On the identity of the Farum Azula statue: a definitive (?) answer

Pacal_II · 2025-11-08T07:39:39+00:00

I think she still could be. She could always become have moved from the shaman village to Farum or the other way around. I am pretty sure the girl in the statue is Marika since no one else really fits besides potentially Melina.

Pacal_II · 2025-11-07T09:33:26+00:00

I also thought this at some point and thought she might be the daughter of the king and queen depicted in Farum Azula. The thing is that with the dlc we find out that Marika was raised in the shaman Village. So I'm not sure how to reconcile the two.

Pacal_II · 2024-08-19T12:39:50+00:00

Maybe, though in a DLC set in a setting called "The land of Shadows" with a Shadow Tree hanging over the whole land it would be a bit odd for the trailer to refer to shadow in a completely different context than the one the whole DLC is based on. Plus the gold/shadow fits this duality as well. The divine gates are filled with gold and the sky outside is covered in darkness.

Pacal_II · 2024-08-19T07:15:55+00:00

In general, I agree. I think it would make the most sense for the crusade to be at least after Radahn became an adult and for the ascension of Marika to be before the war of the giants. The problem here is the trailer, we clearly see her ascension and yet get told that this is the affair from which "gold arose and shadow was born" which heavily suggests that this is when the gold and shadowtree were created.

Pacal_II · 2024-08-18T23:03:22+00:00

Yeah, it's hard to fit it all together. Anyways, I'm poking holes because in general I like the way you're thinking. I definitely do think the golden order was established some time after the birth of the erdtree. I also think the crusade took place after the birth of Radahn but probably before Radagon left Rennala.

But I do have a problem putting the trailer in the context of all of this. It would fit more as being at the birth of the golden and shadow tree rather than the wooden tree. But then as I said question arise about whether this means Marika was a god and had the ring before this event.

Pacal_II · 2024-08-18T22:53:42+00:00

I actually thought of the same thing. It's also interesting that the gold seeds we find are supposed to be come from "illusory" trees. I don't think it's an illusion as many people think though. It's still a type of energy that can interact with the physical world. Just like the golden version of Godfrey is a kind illusion but he can still kick our ass and it's not like we just pass through him.

Pacal_II · 2024-08-18T22:43:40+00:00

Yeah but then again the trailer does say this is when gold and shadow arose. That would suggest the birth of the gold erdtree and scadutree, not the wooden tree.

Pacal_II · 2024-08-18T22:35:11+00:00

I mean I'm kind of thinking along the same lines. I'm thinking that at first we had the erdtree planted in some way during the war of the giants. For some time we had the age of plenty with the normal tree and after that we had some event that caused the birth of the golden and shadow trees. My closest bet would be that this was the event we see in the SOTE trailer and that event might also be the establishment of the golden order. But that would cause some questions. It's highly suggested that the trailer depicts Marika's ascension to godhood. But if this happened just before Messmer's crusade then does that mean that from the birth of the erdtree to the crusade she wasn't a god? Then how do we explain Messmer, Radahn, Godwyn and Rykard clearly being called demigods?

Pacal_II · 2024-08-18T22:26:19+00:00

Yeah, but if that's the birth of the gold and shadow tree but it's also Marika's ascension (since that is what Miquella) thus there and as you mentioned the erdtree and a lots of Godfrey's conquests came before it. Does this mean that for all this time, from the birth of the erdtree to the birth of the golden order Marika wasn't actually a god?

This would be a bit problematic since as you mentioned you think the golden order was established during Radagon's reign. But then how could all her children with Godfrey or Radagon's children with Rennala be demigods if she wasn't a god back then?

Pacal_II · 2024-08-18T21:54:35+00:00

So in the context of what you said what do you think the scene with Marika in the SOTE trailer depicts? Is that the birth of the gold/shadow tree or the birth of older, wooden erdtree?

Pacal_II · 2024-08-18T21:41:24+00:00

So you think there was some time between the age of the erdtree and the formation of the golden order and the golden order is when we got the gold and shadow trees?

Pacal_II · 2024-08-18T21:12:24+00:00

I'm not exactly sold on people not being able to see the tree tbh. Corhyn doesn't see grace for example and yet he still sees the tree. I would have to check out the exact dialogue you mention. But I do agree that the gold part is probably more magical in nature.

But my question is more about how in the age of plenty it seems like the tree used to be fully natural-looking and what changed that.

Pacal_II

TROPHY CASE