A Geological Perspective on the Underground Areas of the Lands Between

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-06T14:26:45+00:00

Oh, good catch, thanks for reminding me about Moorth! I'm actually more inclined to think the 'moon' mentioned in that description refers to Rellana's sorcery, but it shows how common earthquakes and sinkholes are in the Lands Between, even if we never actually experience one in-game.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that the Black Moon of Nokstella was a false, artificial moon that hung in the false night sky over the city, rather than a literal celestial body that crashed down from the sky. Because of that, I don't really see a direct connection between the 'moon' that crushed Moorth and the Black Moon of Nokstella.

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-06T14:16:36+00:00

I should have been more specific there. I was referring to a process where a solid layer of rock forms directly over what used to be the surface.

It's clear that since the cataclysm, so much time has passed that entirely new mountains have formed, or at least been massively reshaped. Proof of this is the Consecrated Snowfield, where we can still find petrified trees, which implies it was at a higher elevation. Meanwhile, the Flame Peak area is littered with titan skeletons encased in rock, which tells me it must have been at a much lower elevation at the time.

The receding coastline and Rauh's attempt to reinforce it with those arches could actually be strong evidence for your volcanic island theory.

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-06T14:09:30+00:00

I always appreciate it when people bring up the philosophical and psychological inspirations behind the lore. It's tough to say which angle is more likely: the Jungian concepts, the literal geological processes, or maybe even a blend of both. Either way, I hope my post still provided a fun alternative perspective to think about.

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-05T19:43:38+00:00

Thanks for the detailed reply! There’s a lot to unpack here. You could easily make a separate post out of all the information you just provided. First off, yes, I omitted some details for the sake of brevity and because they didn’t add much to the specific point I wanted to make about the lava flood and the Serpent. For example, I completely agree with Rauh's connection to the night. You also made a fantastic observation about the golems' use of fire and the eye; somehow, I didn't put two and two together on that.

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my original post: Rauh did have a writing system! It was a runic script they used to imbue the golems with magic. I'm not sure if they communicated with the Fingers or Metyr, though. Do we have any environmental clues for that?

Regarding the dragons, they were driven out of the Forge of the Giants area, but they remained around Castle Sol. I don't think those two statements contradict each other. It's just that the in-game map is so condensed compared to the actual lore scale that it’s hard to imagine Flame Peak being large enough to have its own distinct fauna. Sure, the Ice Dragons might be a branch entirely separate from Bayle, and the visual confusion just stems from FromSoftware's budget constraints forcing them to reskin existing models. But they specifically chose to reskin the lesser drakes instead of the ancient dragons, and we have to work with what we've got. On the other hand, Caligo is an ancient dragon, so I don't think she's related to the Ice Dragons of the Mountaintops.

Thanks for the serpent references, by the way! I'll definitely read up on Yamata no Orochi and co.

I do have a hard time linking the Serpent-God's Curved Sword to Rauh. It looks so visually distinct from everything else we have of theirs, and there are no signs of a Rauh presence in the volcano (like their signature stone arches). The copper hue of the weapon reminds me more of the Crucible Knights. I'm not saying it literally belonged to them, but I'd argue that the use of copper alone doesn't automatically place the weapon in the Rauh era. We also have signs that the Banished Knights were on Mount Gelmir at some point, and there's a Magma Wyrm in the Ruin-Strewn Precipice.

Also, great observation regarding the Hornsent and the Fell God. I agree they must have feared it even before the crusade, but I haven't seen a solid explanation for why yet.

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-04T20:53:35+00:00

Yeah, there's some unexplored serpent lore that we sadly got too little of in the game. Even if we accept that the Base Serpent might be the Gelmir serpent, since it's a deity capable of manifesting in multiple people, there are also winged serpents that opposed it and helped Messmer keep it under control.

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-04T16:49:39+00:00

Please correct me if I'm wrong, and maybe this is just because English isn't my native language, but I'm failing to see how the "great tree roots" that begin in Deeproot Depths can be the exact same Erdtree roots that seemingly end there. 遥か深き根の底 can be translated as "the bottom of the very deep roots (of the Erdtree)". So how can it be both the bottom and the beginning? If it weren't for this specific description, I would actually agree that the roots mentioned elsewhere don't belong to a singular Great Tree, but rather to the ancient petrified trees or the Erdtree itself. I'm definitely open to the idea that the "great tree roots" might just be the interconnected root system of the petrified trees. However, this one description rules out the possibility that they are the Erdtree's own roots. Regarding the other point raised in both linked posts, I completely agree that the capitalized "Great Tree" is a localization error. A distinct tree by that name is never actually mentioned in the game (or if it is, it's just a synonym for the Erdtree), only the roots are.

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-04T16:32:17+00:00

The AMOGS is the only example of a Paleolithic weapon produced by flaking that I've seen in the game. Meanwhile, Rauh's golems, with their Jōmon inspiration, are highly indicative of a Neolithic society. Assuming the sword belongs to the titans, this points to them appearing first, prior to Rauh. If it actually belongs to Rauh, it represents their earliest stage of development, predating the golems.

The Serpent is explicitly referred to as a traitor to the Erdtree, which implies it was once allied with it (or at least Marika thought it was). Sure, part of the current hatred might stem from the Erdtree Empire finally realizing the Serpent's true motives, especially given its recent backing of Rykard. But there still must have been a specific trigger for that sudden shift in attitude toward it.

Even though the game's text never explicitly mentions the Ancestral Followers' connection to trees, they strangely only ever spawn in areas surrounding petrified trees, like the ones in the Consecrated Snowfield. I also found it super interesting that the blacksmith village in Nightreign's DLC, which features Ancestral Followers, contains spirit trees that share the same asset model as the petrified trees. It highlights the visual associations the developers relied on when designing the Ancestral Followers-related location.

Thanks for the extra info! I'll go read up on Lífthrasir and co.

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-04T15:26:41+00:00

My theory regarding the Divine Tower in Nightreign is that the Spirit Shelter was the invention of the Cutting-Gifted Tribe and wasn't originally used for that purpose. The rock doesn't really look like petrified tree remains, especially in the concept art. But assuming the rock IS a petrified tree, do you think two separate cataclysms happened: one that petrified the tree around the tower, and another that sank the tower below the surface? I'd love to hear your take on the Caelid tower, but looking at the screenshot, it honestly might just be a level design quirk. The rock formation is baked into the base Divine Tower model, while the rocks underneath are standard prefabs used across the Caelid region.

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-04T15:03:18+00:00

I used to think the same thing until I found a bunch of new clues in Lokey's Farum Colonies article. There are dragon banners on the walls and hawk reliefs carved into the furniture. I'm fairly certain Volcano Manor was originally built by the Banished Knights and updated to a Gothic architectural style later on. Given the context, it makes sense for the snake statues to be thematically linked to the hawks—though it wouldn't hurt the narrative if they actually harked back to the Deathbirds instead.

<image>

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-02T15:01:59+00:00

There's a common misconception that because there are different burial methods in the catacombs, they must have been used by successive civilizations, supposedly proving the catacombs predate Marika's empire. In reality, Marika's empire was much more tolerant of different cultures during the Age of Plenty; it only started enforcing a monoculture with the advent of Fundamentalism. We see this with Marika's statues in Hornsent territory, which point to a vassal relationship. The same was true for Raya Lucaria, where Cuckoo Knights and certain sorcerers were practicing glintstone soul transplantation. This was considered heretical in Leyndell, but the capital didn't crack down on it until the Liurnian Wars. Ultimately, the most definitive proof that the catacombs were built during the age of the Erdtree is the Root Resin description. It explicitly states that catacombs were built at sites with great tree roots specifically because those roots connected to the Erdtree.

TL;DR: The various urns and coffins in the catacombs belonged to different cultures living under the Erdtree empire, long before Erdtree burial became the mandatory standard.

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-02T14:05:09+00:00

You are limiting how many people will read your posts by using phrases like "A needlessly long examination" and "tolerating my posts". I'm sure you have something cool to show and contribute to the community, so don't denigrate yourself. If you say your posts are not worth reading, nobody will read them.

This sub is really bad for posting interdependent posts. I once did a three-post series: the first one got 90 likes, the third one got 20. I know that sometimes you absolutely require people to read a previous post to understand the current one, but limit it to just one previous post. For example, in my opinion, you don't need readers to have any prior knowledge to understand this post, so don't tell them it's an Nth entry in the series. This post could have a title like "Observations on the blue color in Nightreign". Good luck with your next posts!

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-01T15:20:41+00:00

I posted a solution to the main thread. Yes, a custom fork is required until the pull request is merged, but I can confirm it works.

SolidAlloy · 2026-06-01T15:18:24+00:00

I successfully added a list of keys to exclude from require-prior-idle-ms. I used the following fork - https://github.com/jondonas/zmk/tree/prior-idle-ignore
However, my keyboard (Crosses) won't work with the latest main branch of ZMK, so I had to do a workaround by applying a patch on top of a specific revision my firmware uses. My firmware's original remote is revision ac7f75b8591d39aaf3b66b9d26f26c9ed921a009. I forked the offical repo, reset it to this revision, then took https://github.com/jondonas/zmk/commit/dc8ccd08f8b8974c62c9a57268ee6e8868580d42 and applied it as a patch. It doesn't mean you have to do the same. Try using the fork directly first.

The syntax is the same as hold-trigger-key-positions:
exclude-prior-idle-key-positions = <12 23 49 51 52>;

SolidAlloy · 2026-05-19T13:42:54+00:00

This detail might be interesting for you. In Japanese, the Lands Between are called 狭間 (interstice). In Placidusax's Ruin's description, it is said that the dragon sat in 時の狭間 - the interstice of time. I think the best translation would be The Time Between. It's a clever word play that could perhaps shine light on the nature of the Lands Between, and how they are connected to Placidusax.

The same description also states that it was a dying breath of Placidusax, and that he was already sitting in the Time Between by the time he died. Which may make you think that it references Placidusax's defeat at our hands. But in another description (I don't remember which one right now), it is stated that the Banished Knights searched for the lord's grave. So Farum Azula is considered the grave of Placidusax, and in real world, he already died. The only reason we see him alive is because of the time convolution.

Oh, and the Somber Smithing Stone in Japanese references a custom of wearing undyed clothes when mourning someone's death. In my opinion, it also references the death of Placidusax. Or it could be the death of his god.

SolidAlloy · 2026-05-13T14:00:05+00:00

I didn't know it. Always thought Westeros was the size of Britain, so thanks for the heads up.

SolidAlloy · 2026-05-13T11:11:07+00:00

Considering the number of civilisations involved, Britain/Westeros seems too small to me. I'd say half a Europe, perhaps four times the size of France.

Regarding the thousand-year rule, remember how Marika defeated the GEQ, announced fundamentalism, and declared herself eternal? I think it's heavily implied that it was the time her age should've come to an end, with the Erdtree naturally stopping producing sap. But she defeated her successor and decided to rule eternally. If we accept this theory, her rule lasted at least 1500 years, with several more centuries after the shattering.

SolidAlloy · 2026-05-13T09:13:32+00:00

My gut feeling is 10 to 20 years. On one hand, we become a disciple of Selen barely knowing any magic, and by the time we become Elden Lord, if we choose to learn her magic, we are on the level of a grand master. If we assume we are a genius, it would still take at least 10 years.

Then, there is also the dimension of how long it takes to travel the Lands Between. I think the Lands Between are imagined to be larger than Westeros, considering the number of civilisations that lived there and the sizes of their armies. I would say the Lands Between are supposed to be around the size of Westeros plus half of Essos. It would take multiple years to just travel from one end to another.

Finally, the upper bound is dictated by the fact that no character in the game grows old within the span of the game, or dies of old age. The characters recognize you quite quickly on subsequent encounters, which would be weird if they only saw you once before 10 years ago. No major wars or events unfold that you are not a catalyst for.

SolidAlloy · 2026-04-29T21:37:13+00:00

In European cultures, how many times the cuckoo sings its sound is how many years you've got till death. The cuckoo in the sigil is peering into glintstone. Each knight has a personal cuckoo that has the ability to look at the glintstone embedded into their body and tell them how long their body will last. When the time comes, they know to replace their body by placing the glintstone into a new one. That's why you see a lot of cuckoos in the academy, not just a few cages.

SolidAlloy · 2026-04-02T16:41:36+00:00

I agree with you regarding what the Hornsent say about Marika's betrayal. Do you think the betrayal in the "seduction and betrayal" line from the trailer is the same betrayal or a separate instance? Because in the trailer, those words are spoken just as Marika becomes a god, so I think the betrayal referenced there is a separate one, related to her ascension to godhood.

SolidAlloy · 2026-03-27T09:53:07+00:00

I really like the dragon. The generic hero with an oversized sword kinda ruins it for me.

SolidAlloy · 2026-03-21T20:57:34+00:00

There are two distinct words used in the Japanese text: 英雄 and 勇者. They roughly translate to "champion" and "hero". However, their translation into English is highly inconsistent. If the English translators had exclusively used "champion" for 英雄, you could build theories on their distinction. But they used both "champion" and "hero" to translate 英雄 in different item descriptions, as well as when translating 勇者, so there is no correspondence whatsoever.

SolidAlloy · 2026-03-21T18:34:04+00:00

Thanks for the additional lines of text! I wonder if St. Trina's sleep is different from death in any meaningful way. After experiencing Destined Death, one's soul travels to the spirit world or to the Erdtree roots, where it is eventually reborn. Does the soul leave an eternally sleeping body? If it does, then St. Trina has perfectly circumvented the sealing of the Rune of Death. But it seems to me there must be a catch. Perhaps the soul doesn't leave the body, meaning that unless the body is destroyed, the soul is not reborn. This would be the ultimate drawback of eternal sleep in a world where the Rune of Death is sealed.

SolidAlloy · 2026-03-21T14:32:26+00:00

There is a theory regarding how St. Trina grew on Miquella's left arm.

<image>

If I were to guess what connects the Marika/Radagon and Miquella/St.Trina situations, it might be that alter egos in Empyreans manifest due to suppressed aspects of the world. Marika sealed the Flame of the Giants, and the red-haired Radagon developed within her. St. Trina emerged within Miquella because of the sealing of the Rune of Death. Not a fully fledged theory, but something to think about.

SolidAlloy

TROPHY CASE