Before the Erdtree started to die, it was considered to be eternal. And before the Erdtree, there was the crucible. A chaotic melting pot of primordial life that served as the Erdtree's primal, vital energies.
It birthed creatures feather, breath, tail and horn. Aspects of this crucible were considered to be divine. That is, until civilization advanced, and those deemed misbegotten were enslaved.
For during Marika's golden age, aspects of the crucible were deemed signs of devolution, and those that harbored them? Abominations. Many Fell Omen had their horns excised, and the few that survived were hunted by the Omen killers, Butchers of twisted conscience.
But then Godfrey and Queen Marika herself gave birth to Omen twins. If such powers could birth Omen, then could they really be so far from grace? Was the crucible not at the heart of the Erdtree?
Marika's Omen Children would not have their horns excised, but they would be shackled far beneath the earth, so close to the Erdtree. And yet, so far. Eventually, Marika's faith in her own golden order waned.
The rune of death was stolen. The first demigod was killed and Lord Godfrey was exiled. Marika would go on to shatter the Elden Ring, spurring her children to action, as the lands between lost its blessing.
In the shattering war that followed, only Miquella would attempt to bring peace with his Haligtree. But the other demigods would fight for the shards of the Elden Ring. Godrick The Golden would attempt a coup which failed, forcing him to flee from Leyndell, for a sibling had emerged from the sewers with the right to great power.
Rykard would commit a grave blasphemy and seek to devour the very gods, just as he had been devoured himself. And to Princess Ranni, having slain her own flesh, would hide away the fate in her stars halted by Radahn, said to be the mightiest of the demigods, with no one as his equal. But Malenia would journey south to challenge him, and though their war scarred the land itself, there would be no victor.
Meanwhile, Mohg would emerge and rip Malenia's brother from the Haligtree, taking him far away to the seat of his coming dynasty. And so Malenia would return, carried on the back of a faithful knight to find her brother gone, with all the Haligtree left praying for his homecoming. So in the end, there would be no victor and the demigods lingered without the will or strength to change their fate, and the Tarnished would return, Wild exiles, now led by grace, once lost, to break the tenuous stalemate of the demigods.
A stalemate held in place by King Morgott, defender of the Erdtree and last of all kings. And as war continues in this broken world, all would ask themselves: "Queen Marika," "at whom were you so angry? " "Why?
" [Margit] Foul Tarnished! In search of the Elden ring. Emboldened by the flame of ambition.
Someone must extinguish thy flame. Let it be Margit the Fell! [Vaati] In the years since the stalemate of the demigods, Margit the Fell has appeared like a wraith, preventing tarnished from picking off his weaker kin.
[Margit] Well! Thou art of passing skill. Warrior blood must truly run in thy veins, Tarnished!
[Vaati] Luckily, Tarnished are no strangers to death, and they will suffer against their foes for as many times as it takes. The Margit we fought here was merely an Omen illusion. An extension of the man himself, whose true form resides in Leyndell.
An Omen King who would be despised by the populace if his true identity became known. But now his only duty is to stop tarnished reaching the thrones, and the title of Elden Lord. In the wake of the shattering, the land itself has been scarred, and the well-traveled roads have all been obliterated.
Now, sheer cliffs jut upwards into ominous skies. The land of Liurnia is even slowly sinking into a lake. It's here that we find a man cooking prawn, a blackguard named Boggart.
[Boggart] What are you looking at? You trying to start something, mate? You're Tarnished too, ain't ya?
Can you see it then? The guidance of grace. I mean, I can't see it all no more.
Makes no bloody sense anyway. why some no-name s**thead like me should get called to The Lands Between. Cruel, bloody joke, you ask me.
Maybe something went t*ts up with it. Maybe it's been broke for a good long time. [Vaati] Many Tarnished were called back to The Lands Between and here, their crowns would be warranted by strength and little else.
Because for all its claims to true order, the greater will did not distinguish between the tarnished beckoned by grace. Their thoughts, their ambitions, Nothing seemed to matter. And what better example of this is there than the Dung Eater?
A legend? Yes, but one reviled by the masses. Up until the very moment that his grace was returned.
Now, the dung eater torments nthe city of Leyndell There's even evidence that he tortured someone at the fortified manor where the true roundtable resides. It's little wonder, then, that his vengeful spirit appears in our hub world, a place that calls to tarnished of all kinds, whether they are legends or otherwise. [Roderika] I need to warn you about something.
A little while ago, someone started lurking in the wing on the opposite side of the roundtable, and I can hear from all the way over there, the howling and wailing of spirits in fear of a curse. I can even hear the repulsive, twisted malice in itself. A plethora of spirits in an unceasing cacophony.
I can't even imagine how much suffering inflicted to who knows how many souls. Not even the grafting caused anything like this to happen. You should keep your distance.
I know you're strong, but please! [Dung Eater] (chuckles) You'll get what's coming. Have you ever felt the curse?
With your whole being, the pox upon life itself, feared and despised by all. The reviled blessing. Apparently not.
You are but a lamb. A stranger to defilement, ignorant to your own ignorance. You no longer interest me.
Be thankful of the hold's serenity. It is all that keeps your death and defilement at bay. [Vaati] The dung eater.
He certainly leaves a lingering impression. His sword is fashioned from the backbone of a malformed giant. His armor resembles an omen, but with its horns cut off, his form reflects the landscape of his mind.
That is to say, he is suffering. He is persecution, but he only has the mind of an omen. Others are born with the body to match and are held to be a punishment for making contact with the crucible.
They are called misbegotten and omen, and denied rebirth via the Erdtree. For in The Lands Between, death is not the end. The Erdtree is not just the dominant faith.
It is where all honest souls desire to return. To be removed from the Erdtree's cycle of death and life, to many, that is the worst thing imaginable. That is the Omen curse.
Here, in the fields of the Altus Plateau, a second omen illusion stands watch. And it was here that a great battle was fought to repel Godrick the golden, when he sought to return to Leyndell and just down the way, Erdtree sentinels grasped torches that were furnished by Morgott himself to prevent Black Knife Assassins from sneaking into the capital. Morgott gave everything for the Erdtree, only to see the golden light shining in tarnished eyes.
And despite Morgott defending Leyndell against rebellion, blasphemy, and assassination, that golden light drives the tarnished to slay him. [Morgott] I shall remember thee, Tarnished, smouldering with thy meagre flame. Cower in fear of the night, the hands of the fell omen shall brook thee no quarter.
[Vaati] It's hard to go through this world and not question the very grace that guides you. And so it is, that many Tarnished fall from grace once again. [Boggart] Marika's t*t's.
You must be hungry. Perfect bloody timing, actually! I got crab cooked up fresh.
There's something I should probably tell you. You 'eard of the Dung Eater? E's a madman, Has it out for everyone.
Curses 'em. Goes 'round in his rank armour an' all. You see 'im though, stay well away!
I was in the same jail as him once, so I know firsthand. He's a godforsaken monster! Not just some petty thug like me.
He's a killer. Kills people and curses their souls, does all sort of **** to the corpses to keep 'em cursed, forever. I ain't seen nothing more disgusting in all my years.
I ever been more scared neither. Rooted to the bloody spot while 'e did that, to my friend. .
. An' now I seen 'ere again. Never thought I would.
What 'e does to those bodies. It was. .
. It was 'im. No question.
That monster! He's lurking 'round 'ere [Vaati] Despite the danger, Boggart remains just outside of Leyndell. His humble ambitions delayed by his fondness for crab.
But you find a way inside. Past layer and layer of the city's defense. Isn't it kind of strange that even though the tarnished are guided to restore order, that the very forces of order itself are placed in your way?
You wouldn't have met him in your journey. But there is a certain noble who yet remains in the city. A member of House, Shanehaight, who makes no effort to hide his prejudice.
[Shanehaight] Welcome, dear guest! After being out there, it must be quite surprising to see our capital cradled by the Erdtree, showered by an eternal wellspring of grace. The sights, the sounds, the luscious scents, each precisely as they should be.
Each eternal. Oh? Ohh.
. . .
I didn't notice that you were tarnished. No, you mustn't take this the wrong way. But you must leave the capital at once.
It is for your own good, I assure you. All things have their proper place. We, having been chosen by Grace, were given this golden capital.
You, on the other hand, have your own home, which is a far cry from here. So far, in fact, that it cannot be further marred by your touch. [Vaati] For all its glory, the city of Leyndell on the surface is like a thin layer of gold, a coating that can be easily scratched away, revealing the under city beneath full of horrors.
Here in the sewers, Omen are shunned, all for the mere crime of being born simply because they were born with aspects of the crucible. That same crucible that was once the primordial form of the Erdtree. If only the people of Leyndell knew the true identity of Morgott, the Lord of Grace who now rules over the city.
Do you remember back at Castle Morne that there was a spirit who feared his body being eaten by the misbegotten? To him, there was nothing worse than being disgraced in such a way. But nothing is worse than the seedbed curse.
Which the dung eater cultivates upon those that he kills. A tender pox afflicted with omen horns that afflicts the host in such a way that it ensures that the curse will be passed on to natural born children instead, creating an infectious population that will never know grace. [Dung Eater] No.
Wait. You have felt the curse. I can smell it on you, the pox yet tender.
Apparently, my Seedbed is ripe and waiting. It was a brief respite, I must say. Go and unshackle my corporeal flesh.
Trapped in the sewer-gaol below the capital. [Vaati] And so, whether it's out of fear of admiration or sheer curiosity, we descend below to free the dung eater. On the way to the dung eater's cell are the shunning grounds where we kill The Omen in the only home that they've ever known.
[Dung Eater] Let me out! Let me out of here! Must eat more!
Defile more! Everything that matters to you for generations to come! Who are you?
I've been here long enough. I will kill again and defile each corpse with care. And just to be sure that when they're reborn, they'll be cursed along with their children, and their children's children for all time to come.
[Shanehaight] Oh, there you are. Pleased to see you. You must have expunged the Omen from the repository.
Otherwise, their revolting screeches would still be affronting my ears. Well, you've done us a fine service, I must say. The Erd Bishops will be very pleased to hear it.
No, no! This is above their station. If I explain that this was all my idea, I could be granted audience with Morgott, Lord of Grace.
What a wondrous opportunity that a viscount as myself might be seen by the Lord of Grace. [Vaati] The citizens of Leyndell are complicit in perpetuating the curse of the Omen. With this in mind, the dung eaters actions almost start to make sense.
For the majority of his seedbed curses can be found in Leyndell amongst the populace that admittedly deserves at the most. So there's a reason the dung eater is lurking nearby. [Boggart] Serves me right!
Fitting bloody end for a jumped up little **** with big ideas. Help me out. .
. would ya, mate? I don't wanna get cursed.
. . Just let me die.
I don't want to live like this. Not anymore. So, please.
. . .
[Vaati] Defiled by the seedbed curse, Boggart is severed from grace against his will. The Erdtree rejects his body and soul. And so his grace is lost.
Just like the Omen. What a curse. What a blessing.
[Dung Eater] Must eat more! Defile more! I am the dung eater, a scourge upon the living.
I will kill you and defile your corpse. Then the pox will truly be your own. One day.
. . (chuckles) you'll get what's coming.
[Boggart] Alright, mate. Want some more prawn, do ya? Never met someone with a taste for a prawn I couldn't trust.
We'd make good mates, I reckon. I'll be seeing ya. [Shanehaight] Kill our lord!
He is a stain upon all things golden. Kill Morgott, kingly imposter! [Morgott] Graceless tarnished.
What is thy business with these thrones? Godrick The Golden. The twin prodigies, Miquella and Malenia.
General Radahn. Praetor Rykard. Lunar Princess Ranni.
Willful traitors, All. Thy kind are all of a piece. Pillagers, emboldened by the flame of ambition, have it writ up on thy meager grave.
"Felled by King Morgott, last of all Kings" The thrones, stained by my curse. Such shame I cannot bear. Thy part in this shall not be forgiven.
May the curse seep to thy very soul. [Vaati] The curse is said to be stirring within you. Of course it is.
If you've willingly followed the dung eater this far, so that at the end new order might begin. It's an ending defined by the curse that the golden order brought upon The Omen, and brought upon itself with a dead Erdtree, pockmarked sky, and a festering population. In his insanity, the dung eater seems to believe that we're his equal.
I guess, how else could we hold onto his seedbed curse and fight him off as well? [Dung Eater] There you are. You warded off my blessing, despite the curse stirring within you.
No one has succeeded in that before. "How? ", I thought.
Then it hit me, that you are in fact, me! I know I. .
. am the dung eater. It is my flesh that must receive the blessing.
[Morgott] Ah, an apt reward for thy brash ambition. I see thee, little tarnished. [Vaati] The great rune in Morgott's possession is the anchor ring.
It is the foundation upon which the others rely. To make it this far, two great runes are required. But a third is needed to reforge the Elden ring.
Morgott's. The other demigods all had what Morgott was denied from birth. The Erdtree's grace, a mother and a fate to call their own.
But while Morgott was shackled deep below the earth, they threw it all away. So even though he was born a graceless Omen child, Morgott tried to be the Erdtree's protector. He was never loved and should never have learned love, but nevertheless, love the Erdtree, he did.
In death, Morgott's horns disappear. Perhaps it was one final mercy from the Erdtree. Too late.
But at the Erdtree, we find our path blocked once more, despite being led here by the Erdtree's very grace. [Morgott] Tarnished! Thou'rt but a fool.
The Erdtree wards off all who deign approach. We are. .
. we are all forsaken. None may claim the title of Elden Lord Thy deeds shall be met with failure, just as I.
. . .
[Dung Eater] Give me your blessing. Defile my flesh with this seedbed curse again and again until it is done. Until a cursed ring coalesces, that might one day defile the order itself.
Countless, I have killed, and countless I have defiled. And soon the fruits will be borne. Hundreds will be reborn cursed, and they'll bear thousands of cursed children, who'll bear tens of thousands more.
A few of those will be born just like me, and they'll kill, and defile, and bless in my stead. The rotton fools. My fate was the grandest, most brilliant of them all!
Unleash it upon them! A cursed blessing to all! [Vaati] The creation of this mending rune requires someone to defile the defiler, creating a story that can be used to mend the Elden ring, codifying these words of defilement into order itself.
This mending rune of despair only exists because of the hatred inherent in Marika's golden order. It makes you wonder, why did it have to be this way? Why did Marika demonize the crucible?
[Godfrey] It's been a long while, Morgott! [Vaati] That brief moment of tenderness between father and son raises some questions. Was Morgott, at some point, shown love?
How did Godfrey, leader of the Crucible Knights, feel about the Golden Order's scorn of The Crucible? We may never know. [Godfrey] Long and hard dids't thou fight, tarnished warrior, spurned by the grace of gold.
Be assured the Elden Ring resteth close at hand. Alas, I am returned to be granted audience once more. Upon my name as Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, enough of this kingly folly.
A true warrior, thou art. [Vaati] All fail to stop you in the end. A champion for The Omen, the misbegotten, and despair.
[Dung Eater] Curse you, Golden Order. One day, you'll get whats coming. [Vaati] Originally, those born of the Crucible were considered to be divine.
That is, until civilization advanced and those deemed misbegotten were enslaved. But then they fought, reveled in their accursed identity. And so, a new order was created, one borne entirely from the prejudices of the golden order that came before.
Now, all are cursed and for every curse, a cursed blessing. [Dung Eater] The fallen leaves tell a story of how a tarnished became Elden Lord. In our home, across the fog, The Lands Between.
Our seed will look back upon us, and recall, the reviled curse that defined our age. The blessing. .
. . .
of despair!
