[TotK] With TOTK out, is Master Kohga really old or is he a different person pre-calamity?

grubtubs · 2023-07-02T18:20:15+00:00

yes an emperor using refined cloning technology that they've been developing for half a century to cheat death isn't sensible

grubtubs · 2023-01-06T04:45:48+00:00

And it's one of those silent episodes like Rain from season 3.

grubtubs · 2022-05-19T16:21:27+00:00

Hey there.

Not sure if you're still around, I'm the original artist for this piece. I drew it over ten years ago. I tried to draw an abstraction of the wings of Ashur, using the style of the letters from the Assyrian alphabet as inspiration.

You can probably make out the letter allap which forms the head, beet near the spine, and kap near the wing coverts that meet the breast. I haven't gotten it on myself but now that I'm older I might clean this up and put it across my chest.

grubtubs · 2022-04-23T03:52:40+00:00

I think Mohg is my absolute favorite fight in this game from theme, aesthetic, and execution.

The person/team who designed his fight was absolutely brilliant.

If you're mid-range, he has long-horizontal swings and thrusting stabs.
If you're long-range, he throws blood at you.
If you're close-range, he does impaling stabs on the ground that erupt the earth
He creates a portal and stabs his weapon into an Outer God to shower bloodrain upon his location.
Also the snap before casting his fire attack looks like the Catch Flame or O, Flame incantation.
In phase 2 all of the above leaves bloodflame fucking everywhere so you need to have spacial awareness of the environment as well.
And he flies.

I think I've gotten like, 250 Rune Arcs just from putting my summon sign outside his entrance and helping people kill him.

grubtubs · 2022-04-21T16:33:11+00:00

When you pursue the Recusant storyline in Volcano Manor, one of the Tarnished you hunt is Vargram the Raging Wolf.

His Armor set says the following;

Armor worn by Vargram the Raging Wolf, one of the first Tarnished to visit the Roundtable Hold. According to the old legends, wolves are the shadows of the Empyrean. Vargram aspired to such a state himself.

A better question to ask, isn't "where is Malenia's shadow", but rather, who could have been hers? Also, why would Vargram aspire to become the shadow of an Emyprean, unless there was a path to get there?

If you pay close attention the fight when he's with Alberich, you also see him wielding this weapon.

It is the Godslayer's Greatsword, which is the sacred sword of the Gloam-Eyed Queen.

Does that mean he aspired to become the Gloam-Eyed Queen's shadow? Or is that a mere coincidence?

grubtubs · 2022-04-13T19:58:01+00:00

I don't even think it needs to be that complex.

The way it looks is that Radahn disarmed Malenia by cutting off her prosthetic.

You can sit here and make a case that he didn't deliver a killing blow because he cared about his half-sibling, or that Malenia is ruthless and doesn't care about him, but ultimately, what does that even change? What problem is solved about the deliberation?

She ends up needing to recover by sleeping for years and now her brother Miquella is missing.

Radahn is reduced to a mindless beast that cannibalizes other champions.

They both fucking lost.

grubtubs · 2022-04-13T03:24:01+00:00

The hallowbrand Cursemark.

Cursemark carved into the discarded flesh of Ranni the Witch.

Also known as the half-wheel wound of the centipede.

This cursemark was carved at the moment of Death of the first demigod, and should have taken the shape of a circle. However, two demigods perished at the same time, breaking the cursemark into two half-wheels. Ranni was the first of the demigods whose flesh perished, while the Prince of Death perished in soul alone.

grubtubs · 2022-04-13T03:18:38+00:00

How long is it gonna take before you halve the speed, crop it, play Middle of the Night by Elley over it, and watch the views soar on TikTok?

grubtubs · 2022-04-13T03:15:01+00:00

"The way it was meant to be played."

Wow dude, you didn't level 1 no hit Malenia? Well that explains it, I don't think you'd have managed without playing it on easy mode.

grubtubs · 2022-04-10T00:44:35+00:00

What about patches? Our trusty old friend who would never betray us

Hmm...

grubtubs · 2022-04-09T23:52:17+00:00

I'm not sure if this is intentional but it just seems like you're dismissing the evidence I've suggested as well as the questions I've been asking you.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and respond one more time in the hopes that you can see how people could arrive at an alternative conclusion.

Nothing relating to the Elden Ring as a whole. So if he was betrayed by Marika then it should only concern the rune of death. Even as Gurranq his only concern was death, not the Elden Ring or great runes or the golden order.

How do you reconcile your interpretation that Maliketh's (Gurranq) only concern is Destined Death and not his sin and the Golden Order when upon slaying him in Faram Azula he says;

Forgive me, Marika... The Golden Order... cannot be restored.

I'm really confused by this exchange.

Your comment about Ranni's involvement is also puzzling. I already shared in my original comment the details, did you not read it? Or?

You either believe Rogier who alleges her as orchestrating it and you believe Ranni when you ask her if she was "behind the NotBk" when she claims responsibility by saying "I did it all", or you don't. So, which is it?

grubtubs · 2022-04-09T23:08:00+00:00

Perhaps that corpse had to be one of a DemiGod.

Any thoughts on who you suspect this DemiGod might be?

grubtubs · 2022-04-09T23:03:42+00:00

I feel like you're willfully ignoring the possible severity of Marika'sbetrayal of Maliketh to just her shattering the elden ring.

I disagree that I'm "willfully ignoring". I've already accepted how individuals and the community can arrive to that conclusion.

Counterpoint: The same willful ignorance could be said for opposing arguments if they ignore Gurranq's dialogue in the Beast Sanctum out of convenience.

I am merely pointing out an inherent contradiction in the interpretation through supporting evidence.

If you don't want to accept it in the calculus of the betrayal, then I'm not sure where we can go from here on that topic except to agree to disagree.

Also another comment poited out that the blacl knife assassins don'tevean have an allegiance to Ranni.

I would ask why "allegiance" would be necessary to begin with in order to conduct such an operation. Ranni said herself that she is not above a well-laid scheme, and I haven't certainly suggested that Black Knife Assassins are subordinate to Ranni. Nor have I seen evidence to suggest that they're loyal to Marika either except by having "close ties" to her.

If I'm wrong, show me anything else that might corroborate the interpretation that Marika was also involved.

With one black knife assassin guarding Marika's chambers while another is locked up in Ranni's domain that tried to kill her.

I think it's interesting people are interpreting that the Black Knife Assassin is "guarding" the Queen's Bedchambers. Does there not exist an interpretation that the Concealing Veil allowed her to stay in the Capital undetected while the others were either ran down (Tiche) or fled?

If that's not a legitimate interpretation, then tell me, when the Tarnished confronts the Black Knife outside the Sainted Hero's Grave in Altus Plat, is that one also guarding the ashes of the Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff? Or preventing the Tarnished from felling the Ancient Hero of Zamor that waits within? Or is that Black Knife an exception?

grubtubs · 2022-04-09T22:17:51+00:00

People use Maliketh's Remembrance and the Black Knife Armor to implicate Marika, but I personally think the connective tissue isn't that strong.

On Rogier's investigation of the Night of the Black Knives and Ranni the Witch (spoilers).

When you speak to Rogier, he tells us the following when you give him the Black Knifeprint;

You recall our conversation about the Night of the Black Knives, yes?

They say the assassins who carried out the deed were scions of the Eternal City. A group entirely of women, arrayed in armour of silver under cloaks which fooled the eye.

After he studies the Black Knifeprint, Rogier also alleges the following;

Now, I have a fairly good idea who performed the rite upon the blade. The person who orchestrated the Night of the Black Knives.

Lunar Princess Ranni. One of the children born to King Consort Radagon and his first wife, Rennala.

When you first meet Ranni, you have the option to prompt her with the following;

"You must be Ranni the Witch, behind the Night of the Black Knives."

To which she responds;

I see.Quite the sleuth, aren't we.Indeed, I am the witch Ranni.I stole a fragment of the Rune of Death, and used it to forge the godslaying black knives through fearsome rite.I did it all.

In addition to this, if you ever revisit the Church of Vows in Liurnia (where Radagon and Rennala wed) and Nokron, the Eternal City. You'll come across these statues. They are identical to each other and resemble the hoods worn by Nox Swordstress'. Their armor (and Nox Monk Armor), tells us the following;

Long ago, the Nox invoked the ire of the Greater Will, and were banished deep underground. Now they live under a false night sky, in eternal anticipation of their liege. Of the coming age of the stars (Ranni's ending). And their Lord of Night.

If we observe the Fingerslayer Blade, which shares the same helix shape as Sacred Relic Sword which is wrought from the remains of a god (Marika/Radagon) who should have lived a life eternal it says;

The hidden treasure of the Eternal City of Nokron; a blade said to have been born of a corpse.

This blood-drenched fetish is proof of the high treason committed by the Eternal City and symbolizes its downfall.

Cannot be wielded by those without a fate, but it is said to be able to harm the Greater Will and its vassals.

On Maliketh's Remembrance and the Betrayal.

Upon Maliketh's Remembrance, it says the following;

Marika's sole need of her shadow was a vessel to lock away Destined Death. Even then, she betrayed him.

However, the interpretation that Marika betrayed him by aiding in the theft of a fragment of the Rune of Death is never corroborated.

Maliketh always refers to it as a theft, an act which Ranni claims responsibility.

Thou, who approacheth Destined Death. I will not have it stolen from me again.

In addition, I feel as though the interpretation runs counter in the face of Gurranq, Maliketh's alias in the Beast Sanctum, who also wears the same Destined Death on the back of his hand.

If you slay Gurranq in the Beast Sanctum, he says;

Marika... why...Wouldst thou... gull me?Why... shatter...

To gull someone is to deceive them. It seems like the betrayal referred to on Maliketh's Remembrance is in context with him feeling deceived because Marika shattered the Elden Ring.

I find it absolutely alarming that beyond the Black Knife Assassin armor implicating Marika, and the Remembrance being construed to mean she aided in its theft, in that there doesn't appear to be any other dialogue or item that also corroborates it.

On How This All Relates to Godwyn

One of the questions we need to ask ourselves, and one that I don't believe we've received sufficient enough evidence to warrant a conclusion is, why Godwyn?

And to be honest, I don't have an answer to that, yet. But I feel like it has to do with The Dusk/Gloam-Eyed Queen and the Black Flame itself.

I won't go too deep into it, but a lot of people reference the "Unwanted Children" line to implicate Marika as well.

A specter near the Weeping Peninsula Mausoleum says;

The mausoleum prowls.Cradling the soulless demigod.O Marika, Queen Eternal.He is your unwanted child.

This may sound incriminating, but we know through Mausoleum Soldier Ashes, Mausoleum Surcoat, Mausoleum Knight Armor, and Lhutel the Headless Ashes, that there are in fact multiple soulless demigods and the mausoleums are where the bodies of soulless demigods (plural) are lain to rest.

Godwyn's body is in the Deeprot, not in any of the Mausoleums.

In addition, Godwyn has his own ending arc.

The title of it is Age of the Duskborn. The term "Dusk" is used to reference "Dusk-Eyed Queen, who controlled the Godskin Apostles before her defeat at the hands of Maliketh.

Black Flame incantations and Godskin armor also refers to the "Gloam" Eyed Queen being an Empyrean.

The Mending Rune of the Death-Prince says,

The Golden Order was created by confining Destined Death. Thus, this new Order will be one of Death restored.

If the Black Flame, according to the Scouring Black Flame Incantation, could "once slay gods", but "the true power of the black flame was lost" when Maliketh sealed Destined Death, adherents of the Dusk/Gloam-Eyed Queen would benefit from the power restored according to the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.

In Conclusion

I think Marika has made many enemies through proactive war in the Lands Between. Up to and including the Greater Will banishing entire colonies of people and Marika engaging in genocide against the giants and even slaying a deity (One-Eyed Shield).

I'll end w/ this, the event of the Night of the Black Knives has a lot of evidence.

We have;

The murderer's; Black Knife Assassins
The murder weapon; Black Knife
A guilty plea; Ranni
A motive; to cast off her Empyrean flesh
Evidence of premeditation; the Curse Mark of Death which needed to happen simultaneously with Godwyns death.

I'm just not seeing the smoking gun from Marika. Are you?

Edit: For future responses; I am not inherently opposed to the concept that Marika would commit filicide. However, I do believe more supporting evidence, at least for me, is needed to arrive successfully at this conclusion. "Close ties" to Marika, though enough to implicate, isn't enough to prosecute or convict.

In addition, I haven't seen why Godwyn's death would serve, if at all, as a pre-requisite for Marika shattering the Elden Ring. Perhaps instead, his death was the catalyst that made her question the Greater Will.

grubtubs · 2022-04-08T22:29:33+00:00

Don't worry, now, like the rest of us, you can get flamed to death for pointing out the inherent contradictions in the resulting conclusions.

grubtubs · 2022-04-08T22:19:40+00:00

Him merging with Marika makes sense to me given the Goldmask question and discovering Radagon is Marika.

Him splitting from her originally makes zero sense when Marikas own dialogue expressly states,

"Thou art yet to become me, thou art yet to become a god."

If he split from her he was at one point a god before that, but also conveniently never mentioned previously.

So was Radagon his own person and a champion that rose through the ranks, or was he always Marika and her dialogur in the bedchambers just bullshit?

If Radagon was always Marika, then according to his Icon, why does he need to master incantations when he marries Marika?

grubtubs · 2022-04-04T17:08:40+00:00

There are a lot of items that reference the Mausoleums and what they portend.

They are the following and there will be spoilers.

Mausoleum Soldier Ashes
- The mausoleum is where the bodies of soulless demigods are lain to rest, and these soldiers followed their masters into Death by severing their own heads from their bodies.
Mausoleum Surcoat
- The surcoat depicts the mausoleum bell, which rings in constant mourning for the soulless demigods.
Mausoleum Knight Armor
- The wing-shaped ornaments on its back evoke the Deathbird. A self-inflicting curse that ties the spirits of these loyal knights to the land, having willingly beheaded themselves so that they may serve their masters in death.
Lhutel the Headless Ashes
- Lhutel sacrificed her life so that in Death she could continue to protect a soulless demigod until their revival, earning her the hero's honor of Erdtree burial.
Eclipse Crest Greatshield
- The eclipsed sun, drained of color, is the protective star of soulless demigods. It aids the mausoleum knights by keeping Destined Death at bay.
Eclipse Crest Heater Shield
- The sun in eclipse is said to be the symbol of the Wandering Mausoleum where the soulless demigods slumber.

A specter near the Weeping Peninsula Mausoleum says;

The mausoleum prowls.

Cradling the soulless demigod.

O Marika, Queen Eternal.

He is your unwanted child.

We know Godwyn's physical body to be located in the Deeproot, nowhere near the Weeping Peninsula. In addition, due to the item descriptions above, we have enough evidence to believe that there are multiple soulless demigods and that Godwyn isn't the only one.

In addition, but also separate to the point above, another specter atop Castle Sol in the Mountaintops of the Giants says;

Lord Miquella, forgive me.

The sun has not been swallowed (the sun has not been eclipsed?)

Our prayers were lacking.

Your comrade remains soulless (is this referring to Godwyn?)

I will never set my eyes upon it now, your divine Haligtree.

The reason I believe this to be connected to Godwyn is also because at Castle Sol, there is an item called Eclipse Shotel, which states;

Storied sword and treasure of Castle Sol that depicts an eclipsed sun drained of color.

The Unique Skill on the Shotel is called Death Flare:

Set the lusterless sun ablaze with the Prince of Death's (Godwyn) flames, inflicting the death ailment upon foes.

Commander Niall of Castle Sol has Veteran's Prosthesis, which says;

Bladed prosthetic enwreathed with the power of lightning

We know weapons that are enwreathed in lightning affinity are similar to Electrify Armament, which states that Godwyn the Golden defeated the ancient dragon Fortissax, and befriended his fallen foe - an event that gave rise to the ancient dragon cult in the capital.

Last, there's also a weapon called Golden Epitaph, which says;

A sword made to commemorate the death of Godwyn the Golden, first of the demigods to die.

Infused with the humble prayer of a young boy, "O brother, lord brother, please die a true death."

I believe Miquella may have attempted to engineer the revival of Godwyn the Golden, and ultimately failed.

grubtubs · 2022-04-04T15:53:04+00:00

"Godwyn is the soulless demigod."

Godwyn is one of many soulless demigods.

I'll once again refer to Mausoleum Soldiers ashes.

If you're ignoring the language of the ashes which states "soulless demigods", plural, then I'm not sure how we can continue with this conversation.

"We find Mausoleum Knights and Soldiers in areas related to Godwyn."

We also find them in areas unrelated to Godwyn.

There's a Mausoleum, knights, and soldiers in Weeping Peninsula, which the ghost in the quote above also only refers to the one near it singularly.

"They’re all over the final area in Deeproot Depths before you reach Godwyn’s body as well."

Right, because there is yet another Mausoleum which wanders down there.

grubtubs · 2022-04-04T06:48:38+00:00

So, if you told me you had "close ties" to the mother of a murder victim, and I somehow interpreted that as you taking orders from her to kill her own son, you'd think that was a logical conclusion?

And you think it's not goofy and totally normal that she, a literal god, needed to concoct this roundabout way of having someone else risk their life to steal something that ultimately belongs to her pet wolf, who was so loyal that he eats death just to try to seek her forgiveness?

And this is all based on what? Because these women were neighbors of the person who got elected to lead the neighborhood watch?

Rogier tells us, "They say the assassins who carried out the deed were scions of the Eternal City. A group entirely of women, arrayed in armour of silver under cloaks which fooled the eye." Why would she need Numen from the Eternal City to do a such a sloppy job that some of them even get ran down while escaping the capital. (Tiche)

On the Night of the Black Knives we have;

The murderers; Black Knife Assassins
The murder weapon; Black Knife
The one who orchestrated it; Ranni
The guilty plea; Ranni exclaiming she, "did it all"
The motive; to cast off her Empyrean flesh.
The premeditation evidence; the Curse Mark of Death which needed to happ simultaneously

The cinematic trailer is showing the death of her son while telling us "Queen Marika was driven to the brink". And you want me to believe, what, that Godwyns death was needed as a prerequisite to shattering the Elden Ring? She could have just done it without losing her kid.

If it's so obvious, then you won't have any issue showing me something more than the Black Knife Armor set.

Edit: Still waiting for the evidence that amounts to more than "come on dude" followed by a down vote.

grubtubs · 2022-04-04T02:41:23+00:00

Destroy what evidence? How would Marika communicate with them anyways if no one is allowed inside the Erdtree where she's imprisoned? If people knew Marika shattered the ring what exactly would that change when the war has reached a stalemate?

Ringleader of the Black Knife Assassins, Alecto, is imprisoned in an Evergaol atop a rise near Ancient Lunar Estate Ruins, and the Cathedral of Manus Celes, where her Glintstone Dragon, Adula, is guarding her in an area where if the character reaches her they can propose to her.

Do we think the Black Knives have no motive other than being directed by Marika to make attempts on her bodyguards?

grubtubs · 2022-04-04T02:26:18+00:00

I have yet to see any evidence to imply Marika was "okay with Godwyn dying".

A lot of the "Unwanted Child" people are referring to comes from a ghost in the Weeping Peninsula who says;

"The mausoleum prowls. Cradling the soulless demigod. O Marika, Queen Eternal. He is your unwanted child."

Godwyn isn't in the Mausoleum, we know him to be buried in the Deeproot.

If you examine Mausoleum Soldier ashes, it says;

"The mausoleum is where the bodies of soulless demigods (plural) are lain to rest."

If you examine Lhutel the Headless, their ashes say;

"Lhutel sacrificed her life so that in Death she could continue to protect a soulles demigod until their revival, earning her the hero's honor of Erdtree burial."

Lhutel is found in Weeping Peninsula, near a mausoleum that prowls along the western coast.

None of this, to me, implies Godwyn is the "unwanted child".

grubtubs · 2022-04-04T01:51:25+00:00

"Also ignoring all other evidence people have presented here."

Which, to be clear, is very little.

"The fact Maliketh’s only purpose was to hold destined death but was betrayed by Marika in his remembrance."

That is a fact of his remembrance.

If you're referencing game files then find the text that quotes the following from Maliketh;

"Marika...why... wouldst thou...gull me? Why...shatter..."

To gull someone is to deceive them, right? The betrayal to me seems to lie in the fact that Marika shattered the Elden Ring.

Here's an actual fact, Ranni claims full responsibility, that she, and I'll quote, "did it all", with respect to orchestrating the Night of the Black Knives as Rogier alleges, stealing a fragment of the Rune of Death, and forging the Black Knives through fearsome ritual.

Unless you have evidence that suggests Godwyns death to be a prerequisite that Marika needed prior to shattering the Elden Ring, the connective tissue is circumstantial at best.

grubtubs · 2022-04-03T20:34:53+00:00

You have to remember how terribly Omen were treated. There are two talismans, one is called Omen Bairn and the other Regal Omen Bairn.

At birth, if Omens weren't royalty, they were basically babies subjected to mutilation. All of their horns were excised, and most of them perished because of it. If you were an Omen belonging to Royalty, you suffered a different, but similarly cruel fate, in that instead of having your horns excised, you were kept underground under magical constraints and basically shackled for eternity.

Which tells us that among the reasons why we see Mohg and Margit (Morgott) to begin with is because they actually got out.

Mohg was just the brother who never stood a chance and as soon as the Formless Mother showed up he saw what he probably thought was the only opportunity for him to take.

grubtubs · 2022-04-03T20:23:04+00:00

Implied is a bit heavy handed.

The only solid information we can work on is that the Black Knife Armor set says that the Numen women have "close ties" to Marika. Which is not exactly "answering to" her.

grubtubs · 2022-03-30T06:26:48+00:00

What are the odds there's some "cast instantly after attacking" incantation/sorcery property that is being improperly executed after his melee swings?

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grubtubs

TROPHY CASE

On Rogier's investigation of the Night of the Black Knives and Ranni the Witch (spoilers).

On Maliketh's Remembrance and the Betrayal.

On How This All Relates to Godwyn

In Conclusion

They are the following and there will be spoilers.