Demon's Souls
Story Guide by Guardian Owl
Version: 1.13 | Updated: 08/29/14 | Search Guide | Bookmark Guide
DEMON'S SOULS CHARACTER, STORYLINE, AND LORE GUIDE Author: Guardian Owl (guardian_owl@yahoo.com) Version: 1.13 8/26/2014 Playstation 3 Version History: Version 1.13 - 08/26/2014: -Fixed a few more syntax errors -Added additional information to: (NPC13) Patches the Hyena (NPC24) Former Royal's Wife (MC15) Vito the Moonlight Knight (E03) Colored-eyed Knight (E09) Scale Miner (E16) Octopus-headed Guard (E17) Gargoyle (E18) Face Bugs (E19) Skeleton (E20) Storm Beast (E31) Plague Baby (D1-3) Penetrator (D2-3) Dragon God (D3-2) Maneater (D4-3) Storm King (D5-2) Dirty Colossus Version 1.12 - 11/12/2012: -Corrected information in the Dragon God entry, tutorial Dragon God is on a mountain top, not underground -Added "Location of Journey to the Nexus" entry to General Observations -Added Catholicism parallels note to Old Monk origin entry -fixed more syntax errors Version 1.11 - 06/19/2012: -Fixed more syntax errors Version 1.10 - 11/22/2011: -Added "Ore & Smithing" entry to General Observations -Added "The Soul" entry to General Observations -Added origin to Legendary Big M entry -Added possession theory to Maiden in Black entry -Added Hidden Angel Wings note to Old King Allant entry -Fixed various spelling/punctuation errors and odd sentence phrasings Version 1.00 - 07/19/2011: -Encyclopedia (complete): Individual entries for every enemy, demon, character, and character class; each entry has a physical description, how it relates to the story, and the likely origins of the character / enemy. -Timeline (complete): Rough chronological listing of events which have occurred in Boletaria from the time of Creation to the end of the game. =============================================================================== INTRODUCTION =============================================================================== Unlike most other games which reveal their story entirely through dialogue and cutscenes, much of Demon's Souls story (beyond the basics) is implied or has to be pieced together with information from a variety of in-game sources. Item descriptions, spell descriptions, character dialogue, archstone descriptions, item placement, etc.; all contain scraps of information about what happened before and after the Second Demon Scourge. I have attempted to take all that information and convey it to the reader in two different ways. First is a character / enemy encyclopedia containing an entry for each character, enemy, and boss which details their background, how they fit into the story and lore, as well as what may have inspired From Software to create them. Second is the timeline which is an overview of what has happened in Great Boletaria from Creation up to the end of the game. I have attempted to place events as close to chronological order as can be determined. Particularly in the encyclopedia (section 1 through 7) I have attempted to label anything which was not explicitly stated in the game as theory and at the end of each entry I list the descriptions and character dialogue I drew from to write the entry. Most of these descriptions and dialogue can be read on http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/ (it was my main source of information for this FAQ). The prime inspiration for this FAQ are the massive storyline forum threads on the Gamefaqs message boards and I have drawn many of the theories in this guide from those forum threads. Anyone who had a theory I used I attempted to place their user name in the contributors section, but apologies if I missed you. Section 1 is about the character classes. I added other background information which was revealed about the starting classes in the course of playing Demon's Souls. Section 2 is information about all the NPCs which the player can encounter in the course of playing Demon's Souls. It offers a brief physical description, details how each character fits into the story, and the possible origins of the character. Section 3 is information about characters, races, etc. which are talked about or referenced by item descriptions, but the player never actually encounters them in-game. Section 4 offers a brief physical description of each non-unique enemy, details how each enemy fits into the narrative, as well as the possible inspirations which lead to the creation of that enemy. Section 5 offers a brief physical description of each unnamed black phantom enemy as well as theories about their identity. Section 6 is a catch-all for the rest of the enemies. Most offer a demon's soul, but are not bosses so I have called them "Minor Demons." Section 7 list substantial information about the 16 Major Demons and the Old One. Section 8 focuses on a single topic or concept of Demon's Souls not covered in- depth by the other sections. Section 9 is the timeline which lists events from Creation to the end of the game in a rough, best-guess order. Section 10 is where alternative theories about the narrative of the game are discussed. Section 11 is an alternate ordering of the contents of the encyclopedia which groups all characters, enemies, and NPCs by what world they reside in the game. If you spot any errors, missing details, or have theories of your own you would like included in the guide, feel free to email me with the subject line "Demon's Souls Story FAQ." =============================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS =============================================================================== 1.)CHARACTER CLASSES Royalty Knight Priest Thief Magician Temple Knight Soldier Wanderer Barbarian Hunter 2.)MET NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS (NPC01) The Monumental (NPC02) Maiden in Black (NPC03) Disciple of God (NPC04) Acolyte of God (male) (NPC05) Worshipper of God (female) (NPC06) Saint Urbain (NPC07) Freke's Apprentice (NPC08) Sage Freke (NPC09) Yuria (NPC10) Stockpile Thomas (NPC11) Blacksmith Boldwin (NPC12) Crestfallen Warrior (NPC13) Patches the Hyena (NPC14) Yurt the Silent Chief (NPC15) Mephistopheles (NPC16) Ostrava (NPC17) Biorr (NPC18) Dregling Merchant (NPC19) Executioner Miralda (NPC20) Old King Doran (NPC21) Filthy Man (NPC22) Blacksmith Ed (NPC23) Scirvir the Wanderer (NPC24) Former Royal's Wife (NPC25) The Liar (NPC26) Lord Rydell (NPC27) Graverobber Blige (NPC28) "Sparkly" the Crow (NPC29) Satsuki (NPC30) Filthy Woman (NPC31) Selen Vinland 3.)MENTIONED CHARACTERS (MC01) Geri (MC02) Vallarfax (MC03) Wife & Daughter of Stockpile Thomas (MC04) Grandfather of Worshipper of God (MC05) Legendary Big M (MC06) Burrowers (MC07) Queen Yormedar (MC08) Husband of Royal Mistress (MC09) Wife of Lord Rydell (MC10) Witch in the Sky (MC11) Soul Industry / Society Member (MC12) Father of Satsuki (MC13) Makoto (MC14) Shadowmen (MC15) Vito the Moonlight Knight (MC16) Risaie of Istarel (MC17) Holy Warriors of the West (MC18) Father Vinland (MC19) Bramd (MC20) Son of Filthy Woman (MC21) Giants 4.)ENEMIES (E01) Dregling (E02) Soldier (E03) Colored-eyed Knight (E04) Dog (E05) Assassin (E06) Fat Minister (E07) Hoplite (E08) Crystal Lizard (E09) Scale Miner (E10) Fire Gecko (E11) Rockworm (E12) Bearbug (E13) Prisoner (E14) Prisoner Horde (E15) Mage Prisoner (E16) Octopus-headed Guard (E17) Gargoyle (E18) Face Bugs (E19) Skeleton (E20) Storm Beast (E21) Reaper (E22) Shadow Lurker (E23) Giant Slug (E24) Rat (E25) Giant Mosquito (E26) Giant Tick (E27) Jellyfish (E28) Depraved One (E29) Giant Depraved One (E30) Depraved Shaman (E31) Plague Baby 5.)BLACK PHANTOMS (B01) Black Phantom Knight - Oolan (B02) Black Phantom Knight - Alfred (B03) Black Phantom Knight - Metas (B04) Black Phantom Barbarian (male) (B05) Black Phantom Barbarian (female) (B06) Black Phantom Assassin (B07) Dual-Katana Black Phantom (B08) Raggedy Robed Black Phantom 6.)MINOR DEMONS (d01) Red Dragon (d02) Blue Dragon (d03) Fallen Dragon (d04) Primeval Demon (d05) Vanguard (d06) King Allant 7.)MAJOR DEMONS (D1-1) Phalanx (D1-2) Tower Knight (D1-3) Penetrator (D1-4) Old King Allant (D2-1) Armor Spider (D2-2) Flamelurker (D2-3) Dragon God (D3-1) Fool's Idol (D3-2) Maneater (D3-3) Old Monk (D4-1) Adjudicator (D4-2) Old Hero (D4-3) Storm King (D5-1) Leechmonger (D5-2) Dirty Colossus (D5-3A) Maiden Astraea (D5-3B) Garl Vinland (DXX) Old One 8.)GENERAL OBSERVATIONS 9.)TIMELINE 10.)THEORIES ABOUT THE UNIVERSE 11.)CHARACTERS / ENEMIES SORTED BY WORLD 12.)CONTRIBUTORS 13.)LEGAL / DISCLAIMER =============================================================================== 1.)CHARACTER CLASSES =============================================================================== ROYALTY From the distinguished royal family, Yormedar of Latria, this class is clad in the garb of a magician and can cast magic, but is also well trained in the art of fencing. The silver coronet / catalyst and the ring crafted from expensive spices reveal the high social status of the class. KNIGHT A knight of the royal family of the Southern Kingdom, Latria. The use of a common long sword and the yellow dragon on the class's shield signifies a low rank. PRIEST A holy warrior who believes in the power of God and fights on behalf of the Church. This class wields a mace which is adept at smashing through shields. Many Priests were killed while accompanying Saint Astraea in her pilgrimage to the Valley of Defilement and / or later when they came to the Valley to investigate rumors that she had become a Demon. See also (MC17). THIEF Shady characters hired by royalty to spy or commit assassinations. The black leather they wear helps them blend in at night, protects the user from poison strikes of rival thieves, and masks their breath in the cold. MAGICIAN A commoner who has learned magic. While the class is clad in the garb of a magician, the cheap sword / shield and wooden catalyst reveal a low social status. TEMPLE KNIGHT A different class of holy warrior, they are charged with defending the temples of the Church and wield weapons designed to take on many enemies at once. The armor of the class is named for the first temple of the Church, Mird, the location of which has been lost for ages. Many Temple Knights were killed while accompanying Saint Astraea in her pilgrimage to the Valley of Defilement and / or later when they came to the Valley to investigate rumors that she had become a demon. See also (MC17). SOLDIER A common foot solider of the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria, this class wears thick armor and is skilled with the sword and the spear. WANDERER A soldier who does not serve a single master but wanders the land for temporary work fighting in the army. The garb of the wanderer indicates that the class may have once been a priest, perhaps fighting in a distant country, as the weapon wielded is not of Boletarian design. A wanderer believes in luck and chance. BARBARIAN An Incredibly tough and strong member of a primitive civilization who arm themselves with rudimentary, wooden weaponry. Barbarians forgo armor for maximum mobility in battle. The presence of barbarian weaponry and barbarian black phantoms in the Stonefang tunnels would seem to indicate a settlement is or was near Stonefang Tunnel. Early ancestors of the barbarians worshipped at the Shrine of Storms long ago, but the Shrine has been abandoned for ages. HUNTER A warrior of the woods, this class is clad in soft leather, ideal for traveling light while creeping through fields and blending in with the forest. The primary weapon the class carries is a long bow which is used to snipe from afar, but a hunter is also equipped with an axe for close combat and chopping wood. =============================================================================== 2.)MET NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS =============================================================================== #: NPC01 Name: The Monumental World: Nexus Narrative: On the top floor is a room full of dead Monumentals, only one is still alive. He sits cross-legged on the floor, but his body almost has the appearance of being made of ceramic, like he is a living statue. In the distant past, one who sought greater power awakened the Old One and a Demonic, colorless fog swept across the land. Heroes arose to fight the Demon scourge but by the time the Old One had been put back to sleep, half the world's population had been destroyed by the fog. To unite what little of the world remained, six archstones were given to the rulers of the remaining lands which allowed quick travel to the Nexus. To prevent the future rise of the Old One it was imprisoned below the Nexus and the Soul Arts (power derived from the soul of others) were banned. Those heroes who survived the quest became Monumentals, half-living beings tasked with preserving the fabric of reality. As time passed, the archstones were forgotten by humanity and the Monumentals began to slowly perish. Now only one Monumental remains to aid the player in correcting King Allant's mistake in awakening the Old One. The Monumental opens a fissure (opening) in the Deep Fog to allow the player access to the outer rim of Boletaria. He guides the player through the journey to the Nexus and upon their death binds the player's soul to the Nexus. Only by destroying all the Demons, the Monumental claims, will the player be freed from the Nexial Binding. The Monumental encourages the player to allow the Maiden in Black to lull the Old One to sleep (and get the light ending of the game). The Crestfallen Warrior (the morose blue phantom by the first archstone) theorizes that it is the Monumentals, not King Allant, which awoke the Old One on a "whim." They then enslaved any passing warriors with Nexial Bindings in a desperate bid to undo their mistake. If this theory is correct, King Allant was merely a powerful warrior who was seduced by the call of the Old One to be its servant (like the player at the end of the game) and not the cause of Boletaria's demise. A line of the Monumental's dialogue which may support this is when he speaks of creating the Pantheon at the top of the Nexus to give "thanks to the brave and honorable warriors, who must fight to reverse our sin." This "sin" he speaks of may refer to the current awakening of the Old One, but it may mean instead that one of the Monumentals was responsible for the original awakening of the Old One in the distant past. It is also possible the last Monumental, desperate to find replacements, awakened the Old One to find warriors worthy of becoming new Monumentals to replace those who had died. If the player follows the Monumental's advice and receives the light ending by letting the Maiden in Black put the Old One to sleep, they will become a new Monumental. Origin: The pose of the Monumental and many of its facial features are modeled after statues of the Buddha. Reference: nexial binding description, friend's ring description, Crestfallen Warrior dialogue, Maiden in Black dialogue, Monumental dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue, King Allant dialogue, Narrator dialogue #: NPC02 Name: Maiden in Black AKA the Candle Maiden World: Nexus Narrative: She is a barefoot young woman with short black hair and eyes covered by wax. She wears black wrappings, a cloak, and carries a long pole which she uses to light the candles around the Nexus. After defeating the first Demon Boss, she can be found wandering the area in front of the Archstones on the lower floor of the Nexus. She was once one of the oldest and most powerful Demons in existence before she was bound to the Nexus by the Monumentals. She has the power to channel the Demon souls the player collects in order to make the player more powerful. The Maiden in Black once had the ability to suck out the soul of any creature, instantly killing them, but no longer can, likely due to the wax covering her eyes. She is a prisoner within the Nexus (a nexial binding is on her ankle) and cannot die, the only way she will be freed is to lull the Old One back to sleep. That freedom comes at a price for the only way to keep the Old One asleep is for her to sleep along with it. She can be permanently killed by striking while she puts the Old One to sleep which results in the dark ending of the game. She speaks in a similar manner to Old King Doran, with "thee" and "thou," confirming that she is quite old. Another possibility is the Demon is a completely separate entity from the Maiden in Black. In this scenario, the Maiden in Black was once just a simple candle maiden but was possessed by an ancient Demon's soul which now resides in her. It could be the Demon is in complete control of her body or instead it is some kind of symbiotic relationship. The Demon prevents her body from dying but is vulnerable while transferring it's essence to the Old One to put it to sleep. The nexial binding and black wax over her eyes could be a means to contain this Demon. Though the Monumental believes she follows his orders, the Maiden in Black appears to have somewhat split loyalties. If the Monumentals did not show King Allant how to awaken the Old One, the only other character with that knowledge would likely be the Maiden in Black. She is also the method of the player's corruption as she uses Demon magic to embolden the player's flesh with the souls of humans, a power that "contradicts the essence of the soul." Once the five Archdemons are defeated, she recognizes the howl of the Old One, which she calls the "voice of yore" (time long past), and brings the player down to meet the Old One. There she speaks to the Old One as if she has been in constant communication, telling it that she has done as commanded and brought a new Demon to serve as a replacement for the failure that is King Allant. Origin: N/A Reference: Maiden in Black dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue, Saint Urbain dialogue, Monumental dialogue, Crestfallen Warrior dialogue, Stockpile Thomas dialogue, nexial binding description, Soulsucker spell description #: NPC03 Name: Disciple of God World: Nexus Narrative: He is a common priest, a warrior of the Church, as he wears chain mail, carries a mace, and knows only a few minor miracles. He appears on the left side of the bottom floor of the Nexus after the first Demon boss, Phalanx, has been defeated. He has the ability to teach minor miracles and equip miracles the player has already learned. If the player does not rescue Saint Urbain before the Old Hero is killed and they talk to the Disciple, he will take it upon himself to rescue Saint Urbain and he leaves the Nexus. It is assumed he dies or loses his sanity in this attempt as he is never heard from again. If Saint Urbain is rescued, he will also disappear from the Nexus. Origin: A disciple is one who learns from another for the purpose of eventually teaching others. So he is a disciple of Saint Urbain's teachings. Reference: chain mail armor set description, mace description, heater shield description, talisman of god description, Disciple of God dialogue, Patches dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue #: NPC04 Name: Acolyte of God (male) World: Nexus Narrative: He is a part of the Church, but is not a priest as he mixes a chain mail chest piece with leather armor gauntlets and leggings, attacks with a dagger, and knows no miracles. He can be found on the left side on the bottom floor of the Nexus near the Worshipper and the Disciple (and later Urbain). He accompanied Saint Urbain to the Shrine of Storms, but turned and ran away when the grave robber Patches captured Urbain in a trap. He becomes incredibly depressed that he has violated his oath and begs the player to rescue Saint Urbain. He is exceedingly grateful to the player once Saint Urbain is rescued. The acolyte has a contempt for Patches and anyone who does business with him. He hates magicians and considers their works dark magic. Origin: An acolyte in the Catholic Church has been ordained into the highest of the four minor orders. He is a follower / helper, able to carry the wine, water, and the lights at Mass. He is an assistant to Saint Urbain. Reference: chain mail armor set description, leather armor set description, dagger description, Acolyte of God dialogue, Patches dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue #: NPC05 Name: Worshipper of God (female) World: Nexus Narrative: She is a believer and follower of the Church, but is not a member of the clergy. She wears a chain mail chest piece, attacks with a pickaxe (a keepsake of her grandfather), and knows no miracles. She can be found on the left side of the bottom floor of the Nexus near the Acoylte and the Disciple (and later Urbain). The female follower of Urbain used to live below the Boletarian Palace. As her grandfather was free to travel, it is unlikely her family were slaves, they may have been hired servants who lived and worked in the palace. She fled the palace when it was besieged by King Allant's doppelganger and its army of Demons. It is her belief that the pure faintstone she carries, a family heirloom, protected her from death at the hands of the Demons. The stone was discovered by her grandfather in the Stonefang mines, where he often traveled to mine and collect rocks. The pickaxe she carries and possibly the piece of chain mail she wears were likely once owned by her grandfather. It is possible she has always been a believer or that she was "born again" and began to believe when the "holy ore" protected her from death. Evidence of her being born again is her sudden eagerness to give all her possessions away to Saint Urbain or the player if their faith stat is 20+. It may also have been Urbain who planted the idea in her head that the pure faintstone protected her from death as it is he who tells her that he can "hear the voice of God through [the stone]." Origin: A worshipper is one who expresses their strong affection and dedication to a deity or sacred object often during a religious ceremony. Reference: chain mail armor set description, pickaxe description, faintstone description, Worshipper of God dialogue #: NPC06 Name: Saint Urbain AKA Honorable One World: Nexus, Shrine of Storms Narrative: Saint Urbain is adorned in the white robes that a high-ranking priest wears when he goes on a pilgrimage. The only weapon he has is faith and a talisman of God as he is able to perform God's Wrath, one of the greatest miracles. He can be found on the left side of the bottom floor of the Nexus near the Worshipper and the Disciple. Saint Urbain is one of the highest ranking priests in the Church, this is signified by the white robes and ring of devout prayer he wears. He has the ability to cleanse the evil from a Major Demon's soul and perform a new miracle with its power. While lower-level priests engage the Demons directly in battle, Saint Urbain is more of a spiritual leader as he constantly prays for God's protection of the Demon slayers. The Disciple of God describes him as a "true sage" as he has the ability to hear the voice of God through a talisman of God or pure faintstone ore. Miracles reappeared in Boletaria only after the rise of the Demons and black magic, Urbain believes that this is a sign from God that not only should the Church fight the Demon hordes, but that after the Demons are defeated all practitioners of magic should be "purged" from Boletaria. "A miracle is a heavenly act, but spells are the acts of Demons, the work of soul arts. They have similar effects, and yet, one is clearly evil, and the other is clearly good. Magicians, in the end, are mere servants of the Demons." He also believes that the souls which have been touched by Demons are so evil and all that seek them out (including King Allant, Sage Freke, and even the Maiden in Black) will eventually be taken over by a lust for power. It is unknown why Saint Urbain and the Acolyte traveled to the Shrine of Storms, but they eventually met the rogue Patches and Urbain found himself at the bottom of the pit below the sorcerer's altar. If he used the same trick on Urbain as he did on the player, Urbain was lured to the edge by the promise of vast treasure. This may indicate Urbain sought to pillage treasures from the pagan shrine of the Shadowmen in order to fund the Church's campaign against the Demons. The loss of his teacher shattered the Acolyte's courage so he fled back to the Nexus rather than attempt to rescue Urbain. If the player does not rescue Saint Urbain the Disciple of God will eventually leave for the Shrine of Storms to try and rescue him. If the player rescues Saint Urbain before the Disciple leaves, he will be gone when Urbain moves to the Nexus. Urbain is greatly disturbed by the howl of the Old One which echoes up into the Nexus once the 5 Archdemons are defeated and the seal on the Old One's chamber is broken. He believes it is not a Demon, but that it sounds more like a hungry child. It is possible the howl puts him at "unease" because deep down inside he knows (but can't believe) that it is the voice of the Old One which has been speaking to him while he has been in Boletaria. It is also revealed through the Talisman of Beasts that the source of miracles in Boletaria is not the Church's conception of "God," but that like soul magic, its power also comes from the Old One. Thus the God they worship (and perhaps have unknowingly worshipped since the establishment of their religion) is the Old One. Origin: Saint Urbain may be named after Urbain Grandier, a Catholic priest in the 1600s who ignored his vow of celibacy and had sexual relations with many women. After heavily criticizing a powerful Cardinal, he was falsely accused of witchcraft, subjected to torture to get him to confess (he did not), and was then burned at the stake. Reference: saint's robes armor set description, talisman of god description, talisman of beasts description, ring of devout prayer description, faintstone description, god's wrath miracle description, Saint Urbain dialogue, Patch's dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue, Acolyte of God dialogue, Worshipper of God dialogue, Disciple of God dialogue, Graverobber Blige dialogue, Shrine of Storms archstone description #: NPC07 Name: Freke's Apprentice World: Nexus Narrative: The Apprentice is adorned in wizard's clothes and attacks with a variety of basic spells. After the first Demon boss has been defeated he can be found on the right side of the bottom floor of the Nexus. Like the Acolyte of God, Freke's Apprentice pleads for others to rescue his master, Sage Freke, from Demon captivity. He is a rude magician who only agrees to teach the player magic so that he does not have to go into battle. It is implied through conversation that he gave up before making even a half-hearted attempt to rescue Freke from the dungeons of Latria and instead has recruited others warriors to attempt Freke's rescue. He is momentarily grateful once the player has rescued Sage Freke then insults the player whenever they talk to him again. Origin: An apprentice is one who forms an agreement with a master to serve them for a certain length of time in exchange for learning the master's trade. Reference: wizard's clothes armor set description, Freke's Apprentice dialogue #: NPC08 Name: Sage Freke AKA The Visionary World: Nexus, Tower of Latria Narrative: Sage Freke is adorned in dirt-covered, Venerable Sage's robes (which look very similar to Saint's robes) and wields a catalyst in one hand and a Baby's Nail in the other. After he has been freed from the Tower of Latria, he can be found on the right side of the bottom floor of the Nexus to the right of his apprentice. Sage Freke the Visionary observed how Demons channeled the Soul Arts in order to cast spells so that humans would be able to mimic that power. With his knowledge of Demon magic he hoped to slay the Demons in Latria but was overpowered by the Old Monk and imprisoned in the dungeons below the Tower of Latria. Once rescued by the player using the key which hangs next to the Liar in the church of the Fool's Idol, he can study the essence of a Major Demon's Soul in order to create a new, powerful spell. He believes the awakening of the Old One has energized magic far beyond anything that was before possible. He also believes prayer is for the foolish and that the Church's God and the Old One are one in the same, unbeknownst to Saint Urbain and the rest of the Church leadership. His contempt for the Church is likely connected to his time as a high-ranking priest in his younger years. The robes Freke wears show his "origins quite well" as it is a well worn, blackened, slightly modified saint's robe armor set. It is unknown for what reason Sage Freke turned against God and the Church. Since he served the Yormedar royal family he either settled in Latria after leaving the priesthood or is originally from Latria. Over the course of the player's quest, Freke becomes increasingly obsessed with the dark arts. First he envies those humans who have evolved to a "higher state" and become Demons. Next he momentarily doubts that defeating the Old One (which would end most magic) is the right thing to do. Finally he beseeches the player to murder the Maiden in Black (and get the dark ending of the game) while she attempts to lull the Old One back to sleep so that the player will gain the Old One's Demon soul. With that Demon soul, the player would gain power beyond imagination and Freke knowledge "from beyond." He is friends with the magical craftsmen Geri. Origin: In Norse mythology Freki and Geri, known as the "Ravenous Ones," were wolves who always accompanied the supreme Viking god Odin into battle. At the conclusion of the fighting, the hounds were known to roam the battlefield to greedily devour the corpses of the fallen. This is a parallel to Freke's intense desire for the player to bring him the mature souls of Demons which have fallen in battle. Reference: venerable sage's armor set description, baby's nail description, ring of magical sharpness, geri's stiletto description, Sage Freke dialogue, Saint Urbain dialogue, Freke's Apprentice dialogue, Yuria dialogue, Patches dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone #: NPC09 Name: Yuria World: Nexus, Boletarian Palace Narrative: Yuria wears the hat of a witch, but the insect-infested clothing of one who has lived through horrific things. After being freed from the lone tower in the Boletaria Palace, she can be found in the southeast corner of the bottom floor of the Nexus. When Yuria was young, she was born with a magical ring in her hand and thus branded a witch and persecuted as a threat to society. As she became older her bitterness and lust for power grew and she was drawn to the accursed land of Boletaria. She was defeated by Executioner Miralda near the entrance to the Boletarian Place and imprisoned. During her incarceration she was kept separate from the other prisoners in a tower reserved for "special" cases. The key which accesses the tower is encrusted with dried blood meaning horrific torture must go on in the tower and the blood would run down to the key hanging on the belt of the Ministers. In that tower she was ill-fed, tortured, and (based on what she says to the player when they wear an official's cap) sexually assaulted by the Fat Ministers. That just wearing a minister's cap allowed one access to Yuria would imply there was widespread abuse of her by a multitude of Officials. That horrific experience has robbed her of her lust for power, making her timid and very reluctant to teach the player witchcraft. Once rescued by the player, she can teach them to channel a Major Demon's Soul in order to create a new, powerful spell. While Sage Freke makes use of magic by studying the essence of a Demon Soul, Yuria uses emotion to channel the soul's raw power. This method of channeling the Soul Arts is believed to be intrinsically evil as channeling cursed souls will taint the caster. Her magic is often more powerful than Freke's but lacks focus and is more unpredictable. She is one of the few characters able to break free from her lust for power and the corrupting influence of the Demons. Origin: The character may be named after the Japanese pop singer YURIA. Reference: ring of the accursed description, bloody key description, three- corned hat description, old raggedy robes armor set description, official's cap description. ring of a magical nature description, Biorr dialogue, Yuria dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue #: NPC10 Name: Stockpile Thomas World: Nexus Narrative: Thomas wears leather armor and boots which means he may have been a hunter before the scourge. He can be found near the hallway of red tutorial signs on the bottom floor of the Nexus. Thomas lived near the Boletaria Palace with his wife and daughter when the Demon scourge came. He has no formal combat training and in terror he fled, abandoning his wife and daughter, and becoming injured in the process. He awoke in the Nexus and was nursed back to health by the Maiden in Black. As the Worshipper of God also fled the Boletaria Palace at the start of the scourge, she may be the one who carried the injured Thomas to the Nexus. He is not physically bound to the Nexus with a Nexial binding, but is so terrified of the Demons that he has not left the Nexus since he awoke. The player later confirms that Thomas's wife and child are dead when their corpses (and his daughter's hairpin) are found suspended by chains from the side of a tower in the Boletarian Palace. As the player has limited inventory space Thomas pledges to watch over and protect any excess baggage, like an item bank. Origin: The name Thomas means "twin," but it may be more in reference to the biblical story of one of Jesus's Disciples, "doubting" Thomas, as he does not truly believe his wife and daughter are dead until the player brings him proof. Reference: leather armor set description, jade hair ornament description, ring of herculean strength description, Worshipper of God dialogue, Stockpile Thomas dialogue #: NPC11 Name: Blacksmith Boldwin World: Nexus Narrative: Boldwin is a blacksmith of small stature who wears tattered clothes and portions of his body are covered in scales. He can be found slightly to the right of Stockpile Thomas on the bottom floor of the Nexus. He is an old blacksmith able to do minor weapon crafting and sell low-level equipment and items. His physique and voice are nearly identical to Blacksmith Ed because they are twin brothers. He worked in Stonefang tunnel as a blacksmith up until the coming of the Deep Fog at which point he fled to the Nexus before the situation deteriorated. Like Ed, he carries a Hand of God (likely a family heirloom), a fist weapon worn by the legendary warrior "Big M" to slay dragons with his fists. Also like Ed, he has small patches of scales on his skin indicating the miners of Stonefang were once human, transformed into scale-covered Demons by the colorless fog. There is an empty blacksmith station near the water wheel which powers the elevator by Ed, perhaps this was Boldwin's station before he left for the Nexus. When he was younger Boldwin also lived near Stonefang and used his strength to clear bearbugs from the mine tunnels. Origin: The character may be named after the Hong Kong company "Boldwin Industrial," known for the design and manufacturing of plastic figurines and vinyl toys. Reference: hands of god description, iron knuckles description, Blacksmith Boldwin dialogue, Stonefang Tunnel archstone description #: NPC12 Name: Crestfallen Warrior World: Nexus Narrative: The blue phantom of a Demon slayer who wears plate armor indicating in life he was likely a Boletarian soldier. He can be found on the bottom floor of the Nexus in front of the Boletaria Palace archstone. A cynical and depressed warrior who has given up his quest to slay Demons and now sits in front of the Boletaria Palace archstone in blue phantom soul form. Like the player, he was bound to the Nexus by the Monumental and as a result is mistrustful of the Monumental. He is the first to warn the player of the dangers of the Soul Arts; that as the Maiden in Black gives one more power, bit by bit, one loses their humanity. As the player progresses the Crestfallen warrior will become increasingly soul-starved eventually leading to memory loss. Once the Tower Knight is killed he will rant about the player finding his rotten body, which is theorized to be the corpse with the Traditional Hero's Soul in the path of the Red Dragon's fire on the Lord's Path in the Boletaria Palace. After that encounter he becomes completely soul-started, loses his memories, and eventually fades away. He is one of the only characters in the game which casts doubt on the goodness of the Monumental, see NPC01 for further information. Origin: N/A Reference: Plate armor set description, Crestfallen Warrior dialogue #: NPC13 Name: Patches the Hyena World: Nexus, Stonefang Tunnel, Shrine of Storms Narrative: Patches wears black leather armor and wields an Adjudicator's shield and short spear. After encountering him in the cavern of the 2nd area of Stonefang Tunnel and/or behind the sorcerer's altar in the 2nd area of the Shrine of Storms he can be found in front of the Tower of Latria archstone on the bottom level of the Nexus. He is a mischievous graverobber not above luring travelers to their deaths in order to loot their corpses. He tricks the player into getting cornered by a bearbug in Stonefang mine, and also kicks the player down a hole in the Shrine of Storms in the hopes of looting their corpse once they die of starvation. He kicks Saint Urbain down that same hole and from that point on is despised by Urbain and his followers. Upon surviving his traps, he asks forgiveness of the player and attempts to laugh it up as a practical joke. He takes up residence in the Nexus in front of the Tower of Latria archstone and begins to sell rare items once encountered in either of the locations. Origin: He is likely known as "the Hyena" for the inflection of his laugh. The character has its origins as a mech pilot named "Patch the Good Luck" in From Software's earlier game Armored Core: For Answer. In that game he is a mercenary piloting the mech "No Count" who gives up the fight if his master is killed, exclaiming "Wait wait! I give up! H-hey, I'm just following orders here! If he's pulled out, why should I...? Y-you guys, you're still alive right? This is No Count, come in! We're allies right? Right?" The character's in-game biography also details his favored combat strategy is to "snipe from the air or from concealed locations to catch his opponents off guard." Reference: black leather armor set description, Patches dialogue, Saint Urbain dialogue, Acolyte of God dialogue, Graverobber Blige dialogue #: NPC14 Name: Yurt the Silent Chief World: Nexus, Tower of Latria Narrative: Yurt wears the malevolent-looking gloom armor which consists of spiked chest piece, greaves, gauntlets, and a dual-spike helmet. He wields a parrying dagger and a shotel. He can be found in the 2nd area of the Tower of Latria just before riding the elevator down into the swamp, drop down to lower walkway with augites of guidance to free him. Once freed, he can be found on the left side of the second floor of the Nexus. He is first encountered imprisoned in a cage in the Tower of Latria surrounded by augites of guidance, which he likely threw from cage to draw attention, and he asks the player to free him. If freed he will take up residence on the 2nd floor of the Nexus. Yurt claims to be an ally in the fight against the Demons but is actually a blood-thirsty mercenary who is under the employ of Mephistopheles, the leader of a vicious, secret masked society. His mission is to murder anyone left in Boletaria who has knowledge of the Soul Arts, If he is left alone in the Nexus he will murder all of its mages and most of its vendors one at a time. As he speaks, "Silent" obviously does not indicate that he is mute. "Silent" must be referring to his demeanor, IE that he is stealthy and remains unseen. "Chief" signifies a high rank or leadership position. Since he is a mercenary, and not necessarily a part of the Soul Industry secret society, Chief may indicate he is the leader of a band of assassins. The Shotel description (the weapon Yurt uses) mentions a "group of assassins" which use the weapon. So "Yurt the Silent Chief" could mean "A leader among a group of assassins who inflict pain (hurt) and death stealthily." One of the mysteries of Yurt is who imprisoned him in the cage in Latria and why. As there are items scattered throughout Latria which belong to high- ranking members of the Soul Industry it is possible they were imprisoned by the Old Monk and Yurt was sent in to rescue them. The opposite may also be true, that the Old Monk captured them and it was Yurt's job to sneak in and kill them before they spilled what they knew to the Old Monk. One odd possibility is that Yurt entered the cage in the swamp, rode it up to the tower, and then found he could not reach the latch through the bars of the cage with his armor on. In that case it would be carelessness, and not a person, who locked him in the cage. Another interesting tidbit (which may just be a coincidence) is that the insignia on the back of his gloom helmet is very similar in shape to the insignia on the front of the purple flame shield. The origin of the shield's design and characteristics are unknown so it may have been originally designed by the ancestors of Yurt's clan of assassins. Origin: "Yurt" means either one's home or homeland and is also a type of tent. That doesn't appear to relate to the character so I believe that he is called "Yurt" because it sounds very close to "hurt" and a lower case 'h" is basically an upside down "y." "Yurt" may also be a contraction of "you(r) hurt." Reference: shotel description, parrying dagger description, gloom armor set description, purple flame shield description, Mephistopheles dialogue, Yuria dialogue, Patches dialogue, Yurt dialogue #: NPC15 Name: Mephistopheles World: Nexus Narrative: Mephistopheles is a woman adorned in Rogue's clothes, a gold mask, and wields a parrying dagger and epee rapier. Once Yurt is dead and the player has pure black character tendency, she can be found in Yurt's old spot on the left side of the second floor of the Nexus. She is a very high-ranked member of Soul Industry, a secret, masked society of individuals who wish to keep the secrets of the Soul Arts for themselves. She employed the mercenary Yurt the Silent Chief to murder all those in Boletaria who have knowledge of the Soul Arts. If the player has pure black character tendency and has defeated Yurt she offers to employ them to finish the job. If the player takes her up on her offer and murders the Soul Art users of Boletaria, she will turn on the player and attempt to kill them, the last non- member with knowledge of the Soul Arts. Though an epee rapier has a blunted blade and is typically used in fencing contests, the epee rapiers wielded by the Soul Industry are imbued with a strong magical flame. Thus strikes by the epee rapier only lightly cuts the flesh, but horribly burns it. This example of viciousness is one of reasons the Soul Industry is so feared. Origin: "Mephistopheles," which roughly translates to "not a lover of light," is a demon representative of the Devil in a tale of German folktale, the Legend of Faust. In the story, Faust is an unfulfilled author who makes a deal with Mephistopheles to trade his soul to the Devil in exchange for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. The deal irrevocably corrupts his soul and at the end of the tale his soul is dragged down to Hell. This parallels the relationship between the player and the NPC, in exchange for assassinating characters in the Nexus they gain weapons and items of great power, but at the cost of blackening the player's soul. Reference: rogue's clothes armor set description, gold mask description, epee rapier description, parrying dagger description, ring of the accursed description, foe's ring description, Yurt dialogue, Mephistopheles dialogue #: NPC16 Name: Ostrava AKA Prince Ariona Allant World: Nexus, Boletarian Palace Narrative: Ariona Allant travels under the alias "Ostrava," wears a full set of fluted armor, and wields a rune sword and shield. He is encountered in body form 4 times as the player moves through the Boletaria Palace (if he is rescued each time). After each of the first 3 encounters, he can be found dangling on the beam between the Boletaria Palace and Valley of Defilement archstones on the bottom floor of the Nexus. Prince Allant, the son of the King Allant, arrives at the Boletaria Palace after the scourge, but shortly before the player; to avoid attention he travels under the alias Ostrava. He has come alone from the distant Southern kingdom (likely one of Latria's territories on the edge of their kingdom) on a mission to find his father and confirm if the rumors that he has become a Demon are true. He is a wise, but pampered man and often becomes overwhelmed by even weak enemies and must be saved numerous times by the player. He is clad in the garb of a warrior and wields the gilded sword and shield of a legendary hero, but lacks the will to fight, and will run when faced with a marginally powerful enemy. He is last encountered by the player on the steps to King Allant's throne room. Having confirmed that King Allant is a Demon, Ostrava chooses to commit suicide rather than face him in combat. He leaves it to the player to finish his job and is so weak willed that within minutes he appears in black phantom form as the last obstacle to King Allant. He speaks with authority on events which transpired shortly after the scourge, but since he was not present at the time, his knowledge is likely second-hand and may not be reliable. For instance, the Narrator describes in the prologue that Vallarfax broke through a gap in the Deep Fog (what is often referred to by NPCs as a "fissure") to tell the outside world of Boletaria's plight. Ostrava states that Vallarfax was "lost" and that Biorr was the one to break through a "fissure" in the Deep Fog. He speaks first-hand of what the Southern kingdom of Latria thinks about the Northern kingdom of Boletaria, he is clad in the armor of a Latrian knight, he possesses a telescope made by Latrian craftsmen, and he wields the sword and shield of a Latrian heroe. This all indicates that Ostrava spent a great deal of time in Latria, possibly under the care of his relative, Lord Rydell (also known as "little Allant") who is most likely uncle to Ostrava and thus little brother of King Allant. Biorr also speaks of Ostrava "coming to Boletaria," indicating he was not present at the Boletarian Palace when the Demon scourge arrived. One odd bit is the description of the Rune weapons imply they are unique to a legendary Latrian hero, but a second sword and shield are found on a corpse sitting precariously on a ledge in the Tower of Latria. Either the original hero had spares made and now the extras are wielded by knights of high status, or perhaps Ostrava was killed in Latria and what the player has interacted with is his soul form. Origin: Ariona is a variation on the Greek name "Ariana," both are girl's name, which means "holy." It could be they gave Ostrava a girl's name to emphasize the lack of masculinity of the character. Also "holy" in this case might more refer to his pure and kind nature, rather than his relationship with God. Ostrava is a city in the Czech Republic which in prehistoric times served as an important crossroads on many trade routes. The most prominent trade route, called the Amber Road, brought the important raw material amber (fossilized tree resin) to many European and North African countries. The symbol on the flag of Ostrava is quite similar to the design of the rune shield. Reference: fluted armor set description, rune sword description, rune shield description, brass telescope description, Ostrava dialogue, Dregling Merchant dialogue, Biorr dialogue, Narrator dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone description, knight class description #: NPC17 Name: Biorr AKA Elder Twin Fang World: Nexus, Boletarian Palace Narrative: Biorr of the royal Twin Fangs wears full brushwood armor, and carries a brushwood shield, heavy crossbow, and a great sword. After being rescued from the jail near the Tower Knight in the 2nd area of the Boletaria Palace, he can be found in front of the Valley of Defilement archstone in the Nexus. Biorr, the elder of the two, and Vallarfax were brothers known as the royal Twin Fangs. They were both members of King Allant's round table of knights when the Demon scourge came to the Boletarian Palace. The player first encounters Biorr locked up in the dungeons of the Boletarian Palace after he was defeated by the black souls of other knights of the round table. In the beginning, he is adamant that the colorless fog could not be the work of the King, that it must be lies told by the true perpetrators who seek to overthrow Allant. After he assists in the battle with the boss Penetrator (corrupted form of Metas, the knight of the Lance), Biorr appears to have come to terms with the truth and warns the player not to underestimate the King nor his protectors if the player seeks to challenge Allant. Despite the grim situation, Biorr remains upbeat, often cracking a light- hearted joke while in a conversation with the player, this is thought to be an attempt to hide his grief. Biorr speaks of his brother Vallarfax in the past tense and what is likely Vallarfax's armor is found at the bottom of Executioner Miralda's tower indicating he was killed at some point before Biorr's imprisonment. Biorr's grief may also explain why he puts himself in harms way, first assisting the player in defeating the boss Penetrator and then serving as a momentary distraction for the player to run past the Blue Dragon. If Biorr survives the battle with the Blue Dragon the conversation which follows implies that he has been mortally wounded, it is the last time the player will see him alive and the Dregling Merchant, known for taking items off corpses to sell, later has his armor for sale. Biorr mentions after being rescued by the player that he was defeated by "the black souls of mighty knights." Later when he jumps in to assist the player in the battle with Penetrator he proclaims that the Demon will be stopped "once and for all." This may indicate that Penetrator is the one who defeated Biorr and caused him to be imprisoned by the Fat Ministers. That Penetrator focuses entirely on Biorr and ignores the player is further evidence of some unresolved conflict between the two knights. Like the Penetrator, Biorr has a potent hatred of the Fat Ministers. If one takes what Ostrava says as truth, Vallarfax was "lost" and Biorr slipped through "the fissure." Characters often refer to an opening in the Deep Fog as a fissure, but according to the prologue Biorr has not left Boletaria since the scourge began. A fissure is a weakness or flaw which has been split open forming a narrow opening. That definition could apply to the hole in the skylight of Miralda's tower, Biorr could have stepped over the skylight and it broke causing him to "slip" through and disappear into the darkness of the tower, "never to be heard from again." That would mean it could be Biorr's corpse at the bottom of the tower, which raises all kinds of questions about who the player rescues from the Palace jail. Origin: "Biorr" aka "Bjorr" is an Old Icelandic word for an ale attributed to the Gods; a rare and potent drink which possessed magical powers. Reference: brushwood armor set description, large brushwood shield description, ring of great strength description, great sword description, Dregling Merchant dialogue, Biorr dialogue, Ostrava dialogue, Narrator dialogue #: NPC18 Name: Dregling Merchant World: Boletarian Palace Narrative: For further information see E01 He can be found hiding in the first 3 areas of the Boletaria Palace: behind a barricade in the 1st area, at the northern end inside the bridge in the 2nd area, and in the small house with the red-eyed knights near the locked gate in the 3rd area. Only one dregling has managed to maintain his sanity from a steady stream of Demon Souls, acquired by trading items he scavenges from corpses to Demon slayers passing through the castle. As he is one of the few characters who was sane and escaped capture / death during the entirety of the scourge, he has a wealth of first-hand information about the current situation in Boletaria. Origin: For further information see E01 Reference: Dregling Merchant dialogue #: NPC19 Name: Executioner Miralda World: Boletarian Palace Narrative: Miralda is King Allant's executioner, wears a hood, binded cross armor set, and wields a guillotine axe. She can be found by obtaining pure black or white world tendency and entering the execution grounds on the left side near the beginning of the first area of the Boletaria Palace. King Allant's blood-thirsty executioner is the only named NPC to be immediately hostile to the player in pure black world tendency AND pure white world tendency. Before the scourge, she was known throughout Boletaria for her lunacy and beautiful voice. She appears fully covered head to toe with scrap of black leather and wields an axe especially designed to decapitate foes in one strike. She commands the black phantoms of those poor souls she has executed and they protect the execution grounds. She is quite powerful, defeating / imprisoning the witch Yuria, and may have killed Vallarfax (brother of Biorr) as a set of brushwood armor is found at the base of her tower. Origin: "Mira" means "she stares at intently or aims," or "she admires." "Alda" is Icelandic and refers either to a wave (as in the sea) or a smooth edge. So "Miralda" could mean "one who aims a smooth edge," the guillotine. It may instead refer to a Cuban tale from the 1800s, "The Justice of Tacon" in which a noble bribed soldiers to abduct a beautiful, poor, virgin maiden; Miralda, under false pretenses. The noble has been long suspected of abducting young woman to deflower and then kill them. When the vile act is discovered by General Tacon he passes judgment that now that Miralda's reputation is ruined the noble must marry her. Under protects, he marries Miralda and then afterward is immediately executed by the General's men so that his wealth and estate transfer to Miralda. The tale was later adapted into a play by an American writer who inserted the character Cecil, an old woman who went stark- raving mad when her daughter was abducted (the noble was suspected) several years prior. Now she wanders the market murmuring about vengeance against the nobleman. Reference: binded cross armor set description, guillotine axe description, Yuria dialogue, Miralda dialogue #: NPC20 Name: Old King Doran AKA Last Hero AKA Everlasting One World: Boletarian Palace Narrative: Old King Doran wears his one-of-a-kind Ancient King's Armor and wields a soul- form version of the Northern Regalia. Once the Mausoleum Key has been obtained from Ostrava, he can be found in the 1st area of the Boletaria Palace behind the Red-eyed knight. Old King Doran, known in legends as the Last Hero or the Everlasting One, is the founder of Great Boletaria and resides in the royal family mausoleum below the Boletarian Palace. He is a demigod charged with protecting both the royal family and the sword Northern Regalia which is the fusion of the otherworldly swords Demonbrandt and Soulbrandt. It is unknown who forged the Northern Regalia but legends say It was left in the world at the same time as the Old One for malicious purposes. Though Doran wields a soul-form version of Northern Regalia, the physical sword was split in two. The white blade Demonbrandt which "banishes that which befouls man" grows more powerful the purer the soul who wields it and was left behind in the crypt by King Allant. The black blade Soulbrandt which "banishes man himself" grows more powerful the more demonic the soul who wields it and has not left the hand of King Allant since he gained knowledge of the Soul Arts. A soul-form version of the black blade is later held by the False King Demon doppelganger. If the player proves they are worthy by besting Doran in combat he will allow them to take the sword Demonbrandt to aid in the quest to defeat King Allant. Origin: A regalia is an emblem / symbol of royalty, like a crown or scepter, literally meaning "things pertaining to the King." So the Northern Regalia sword is a symbol that the wielder rules over the Northern kingdom of Boletaria. On the butt of the mausoleum key which opens King Doran's crypt is the carving of 3 interlocking rings called "Borromean rings." This symbol has had many meanings throughout history, for some Christians it represents the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy spirit. In other cultures it has represented the 3 areas of the Earth: land, sea, and sky. The Celts believe a similar symbol (3 interlocking knots) represented the 3 cycles of life: life, death, and rebirth. The character Doran may be named for the Ben Doran AKA Beinn Dorain, which means "hill of the streamlet," and is one of the most recognizable mountains in Scotland. Reference: mausoleum key description, demonbrandt description, soulbrandt description, northern regalia description, eternal warrior's ring description, ancient king's armor set description, Ostrava dialogue, Old King Doran dialogue #: NPC21 Name: Filthy Man World: Stonefang Tunnel Narrative: He can be found near the start of Stonefang Tunnel and in the second area of the world in the same cavern as Patches the Hyena. A sleazy merchant who has thrived by stealing goods from the excavators as they are too concerned with mining to notice or care. He has maintained his sanity by trading those stolen items to would-be Demon slayers traveling through the mine. He knows the location of the crystal lizard nest in the mine, but will not divulge it to the player, perhaps he learned its location from a barbarian near Stonefang. Like Scirvir, he is too scared to enter the twisting tunnels below the main mine. Origin: N/A Reference: Filthy Man dialogue #: NPC22 Name: Blacksmith Ed World: Stonefang Tunnel Narrative: He can be found in the first area of Stonefang Tunnel by continuing straight outside, past the pit of lava to the right and the doorway on the left, and riding the elevator down to his workshop. He is an eccentric, ill-tempered master blacksmith and the last sane townsman left in Stonefang Tunnel. Ed is able to do advanced weapon crafting and, with the heat generated from the Demon soul of Flamelurker, bless weapons with the spirit of mature Demon Souls. His physique and voice are nearly identical to Blacksmith Boldwin because they are twin brothers. Boldwin is quite strong, but pales in comparison to Ed who is supposedly stronger than some Demons. Like Ed, he carries a Hand of God (likely a family heirloom), a fist weapon worn by the legendary warrior "Big M" to slay dragons with his fists. While Boldwin has only small patches of scales on his skin, the majority of Ed's body is covered in scales indicating he is much further along in the transformation to a scale-covered Demon. If Ed stays, there is a high probability he will share the same fate as the rest of the Excavators. His obsession to continue working the forge, not even stopping when talking to the player, mirrors the scale miner's single-minded quest for ore. Origin: N/A Reference: hands of god description, Blacksmith Boldwin dialogue, Blacksmith Ed dialogue, iron knuckles description, Stonefang Tunnel archstone description #: NPC23 Name: Scirvir the Wanderer World: Stonefang Tunnel Narrative: Scirvir wears chain mail chest armor, leather armor on his hands and feet, wields a short sword, and casts spells and miracles with a talisman of beasts. He can be found by taking the right fork at the start of the 2nd area of Stonefang Tunnel and carefully dropping from ledge to ledge down the shaft in pure white world tendency. Like many wanderers, Scirvir was probably once a warrior of the Church, evidence of which is his use of the miracle regeneration, and the chain mail he wears. Perhaps he lost his faith when he came upon the Talisman of Beasts, an amulet in the shape of the Old One, which has the power to cast magic and perform miracles; proving that God and the Old One are one in the same. He is an inquisitive man, who has a delight for the strange, and asks the player to search for a legendary blunt sword, forged specifically to kill dragons, in the Dragon Temple in the deepest part of the mine. He wishes to see with his own eyes "The arts of swordsmanship applied in a perfectly useless manner." Origin: Scir AKA Skirr is an Old Icelandic word which means "clear" or "shining." Vir AKA Verr is an Old Icelandic word which means "man" or "warrior." So his name could mean "pure man" or "warrior of light." Reference: wanderer class description, chain mail armor set description, talisman of beasts description, dragon bone smasher description, Filthy Man dialogue, Scirvir dialogue, Stonefang Tunnel archstone description #: NPC24 Name: Former Royal's Wife AKA Once Royal Mistress AKA Singing Lady World: Tower of Latria Narrative: A female vendor who appears to have endured horrific torture; her face and hands (and likely more under his dress) have been horribly mutilated. In addition her eyes are closed and she bleeds tears indicating she is probably blind. Perhaps her eyes were plucked out as a part of the torture. She can be found in a cell in the first area of the Tower of Latria, listen for the singing to locate her. This former wife of royalty is also a prisoner in Latria's dungeon but has much better accommodations than the other prisoners. She has a variety of goods left over from when she was royalty and offers to sell them to the player to gain souls and maintain her sanity. It is from her that the player learns much of what has transpired in Latria since the coming of the Deep Fog. To pass the time in her cell she sings a haunting melody. There is speculation about who might be her husband. Some thought she might be the wife of Lord Rydell, but he states that his wife is dead. Some suspect that she was the Old Monk's mistress and when the Queen found out about their affair, that was the reason she banished him from Latria. That theory would explain why she receives preferential treatment in the dungeon once the Old Monk returned. Another theory is that since both the Liar and the Once Royal Mistress know the truth about the Fool's Idol that they may have once been married until he began to serve the Old Monk. Still another theory is that the Once Royal Mistress IS the Queen of Latria, but that the horrible torture has caused something of a mental breakdown. Subconsciously she knows she is the Queen, but consciously she is meek and speaks of the Queen as if she were a different person. Origin: N/A Reference: Former Royal's Wife dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone description #: NPC25 Name: The Liar AKA Coherent Mage Prisoner World: Tower of Latria Narrative: The player meets a coherent prisoner on the balcony of the Fool's Idol's church who promises that he will cause no trouble. The magical seal on the floor he is conjuring is remarkably similar to the paralyzing seal the False Idol casts during the boss fight. He is a liar, as soon as the Fool's Idol is defeated he will laugh and the spell he has been casting will resurrect the boss. The Royal Mistress warns of this "I know the truth, the church Goddess may die, but never for long." Kill the Liar to prevent the Fool's Idol's resurrection. As he is the most powerful of the mage prisoners he was likely a royal of very high status before he was imprisoned. Since both the Liar and the Former Royal's Wife know the truth it has led to a theory that the Liar was once her husband. Perhaps after the jailing of the Queen's family the wife took the Queen's side and the Liar sided with the Old Monk, resulting in a falling out. Another possibility is the Liar could be serving the Old Monk in order to bring comfort to his wife, the Singing Lady, and she is speaking metaphorically that she is no longer married as the Liar has twisted into a being that is no longer her husband. It is unknown if after the Old Monk was banished the Queen took a new husband. If she did, another possibility is that the Liar is her soul-starved widower. Origin: N/A Reference: Former Royal's Wife dialogue, The Liar dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone description #: NPC26 Name: Lord Rydell AKA Little Allant World: Tower of Latria Narrative: The player first encounters Rydell after he is dead, his soul form is locked in a cell on the west side of the 2nd floor of the first area of the Tower of Latria rattling the bars and crying out in anguish. He was likely injured in battle by the arrow firing machine which guards the main path to the Idol's church as that is where his Clever Rat's ring is found. His signature weapon, the Phosphorescent Pole, was smashed and he was imprisoned and left to die in his cell. Rydell carried a pair of matching rings. When he is near death, one grants him greater protection and the other grants him immense power. That Rydell was known by the nickname "Little Allant" and is similar in age to the King indicating they are related, most likely brothers, with Rydell being the younger of the two. That certainly explains why Ostrava, son of King Allant, would have so many keepsakes from Latria (his armor, sword, shield, and brass telescope), as Rydell would be the Prince's uncle. He is best known for stealing the Phosphorescent Pole, a magically enhanced staff weapon, from the Witch in the Sky. It is of particular interest the degree of malice of Rydell's imprisonment as even in death he is not allowed release from the dungeon. Some type of spell by the Old Monk or the Fat Ministers has caused his soul to be drawn to and imprisoned in a different cell after he died. The key to the cell was hidden well atop one of Latria's towers to ensure he would never escape. One theory is that Rydell is the new husband of the Queen of Latria and that is why the Old Monk, who was her former husband, wishes Rydell so much suffering. His title "Lord" is a generic substitute which can be used in place of an official title (Earl, Marquise, Viscount, etc.). If he were the husband of the Queen, Lord could have been used instead of King to avoid confusion with King Allant. That the Queen had the power to banish the Old Monk would seem to indicate that Latria is a Matriarchy, in which a woman is the ultimate authority, and another reason why Rydell would have a generic title of Lord. The "little" part of the nickname "Little Allant" may also refer to his subservient role in his marriage to the Queen. Another theory is the corpse with a silver bracelet in the room with the prisoner horde is Rydell's wife. The silver bracelet was worn by a "daughter of nobility" and it is found in the room directly adjacent to the bridge guarded by the arrow machine. It is on this bridge that one of Rydell's rings is found. It is possible Rydell attempted to hold back the Demon horde on the bridge while his wife escaped, but ultimately he was caught and she was surrounded and killed in the dungeon. Origin: Ryd AKA Ryo is an Old Icelandic prefix which means "rust-colored." Ell is Latin for the pronoun "he." Also to consider the pronunciation of the name adds a Y- sound "rid-e-yell" and in some areas of the game it is spelt "Rydyell," which is closer to the way it is pronounced. So his name could mean "Rust-colored (red) man" or the "Rusty one who shouts." Reference: phosphorescent pole description, silver bracelet description, clever rat's ring description, dull rat's ring description, Lord Rydell dialogue, Former Royal's Wife dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone description #: NPC27 Name: Graverobber Blige World: Shrine of Storms Narrative: Blige is a scavenger much like Patches the Hyena, searching through dead and forgotten lands for treasures buried with the dead. When the player first encounters him he has fallen for a trap laid by Patches and become locked in a jail cell in the hidden tunnel which bypasses the Vanguard in the first area of the Shrine of Towers. Once freed, he will sell the items he has acquired. Blige fills in much of the back story of the level, that it was once a shrine to men who worshiped death and storms, but was abandoned long ago Origin: N/A Reference: Graverobber Blige dialogue #: NPC28 Name: "Sparkly" the Crow World: Shrine of Storms Narrative: At the highest point in the Shrine of Storms is a tree with a large bird's nest (climb the stairs near the entrance to the hidden tunnel which bypasses the Vanguard). Inside that nest is the unseen, second merchant of the level, a bird nicknamed "Sparkly" for its desire for shiny objects. Place an item she desires on the ground and the next time the player returns to the level, the item will be gone and a different item will be at the base of the tree. The most common item traded by Sparkly is white arrows, those arrows are fletched by using the feathers of the white hawks which circle Sparkly's nest and fly around other areas of the Shrine of Storms. The shaft of a white arrow is carved from gnarled wood of the trees of the Shrine of Storms, a white bow is carved from this same type of wood. Origin: N/A Reference: white bow description, white arrow description, Sparkly the Crow dialogue #: NPC29 Name: Satsuki World: Shrine of Storms Narrative: Satsuki wears shaman's armor and wields either the hiltless katana or the Makoto if it is handed over to him by the player. He can be found at the very beginning of the level in pure black or white world tendency. In all but the pure tendencies, Satsuki will lurk atop the first wall with the arched doorway at the start of the level. Upon reaching pure white world tendency he will descend and promise Demon Souls if the player acquires the katana sword "Makoto," a weapon he claims belongs to his father. The Makoto is a cursed weapon of folklore which slowly devours the lifeforce of the user and inflicts wounds that will never heal. It is said the Makoto draws warriors to it in the hopes of picking a new master when its old one falls. Upon handing the weapon over to Satsuki the dialogue he speaks implies that it is not a keepsake of his father, but that he has tricked the player into acquiring the legendary weapon to satisfy his own lust for power. If the player returns to Satsuki wielding the Makoto he curses the arrogance of the player as he believes that he is the only worthy owner of the Makoto. In both cases he will attempt to kill the player, either to test the power of the weapon or to take the Makoto from the player's unworthy hands. In pure black world tendency, he will attack the player with a hiltless weapon, but will take no damage from wielding it. Satsuki wears Shaman's clothing, garb of the heretical shaman in the Valley of the Defilement indicating that the clothing does not originate in the Valley, but from elsewhere. Perhaps heretics (spiritually unclean), and not just those physically deformed were cast into the valley. In which case Satsuki escaped that fate somehow. Origin: Satsuki is a Japanese word which can means "May," "blossom," "moon," or "hope." Makoto is a Japanese word which means "true sincerity." Reference: shaman's clothes armor set description, hiltless description, magic sword "Makoto" description, Satsuki dialogue #: NPC30 Name: Filthy Woman World: Valley of Defilement Narrative: She can be found above the room of rats in the 1st area of the Valley of Defilement and in the second area of the world just past the entrance to the shanty town from the poison swamp. Much like in the land of the blind, the man with one eye is King; in the land of the wretched and the diseased, a shrill harpy is desirable. Before Saint Astraea came to the Valley, the Filthy Woman was the most beautiful and desirable of all the females. After Saint Astraea and her knights came to the Valley, the outcasts paid little attention to her and that has shaped the Point-of-view of the Filthy Woman. She calls Astraea hateful names and believes that things were better before Astraea brought her "foulness" to the Valley. She sells the armor and weapons of all the Priests and Temple Knights in Astraea's entourage who were killed as well as the warriors of the Church who entered the Valley after the scourge to confirm the rumors that Saint Astraea had become a Demon. The Filthy Woman will often attempt to guilt the player into purchasing items by mentioning her unseen, sick and hungry child. Her general demeanor, detectable bias about Astraea, and the fact that her child is never seen has lead many to believe that she is lying about having any children. Though Astraea came to the Valley on a mission of compassion, the Filth Woman claims she looked at her child with disgust. If this is truthful statement, it is likely that her child is one of the heretical shaman. Origin: N/A Reference: Selen Vinland dialogue, Filthy Woman dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: NPC31 Name: Selen Vinland AKA Selen of the West World: Valley of Defilement Narrative: Selen wears dull gold armor and wields the sword Blind. She can be found in pure world tendency in the second area of the Valley of Defilement just as the player exits the swamp water to cross over into the east half of the swamp using a walkway (by the Giant Depraved One). As soon as the player gets past the large fence which divides the swamp, drop back down into the swamp and look for the camp fire. She is known throughout the land, much like her younger brother Garl Vinland, as a courageous and upstanding knight of the Church. Selen is adorned in unpolished, gold armor which signifies her high rank, and like her brother's dark silver armor, offers great protection from the evils of magic. Like Saint Astraea, Selen and Garl Vinland hail from the Western Highlands. Selen has come to the valley in order to tell Garl Vinland the last words of their recently deceased father as well as to give him their father's ring of Devout Prayer. A ring of Devout Prayer is a symbol of very high status in the Church, indicating that their father was a very important cleric, possibly a Saint like Urbain. If the player brings her proof that Garl is dead, the Crest of Vinland, she will turn over her father's ring in exchange for the crest. She wields the weapon called Blind, a Vinland family treasure, which uses an illusionary, weightless blade that bypasses shields and armor to directly strike the enemy's flesh. Origin: Selene, Goddess of the Moon, whose Greek name means "brightness," wore upon her head wore a crescent moon which looks quite similar to the shape formed by the wings on the dull gold helmet. Selene later became synonymous with the Goddess Artemis, a virginal huntress. Reference: ring of devout prayer description, dull gold armor set description, blind description, dark silver armor set description, crest of vinland description, Selen Vinland dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description =============================================================================== 2.)MENTIONED CHARACTERS =============================================================================== #: MC01 Name: Geri Narrative: He is a friend of Sage Freke and known throughout the land as a crafter of magical items. Most of the rings which offer protection from the various dangers (such as disease, fire, and bleeding) were crafted by him. The player's light source, the augite of souls which hangs on their belt, was also crafted by Geri and will change colors depending on the type of souls in the area. It is believed that Geri's workshop is likely beyond the Deep Fog otherwise the player would not have been able to acquire the augite. If Geri is of similar age to Freke, it is possible that over his life he has crafted so many items that they have spread beyond Boletaria, in which case his shop could have been in Boletaria. Since Freke resided in Latria before the scourge and he has in his cell a keepsake of Geri (his stiletto), his workshop may have been in Latria. Geri may be dead and his corpse somewhere in the dungeon. Origin: In Norse mythology Freki and Geri, known as the "Ravenous Ones," were wolves who always accompanied the supreme Viking god Odin into battle. At the conclusion of the fighting, the hounds were known to roam the battlefield to greedily devour the corpses of the fallen. Reference: ring of disease / flame / gash / poison resistance description, ring of magical dullness / sharpness description, augite of souls description, geri's stiletto description #: MC02 Name: Vallarfax AKA Younger Twin Fang World: Boletarian Palace Narrative: Vallarfax, the younger of the two, and Biorr were brothers known as the Royal Twin Fangs. They were both members of King Allant's round table of knights when the Demon scourge came to the Boletaria Palace. Unlike his brother Biorr who had only mastered the sword, Vallarfax was skilled in combat and possessed a brilliant mind, "sharper than most scholars." The placement of Vallarfax's ring of great strength would indicate he was defeated at the Blue and Red Dragon's roost in the first level of the Boletaria Palace. The unique purple flame shield found near the ring in the dragon's nest may have also been wielded by Vallarfax. Unlike Biorr who was merely imprisoned, Vallarfax was likely put to death, presumably by Executioner Miralda, and his body dumped down her tower; where a set of brushwood armor is found. Another reason why many believe Vallarfax is dead is Biorr speaks of his brother not in present tense, but past tense ("he WAS a brave and mighty knight," and his mind "WAS sharper than most scholars"). This narrative would seem to be at odds with Ostrava's tale (which says he was "lost") and the prologue which states Vallarfax escaped the colorless fog to inform the world of Boletaria's plight so there are many theories to reconcile the discrepancies. 1.)After warning the world of the Demon scourge he journeyed back into the colorless fog where he was defeated and put to death. 2.)Vallarfax is not dead, he lost his ring in the dragon's roost as he fled the palace and the Brushwood armor at the base of Miralda's tower belongs to someone else. 3.)The real Vallarfax is dead and a Demon doppelganger, much like the False King Allant, is the one who escaped the colorless fog. If the last explanation were true, False Vallarfax's mission would be to lure both honorable warriors seeking to free Boletaria from the scourge as well as more unsavory individuals who lusted after power with the tales of the "enticing power" of Demon Souls. It would be the Old One's hope that among those lured to Boletaria, one, the player, would be a suitable replacement for the failure that was King Allant as the prime servant to the Old One. Origin: Vallarfax is a combination of two Old Icelandic words, "Vallar" meaning "field" and "Fax" meaning "Mane." When combined together it means "field's mane," which is a colorful expression for "the Forest." "Vallar" may also be a variation on "valor", boldness is the face of great danger, as they have the same pronunciation. Fax is Latin for flame or firebrand. A firebrand means both a torch as well as one who encourages unrest and strife, a troublemaker. So his name could mean "a shining beacon of courage" or "one who encourages bravery." If one subscribes to the doppelganger theory, fax could also refer to facsimile; a copy or reproduction. In which case his name could mean the "one who has the false appearance of bravery," or the "copy of one who is brave." Reference: brushwood armor set description, large brushwood shield description, ring of great strength description, purple flame shield description, Dregling Merchant dialogue, Biorr dialogue, Ostrava dialogue, Narrator dialogue #: MC03 Name: Wife and Daughter of Stockpile Thomas World: Boletarian Palace Narrative: Thomas and his wife and daughter were residing in or near the Boletarian Palace when the Demon scourge arrived. Thomas went mad with terror and abandoned his wife and daughter rather than fight to protect them. When he regained his senses, he found himself in the Nexus being cared for by the Maiden in Black. His wife is of unknown age, but Thomas describes his daughter as being about the same age as the Maiden in Black, if she were still alive. Since the Maiden in Black has the outward appearance of late teens / early twenties and Stockpile Thomas describes his daughter as "young," it is possible quite a deal of time as passed between the Boletarian Palace falling and the player arriving in the Nexus. The player finds two corpses suspended by chains from the side of a tower. On one corpse is a jade hair ornament, which identifies it as Thomas's daughter, and the other wears raggedy robes and carries fresh spice. Since they are chained next to each other, it is assumed the second corpse is the wife of Thomas. Fresh spice is sweet smelling so it is possible she carried it as a type of perfume. Fresh spice is also consumed to regain MP so she may have been a magician. It is unknown why the Demon's singled out Thomas's family to be hung as most corpses are just left on the ground. Perhaps it is because they are woman as most of the Demons and corpses left on the ground are men. Yuria also received special "attention," locked away in a tower by herself and violated by the Fat Ministers. It is possible Thomas's wife and daughter suffered those same indignities before they died. Origin: N/A Reference: old raggedy robes armor set description, fresh spice description, jade hair ornament description, Yuria dialogue, Stockpile Thomas dialogue #: MC04 Name: Grandfather of the Worshipper of God Narrative: Since his granddaughter resided below the Boletarian palace, he likely lived and worked in or near the Boletarian palace. All we know for sure is his residence was not Stonefang Tunnel as the Worshipper stated he often "visited" Stonefang Tunnel. At the mine he indulged his hobby, amateur rock collecting. He collected dozens of rocks of "all shapes and sizes" though most had no material value. The sole stone of value he uncovered was a pure faintstone which he gave to his granddaughter. The pickaxe the Worshipper carries likely also belonged to her grandfather. Origin: N/A Reference: pickaxe description, Female Worshipper of God dialogue #: MC05 Name: Legendary Big M World: Stonefang Tunnel Narrative: The Hands of God fist weapon mentions there was once a strongman who killed dragons with his bare fists. His God-like fists earned him the nickname "Legendary Big M." In the Flamelurker's chamber there is a corpse which carries two hands of God, it is believed to be the corpse of Big M. As Blacksmith Ed and Boldwin each carry a hand of God, they are believed to be descendents of Big M. Another theory is that Ed was Big M when he was younger. Since the Flamelurker fights only with his fists, some believe that Flamelurker is the corrupted soul of Big M. Origin: May be a reference to the anime "Big O" which features a mech of the same name that attacks primarily with very powerful punches. Reference: hands of god description, Blacksmith Ed dialogue, Blacksmith Boldwin dialogue, Stonefang Tunnel archstone description #: MC06 Name: Burrowers World: Stonefang Tunnel Narrative: In the time before the First Demon Scourge of Boletaria, the ancient Burrowers are the ones who dug out Stonefang Tunnel, the elaborate Tunnel City below the smithing grounds, and created the Temple of the Dragon God at the base of the mine. Unlike the current Excavators (the Burrowers descendents who mine their ancestors tunnels for ore), the Burrowers were led by a King. The Burrowers were pagans who believed the huge dragon skeleton at the base of the mine was a God which caused the bones of dragons to become the flaming ore dragonstone. So worried were they that the Dragon God would be reborn that they molded an elaborate temple to both appease and seal in the Dragon God. As an added precaution the Burrowers constructed two large magically enchanted harpoon guns on either side of the molten pit and forged the Dragon Bone Smasher, a weapon capable of slaying dragons by crushing their bones. Also sealed in with the Dragon God was an ancient fire Demon. The Demon may refer to Flamelurker or it may just be the Burrowers' explanation for the unseen force that caused rock to become molten lava. Origin: N/A Reference: dragon bone smasher description, dragonstone description, Scirvir the Wanderer dialogue, Blacksmith Ed dialogue, Filthy Man dialogue, Stonefang Tunnel archstone description #: MC07 Name: Queen Yormedar World: Tower of Latria Narrative: Since the archstone was given to a Queen in the distant past and the Queen of recent times had the authority to banish her husband from the land, it is presumed that Latria is a matriarchal society. For crimes unknown, the Queen of Latria banished her husband, the Old Monk, from Latria. His crimes are described as "depraved" leading to speculation that he was having an affair or already conducting inhuman experiments. He returned to Latria with foul Demons in tow which he used to conquer Latria, murder the Queen, and imprison her family in the dungeon. It is believed that the Queen and those locked in the dungeon are of the Yormedar royal line as many of its treasures are spread throughout Latria. The Queen was a gifted sorceress and it is likely much of her soul was used in the creation of the Fool's Idol as the puppet has a mastery of many magics. The Fool's Idol is an artificial doll crafted in the Queen's image and controlled by the Old Monk. Its purpose is to deceive the prisoners into thinking the Queen is still alive. The belief that the Queen was alive gave the prisoners hope, quieted any insurrections, and lured prisoners to the church in order to worship the Fool's Idol and seek redemption from her. The act of "redemption" meant being taken above by gargoyles up the tower in the church. Below the Old Monk's tower, the prisoners' souls would be stolen and their flesh twisted in the Old Monk's experiments to create new Demons. Origin: N/A Reference: soul ray spell description, silver catalyst description, silver coronet description, silver bracelet description, royal lotus description, Former Royal's Wife dialogue, royalty class description, Tower of Latria archstone description #: MC08 Name: Husband of Royal Mistress World: Tower of Latria Narrative: The female vendor in the dungeon of Latria mentions that she was once the "wife of royalty." The phrasing indicates that her husband was of noble blood and she is only royalty by marriage. She also never outright says whether her husband was killed or if other circumstances ended their marriage. It is possible her husband is of no consequence but there are many theories linking her to various other characters in Latria. Since the Royal Mistress has inside knowledge about the Fool's Idol (facts not known to most of the other prisoners), that it is an imposter and has the ability to resurrect, it is likely that her husband was one of fairly high station. If he is alive, possibly he is one of the prisoners who know magic such as the groups of four which hold the massive chains in place or the Liar who resurrects the Fool's Idol. There are some who think her husband was Lord Rydell, a relative of King Allant (most likely a younger brother), as he would certainly have high standing in Latria, however Rydell mentions his wife is dead. Another possibility is her husband is one of the corpses lying around Latria such as the silver coronet corpse in the dungeon or the wielder of the rune sword and shield which fell to his death in the upper Latrian towers. Another theory is that the Royal Mistress is the former Queen of Latria. Her face and arms are disfigured which means she may have been tortured or subjected to the Old Monk's experiments. All that stress and pain could have caused her to lose a grip on her sanity, causing her to give herself a new, timid persona. If that's the case then her husband was the Old Monk. Origin: N/A Reference: silver coronet description, rune sword description, rune shield description, dull rat's ring description, clever rat's ring description, Former Royal's Wife dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone description #: MC09 Name: Wife of Lord Rydell World: Tower of Latria Narrative: Nothing is known about the wife of Lord Rydell other than she is dead and that a keepsake of hers (not an item the player can pick up) is on Rydell's corpse. As Rydell is related to King Allant it is possible Rydell married the Queen of Latria after the Old Monk was banished. That would explain why the Old Monk goes to such lengths to torment Rydell (he kills him then somehow imprisons his soul form in another cell). It is possible his wife is one of the corpses around Latria such as the silver bracelet corpse on the first floor of the dungeon or the corpse with the witch's hat across from Rydell's cell. Origin: N/A Reference: Lord Rydell dialogue, clever rat's ring description, dull rat's ring description #: MC10 Name: Witch in the Sky Narrative: All we know about the Witch in the Sky is the single line "one of Lord Rydell's most storied exploits is his theft of this weapon from the witch in the sky" and that she was the previous owner of the phosphorescent pole. One theory is the Maiden in Black is the Witch in the Sky as the Nexus floats in the air, it is adorned with many statues of robed women and women carrying a polearm, and the Maiden in Black states she has "always been here" in the Nexus. The pole she uses to light the candle also is quite similar in shape to the phosphorescent pole. Origin: N/A Reference: phosphorescent pole description, Maiden in Black dialogue #: MC11 Name: Soul Industry / Society Member Narrative: There is a masked society which regularly meets in secret to discuss the Soul Arts and how to best harness souls. They embrace the Soul Industry, the trafficking of human and demon souls. Their power comes from the wealth they gain in their illicit dealings as well as their keen understanding of magic. An example of this magic power is the epee rapier each of them carry. These harmless, ceremonial blades have been imbued with an intense flame which easily scorches flesh on contact. In place of a shield they wield a dagger which is most adept at parrying the blows of their opponent. Part of their wealth is used to hire mercenaries and clans of assassins who have been instructed to silence all who would oppose the Soul Industry or who are attempting to defeat the Old One. Should the Old One be defeated, the Soul Arts would once again be lost and with it their source of revenue. The highest ranked members of the society wear luxurious, black and gold robes and a gold mask. Mephistopheles is one of, if not the, supreme leader(s) of the masked society. The Soul Industry has a particularly strong connection to the Tower of Latria as the corpse of one member is found in the dungeon (rogue's clothes & parrying dagger), the corpse of a few others were inside the demonic womb beneath the Old Monk's tower (epee rapier and gold mask), and one of their assassins, Yurt, was found by the player locked in a cage. This implies Latria was either the base of the masked society's operation or one of their meeting places. The base of the Old Monk's tower, where the womb drops, resembles a "sealed chamber" (one of the society's meeting locations) so it could be the Old Monk was a member of the Soul Industry and that is the reason he was banished from Latria. Origin: N/A Reference: shotel description, parrying dagger description, gloom armor set description, rogue's clothes armor set description, gold mask description, epee rapier description, ring of avarice description, Mephistopheles dialogue, Yurt dialogue #: MC12 Name: Father of Satsuki World: Shrine of Storms Narrative: If we are to take Satsuki at his word that the last wielder of Makoto was his father, then the corpse which is impaled on the rock in the pit where the player meets Urbain would be the father of Satsuki. In pure white world tendency, the corpse will fall from the rock to the ground. In any world tendency, the Makoto is guarded by a nameless black phantom which wields a hiltless katana in one hand and a standard uchigatana in the other. The black phantom is likely the dark soul of Satsuki's father though his father was probably not the previous owner of Makoto. The black phantom uses a hiltless sword, not Makoto, and there is a corpse down in the slug den which also carries a hiltless sword. If the players does not hand over the Makoto to Satsuki, he attacks them with a hiltless, a weapon that would likely also be used by his father. If the players does hand over Makoto to Satsuki he ponders aloud if the sword could be "as deadly as the rumors claim" which implies he has never been in the sword's presence. All which points to the wielder of Makoto not being Satsuki's father. If the corpse of Satsuki's father is even at the Shrine of Storms, it is most likely the one with the hiltless sword in the slug den. Reference: hiltless description, makoto description, Satsuki dialogue #: MC13 Name: Makoto Narrative: Makoto is the name of a giant of folklore, but it is not from Boletaria. Origin: Makoto is a Japanese word which means "true sincerity." Reference: magic sword "makoto" description, Satsuki dialogue #: MC14 Name: Shadowmen World: Shrine of Storms Narrative: See also D4-1, D4-2, D4-3 Long ago, the Shadowmen, a tribe of very tall, pagans barbarians, built the Shrine of Storms on an island to worship storms and death. Though the shrine still remains, all members of the tribe either died out or abandoned the island ages ago. It was the Shadowmen's belief that by appeasing the storm beasts (and their master the mythical Storm King) through a ghastly ritual they would bring forth rain. Shadowmen who died would first be brought before the Adjudicator, the judge, to determine if they would go on to the next phase of the ritual. If the warrior was deemed unworthy, his body would be consumed by the obese creature under the control of a golden crow. For the next phase of the ritual, the corpse is laid on the Shadowmen's Shrine during a storm to be mourned by the tribe and purified by the rain. Overlooking the exit from the chamber is the body of the Old Hero, a blind warrior from long ago who with the help of his crystal blade survived for years by luck and acute awareness of his surrounding. The final phase of the ritual is to offer for consumption the purified remains of the "hero of storms" to the Storm King and his storm beasts in the valley just beyond the Shadowmen's Shrine. The valley is dotted with dozens of stone monoliths and is believed to be where the spirits of all the Shadowmen's ancestors dwell. Origin: N/A Reference: adjudicator's shield description, Graverobber Blige dialogue, Shrine of Storms archstone description #: MC15 Name: Vito the Moonlight Knight AKA "Bito" Narrative: One of the high-ranked knights of the Church which ventured to the Valley of Defilement. It is unknown whether Vito accompanied Astraea on her pilgrimage or if Vito arrived after the coming of the Deep Fog when rumors spread that Astraea had become a Demon. The epithet "Moonlight Knight" comes from the large sword of moonlight, a transparent blue crystal sword, one of the few Revelations from God, which Vito wielded in battle. Vito's weapon is found deep inside the Giant Slug's nest in the Valley of Defilement. Next to the nest is a corpse with a legendary hero's soul, this is believed to be the corpse of Vito. Also nearby is a giant slug which has swallowed a set of dull gold armor, leading to speculation that Vito may have been a female knight like Selen Vinland. Origin: V's and B's (among others) are commonly interchangeable / mixed up in Japanese / English translations. Though the weapon description refers to the owner of the weapon as "Bito," it was meant to be Vito. Vito is an Italian name and is believed to originate from the Latin word "vita," which means life. Also of interest, "vito" is a conjugation of the Latin word "vitare" which means "I shun" or "I avoid." Vito may be named for the martyred Saint Vitus, who is the patron saint of actors, dancers, and epileptics. He protects against lightning strikes, animal attacks, and oversleeping. The Sword of Moonlight has its origins in From Software's precursor series to Demon's Souls, King's Field. It was featured in King's Field 1 as a weapon belonging to the final boss and reappeared in various incarnations in future King's Field titles. The weapon is also featured as the powerful Moonlight blade in From Software's Armored Core series. The weapon has also appeared in From Software titles which followed Demon's Souls such as the spiritual successor series, Dark Souls, and their Legend of Zelda homage, 3D Dot Game Heroes. Reference: large sword of moonlight description, Saint Urbain dialogue, Patches dialogue #: MC16 Name: Risaie of Istarel AKA "Lizaia" Narrative: One of the high-ranked knights of the Church which ventured to the Valley of Defilement. It is unknown whether Risaie accompanied Astraea on her pilgrimage or if Risaie arrived after the coming of the Deep Fog when rumors spread that Astraea had become a Demon. The weapon Risaie carries is Istarelle which means "instrument of Istarel" and is likely named for Risaie's home town / kingdom. Istarelle is a short spear of hard oak covered with engravings that is one of the few Revelations from God. Its holy power protects the wielder from poison and plague. The weapon is found stuck in the ground, absent corpse, surrounded by 3 Giant Depraved Ones. It is believed Risaie was defeated and the corpse fell down into the Leechmonger chamber below. Origin: L's and R's (among others) are commonly interchangeable / mixed up in Japanese / English translations. Though the weapon description refers to the owner of the weapon as "Lizaia," it was meant to be Risaie. Risaie is the plural form of the Italian word "risaia," which means "paddy." A paddy is a flooded parcel of land which is primarily used to grow rice. Istarel is the Elven God of forest creatures in the "Fighting Fantasy" series of role- playing game books by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone (which the director of Demon's Souls mentions is a source of inspiration), but it may just be a re- arranging of the Jewish land of Israel. Reference: istarelle weapon description, Saint Urbain dialogue, Patches dialogue #: MC17 Name: Holy Warriors of the West Narrative: As Astraea, Garl Vinland, Selen Vinland, and Father Vinland (an important cleric) all hail from the Western Highlands (an area not visited by the player) it is believed to be the base of operations of the Church of Boletaria. The highest level of clerics (such as Father Vinland and Saint Urbain) serve as spiritual leaders, speak to God, pray for the safety of the holy warriors, and perform great miracles; they do not take up arms in conflict. The next level down are the high-ranked knights, commanding officers of the Church. They likely devise a plan of attack and lead priests and temple knights into battle. Selen Vinland definitely fits into this category as she wears dull gold armor which signifies high rank. Saint Urbain refers to Vito the Moonlight knight and Risaia of Istarel as having similar rank as Selen Vinland so they would also fit into this category. High rank comes with it the privilege of wearing armor which grants great protection and wielding powerful, ancient weapons which are often holy relics. The next level down are the priests and temple knights who are the foot soldiers of the Church. Priests are believers of the word of God, spread its message, and serve as regular infantry. As they are more introspective, they have a better grasp on performing miracles than temple knights. Priests wear chain mail armor, carry a heater shield, talisman of God, and use simple blunt weapons such as the mace, morning star, or the war pick. Temple Knights are specialized warriors who guard the temples of God. The focus of their training is more close quarters combat vs. multiple opponents, rather than the word of God; thus they are able to handle more advanced weapons than the priests. Temple knights wear white mirdan armor (named for Mird, the long lost area where the first temples were built), carry a heater shield, talisman of God, and wield a halberd. The halberd's long reach allows the temple knight to strike at multiple foes with a single swing. The lowest level are the acolytes, ordained men of the cloth who have not yet received much training. Acolytes serve as assistants during religious ceremonies and personal servants to higher level clerics. They believe in the word of God but without much proper instruction they are not yet able to perform miracles or wield much more than a humble dagger in battle. Origin: Morning star is one of the names Jesus refers to himself in Revelation. It is also one of the names of Lucifer from before the Fall. Reference: mace description, war pick description, morning star description, chain mail armor set description, heater shield description, talisman of god description, halberd description, mirdan armor set description, dull gold armor dialogue, Saint Urbain dialogue, Acolyte of God dialogue, Disciple of God dialogue, Selen Vinland dialogue #: MC18 Name: Father Vinland Narrative: Like Maiden Astraea and his two children, Selen and Garl, Father Vinland hailed from the Western Highlands which appears to be where the capitol city of the Church is located. It is revealed by Selen Vinland that he has recently died as she sought Garl out to pass on his last words as well as their father's ring of devout prayer. Rings of devout prayer are only given out to those of high- standing in the Church which means Father Vinland was likely a Saint (like Urbain who also has a ring) or a high-ranking cleric. The extravagant armor and weapons possessed by his children indicates either that he comes from a wealthy background or has some control over the coffers of the Church. Origin: If Selen Vinland refers to the Goddess of the Moon, Selene and Garl Vinland refers to Helios, The God of the Son and brother of Selene; then that would make Father Vinland Hyperion. Hyperion was one of the twelve Titans of Ancient Greece and the father of the Gods Selene, Eos, and Helios. While he was called the "lord of light" and the "titan of the east," his son Helios is the physical incarnation of the sun. In later writings Hyperion became known as the "God of Watchfulness and Wisdom." Reference: crest of vinland description, ring of devout prayer description, dark silver armor set description, dull gold armor description, blind description, bramd description, Selen Vinland dialogue #: MC19 Name: Bramd Narrative: The weapon Bramd mentions that "its distortion is the mark of an old giant killer." Distortion could mean the carvings on the weapon, but it most likely refers to the large knick on the hammer of the weapon. The wording of the description is ambiguous. it could mean the weapon was used to kill giants and was swung so hard that it was bent. Conversely the over-sized weapon could have been forged and wielded by giants. Thus the distortion in the weapon could have happened as the giant-killer battled its user. In either case, the name of the giant-killer was likely Bramd. While Makoto refers to a giant of a distant country, the giants Bramd killed were likely from the Northernmost lands of Boletaria. Origin: Bramd was originally spelled "Brand" in previous versions of Demon's Soul. In Old Norse Brand aka Brandr means "to mark one with flame" or to "burn/cleanse with fire." Cleansing with fire may relate to the protection the weapon offers from poison and plague. Reference: bramd weapon description #: MC20 Name: Son of Filthy Woman World: Valley of Defilement Narrative: The Filthy Woman is a somewhat unreliable source of information, so it is unknown whether she truly has a son as he is never seen. It is possible she made him up as a way to guilt the player into making more purchases. She describes him as a "child," indicating he is not likely a fully grown adult, perhaps pre-teen or teenage. She also describes him as "sick," but it is unknown if it he has a physical ailment (like the rest of the depraved ones) or if he is merely soul-starved and on the edge of madness. The Filthy Woman claims that Astraea looked at her son in disgust. If that is true, it is possible that he is one of the shamans surrounded by a cloud of poison as the Church considers them heretics. Origin: N/A Reference: shaman's clothes armor set description, Filthy Woman dialogue #: MC21 Name: Giants World: Northern Lands Narrative: Little is known about the Giants. After the First Scourge of Boletaria ended, their elder was given an archstone. They are depicted on the archstone as humanoid with four horns protruding from their head. While the other 5 archstones are intact in the Nexus, the Giants' archstone is black and smashed indicating some great calamity must have happened there. The prologue dialogue makes no mention of this calamity but images shown during it feature knights battling 3 different types of giants ranging in size from Vanguard-sized to 500 foot tall behemoths. The Demon giants appear to grow larger in size as they absorbed the souls of more humans. It is speculated that the first battle of the Second Scourge occurred in the Northern lands (as depicted in the prologue) and when that campaign failed they attempted to stop the spread of the Deep Fog by smashing the archstone. Another possibility is that the land had been completely drained by the Deep Fog and when it had no more souls to give, the land crumbled to dust and with it the Archstone. Origin: N/A Reference: Bramd description, Monumental dialogue, Narrator dialogue, Prologue =============================================================================== 4.)ENEMIES =============================================================================== #: E01 Name: Dregling Type: Humanoid World: Boletarian Palace Description: The poor, beggars, and slaves of Boletarian society. They are easy to spot as their bodies are emaciated, covered in tattered clothing, and they are equipped with broken / sub-standard swords and shields. Narrative: Their position on the outskirts of the castle would seem to indicate they were used as fodder to slow the advance of the Demon horde. Only one dregling has managed to maintain his sanity from a steady stream of Demon Souls, acquired by trading items he scavenges from corpses to Demon slayers passing through the castle. Origin: "Dreg" is the sediment / residue which settles at the bottom of liquids, from that definition dregs has come to mean the least valuable part of something. "- ling" is a suffix (often derogatory) which is a person or thing who does or is the word it follows. In that context, "dregling" would mean "one who is the least valuable," a bottom feeder, the lowest rung of society. Reference: slave's shield description, Ostrava dialogue, Dregling Merchant dialogue #: E02 Name: Soldier Type: Humanoid World: Boletarian Palace Description: Soldiers in plate armor brandishing a combination of 1-handed sword, 1-handed axe, shield, light crossbow, spear, and/or halberd. Narrative: Soldiers of the Boletarian army driven mad by soul-starvation. They now protect the King and hunt down anyone who attempts to hold onto their humanity. As the player gets closer to the Inner Ward of the palace (the gauntlet leading from the Tower Knight to the Penetrator) they begin to encounter soldiers wielding kite shields (they drop when killed) indicating some of the soldiers are from, or are using equipment from, the Southern Kingdom of Latria. Origin: N/A Reference: soldier's lotus description, kite shield description, soldier's shield description, plate armor set description, broadsword description, light crossbow description, Soldier starting class description, Dregling Merchant dialogue, Ostrava dialogue, Boletarian Palace archstone description #: E03 Name: Colored-eyed Knights AKA Blue-eyed and Red-eyed Knights Type: Humanoid World: Boletarian Palace Description: Knights with blue eyes or red eyes (red-eyed are stronger than blue-eyed knights) that are in a head-to-toe, full suit of armor. The image of the sun is engraved on their shields, chest plate, and on the face plate of their helmet. They brandish a combination of knight's sword / shield, claymore, kite shield, and / or spear. Narrative: Noblemen who in life had sworn allegiance to protect King Allant, as a reward they have been energized by the Demon Souls and are MUCH more powerful then a common solider. The knight's sword and shield are proof of knighthood, a symbol of loyalty to the King, and are forged from the hardest ores of Stonefang Mine. This image of the Sun features prominently on the knights armor indicating it is an important symbol to Allant. Some of the knights carry kite shields (dropped when killed) indicating that before they became Demons, they served as knights of the royal family of Latria. Origin: N/A Reference: knight's sword description, knight's shield description, fluted armor set description, kite shield description, Knight starting class description, Dregling Merchant dialogue, Ostrava dialogue, Boletarian Palace archstone description #: E04 Name: Dog Type: Natural creature World: Boletarian Palace, Stonefang Tunnel Description: Dirty, mangy military dogs with armor and spikes mounted on their snout and mouth. Narrative: They typically attack in packs and are often found patrolling chokepoints. Origin: In ancient warfare, dogs were often armored, sometimes with spikes, and used to attack enemy troops and make them break rank. The Romans even had attack formations featuring only dogs. They were also used as sentries to attack and subdue intruders, mostly at nighttime where they could smell the enemy in the dark, or bark to alert sleeping troops. Reference: None #: E05 Name: Assassin AKA Spy Type: Humanoid World: Boletarian Palace Description: Acrobatic rogues in light armor which brandish secret throwing daggers, claws, bucklers, flamberges, and / or stabbing daggers. They also wear a thief's ring, giving them the ability to disappear from sight at a certain distance. Narrative: They are spies and assassins working for King Allant who lurk in the shadows in the hopes of surprising the more powerful Demon slayers who reach the Inner Ward of the Palace. Spies favor the use of malevolent looking weapons in order to intimidate their targets. Their weapons are also designed not to outright kill their foe but to cause massive blood loss to ensure the target's eventual death even if the spy is defeated in battle. Origin: N/A Reference: secret throwing dagger description, secret dagger description, claws description, flamberge description, thief's ring description, assassin's mask description, black leather armor set description, Thief starting class description, Boletarian Palace archstone description #: E06 Name: Fat Minister AKA Fat Official Type: Humanoid World: Boletarian Palace, Stonefang Tunnel, Tower of Latria (implied) Description: Fat, grinning, cackling ministers of the King wear a top hat, a ruff around their neck, and a gilded tunic. Various keys and implements of torture can be spotted on their belt. They brandish a whip or a massive crescent axe and will occasionally cast fire spells. Narrative: Despite their bloated appearance they are invigorated with the power of Demon Souls which allows them to conjure powerful fire magic and wield massive axes. Even though the Ministers hold great power they will often hide behind soldiers, archers, and knights and let them attack the player on their behalf. A Minister's Cap is a symbol of their elevated position and authority. Boletaria: After the Second Scourge began, the Ministers gleefully abused the civilian population in Boletaria, including the witch Yuria who was captured by Executioner Miralda. One also patrols outside the cell of Biorr. The Ministers arrival just before the scourge as well as their placement in at least 3 of the 5 visited lands of Boletaria (the Palace, Stonefang Tunnel, and one imprisoned Lord Rydell in the tower of Latria) would seem to imply that the Officials may be the true architects of Boletaria's downfall by encouraging King Allant to awaken the Old One. The boss Penetrator (corrupted form of Metas, knight of the Lance) stabs and kills one of the Ministers which would seem to support that theory, or at the very least that there was great animosity between the Ministers and Allant's round table of knights. Stonefang Tunnel: There are Fat Ministers in Stonefang to supervise the mining of ore which is used in the forging of weapons and armor for the Boletarian knights. The officials brandish whips to "motivate" the miners. In addition to overseeing operations, the Ministers are tasked with blocking outsiders from gaining entry to the mine nor accessing the riches hidden in the lower Tunnel City. Tower of Latria: Though they are no longer present, the Ministers appear to have taken part in the siege of Latria. Lord Rydell speaks of a retainer to the King with "gluttonous, swaying belly", one of the Ministers, who imprisoned Rydell's soul form in a cell and left him to succumb to soul-starvation. Perhaps it was that Fat Minister, and not the Old Monk, which used magic to prevent Rydell's soul from escaping the dungeon. The Ministers likely had a hand in killing Rydell's body form as well. Origin: N/A Reference: official's cap description, crescent axe description, bloody key, iron ring of keys, Biorr dialogue, Lord Rydell dialogue, Yuria dialogue, Boletarian Palace archstone description #: E07 Name: Hoplite AKA Legionnaire Type: Humanoid World: Boletarian Palace Description: A Black blob which grips a shield and spear. Their shield protects them from the front but they are extremely weak when struck from behind. At a distance, the hoplite will throw spears at the player. Narrative: The corrupted form of legionnaires which would accompany tribesman Long Bow Oolan, a knight of the round table, into battle. In battle, they would interlock their shields to form a wall from behind which they could safely attack the enemy with spears. Behind this impenetrable wall of shields Oolan was able to snipe the enemy from afar with her bow with little chance of death. For their cowardice in life, they appear now as spineless blobs wielding a shield and spear. They may possibly be descendents of the tribe of Shadowmen who worshipped tempests at the Shrine of Storms, This could be another reason why they appear as black blobs, like unformed Reapers. Origin: A hoplite was an Ancient Greek soldier which fought with a shield and spear in the phalanx formation, a rectangle formed by a wall of shields to protect the soldiers from all sides. Reference: Ostrava Dialogue #: E08 Name: Crystal Lizard AKA Sparkling Lizard Type: Natural creature World: all 5 worlds Description: Small lizards covered in shiny blue and silver scales Narrative: There sparkling, silver-colored lizards are quite cowardly and will run away and burrow into the ground when they first see, hear, or are attacked by the player. Their thick scales allow them to take quite a beating but weigh very little so it is easy to knock them on their backs with a well aimed strike. Inexplicably the crystal lizard population increases only when a Major Demon falls meaning their is something about powerful Demons Which suppresses the crystal lizard reproduction. At least one can be found in most areas of all 5 worlds. Hardstone, sharpstone, clearstone, moonlightstone, darkmoonstone, faintstone, and spiderstone are the types of ores which the crystal lizard carries. The crystal lizard is the only source of pure magic ore (moonlightstone and darkmoonstone) in Boletaria. Deep in Stonefang mine, guarded by the black souls of two barbarians, is a large nest of crystal lizards which may be the birth place of all the crystal lizards in Boletaria. Origin: N/A Reference: Filthy Man dialogue, Atlus Official Strategy Guide #: E09 Name: Scale Miner AKA Lizard-eyed Man AKA Excavator Type: Humanoid World: Stonefang Tunnel Description: Former townsfolk of Stonefang whose body have grown scales and eyes began to glow yellow. The miners most often attack with the tool of their trade, the pickaxe. The former blacksmiths of Stonefang attack with a greater variety of weapons: heated swords, polearms, and iron knuckles. Narrative: The current miners of Stonefang, called the Excavators, are the descendents of the Ancient Burrowers who dug the tunnels and worshiped dragon bones. Though the miners were once men, the colorless fog and their greed for ore has transformed them into lizard-eyed creatures with forked tongues and green skin covered in scales. Blacksmith Boldwin left Stonefang before the transformation had progressed much beyond his hands, but Blacksmith Ed's body is almost completely covered in scales since he chose to stay in Stonefang. Scale Miners are so focused on their search for ore that often the player can pass by a working miner and it will not be aware of their presence. Search out the Miners carrying sacks for they are the ones assigned to carry the mined ore to blacksmiths for forging. The transformed blacksmiths of Stonefang are those who previously forged the weapons and shields wielded by the knights of the Northern Kingdom. Origin: The Miners grow yellow eyes and scales like a lizard. This is likely an attempt to make the transformation a physical manifestation of their greed. Lizards are cold-blooded and often green, green is a color associated with greed and jealously. One of the characters most famous in film for his excess greed is Gordon Gecko in the movie "Wall Street." A gecko is a variety of lizard. Reference: pickaxe description. iron knuckle description, dragon bone smasher description, Filthy Man dialogue, Blacksmith Boldwin dialogue, Stonefang Tunnel archstone description #: E10 Name: Fire Gecko AKA Fire Lizard Type: Natural creature World: Stonefang Tunnel Description: An orange, flaming lizard which is able to travel through lava without being harmed. They can often be found in groups scaling walls and making an odd croaking / clicking hybrid call. Narrative: Meltstone (special shards of Lava) often clings to the backs of fire geckos as they crawl out of the lava. Origin: N/A Reference: Meltstone description #: E11 Name: Rockworm Type: Natural creature World: Stonefang Tunnel Description: A large, worm-like creature which lurks under the ground until its prey gets near, then it lunges out of the ground and attempts to bite or spew hot liquid on them. Its entire body, save for its head, is covered in a thick hide of rock-like scales. Narrative: Greystone ore is pieces of fossilized scale broken off from rockworms. Origin: Many species of the Caddisfly lay their larvae in tubes in wet limestone and rocks near running water. Due to this, the Caddis larvae is often given the nickname "rock worm," especially by fisherman who use caddis larvae imitations as a fishing lure. The segmented body and mouth of the Rockworm in Demon's Souls has a striking resemblance to the Caddis Larvae. Reference: Greystone description #: E12 Name: Bearbug Type: Natural Creature World: Stonefang Tunnel Description: Beetle-like creatures which are covered in thick scales, nearly impervious to physical damage, and range in size from human-sized to as large as an elephant. Most simply jump or stab at the player with the needle-like appendage on its head, but the smaller bearbugs are capable of flight. Like fire geckos, they can move through lava unharmed. Narrative: Bearbugs were a constant hassle to the miners in Stonefang, often requiring Boldwin and the other blacksmiths to beat them out of the way in order to clear a path through the narrow tunnels. As bearbugs travel through lava, dragonstone will often get lodged into their scales and drug out of the lava. Origin: A bugbear was a Celtic boogeyman of the woods in folklore which was used to frighten disobedient children. It has evolved in modern times to mean something which is annoying or irritating. Reference: dragonstone description, Blacksmith Boldwin dialogue, Filthy Man dialogue, Patches dialogue #: E13 Name: Prisoner Type: Humanoid World: Tower of Latria Description: Former citizens and royalty of Latria left to rot in the Prison of Hope. When the player encounters prisoners they raise their hands in surrender or outright attack the player with poison-tipped piercing swords or daggers. Narrative: When the Old Monk returned from exile he locked the Queen, her family, and many other citizens of Latria in the dungeon which is called the Prison of Hope. In the dungeon, the prisoners were tortured mercilessly and soul-starved; told over and over that if they went above (up the tower of the church) they would be granted redemption. Some prisoners died from the ill treatment, while others long for death, raising their hands and waiting for the player to cut them down; the rest just went insane. "Redemption" is granted when the Old Monk drains the prisoner's soul and uses their body in his horrible experiments to create new Demons. In the church, when the Fool's Idol begins to create copies of herself, the prisoners will always turn to worship the "genuine" Fool's Idol. Origin: N/A Reference: Prisoner of Hope keys descriptions, royal lotus description, Former Royal's Wife dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone description #: E14 Name: Prisoner Horde Type: Mutated Humanoid World: Tower of Latria Description: A mass of prisoners, used as a human shield, fused to the body of an unseen creature capable of casting a form of soul arrow. If the player gets too close, the prisoners will swing daggers and estocs at the player. Narrative: One of the first of the Old Monk's experiments that the player encounters, capable of firing a primitive version of soul ray. Origin: N/A Reference: Tower of Latria archstone description #: E15 Name: Mage Prisoner Type: Humanoid World: Tower of Latria Description: A prisoner with the ability to use magic, tasked with holding aloft the chains which keeps the huge, Demonic womb in place under the Old Monk's tower. Narrative: Some who have chosen to go above were bestowed with the gift of a limited amount of magic. Another possibility is they were chosen because they were royals with the greatest mastery of magic still alive in Latria. Eight prisoners, four per each chain, were chosen to use magic to hold the giant womb aloft under the Old Monk's tower. The mage prisoner (The Liar) the player meets in the Fool's Idol's church is likely the most powerful. Origin: N/A Reference: Coherent Mage Prisoner dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone description, #: E16 Name: Octopus-headed Guard AKA Mind Flayer Type: Unknown World: Tower of Latria Description: Powerful mages which can move swiftly and cast spells which paralyze. They have the head of an octopus, wear fine robes, and carry a lantern and a bell (which they ring at the first sign of trouble to alert the other guards). Narrative: The inhuman guardians of the prison are also powerful mages, it is unknown if they were once human and through their malice and mistreatment of the prisoners transformed, or if the Old Monk brought them to Latria with his Demon horde. Their skin is the same coloration of the large tentacles all throughout the swamp in 3-2 so it is possible they are the offspring of that unseen creature. The guards are easy to spot, clad in robes, carrying a bell, with six tentacles sticking out from their neck and face, and additional tentacles poking out the bottom of and through holes in their robes. When the player encounters a guard it will ring its spell to alert the other guards and attempt to use magic to paralyze the player. If the player is paralyzed the guard will latch onto their head and suck out their brains, killing them. Origin: The Octopus-headed guard bears a striking resemblance to a creature from dungeons and dragons called the Illithid, nicknamed the "Mind Flayer." A psychic, humanoid creature with 4 tentacles extending from its head, each capable of striking into a human's head and sucking their brains out. A Illithid's primary weapon is the Mind Blast, a wave of psi force which negatively effects each person differently, The Illithid was inspired by the cover illustration of "The Burrower's Beneath" a novel set in the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. The Image of tentacles rising from beneath the ground is likely also the inspiration for the tentacles throughout the swamp below the Tower of Latria. Reference: Sage Freke dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone description #: E17 Name: Gargoyle Type: Animated inanimate object World: Tower of Latria Description: Large, stone gargoyles brought to life to gather more souls and to patrol the upper towers of Latria. Narrative: The fate of some of the prisoners who volunteered to be carried up the church tower by gargoyles was to have their souls removed from their bodies and bound to one of the stone gargoyles which adorn Latria, bringing them to life. All over their head, neck, body, arms, and legs of the gargoyles; nails have been driven in to crack the stone. This was likely done so that the gargoyles could move and bend their solid stone body at the breaks. They are armed with crossbows and spiral rapiers, weapons designed to cause great pain and blood loss while doing little damage to the flesh. The goal is to subdue the Demon slayers in order that their flesh and soul can be used in the Old Monk's experiments. Origin: Before the advent of downspouts which brought water from the roof down to the ground, architects extended waterspouts horizontally from the sides of buildings so that rain water flowed out of the tubes instead of running down the walls of the building and eroding the mortar between the stone blocks. To make these spouts more pleasing to the eye, they carved creatures out of stone around these water spouts so that the water would flow out of their mouth. These grotesque sculptures were called "gargoyles," a play on French and Latin words which meant throat or gullet. The traditional gargoyles could be carved in the shape of any human, animal, or mythological creature. In modern times what many think of as gargoyles are actually what are called "grotesques," unnatural / horrific winged sculptures which adorned the side of cathedrals and do not serve as a roof gutter. The image of the winged, stone gargoyle likely comes from the legend of La Gargouille, a dragon-like creature with the wings of a bat that could breathe fire. It was supposedly defeated by St. Romanus and had its head mounted on the wall of a church to ward off evil spirits. Reference: gargoyle crossbow description, spiral rapier description, Former Royal's Wife dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone description #: E18 Name: Face Bugs AKA Man Centipede AKA Celebrity Vermin Type: Unknown World: Tower of Latria Description: Large insects likely formed from the souls and flesh of many prisoners as they possess several human faces. They can either attack with their stinger or spit acid at the player which corrodes their equipment. Narrative: Another of the Old Monk's experiments, masses of prisoner flesh have been re- shaped into centipede-like creatures with many human faces. What is interesting is the Face Bugs have the exact same head as the Maneater (see D3-2), is that because the human heads have been fused onto the body or is that a physical manifestation of the human souls that are used to create the Old Monk's creatures? Their bodies naturally produce an acid-like fluid that can degrade the player's equipment. When the creature is near death it will split away from its tail which allows it to vomit huge quantities of this fluid onto the player. When that acid crystallizes in the stomach of the Face Bugs it forms clusters of poisonous ore called Mercurystone. Origin: Mercury occurs in nature mostly as cinnabar (mercury sulfide) a toxic ore typically of brick-red appearance. In rare cares, it forms into semi- translucent crystals with a high lustre (like diamonds) which is closer to how it is depicted in the game. Reference: Mercurystone description, Former Royal's Wife dialogue, Tower of Latria archstone description #: E19 Name: Skeleton Type: Reanimated Humanoid World: Shrine of Storms Description: Over-sized, reanimated skeletons which come in a variety of colors and wield a variety of Asian/Middle-Eastern-influenced weapons. Narrative: The most common enemy in the Shrine of Storms are the reanimated bones of the Shadowmen who perished long ago. Mixed in with Shadowmen bones are the bones of animals, the chest plate of the skeleton is the skull of some large animal and fused to the top of that is the lower jaw of another animal. The collar bone is the matching upper jaw of the animal skull that is fused to the top of the chest plate. Perhaps these are the skulls of storm beasts. The silver skeleton comes to life before the player's eyes, has the ability to roll, and wields either a falchion or a bow firing ceremonial Holy Arrows. The gold skeleton has thicker armor and is less nimble, but it makes up for it by carrying an over-sized, powerful Kilij which it will use to block incoming attacks while it moves closer to the player. The black skeleton has a large thirst for souls and wields dual Uchigatanas which it will use in a devastating lunge attack that cuts down most players in a single blow. The Deep Fog and the Demon Reapers have allowed the souls of the dead to inhabit the lifeless skeletons so that they can move about freely. The soul magic which has been used to resurrect the bones is quite powerful, meaning a vast quantity of souls are acquired when a skeleton is slain. The actual soul which inhabits the skeleton is weak, the fleeting remains of a soul (Soul Remains), can be used to lure the attention of Demons in battle. Skeletons are the only source of the ore bladestone as it is acquired when shards of the ore break off their Demon-enhanced curved swords. It is unknown why the reanimated Shadowmen favored the use of curved blades, perhaps their ancestors were not from Boletaria, but immigrants from a distant country. Origin: Since the Middle Ages in Western cultures, reanimated human skeletons have personified death. In the case of the undead in corporeal (physical, solid) form, lore often has their bodies reanimated by a necromancer which bends the spirit to their will so that the skeleton or zombie is completely under the necromancer's control. Reference: soul remains description, bladestone description, holy arrow description, kilij description, uchigatana description, falchion description, Graverobber Blige dialogue, Shrine of Storms archstone description #: E20 Name: Storm Beast Type: Natural creature World: Shrine of Storms Description: Flying stingray-like creatures which fire bone spears at the player. Narrative: The Storm Beasts are one of the objects of worship of the long dead Shadowmen. They believed the beasts brought forth the rain and came from / were ruled by the God Storm King. Storm Beasts resemble flying stingrays, have two eyes, and are very physically weak. When they spot the player they will inhale a large puff of air to propel a quartz spear, made from their marrow, to impale the player. They are somewhat sadistic and take delight in seeing men in peril. At the exit of the first Reaper chamber is a mound of dozens of slain Storm Beasts, this implies that the Reapers are using the souls of the Storm Beasts to summon Shadow Lurkers and reanimate Skeletons. Storm beasts are the only source of cloudstone, a green ore that blocks light and blunts magic damage. It is said to come from the sky, but it is unknown if this is literal (as in the ore is collected by the storm beasts as they fly around) or if cloudstone is just a part of storm beast anatomy (their bone, minerals crystallized in their stomach, etc.). Origin: Stingrays are named after the barbed stinger at the end of its tail. The stinger is covered in a thin layer of skin which contains the venom. If a stingray is frightened, it will strike with the stinger on its tail. The impact of the barbed tip will tear the thin layer of skin, which allows the poison to enter the wound, and the barbed tip will often break off in the wound. The barb of a stingray appears to be represented by the shafts of marrow the Storm Beasts and Storm King fire at the player. Reference: stormruler description, morion blade description, Shrine of Storms archstone description #: E21 Name: Reaper AKA Sorcerer AKA Necromancer Type: Unknown World: Shrine of Storms Description: Demons wearing black robes and wielding a scythe. They have the capability to summon the spirits of dead Shadowmen in the form of Shadow Lurkers. Narrative: One of the only "living" Demons encountered in the Shrine of Storms, powerful sorcerers clad in black robes, with the ability to reanimate skeletons and summon the spirits of the dead as Shadow Lurkers. When the Reaper is slain, all the Shadows it has summoned will be vanquished, and the power used to summon them will be transferred to the player in the form of a massive amount of souls. The mound of dead Storm Beasts near the first altar would seem to indicate their power comes from the souls of slain Storm Beasts. Reapers also have the ability to kill the player with one touch of their finger. Though they wield a scythe their main weapons are a version of the spell soul arrow and their Shadow Lurker minions which attempt to protect them. A Reaper's knowledge of magic and the ability to summon and control dead spirits implies that before the scourge they were magicians which practiced the dark arts, such as a necromancer. Reapers may instead be Grim Reapers, servants of Death itself tasked with collecting the souls of the dying, but have been corrupted by the touch of the Deep Fog. Origin: The original conception of necromancy was to summon the spirit or reanimate the corpse of one who had died in order to question them or as a means to foretell the future. Necromancers would often surround themselves with emblems of death such as wearing the clothes of those who have died. The Sacrifice of the flesh of a human or animal (such as the mound of dead Storm Beasts) was the price of summoning. In modern times, necromancy has become a more generic term which describes any manipulation of death. Death has been described as a sentient being throughout history but the classic image of the Grim Reaper as a skeleton wearing a black, hooded robe and carrying a scythe did not exist prior to the 1500s and is often attributed to Hans Holbein, the famous 16th century portrait master. In some cultures, it is believed that the Grim Reaper is what causes people to die, which means that it can be bribed or tricked in order to stay alive. In other cultures the angels of Death are not the catalyst, their purpose is only to shepherd the soul of one who has died to the afterlife. Reference: war scythe description, Graverobber Blige dialogue #: E22 Name: Shadow Lurker Type: Unknown World: Shrine of Storms Description: Specters summoned by and under the control of Reapers. Narrative: Shadowy specters, the spirits of the dead, summoned to do the bidding of the Reapers. They can become invisible at a whim and strike with their limbs or a sweeping light beam attack from their single eye. Female Shadow Lurkers are far more dangerous, they laugh and taunt from the shadows before briefly appearing to stab the player in the back. They can be defeated by striking when they become visible or killing the Reaper who has summoned them. Origin: A ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal which appears in visible form (or some other manifestation) to the living. Reference: Graverobber Blige dialogue #: E23 Name: Giant Slug Type: Natural creature World: Shrine of Storms and Valley of Defilement Description: An oversized slug which can lunge or spit acid at the player Narrative: The Giant Slug is a creature native to the dark, dank areas of Boletaria such as the lower caves of the Shrine of Storms and the swamps of the Valley of Defilement. Giant slugs are capable of lunging at or spitting a glob of acid to attack the player. Suckerstone, vampiric ore which sticks to the skin and causes bloodletting, is carved from the flesh of Giant Slugs. The slugs of the Shrine of Storms live in a chamber which contains magical, fluorescent water (possibly due to the spirits floating around the chamber) that the slugs have absorbed through their skin. As a result, the skin of the slugs which bathed in that liquid glow and the mucus it excretes to prevent dryness, sticky white stuff, has magical power. Giant Slugs are also attracted to shiny objects. It is why in the Shrine of Storms the slugs cram into the only chamber with glowing liquid. In the Valley of Defilement, one slug swallows dull gold armor and a great multitude of snails cluster around the large sword of moonlight. Origin: A slug is a gastropod mollusk, an invertebrate animal, which lacks a coiled shell and is related to the snail (snails have a shell). A slug's body is soft and slimy, but can easily dry out which results in death. So slugs are confined to moist environments and must retreat to dank hiding places in case of dry weather. Slugs excrete watery mucus which covers their entire body and attracts and holds onto water molecules. This mucus is the method they use to absorb moisture and prevent dryness. From the bottom of the body a thicker, sticky mucus trail is excreted which serves to prevent damage to its soft under-tissue as it moves around. This sticky mucus also allows the slug to climb walls. Reference: sticky white stuff description, suckerstone description, dull gold armor set description, large sword of moonlight description, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: E24 Name: Rat Type: Natural creature World: Valley of Defilement Description: A normal-sized rat Narrative: A natural creature which has been defiled by the filth in the valley. Its bite infects the player with plague. The rats will often gnaw on wood and rock in the valley, including the archstones, so occasionally a shard of archstone will be found in their stomachs. Origin: Rats are rodents and are distinguished from mice by their larger size. The common rat is an opportunistic scavenger and will often live near humans. Though the most famous outbreak of plague, the Black Death, is often associated with rats alone, it was not spread through rat bites. The bubonic plague is actually carried by a species of flee which feeds on rodents. Some rats were immune to the disease and they carried it across Europe. Fleas then jumped to less resistant rats which died to the disease. When the less resistant rats died, the fleas jumped to the nearest source of blood, humans, which further spread the disease. Reference: widow's lotus description, shard of archstone description, death cloud description, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: E25 Name: Giant Mosquito Type: Mutated natural creature World: Valley of Defilement Description: An overly large mosquito Narrative: Giant mosquitoes will attempt to fly above the player, dive down, and jam its mouth stinger into the player's back. If it is successful it will drain a fair amount of blood and HP from the player before letting go. The mosquitoes present in the Valley of Defilement are quite large, but they likely started out much smaller in size. The insects have grown fat on their diet of souls absorbed from the blood of Demons and soul-starved humans they feed on. Marrowstone is formed from the minerals in human blood which have crystallized in the digestive system of the giant ticks and giant mosquitoes. Origin: Mosquitoes are a common insect in the family Culicidae and have mouthparts (called proboscis) adapted to pierce the skin of plants and animals. Though mosquitoes are associated with bloodsucking, that is not their primarily method of nourishment, they mostly feed on nectar and other sources of sugar. Blood is not needed for survival, but the minerals in blood (like iron and protein) are required by females in order for their eggs to grow. Reference: Marrowstone description, Filthy Woman dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: E26 Name: Giant Tick Type: Mutated natural creature World: Valley of Defilement Description: An overly large tick, whose body is engorged with blood Narrative: Giant ticks are engorged with a mixture of blood and a putrid substance. If the player pops the giant tick's blood sack in close proximity it will spew fluid outward and poison the player. These insects thrive in the filth and moistness of the valley. The ticks present in the Valley of Defilement are quite large, but they likely started out much smaller in size. The insects have grown fat on their diet of souls absorbed from the blood of Demons and soul- starved humans they feed on. Marrowstone is formed from the minerals in human blood which have crystallized in the digestive system of the giant ticks and giant mosquitoes. Origin: Though ticks are thought of as insects, they are actually arachnids (like spiders) which externally latch onto the skin of mammals, birds, and occasionally amphibians and reptiles. They will attach themselves by latching into the skin with their cutting mandibles and inserting their feeding tube through which they will suck blood, their only source of nourishment. Reference: marrowstone description, Filthy Woman dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: E27 Name: Jellyfish AKA Poison Jelly Type: Natural creature World: Valley of Defilement Description: Jellyfish which have found a home floating in the filth of the poison swamp in the 2nd area of the Valley of Defilement. Narrative: The jellyfish float on the surface of the poison swamp, their tentacle hid below the dark water's surface. If the player gets close, the jellyfish will whip out their tentacles and attempt to strike the player with them. The three varieties of lotus flower also float on the water and periodically will be sucked into a jellyfish's body. Since large species of jellyfish are not found in fresh water, it would appear the water source which feeds into the valley is salt water (possibly directly from the ocean). This would explain why the citizens of Boletaria have no qualms about dumping filth, the diseased, and the dead into the valley as the water source is already unfit for human consumption. Origin: Almost all jellyfish are found in salt water sources, those in fresh water sources are barely an inch in diameter. Since jellyfish are invertebrates, not even remotely similar to fish, the name "jellyfish" is seen as a misnomer. All jellyfish have a basic body structure that resembles an umbrella (often colorful) with varying lengths of trailing tentacles. These tentacles are made up of millions of specialized cells called nematocysts that pierce the skin and inject venom when they come in contact with prey. This venom can cause paralysis, extreme pain, or death. Reference: soldier's lotus description, royal lotus description, widow's lotus description, Filthy Woman dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: E28 Name: Depraved One AKA Dweller AKA Poor Type: Humanoid World: Valley of Defilement Description: Diseased humans who have been exiled to the Valley by society. They wear tattered clothes, beaked masks, and wield knives or staves covered in burning black turpentine. Narrative: The Valley of Defilement is a dank place, filled with putrid swamps, black pine trees, and infested with leeches and other disease-ridden parasites. It is here where the unclean (the lepers, poisoned, plagued, deformed, etc.) are banished to live out their days in agony. It is not just the living who are dumped into the valley, the corpses of aborted babies and those who have died of diseases are tossed into the river, funneling the foulness into the swamps of the valley. The conditions in the valley are deplorable; the outcasts' bodies are gaunt and their insect-infested clothing is covered in filth. Upon their heads they wear long-beaked leather hoods which cover their nose and mouth. The beaks were packed with aromatic herbs and spices to "cleanse" the supposedly diseased breath of the infected. As filth and dirt has accumulated on their head, it gives the appearance that the mask is a natural part of their face. Saint Astraea came to the valley years before the Second Scourge to shine the light of God on that accursed place and to relieve its inhabitants of their suffering. When the Deep Fog descended on the valley, Saint Astraea turned her back on God and became a Demon, and the outcasts began to change. They became depraved ones; insane wretches who killed all the warriors of the Church which accompanied Astraea on her pilgrimage to the valley (save Garl Vinland), and any other strangers who enter the valley. They come in a variety of forms, some wield daggers dipped in poison while others wield spears doused in burning black turpentine. So wretched in appearance are they that they will often lay on the ground and pretend to be corpses in order to ambush strangers traveling in the Valley. Depraved Ones kill all humans they encounter and offer those souls to Astraea in the hopes that she will take from them a portion of their suffering. For these acts of compassion the Depraved Ones worship her as a Christ-like savior. Though they no longer follow God, many of the inhabitants still cling to the holy ore faintstone which were likely brought to the valley by the slain warriors of the Church. Similar to diseases and pathogens, Depraved Ones are weak to fire. Origin: During the Middle Ages, second-rate doctors and medical interns were often hired by the city or municipal as plague doctors. They were assigned to move about the city and treat those suspected to have bubonic plague. They wore heavy coats, leggings, gloves, and boots which were made of black, waxed leather. Upon their face they wore beaked masks with eye holes covered in clear glass. This distinctive feature caused citizens to nickname them "beak doctors." Inside the beak were dried flowers, vinegar-soaked sponges, herbs, or other sweet smelling spices which they believed purged the air of the evil smells which cause disease. Upon their head they wore wide-brimmed leather hats which signified their profession. one of the tools they carried was a wooden cane which they would use to remove plague victims' clothes, take patients' pulses, or examine the patient without touching them. The cane was also used in defense to keep away patients and other citizens who would seek to do them harm. The beaked mask is likely the inspiration for the face of the Depraved ones and also why the eyes are black, as they are deeply set in the mask and thus unseen. The flaming spear is likely a variation on the wooden canes the plague doctors carried. Reference: black turpentine description, mirdan armor set description, faintstone description, Filthy Woman dialogue, Selen Vinland dialogue, Saint Astraea dialogue, Garl Vinland dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: E29 Name: Giant Depraved One Type: Mutated Humanoid World: Valley of Defilement Description: Over-sized Depraved Ones which wield a great club or morning star. Narrative: See E28 above for further explanation. The most feared of the valley's residents are the Depraved Ones who have grown to enormous size for an unknown reason. Despite their size, they are quite agile and have no trouble running to catch up to the player, even in the sludge of the poison swamp. They wield in one hand a massive, wooden club the length of which is practically as tall as the player. One horizontal or downward strike from the club causes massive damage to the player and knocks them to the ground, allowing for the giant to easily combo them to death. The morning stars they sometimes carry are maces covered with spikes, weapons favored by the warriors of the Church which were killed in the valley. Some giant depraved ones carry stones of ephemeral eyes, the more powerful they are, the more likely they are to carry one. This means there is likely some connection between the stone of ephemeral eyes and the rapid growth of size and strength of each giant depraved one. It is possible that like the plague babies, the giant depraved ones were transformed by Maiden Astraea's Demon magic. Origin: See E28 for further information. Reference: great club description, morning star description, mirdan armor set description, stone of ephemeral eyes description, Filthy Woman dialogue, Selen Vinland dialogue, Saint Astraea dialogue, Garl Vinland dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: E30 Name: Depraved Shaman Type: Humanoid World: Valley of Defilement Description: Small depraved ones in a cloud of purple haze able to cast poison cloud. Narrative: See E28 for further information. Among the depraved ones are shamans which have channeled the souls of the unclean dead in order to perform limited feats of magic. They wear black clothing smeared in animal fat and their bodies emit a purple haze which indicates they harness a vile power. Their primary attack is to summon a poisoned cloud in order to infect and slowly kill the player. If the Filthy Woman is not lying about having a son, he would most likely be a shaman. The shaman were heretics in the eyes of the holy knights who came to the valley, and the Filthy woman specifically mentions Astraea glared at her son with disgust. Origin: See E28 for further information. Shamans are a part of some cultures which believe ailments and illness are not a result of problems with the body, but of damage to a person's soul. Shamans would act as intermediaries between the human world and the spirit world and enter the spirit world either to mend the soul (thus fixing the ailment in the physical realm) or seek solutions to problems of the community. A shaman may also use his powers to guide the spirits of the deceased to the afterlife. Reference: poison cloud spell description, mirdan armor set description, shaman's armor set description, Filthy Woman dialogue, Selen Vinland dialogue, Saint Astraea dialogue, Garl Vinland dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: E31 Name: Plague Baby AKA Filthy One Type: Reanimated Humanoid World: Valley of Defilement Description: Small, red-skinned humanoid creatures which attack with plague-infected talons protruding from their wrists and can be found in the plague swamp. Narrative: Aborted fetuses which have been cast into the valley eventually end up in the lowest depths of the Valley of Defilement, the plague swamp. It is here that Maiden Astraea has used the souls offered to her by the Depraved Ones to give new life to the dead babies by turning them in Demons. They appear in the plague swamp as bloated, red fetuses which plunge underwater when they sense danger. Affixed to each arm are two, plague-infected talon which it uses to stab the player and infect them with the plague. Protruding from the belly of each plague baby is the umbilical cord which the creature maneuvers like a tentacle. The Baby's Nail weapon, used commonly by assassins, is apparently a talon broken off from these Plague Babies. If the player journeys into the plague swamp a multitude of Plague Babies will rise up, surround the player, and quickly stab them to death. Like the Giant Depraved Ones, plague babies also occasionally have stones of ephemeral eyes. This leads to the theory that a stone of ephemeral eyes is somehow connected to Astraea's resurrection of fetuses. Origin: N/A Reference: baby's nail description, mirdan armor set description, Filthy Woman dialogue, Selen Vinland dialogue, Saint Astraea dialogue, Garl Vinland dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description =============================================================================== 5.)BLACK PHANTOMS =============================================================================== #: B01 & B02 & B03 Name: 3 Black Phantom Knights Type: Humanoid Black phantoms World: Boletarian Palace Description: The black phantom form of the first 3 Major Demons of Boletarian Palace can be found in the 4th area of the Boletaria Palace just after the battle with the Major Demon Penetrator. Narrative: See D1-1, D1-2, and D1-3 for more information. After the corrupted soul form of each of the 3 bosses are defeated, all three appear again as black phantoms at the base of the King's Tower in a last ditch effort to stop the player. Oolan wears the female version of the full leather armor set and wields a white bow, white arrows, and a kilij at close range. Alfred wears the full brushwood armor set, tower shield, and wields the scrapping spear. Metas wears fluted armor, plate gauntlets, plate greaves and wields the penetrating sword Origin: N/A Reference: Biorr dialogue, Ostrava dialogue, Atlus Official Strategy Guide #: B04 & B05 Name: Male and Female Barbarian Black Phantoms Type: Humanoid Black Phantoms World: Stonefang Tunnel Description: Shirtless barbarians using slightly more advanced equipment. Each wears boots, cloth pants and wields a crudely made steel shield and great club. They can be found in the 2nd area of Stonefang Tunnel guarding the entrance to the Crystal Lizard nest. Narrative: The origin of these two black phantoms; which each wield a great club, a steel shield, and guard the entrance to the crystal lizard nest; is a bit of a mystery. There is evidence of a barbarian presence in and around Stonefang as clubs and great clubs are found inside the mine. One of the theories is that they are the souls of the two corpses that are in close proximity to the water wheel which powers the elevator by Blacksmith Ed. On one corpse, among a pile of other corpses, is a great club; and on another corpse, hidden among a stack of nearby boxes, is a steel shield. It could be their souls bend to the will of the Fat Ministers and they guard the nest to prevent the stones from being harvested by intruders. It also could be their own greed has twisted their souls so that even in death they still lust after the shiny ore, much like the Dual-Katana black phantom is drawn to the Makoto blade at the Shrine of Storms. Origin: N/A Reference: steel shield description, great club description, Atlus Official Strategy Guide #: B06 Name: Black Phantom Assassin Type: Humanoid Black Phantom World: Tower of Latria Description: An Assassin wielding a buckler, baby's nail, light crossbow, and wearing the female version of the black leather armor set as well as a Thief's ring. Narrative: On the steps of Fool's Idol's church is the female Black Phantom Assassin, possibly the corrupted form of the dead assassin with the Baby's Nail behind the altar in the church. Another possibility is the body with the Baby's Nail is the assassin's victim (blade stuck in the flesh) and the corpse wearing black leather armor in the Iron maiden in the prison is the body of the Black Phantom Assassin. One theory is that she was one of Queen Yormedar's assassins who attempted to avenge the Queen's death by murdering the Fool's Idol, but was killed / captured herself when the Liar resurrected the Fool's Idol. The Former Royal's Wife mentions witnessing the Fool's Idol's resurrection, only a skilled assassin would be able to get close enough to kill her. The female assassin was either killed on the spot or left to slowly die in an iron maiden and then the Old Monk used his power to bend the assassin's dark soul to his will. Now the black phantom serves as a protector to the church and the Fool's Idol. It is very likely that the Black Phantom Assassin was the one who pulled the lever to turn on the arrow firing machine guarding the main pathway to the church. Origin: N/A Reference: baby's nail description, buckler description, thief's ring description, black leather armor set description, Thief class description, Former Royal's Wife dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue #: B07 Name Dual-Katana Black Phantom: Type: Humanoid Black Phantom World: Shrine of Storms Description: Robe-wearing black phantom which wields the gripless (Hiltless) sword in one hand and a standard Uchigatana in the other. Narrative: In a pit filled with skeletons behind the first Reaper altar the player will find Saint Urbain has fallen for Patch's trick and is now trapped at the bottom. If the player trusts Patches, they will also find themselves at the bottom of the pit. Between the player and freedom is a nameless black phantom wielding a gripless sword, a sword which had no hilt, but is merely wrapped at the base in leather. Forged by a legendary swordsmith in a distant country, the swords is extremely powerful, but at a cost to the user, as every time the blade connects it hurts the wielder of the blade. Deep in the caves of the Shrine of Storms, in the room populated with giant slugs, the player will encounter a corpse with a ronin ring and a hiltless sword. It is believed that lust for power at the cost of his body in life has caused his black soul to be beckoned by Makoto, the sword that steals men's souls, which is also in that pit. The identities of both the body with the Makoto, impaled on the rock, as well as the body in the slug cave are a mystery. One theory is though Satsuki claims the Makoto wielder (the body on the rock) is that of his father, the truth could be the body in the slug caves is actually Satsuki's father. The theory goes that Satsuki's father was the original seeker of the Makoto, likely telling tales of the blade to his son, Satsuki. The father died on his quest, and in death was drawn to what he lusted after the most in life, the Makoto. Years later Satsuki followed in his father's footsteps looking for the blade, coming to where he disappeared, the Shrine of Storms. Further evidence that Makoto does not belong to his father is that Satsuki mentions that the sword is "finally his" and wonders if the sword is as deadly as the "rumors claim." Both statements imply that he has never been in the presence of the Makoto sword. Origin: N/A Reference: hiltless description, makoto description, ronin's ring description, Satsuki dialogue #: B08 Name: Raggedy Robed Black Phantom Type: Humanoid Black Phantom World: Valley of Defilement Description: A female black phantom in tattered robes wielding a meat cleaver. Narrative: Patrolling the western portion of the poison swamp in the 2nd area of the Valley of Defilement is a female black phantom who wears raggedy robes and wields a meat cleaver. There is all manner of speculation about the identity of the black phantom. Some believe that the raggedy robes indicate it was a witch like Yuria, though the black phantom does not uses magic and wields the weapon of a person of faith. Some think that it is the lost, angry soul of the wife of Stockpile Thomas, as her corpse in the Boletarian Palace also wears raggedy clothing. Some speculate that the nearby corpse with the Legendary Soldier's Soul is the black phantom and that in life she wielded the blueblood sword which lay broken in the same area of the swamp. Another theory, my personal favorite, is that the black phantom is the corrupted soul of Vito, the Moonlight Knight. On the opposite end of the swamp is a Phosphorescent Slug which has swallowed a body clad in dull gold armor, the armor of a high-ranking female holy knight. Nearby the slugs have also dragged the Large Sword of Moonlight, Vito's sword, into their nest. Also, right next to the nest is a corpse containing a Legendary Hero's Soul. The Moonlight sword, like the Meat Cleaver, is the weapon of a person with faith, however, since the Moonlight sword is a holy revelation from God, I doubt it can be wielded by such a corrupted soul. This would require the black phantom to use a different, more sinister weapon, and a Meat Cleaver fits that description. In this scenario, Vito would have been overwhelmed by Giant Slugs driven to aggression by the Deep Fog and attracted to the light of the Moonlight sword. After the attack, one of the snails absorbed her armor while the rest formed a nest around the sword near her corpse. That the sword is one of the holy revelations from God also explains why Vito's corrupted soul would patrol as far away from it as possible on the other side of the swamp. Origin: N/A Reference: large sword of moonlight description, dull gold armor description, raggedy armor set description, meat cleaver description, blueblood sword description, Patches dialogue, Selen Vinland dialogue, Saint Urbain dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description =============================================================================== 6.)MINOR DEMONS =============================================================================== #: d01 & d02 & d03 Name: Dragons AKA Red Dragon, Blue Dragon, Fallen Dragon Type: Minor Demons World: Boletarian Palace Description: Large winged creatures which strafe and breath fire on exposed passageways in the castle. Their nest is found in the 1st area of the Boletaria Palace, West of the bridge the Red Dragon Patrols. The Red Dragon is encountered again patrolling the causeway in the 2nd area. The Blue Dragon is encountered several times in the 4th area on the final path leading up to King Allant's throne room. Narrative: The red and blue dragon are large, winged "lizards" which are pets of the King. As the player travels through Boletaria Place they will appear on patrol several times, breathing fire in an attempt to impede the player's progress. They care little for the well being of humans and will happily burn to death soldiers allied with the King if it means killing an intruder. There is much speculation about the corpse of a 3rd small dragon, which is full of arrows, just after the boss Penetrator's chamber. The soul-starved archers stand upon the corpse as if they took pride in shooting it down, but if it was like the other 2 dragons it should have been loyal to King Allant. Speculation is that it was a weaker dragon, perhaps the child of either the blue and/or red dragon, which was brought down by Boletaria soldiers before they succumbed to madness. Origin: Although called dragons, the creatures in the Boletarian Palace are more closely related to wyverns. Dragons have four limbs in addition to their wings, Wyverns have two legs with claws or hands incorporated into their wings which matches the design of the "dragons" in the game. Reference: Biorr dialogue, Ostrava dialogue, Dregling Merchant dialogue, Boletarian Palace archstone description #: d04 Name: Primeval Demon Type: Minor Demon World: 1 in each of the five worlds Description: Giant, grey, tube-shaped mound of flesh with ill-formed wings, a forked tail, and a mouth with 4 fangs. Narrative: When a section of Boletaria has fallen under enough Demon influence to be pure black tendency, a new Demon is birthed. In its larval stage, the Demon is powerless and will die after only a few strikes. When killed it drops a colorless Demon Soul, it possesses little power because it has not yet been invigorated by absorbing human souls. So much like how the Demons began to feed on pure human souls, the player takes pure Demon Souls from Primeval Demons. These untainted Demon Souls are primarily used by Blacksmith Ed to embolden the natural abilities of unique weapons. Origin: Primeval had the original spelling "primaeval." "Prim" meaning young, "ave" mean age (time period) or stage, and "-al" a suffix which means "of or pertaining to." So a "Primeval Demon" is a demon of the earliest / first stage of life. Reference: colorless demon's soul description, Blacksmith Ed dialogue, Demon's Souls Artbook #:d05 Name: Vanguard Type: Minor Demon World: Shrine of Storms & Journey to the Nexus Description: A large creature with 3 glowing eyes and a small pair of wings which swings a massive dozer axe. The player encounters two Vanguards in the game, one is the final obstacle in the Journey to the Nexus (tutorial) and the other guards a shortcut in the 1st area of the Shrine of Storms. Narrative: The vanguard is a curious creature as it appears to be the fusion of many different animal attributes. The body resembles the grey color, thick hide, and paunch of a rhinoceros. The feet have long appendages sticking out like fingers as if they could be used to grip things (like a monkey or a gorilla foot). The upper body is covered in spikes and the hands are human-like with long claws. On its back is an unsightly hump. Sticking out from that hump is a pair of stubby wings and what looks like a second, stubby tail. The head features downward curved horns like a ram, mouth tentacles like a crustacean, and 3 glowing eyes. The Vanguards served as the head of the attack force of the Demon army. A Vanguard swings its massive dozer axe horizontally to knock humans and rubble out of the path of the Demons following behind. If surrounded the Vanguard will use its wings to lift off the ground and slam its butt down to cause ground tremors and knock the enemy off their feet, Though their death results in the acquisition of a mature Demon Soul, it does not shift the world tendency toward white. In this way they are not normal enemies, but nor are they a fully mature Demon. One might call them the highest level minions of the Major Demons. Its grey Demon Soul can be used to craft the Vanguard's weapon, the dozer axe. Origin: The name vanguard comes from a military tactic term, it is the forward unit which seeks out the enemy and secures an area ahead of the main force. As the Vanguard is composed of so many disparate elements I am unsure what the inspiration was, if any, for the creature. "Dozer" is the informal shortening of bulldozer, a tractor equipped with a front mounted metal plate which pushes large quantities of soil, rock, rubble, etc out of the way. The dozer axe is not bladed, it has a blunt edge, and the description mentions that "humans are crushed in one fell swoop from this axe." In that context the purpose of the huge dozer axe is not to cleave but to swing in a wide arc, side-to-side, in order to break bone and plow enemy troops away from the path in front of the attacking force. Reference: dozer axe description #: d06 Name: King Allant AKA Wannabe Allant AKA Toad Allant Type: Mutated humanoid World: Below the Nexus Description: The physical form of King Allant which has been twisted and contorted into a toad-like creature by the power of the Old One. Narrative: See also D1-4. Much like the Old Monk, King Allant was not a suitable vessel for Demon power. The process horribly mutated his body into a weak, toad-like creature which can only crawl along the ground and barely swing the sword Soulbrandt. The Demon which was sent back to rule Boletaria, the False King, was an imitation, a doppelganger similar to the Fool's Idol. What the player fights inside the Old One is the body form of Allant. The fight with Allant is incredibly easy, which is the point, the final boss is a cautionary tale to those who desire to go down the dark path and serve the Old One in exchange for power. In his lust for power it has cost Allant everything and left his body broken. Even in his enfeebled state he still clings to the Soulbrandt. Does the player take the hint and go for the light ending or do they arrogantly believe that they are special, different than Allant, and take in all that power through the dark ending knowing where it will likely end? The mercy killing of Allant also makes a good thematic comparison to the Maiden Astraea boss fight in the Valley of Defilement (which many leave for last). In that fight the player murders a human who is just trying to protect his love, and she commits suicide as a result, a somewhat dubious act. Similarly, even if Allant was a bad man, there's just something inherently vicious about killing the broken shell of a man who can't even fight back. It would appear it was a combination of his depression as he got older and his lust for power that was his downfall. He projects his own personal suffering and melancholy as the world's pain and suffering and becomes a servant of the Old One in order to end all existence, and with it, all suffering. Origin: See D1-4 Reference: Soulbrandt description, Narrator/Prologue dialogue, Dregling Merchant dialogue, Saint Urbain dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue, Female Worshipper of God dialogue, Biorr dialogue, Ostrava dialogue, Monumental dialogue, King Allant dialogue, Boletarian Palace archstone description =============================================================================== 7.)MAJOR DEMONS =============================================================================== #: D1-1 Name: Phalanx AKA Long Bow Oolan Type: Major Demon World: Boletarian Palace Description: Light emanates from the core of Phalanx, but around that core is a massive black blob of goo. Stationed around the Demon are a great many Hoplites which lock their shields together in a Phalanx formation to protect their Demon leader. Narrative: Phalanx is the corrupted soul form of the tribesman "Long Bow" Oolan, a knight of the round table in Boletaria. Before the scourge, in battle Oolan would snipe from afar with a bow behind her legion's shields, ensuring she never had to put her life on the line in close-quarters combat. She appears now as an enormous, spineless blob, protected by her legion of hoplites. When she is killed the player receives the Lead (as in leader, likely not the heavy metal) Demon's Soul. It is fashioned into the coward's weapon, the scrapping spear, which beats the enemy not through skill, but by depriving them of the ability to defend or attack by breaking their equipment. Though Ostrava refers to Oolan as male indirectly by using "his," it is believed to be a mistranslation as there is no singular, genderless form of the possessive other than "its" in English. We know Oolan is female because when she appears as a black Phantom later in the level she is wearing the female version of the leather armor set. There are many links between Oolan and the Shrine of Storms. The white bow she uses is carved from the Shrines gnarled trees and the white arrows she fires are fletched from the feathers of the white hawks which fly in circles above those trees. When forced to fight in closer quarters Oolan uses a kilij, a curved sword only used by the reanimated skeletons at the Shrine of Storms. The leather armor she wears is found in abundance at the Shrine of Storms as Graverobber Blige has many for sale. Ostrava refers to Oolan as a "tribesman" and Graverobber Blige mentions that the shrine was used by an "ancient tribe" of early barbarians. This all implies some manner of ancestral connection between Oolan, the barbarian starting class, and the extinct shadowmen who once performed rituals at the Shrine of Storms. No distinct corpse for Oolan is found in the Boletarian palace. It is possible her corpse and her white bow were burned up by the Red Dragon. Another possibility is Oolan's corpse is the body holding the white bow and white arrows near the Shrine of Storm's Primeval Demon. Origin: The Phalanx formation involves a group of infantry soldiers interlocking their shields to form a rectangle of protection from which to fight behind. This mimics the formation the hoplites take around the Demon boss. "Oolan" may refer to the Indian, soup-like pumpkin dish or Oolong; a Chinese tea which translates to "black dragon." Reference: scrapping spear description, white bow description, white arrow description, kilij description, Ostrava dialogue, Biorr dialogue, Graverobber Blige dialogue #: D1-2 Name: Tower Knight AKA Alfred Type: Major Demon World: Boletarian Palace Description: A 30-foot tall knight clad head-to-toe in armor. It wields a large tower shield, a lance, and is assisted by a group of Boletarian archers sniping from the battlements. Narrative: Tower Knight is the corrupted form of Alfred, the knight of the tower, a knight of the round table in Boletaria. Before the scourge, he wielded the largest and heaviest shield in all of Boletaria, able to stop almost any physical or magical blow. He now wields a much larger, soul form version of his signature tower shield. Alfred appears later in the level as a black phantom wearing brushwood armor, wielding the scrapping spear and tower shield. Tower Knight's Iron Demon Soul is crafted into the spell Warding (meaning to deflect or repel) which mimics the effect of Alfred's tower shield by greatly reducing the physical damage taken by the player. The corpse of Alfred, carrying his tower shield, can be found in a dead-end passageway below the dungeon where Biorr was imprisoned. Origin: Like the Ancient Greek warrior Achilles, Tower Knight is weak at his heels and chopping away at them causes him to lose his balance and fall. Alfred means "elf council" in Old English, which refers to advice from a divine / otherworldly source. It also may be a reference to Alfred the Great, a king of England in the 800s, who was a hero of the Catholic church and is best known for establishing many defensive outposts on the border to protect the kingdom from Viking invasion. Reference: tower shield description, warding spell description, Ostrava dialogue, Biorr dialogue #:D1-3 Name: Penetrator AKA Metas Type: Major Demon World: Boletarian Palace Description: An 8-foot tall, agile knight wearing what appears to be a fusion of European and Asian-style armor. It wields a sword which is thin and longer than most lances. Its greaves are very similar to the Gloom Leggings. Narrative: Penetrator is the corrupted form of Metas, the knight of the lance, a knight of the round table in Boletaria. Before the scourge, he wielded a straight sword which was longer than most spears and could kill a man with a single thrust. He wields a Demon Soul powered form of the penetrating sword which has been used "to cut down many warriors who attempted to slay the Demon." Penetrator seems to have a hatred of both the fat ministers (as he kills one when entering the boss chamber) and Biorr (as he mostly attacks Biorr and ignores the player). Penetrator's Silver demon soul can be crafted into two different weapon buffing spells. Light weapon draws from the power inherent in the sword and cursed weapon draws power from violent acts committed with the sword. Metas appears later in the level as a black phantom wearing a mixture of fluted chest armor and plate armor for his arms and legs. He wields his penetrating sword in battle. Fluted armor is worn by knights of the Southern kingdom of Latria, but Metas mixes it with armor common to Boletarian soldiers. The fluted armor would seem to indicate Metas is not native to the Northern kingdom of Boletaria, but is actually from Latria. Another possibility is the chest piece of fluted armor belonged to his father and his father was Latrian, but Metas is in service to King Allant. Another possibility is Metas is the son of Lord Rydell (who is suspected to be the little brother of King Allant) then that would make Metas nephew to King Allant and cousin to Ostrava. This blood relation would explain why a Latrian would serve the Northern kingdom and also how the Northern and Southern kingdom co-existed peacefully with each other. The corpse of Metas, carrying his penetrating sword, can be found on the overhang above the gate the fat Minister closes near the rolling, flaming boulders in the Inner Ward. Origin: Meta is an Old Icelandic word which means "to determine worth," so Metas could mean "one who determines the worth of others." It may also explain why Penetrator killed the Fat Minister, Metas found the minister unworthy and executed him after he fled from battle with the player multiple times. Metas may target Biorr because he failed to protect his brother Vallarfax. Reference: penetrating sword description, fluted armor set description, plate armor set description, light weapon spell description, cursed weapon spell description, Ostrava dialogue, Biorr dialogue #: D1-4 Name: Old King Allant AKA False King Allant Type: Major Archdemon World: Boletarian Palace Description: A red-eyed demon created in the image of the King Allant. He wears a white tunic and wields a soul-form version of the black sword Soulbrandt. He can also cast the spell soulsucker which steals a soul level from the player. Narrative: See also d06. King Allant the XII was once a magnanimous ruler who cared greatly for his subjects and fought diligently against the vile and the depraved. Unfortunately he became trapped in melancholy in his old age and searched tirelessly for a method to expand his might. Allant's search ended at the Nexus where the power of the Soul Arts was bestowed upon him. It is unclear who was his teacher, most likely the Maiden in Black (who has a deep connection to the Old One) or one of the Monumentals who perished. Allant's ability to use Soulsucker, the Maiden in Black's signature spell, makes her the more likely suspect. He returned to his Northern kingdom of Boletaria and with his knowledge of the Soul Arts brought unprecedented prosperity. It was at this point the King took the black blade Soulbrandt, a baneful weapon which grows more powerful the more demonic the soul who wields it becomes, from the Royal Mausoleum. Since that day the Soulbrandt has never left his side. Elementary knowledge of the Soul Arts was not enough to quench his lust for power so Allant eventually returned to the Nexus and awoke the long forgotten evil, the Old One, from its eternal slumber. As a servant to the Old One, King Allant was granted unfathomable power which slowly mutated his corporeal form, eventually transforming his body into a pathetic, toad-like creature. Using his newfound power, he fashioned a Demon doppelganger to lead the Demon scourge and reap more souls to quench the bottomless thirst of the Old One. Slowly the colorless Deep Fog began to spread throughout the land and wherever it touched, men began to lose their soul and with it their sanity. The mad attacked the sane and chaos reigned. King Allant believes that the Old One is a gift of mercy from God. So much pain, evil, and misery fills the world and the solution is to fight that poison with poison. Once the colorless Deep Fog has engulfed all the land and absorbed every last soul, human existence will end and with it our suffering. An interesting touch the developers added to the False King Demon doppelganger are twin trails of white energy which rise from just behind both shoulders. The effect is most noticeable when the player first walks into the chamber, just after it does a charge attack, a vertical sword swipe, or whenever it walks around the chamber without attacking. The trails almost have the appearance of ethereal angel wings. It could be this means something (the Demon is some manner of fallen angel molded into the King's immage) or it could just be a coincidence that the energy flows upward in that manner. The False King's Demon Soul is used to fuse together the Soulbrandt and Demonbrandt into a single weapon, the fabled Northern Regalia, the original emblem of royalty (like a crown or scepter) of the Northern Kingdom. The weapon is most potent when the wielder is either at their most pure or their most depraved and evil. The Northern Regalia is as ancient as the Old One and, like the Old One, it was left in the world for malicious purposes. Origin: Allant is a French word, the present participle form of "aller," which means "to go." So King Allant literally means "King going." One could interpret that to mean King Allant the ongoing, as in his rule will never end. Another way to interpret that is that King Allant is himself going, as in bit by bit the man who was once a noble leader is slowly disappearing. Reference: Soulbrandt description, Northern Regalia description, Soulsucker spell description, Narrator/Prologue dialogue, Dregling Merchant dialogue, Saint Urbain dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue, Female Worshipper of God dialogue, Biorr dialogue, Ostrava dialogue, Monumental dialogue, King Allant dialogue, Boletarian Palace archstone description #: D2-1 Name: Armor Spider Type: Major Demon World: Stonefang Tunnel Description: A giant, red-eyed spider which can shoot webbing and use amped up versions of the spells fireball and ignite. Narrative: Little is known about the Armor Spider, the spell descriptions from its Demon Soul give no clue on its origins, leading to speculation. There are no other spiders seen in Stonefang so the boss is not likely a corruption of wildlife native to the mine. No mention of a large spider is made by characters or the Stonefang archstones indicating it is not a creature of folklore like the Storm King or Adjudicator. The only other reference to spiders in the game is the spiderstone which is coincidentally only found in Stonefang Tunnel. Spiderstone is "fabric-like" and "transparent," indicating that the ore source is the Armor Spider's webbing after it has gone through some manner of process, perhaps super-heated by the spider's flame attacks. One theory is that the Armor Spider is some manner of Demon sentinel created by the Fat Ministers to guard the entrance to Tunnel City. The fireball and flamethrower attack the spider uses are amped up versions of the spells the Ministers use, flame toss and ignite. Another theory is that it goes even higher and that the Armor Spider was created by the same entity which imbued the Fat Ministers with the power of fire magic. Perhaps the Old Monk visited Stonefang Tunnel in his exile and the Armor Spider was his first experiment with manipulating souls to create new Demons. A third theory is Armor Spider could have been created accidentally, perhaps as a consequence of messing around with the nearby Kris Blade, a ceremonial blade used during incantations. The blade boosts the users magical power, but as a consequence the player takes more damage from magic. Armor Spider is very weak to magic. The blade's weakness to magic damage is the same as the golden robes worn by the Old Monk which means there may be a direct connection between it and the Kris Blade. Armor Spider's Hard demon soul can be used to craft smaller scale versions of its fire attacks, ignite and fire spray. It can also be used to create a bow in the shape of the spider's leg which imbues the arrows with fire damage. Origin: Giant spiders in literature, such as Shelob in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," are the most likely inspirations for the Armor Spider. Reference: lava bow description, fire spray spell description, ignite spell description, kris blade description, monk's head collar description, spiderstone description #: D2-2 Name: Flamelurker Type: Major Demon World: Stonefang Tunnel Description: A ten foot tall, horned creature covered in spikes and engulfed in flames. Its fist attacks create huge explosions of fire. Narrative: The archstone speaks of a fire Demon which has been trapped in the Temple with Dragon God since ancient times, Flamelurker is undoubtedly related to that fire Demon. Little can be extrapolated about Flamelurker's origin since the boss soul is given to Ed, and is not used to create any spells. There is a theory that the placement of two Hands of God in the Flamelurker's chamber, which speak of the Legendary Big M, hints that Flamelurker is his fire Demon possessed spirit. Big M was a strongman from long ago who used his God- like fists to slaughter dragons with his bare hands. Flamelurker attacks exclusively with his magma-infused fists. Both Boldwin and Ed each carry a Hand of God and are known for their feats of strength which hints that they are descendents of Big M. As trades are often passed down the family line, it is likely Big M was also a blacksmith and thus it would be fitting that Big M's Demon Soul would be used in blacksmithing. Another theory is that Flamelurker is the last King of the Burrowers as the design of Flamelurker's head mimics the depiction of the King of the Ancient Burrower's head and circlet on the Stonefang archstone. There is also a sarcophagus in the Flamelurker's chamber, a place of prominence, which is likely the King's final resting place. Origin: A "lurker" is one who lies await in concealment to ambush or one whose existence goes unsuspected. So Flamelurker could mean a "demon of fire which is not perceivable" and may be how the ancient Burrowers explained the existence of lava, that it is heated by a Demon. Flamelurker is very similar in design to the largest Demon giants seen fighting with the hundreds of thousands of troops in the prologue. That concept art may have influenced the final design of the creature. Reference: hands of god description, Blacksmith Ed dialogue, Blacksmith Boldwin dialogue, Stonefang Tunnel archstone description, Prologue #: D2-3 Name: Dragon God AKA Sultan of Chaos Type: Major Archdemon World: Stonefang Tunnel, Journey to the Nexus Description: A 100 foot tall dragon with a massive wingspan which fills the entire chamber. If he perceives the player's presence he will attempt to smash them with his spiked fists. Narrative: Miraculously the dragon bones at the base of the mine exuded ore imbued with the power of flame, what the Ancient Burrowers called dragonstone. In order to appease these bones of dragons, the Ancient Burrowers carefully crafted a Temple where they could both worship at and contain their Dragon God, a large dragon skeleton in molten lava, should it ever resurrect. As an added precaution, the Burrowers constructed two large magically-enchanted harpoon guns on either side of the molten pit and forged the Dragon Bone Smasher, a weapon capable of slaying dragons by crushing their bones. The Deep Fog eventually reached the depths of the Stonefang mine and when it touched the molten dragon bones it tapped into the power inherent in the colossal flames to resurrect the Dragon God as a Demon. The body is humanoid in shape almost like a giant man who grew scales, sprouted wings/ a tail, and had his head transformed into a dragon's. In the course of the game, there is actually the possibility to encounter two separate Dragon Gods. There is the one all must face at the bottom of Stonefang Tunnel, but there is also one the player encounters if the Vanguard is defeated at the end of the Journey to the Nexus. This Dragon God is slightly thinner and sits on a mountain top near a volcano spewing lava. The chamber the player arrives in before facing the tutorial Dragon God has architecture and markings which do not resemble the architecture of Stonefang Tunnel. The encounter ends with the Dragon God killing the player in one punch so that their spirit can be summoned to the Nexus. This may be the same Dragon God which can be seen carrying the dead body and attacking the fluted armor knight in the main menu title trailer. Proof that there are two separate Dragon Gods can be found in the light ending credits. Each boss Demon is depicted in concept art and the Dragon God concept art features two different dragons. We know this does not represent the Red and Blue Dragon because the dragons depicted have holes in their wings (like the Stonefang Dragon God) and the Boletarian Dragons are already represented in King Allant's concept art. As the Archdemon was worshipped as a God, the countersign of the Dragon Demon's Soul is God's Wrath, one of the greatest miracles, and represents God's power against Dragon God's tremendous malice. The other two spells crafted from the Archdemon's soul (fireball and firestorm) are powerful fire spells, representing the colossal power of the flames in the Dragon God's chamber. Origin: As is common in some cultures, there are pairs of gods (one male and one female) which serve the same function. One example is Izanagi (male) and Izanami (female) of Japanese mythology. This could explain why there is a Dragon God both locked in the depths of Stonefang and one with its lair on a mountain top. One would be female and the other male. The Dragon God more closely fits the traditional image of a dragon (as compared to the dragons in the Boletarian Palace) as it has wings, legs, AND arms. The Red and Blue Dragons lack arms. Reference: god's wrath miracle description, fireball spell description, firestorm spell description, dragonstone description, dragon bone smasher description, Blacksmith Boldwin dialogue, Filthy Man dialogue, Scirvir the Wanderer dialogue, Stonefang Tunnel description, start menu cinema, light ending credits #: D3-1 Name: Fool's Idol AKA False Idol Type: Major Demon World: Tower of Latria Description: A life-size, animated doll created in the image of the deceased Queen of Latria. It has the power to create copies of itself, paralyze the player, and cast a more powerful version of the spell Soul Ray. Narrative: The Fool's Idol is an artificial doll crafted in the Queen's image and controlled by the Old Monk. Its purpose is to deceive the prisoners into thinking the Queen is still alive. The belief that the Queen was alive gave the prisoners hope, quieted any insurrections, and lured prisoners to the church in order to worship the Fool's Idol and seek redemption from her. The act of "redemption" meant being taken above by gargoyles, up the tower in the church. Taken to the womb below the Old Monk's tower, the prisoners' souls would be stolen and their flesh twisted in the Old Monk's experiments to create new Demons. The Queen was a gifted sorceress and it is likely much of her soul was used in the creation of the Fool's Idol, as the Doll has a mastery of many magic's. The Fool's Idol has the capability to cast Soul Arrow and Soul Ray, and can create many copies of itself to confuse the player. It can also temporarily paralyze the player, a form of the Octopus-headed Guard's magic, which leads to a "which came first, chicken or egg discussion." Did the Octopus-headed guards gain this paralyzing spell from the soul of the dead Queen or did the guards possess the knowledge. If the Coherent Mage Prisoner in the balcony of the church is not killed before facing the Fool's Idol he will resurrect the Demon as soon as it is slain. The stained glass window in the church would seem to imply that Queen was an object of worship even before the Old Monk returned to Latria, though it is possible the church was built / altered after the Second Scourge began. It is believed that the Queen and those locked in the dungeon are of the Yormedar royal line as many of its treasures and emblems are spread throughout Latria. From the Fool's Idol Doll Demon Soul the spell soul ray, the Queen's improvement of the spell soul arrow, is crafted. Origin: The Fool's Idol is quite literally and figuratively the Old Monk's puppet, or more specifically, it bears the marking and construction of a marionette without strings. A marionette is a puppet controlled by strings or wires attached to various points on the puppet's body. From above (and out of sight of the audience), the manipulator uses a control bar to move the designated strings and animate the puppet's movements. Hand puppets had been around for thousands of years, but the term and modern conception of marionettes emerged in the 1600s when the church used them to put on morality plays. One of the first marionettes widely used by the church was the Virgin Mary, hence the French name, "Marion" for Mary and the French suffix "-ette" which means "a smaller version of the attached noun." The two sets of arms on the Fool's idol is likely of Hindu influence as the image of many of their deities feature multiple arms. Fool's Idol is most closely modeled after Lakshmi, Goddess of fortune and wealth and the embodiment of wisdom, beauty, and grace. Lakshmi is depicted adorned in golden jewelry with four arms: two hands hold pink lotus flowers (which VERY closely resemble the royal lotus, an ornament of nobility in Demon's Souls), from one hand golden coin (wealth) flows, and the fourth hand is open in a gesture of blessing. She is worshipped daily and is depicted being flanked by two elephants which shower her with water, a symbol of royal power. The Fool's Idol is kind of a perversion of Lakshmi as it offers the promise of spiritual wealth through "redemption," but takes mind and spirit from the redeemed. The spouse of Lakshmi is the Hindu God Vishu (See Old Monk, D3-3). I latched onto the idea of Latria as a perversion/criticism of Hinduism because the Fool's Idol has four arms, a prominent feature of many Hindu Gods, however there is another theory that it is a dig against Catholicism. (See Old Monk, D3-3). Reference: soul ray spell description, silver catalyst description, silver coronet description, silver bracelet description, royal lotus description, Former Royal's Wife dialogue, The Liar dialogue, Tower of Latria Archstone Description #: D3-2 Name: Maneater Type: Major Demon World: Tower of Latria Description: A pair of large, winged creatures covered in coarse fur each with the tail of a serpent and the face of a man. Narrative: Twin abominations, creations of the Old Monk, with the gray face of a man, a large muscular body, wings capable of limited flight, and the tail of a serpent. There are scorch marks where the wings and snake connect to the main body as if they were fused on. What is interesting is the Maneater has the exact same head as the Face Bugs (see E18), is that because the human head has been fused onto the body or is that a physical manifestation of the human souls that are used to create his creatures? The serpent appears to act independently of the main body and will occasionally fire a trio of soul arrows at the player or bite the main body of the Maneater. When bitten by its tail, the Maneater will vomit, writhe in pain, and be temporarily stunned. If the player does not strike before the Maneater recovers it will gain a large, temporary boost of power from the bite indicated by a yellow aura on its body. If the player cuts off the tail of the Maneater, it will no longer be tormented by the serpent. The Maneater are tasked with guarding the final hallway which leads up to the throne room in the Old Monk's tower. Maneater may not refer to the main creature's hunger for human flesh, but of the serpent tail's dark, parasitic nature with the main body. Just beyond the fog gate is the only corpse in the game which possesses two souls, this seems to indicate that it is somehow connected to Maneater. One theory is that soul used to create Maneater is that of a conjoined twin, possibly of the parasitic twin type. Another theory is that the original intent was to have a trio of Maneater, and the corpse beyond the fog gate represents the failed 3rd Maneater. From the Maneater's mixed Demon Soul the weapon Needle of Eternal Agony can be forged. The weapon has a long, curved, barbed needle that when hooked into the flesh of a creature siphons away a small piece of its soul. Origin: A Chimera was a creature of Greek mythology with the body and head of a lion, head of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. A chimera has come to mean any creature which is a hybrid of different animal parts / DNA. The Maneater appears to be a mixture of the original Greek Chimera and a winged gargoyle. A parasitic conjoined twin is fused asymmetrically, resulting in one twin that is small, unformed, and completely dependant on the larger twin for survival. That would seem to parallel the relationship between the Maneater and its serpent tail. The worship of snakes is an ancient tradition of Hinduism. Reference: needle of agony description, Tower of Latria archstone description, Demon's Souls Artbook #:D3-3 Name: Old Monk AKA Golden Elder Type: Major Archdemon World: Tower of Latria Description: The withered body of the Old Monk which was possessed as a vessel by the Golden Robe. Narrative: The Old Monk was the husband of the supreme ruler of Latria, the Queen Yormedar. He was banished from Latria for unknown crimes which were described as "depraved," possibly an affair, experimentation with humans, or something worse. In his exile, he came upon a golden robe, a powerful artifact which gives great power to those who wear it, but slowly sucks the life force from the user. With the power of the Golden Garb, he returned to Latria with Demons in tow, besieged the city, killed the Queen in secret, and locked her entire family away in the dungeon. From the soul of the Queen he crafted a doppelganger, a doll, for the residents of Latria to worship. Using this false idol, he convinces the prisoners to seek "redemption" by participating in the Old Monk's experiments to use the soul and flesh of men to create new Demons. Near the beginning of the Second Scourge, Sage Freke attempted to stop the siege of Latria, but even he was defeated and imprisoned by the Old Monk. By the time the player arrives in Latria, the Old Monk resembles a corpse and it is only the power of the Golden Garb which keeps him alive. Some speculate that the giant organ beneath the Old Monk's tower is a heart, powered with human souls, in order to keep him alive. Others believe the giant organ is instead some kind of womb where souls and flesh mingle and are fused by the Old Monk to create his new Demons, as the Face Bugs crawl out once the chains holding it up are broken and it crashes upon the ground. In the end, it is revealed that the Old Monk is not really a Demon in the traditional sense, the Golden Robe, like a parasite, is the true source of power which just used his body as a host and medium to carry out its bidding. As soon as the robe sense something more powerful than the Old Monk, the player, it summons another player's soul in black phantom form and abandons the withering body of the Old Monk with the hope of defeating and possessing the player. The origin of the Golden Garb is unknown, it seems unlikely that the Deep Fog would possess a piece of clothing so it is likely an old relic, possibly left over from the first time the Old One almost destroyed the world. It is possible the Golden Garb is even older, perhaps like the ancient sword Northern Regalia and the Old One, it was left in the world for malicious purposes. Where the Old Monk acquired the robe is also a mystery, some speculate the placement of the Kris Blade (which has similar effects and debuffs) indicates the Golden Garb was possibly excavated in Stonefang. Another theory is that it was a possession of the Fat Ministers and they gave it to the Old Monk so that he would pillage Latria. Scattered throughout Latria are the corpses, garments, and weapons of the masked society which embraced the Soul Industry. The base of the Old Monk's tower, where the Demon womb drops, also could be described as a "sealed chamber," one of the Soul Industry's meeting location. So it is possible that the Old Monk was a part of the masked society and the Queen discovered their meetings. For this he was banished and the rest of members in Latria were imprisoned or executed. This would also offer an alternate explanation of where the Old Monk obtained the Golden Robe (from an order of the masked society outside of Latria) and why Yurt was in Latria. Sage Freke and Lord Rydell both speak of extremely long imprisonment, far longer than the other captured NPCs the player encounters in the various areas of Boletaria. That and the lack of any soul-starved soldiers, knights, or Fat Ministers has lead to a theory that Latria fell before the Boletarian Palace. The Old Monk's yellow Demon Soul can be put to a variety of uses. It can be crafted into the spells Soul Thirst or Homing Soul Arrow which mirror the Old Monk's lust for power. It can be cleansed to learn the miracle Banish which evicts black phantoms of other players from the player's world. The Insanity Catalyst greatly increases the strength of magic attacks (power of the golden garb) but at a cost to the user's mind (maximum MP is halved). It is formed by the union of the exquisite silver catalyst given only to those of Yormedar lineage and the common wooden catalyst. The resulting wand is then wrapped in a scrap of fabric from the Golden Garb. This item may represent the relationship between the Queen and the Old Monk. The royal line Yormedar (silver catalyst) and common lineage of the Old Monk (wooden catalyst) were once forced apart from marriage but now the power of the Golden Garb binds them together. Origin: Yellow is the color of cowardice and deceit. A monk is traditionally thought of as a male who has pledged his life to a religious order that separates itself from the rest of society in a monastery, but the root word just means single, solitary, or alone. In the context of the Old Monk, 'monk" does not refer to a religious aspect, but of his original forced solitude when he was banished from Latria by the Queen, and later his act of self-imposed solitude in the tower as far away from the prisoners as possible. The Hindu God Vishu is one of the three manifestations of the Supreme Spirit Brahman and represents Brahman's sustaining power. Vishnu means to "pervade" or "take different forms," which ties into the lore that whenever evil threatens the land, Vishnu would descend to earth and be reincarnated in an avatar, a physical vessel (often human) of the deity, which it would use to defeat the evil. Vishnu is depicted with four arms; the two front arms represent his work in the physical world and the two back arms represent his activity in the spiritual world. Vishnu has a crown upon his head, has a blue body and wears yellow clothing. The Golden Robe worn by the Old Monk is kind of a perversion of Vishnu. It is a dark entity in the guise of a golden robe which grants power to, and slowly possesses / sucks the life from, a human vessel in order to spread evil. The five yellow homing soul arrows which form around the possessed black phantom may represent the golden crown and 4 arms of Vishnu. Vishnu is the spouse of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi (See Fool's Idol, D3-1). I latched onto the idea of Latria as a perversion/criticism of Hinduism because the Fool's Idol has four arms, a prominent feature of many Hindu Gods, however there is another theory that it is a dig against Catholicism. The Old Monk is a withered old man who has no real power, all his power comes from the robe he wears. In much the same way, the Pope is a man who is elevated to the divine by his title (vestments) and given powers such as infallibility, the ability to make no error in the interpretation/changing of spiritual dogma. The Virgin Mary, in the history of Catholicism, has grown in importance and adoration moving from merely Mother of Jesus, to the Immaculate Mother of God and the Church. Popes have encouraged increased reverence of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similarly, the Old Monk encourages the prisoners to worship the false image of the Queen in order to give them false hope and to pacify them as he takes their souls and flesh. Reference: Monk's head collar description, insanity catalyst description, soul thirst spell description, homing soul arrow spell description, banish miracle description, northern regalia description, kris blade description, silver catalyst description, wooden catalyst, gold mask description, rogue's clothes armor set description, epee rapier description, Sage Freke dialogue, Former Royal's Wife dialogue, Tower of Latria Archstone Description #: D4-1 Name: Adjudicator Type: Major Demon World: Shrine of Storms Description: A large, morbidly obese humanoid with a long tongue, a golden crow on its head, and wielding two large knives Narrative: Long ago, the Shadowmen, a tribe of very tall, pagans barbarians, built the Shrine of Storms on an island to worship storms and death. Though the shrine still remains, all members of the tribe either died out or abandoned the shrine ages ago. It was the Shadowmen's belief that by appeasing the storm beasts (and their master the mythical Storm King) through a ghastly ritual they would bring forth rain. Shadowmen who died would first be brought before the Adjudicator, the judge, to determine if they would go on to the next phase of the ritual. The Adjudicator is a large, blubberous creature which in its right hand wields a large cleaver, and in the other, another cleaver which is broken. For reasons not disclosed, the cleaver in its left hand was stabbed into and broken off in its own belly. If not for that cut in his belly, his body would be completely impervious to damage as blows bounce off his skin like rubber. Attacking the wound causes the Adjudicator to fall over in pain. From its mouth shoots a long, thin, reptile-like tongue which causes heavy damage to the player. The creature is the embodiment of insatiable greed. Atop Adjudicator lies a crown, and resting in that crown is a golden crow which is the true master and brain of the beast. It will crow audible commands and the Adjudicator will obey and execute those commands. It is the crow which ultimately judges the dead, those who committed cowardly acts or devoured birds in life are not worthy of the title "Hero of the Storms" and are gnawed on by Adjudicator until only the bones remain. The mass of human skeletons found in the pit which Patches kicks the player into are likely those soldiers devoured by Adjudicator. If the Golden Crow deems them worthy, they are given seals of the hero and taken to the Shadowmen's Shrine for the next phase of the ritual. The Seal of the Hero is possibly the regenerator's ring as one is found in the Shrine of the Storms, the ring is of an "unknown origin," and all items or spells associated with Adjudicator give HP to the user, just like the ring. The Adjudicator body is not the Demon, the true Demon is the crow as it both commands the body and is the only one which takes damage. Like the storm beasts, the crow is something of a sadist as the most likely explanation for the Adjudicator's wound is that the crow ordered the body to stab itself to see if it would comply. That the crow derives pleasure from exerting total control and inflicting pain on others may indicate that it is overcompensating for its small stature. In many ways the crow is a parasite, latching onto and controlling the body in order to have power. Another possibility is that body could feel something was wrong and attempted to kill itself before it was fully taken over by the influence of the Deep Fog. There is debate whether the Adjudicator ever existed in physical form, like the Old Hero, or if it was a creature of myth, like the Storm King. The Adjudicator is of similar height as the Old Hero and wears similar garments. If one imagines the Old Hero as morbidly obese with his head disappearing into the fat of his neck and shoulders, that would resemble the Adjudicator. So one theory is that the Adjudicator was once a cannibal Shadowman who grew fat on not only the flesh of dead warriors, but also ingested their souls. This caused his body to mutate over time into the horrible creature depicted on the Adjudicator's shield. The Adjudicator's swollen Demon Soul can be used to craft meat cleaver, the weapon of the Adjudicator. A strike from the meat cleaver does physical and magical damage as well as stealing a little of the life force of the victim. The Demon Soul can also be purified to create the miracle Regeneration, which slowly replenishes the life of the caster. Origin: An adjudicator is a mediator in a dispute whose judgment is final in resolving the conflict. Reference: meat cleaver description, regeneration miracle description, regenerator's ring description, adjudicator's shield description, morion blade description, Graverobber Blige dialogue, Shrine of Stones archstone description #: D4-2 Name: Old Hero AKA Searcher of Storms Type: Manor Demon World: Shrine of Storms Description: The soul form of a blind Shadowman warrior who wields a weathered, crystal sword. Narrative: For the next phase of the ritual, the corpse is laid on the Shadowmen's Shrine during a storm to be mourned by the tribe and purified by the rain. Overlooking the exit from the chamber is the body of the Old Hero, a blind warrior from long ago who with the help of his crystal blade survived for years by luck and acute awareness of his surrounding. When the player enters the chamber the soul form of the Old Hero breaks free from his body to challenge the player. Though he is blind, his other senses are very sensitive. Noises such as running footsteps or the clatter of armor will alert the Old Hero to the player's position and he will pounce, slashing them to pieces with his Large Sword of Searching. That the body of the Old Hero is chained to the wall instead of completing the ritual implies that at some point he fell out of favor with the tribe. Now he must forever watch other more "worthy" warriors be honored at the shrine. This has lead to the theory that the Old Hero is the one who forged the Stormruler, thought himself master of storms ahead of the Storm King, and thus was chained to the wall (and perhaps blinded) as punished, forced to forever protect the creature which he thought himself superior. The Old Hero's hero Demon Soul can be used to craft the weapon large sword of searching, the Old Hero's weapon, which he apparently used as a kind of divining rod to seek out storms. The weapon doubles the drop rate of items. The Old Hero's epithet "Searcher of Storms" may not be literal, it could mean that he always sought conflict (storms) in order to prove himself in battle. It is mentioned that he fought so often that his crystal blade has "become severely weathered due to years of fighting." The hero Demon Soul can also be purified to create the miracle Second Chance, which revives the player at 50% HP after a fatal blow. The Old Hero wears garments which are similar to that of the Adjudicator. Origin: N/A Reference: adjudicator's shield description, second chance miracle description, large sword of searching description, stormruler description, Graverobber Blige dialogue, Shrine of Storms archstone description #: D4-3 Name: Storm King Type: Major Archdemon World: Shrine of Storms Description: A HUGE storm beast capable of launching a rapid fire volley of barbed, marrow spears. Narrative: The final phase of the ritual is to offer for consumption the purified remains of the "hero of storms" to the Storm King and his storm beasts in the valley just beyond the Shadowmen's Shrine. The valley is dotted with dozens of stone monoliths and is believed to be where the spirits of all the Shadowmen's ancestors dwell. It is here where the Stormruler, a large thorny, spiral-bladed sword has the power to split the sky with thunder, causing damage to any storm beasts in its path. Considering the amount of reverence the Shadowmen had for the storm beasts, and their God the Storm King, it is puzzling who among them would create a weapon having dominion over the storms. Perhaps it was this hubris which angered the storm beasts and caused the slaughter and downfall of the Shadowmen's civilization. That might also explain why the structure on the right side of the valley, which likely held an altar, was completely demolished. One aspect of the Storm King which is not clearly stated is if it physically existed in the time of the Shadowmen or if it was a mythological creature which they believe existed. Accounts from their time describe the Storm King as a storm beast whose wings "cover the sky." However, it is also mentioned that "the Storm King is the embodiment of the thoughts of Shadowmen from hundreds of years ago." That would seem to imply that the Storm King is a myth, it was the God they imagined had dominion over the storm beasts, and that it was the Deep Fog which gave corporeal form to that belief as an Archdemon. Unlike the storm beasts, which have two eyes, the Storm King only has one giant eye, which might lend credence to the theory that it was a creation of the Fog as surely the Storm King's offspring would also only have one eye. The myth given form, is an ENORMOUS storm beast who is the most sadistic and malicious of all the storm beasts. Once the player has killed enough of his minions, the Storm King will swoop down and fire dozens of marrow spears at the player. It is unclear whether the marrow is coated with some kind of purple liquid (perhaps venom) or if it is the creature's blood because it is firing the barbs through its skin. The Storm King's storm Demon Soul can be used to craft the weapon Morion Blade which derives pleasure from seeing the wielder suffer. If the player's HP is low enough the weapon will become active and the player's attack power will increase dramatically. As the Archdemon was worshipped as a God, the countersign of the Storm Demon Soul is Anti-Magic field, one of the greatest miracles, and represents God's power against Storm King's tremendous malice. Origin: Sadism is the enjoyment of pain and cruelty inflicted on others. The sadist might derive pleasure from inflicting pain or merely watching the cruelty as a passive observer. Some even become sexually aroused by the misfortune of others. The term "sadism" is named for the Marquis de Sade, an 18th century French aristocrat who is famous for writing pornographic novels, plays, and short stories featuring depraved acts of violence and brutality. Morion is a German and Spanish synonym of "smoky quartz" which is a very dark brown to black, opaque variety of quartz. Stingrays are named after the barbed stinger at the end of its tail. The stinger is covered in a thin layer of skin which contains the venom. If a stingray is frightened, it will strike with stinger on its tail. The impact of the barbed tip will tear the skin, which allows the poison to enter the wound, and the barbed tip will often break off in the wound. The barb of a stingray appears to be represented by the shafts of marrow the Storm Beasts and Storm King fire at the player. Reference: morion blade description, stormruler description, anti-magic field miracle description, Shrine of Storms archstone description #: D5-1 Name: Leechmonger Type: Major Demon World: Valley of Defilement Description: A mass of leeches which chain together to form a large creature. Narrative: In the pit which drains into the poison swamp is the Leechmonger, a large amorphous mass of leeches able to feed on the blood within its leeches to regenerate health. Some believe that the Leechmonger is just a naturally occurring creature, the Deep Fog having influence over the leeches to draw them into a fused, cohesive mass; like a prisoner horde. Another theory is that Leechmonger is the corrupted soul of Risaia of Istarel, one of the holy knights who left with Maiden Astraea in search of the Valley of Defilement. High above, overlooking the Leechmonger's pit, is the resting place of Risaia's wooden spear, Istarelle, whose name means an "Instrument of Istarel," and is a holy revelation from God. Risaia made a last stand high above the pit of leeches, but was ultimately defeated by the trio of Giant Depraved Ones and the corpse fell into the pit below. The leeches fed on Risaia's blood and soul and formed into a Demon comprised of a multitude of leeches. Further evidence of this is the spell received from the Leechmonger's soul either lets the player harness the power of poison, or protects the user from poison, plague, and other diseases. Similarly, the unique aspect of the Istarelle is that it protects the user, formerly Risaia, from poison and plague. Leechmonger's ability to regenerate also mimics the effect of the miracle Regeneration, a miracle a high-ranked, holy knight of the Church would likely be able to perform. If Leechmonger is Risaia, there is the possibility that the corpse eventually floated into the stream which dumps into the poison swamp. This could be the corpse holding the Legendary Soldier's Soul down in the swamp, near the start where the water drops into the poison swamp. The Leechmonger's wriggling Demon Soul can be used to craft the spell poison cloud, which harnesses the power of the valley's filth. The Demon Soul can also be purified to learn the miracle cure, which cleanses the caster of bleeding, poison, and plague. Origin: The name "Leechmonger" is a combination of "monger", which is the promotion of something unpleasant (ex. warmonger); and "leech" which is to suck blood or to cling to something for personal gain at the peril of the host. So "leechmonger" is one who champions or promotes the distasteful action of stealing the possessions (physical or spiritual) of others. Reference: istarelle description, regeneration miracle description, poison cloud spell description, cure miracle description, Patches dialogue, Selen Vinland dialogue, Saint Urbain dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: D5-2 Name: Dirty Colossus AKA Fly-Ridden Demon (early name) Type: Major Demon World: Valley of Defilement Description: A filth encrusted, large creature which has an armor of shells and wood and commands a huge swarm of flies. Narrative: In a filth-encrusted valley, the last stop before Maiden Astraea's sanctuary, lives the Dirty Colossus; a hulking, asymmetrical creature covered in muck, shells, and infested with flies. What appears to be the creature's head is sticking sideways out of its left shoulder, it has a mouth and one eye. As the Colossus moves the head flops around as if it were dead. Its body is thick and covered in shells and bits of wood which serve as armor. It's legs have no feet, they end in stumps. On it's right arm, where a hand would have been is a giant growth or tumor which the Colossus uses to bash the player. The left arm also lacks a hand, it ends in a gaping hole from which it fires swarms of flies. The creature's special attack has swarms of flies exit its body in all directions doing damage, and impeding the movement, of anyone that is close to it. Flies are a central component of the Dirty Colossus, they live within the creature's spherical belly and it has dominion over them, causing them to surround the player and nimble on their flesh. As for the origin of the creature, some believe that like the Leechmonger, it is just a naturally occurring Demon formed from muck and flies due to the influence of the Deep Fog. Others speculate that it is the Chief of the outcasts or a Giant Depraved One which has been corrupted and deformed, attracting swarms of flies, and turned into a Demon to guard the entrance of Astraea's sanctuary. If Vito, the Moonlight Knight, is not the Raggedy Robed Black Phantom from the poison swamp, some theorize that the Dirty Colossus is formed from the flies which devoured the knight's corpse. Another theory is that it is a golem, a living being created from the inanimate matter (muck, dirt, shells, wood, filth, etc.) in the Valley. The creature is a personification of the disease and decay which eats away at the valley, given shape from the pain, suffering, and uncleanliness which Maiden Astraea absorbed from the Depraved Ones. In that way the Dirty Colossus is both a monument to the horrors of the disease and a display of its power. That it is very weak to fire may also be symbolic as infection is often cleansed by flame and intense heat. The spell crafted from the Major Demon's Soul, Acid Cloud, eats away at the condition of an enemy's equipment and is a demonstration of the devastating effect of disease. Origin: A colossus means either a very large statute, often a monument, or a being that is gigantic as well as powerful. Throughout history flies have symbolized death, decay, corruption, and the Devil. In theology, Beelzebub, literally meaning "Lord of the Flies," was an angel cast out in The Fall and is one of the chief leaders of Hell, titled the Prince of Demons. Beelzebub causes destruction through tyrants (IE. King Allant), causes Demons to be worshiped among men (Fool's Idol, Demon Maiden Astraea, and the Old One), to excite priests to lust (Astraea and Garl Vinland), cause jealousness (King Allant and the Old Monk both lust after power), and through war ("The mad attack the sane, and chaos reigns"). Reference: acid cloud spell description, large sword of moonlight description, Selen Vinland dialogue, Filthy Woman dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: D5-3A Name: Maiden Astraea Type: Major Archdemon World: Valley of Defilement Description: A young woman in white robes stained with blood. She is able to perform the miracle God's Wrath Narrative: One of the most intriguing characters in Demon's Soul is the Maiden Astraea, formerly the Sixth Saint of the Church. When Astraea was a young girl she found the Ring of Sincere Prayer, one of the few Revelations of God, a holy relic which greatly increases the power of miracles. This likely was taken as a sign that she had been chosen by God and sent her down the path to become the Sixth Saint of the Church. Like the Vinland family, she hails from the Western Highlands, though her lineage is unknown. The blueblood sword speaks of "true nobility" and it is created from her "pureblood" soul which means she may be a daughter of royalty. Though "true" nobility may denote not that she was noble by birth, but had a noble spirit. As the father of Selen and Garl Vinland was a important cleric in the Church, Astraea and Garl likely spent their childhood and teenage years in close proximity. When Astraea became a Saint, she took on a knight, Garl Vinland, to serve as her bodyguard and he accompanied Astraea on her travels. When Saint Astraea heard of the Valley of Defilement, the resting place for those who have been thrown away, she began a pilgrimage to search for it. When she and her knights finally found the Valley, her heart was broken for it was a land seemingly abandoned by God, full of abject suffering. Astraea and Garl Vinland settled in the depths of the valley and it became a place of sanctuary in which she could comfort those awaiting death. When the Deep Fog came, her heart became heavy with sorrow for her God had become cruel, inflicting even more hardships on the Valley's residents. It was then she decided to forgo the cruel God who had abandoned the Valley and embraced the Deep Fog, becoming an Archdemon as a result. It was Astraea's belief that through this unholy pact, she could do good works, and used her power to take away the suffering of the outcasts in the Valley. For this act of selfless compassion, the Depraved Ones worshiped her as their Christ-like savior, and things were good for a time. When rumors spread that a Saint of the Church had become a Demon, priests and temple knights of all rank and ilk journeyed in search of the Valley of Defilement to disprove the rumor. Those warriors of the Church, along with any other strangers, who entered the Valley were murdered by the Depraved Ones and their souls given as offering to Astraea. She used these souls to maintain her and her knight's sanity as well as to give life, horrifying that it is, to all the aborted babies which had been forsaken in the Valley. Astraea has taken in all that is impure, thus she is technically the most impure of all the Demons, but her divine actions seem to run contrary to that distinction. Through her Demon power she gave relief to those who desperately needed it and life to those who had none, unfortunately at the cost of the lives of many temple knights and priests. While the other clerics immediately cursed and damned Astraea upon confirmation that she had become a Demon, Selen Vinland was the only person to acknowledge that Demons could possibly do good works. She noticed that despite the grim and filth of the Valley, it felt "strangely pure." That purity is the result of Astraea's soul power and influence. Other's speculate that Maiden Astraea is more sinister and not really a victim. It is possible that the temple knights, priests, and other holy warriors which died in the Valley did not come later, but originally accompanied Astraea to the Valley. Then it would be a question of who struck first, did Astraea betray them by commanding the Depraved Ones to attack or did they object to her renouncing God and attempt to kill her? The Filthy Woman also accuses her of being a nasty, corrupting influence who set herself up as a idol to be worshipped by the outcasts and the cause of all the problems in the Valley. Of the 3 human leaders who Sage Freke states have become Demons, Astraea is the only one to truly succeed. Allant's body became mutated and physically weak. The Demon on the throne was merely a fabrication, a doppelganger. The Old Monk was not a true Demon either, merely a frail old man who was manipulated into becoming a medium for the true source of power, the Golden Garb. Maiden Astraea gained power, maintained her original form, and most of her sanity and personality. When the player encounters Astraea and Garl Vinland in the plague swamp, unlike the other Major Demons, she attempts to reason with the player to convince them to turn back. She orders Garl Vinland not to hunt down and murder the player, but to take a purely defensive stance; only attacking the player if they attempt to pass by to hurt Astraea. If the player maneuvers around Garl and begins to attack Astraea, she prays to God begging him to call the player off, questioning why He continues to torture them. If the player kills Garl Vinland, she scolds the player's lust for power, then commits suicide rather than live without Vinland. Spells which the witch Yuria create are based on the raw power and emotion of the Demon's Soul. It is appropriate then that Maiden Astraea's soul creates the spell relief, which heals allies. The description of this spell bests summarizes Maiden Astraea, "though Astraea is the most impure Demon of all, her works are equal to those of divine beings." Conversely, the spell Sage Freke crafts from the Pureblood Demon Soul is Death Cloud, which taps into the ugliness Astraea took in to relieve the suffering of the Valley's residents. It is interesting that the miracle created, a supposed countersign of her Demon Soul, is Resurrection, a power which she herself wielded to resurrect the aborted fetuses in the Valley. The Demon Soul can also be used to forge the blueblood sword, a weapon endowed with the essential power humans are born with, luck. So the four aspects of her soul are protection from the impure, using evil to do good, the corrupting power of impurity, and a disbelief in God; that life is only influenced by luck or chance. Origin: Astraea translates to "star-maiden" and in Greek mythology was a Goddess associated with innocence, purity, and justice. Eventually the Goddess Astraea was sickened by human greed and ascended to the Heavens to become the constellation Virgo, Latin for "virgin." Reference: death cloud spell description, relief spell description, resurrection miracle description, blueblood sword description, ring of sincere prayer description, ring of devout prayer description, Filthy Woman dialogue, Acolyte of God dialogue, Saint Urbain dialogue, Patches dialogue, Garl Vinland dialogue, Selen Vinland dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: D5-3B Name: Garl Vinland Type: Humanoid World: Valley of Defilement Description: A warrior of the Church, older than Astraea, who wears Dark Silver armor and wields the large hammer Bramd. Narrative: He is known throughout the land, much like his older sister Selen Vinland, as a courageous and upstanding knight of the Church. Like Saint Astraea, Selen and Garl Vinland hail from the Western Highlands. Garl is adorned in armor forged from dark silver, the oldest metal in the land, which offers total protection from the evils of magic and exorcises the desire to inflict suffering on others. The Dark Silver shield is a similar shape and color as the Talismans of God, and the engraving on the front resembles two hands holding a light- emanating Talisman of God. He wields the massive hammer called Bramd, a Vinland family treasure, which features the mark of a legendary giant killer. It is possible the giant killer used this weapon to slay giants or it was the weapon of one of the giants who was slain. The enchanted engraving protects the user from poison, plague, and other diseases. Since Astraea was a part of the Church at a young age, Garl Vinland's father was an important cleric, and they both come from the Highlands; the pair likely encountered each other much during childhood. When Astraea became the Sixth Saint of the Church, Garl Vinland became her protector and accompanied her on all her travels. Garl accompanied Astraea on her pilgrimage to the Valley of Defilement, where she comforted the dying and became their spiritual leader. He is utterly devoted to his "dearest Astraea," even after she became a Demon he continued to protect her, even from other warriors of the Church. When the player encounters Garl Vinland in the plague swamp he takes a defensive stance between the player and Astraea and will not move or attack unless they attempt to get by him. During the fight Garl talks to the player as if they are on a mission from God, declaring that He "abandoned us long ago" and has no right to intrude upon their haven. If the player kills Astraea, Garl will continue to attack the player, but once you leave the area he will commit suicide. When Garl is defeated he laments his failure and then once the player talks to Astraea, she will commit suicide. Though some characters allege that Garl is a Demon like Astraea, his death animation suggests that he is human, like the player. Perhaps the dark silver armor has protected him from the soul draining effects of the Deep Fog, or Maiden Astraea gives him some of the offered souls so that he can maintain his sanity. It is also possible that the souls gained from the Demon slayers he has defeated in their quest to kill Astraea has been enough to sustain him. One of the most interesting things about Garl Vinland, is what happens to his soul after death. Whereas all other named black phantoms appear in areas with pure black world tendency, Garl Vinland's black phantom appears in pure white world tendency. His soul is at its most powerful when the influence of the Old One is at its weakest. Some have suggested that it is the purifying effects of the dark silver which allows Garl to gain strength as the world turns white. Others speculate that it is due to his pure love for Astraea, the opposite of the maliciousness of the Old One. That Garl continues to serve Astraea even after she has become an affront to God, a Demon, has led many to speculate that they are lovers. That one commits suicide when the other is killed would also seem to support that theory. Another possibility is that it is more of a Christ-disciple or parent-child relationship, that he so blindly believes in her goodness that no matter what acts she commits he still believes that she is his holy mother. Origin: If Selen Vinland refers to the Goddess of the Moon, Selene; then that would make Garl Helios, the God of the Sun, and the brother of Selene. Personifying the God of the Sun and light may explain why he is the only named black phantom to appear in pure white world tendency. Helios is often depicted as a man surrounded by the aureole (cloud of light) of the sun, an effect which is quite similar to the light halo surrounding the body of one who wields a Dark Silver Shield. There are several possible explanations for the origin of Garl Vinland's name. One theory is the name "Garl" is short for Garland, so his full name would be Garland Vinland. A "garland" is a mark or token which signifies honor, and "vin" is Old Norse for wine / ale or it can also mean pasture / meadow. In that case "vin-land" would be fertile and prosperous land, possibly implying high social status and wealth. So his name could mean something like "honored one of a fruitful family." Garl is also a variation on the Middle-English word "Garle," which was a nickname meaning "child." If that is the case, the relationship between Garl and Astraea may not be lovers, but something closer to a parent and a child. As many sons do when young, they blindly believe in the goodness of their mothers and are innocents. So his name may also mean "innocent / pure one of a fruitful family." Bramd, the weapon which Garl Vinland wields, was originally spelled "Brand" in previous versions of Demon's Soul. Brand means "to mark one with flame" or to "burn / cleanse with fire." Cleansing with fire may relate to the protection the weapon offers from poison and plague. Reference: ring of devout prayer description, dark silver armor set description, bramd description, Filthy Woman dialogue, Acolyte of God dialogue, Saint Urbain dialogue, Patches dialogue, Garl Vinland dialogue, Selen Vinland dialogue, Sage Freke dialogue, Valley of Defilement archstone description #: DXX Name: Old One Type: Supreme Demon World: Below the Nexus The day after man was given a soul, and with it clarity, upon the Earth was placed an incurable poison; a soul-devouring Demon. The current corporeal form of that Demon is likely the Old One. The Old One is a MASSIVE (several miles high) tree creature, surrounded by white light, which somewhat resembles the shape of a rock worm without the 5 petals around the mouth. Long ago, the Old One was awakened and a Deep Fog swept across the land, devouring the souls of humanity and causing insanity and death. Half the world was destroyed before the Old One was put to sleep and imprisoned below the Nexus. The Old one is a "bottomless pit of nothingness with an insatiable appetite" for souls, but it cannot collect souls itself. It needs Demon servants that it either conjurers from myth / dead creatures or humans transformed into Demons to collect the souls sapped by the Deep Fog. The structure of the soul transference network is not unlike a tree. The mature Major Demons of each stage suck the souls from all the creatures in its area and transfers the majority of them to the level's Archdemon. The Archdemon then passes on the majority of those souls directly to the Old One. The leaves (humans), which are the source of energy, connect to the branches (Demon bosses) which connect to the trunk (the Old One). According to the Monumental, King Allant in his lust for power awakened the Old One in current times and brought forth the Second Scourge. When the player finally climbs within the Old One, King Allant describes what he believes is the purpose of the Old One. The world is filled with pain and suffering, a poison, and in His infinite mercy God created the Old One. When the suffering of the world becomes unbearable, the Old One could be awakened to fight poison with poising by feeding upon all souls and thus putting an end to all existence. Once the body form of King Allant is defeated the player has two choices: Allow the Maiden in Black to lull the Old One to sleep and banish the Deep Fog from the land. Or, kill the Maiden in Black, gain a power beyond comprehension, and become the Old One's new Demon servant. The Maiden in Black is in communication with the Old One. When all five Archdemons are defeated she hears a "voice of yore" (a voice from the past) indicating that the Maiden in Black was alive during the First Scourge. She brings the player down to see the Old One and proclaims that she has done what it wished, she has brought the Old One a new Demon to replace the failure that is Allant. She appears to have been deceiving the Old One, as once Allant is dispatched at the tree's core, she uses her powers to put the Old One to sleep. The primary religion of Boletaria believes in a single God, that spells are the work of the Devil, and magicians are his servants. Miracles have a similar effect as spells, but the Church believes that they are the acts of Heaven and thus clearly good. Miracles returned to Boletaria at the same time as the Soul Arts, leading Church clerics to believe this was a sign from God to stand up to the Demons and kill all those who practice magic. The truth is the power of Miracles and Spells are both Soul Arts and emanate from the Old One. This is proved by the talisman of beasts, a wood carving in the image of the Old One which can cast spells and miracles. The miracles that the clerics think come from God, actually come from the Old One, so what they actually worship is also the Old One. The most straightforward theory about the Old One is that the being the player sees at the end of the game, a giant tree, is the same form in which the soul- devouring Demon was placed upon the Earth. A more abstract theory is that the tree at the end of the game was once a pure being, and the source of all the Soul Arts, like the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. That originally the Soul Arts could only channel one's own soul to do limited magic. Under the influence of the soul-devouring Demon, humans attempted to touch this Tree of Life to more greatly harness its power; in the process they poisoned the tree and created the Old One. The Old One then corrupted the Soul Arts so that power could be gained by taking the soul of others, a reflection of human greed. With the power of the tree under its command, the soul-devouring Demon used the Soul Arts to send forth the Deep Fog to embolden those who pledged themselves to the Old One, and suck the souls of those who would not yield. Another theory is that the "soul-devouring Demon" is not a physical being, but a metaphor for the greedy and depraved impulses of humanity. In which case it is humanity's darkness and thirst for power, not some unholy creature, which polluted the Tree of Life and created the Old One. A pure tree being connected to the Soul Arts is most prevalent during the Monumental's cinematic, when he speaks of the world being united by the Soul Arts it features images of a young tree with roots of an egg. Later on in the cinematic it shows the Monumentals surrounding and meditating around a pillar featuring the same tree. The tree is somehow connected to the Church as well, as the holy knight Garl Vinland's helmet features "the sacred tree of both houses." Still another theory is that the player actually died in the tutorial and everything that came after is a form of Hell. Perhaps the player was sent to Hell for the sin of pride, the belief that they were the one hero who could save Boletaria. So they gave the player a quest which can never be completed. Side with the Old One or the Monumental, it makes no difference, The player's quest will begin again and be harder than before. That means that the Monumental and the Old One are just the good cop / bad cop of Hell. A more oddball theory is that the Old One is actually the good guy (the God or a godlike being) and the Monumental is something more akin to Satan, a tempter. Much of the world is skewed in perception, as the "light" grows and the influence of the Old One weakens, the Monumental can create falsehoods, Demons which appear as flesh and blood humans (Satsuki, Selen Vinland, etc.). It is only at pure black, when the Old One has ultimate influence, that the Demons are revealed in their true form, black phantoms. Origin: Like many aspects of Demon's Souls, the Old One might be partly inspired by Yggdrasil, the massive tree of Old Norse mythology, or more generally by the widespread religious concept of the World Tree. In a World Tree, the roots extend deep into the ground touching wells and the tree truck extends high up into the sky and supports Heaven. In this way the Underworld, Heaven, and Earth are all connected through a single tree. It may also be mixed in a little with the Tree of Knowledge from Genesis, a soul-devouring Demon (the serpent) tempting man to eat fruit from the tree in order to gain greater understanding and power. As a result rather than be cast out of paradise into normalcy as Adam and Eve were in the Old Testament, the corruption of the Tree of Life brought forth an apocalypse, the birth of the Old One and the First Demon scourge. Reference: Too many to mention =============================================================================== 8.)GENERAL OBSERVATIONS =============================================================================== UMBASA This is an expression which is often mentioned by the members of the Church. It appears to be a non-denominational substitution for an expression such as "God Bless," or "Allahu Akbar" as Demon's Souls avoids specific references to modern religions. If the word is broken into the pieces, "Umb", "a", and "sa" it is possible to come to a rough translation. "Umb" is an Icelandic preposition which means "about" or "concerning." "A" (with a line above it) is Old English for "ever" or "always." "Sa" is Old Icelandic for he or she said (genderless). So a rough translation of Umbasa could be "always about what God has said." It may also be a reference to the Turtles song "Umbassa and the Dragon" about a primitive warrior named Umbassa who is about to journey out to do battle with a dragon. It is one of the Turtles' worst songs. COLORLESS DEEP FOG The Fog likely exudes from Major Demons, the more powerful the Demon the more potent and longer range the fog spreads. The Northern Land of the Giants fell under the spell of the Old One because the Nexus is likely positioned above it, but the timeline suggests the Fog was present in Latria before the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria. This would be impossible if the Deep Fog could only come from the Old One (since the Boletarian Palace is between Latria and the Northern Lands), so the Fog must be secreted by Major Demons and Archdemons as well. ORE & SMITHING Blacksmith Ed theorizes that the various types of ores which are acquired throughout Boletaria are not naturally occurring minerals. They are sprites which have transformed into ore. When ore is used to enhance a weapon the presence of the sprite is what blesses the weapon and gives it the boost of power. The more powerful the sprite, the higher the grade of ore. Mature Demon's Souls are powerful spirits, an "inferno of wrath," which require an extremely hot flame in order to bless the weapon with them. This usually results in the Demon Soul transforming the blessed weapon into a radically different item. Colorless Demon Souls, the soul of an infant Demon, are empty vessels which appear to have not yet fed on human souls. When a weapon is blessed by a Colorless Demon Soul the unique base item does not transform, it just becomes more powerful. Very hot shards of Lava called Meltstone can burn away the blessing of the ore and returns the item to its original state, though the ore blessings are destroyed in the process. Ore Origins: 1.)Meltstone = Shards of lava which cling to the backs of Fire Geckos. 2.)Hardstone / Sharpstone = Normal, very common, ore which merely strengthens the base weapon and is mined in Stonefang Tunnel. 3.)Clearstone = White ore which is also mined in Stonefang Tunnel but is much rarer than Hardstone and Sharpstone. 4.)Greystone = Pieces of fossilized scale broken off from rockworms. 5.)Bladestone = Skeletons are the only source of bladestone as it is acquired when shards of the ore break off their Demon-enhanced curved swords which were not forged in Boletaria. 6.)Marrowstone = Formed from the minerals in human blood which have crystallized in the digestive system of the giant ticks and giant mosquitoes. 7.)Suckerstone = Vampiric ore which is cut from the flesh of Giant Slugs. 8.)Mercurystone = Acid which has crystalized in the stomach of the Face Bugs of Latria. 9.)Dragonstone = Ore imbued with the power of flame which exudes from fossilzied dragon bones. 10.)Moonlightstone / Darkmoonstone - Ore which imbues the weapon with the power of magic. One type reflects moonlight but the other type does not. It unknown where it is mined. 11.)Faintstone - Dimly glowing ore which the Church of Boletaria believes posseses heavenly power. It is unknown where it is mined. 12.)Spiderstone = Fabric-like and transparent ore formed from the Armor Spider's webbing. 13.)Cloudstone = Green ore that blocks light, blunts magic, and is said to come from the sky but may just be a byproduct of storm beasts. THE SOUL A soul is the essence of thought with which living things comprehend the world around them. When the Colorless Deep Fog spread across Great Boletaria it slowly sapped the souls of all it touched. As a creature's (man or beast) soul begins to diminish they become soul-starved which causes paranoia, insanity, and rage. Wherever the fog spread the mad attacked the sane causing utter chaos. The only way to stay sane is to collect souls (Demon, animal, or human) to offset the drain. As such, the only currency valid in Boletaria now is souls. Souls can also be used to perform the various Soul Arts such as casting spells and miracles. In the past, one could only use the power of their own soul to perform magicks, but the Deep Fog allows the souls of others to be stolen which can make their magic more powerful. Those who feed on human souls and / or pledge themselves to the Old One become Demons, powerful creatures charged with feeding the Old One's insatiable appetite for souls. Each human soul they reap invigorates their own Demon soul so that they become more powerful. In that way they are a little like vampires except they feed on the souls of their victims instead of their blood. Similarly humans can take the soul of Demons, and using the Demon inside the Maiden in Black, embolden their flesh and soul with greater power. Though the player levels using Demon souls, the source of a Demon's power are human souls so the player is still feeding on humans, it is just secondhand. Warriors who are alive are susceptible to the draining effects of the Fog, but even death is not an escape. All those summoned to the Nexus by the Monumental are bound with a Nexial Binding which prevents death from being permanent. Whenever a player dies, their soul is brought back to the Nexus and is used to create a physical form. When in soul form the player is basically a "living" phantom and since a portion of their soul is used to create their body, they possess half their normal health. Those who become soul-starved in body form will go mad, but since the phantom's soul is used to create the body when in soul form, soul starvation causes the loss of one's own self. If the phantom stays soul-starved for too long they will begin to lose their memories until their is no soul power left to sustain their physical form and they will fade completely. This is what happens to the Crestfallen Warrior. LOCATION OF THE JOURNEY TO THE NEXUS (TUTORIAL LEVEL) It is unknown where in Boletaria the Journey to the Nexus takes place. The tutorial opens as the player walks through shallow water and the darkness of Colorless Fog at the edge of its advance. The Monumental opens a fissure in the Fog barrier so that Player can proceed through unharmed. If one subscribes to the infinite looping theory (see Theories about the Universe section), the opening scene of the player walking through darkness in water may be the silhouette of Old One's chamber at the end of the game, indicating that the game starts just after the player has completed a loop of their quest to defeat the Old One. The first area appears overgrown and run down with architecture which is not quite the same as the Boletarian Palace. It appears to be some manner of long- abandoned ruin on the border of the Fog and is populated by a few slave soldiers. It is possible these soul-starved humans are somewhat like zombies roaming the countryside, instinctively hunting for those who still possess their humanity, not guarding anything in particular. The second area is in much better shape, there are sturdy wooden walkways, the walls are mostly intact with only a few damaged floors, and the architecture has more similarities with the Palace. This is thought to be some kind of outpost on the border of Great Boletaria as it is populated with proper soldiers and knights of the Boletarian kingdom. If the Vanguard is defeated, the player is transported to a small building on a mountain top. It features architecture which is completely different from the Stonefang Tunnel indicating it is likely located no where near it. Outside is a mountain range in the distance and it appears to be dusk or dawn. To the right behind the Dragon God's wing is an active volcano spewing lava down into the valley where the Dragon God is located. On the lower level of the building are the corpses of warriors killed by the Dragon God. =============================================================================== 9.)TIMELINE =============================================================================== CREATION: On the first day, man was granted a soul and with it clarity. On the second day, upon Earth was planted an irrevocable poison, a soul- devouring demon. HISTORY UP TO PRE-SCOURGE: -The Burrowers began the construction of Stonefang Tunnel. The tunnel was still being dug up at the time of the First Scourge. -In Southern Boletaria, a community dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge pooled their talents to erect huge, stone towers on a bed of swamp land. The towers of Latria maintain their balance from an intricate network of massive chains which hold them aloft. -The diseased, deformed, and social outcasts began to be banished to a valley which was used as the Boletaria's dumping ground via a waterway which flows into the swamp in the Valley. -Ancient, large barbarians come upon an island which featured sting-ray like creatures which fly through the air. They believed these creatures brought forth the rain, and constructed a shrine in honor of them and their master, the Storm King. Those who died were purified in the rain and eventually offered up to be consumed by the storm beasts. Though the Storm King is specifically mentioned as a creature of myth, there is debate whether the bloated body of the Adjudicator physically existed at some point in history. -A King, Doran, arose to unite a small group of townships under his rule, this was the beginning of the great Northern Kingdom of Boletara. It was a small kingdom, but its people and King constantly worked to make things better for their kingdom. He wielded the Northern Regalia as a symbol of his authority. -To the North roamed great, horned giants. Since an archstone was latter given to giants this indicates they were on friendly terms with the rest of Boletaria at least through the end of the First Scourge. -Pre-scourge is likely when the Church's first temples were built in a place called Mird. They were guarded by a special class of holy warrior called a temple knight. PRELUDE TO THE FIRST SCOURGE: Eventually the disparate lands of Boletaria were united under a "benevolent rule." It is unknown if this was a single person or some mystical creature. Perhaps this benevolent rule was the rise of the Monotheistic Church which united much of Boletaria under the same faith. Much of the Church imagery features a tree so it is believed the Old One was once a massive, pure tree which the early Church may have worshipped as their God. From the tree flowed the power of the Soul Arts, the ability to harness the power of one's own soul to perform magic. One among them sought greater power and that greed awakened a creature which came to be known as "The Old One." It is theorized that the greedy one touched the tree which corrupted it. It was infected by human greed and so it began to hunger for souls, it was now possible to become more powerful by absorbing the souls of other beings (humans included). Those who feed off the souls of others are Demons. FIRST SCOURGE: With the awakening of the Old One, a Colorless Deep Fog spread throughout the land and in its wake came a scourge of Demons which fed on human souls. A soul is the essence with which living things comprehend the world around them. When one loses the Soul, one loses the mind; a land barren of souls is absorbed by fog and banished to the infinite darkness. The Old One is a bottomless pit of nothingness, with an insatiable appetite for the souls collected by its faithful Demons. Half the world was destroyed by the fog before a coalition of warriors lulled the Old One back to slumber. Those warriors evolved to become Monumentals, half-living beings charged with preserving the fabric of reality. They sealed The Old One below the temple which would later be called "The Nexus" and banned the Soul Arts. In order to connect the surviving lands, six archstones (mystic teleportation devices) were entrusted to the elders of the six remaining lands. -One went to "the king of a small yet diligent land," what would become the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria. The king the Monumental mentions is probably Old King Doran. Since the Monumental mentions Stonefang Tunnel as having a King, the Northern Kingdom did not yet extend to include Stonefang. -One went to "the king of the Burrowers underground," the ancestors of the Excavators of present day. At this point Stonefang Tunnel was likely only partially completed. -One went to "the wise queen of the great ivory tower." This would be Latria, the Southern Kingdom. That the leader is a Queen at the end of the First Scourge and during the events of the game indicates that Latria is a Matriarchy. -One went to "the shaman of the tempest-worshipping shadowmen." This means the Shrine of Storms was still populated at the end of the First Scourge. It is possible the Old Hero is from this time period and either fought in or was wounded during the First Scourge. -One went to "chieftain of lost and ill-fortuned souls." This is the Valley of Defilement and indicates that it has been the destination of social outcasts for many, possibly hundreds, of years. -The last archtone went to the "great giants of the Northern Lands." This is the unseen Land of the Giants which was North of the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria. As the weapon Bramd mentions some conflict between humans and giants, it is possible part of what was once giant territory was taken by the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria between the First and Second Scourge. These Archstones all have counterparts in the Nexus allowing easy travel between the six lands. Mird and its temples were either wiped out by the Deep Fog or all those with knowledge of its location perished in the First Scourge. BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND SCOURGE: One of the oldest and most dangerous Demons, able to snatch a person's soul with a single touch, became a human woman and was bound to the Nexus with a Nexial Binding. To prevent her from using this power, her eyes were covered with wax. The Maiden in Black keeps the candles lit in the Nexus until such a time in the far future her demonic abilities are needed. As time passed, the Monumentals began to die off one by one and the archstones unifying the lands were forgotten by humanity. The digging of Stonefang Tunnel and the construction of the Dragon God's temple were completed. Over time work shifted from the digging of tunnels to the mining of ore for use in Boletarian weapons and armor. They eventually came to be called Excavators instead of Burrowers. That changeover may have occurred when Stonefang became a part of the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria. In the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria, at least 12 generations passed (King Allant is the 12th Allant), and in that time the small kingdom grew and became prosperous. A Castle was cut into the side of a mountain and a large palace was created to house the solders, the marketplace, jail, etc. The kingdom stretched outward enveloping Stonefang Tunnel and beyond. It is unknown if the transition was peaceful or if the land was annexed by force and the King of the Burrowers slain. In Latria how the people felt about the Queen began to change. Over time she became more than just a leader, but an object of holy reverence. Each Queen would descend the spiral staircase into the church and the people would worship her as something more than a mere mortal. The Shadowmen no longer exist in current times so the end of their civilization occurred between the two Scourges. Some abandoned their island shrine and intermixed with the rest of Boletaria while those who stayed behind died out. Their descendents are of normal size. The blade Stormruler was likely crafted in the twilight of their civilization as it gave the Shadowmen the power to split the sky with thunder, a power reserved for the Storm Beasts. On the surface, near the archstone, any remnants of the Shadowmen settlements were razed and a fort was built in its place. Beneath the fort lie caves and altars which still remain relatively intact. Long Bow Oolan (a likely descendent of the Shadownmen) carries a bow and arrows crafted from the trees which grow on the island of the Shrine of Storms. PRELUDE TO THE SECOND SCOURGE: The amount of Monumentals continued to dwindle until only a single Monumental remained alive. Freke was once a high-ranking member of the Church, but something caused him to lose faith in God. He latter became a master magician and served as the great sage of the Tower of Latria. Geri, one of Sage Freke's dear friends, became a world renowned crafter of magical items. Most Demon slayers who later entered Boletaria following the Second Scourge carried some of his wares. Scirvir was a warrior of God until he came across a Talisman of Beasts which is capable of casting spells and miracles. This caused him to lose his faith in God and he left the Church, becoming a Wanderer. Now he quests for strange items scattered throughout Boletara. Social outcasts continued to be forced into the Valley of Defilement. Among them was a woman who became "the apple of every man's eye," the merchant (Filthy Woman) the player will meet years later during the Second Scourge. One of these amorous relationships supposedly resulted in a child, a son, though the player never meets him. Yuria was born and branded a witch at a young age. She was constantly persecuted and labeled a threat to society. The experience made her quite bitter and resentful which caused her to seek out power to fill an emotional void. Prince Ariona Allant, King Allant's son, was sent to live for a period of time in an area under the rule of the Southern Kingdom of Latria. As his relative is Lord Rydell (nicknamed "Little Allant") he may have been undergoing formal education in the Tower of Latria when the Old One was awakened. Queen Yormedar of the Southern Kingdom of Latria discovered the depraved acts of her husband and banished the Old Monk from the kingdom. In his exile, the Old Monk came upon (or was given) a golden robe. The wearer of the robe is granted immense power, but the robe is like a parasite which sucks the life force and sanity from its host. Saint Astraea, her bodyguard, the holy knight Garl Vinland, and a collection of lower-ranked knights made a pilgrimage to find the Valley of Defilement. Upon locating it they decided to stay so that Astraea could comfort those poor souls who were near death. The Filthy Woman disliked her immediately. King Allant the 12th maintained a vast army which was lead in part by his trusted round table of knights. His inner circle consisted of the strong brothers Biorr and Vallarfax, the tribeswoman Long Bow Oolan, the tower shield wielding Alfred, and the penetrating sword wielding Metas. Just prior to the Second Scourge, the Fat Ministers and other lazy politicians insinuated themselves into Allant's inner circle which brought them into conflict with the round table of knights. As King Allant reached an elder age, he became depressed and longed for greater power to fill the void. His search ended in the Nexus where he learned how to make use of the Soul Arts, using the power of ones own soul, to increase his might. Things were prosperous for a while, until Allant's lust for power overwhelmed him and he awoke the Old One. Allant became the prime servant of the Old One, but the power granted with that title proved too much for him and his body was horribly mutated. SECOND SCOURGE: With the awakening of the Old One a Colorless Deep Fog began to spread across the land and it once again became possible to steal the souls of other living creatures. All those touched by the Deep Fog slowly had their souls sapped away by it. Those who are soul-starved become insane and violent, attacking all of those who hold onto a shred of their humanity. Those who steal human souls (either to survive or for malevolent purposes) slowly transform into Demons, slaves to the will of the Old One and the other Major Demons. The Deep Fog appears to have descended on the Northern Land of the Giants first. The Giants went mad with soul starvation and began to feed on the souls of humans. As they took in souls their bodies were twisted and they became larger and more powerful. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers entered the Northern Lands to stop the giants, but they failed. When every last soul in the territory had been reaped, the archstone in the Nexus turned completely black and crumbled into pieces. Alternately the archstone may have been smashed in an attempt to stop the spread of the Deep Fog. The Old Monk returned to Latria (possibly before the Deep Fog reached the region) with squid-headed Demons capable of terrible magic. They subdued the population, killed or possessed many of the knights, and locked the Queen's family in the Prison of Hope. Using the soul of the Queen, the Old Monk crafted an elaborate marionette to fool the people into belieing the Queen still lived. They continued to worship the Fool's Idol and many prisoners complied when it asked them to seek "redemption." Redemption meant the prisoners' body and soul were to be used in the Old Monk's experiments to create new Demons. Lord Rydell and Sage Freke each challenged the Old Monk, but both failed and were killed and / or captured. Freke's Apprentice avoided capture and fled to the Nexus to seek assistance. Due to King Allant's deformed state, he could not return to the Boletarian Palace himself. Instead he fashioned a Demon doppelganger, the False King, which led an army of Demons, subjugated Latrian knights, and Dragons to subdue the populace. Those who could (such as Stockpile Thomas and the Worshipper of God) fled the city and eventually took sanctuary in the Nexus. The slaves, soldiers, and round table of knights fought valiantly, but almost all of them either became soul-starved or Demons themselves. It is likely the Fat Ministers in the King's court played a role in ensuring the fall of the Palace. The civilians (including the wife and daughter of Stockpile Thomas) were killed. One of the defending soldiers' only visible achievements in the battle was to bring down one of the attacking Dragons near the Penetrator's chamber. One of the soldier's killed was the Crestfallen Warrior, the morose blue phantom by the Boletarian Palace archstone. It is unknown how many times he returned to the fight but eventually he gave up the quest and left his body to rot in the Palace. During the siege, Vallarfax fled and broke through the Deep Fog to tell the outside world of the evil which had consumed Boletaria. This ensured a steady stream of powerful, new souls (including the player's) would enter Boletaria either to rid the world of the Old One or embrace its power. It is believed Vallarfax re-entered Boletaria and eventually met his end at the hands of Executioner Miralda. The Deep Fog spread to the nearby Stonefang Tunnel. Before the Scourge, the Excavators mined ore to forge weapons for King Allant. The Deep Fog amplified this obsessive need to mine until it began to manifest itself physically. The Excavators grew scales and yellow, lizard-like eyes. Now under the watchful eye of the Fat Ministers, they mine so compulsively that they will hardly pay attention to the player as they move through the mine. When the Deep Fog touched the skeleton of the Dragon God at the deepest part of the mine, the Dragon God was resurrected and the Fire Demon Flamelurker was set free to prevent sane Excavators and Demon slayers from reaching the magic harpoon guns in the Dragon God's chamber. Blacksmith Boldwin could sense what was coming and fled to the Nexus before his transformation could be complete, however his brother Blacksmith Ed stayed behind. In the Valley of Defilement the Deep Fog heaped even more misery upon the Valley's residents. Saint Astraea could no longer believe in a God which would be so cruel and was transformed into an Archdemon by pledging herself to a Demon Soul. Through this unholy pact she hoped to use her newfound powers to relieve the suffering of the outcasts. For this selfless compassion, she was worshiped by the Valley's residents as a Christ-like figure. All the knights of the Church who accompanied her, with the exception of Garl Vinland, attacked her after she renounced God and they were all killed. Eventually the Deep Fog reached the island Shrine of Storms where sorcerers used their power over the dead to conjure malevolent spirits and reanimate the bones of the deceased Shadowmen. The skeletons arose from the caves and slaughtered or sacrificed all the men in the fort above. The Deep Fog made flesh the myth of the Adjudicator and the Storm King. The Adjudicator gnawed on the flesh of the unworthy soldiers and the Storm King commanded the Storm Beasts to attack anyone who still possessed a soul. The owner of the Makoto blade was one of those killed and dumped behind the sorcerer's altar. A Vanguard Minor Demon assisted the skeletons in clearing the fort. RECENT EVENTS: -With the Old One awakened the Monumental begrudgingly allowed the Maiden in Black to use her power to "embolden the flesh" of Demon slayers by channeling the Demon souls they collect into their bodies. As the player is using what were once human souls to power themselves up, technically they are becoming Demons. -The witch Yuria heard about the immense power of Demon souls and journeyed to Boletaria to acquire them. -The Old Monk's experiments in the womb below his tower gave birth to many of the enemies the player will fight in Latria such as the stone gargoyles, the prisoner hordes, the face bugs, and the Maneater. -In response to the Deep Fog's adverse effects, a black market trafficking in human and Demon souls called the Soul Industry came into existence. Since the Deep Fog slowly saps away a person's soul a steady stream of new souls is the only way to maintain one's sanity. This new industry was embraced by a masked society which met in secret to discuss the harnessing of souls. This industry proved quite profitable and they used this wealth to hire assassins and other enforcers to ensure the people feared them. Eventually they formulated a plan to restrict knowledge of the Soul Arts solely to their masked society. -Ariona Allant, son of King Allant the 12th, put on the armor and weapons of a Latrian knight and traveled to the Boletarian Palace under the alias "Ostrava." GAME EVENTS: The game begins with the player wading through shallow water in darkness. A voice speaks to the player (who they later learn is the surviving Monumental) and leads them to a portal he has created which will bring the player into Boletaria. On what is called the "Journey to the Nexus," (the tutorial level) the player will follow a trail of red hints written on the floor while dispatching dreglings, soldiers, and blue-eyed knights. At the end of the level is a Minor Demon, one of the Vanguards. Most players perish at this point, but if they kill the Vanguard they will be warped to a mountain top building and face a Major Demon called Dragon God (different than the one the player meets later in Stonefang Tunnel) which will kill the player with a single punch. The player's death allows the Maiden in Black to summon the player's soul to the Nexus so that the Monumental can bind their soul to it with a nexial binding. In the Nexus the player meets Stockpile Thomas, a man who abandoned his wife and daughter when he fled the Demon horde at the Boletarian Palace. He is not a fighter so in order to be of assistance he watches over the Demon slayers' possessions while they are not in the Nexus. By the Boletarian Palace archstone is a morose blue phantom. He was a Boletarian soldier who was bound to the Nexus, but has lost the will to fight and left his body to rot in the Palace. He is very cynical and mistrustful of the Monumentals. Once the player has acquired their first Major Demon's Soul, the Maiden in Black will reappear and tell the player to see the Monumental on the upper floor of the Nexus. The Monumental will describe the events of the First Scourge and then ask the player to defeat the Old One once again. Two new vendors will also appear in the Nexus, Freke's Apprentice, and the Disciple of God along with Saint Urbain's two followers. Freke's Apprentice will ask the player to rescue Sage Freke in Latria and the Acolyte of God will beg the player to rescue Saint Urbain from the Shrine of Storms. --- Each Level has two sections. The first part is events which happened in the level between the Second Scourge and the arrival of the player. The second chronicles the path of the player through each level. A.)BOLETARIAN PALACE -While most residents of the Boletarian Castle were killed, fled, or became soul-starved; the Dregling Merchant remained in hiding, venturing out stealthily to pick valuable items off the corpses of residents and warriors to trade for souls to would-be Demon slayers traveling through the castle. -Biorr, brother of Vallarfax, was defeated in battle by corrupted knights of the round table and imprisoned in the jail of the inner ward. -Shortly after arriving at the Boletarian Palace, Yuria was defeated in battle by Executioner Miralda and locked away in a tower separate from the other prisoners. -Ostrava arrived at the palace shortly before the player but was quickly overwhelmed by dreglings. --- The first enemy the player encounters is the Red Dragon (one of the King Allant's pets) as it swoops low over the bridge with a couple dozen corpses in its mouth. If in pure white or pure black world tendency, the player gains entrance to Miralda's execution grounds which are protected by the souls of warriors which have died on her execution block. Whether Executioner Miralda is in her body form or black phantom form, she will attempt to kill the player with her axe constructed from a guillotine blade. At the outskirts of the palace, slave soldiers known as "dreglings" were used as battle fodder. They can be easily spotted by the shoddy equipment they wield. Once the player enters the walls of the palace, they will begin to encounter Boletarian soldiers. They have become soul deprived and will attack any sane warrior they come across. Along the path through the palace, the player encounters two corpses hanging from chains on the side of a tower. Upon cutting them down, the player discovers a jade hairpin on one of them. When the players shows the item to Stockpile Thomas, he recognizes it as belonging to his daughter. This is confirmation that the two corpses are Thomas' wife and child. One of the first sane people the player meets in the Palace is Ariona Allant, son of the King, traveling under the alias Ostrava. He arrived shortly before the player but due to his timid nature was quickly overwhelmed by dreglings. If the player saves "Ostrava" they receive a brass telescope which was made in Latria. Next the player meets a Dregling who has remained sane by trading items off corpses to Demon slayers. The player will meet the merchant two other times as they push deeper into the Palace and each time he will give details about what happened in the castle after the Second Scourge began. The Red Dragon is encountered again at the dragon's roost, it is joined by another one of the King's pets, the Blue Dragon. If the player moves too close, the dragons will breath fire at them. Among the items found in the roost is Valarfax's Ring of Great Strength which indicates he was defeated in battle or outright killed there. The Red Dragon will also defend a nearby bridge which leads to a switch to open the entrance to Phalanx's chamber. The Major Demon Phalanx, a giant black blob, is the corrupted form of the Boletarian knight Long Bow Oolan. Phalanx is protected by a legion of Hoplites, smaller black blobs which are each armed with a shield and spear. On the other side of the chamber is a causeway called the Lord's Path. It is a long, elaborate, multi-level bridge which connects the outer palace to the inner ward where the knights lived. It is protected by the Red Dragon, but if the player has a ranged attack the Dragon can be killed. Along the way the player meets Ostrava again, this time he has been cornered in the lower level of the bridge by soldiers. If the player saves Ostrava they receive dark moon grass as a reward. Among all the corpses you see along the Lord's Path, one belongs to the Crestfallen Warrior. When you talk to him again in the Nexus he will become greatly distressed at this news and his memory will begin to fade. When you return a second time, he will have faded away. At the end of the bridge is a locked door and the Major Demon Tower Knight, corrupted form of the Boletarian Knight Alfred. It is a massive knight covered head-to-toe in armor carrying a shield and lance. When a Fat Minister gives the signal, a group of archers will spring up and begin firing arrows down from the battlements to pester the player during the battle. As the player fights through the inner ward they will come across increasingly more powerful knights as well as assassins skilled at attacking the player's flank. As the player kills a Fat Minister on one side of a gate, on the other side Ostrava is once again in need of rescue. Kill the knights attacking him and he will give a pure clearstone to the player. On the Fat Minister's corpse is his official cap and a set of keys to unlock the door near the Tower Knight's archstone. Behind that locked door the player meets Biorr, one of the knights of the Boletaria, who has been imprisoned by the Fat Ministers. If freed by the player, Biorr will assist in battling the Major Demon Penetrator and later the Blue Dragon. He mentions that in a lone stone tower the Fat Ministers are committing unspeakable acts in the name of "purifying" a young sorcereress. Using the blood-soaked key off of the corpse of the Fat Minister which was guarding Biorr, the player gains access to the lone tower. Inside the tower the witch Yuria has been horribly abused by the Fat Ministers. The experience has made her timid and snuffed out any further yearning for more power. Once freed by the player she will return to the Nexus. At the end of the inner ward is the Fat Minister which the player has been trailing since he commanded the archers to attack during the Tower Knight battle. As the Major Demon Penetrator, corrupted form of the Boletarian knight Metas, enters the chamber it impales the Fat Minister on its massive Penetrating sword. If the player freed Biorr, he will enter the fight and Penetrator will mostly ignore the player and instead attempt to kill him. Beyond the Penetrator's chamber is the path to King Allant's throne room. At the beginning of the path, soldiers stand triumphantly on the corpse of the Fallen Dragon. Just beyond the Dragon's corpse, the black souls of the previous 3 Major Demons; Oolan, Alfred, and Metas; appear again in Black Phantom form for one more attempt at stopping the player. Guarding the entrance of the throne room is the Blue Dragon. If Biorr survived his encounter with Penetrator he will act as a momentary distraction which allows the player to run past the Blue Dragon. If Biorr survives the battle with the Blue Dragon the dialogue which follows implies he has been mortally wounded. He will not be seen again. If the player has rescued Ostrava all 3 times, he will be sitting at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the throne room. He will lament that his father has become a Demon, hand over the key to the Allant family crypt, beg the player to kill the King, and finally commit suicide. Ostrava's spirit is so weak that moments later he will appear in Black Phantom form as the last obstacle between the player and Allant's throne room. Using the crypt key, the player can gain access to the royal mausoleum which is the final resting place of Old King Doran and the white sword Demonbrandt. The soul form of Doran guards Demonbrandt, but if the player proves themselves in battle, he will allow the player to take the sword. The player then has the option to continue the fight, kill Doran, and take his armor and ring. In the throne room the player meets a Major Demon which everyone has been led to believe is King Allant, but it is actually a Demon doppelganger as the real King Allant has been horribly mutated by the power of the Old One. The False King wields a soul form copy of the sword Soulbrandt, a weapon which becomes more powerful the blacker the soul that wields it. The False King also has the ability to cast the spell Soul Suck. B.)STONEFANG TUNNEL -The Filthy Man somehow avoided transformation while the rest of the townsfolk turned into scale-covered Demons. Like the Dregling Merchant, he has maintained his sanity by trading items stolen from inattentive Scale Miners around Stonefang to Demon slayers. -After Blacksmith Boldwin left Stonefang in mid-transformation, Ed was isolated from the rest of the mine when his conveyor system lost power. It could be this separation slowed the progression of the transformation and / or Ed's natural toughness of spirit kept the corrupting influence of the Deep Fog at bay. -Scirvir's quest for strange and exotic items brought him to Stonefang Tunnel. He heard rumors of a massive blunt sword which was forged not to cut the flesh of Dragons, but to break their bones. -Patches the Hyena, an unscrupulous thief and graverobber, entered Stonefang Tunnel in order to pilfer its riches. --- The Filthy Man is the first character the player encounters at the entrance to Stonefang Tunnel. He explains that the townsfolk have been transformed into Demons, but are so fixated on mining ore that many will not pay any attention to visitors unless they are provoked. Once the player avoids the rocks being thrown at them by scale Miners, they will enter Stonefang Tunnel. Inside the tunnel players encounter the transformed townsfolk, miners and blacksmiths, as well as their new overlords, the Fat Ministers. The Fat Ministers crack their whips, cast fire magic, and command dogs to attack intruders and keep the miners in line. Eventually the tunnel opens up to a cliff outside which leads to Blacksmith Ed's chamber. Activating a nearby lever restarts a vertical conveyor system which allows the player to ride down to the only Blacksmith station on the surface. Here the player meets Ed, a no nonsense Blacksmith who is very far along in his transformation, almost his entire body is covered in scales. Obsessively he strikes the anvil, not stopping even to talk to the player. Ed has the capability to do advanced crafting by powering his fire with the Flamelurker's Demon Soul. After activating a few more switches in the surface tunnels the path to the entrance of Tunnel City will be opened. Guarding the entrance is the Major Demon Armor Spider, a huge spider which can breath fire. It's origins are a mystery as it is the only spider seen or mentioned in Stonefang. In the twisting tunnels beneath the main mine, called Tunnel City, are a multitude of natural predators such as the bearbugs and rockworms as well as tons of hidden treasure. The player meets Scirvir the Wander in the depths of Stonefang Tunnel where he was searching for the fabled blunt blade, Dragon Bone Smasher. Like the Filthy Man, he is fearful of the bearbugs and Demons in the depths of the mine so he asks the player to search for the sword on his behalf. If the player returns to Scirvir with the weapon he gives a pure greystone. At the deepest part of the mine is the Temple of the Dragon God which was built by the Burrowers, ancestors of the Excavators. Guarding the entrance is the Major Demon Flamelurker, a large, burning humanoid creature which attacks with magma-infused fist attacks. Some believe Flamelurker is the corrupted spirit of the Legendary Big M, who killed Dragons with his bare fists. The Temple of the Dragon God was built both to appease and contain the bones of a massive dragon. In pure white world tendency, rubble blocking the passage to the Dragon Bone Smasher in the Temple will be cleared and the player can acquire the blade. The Deep Fog resurrected the bones as the Major Demon Dragon God. It is a massive Dragon which fills the entire cavern and can only be defeated by using two magic harpoon cannons to pin the Dragon God to the ground. The Dragon God has impeccable hearing so if the player does not move quietly through the Temple it will crush them with its giant claws. C.TOWER OF LATRIA: -The Soul Industry Masked Society once had a heavy presence in Latria as members are found dead in the dungeon and their garb and weapons are strewn all throughout the towers. Since the Masked Society continued to plot after Latria fell it was likely not their main base of operations. -When Lord Rydell and Sage Freke were defeated by the Old Monk and his forces, they were imprisoned with the Queen's family in the Prison of Hope. Freke clung to life but Rydell apparently died from his injuries. Death however was not an escape as a spell trapped Rydell's phantom in another cell. -Non-high risk prisoners were regularly taken to the church in order to worship what they thought was the Queen, but instead it was a Demon doppelganger controlled by the Old Monk. Those who sought "redemption" had their soul and body stolen to be used in the Old Monk's experiments. -Some of those prisoners who sought redemption were powerful mages and served the Old Monk instead of being used in his experiments. Most mage prisoners used their power to hold the Demonic womb aloft under the Old Monk's tower, but the most powerful mage cast defensive spells to protect the Fool's Idol. -Among the soul-starved prisoners is a relatively well-off former wife of royalty. She is one of the only prisoners who knows that the Fool's Idol is not the Queen. -The Former Royal's Wife was likely there to bear witness to the assassination attempt against the Fool's Idol. Brandishing a Baby's Nail dagger, a female assassin attempted to execute the Fool's Idol, but failed. As soon as the Major Demon fell one of the Idol's mage slaves cast a spell to resurrect her. The assassin was captured, tortured, executed, and her soul twisted to serve as a black phantom guard for Latria's church. -On Mephistophele's orders, Yurt, the leader of the Soul Industry's band of assassins entered Latria as a part of the society's plan. It is unknown if he accomplished his objective, but during the job he became trapped in a cage. --- The player enters the Tower of Latria inside the Prison of Hope, a multi-level dungeon which houses over a hundred soul-starved prisoners. Some will ignore the player, some will beg for the sweet release of death, and others will attempt to kill the player with poison-tipped daggers. The player must search through the entire prison for keys in order to progress while avoiding the squid-headed guards which cast paralyzing magic. If the player is frozen by magic, the guards will suck out their brains, killing them. As the player moves through the dungeon they will come across an iron maiden with a body inside. On that corpse is a set of black leather armor, the garb of an assassin. This is likely where the assassin who attempted to kill the Fool's Idol was tortured and put to death. The first sane person the player encounters is the merchant of the level, a former wife of royalty who was imprisoned in the dungeon. She provides much of the background information about the level. Next the player encounters Sage Freke, a great mage, also locked in the dungeon. Finally the player meets the soul form of Lord Rydell, a relative (younger brother most likely) of King Allant who was captured, died in his cell, and his soul trapped in another cell. He has given up on the fight and now only wishes to touch a keepsake of his dead wife before he fades away. If the player frees Rydell by obtaining a key in a later level, he gives a dull rat's ring. The exit of the dungeon is guarded by one of the Old Monk's experiments, the prisoner horde, a mass of prisoners fused to the skin of an unseen creature like a coat of fleshy armor. Guarding the road between the dungeon and the Queen's church is the female, black phantom assassin. In the balcony of the church the player encounters a coherent mage prisoner who is casting a spell. He promises that he means the player no harm, but he is a liar. If the mage is not killed before the battle with the Fool's Idol then the Liar will resurrect the Major Demon when it falls. Hanging on a hook next to the Liar is the key which unlocks Sage Freke's cell. The Major Demon Fool's Idol is an elaborate marionette constructed in the image of the Queen and controlled by the Old Monk. It can split itself into many copies, but the prisoners in the church always turn to worship the true Demon. Once the Demon is defeated, stone gargoyles (brought to life by the Old Monk) will carry the player to the upper towers of Latria. In the distance is the Old Monk's tower and below it, a giant, pulsating womb which he uses to create new Demons in his experiments. Gargoyles are ever present as guardians of these upper towers. Many will be encountered on the path to the first chain supporting the weight of the womb. The chain is anchored to the tower by four mage prisoners, kill them to release the chain. If in pure white world tendency, at the top of the tower with the first chain is the key which unlocks Lord Rydell's cell. Once freed Rydell will unlock the gate which leads to a cell containing his physical corpse. In a nearby cell is the corpse of a female Soul Industry Society member as she wears rogue's clothes and clutches a parrying dagger. Near the elevator cage which leads down to the base of the Tower of Latria far below in the swamp, the player encounters a mercenary, Yurt the Silent Chief. He claims to be a fellow Demon slayer and asks the player to free him. If freed and allowed to live he will return to the Nexus and begin stealthily assassinating the other NPCs. Once all of his targets have been killed, he will attempt to kill the player. If the player has pure black character tendency and kills Yurt before he can kill all his targets, Mephistopheles will appear in the Nexus. Mephistopheles is the one who hired Yurt to kill all those who use the Soul Arts in the Nexus and now she will ask the player to finish the task. As the gate is raised near the beginning of the level, the only way to the other side of the tower is to ride the elevator down and cut through the swamp. In the swamp is another one of the Old Monk's creations, centipede-like creatures with the faces of men. If the creatures get too close they will vomit acid on the player which corrodes their equipment. At the other end of the swamp is an elevator which rides up to the tower holding the other chain. Kill the four mage prisoners to release the final chain which causes the womb to come crashing down to the base of the tower. The drop will rupture the womb and release a dozen face bugs. Where the womb fell, the player will find more Soul Industry Society gear: an epee rapier, a gold mask, and a ring of avarice. Guarding the entrance to the Old Monk's tower is the Major Demon Maneater, a pair of twin chimera-like creatures with the faces of men but the body attributes of many different kinds of animals. Maneater can fly and possesses a variety of air and ground-based attacks. The tail of the Maneater are serpents which act independently and will often bite the body. When bit, the Maneater will become briefly incapacitated with pain, but then will temporarily have greatly boosted strength. At the top of the tower the player meets the Old Monk who is not the true Archdemon of the level. The Old Monk wears the Golden Robe, an evil garment which greatly boosts the wearer's power but sucks the life from the user. The Old Monk has the appearance of a corpse and the Golden Robe is the only thing keeping him alive. As the Old Monk is weak, he summons another player connected to the playstation network as a black phantom to fight on his behalf. Once the black phantom is summoned, the Golden Robe (the true Archdemon) abandons the Old Monk (causing him to die) and boosts the power of the black phantom. The Robe's goal is to defeat the player in battle and take possession of their body to serve as a new host for the Golden Robe. D.)SHRINE OF STORMS: -Patches the Hyena, the unscrupulous thief and graverobber, left Stonefang Tunnel and moved on to plunder the Shrine of Storms. There he encountered another graverobber (Blige) and set a trap for him in a jail cell. If freed by the player, Blige will sell items he has "acquired" from all over the island. -For unknown reasons, Saint Urbain and his assistant, the Acolyte of God journeyed to the Shrine of Storms. They too were lured in by one of Patch's traps. Urbain was kicked down a hole behind the sorcerer's altar and the Acolyte fled to the Nexus in a panic. -The master swordsman Satsuki came to the island because he believed the cursed blade "Makoto" is hidden there somewhere. --- If in pure white world tendency, the player will encounter a warrior named Satsuki near the first archstone. He offers souls if they will retrieve his father's sword, the Makoto blade. The player encounters a crow nicknamed "Sparkly" for its obsession with shiny objects. If the player puts an item at the base of the tree that the crow desires, when they return a different item will be left in its place. In a room above the sorcerer's chamber is the Major Demon Adjudicator which is a golden crow resting atop a horribly obese Shadowman. The crow is the Body's master and in ancient times judged who would become Heroes of the Storm and who would be devoured by the Body. The sorcerers have used the souls of storm beasts to increase their power in order to summon the souls of the Shadowmen in spirit form, the shadow lurkers. Killing a sorcerer will cause all of his minions to disappear. The Player meets Patch's again and falls for the same trick as Saint Urbain. Down in the pit the player defeats a nameless, katana-wielding Black Phantom which may be the Father of Satsuki. It has been guarding the Makoto blade and preventing Saint Urbain from leaving. If the player does not rescue Urbain at the first opportunity, one of Urbain's Disciples will lead a mission from the Nexus to the Shrine of Storms to rescue him. He will never return. Upon returning to Satsuki with the Makoto blade, he will attack the player if they refuse to give it to him or are holding it in their hands when they talk to him. If the sword is given to Satsuki, he will test to see if the sword "is as deadly as the rumors claim" by attempting to kill the player. At the Altar of Storms, where the ancient dead were purified in the rain, the player does battle with the Major Demon Old Hero. The Shadowman warrior was blinded but is still able to fight due to his keen sense of hearing and luck granted from his crystal blade. The Archdemon of the Shrine of Storms is the Storm King, the master of the rain and all Storm Beasts. In ancient times the purified remains of the Heroes of Storm would be offered for consumption to the Storm King. The player uses the sword Stormruler, found nearby in the valley, to split the skies and kill the Storm King with thunder. E.)Valley of Defilement -As rumors spread that Astraea had become a Demon, warriors of all ranks in the Church sought out the Valley of Defilement to prove them false. Priests, Temple Knights, and even great knights such as Vito the Moonlight Knight and Risaia of Istarel were either killed by the Valley's natural hazards (giant blood-sucking insects, jellyfish, poisonous swamp, etc.) or slaughtered by the increasingly fanatical valley outcasts which were known as Depraved Ones. -The Depraved Ones killed anyone caught trespassing in the Valley and offered their souls to Astraea as tribute for alleviating their pain. She used these souls to give life to the aborted babies which had been cast into the Valley. -The father of Garl and Selen Vinland, an important cleric, died and Selen Vinland journeyed to the Valley of Defilement to convey their father's last words to Garl Vinland. --- In pure white world tendency, the player is able to climb a ladder up to a chamber which is packed with Giant Depraved Ones. They are surrounding the holy weapon Istarelle which was last wielded by Risaia of Istarel. As there is no corpse near the weapon it is believed Risaia was defeated and knocked over the railing down into the pit of leeches. The player encounters the Major Demon the Leechmonger in the pit below Istarelle's resting place. This monster comprised of a multitude of leeches is theorized to be the corrupted form of Risaia who was fed on by the leeches when the corpse fell into the pit. Next the player enters the poison swamp which is populated with many nasty creatures such as the Jellyfish, Giant Slugs, Giant Mosquitoes, an unnamed Black Phantom, a multitude of Shaman, Depraved Ones, and Giant Depraved Ones. As soon as the player touches the swamp, their movement is impeded and they risk becoming poisoned. The Black Phantom which is encountered by the player carries a Meat Cleaver (the weapon of the Adjudicator's Body). It is theorized that this is the corrupted form of Vito, the Moonlight Knight as Vito's Sword of Moonlight and possible armor is found elsewhere in the swamp. In the center of the poison swamp, in pure white world tendency, the player encounters Selen Vinland, sister of Garl. When given the crest of Vinland as proof that Garl is dead, Selen gives her father's Ring of Devout Prayer to the player. In a large, open chamber the player encounters the Major Demon Dirty Colossus. It is something of a golem created from the muck of the valley and has the ability to control the thousands of flies which infest the Demon's body. Below the poison swamp is the most putrid location in the Valley, the plague swamp. Touching the liquid will very quickly infect the player with the plague. Just below the surface the plague babies lie in wait to burst out, surround, and stab to death any warrior which wades into the swamp. Here in Astraea's sanctuary the Depraved Ones worship her. At the back of the swamp, on a pile of holy warrior corpses, Astraea and Garl Vinland sit. They will beseech the player to turn back, but if the player continues forward, Garl will defend Maiden Astraea. If one of the pair is killed, the other will commit suicide due to their grief (though Garl does it only after the player leave's the chamber). If the player re-enters Astraea's chamber in pure white world tendency after her death, Garl Vinland will reappear as a black phantom. F.)BELOW THE NEXUS Once all five Archdemons have been defeated the seal on the floor of the Nexus will be broken. The Monumental asks the player to let the Maiden put the Old One to sleep, but Sage Freke beseeches the player to kill the Maiden in Black and become the Old One's new servant. The Maiden in Black will bring the player down to Earth below the hovering Nexus. In that place is the Old One, a mile- high, tree-like creature bathed in white light. At the Maiden In Black's insistence, the Old One allows the player to enter the tree. At the core of the Old One is the physical form of King Allant who has been mutated into a weak, toad-like creature. He makes feeble attempts to attack the player while barely being able to swing his sword Soulbrandt. During the "fight" he explains why he serves the Old One. As King he saw the world as full of pain and suffering. Allant believes God, being merciful, saw fit to fight poison with poison and created the Old One to end all suffering by destroying the world. Once King Allant is defeated the Maiden in Black will enter and state that the player is no longer bound to Nexus and that she must also go to sleep in order to keep the Old One in a state of slumber. It is here the player has a choice. To get the light ending of the game, the player exits the tree and the Old One, with the Maiden still at its core, retreats into the thinning fog. Since the Old One is asleep, the Soul Arts are no longer active, but the Demons have been banished from Boletaria. The Player becomes a new Monumental. To get the dark ending of the game, the player kills the Maiden in Black while she is trying to put the Old One to sleep. The player steps on the Maiden in Black's face and enters the Old One's core. This completes the player's transformation into a new and powerful Archdemon which will serve the Old One and cause the entire world to be engulfed in the Deep Fog. No matter which ending the player picks, that isn't the end. After the credits the player will respawn in the Nexus for a new game+. The game is reset to the point just after the Monumental bound their soul with the Nexial binding. The difference is the player maintains their soul level and the items in their inventory / with Stockpile Thomas will carry over. The difficulty will also be ramped up further than the previous quest. No matter how many times the player defeats the Old One, time will immediately loop back to the start of their quest. =============================================================================== 10.)THEORIES ABOUT THE UNIVERSE =============================================================================== EVERYONE IS A DEMON: If the Nexus, and all that is connected to it is reality, then all the characters in Demon's Soul are Demons to some degree. A Demon is characterized as one who survives or gains power by stealing the souls of others. The presence of the Old One slowly saps away the souls of all who are touched by the Deep Fog, the only way to maintain one's sanity is to take souls by killing soul starved humans, or kill Demons who have gorged themselves on the souls of humans. The various vendors and other NPCs you encounter either survive by trading goods for the souls reaped by Demon Slayers, or killing Demons themselves. From the point in the game that the player learns their first spell / miracle or raises their soul level they are a Demon as the source of their power is the life force of another being. The end of the game is not the choice whether to reject humanity and become a Demon, the choice is whether to CEASE the gradual transformation from Demon into an Archdemon and instead REJOIN humanity. THE OLD ONE WAS ONCE PURE: The Old One was once a holy tree of life and worshiped as a God. The image of a tree is found on the Talisman of God, the Vinland family crest, and on many images in the prologue. It was the source of the Soul Arts, all magic and miracles performed. Man desired that power and one touched the tree in an effort to gain more power. The touch of Man corrupted the tree and it developed an unquenchable thirst for human souls, consuming half the world's population before it was put to sleep by the warriors who later became the first Monumentals and the Soul Arts disappeared from the land. Once again, one who desired power (King Allant) touched the tree, reigniting its thirst for human souls. The warriors and the priests of the Church don't realize that the God they worship, the one allowing them to perform miracles, is actually the Old one. Sage Freke is aware though as he seeks to keep the Old One awake to study the Soul Arts in the hopes of ascending to Demonhood like Allant and Maiden Astraea. He asks the player to kill the Maiden in Black and become the Old One's new slave to aid him in that goal. In the end, either the player becomes the Old One's new host and lays waste to the land or the Maiden in Black (able to resist the Old One's Power) becomes the Old One's new host, containing it. As long as the Maiden in Black sleeps, the Old One will sleep. THE OLD ONE DESIRES UNITY: The Old One, once it gained a hunger for souls, desired only one thing, to become whole. It is the amalgamation of millions of human souls gathered from the First Scourge. It seeks to cover the entire world in the Deep Fog and consume the soul of every living thing. By consuming everything, it becomes one with the universe and possessor of all knowledge, a God. It may also be why the Monumental traps souls with the Nexial Bindings, as long as there is one soul not in the possession of the Old One, mankind has the chance to continue. NEW GAME+ IS TIME LOOPING: The Player's death in the Journey to the Nexus allows the Monumental to bind the player's soul to the Nexus. This binding returns the soul of the player to the Nexus whenever they die, preventing permanent death. The player's death in the tutorial is what the Monumental needed to make them his slave, so that he can bind the player's soul to the Nexus. Like the Maiden in Black, the player will not be freed until they do the Monumental's bidding, defeating the Old One. Despite the Monumental's promise to release the player when the Old One is defeated, no matter what the player does, good or evil, they cannot escape the Nexus as the player begins a new game+ after the credits. The player is doomed to repeat their quest for all eternity. This is likely what the Crestfallen Warrior came to realize before giving up and eventually fading away. The cruelty of it all is the Crestfallen Warrior would not be able to remember that he figured it out. He is an example that even giving up won't save the player from the Nexial Binding. If he is another "player" trapped in this time loop, when he becomes soul-deprived he starts to lose his memory just before fading away. In a new game+, he reappears maintaining all his knowledge up to the point when he began to give up and stop feeding on souls (just before he met the player) with no knowledge that time is still looping. If the player continues to struggle on their quest will begin again, each time more difficult than the last, and they maintain their memories of looping. If the player gives up, they too will fade away until another warrior succeeds in defeating the Old One and begins the loop again. From that point on, the player will join the Crestfallen Warrior in forever wallowing in despair without the knowledge that time continues to loop. Even the loss of one's soul will not free them from the Nexus. THE OLD ONE IS THE GOOD GUY: The Crestfallen Warrior at first appearance is somewhat insane, questioning the goodness of the Monumental, but he is also a blue phantom, which means he is supposed to represent another player who has broken into the player's game world. The rest of the characters the player encounters are of their own world. The Crestfallen warrior warns that the player is "falling into their trap" and that to continue on their current path will mean their destruction or their transformation into a Demon. Many of the characters the player encounters are wearing unique equipment, yet copies of this equipment is found on corpses throughout Boletaria, some of which are well hidden. For instance, the rune sword and shield which Ostrava wields belongs to a single, legendary hero. yet a corpse also holding them is found in Latria. A corpse wearing Biorr's armor set is found at the base of Miralda's tower. A corpse wearing Saint's robes (the garb of Urbain) is found in the Valley of Defilement. A corpse wearing Sage's robes (the garb of Freke) is found in another dungeon cell in the Tower of Latria. A corpse hanging from the side of a tower in the Boletarian Place wears Yuria's raggedy robes. The robes and mask of Mephistopheles are found on a corpse in a dungeon cell in the Tower of Latria. A corpse wearing Selen Vinland's dull gold armor is found inside a nearby Giant Slug. Also five named NPCs in the game have the capability to turn into Demons in pure black world tendency. Basically the theory goes that any character which has a matching corpse is a Demon doppelganger which has been placed by the Monumental in an effort to twist the truth and put the player on the path to lull the Old One to sleep. Everyone without a matching corpse is a real person. In this scenario, the Old One is a godlike, benevolent being who rewards those with faith to cast miracles in his name. The Monumental and his doppelgangers spread lies about the nature of the Old One to those who arrive in the Nexus in the hopes that one will defeat the Old One and remove the last obstacle to the Monumental's total control of the world. World Tendency is the Monumental's grip on the outward appearance of the world. As the world becomes more light. the Monumental ability to deceive rises. At pure white, the five named Demons (Satsuki, Rydell, etc.) appear as humans. As the world grows darker, the Monumental's ability to deceive lessens. Powerful black phantom demons which were once invisible, can now be seen by the player. At pure black, the true nature of the five named Demons is revealed. HELL: The Voice which beckoned the player to follow could have easily brought them safely to the Nexus in the tutorial, but instead sent them down a path he knew would end in the player's doom. If not by the Vanguard, then certainly death would occur at the hands of the Dragon God. The player dies and their soul is bound to a place run by the Voice who calls himself a Monumental, the "good" guy. Here nothing can be done to end the player's existence, death just brings the player back to the Nexus in soul form. The Voice compels you to obey and complete the arduous task of defeating the Old One in order to be freed. Then like Sisyphus, who upon nearly rolling a boulder to a top of a hill but was forced to let it drop back down and begin again as an eternal punishment, as soon as the player completes the quest they find themselves back at the beginning. Obey the Monumental, defy the Monumental, it makes no difference; all roads lead back to the start of the player's quest, and each time the quest becomes more difficult. So in this scenario, the player's life ended at the hands of the vanguard or Dragon God in the Journey to the Nexus and everything that occurs afterward is the player's own personal Hell or Purgatory. WOMAN ARE MORE PURE: Women in Demon's souls are both immensely powerful and seem to have a better ability to hold onto their humanity. Yuria found herself lusting after power (her reason for coming to Boletaria) but her time in the dungeon caused her to change her ways. The Maiden in black was once one of the most powerful Demons in existence but now seeks souls no longer, choosing instead to use her gifts to energize the Demon slayers. Maiden Astraea maintains her human form and in the end chooses to commit suicide rather than live without her love, Garl Vinland. Executioner Miralda was bloodthirsty and vicious even before the Old One was awoken yet still maintains the ability to speak and was strong enough to defeat the witch Yuria. Even the great Sage Freke notices the Deep Fog affects women differently as he notes that Yuria uses emotion, to channel the power of the Demon souls. =============================================================================== 11.)CHARACTERS / ENEMIES SORTED BY WORLD =============================================================================== NEXUS: (NPC01) The Monumental (NPC02) Maidein in Black (NPC03) Disciple of God (NPC04) Acoltye of God (male) (NPC05) Worshipper of God (female) (NPC06) Saint Urbain (NPC07) Freke's Apprentice (NPC08) Sage Freke (NPC09) Yuria (NPC10) Stockpile Thomas (NPC11) Blacksmith Boldwin (NPC12) Crestfallen Warrior (NPC13) Patches the Hyena (NPC14) Yurt the Silent Chief (NPC15) Mephistopheles (NPC16) Ostrava (NPC17) Biorr BOLETARIAN PALACE: (NPC09) Yuria (NPC16) Ostrava (NPC17) Biorr (NPC18) Dregling Merchant (NPC19) Executioner Miralda (NPC20) Old King Doran (E01) Dregling (E02) Soldier (E03) Knights (E04) Dog (E05) Assassin (E06) Fat Minister (E07) Hoplite (E08) Crystal Lizard (d01) Red Dragon (d02) Blue Dragon (d03) Fallen Dragon (d04) Primeval Demon (D1-1) Phalanx (D1-2) Tower Knight (D1-3) Penetrator (B01) Black Phantom Knight - Oolan (B02) Black Phantom Knight - Alfred (B03) Black Phantom Knight - Metas (D1-4) Old King Allant (MC02) Vallarfax (MC03) Wife & Daughter of Stockpile Thomas STONEFANG TUNNEL: (NPC13) Patches the Hyena (NPC21) Filthy Man (NPC22) Blacksmith Ed (NPC23) Scirvir the Wanderer (E09) Scale Miner (E10) Fire Gecko (E11) Rockworm (E12) Bearbug (E04) Dog (E06) Fat Minister (E08) Crystal Lizard (d04) Primeval Demon (B04) Black Phantom Barbarian (male) (B05) Black Phantom Barbarian (female) (D2-1) Armor Spider (D2-2) Flamelurker (D2-3) Dragon God (MC05) Legendary Big M (MC06) Burrowers TOWER OF LATRIA: (NPC08) Sage Freke (NPC14) Yurt the Silent Chief (NPC24) Former Royal's Wife (NPC25) The Liar (NPC26) Lord Rydell (E13) Prisoner (E14) Prisonder Horde (E15) Mage Prisoner (E16) Octopus-headed guard (E17) Gargoyle (E18) Face Bugs (E06) Fat Minister (implied) (E08) Crystal Lizard (d04) Primeval Demon (B06) Black Phantom Assassin (D3-1) Fool's Idol (D3-2) Maneaster (D3-3) Old Monk (MC07) Queen Yormedar (MC08) Husband of Royal Mistress (MC09) Wife of Lord Rydell SHRINE OF STORMS: (NPC06) Saint Urbain (NPC13) Patches the Hyena (NPC27) Graverobber Blige (NPC28) "Sparkly" the Crow (NPC29) Satsuki (E19) Skeleton (E20) Storm Beast (E21) Reaper (E22) Shadow Lurker (E23) Giant Slug (E08) Crystal Lizard (d04) Primeval Demon (d05) Vanguard (B07) Dual-Katana Black Phantom (D4-1) Adjudicator (D4-2) Old Hero (D4-3) Storm King (MC12) Father of Satsuki (MC14) Shadowmen VALLEY OF DEFILEMENT: (NPC30) Filthy Woman (NPC31) Selen Vinland (E24) Rat (E25) Giant Mosquito (E26) Giant Tick (E23) Giant Slug (E27) Jellyfish (E28) Depraved One (E29) Giant Depraved One (E30) Depraved Shaman (E31) Plague Baby (E08) Crystal Lizard (d04) Primeval Demon (B08) Ragged Robed Black Phantom (D5-1) Leechmonger (D5-2) Dirty Colossus (D5-3A) Maiden Astraea (D5-3B) Garl Vinland (MC15) Vito the Moonlight Knight (MC16) Risaie of Istarel (MC20) Son of Filthy Woman BELOW THE NEXUS: (d06) King Allant (DXX) Old One OTHER: (MC01) Geri (MC04) Grandfather of Worshipper of God (MC10) Witch in the Sky (MC11) Soul Industry / Society Member (MC13) Makoto (MC17) Holy Warriors of the West (MC18) Father Vinland (MC19) Bramd (MC20) Giants =============================================================================== 12.)CONTRIBUTORS =============================================================================== All the posters in the DS storyline threads, especially: Astroshak Duneman TheOriginalMax grangia danfiddle HymnsomniaK thecrobar GirlinTheCorner Potter_fan FaustXII Gibbed TerraMantis DaveControlLive http://Demon-souls.com, the official US webpage http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/ http://wikipedia.org http://dictionary.reference.com/ http://wiktionary.org Atlus Demon's Souls official Guide Demon's Souls Art Book "Caddis Larvae: Larvae of the British Trichoptera" By Norman E. Hickin "A History of Beer and Brewing" By Ian Spencer Hornsey "The Burrowers Beneath" by Brian Lumley, 1974 "Notes of a Traveler in the Tropics" by Maturin M. Ballou, 1854 http://www.next-gen.biz/features/interview-demons-souls Gibbed's twitch Stream of Debug menu with model viewer http://www.twitch.tv/gibbed/b/499858210 10 Things You Don't Know About Dark Souls Inspiration Special https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkcZ9CqwGQU =============================================================================== 13.)LEGAL / DISCLAIMER =============================================================================== This guide may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Sites with permission to host or link this FAQ: - http://www.gamefaqs.com All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Copyright 2011 Marc Connelly
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