1. The soldiers of this land, in the red and green, serve Godrick. The rank and file are nothing to worry about, but the knights, they are another matter and not to be underestimated.
2. I found a map in the ruins near the gatefront. This part of the Lands Between is known as Limgrave, and is Godrick’s domain.
3. Speaking of the lord, I came to a group of stone swords, buried in the ground. The largest of them reads “Godrick the Golden, humiliated/Having tasted defeat by the Blade of Miquella/Now on his knees, begging for mercy.” Who was the aggressor? How long ago did this happen? At every turn I learn more, only to have more questions.
I met a talking bush.
Okay, well, I met a sweet demi-human named Boc who had been transformed into a bush. What’s a dem-human? Well, it appears to be a human, but hairier, and more animalistic. Boc seems like a fine fellow, however. Says he was thrown out of his home by his family. Doesn’t know how he ended up looking like a plant. Boc wants to pay me back, and I told him it was not necessary (as all I did was run into a plant to make him visible again) but I think he insists on going back to his cave. Better follow him.
3 observations and something…bizarre
1. Godrick appears to have hired sellswords. Large men, often on horseback. Wear armor that is definitely foreign, and seems more suitable for cold weather.
2. There are trolls. Maybe 2.5 times the height of a human. Muscular, yet also withered. Their chests have been carved out and fitted with a stone tablet of some kind.
3. Land octopi. Writhing masses of tentacles and beaks. The full-grown ones are particularly horrid.
4. I bought a telescope from Kale, and when I touched it I suddenly…KNEW something. Something I had not known a moment before and had no way of learning: Astrology once had been an important art in a land called Caria, but no longer. The night skies used to have power over fate, but something called the Golden Order (those words again) overruled it. HOW DO I KNOW THIS?
Boc went back to the cave. Boc got the absolute sh*t kicked out of him by his family (who are, I may add, nowhere near as friendly or well-dressed as Boc). Deep in this coastal cave I found two chieftains, who were much larger than Boc and myself. But I found something to even the odds. There was a golden sign placed before the chiefs, and using that golden finger, I was able to summon an ally to assist. Istvan, he is named, an old knight in scaled armor. Two v. two made a much more even fight, and the chiefs dropped a sewing kit (useful, that) and a fanged sewing needle. I brought this back to Boc, and it seemed to steady him again. His mother was a seamstress and this needle was hers. Boc will follow in her footsteps.
That’s not all that was to be found in the cave. It actually spanned under the waters of the coast and connected with an island off the coast. Here I found yet another ruined church, but full of statues of draconic men. In the midst of these lay the corpse of a white dragon, long dead. Near that was an altar that claimed I could consume the heats of dragons to gain their powers. But who can say if there are even dragons alive in these lands?
Came across an interesting statue today. A hunched figure with the inscription “Guide and gatekeeper for those returning to the roots.” When I touched it, a blue beam shot from its finger to a nearby set of doors in a cliff. Thus began my first encounter with the catacombs of this land.
Stormfoot, these are called, so named for being below Stormveil. I met another spirit at the entrance. He told me that “a proper death means returning to the Erdtree” and that I must “have patience until the roots call to me.” The catacombs were full of stone imps, jumpy little hellions with fanged swords, easy enough to dispatch as long as I avoided the fire traps. In the bottom room I found the true guardian: an Erdtree Burial Watchdog. Honestly, looked more like a cat to me, but I had little time to mention my problems with the name as this great stone golem tried to crush me under a giant sword. When that didn’t work, it resorted to breathing fire. A supremely unsettling creation, no fluidity in movement or action. But defeated anyway.
Behind it, were the roots of the Erdtree, miles from the main trunk, entwined with human figures made from wood. I believe I now understand the death rituals of this world. Spirits are believed to reincarnate in the Erdtree, so ashes are brought to the catacombs to allow this cycle to continue. Those ashes that do not return, can be summoned, like my wolves. Or like the two new spirit ashes discovered in the tombs. Touching them told me a little about their past. The Wandering Nobles search for something long forgotten (grace?). The Noble Sorcerer learned glintstone sorcery at a place called Raya Lucaria, but had no skill for the art.
Can I learn this magic?
Melina spoke with me again. Grace is connected to the Erdtree and once shone in the eyes of all Tarnished. Now the rays of grace are all that is left. Godrick is known as a Shardbearer, one who inherited a piece of the Elden Ring when it fractured. Grace is leading me to him, it would seem. Melina seems to think he will be quite the obstacle. I must be ready for him. I know I am not.
In another cave I discovered this ravenous beast man, armed with a huge cudgel. I think he had been abducting soldiers and bringing them back to his cave to feast upon. He carried on him a talisman adorned with the picture of a burning dragon. It protects against flames. The dragons, I have learned, ruled the Lands Between before the Erdtree. Does the rise of the Erdtree correspond with the death of the dragons?
I asked Melina her reason for embarking on this journey. She claims she is searching for her purpose, given to her by her mother inside the Erdtree, the reason she lives “burned and bodiless.” So, for her, this must be a journey home. There is more here that she is not telling me, but she speaks when and what she will.
Killed a giant f*cking crab. Also killed an Alabaster Lord, this slender, tall, stone-skinned humanoid armed with a greatsword and the power of gravity magic. I don’t know if he is of this world.
South of Lake Agheel, I came across an old man in a large conical hat. Greybeard is named Yura. Warned me of a dragon that patrols the lake. I WAS going to go north, but instead decided on skirting the western shore. Was attacked by giant bats. Killed them, found some tunnels on the northern shore. I’ve heard of glintstone sorcery. This is where glintstone is mined, a blue crystal with inherent magical energy. The miners have skin as hard as stone and swing pickaxes and throw rocks. At the bottom was a troll carrying a medallion bearing the image of a roaring giant. These giants were ancient enemies of the Erdtree. If they were larger than these trolls, I hope not to meet them.
I suppose I need to address this issue directly. I do not know how. I do not know why. But when I touch some items, I suddenly have knowledge of matters impossible for me to have learned. At times, I hear a voice whisper words spoken by another. At other times, it simply appears in my mind: a thought as real as my own. A fact or truth that seems as though it was always there. Like how tall I am, or where the sun rises. Things I’ve always known. Is this something all Tarnished possess? None I have met speak of it.
Got curious about the Murkwater, the river flowing into Lake Agheel. Was able to drop down near their headwaters via some ruins and found piles of corpses and skeletal slimes. Followed the trail of dead north to a tiny catacomb guarded by a hulking man in the garb of a gladiator wielding hammers larger than my torso. When he died, I found the ashes of a Banished Knight. Known as Engvall, he was one of a pair of knights known as the Wings of the Storm. Rejecting the invitation of a lord given Grace (Godrick?) he instead watched over a castle belonging to no one. He favors the halberd and has nicer armor than my piecemeal setup.
Following the clues from a painting found in an artist’s shack, I found a golden scarab one can wear as a mask. Don’t even know what to say about that.
Well, he wasn’t wrong about there being a dragon. In the middle of lake Agheel, I saw some nobles chanting that word in unison. They were calling for him. Agheel is the name of a black dragon, who descended from the clouds to crush them under his massive claws. He then turned his flames to me. Calling me a halfwit, Yura appeared and together we managed to dispatch the massive beast, but it was no easy feat. Without question, the hardest battle I’ve faced so far.
After slaying Ahgeel, Yura complimented me on the fight, then proceeded to tell me of Dragon Communion. The intitial part I surmised at the church, but Yura informed me that the power gained, though incredible, comes with a cost: An all-consuming hunger followed by something…worse. I dug out his heart. I have no intention of partaking in that communion now, but who is to say what is to come? In the face of an insurmountable foe, might I give in to temptation?
Still, best to know what can be offered. Were I to give a heart to the altar, I could be granted any of the following powers:
• Dragonclaw: Summons dragon arm around your own, allowing it to claw and rend foes.
• Dragonfire: Summons dragon head above your own, breathing fire.
• Dragonmaw: Summons dragon head above your own, which bites your foe.
Got careless. Fell into a trap. Was exploring the burnt ruins near where the dragon died. Opened a chest to find myself in a cave full of massive insects and miners. Ran as fast as my feet could carry me and found a Site of Grace near the entrance. Stepping outside, I took one look at the bighted, blood red landscape ahead of me and teleported myself back to Limgrave. My path may lead me there at some point, but on my own terms.
Walking up the Murkwater, I was ambushed by a man in flowing red and black robes. He wielded two ivory daggers, jagged and dripping blood. Occasionally, he would slash the air, sending waves of slicing blood that injured me even if I blocked them with my shield. I must admit to having been on the back foot until Yura AGAIN saved my ass. He named my assailant Nerijus, and together we killed the bastard.
Afterwards, Yura explained this to be a Bloody Finger, a Tarnished who hunts and kills other Tarnished having been corrupted by “cessblood.” Yura, in turn, hunts the hunters, offering them the same level of mercy they show their victims. We parted ways. I do hope the old man takes care. There is a…weariness about him. Life has taken a toll on him.
One of Nerijus’ daggers was worth picking up. It is called “Reduvia” and is used by servants of the Lord of Blood. Another mysterious being, for whom the only context I have is undiscernible statements from nowhere.
Patches the Untethered. Bald little man who runs a crew of bandits. Ambushed me, then begged for mercy when it turned out I could fight back. Claimed he thought I was a demi-human. Of course he did. I’m not a merciless killer…yet, so I let the little man live. Turns out, he moonlights as a merchant, so there’s a reason to keep him alive.
And then the sh*tstain trapped another chest and sent me halfway across Limgrave to come face to face with a bear the size of a troll. I took the hint and raced north on Torrent until I found another ruined church. And it turns out, Patches may have done me a favor.
I write now in the Third Church of Marika. That’s the crucified woman I keep seeing represented in statue and figure: Queen Marika the Eternal, ruler of the Lands Between, a figure of both political and religious significance. Strange, that no one has spoken of her, yet. Well, until Melina appeared and said that echoes of Marika remain in this church. Her words (which I suppose must be Marika’s words, as precise as Melina relayed them): “My Lord, and thy warriors. I divest each of thee of thy grace. With thine eyes dimmed, ye will be driven from the Lands Between. Ye will wage war in a land afar, where ye will live, and die.”
Is that…us? The Tarnished? I have no grace. I live, I die, I live again. I came from SOMEWHERE before I landed here. Are we what Queen Marika intended? And for what purpose?
Found two very interesting items in the church. First, in a basin, another flask, this one carrying the Wonderous Physick. It’s a reusable potion, using these Tears found at the foot of Minor Erdtrees (I assume these to be the large golden trees I see dotting the land) to create magical effects and boons. Second, at the base of a statue of Marika, a Sacred Tear; a blessing that I used to increase the strength of my Crimson and Cerulean Tear flasks.
So, thank you, Patches. I don’t think I will kill you just yet.
A quieter day than the last, but still some news. I’ve accepted that deadly battle is the norm for living here in the Lands Between. If, at one point, that frightened me I can say it does not now. To be honest with myself…I rather enjoy it. Each victory brings runes. The runes can transform to strength or be traded for useful tools. And win or lose, each battle brings knowledge. That may be the most precious gift of all. Even if I lose, I learn. I understand my foes and myself better, so that I may exploit an enemy’s weakness, attend to a flaw in my own strategy, or recognize what I excel at. The feeling is heady. I hope it never goes away.
Three events to write about, so let’s address them in turn. First, I elected to follow the Murkwater as far north as possible and found another cave. Wolves, bats, and a very cross land octopus had slaughtered the previous occupants. The Kaiden sellswords had been based from here. In the back room was this golem, larger than even a troll. Made of black stone powered by internal flame, it stomped and swung a great axe, and even belched forth the fire within, but all in vain. It was slow, and hacking at the ankles brought it down for a quick stab to the chest. It left behind a talisman of a blue stone depicting a dancing fairy. She gifted a flowing stone to a blind swordman who used that power to seal a god embodying Rot itself. Marika is worshipped in these lands, but there seems to be other who desire obedience as well.
Travelling back to Lake Agheel, I found the damndest thing: two trolls pulling a giant carriage full of goods. But not pulling with their arms, nor harnessed like oxen. Instead, their chains were impaled through their backs and the tablets in their torsos. This may be the first instance of true cruelty I’ve seen here, this subjugation of another sentient creature. I killed the forces of Godrick (liking this man less and less every day) and was forced to put the trolls out of their misery. Found a big axe in the carriage, though.
Finally, I explored some ruins nearby and found some absolutely exotic enemies. There are these flowers, Miranda sprouts by name, with gorgeous pink petals. All emit poisonous pollen and the largest can call beams of light from the sky to defend itself. Don’t much care for fire, though. Beneath the ruins, I was rushed by a mad warrior with a maul and wearing a great, bronze helm. Looked like a pumpkin. Standing nearly the height of a troll, it was difficult to fight in such closed quarters. The massive helmet blocked most attempts to harm it, but the rest of its body was bare to the elements.
The brute was guarding a secluded study of a sorceress named Sellen. She asked me if I wished to learn any glintstone sorceries. I, of course, said I did. Sellen then let me in on her once being a member of the Academy of Raya Lucaria, but having been expelled as an apostate. Her blue robes must be the uniform of the Academy, but I must wonder if the faculty all wear stone masks as well. Seems somewhat uncomfortable. I do find myself wondering what she looks like…
As her apprentice, she’s taught me the following spells. All require a staff, which I do not have yet, and some I understand but do not have the power to cast as yet. Still, I’m not one to turn down any advantage.
• Glintstone Pebble – Every sorcerer’s first spell. A single shard of glintstone shot towards an enemy.
• Glintstone Arc – Taught to travelling sorcerers. A waist-level arc of glinststone energy.
• Crystal Barrage – From the Crystal Cadre, spells based off the magics of a being called a Crystallian. A spray of crystal shards.
• Scholar’s Shield – Originally taught to the Knights of the Cuckoo (silly name) as payment. Enchants a shield with magical protection.
• Glintstone Stars – Of the Olivinus Conspectus, a branch of learning tied to a town called Sellia. Three Glintstone Pebbles that track an enemy.
• Scholar’s Armament – Similar to Scholar’s Shield, but instead strengthens a weapon.
Was finally able to get a surcoat from a soldier of Godrick that fit me and wasn’t hacked to pieces. Obviously, the golden tree on the front is the Erdtree. The lion is a symbol of “the beast regent” and the “Golden Lineage.” More mysteries…
Decided to check out that forest Patches sent me to. A map on the road calls it Mistwood, and the blighted land I was teleported to (which borders it to the east) Caelid. Digging in some ruins (and avoiding a huge bear) I came across a talisman of a warrior and an axe. This is the same lord Marika was speaking to, I think, as I know now he led the Long March. I do not think he is the same as this Godrick. Too many seem to respect him.
As a postscript, there’s a wolf-man howling on the top of the ruins. The hells is that about?
Turns out Kale, of all people, knows the wolf-man. Calls him Blaidd (pronounced Blythe) and says he’s a decent fellow. Tells me I should snap to get his attention, which I do. Blythe is a LOT taller than I expected, maybe 9 feet? Fully armored, wielding a greatsword and, as advertised, having the face of a wolf. Blaidd is hunting for a traitor he names Darriwil. Wants me to let him know if I find him. Can’t think of a reason not to.
South of Mistwood, found another ghost. He says the demi-humans have revolted, with their mother abducted. He asks where Lord Kenneth is and speaks of a knight “bedeviled by blood.” Can’t say I can help, and these ghosts never seem much for conversation.
Didn’t take too long to find Kenneth Haight. He was crying succor on a ruin, surrounded by pissed-off demi-humans. Solving his minor problem, the pompous ass introduced me to his major one. I shouldn’t be so hard on the man. It initially seemed like he wanted nothing to do with me, my being a lowly Tarnished, but then he reconsidered, thanking me, saying anyone can serve the Golden Order (must be the main religion around here – worships Marika?).
He is lord of Fort Haight, and successor to Godrick as ruler of Limgrave. There is, however, no love lost between them. Godrick sent one of his knights to take over the fort and Kenneth wants it back. Well, he wants me to take it back for him. Which isn’t really an issue. Promises a reward, which REALLY isn’t an issue.
Then, almost unbidden, Kenneth gave me more useful information in 3 minutes than any one of the cryptic characters I have met provided. Godrick (a jumped-up country bumpkin, according to Kenneth) hunts Tarnished for the sake of “grafting,” a process which kills the Tarnished. He once lived in the Capital, fled some calamity there by disguising himself as a woman, hides from someone named Radahn in his castle, and got the piss beaten out of him by Malenia, who I assume must be the Blade of Miquella in the sword marker I read. Kenneth hates and pities Godrick, despite him being the last of the “Golden Lineage.” Godfrey->Godrick…are the two related?
Fort Haight is cleared, though it is a bittersweet victory. The Knight had entered into the service of the Lord of Blood, coating his sword in his own lifeblood before sending it forward in a wide arc. But he is dead, and I found two items of note in the Fort. Outside the gate was the golden illusion of a sapling emitted by a luminescent seed. A seed from the Erdtree itself, blown to the winds when the Elden Ring shattered. I was able to use it to fortify my flasks to carry more healing tears. Atop the Fort, lay the left half of the Dectus Medallion, showing a figure with some kind of rod. The whole medallion will connect two places: Liurnia and the Altus Plateau. The other half is in Fort Faroth in Dragonbarrow. Bet you there are dragons there.
But, as I was saying about it being bittersweet. At first, Kenneth was elated, gifting me a dagger made of Erdsteel reserved for royalty. He asked me to enter into his service and to meet him at the Fort. Kenneth desires to repair relations with the demi-humans, despite them not being blessed with Grace. I feel that is not a popular opinion in these parts, but I am certain it is the right one. For all his self-importance, Kenneth seems to care deeply about this land and its people, as evidenced by my not entering in his service. Upon seeing the state of his fort, he let me know that it would have to wait. The greater concern is addressing the ruin of Limgrave, and that means seeing to Godrick. I cannot imagine Kenneth has the power to assail Stormveil. But I might…
I am being hunted. In the depths of night, a great rider adorned in full black armor, atop a steed the same hue. He was searching for something. The moment he saw me, he brought his glaive to bear and made a beeline for me. The rider is dead, and I know little about him. But I fear my actions have been noticed.
Remember that golden knight I saw when first entering Limgrave? Decided to test my mettle against him. I was right to avoid him earlier. Had I fought him then, I would be nothing more than a red smear on that great shield of his. But, after a magnificent battle, I have felled a Knight of the Order of the Tree Sentinels. Not a stretch to assume these serve the Erdtree. His placement makes me wonder…was he meant to intercept all Tarnished arriving in these lands? Am I in opposition to the Erdtree? Or to this Golden Order? Time will tell. His halberd is a beautiful weapon, but FAR too heavy for me to wield.
Blaidd and I came across the Forlorn Hound Evergaol (pronounced “ever jail.”). These circular stone indentations, surrounded by living stone snakes emitting purple light, are used to imprison beings out of time and space. Baidd was of the opinion that this was too kind a fate for Darriwil, so we entered and brought the Bloudhound Knight to his fate for betraying Blaidd’s master. Such a strange foe, crawling on all fours. Agile as hell, but easy to knock the sense out of. What a blade he left behind though! A large curved sword known as the Bloodhound’s Fang. Sharp and fluid in motion, just like the Knight.
Blaidd thanked me and we parted ways, but not before he bid me look out for a large blacksmith near Raya Lucaria to the north. They are allies, and he will be willing to lend me aid. It’s sad to part ways with Blaidd now, but I feel our story is not yet complete. There is a bridge to a peninsula to the south. Grace is pointing that direction as well. Think I will head that way.
