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1Dark Souls Lore theories and discussion
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3   ++++++
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5Questions and Theories
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7(Add your own questions and theories as desired)
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9(EDITING: OPEN)
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11Notes and discussion on the last page.
12If you are looking for particular NPC dialogues for reference go here.
13
14What does the title refer to?
15The Dark Soul is the Lord soul that the Furtive Pygmy possessed. “Dark Souls” refers to the lineage the player character shares with all of humanity, for the Pygmy is mankind’s progenitor.
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17What is the Dark Sign?
18A sign that marks the undead. Used to identify undead from real corpses, those that have it are shipped to the North (the Undead Asylum) before they wake up to their new unlife. Some  manage to slip through, those are then hunted down by Lloyd and his clerics.
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20
21What is the origin of the Dark Sign?
22-Gwyn realized his life was slowly running out as the age of fire was ending. To prolong it, he tried to rekindle the first flame and in doing so unleashed the curse of undead in the world, he is technically the first hollow.
23
24-New Londo is stated by the crestfallen warrior to have been an undead city which would imply that it was such before the flooding and during the reign of the 4 kings when Gwyn gave them his power.
25
26-From the Darksign item description: Death triggers the Darksign. It is simply the event of turning undead that causes the darksign to manifest, no deeper. The use The Darksign signifies an accursed Undead. Those branded with it are reborn after death.  of ‘branded’ here suggests intent, along with the scene in the opening cinematic where Anastacia appears to be “branding” a hollow with the darksign.
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28-I think in that scene she is simply discovering it, and that the darksign is merely indicative of undeath, not prescriptive.
29
30-The Darksign is not actually curse but an ability born from the use of humanity. It allows you to live forever as long as you have humanity. The ability to use humanity is strictly human, other races (and gods) can’t use it, that is why they were afraid of it and labeled it as a curse.
31
32-It may be that the dark sign is simply what will eventually mark all humans that came into contact each symbolised with a different type of fire.
33
34What is Humanity?
35Shattered remnants of the original Dark Soul.
36
37Who is the Chosen Undead?
38-There is no true “chosen undead,” only a fallacy perpetuated by Frampt and Gwyndolin to manipulate undead seeking redemption into linking the first flame and maintaining the Age of Fire for a little longer.
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40-The criteria for being a Chosen Undead (as Frampt’s dialogues imply there were many before you, and more likely to come) is the ability to remain in control of oneself despite being “hollowed” (a.k.a. beef jerky mode). You are the only character in the game that looks like that and still remains rational. {untrue both the male and female undead merchants have a hollow body and a somewhat sane mind, at the very least they aren’t completely insane}  It explains why, upon meeting NPCs, they often remark You’re no hollow, are you?. This allows the player character to fulfill the trials of the Bells of Awakening and Sen’s Fortress and, the whole game, without going ‘full hollow’(Retard)  from dying so many times.
41    -I believe in an interview with a developer, FROM said that a player would go hollow if they     their sanity or was completely stripped of hope. Basically some form of surrender of the         mind whether it be broken or devoid of will. Furthermore from the players perspective,         that would be in the form of deleting, giving up, or simply when you stop returning to the        game.
42
43Why does Oscar free the Chosen Undead?
44From his dying words it is presumed that he was hoping to either find or become the Chosen Undead, perhaps he thought he could find answers in the Asylum and freed the Chosen Undead on whim. Oscar was originally planned to be the Chosen Undead’s rival of sorts.
45
46How did Oscar become wounded in the Asylum?
47Presumably dying alone in a sealed room despite minutes earlier having been healthy enough to hoist around a corpse and drop it into your cell. He is sitting atop a pile of rubble beneath a hole in the ceiling, and the only way into that room was through the hole created by the boulder. The only theory I can come up with is that he was battling the asylum demon on the roof and was literally hammered into the room below.
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49Why does the Crow take the Chosen Undead to Lordran?
50There is no explicit reason given, however there is speculation that the crow was sent by the goddess Velka (or is Velka herself). Velka’s association with crows is known due to Crow enemies in the Painted World of Ariamis named as the “Crow People of Velka”in the art book.
51This is further supported by the fact that Velka is the one who punishes gods, and other gods fear her. The chosen undead does just that to basically every deity he can find.+
52
53-The gods seem to have had the ability to tame beasts for manual labor. Gargoyles guard the first bell of awakening, bat demons ferry pilgrims from Sen’s fortress to Anor Londo,  snakemen and giants (not exactly beasts) are used for labor and guards. The crow may simply have been trained by the deities to transport chosen undead candidates to Lordran.
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55
56Why is Lordran mostly abandoned?
57-Due to the outbreak of hollows.
58-I thought Hollows get sent to Lordran?
59-Undead are not sent to Lordran, they are sent to the “North”, from wFina.here, if they escape the Undead Asylum, they “make pilgrimage” to Lnmllkmnkleem to make this mistake all the time.
60-They get sent to the Undead Asylums, whether they go willingly or not is another story.
61-Anor Londo is considered the city of the gods and lordran was their country sort of, as in the place where all the deities once lived, as the age of fire began to end they choose to flee and left behind only Gwindolyn. we don’t know where the gods went, but that’s why the land is mostly abandoned.
62-The hollows are remains of previous undead trying to complete your goal, all believing themselves to be the chosen undead, when they failed they became hollow.
63-It’s possible that Lordran, the undead burg and parish were originally the towns of the servants of Anor Londo, though they became populated with undead who were corralled there.
64Why is New Londo in ruin?
65-The Three Sealers flooded the city after the Darkwraiths and the Four Kings started killing everyone for their humanity.
66-There is no one we can trust so history remains a mystery, you kinda have to choose whose version you believe.
67-The Crestfallen Warrior tells you that New Londo was an undead city. It must have been sanctioned by Gwyn since he bestowed part of his lord soul to the four kings.
68-However, this may be just what Frampt wants you to think, New Londo was the city of man, the Four Kings were the rulers of man, perhaps as the dark age came about the city was flooded simply because Gwyn feared the rising power of man?
69
70Who were the Sealers, besides Ingward?
71-One of the other two sealers was a female named Yulva, creator of the Remedy sorcery. She ultimately perished in Blighttown, where you find the Crimson set. From the Remedy description: Sorcery of the red-robed Yulva, one of the Sealers of New Londo ... Perhaps she abandoned her Sealer duty to take her healing arts back to Blighttown.
72
73-The remaining Sealer is speculated to be the white phantom that accompanies Lautrec in Anor Londo, given that he wears the Crimson set and wields the same catalyst as Ingward, despite not wearing the Crimson mask (perhaps out of shame).
74
75Why does Lautrec kill Anastasia?
76-For her Firekeeper’s soul to offer up to his goddess,
77-He might just take it for his personal use. (Either way he was done with her and so he took it when he left.)
78
79Who is Gwyn’s first born?
80-Andre was originally intended to be a relative of Gwyn but this was scrapped. Whether or not the first born is in the game or not is up to the player’s imagination.
81-Maybe it’s Solaire.
82-Evidence against Solaire: the first born is the leader of the Warriors of Sunlight, like Nito is to the Gravelord Servants, but you can still offer medals after killing Solaire, meaning he may not be the leader of the Sunlight warriors.
83-Might be the one exception to that Covenant rule. It is said that the First Born gave up his status as a deity (just as Solaire says he became undead to find his “sun.”).
84-You sure about that? I thought he was stripped of his status, not that he gave it up. Also,
85something about an amnesia was mentioned, I think. (The amnesia is all fan theory in order to make Solaire fit. I haven’t seen anything in game for that.)
86-We know 2 things, he was stripped of his status and after that happened he put the Sunlight Blade miracle on his father's coffin,  this may mean being stripped of the status meant that while he was no longer a god by name he retained all of his powers but could no longer stay in the city of the gods.
87-there really is no way of being 100% sure.
88-The fact that they scrapped the Andre storyline could mean they just didn’t have time or resources to continue expanding on it, and just left a bunch of mysterious items for us to  speculate on (fucking bamco)
89-The Altar of Sunlight can be assumed to have been a statue of the first born (god of sunlight)  which was destroyed following his exile. The headpiece is actually still intact and lays on the ground to the right of the base. We can at least observe that while he was a respected deity, he had a fair face, was clean shaven, and had medium length hair that reached his neck.
90
91Why does Petrus abandon Rhea?
92-He is a coward. He abandons her because he fears losing his humanity in the Tomb of the Giants along with his fellow covenant members.
93-That does not explain why he was so eager on getting her humanity.
94-Maybe he just decides to take hers in order to maintain his own.-he was trying to tempt the chosen undead into killing her, petrus is a coward and he abandoned his word, while rhea blamed herself Petrus knew he was at fault, it’s possible he killed her to stop her from telling other people in the church about what he did, killing the witness to his cowardice.
95-The Thoroland Church sends it’s high ranking Clerics to Lordran to seek kindling as a way to get rid of them. It is hinted that you can be turned undead on purpose, so Reah may have been turned deliberately. Petrus seems to be settled into Firelink permanently, due to his stash under the parish lift, it is his job to guide all Clerics sent to seek kindling and deal with them. I have my doubts Petrus is undead, but if he is he must be the first Cleric to be sent there, acting as a guide to all the rest. If they can discover the rite of kindling, they prolong the bonfires, if they fail to seek kindling, they die, and the Church has dealt with a possible political enemy.
96-Petrus appears to be an undead- while fighting him he has the ability to use an Estus Flask.
97-Being that she is a resident she probably has a lot of political power (as mentioned by Petrus himself)  and may very well be a minor noble, so he has good reason to fear her.
98
99-The church are enemies to the uof Kindling path. If they don’t return, they got rid of the undead problem. If they did, they just obtained an ancient rite allowing them to advance their ways. For my proof : Paladin Leeroy was one of the first undead paladins who were worthy enough to work for the church. Why exactly do you think he is all the way down in the tomb of giants.
100
101Why does Solaire go Hollow?
102-He doesn’t actually turn hollow, he simply goes mad.
103
104-He cannot find his “sun” or whatever he was looking for and his depression turns to insanity after finding the Sunlight Maggot. He doesn’t turn insane provided the player kills the Sunlight Maggot in the shortcut to Lost Izalith.
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106-I had believed that the parasitic Sunlight Maggot had possessed him to a degree. I was always nervous about putting that thing on my head.
107
108-Expanding on the topic of the Sunlight Maggot and possession, the main character seems to be immune to the effects of the Maggot. Clearly, if the maggot can drive someone to insanity, but does not drive the player to insanity, there must be a proper reason behind it. Also, in the DLC, there is another headgear item that claims “only someone insane would wear it” or something to that effect, yet it does not poorly effect the player when worn. Perhaps due to special reasons, the player is immune to the effects of insanity (further bolstered by the fact that you do not go insane when you’re hollowed), or to the effects of parasites.
109
110Why does Laurentius go Hollow?
111-Because he goes searching for Quelana of Izalith. During which he is either impeded by the poison or perhaps Quelana refuses to teach him which results in his hollowing. He could also be searching for the Fair Lady since having any Pyromancy from her covenant triggers him to ask
112-He likely wandered around the swamp searching in vain until his inevitable hollowing. Only two people are known to even be capable of seeing Quelana after the creation of the Bed of Chaos  some 1000 years ago.
113-Do Quelaana’s pyromancies work as a trigger for him to ask you for the Pyromancies (Greater Chaos Fireball, etc)? I always rush through blighttown and grab the Chaos Fireball from the Fair Lady, not even talking to Quelana.
114-Yes, they do. They pique his interest of “swamp pyromancies,” and he becomes curious as to how one might obtain them. You have the option of saying either yes or no to giving him the knowledge of where you found them (Blighttown), which will result in him either travelling to Blighttown and meeting his imminent demise (Yes), or staying in Firelink Shrine (No).
115-We know from the dialogue of the Crestfallen Merchant (and from Oscar’s implication) that when undead die, they go hollow where they fell. This implies that Laurentius simply died in Blighttown and thus became hollow. This explains why all characters that go hollow do so. It is NOT a form of insanity (or at least not in the traditional sense.)
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117
118
119Why does Griggs go Hollow?
120He goes to search for Logan after he leaves the Firelink Shrine, and eventually succumbs to Sen’s Fortress, losing his mind and turning hollow.
121
122Why does Logan go Hollow?
123-Logan never went hollow, his body wasn’t shriveled up like a hollow.
124-Seath’s research drove him insane, it can be surmised that Logan became hollow after having the same thing happen to him.
125-It would appear he was was attempting to continue/imitate Seath’s research and possibly begin crystallizing his own body.
126
127-Was it ever proved that Seath’s research made him go mad? (It is implied by the Darkmoon Knightess.)
128
129-He probably was insane to begin with, considering he was jealous enough of the other dragons to betray them in a way that led to their near extinction.
130
131-The research into the scales of immortality seems to cause insanity. You can talk to Logan a couple times after he gets into the research and he is slowly losing it. The last response before going insane indicates he no longer remembers you.
132
133Why does the Crestfallen Warrior go Hollow?
134-Like the Crestfallen Merchant, he was likely on the brink of despair. After Frampt shows up in
135Firelink Shrine, he moves to New Londo ruins. This deep depression and despair most likely made him eventually lose his mind and go hollow. (He just died, when undead die they return hollow.)
136
137-Yet the Crestfallen Merchant is one of the only npc’s that can’t go hollow, you can kill him but he will not hollow. what makes one hollow and the other stay human?
138
139-All NPCs who go hollow leave their original position. They lose their mind when they relocate or go search for something. The Crestfallen Merchant never leaves his post in the tower in Sen’s Fortress.
140
141-Surely it’s a gameplay mechanic, how silly would it be if when you killed an NPC you had to kill them again because they returned hollow? That, or perhaps some special aspect of being killed by a non-hollow undead and thus having your soul absorbed nullifies your chances of returning as a hollow.
142
143What is the difference between the normal undead and Nito’s undead?
144-The only skeleton undeads we see in the game are all emanating from or at least gathering  to Nito. They could possibly be a different branch of undead altogether as the ones in the graveyard lack the fiery red eyes which exhibit the darksign. (We do see skeleton wheels locked in the basement labyrinth in the Painted World, but they may have simply been captured and imprisoned by clerics)
145-The fact that Vamos had never gone hollow despite his long-term self-isolation may mean the skeletons are immune. (Lone characters seem to be immune from hollowing as long as they have something to do. Or at least don’t fall into despair.)
146-Should also point out that the skeleton’s eyes glow similar to hollowed undead so long as they are under the influence of a nearby necromancer and are thus capable of being revived.  However, giant skeletons in Tomb of  the Giants also possess glowing eyes yet are not revived. -Both could be simple gameplay features and not relevant to the lore.
147
148    -Nito’s undead have somewhat of a hivemind?
149        -Debatable, due to the fact that Nito is the “de-facto ‘Undead King,’” he may simply have control over them.
150(Undead King, referring to the skeletons, not the entirety of undead as a whole, IE: general hollowed humans)
151            -Nito doesn’t seem to have been active at all following the war against dragons. He just chilled in his crypt and did nothing as Pinwheel and his servants stole his power. It’s never clear whether he actually commanded the skeletons or if they simply revered him. The chamber before his boss room is filled with prostrating skeletons.
152
153-Nito does not in fact have any connections to the undead. He’s the first of the “dead”, he is constantly connected to the dead, and is never linked to the undead in any way. The skeletons in the graveyard, the catacombs, and tomb of the giants are dead, not undead. “Gravelord Nito administers the death of all manner of beings. The power of this soul is so great that it satiates the Lordvessel, despite the fact that much of its energy has already been offered to death." Is on his lord soul, also "The miasma of death exudes from the sword, a veritable toxin to any living being." Is on the Gravelord Sword, and on the Gravelord Sword dance “Nito sleeps deep within the Giant Catacombs, quietly overseeing all death, and waiting for his servants to usher in the Eye of Death."”.
154-This is the second time I’ve posted this, if you delete it again then show some proof to contradict the evidence presented..
155-It honestly sounds like you’re heavily misinterpreting their use of the word “death”. Are you saying that he has nothing to do with undeath because it just says ‘death’ without the ‘un-’? You realise that you can’t be undead without being dead, right? It sorts of fits Dark Souls’ style that they would simply refer to the undead as just ‘dead’, that sort of terminology and vocabulary is familiar. And he’s a giant GOD DAMN walking pile of skeletons for Christ’s sake.
156
157-For what it’s worth I whole-heartedly agree on the difference between undead and dead, it’s obvious that Nito does NOT control undead and also obvious that dead do not display any traits at all reminiscent of undead (no darksign, no estus, nothing.) I think you’re probably just caught up in your tradition use of the word “undead” referring to walking corpses, whereas in Dark Souls it means something quite different, similar to the way in which “Human” does not mean a certain race as differentiated from other beings in Lordran -- it simply means a creature with Humanity.
158
159-I think of this kind of like how the gods (Gwyn and his children in particular along with the 4 knights) seem not to be human, but at the same time they appear to have very similar physical attributes to humans.
160
161What happens if the Age of Fire ends?
162-The gods lose their status as deities. This is why Gwyn refused to let it end.
163-I thought it was because he would die if otherwise
164-Losing godly status = becoming mortal = death soon enough.(I highly doubt “gods” in Lordran are immortal to begin with. They are just powerful beings because of the lord souls.)
165-Immortal in this case being used for extreme (nigh infinite) longevity, they can still be killed by violence.
166-Can they? It is said the reason they locked Priscilla in the painted world was that she had the ability to kill even a god, it’s possible that during the height of the age of fire they were truly invincible. (sources on the priscilla stuff anyone?) (There is absolutely no proof of this, the scythe is merely “feared” even by the gods, there is no explanation given why she is in the Painted World)
167-Whatever the case, Gwyn’s motives were not selfish, he sacrificed his lord soul and his life to link the flame and keep the Age of Fire going, as he was alive during the Age of Darkness one can assume he believed a return of the age of darkness was worse than death.
168-The “Gods” may have weakened since the fire waned. We can only guess how vulnerable they were. We know that they had at least some fear of occult weapons and maybe even Pricilla.
169
170Looking back on the game intro, it seems likely that the world may simply revert to a barren foggy   wasteland. It was the first fire that birthed/gave strength to the gods and humanity. the dark soul in the possession of mankind, its possible they may yet survive as undead.
171
172- The age before the Age of Fire was the Age of the Ancients, not the Age of Dark. It was a grey, elemental time inhabited by eternal dragons and the like. Not sure if the coming Age of Dark is a regression or a next step in the cycle.
173
174-This questions for me has always been more about what will the Abyss do at the end of the age.
175
176-Yeah, it seems that when the Age of Fire comes to a close the Abyss surely takes over, since humans are the only ones with souls anymore, and thus perhaps the only living beings left (“The soul gives rise to all life,” non-Human souls are powered by Fire, Human souls don’t need fire because they’re from the Dark Soul.)
177
178Why does Rhea go Hollow?
179
180After selling all her miracles, losing her comrades and failing to find the Rite of Kindling she has lost her purpose and reason to go on.
181This doesn’t explain why she was found in the Duke’s Archives. Seath’s followers (the channelers) have been known to abduct maidens for experimentation. Its likely they captured Rhea and locked her up. Remember, there was a channeller watching over the chapel. The group may have been searching the area regularly.
182    -Is it possible she was trying to reach Anor Londo through Sen’s and the snakemen captured her there? The Cage key in Sen’s says that the snakemen don’t kill the exhausted travelers, but lock them in the cages and take them to never be seen again.
183
184- Although the snakemen aren’t believed to be working with Seathe. Some believe that a s channeler (Much like the one you first see there) Visited and took her away. It seems Seath might have sent some out or they merely search the land on their own.
185
186-No, surely the Man-Serpents work for Seath, as they can be seen in his Archives. Who else would they work for, unless you think they broke into and invaded the Archives...
187
188Why are the rings of the Gwyn’s four great knights found in their respective locations?
189Sif kills anyone who tresspasses onto Artorias’ grave, so either Artorias dropped the Wolf Ring in
190the forest or Sif killed a grave-robber who was trying to steal it. (Alternatively, he might have dropped it to wear the Covenant of Artorias instead. Though it makes little sense since he has ten fingers, but then again, the chosen undead can only wear two rings.)
191
192The Leo Ring is found after killing Ornstein who is its owner.
193The Hornet Ring is found on Artorias’ grave, the DLC shows us that Ciaran created the grave so she likely put it there as tribute. (Note that at the same spot in the past as it is in the present, and the player can kill Ciaran on the spot. The one in the time of the chosen undead was probably built by the Forest Hunters.)
194-The female corpse found behind Artorias’ grave is also likely Ciaran herself. Though this may be contradicted by the player slaying Ciaran in the past.
195-It could be the corpse of another one of the Lord’s Blades who received Ciaran’s ring (highly unlikely, there is no evidence whatsoever to support this)
196
197The Hawk Ring is found next to the Giant Blacksmith, it is plausible the Blacksmith inherited it from Gough who was also a giant. It’s implied they are good friends when going through his dialogue, possibly even related. Gough says he misses chatting with the Giant Blacksmith.
198
199
200What does “Linking the Fire” mean?
201Sacrificing your humanity and soul to keep the First Flame burning longer.
202-this probably bring back the sun of Anor Londo, everywhere else but Anor Londo the sun isn’t dark,
203No, all it does is prevent the age of dark from turning the whole world into the Abyss, (the age of  dark means the first flame is put out, hee, darkness. No mention of the abyss taking over the world because of that) basically.
204But it’ll happen eventually so all you’re doing is making everyone live longer in a shitty zombie world.
205I think the darkness in Anor Londo symbolises the end of the age of fire, it shows just how weak fire has truly become.
206It may be why the gods abandoned it in the first place, if you link the flame that power may start up the “sun” in Anor Londo.
207this bring up an odd question, how many suns are there?
208but gwyndolin can make the sun appear in anor londo using his illusion titties
209the sun itself is an illusion, the darkness is reality, the idea is if you link the flame the illusion won’t be necessary, as it will become “sunny” again, anor being latin for sunny.
210-Anor isn’t latin for sunny as far as I am aware. It may be inspired by the word Arnor from Lord of the Rings meaning “high land” - a kingly place.
211whatever the case may be i always found it odd one part of the world has a sun that is different from the other, it makes me wonder if solaire wasn’t literally when he said he’s looking for his own sun, can you have a personal sun? how many suns are there?
212‘Tis a mystery.
213i was literally when i read that
214
215
216
217
218What are the Primordial Serpents?
219-Dwellers of the Abyss that have existed since the dawn of time.
220-The serpent ring items state: “The serpent is an imperfect dragon and symbol of the Undead. Its habit of devouring prey even larger than itself has led to an association of gluttony.” (Manus) and started the spread of the Abyss. They probably stole his pendant that is why “his humanity went wild” apparently tricked Artorias into falling under the Abyss’ influence.
221-They a-The serpents tricked the people of Oolacile to open the grave of a primeval human
222-Not so sure about this, I forgot what Chester said exactly.
223-He claims the people of Oolacile were convinced by that ‘toothy serpent’ to expThere is also solore the abyss and open the grave of Manus. Kinda odd that Chester dislikes the serpents yet invades like a darkwraith.
224me gough lines that say oolacile people awoken the primeval human and it is their fault
225
226-Artorias lost to Manus, that’s why he fell to the Abyss. There’s nothing to suggest that he was tricked (is there?)
227
228-I think he never even made it to Manus, he probably succumbed to the abyss around where you find Sif, considering he was desperate enough to leave his shield behind. Sounds like a last resort to me. He probably knew or felt he was going to lose himself to the abyss. Judging by his equipment, he took a good amount of beating down there.
229- How can this be true? Didn’t Artorias join the Four Kings and become the fifth one? I don’t think he could have succumbed at the location we find Sif.
230-No, he did not join the Four kings. There’s no solid evidence that he can be linked to the darkwraiths at all, other than him being able to traverse the abyss because of the covenant with the beasts of the abyss. Kaathe and Frampt are not the only creatures roaming the abyss.
231
232What is the Painted World of Ariamis?
233(Note: Ariamis is not the world’s name. Ariamis is the creator of the world.)
234A sealed world where all of the forbidden or heretical things (perhaps including things that threaten the power of Gwyn and his followers) from Anor Londo were kept away from the rest of the world. Notably you can find the Dark Ember in there, which is used to make weapons that hurt gods, as well as items and creatures related to Velka, the goddess of Sin, whose job is to punish the other deities. Was made by Ariamis, whom we have no information of. Crossbreed Priscilla supposedly stays there willingly (she knows the way out).
235
236It’s possible Priscilla is also condemned to stay there. There’s the whole popular “Seath is her father” theory that floats around, and they locked her in that painting when she was young to hide Seath’s past.
237
238I can’t recall which, but there is an item that refers to Ariamis’ work as paintings (plural); this might insinuate that there are more painted worlds elsewhere. Whether they too are utilised as prisons, and for whom, is interesting to mulLike an l upon. Perhaps they might even be used as refuges for the gods who deserted Anor Londo. eternal paradise of sorts.
239-his second child was born as the fire began to cool and his power began to fade, she may look
240Why does Gwynevere appear so large?
241-Gwyndolin makes her appear large and “godly” in order to deceive the Chosen Undead.
242-Was this ever proven? Even if she’s an illusion, her room is not.
243
244- Ornstein does grow to a much larger size after absorbing Smough’s soul, possibly linking size to power or at least the possibility of growing in size with the help of powers.-The “gods” that do we see are only somewhat larger than the player or are around the same size (Gwyn and Gwyndolin). If they count as the god-race, Artorias, Ornstein, and Ciaran follow this as well.
245-Since both Ciaran and Gough refer to you as “you humans” then the whole god-race-thanks-to-Lord’s-Soul might be a sound theory
246- Possible that Gwynevere and Gwyndolin have different mothers, hers could have been a Giant, for all we know. Gwyn, after all, isn’t regular size, but he ain’t that, Gough-wise/Giant Blacksmith, big. Chances are she is that large, remember the portrait in one of the adjacent rooms near the *bonfire with Solaire in Anor Londo? Granted, that shit could have been scaled up for the illusion, but man, the chamber itself is huge. I doubt Gwyndolin managed to scrounge up a workforce to build something that much for an illusion.
247-I chalked the portrait up to artistic license.
248-it could have a lot to do with the order of birth, the first son was born when the age of fire was still strong, he became a true god as the power of gwyn’s loins was still very strong (god this is weird sentence), the sunlight warrior alter has a big sun above it that looks a little like an eye, it may very well be the eye of gwyn’s first born still watching over his warriors.
249big to us but she may be much smaller than a true god, however as the fire was still hot she looks better than any human has any right to look and is much larger as the power of the flame is strong in her.
250- his final son was born as the age of fire was truly coming to an end and Gwyns power faded, he was attracted to the moon, the moon only reflects the light of the sun without creating any light, it could be that this is also why he seems deformed a symbol to the end of fire.
251-Gwyn’s tomb which is also build by Gwyndolin has sarcophagus which is far larger than Gwyn’s body could be, I think Gwyndolin just has some problems with the size of his relatives.
252-or it could be gwyns became smaller as the flames consumed his deific power, growing smaller and smaller as he became less god and more mortal.
253-we know Gwyndolin wants the chosen undead to link the fire, it may be because like the moon he has no power of his own and he needs the fire to burn bright so he can steal it’s power and make it his own, just like the moon reflects the light of the sun and without the sun it is completely dark.
254
255Who is Maneater Mildred?
256-Most likely an ally of the Butchers (or their “leader”) in the Depths, she wanted to eat Laurentius.
257(Laurentius says that they were going to feed him to “her”, but “her” could also be referring to the giant rat below and behind the butchers table. Needs more info.... ENB released a video claiming that Laurentius was referring to the butchers in the Depths. He claims that in an interview with From, that the butchers are in fact, Female.)
258-She is also the build that From used to playtest some invasions.
259-I heard from a translated interview that she was just something they threw in for no particular reason. They laughed when the interviewer was discussing the speculation.
260
261Who is Knight Kirk?         
262Kirk is described in-game as “a notorious member of the Dark Wraiths.” Despite this it has been confirmed by a developer interview that Kirk is gathering humanity for the Fair Lady which would technically brand him as a member of the Chaos Servants. (Oddly enough he doesn’t use the Dark Hand to drain humanity, which would be the main reason for him to become a Darkwraith.)
263
264Who is Paladin Leeroy?
265A paladin produced by the Way of the White. His appearance as a dark spirit is possibly due to his death in the Tomb of the Giants. He is the first undead paladin, the first undead considered good enough to serve the lord instead of being sent to the asylum. His gear is a reference to Garl Vinland from Demon’s Souls, also the area you encounter him in is similar (narrow ledge). (Possible reference to the infamous Leeroy Jenkins, of World of Warcraft.)
266Who is Xanthous King Jeremiah?A man who was exiled to the Painted World. He uses a whip so perhaps he was exiled for excessive cruelty to his subjects. His strange headgear seems to be a nod to the Old Monk
267demon from Demon’s Souls.
268
269What if Jeremiah was the king of the region that the tower of Latria was located in? The garb between him and the Old Monk are quite similar, and the whole area of Latria is based on Torture and Despair.5
270
271
272Who is Havel the Rock? and dragons. Was imprisoned in the Undead Burg Tower because he went hollow. (It’s unclear if the person locked up is Havel himself, considering you find his armor in Anor Londo, and his followers used the same armor as him.(The game provides several instances of being able to find the armor of an NPC before you meet them. You can get Oscar’s elite knight armor in darkroot despite him still wearing it upon your return to the asylum.)The Watchtower Basement key says that the person in the tower was locked up “for his own good, of course”.
273There is a theory that Havel took part in a plot against the gods, as the Occult Club which is a weapon made to hurt gods can be found in his storage in Anor Londo.
274I thought he disagreed with Gwyn working with Seath and was branded traitor and locked away.
275
276A Bishop and close battle-compatriot to Gwyn. A sworn enemy of Seath. He hates sorceries
277
278Who is Ceaseless Discharge?
279He is the son of the Witch of Izalith (youngest brother of Daughters of Chaos). He lives in eternal agony because of the flames searing his flesh, his only joy is to watch over his dead sister’s remains. He only turns hostile if you attack him or take his sister’s clothes. If you attack him and run out of range he un-aggros and goes back to looking at her body. He only sticks to you if you take the clothes.
280
281-Also the constant stream of heat and lava coming from his body keeps the area hot and molten. It cools upon his death.
282-The Orange Charred Ring states that his sisters created a ring for him, due to his sores being inflamed by lava from birth. It’s possible this birth refers to his ‘rebirth’ as a demon after the Bed of Chaos was created.
283
284
285Who is Black Iron Tarkus?
286A warrior who traveled to Anor Londo after going through Sen’s Fortress. If the location of his armor was any indication, he was killed by the Painting Guardians (or he fell off the beams). He is also probably of Berenike descent. Although speculation surrounds Tarkus, as he may only be resting, instead of being deceased.
287
288He is a fan favorite due to his strength. You can summon him for the Iron Golem boss fight; his symbol appearing in the tower just past the grey fog. He is strong enough to solo the boss for you.
289
290Who/What is Berenike?
291Due to a few item description contradictions, and perhaps a few translation errors, Berenike may be interpreted as a man or a country. Whichever the case, the Knights of Berenike, or the Knights Berenike were an outfit of extremely fearsome knights who wielded large sets of steel armor and greatswords. Black Iron Tarkus may be an elite member of these Knights. There exists speculation that the Berenike Knights belonged to Balder, as regular Balder warriors are often found in areas where these knights stand. This may also mean that they are followers of  jKnight King Rendal.
292-What is the deal with the lone Berenike Knight beyond the hollows on the bridge in the Painted World?
293The japanese description of the Steel Set seems to indicate that Berenike(or Bernice, as the JPs spell it) is not a country, not a man, but just the group of knights.
294
295Who is Witch Beatrice?
296A rogue witch, who didn’t go to the Vinheim sorcerer school.
297She most likely died trying to defeat the Four Kings. She is one of the three people known to be able to traverse the Abyss, other two being Knight Artorias and the chosen undead. *Notice the similarity she bears to the witch selling spells in Demon’s Souls. Rudimentary and offset from formal magic.
298
299Who are Priscilla’s parents?
300The identity of Priscilla’s parents is not canon, though it is theorized that Priscilla’s birth parents were Seath and Gwynevere. This is merely speculation, though, with no in-game proof. It’s also speculated that she is an experiment of Seath, like the Piascas in the prison of the Duke’s archives. While Seath and Gwynevere are often brought up as potential couple for this crossbreed, Priscilla has scales and fur, while Seath is described as the scaleless dragon. It’s possible his lack of scales isn’t hereditary. If Seath’s scalelessness IS hereditary however, Priscilla’s scales further support her being a result of an experiment, rather than a direct descendant of Seath.
301
302-Most forms of albinism are caused by the inheritance of genetically recessive alleles so its unlikely that the daughter of Gwynevere (a brunette) would be albino. Admittedly, this doesn’t mean much in a fictional magical world.
303
304-Taking this into account, I would speculate that the developers were trying to remain as “realistic” as possible (ignore the irony in that statement, it’s pretty obvious that it’s a game about things that aren’t real) and wouldn’t ignore key details about genetics, provided they were even paying attention to those subjects. Any lack thereof would end in an oversight (and thus, makes the debate of whether it was intended or not completely irrelevant).
305
306- Perhaps She is the daughter of Velka. Yet this is probably not true only due to size difference, who was also tossed into the painted world due to Seathe. Which I doubt is false because Once the gods left Anor Londo, Seathe basically took over.
307
308Who are the Four Kings?
309-Four Kings who ruled over New Londo when it was prosperous. Received a piece of Gwyn’s Lord Soul.
310-I have two theories, first is that they were just a council of 4, ruling over the city. Second theory is that they were originally one person, but somehow got split into four (their appearance, endless respawning and shared health pool support this). maybe 4 is more of a symbol then a real number that should be taken literally?
311
312-but there are far more than 4 kings, you can a near infinite amount of ghosts at the same time.
313-I’ve had only 4 Kings at max on screen, but yes they do spawn until the gauge is depleted.
314-The maximum amount of kings is 4 at once. But the fact that they share their health pool, suggests they are connected to each other on a level (compare Ornstein and Smough).
315-Disregarding the fact that this is an obvious intentional game mechanic, it could be feasible that the Four Kings are connected to each other, however it is quite debatable whether or not Ornstein and Smough are connected in the same sense (the fallen comrade is sacrifficed to make the other more powerful, which does not suggest any correlation between their health being shared).
316-Perhaps the 4 kings are connected by sharing the pieces of the Lord Soul?
317-Are there more than 4 “king” models? It could just be that the Abyss gives them the power to multiply themselves. This would explain the shared health as well. Anyone know? Because the game specifically references them as “4 Kings” and not “The Kings of New Londo”.
318    -I meant that Ornstein and Smough are not connected (Gargoyles would have been a better example really), while the four kings are. From could have simply given each king a set amount of HP and the battle would be over once you kill all four, but that isn’t the case. They could still spawn on a timer and the battle wouldn’t really be changed at all. This COULD be a pure game mechanic, but subtle things like this are just FromSoft’s style of storytelling.
319
320-The two gargoyles on top of the chapel     also share the same healthbar despite there being no indication that they are magically linked. I think it was just a gameplay mechanic.
321-But they don’t share a healthbar. You cant win the battle without killing both, and they don’t respawn.
322
323
324Who is Sen?
325There is no information about Sen available in the game.
326Apparently, you were to fight Sen after you passed through the door after the Iron Golem. He was at the end of an area that was supposed to bridge Sens Fortress and Anor Londo, rather than gargoyles bringing you up.
327ENB’s theory: “sen” means a thousand on japanese so it can be translated as “the fortress of thousand traps”. Sen is in katakana though, so it is definitely a name. Wordplay is a possibility?
328Amateur Translator’s note: Sen can also mean “stopper”, as in a plug AND can also mean “line” or “division”. Could very well be a wordplay.
329Isn’t it a play on the Japanese folktale with Senhime and the other dudes I don’t remember
330
331What is Sen’s Fortress?
332the Legendary barricade used long as testing ground to determine those worthy of being brought to Anor Londo. Many have braved it, but only a few have succeeded, Black Iron Tarkus, Solaire, Siegmeyer, etc. It seems like they wanted to further reduce the number of people going into Anor Londo by blocking off the doorway behind the Iron Golem, leading inside. Instead, winged demons take you there, possibly judging you before letting you cross to the other side.
333-I don’t think Sen’s cgh that funhouse? I think it might have been a back door or prison. If they wanted to keep the citizens of the burg out, how aould be the main entrance to Anor Londo. Dignitaries and ambassadors being escorted throubout, say, a huge cliff topped by a wall? It doesn’t make sense to just be a barrier.
334
335What is the Gaping Dragon?
336A dragon who could never satiate its hunger and ate. Its gluttonous ways cursed it, turning it into what it currently is.
337
338Why does Gwyndolin choose to remain in Anor Londo?
339To maintain the farce that the Age of Fire is not fading. Also could be to enlist undead in his hunt for the supposed “chosen undead”.
340-Presumably because the rest of his family/relatives/other gods just don’t like his presence and he felt shunned by them
341-Being the youngest sibling and already trapped in the wrong body, he is probably desperate to please his father
342-Alternatively, Gwyndolin could be trying to usurp his father and steal the power of the First (Second) Fire for himself. He does manage, through his illusion of Gwynevere, to convince you to kill all of the other possible successors and sacrifice yourself to relink the fires. This leaves him as the lone god in Anor Londo, which would make him de facto king of the gods.
343
344Why does Gwyndolin create an illusion of his sister?
345-She is merely there to trick the Chosen Undead.
346-If you wanted to go Freudian, he keeps the illusion for “personal reasons.”
347-or because of his crippling insecurity. he is ugly and he knows it, a deformed freak a man born to be a woman with a body so mutated it’s barely recognizable as human.
348Perhaps he believes no one in his sight will inspire loyalty or respect so he conjures up a picture of the perfect woman, someone the chosen undead will see and recognize as someone to trust and obey.
349Much like the great wizard of Oz, he was the little man behind the curtain, she was his mask.
350If you look at the statues around anor londo you will see Gwyn, Gwynevere and the Broken one(first born). Probably he and his covenant of Darkmoon is a secret that the citizens don’t know. He was probably the only “brave” god that didn’t run away like the others.
351
352- It is possible that he was ordered to stay there. Knowing the age of fire was coming to an end. He was there to ensure that the chosen one would follow the proper path. Handing off the Lordvessel and sending them on their way in belief that this was what needed to be done. Fathers man.
353
354What is Ciaran’s relationship with Artorias?
355-Perhaps lovers or at least close friends. In the present era her ring is found on his grave, in past Oolacile she creates a makeshift grave for him. Upon death (if the player opts to kill her) she says his name which reinforces the lovers theory.
356-That size difference, man
357-Apparently if you like somebody of the opposite gender you’re lovers, no matter if you’re of completely incompatible races.
358-Who says that they were different races?
359-Cieran speaks disdainfully of humans while fighting her. She is probably a demigod too.
360-Size seems to be very irrelevant in the world of Dark Souls, considering how Ornstein and Smough can change their size in a flash. Artorias could just have grown as a side-effect of being corrupted by the abyss.-Not to mention how much his sword grows when you fight Sif and shrinks when you summon him, game mechanics.
361
362
363How was Artorias able to traverse the Abyss?
364By making a covenant with the abyss beasts. Hence the reason his ring (which grants the user the ability to traverse the Abyss) is called the Covenant of Artorias.
365-it’s possible that this pact was that he became a darkwraith in order to destroy the abyss, I believe one item description mentions this...
366
367Who is Sif, the Great Grey Wolf?As revealed in the DLC, Sif was Artorias’ wolf who stayed in Darkroot Garden to protect his grave. He/She didn’t belong to Artorias, Sif was just a companion and a close friend. (source is Cat Covenant Ring’s japanese description.) *Don’t have to put he/she in Japanese culture elder god wolves are always male. Even in they have children. **Fucking Disney used female actors in their Princess Mononoke dub.
368-Sif is a friend of Alvina, Alvina hopes to protect him by discouraging people from going to his grave. She also guides you to him in the Abyss
369
370
371
372Why are the Asylum and Stray Demons in the Asylum?
373As a security system of sorts to prevent the prisoners from leaving. How they got there is up to anyone’s guess. However, one could argue that by the title of latter demon, both are are literal “strays” who wandered into the Asylum from the Demon Ruins.
374- Possibly as some sort of test for the self-fulfilling prophecy about the “Chosen Undead”, i.e. beat this monster and you prove yourself a bit
375-it could be both demons were meant to inhabit the main floor before the door but one of them strayed, from his post and ended up in the basement.
376-you were never meant to escape but on of the demon guard abandoned his post and you managed to kill his weaker brother.
377-Isn’t Undead Asylum administrated by Thorolund clerics, who hunt the undead? Why demons serve them?Oolacile
378-There’s no indication that they serve, I imagine they are kept like rabid dogs.
379-What do you think “stray” means? The clerics dump the undead into the asylum from the outside. If some demons wander inside, who cares? Let the hollows die from them. It doesn’t make a difference to the clerics.
380-The gods seem to be capable of taming demons to work for them, like the bats that inhabit Anor Londo. The Asylum Demon keeps the big Pilgrim key, sort of a test for the potential “chosen Undead”. Judging from Oscar’s dying condition (smashed from the roof, and he carries the key if you have already killed the demon) it seems like he was struggling to get the key from the demon himself too. The Stray Demon could be the next demon to be used to guard the Asylum in the case that the Asylum demon dies, considering that it is pretty tame and is put in a concealed chamber.
381
382Who is Marvelous Chester?
383-Marvelous Chester is a merchant who was dragged to past . His dialogue indicates that he is from at least the present time period though his attire may suggest that he is from a more distant future. He is likely from Carim as he utilizes a crossbow that is also used by Carim snipers.
384
385- He ended up in the past possibly because he has/had a piece of the broken pendant on his person when he got dragged in. Since he doesn’t drop it when killed, I assume he no longer has it on his person.
386
387Is it possible the pendant itself is just the present day form of the broken pendant?
388
389
390Why does Marvelous Chester attack the Chosen Undead?
391-The way black phantoms work is a bit weird. Taking in the account the way that the timeline is constructed, it might be a Chester of the future or past, invading the time when you are in Oolacile. (Future seems more plausible)
392-The “Chester of a different time” idea seems impossible. If you talk to him after beating his phantom he will be notably more aggressive towards you, and if you lose he will jokingly apologise and give you a humanity. It’s most likely, to me, that he is analogous to other players- typically Darkwraith players have no real “reason” to invade you, beyond fun. He certainly seems to be enjoying himself, after all.
393-But this still doesn’t explain WHY he attacks the chosen undead, maybe he simply went mad and is hunting for humanity?
394-Why do YOU  invade other players? Same reason; he just wants a duel and free humanity.
395
396
397Why does Patches hate Clerics?
398-He doesn’t hate clerics, maybe he just knows the truth behind who they are and what they do.
399-He may have had run-ins with Clerics in the past, he sells their armor after all.
400-undead are hunted by clerics in the outside world where they are seen as monsters, he may blame the clerics for hunting him down like an animal.
401-he uses a faith weapon, he might once have been a cleric himself/ is a heretic
402-might be the reference to Demon’s Souls.
403
404What does Alvina mean when she says that the legend of Artorias is false?
405-She is merely trying to dissuade the player, she obviously doesn’t want you fucking around with Sif and Artorias’ grave.
406-Technically, it makes no sense because you meet Alvina (briefly) in the Chasm of the Abyss, and she knows that you did everything everyone thinks Artorias did.
407    ^--- Why did she lie to the player then, if it was him who achieved what Artorias wasn’t able                    to?
408-This means she is in reality speaking the truth about Artorias’ tale being fabrication.
409-She simply means to dissuade the player from attacking sif and/or traversing the abyss. Just because Artorias was corrupted before he died doesn’t mean the legend of him traversing the abyss was false.
410-She is actually telling the truth about the legend being a fabrication, as per say Elizabeth from the DLC, is the one to have made the legend. In reality, you (the main character) are the “Artorias” of the legend, who saved Oolacile from the abyss. Elizabeth tells you that she will tell the legend but keep your identity hidden, after you saved Oolacile.
411
412What’s the story behind Catarina?
413-Nothing, only that the knights from Catarina use onion shaped armor.
414-Their knights are also intensely proud.
415-Only two people came from Catarina, Siegmeyer who is an undead and his daughter Sieglinde who is not an undead
416-Siegmeyer came to Lodran because he had become an undead, his daughter, Sieglinde followed
417
418What’s the story behind Carim?
419Oswald, Lautrec, and possibly Chester are from Carim. A notable observation is that all act particularly sinister, laughing maliciously.
420
421What’s the story behind Astora?
422Osc icard are from Astora.
423
424What’s the story behind Thorolund?
425
426Both Petrus and Rhea are from Thorolund, with this in mind it seems that it is heavily connected with the Way of the White.
427-Thorolund is a church state, heavily focused around the worship of Gwyn.
428
429What’s the story behind the Vinheim Dragon School?
430It’s the Hogwarts of Dark Souls, a convenient place that mages come from.
431- The “Dragon” in Dragon School probably refers to Seath, the source of soul magic.
432
433What’s the story behind the Great Swamp?
434The homeland of pyromancy. Laurentius hails from there. Located under Blightown.
435
436
437What’s the story behind Zena?
438Likely a large trade hub or merchant capital. Domhnall comes from there.
439
440Where did Gwynevere Go?
441Somewhere else. With Flann, the god of fire.
442
443The gods migrated to other lands, presumably after Gwyn attempted to link the fire. Thorolund and Carim seem to be hotspots for the deities. Carim has at least Fina the goddess of Love and Velka the goddess of Sin while Thorolund is a deeply religious land in general.
444
445Is the Dark Lord ending the good ending?
446
447-Nope. With the Dark Lord Ending you revert the world back to before there was fire. Thus robbing all humans except maybe the undead and darkwraiths a chance at life.
448The real winners are the primordial serpents, who are seen as imperfect dragons as such were shunned by them.and
449-Since the world has no dragons anymore, they can become the new rulers of the world.e
450However this does not make the “Link the Fire” ending the good ending either. That one could b more in line as a “neutral ending” as the status quo is upheld. Maybe there’ll be more Undead, maybe not. Maybe the curse is gone, maybe the curse is stronger than ever and EVERYONE will be undead.
451- There’s no good ending in Dark Souls. You’re fucked either way, burn out as Gwyn did or have the clanking of teeth forever with you in the Dark while surrounded by god knows how many Primordial Serpents.
452- It is believe that both ends are bad in a sense and good in the other.
453- Which is the most likely scenario due to the ambiguous form the lore is presented. Don’t forget for example that the age of fire requires the sacrifice of humanity to the bonfires (and by that of course I mean actually killing humans). You could argue it’s for the greatest good since civilization seemed to be at it’s apex during that time, as opposed to the age of dark where it looked like everyone lived in some muddy cave at the mercy of the dragons, but in the end it’s a matter of your own opinion and how much you believe the serpents.
454* Age of fire continues, the current world you are in lives on and gods are renewed of their immortality and power.
455*Age of fire ends, Humanity and basically all living creatures are left to fend for their own. Humans having the chance to rule without a higher up stomping them down. The issue being that the abyss will no-longer be held down and be free to crawl out of their dark little pits and rape everything. Essentially starting a war between humanity and demons.  ( Demon souls , Its happening all over again.... kidding of course.)
456
457
458Kaathe and Frampt, what’s the deal with them?
459Frampt is the Kingseeker, the one who made a deal with Gwyndolin to fabricate the legend of the chosen undead after Gwyn went to kindle the first flame and fucked everything up.
460Gwyndolin wants to prolong the age of fire to stay god for a good while longer.
461
462Kaathe is the other serpent, who doesn’t play that bullshit, both Frampt and Kaathe are part of the abyss, the darkness that came into existence when fire was born. (light & dark)
463- The upper statement makes no sense. Dark can exist without light, I presume the Dark existed before the First Flame. Remember that the Serpents are imperfect Dragons in Dark Souls (and also symbol for the Undead)
464- Yes, but remember what the opening movie said: “With fire came disparity”, so while the dark was the status quo before fire came into existence, perhaps it only found itself aware of itself after the birth of fire.
465
466Frampt is pissed when the player decides to side with Kaathe because his promised reward won’t be given to him, but if the player does the dark lord ending, he realizes his folly and joins his retinue.
467
468
469
470
471Why is the Peculiar Doll in the first holding cell of the Asylum?
472From the description of the doll it’s said it was clutched by a monster that had no place in this world and as such is was drawn into another world and was never seen again.
473It may be that a loli Priscilla lived in your cell, kept away from the world as a prisoner in the asylum and her feelings of fear, and rejection dragged her into the Painted World without passing through the actual painting.
474
475-In an interview, From claimed that originally Priscilla was intended to be a Maiden in Black-type figure, a close companion to the Chosen Undead. Perhaps her doll being in your cell is a reference to this abandoned plot line.
476-I always thought the Black Knights were there on your return to the Undead Asylum to escort you to the Painted World, where you couldn’t harm the gods as the Chosen Undead, which neatly explains the presence of the Peculiar Doll in your cell, which was not meant to imprison you for long but just act as a holding cell. They showed up just too late, apparently.
477
478Who or what is Manus, Father of the Abyss?
479-He might be pygmy. Chester mentions that Oolacile brought the Abyss unto itself when they decided to dig up a “primeval man.”
480-He is primeval and the pygmy is primordial both mean they came from before but this does not link them. He is just a man from long ago and is no more likely to be the pygmy than anyone else from that age.
481-The pygmy is the first human, he found the Dark Soul and fragmented it into humanity.
482-He searches for his precious pendant.
483-He probably wants his pendant because it reminds him of the time when he was still human.
484-The broken pendant is the other half of Manus’ pendant.
485Chester probably has the other piece, as he too was grabbed by Manus to the portal the same way the chosen undead does.
486The broken pendant for sure is Manus’. The player receiving the pendant is what triggers Manus grabbing you. He knows you have the pendant.
487- Why did he leave the player at the Sanctuary Garden instead of dragging him into the Abyss?
488  ^ --> Does the player keep the broken pendant upon entering Oolacile of the past? If not, could Manus possibly kept his ability to think to a certain degree? As he doesn’t want to corrupt another human, he simply wants his pendant back.
489    -the player keeps the pendant upon entering.
490Thought it would be worth mentioning that Manus literally eats people whole. The description of the head drops from corrupted oolacile residents states that he had literally consumed the people and corrupted them while inside.  Same thing happened to Artorias after he failed to defeat Manus. Dusk had also been eaten, which is why she just falls out after the battle.
491
492Why are there Balder Knights in Sen’s Fortress and Undead Parish?
493The Crestfallen Merchant mentions that Knight King Rendal attempted to get to Anor Londo, Rendal was from Balder as well, so one can infer that he traveled with his fellow Knights to Lordran. And like all other hollows they eventually gave up hope and became monsters, becoming a threat to the next “chosen” undead.
494
495Why is Anastacia trapped in the Firelink Shrine with her tongue cut?
496If you restore her soul and talk to her, she seems to be very dedicated to her duty as a firekeeper. She thanks you for saving her so she can continue to tend to the flame. Maybe she’s not trapped at all, but chooses to live in the cave?
497There seems to be a weird thing going on with Firekeepers. All of them have some kind of disability and if you bring Anastasia back to life she regains her tongue but isn’t happy about it.
498-undead are considered unholy evil monsters in the outside world and she is undead, she may consider her very existence to be a sin against god and hates herself because of it.
499-she takes this to the extreme of thinking her voice offends god and everyone that hears it as she is unholy and wrong.
500--i see, assuming then that she is very religious she may believe the sin is still present and that her tongue is wicked because of what she said, restoring it offends god and she’d rather not use it but at the same time lacks the conviction to tear it out.
501-Crestfallen Warrior says her tongue was cut off for saying God’s name in vain
502Plus tearing out your own tongue is kind of fucked up. It’s one thing to have it torn out and another completely to tear it out yourself with just your bare hands (Anastacia is unarmed)
503Clerics at shrine probably cut it out for blaspheming.
504
505
506How did the demons come to be and when did the Black Knights fight them?
507- I wonder though, did the first Demon sprung from the Bed of Chaos?
508-They are literally the warped inhabitants of Izalith. They came about due to the Witch of Izalith attempting to recreate the original flame, which turned herself into the Bed of Chaos, and warped everyone else. Quelaag and The Fair Lady partially escaped, Quelana was the only one to escape alive.
509- A coherent timeline would help. Maybe some demons were born from minor chaotic events beforehand (lots of maybes).
510-”The Demon Firesage was the first demon, and the last master of the original fire arts before the Witch of Izalith was engulfed by Chaos, creating pyromancy”
511- Thanks, I forgot that part. I added that part of the question. It’s mentioned in their weapon descriptions that they fought Demons, but is it said anywhere where they fought them and why? The Demon incursion wasn’t contained to Lost Izalith after all, but there weren’t that many Demons outside it.
512
513
514Why do the human Balder and Berenike knights appear in Dark Anor Londo?
515They most likely joined the Blades of the Darkmoon lead by Gwyndolin after making it through to Anor Londo..
516-and for some strange reason they are normal human sized despite of other Balder and Berenike knights in the game.
517
518How come the Silver Knights and Sentinels vanish once you dissipate the illusion of Gwynevere?
519
520The Silver Knights don’t vanish, a few of them leave their post, but most of them are still there. The Sentinels and Demons disappear because they used to be present in Anor Londo at the peak of the Age of Fire, they were part of the illusion
521.
522
523- Huh. The Sentinels I can get, but not the Batwing Demons. Who’d let such vermin infest their city? Then again, they are some sort of servants to the gods since they whisk you away to Sen’s Fortress. And yeah, you’re right, just some disappear from twilight Anor Londo, like the ones on the rooftop area where you go to via those circular stairs.
524- Maybe the gods are sadists who enjoy employing demons they have bested.
525It does state that they’re not like other demons. Maybe demons are just lesser creations than humans? Could just be a reference to how they’re lightning elemental instead of fire, though.
526
527
528Who made the bonfires, why were they made, and when?
529We know the bonfires are made of the bones of the undead, and can be further boosted by sacrificing humanity.
530
531- So it is actually possible that the bonfires have a connect with the way of the white. Since they are, in fact, the ones who believe in the rite of kindling. Thus the creation of the bonfire.
532-It’s probable, especially with the connection (possible) between Gwyn and the way of white. I’d also guess that the bonfires have existed since Gwyn linked the flame as there would have been no need before then.
533
534
535How many Dragons/Drakes (notable ones) are actually alive in the present time and why was Kalameet so feared by Anor Londo?
536
537Hellkite(Drake), Stone Dragon, Kalameet, Gaping dragon(Not an actual dragon [source?](he means it’s not an actual dragon)), Seath the Scaleless.
538-Thought that drakes are the weaker surviving generations and not the same as the everlasting dragons such as Seath, Stone, and Kalameet. Gaping was a drake whose hunger warped him into a giant maw.
539- Technically speaking, Kalameet isn’t alive in the present. He’s alive in the new content which happens in the past (100-200 years ago)
540-Kalameet was probably feared due to his calamity ability. In the Calamity Ring description he is called the bringer of calamity. Maybe it has special effects on the gods.
541    -The Calamity Ring’s effect makes you take 2x as much damage from any attack. Perhaps Kalameet’s ability caused people to become weak and vulnerable, thus causing them to fear them.
542
543
544Is the Hellkite Wyvern the only red dragon?
545In Ornstein’s trophy rooms, there are only blue and green drakes I believe.
546Hellkite isn’t a dragon, it’s a drake just like the lightning ones in Valley of Drakes (only much bigger). Sort of a distant cousin of the original dragons, I guess.
547-I think that the dragons (like the dragon god) were the stone creatures and are more like a natural force of the world where as the drakes (hellkite, the lightning bitches, and the heads in Oreos trophy room) are a weaker subspecies or something like that.
548
549
550Are there undead and hollows outside of Lordran?
551-Very hard to say since barely any geological information is given about Lordran. No direct mentions of the undead spreading is made.
552-Only thing that to me suggests that there are possibly undead outside Lordran is the opening cinematic where it’s stated that in the land of Lordran the undead are corralled and thrown into the asylum, they talk about it as if it undeath isn’t a rare occurrence and is possibly common in the whole universe of Dark Souls, even outside of Lordran, how vast it might be. This is 100% speculation though with no solid proof to back it up.
553-The Lloyd’s talisman does strongly imply that there are undead outside of Lordran, but that they are hunted.
554-Balder Kingdom fell to the Undead spread
555-Thorolund clerics first hunted the undead but in the later times they send them to “undead missions” (Leeroy and Rhea were part of these missions). They are usually related to Nito some way.
556- Onion Knight is undead and came to Lordran, so theres undead outside.
557
558What is the significance of Cannibalism in Dark Souls?
559Both Maneater Mildred and Smough are cannibals. Is there any sort of connection between Cannibalism and any other sorts of aspects? (Power, consumption of humanity, etc)
560Are there any other known and confirmed cannibals?
561
562All of the hollows at the beginning of the depths were waiting around dining tables if you recall. That first room is a mess hall and the mob was waiting to be fed by the butcher.
563
564-I believe the only characters we know for certain are cannibals is Maneater Mildred and Smough. The first butcher in the depths was chopping at pieces of meat far too big to have come from a human. May have in fact come from a large rat in the depths. The second butcher was guarding over laurentias so it actually seems that the butchers are willing to capture and eat anything. This theme of gluttony actually ties into the area boss, the gaping dragon.
565    -The pit behind the first butcher has a pile of skulls behind him if I remember correctly, but someone needs to confirm this or I’ll check it once I get home. This could support the cannibalism theory.
566
567Going way out on a limb here, but perhaps the residents of the depths belonged to a cult devoted to the gaping dragon.
568
569- Shouldn’t forget that the story centers around humanity. Perhaps they were undead and a belief arrived from the gaping dragon. By eating others they could perhaps prolong their life much like holding humanity had.
570
571Speaking of which, why is one of Seath’s channellers in the depths? Perhaps he was studying the gaping dragon for his master?
572    -Very plausible as the Gaping dragon possibly was immortal before being corrupted by his hunger, and Seath is after the scales of immortality.
573
574Who are Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough? What is their relationship to one another?
575Ornstein is one of the four knights of Gwyn, and supposedly their captain, though that is up for debate. Smough was Gwyn’s executioner, and would have also been one of Gwyn’s knights, bringing the total up to five; but he has a penchant for cannibalism and cruelty (notably Frampt will only give you one soul in return for feeding it to him), so he was never knighted. Smough may also simply be a psychopath given his treatment of Ornstein after you kill/mortally wound him in the boss fight. He also REALLY wanted to be a knight. His treatment of Ornstein post-mortem It is worth noting that Ornstein may or may not be aware of
576Smough’s possible jealousy or hatred, as his reaction to the Executioner’s death could be seen as a rather tender moment.  may have been a result of his envy.--Because they both serve Gwyn they are at least compatriots, its probable that they are both guarding Gwynevere, since Ornstein is the only last confirmed surviving knight of Gwyn in the present age.
577
578
579
580----------------------------------------------------------
581Discussion Space
582
583
584Size seems to be very irrelevant and relative in the universe of Dark Souls. Going through all this is starting to make me believe that all the size differences are for gameplays and aesthetics sake, rather than have a deeper meaning in many places.
585
586Will there be any section for the relation between Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls? I know there isn’t an concrete connections but you do have “easter eggs” and tiny pieces. I’m already aware of the legal issues From Software had with Sony when making Dark Souls multiplatform. You also have Seath who is also known in the King’s Field games and the Moonlight Sword.
587
588I’ve been going through this and trying to make it readable for the past hour or so, please try to type in sentences that actually make sense. The parts with the “-”’s are ones that I felt like are still so open for discussion and speculation that I felt like we don’t have enough reliable information to make it into a coherent paragraph.
589I want you to know that this is a really cool document, keep up the good work. Great to have at least semi-intelligent discussion in one place.
590    -here’s hoping no one comes and trolls the shit out of it.
591    -I agree, let’s try to be as skilled and as grammatically correct as possible too, please.
592    - Agree with that post up there; this is very, very cool and answered a lot of questions. Thanks, guys.
593Hooo boy, someone’s going to have a field day with that Origins of the Dark Sign part. That thing is HUGE.
5941->
595
596Seems like we’re experiencing subtle griefing. Some of the names from the headers keep getting removed. Thanks whoever made us a flashy cool title picture thingy.
597
598Um, it looks as though entire entries have been run through a translator and then back again (vandalized), or somebody with very average English tried to summarize other people’s entries, at least on the first page. Unfortunately we will probably need a revert.
599Compare this old version of the first entry I have:
600What does the title refer to?
601The Dark Soul is the Lord soul that the Furtive Pygmy possessed. “Dark Souls” refers to the shared lineage that the player character, and all humanity has, for the Pygmy is mankind’s progenitor.
602
603
604To the current one:
605What does the title refer to?
606The Dark Soul is the Lord soul that the real corpses, those that have it get shipped to Lordran before they wake up to their new unlife. Some manage to slip through, those are then hunted down by Lloyd and his clerics.
607
608Yeah, I originally wrote that the Crestfallen Warrior tells you that New Londo was an undead city, in support of the claim that undead existed before Gwyn linked the flame (so disproving the first entry in the question that claims the darksign and the ‘undead curse’ originated with Gwyn attempted to rekindle the flame), and somebody changed it to “New Londo is the Crestfallen Warrior’s home”, completely missing the point and replacing it with something that there is no evidence for. I would change it back but I don’t remember exactly what other people had written, and I don’t feel authoritative enough to delete entries outright that seem to contradict evidence.
609
610What does the title refer to?
611It refers to the fact that, the longer you play this game, the more terrible a person you become. Statistics have shown that the inherent evilness in men’s souls is exponentially increased with subsequent playthroughs, along with with the likelyhood of spontaneously murdering an innocent NPC and the desire to drink horrid orange-juice-esque beverages. This culminates after around 400 hours played, when the player finally succumbs to the abyss and is never seen again. The only cure is to create a roaring bonfire out of Ash wood, and to leap upon it, until all the caustic evilness has burned away. Or to stop playing the game, but who would choose that anyways?
612
613
614I urge people to try to find info in the opening cinematic of the game. It suggests that the firekeepers are possibly branding the undead with the darksign, but it’s very vague. Also the finding of the lord souls and the undead (them?) coming from the dark. The area where the pygmy finds the dark soul looks alot like the chasm of the abyss where Manus is located, apart from the flames.
615
616
617Is Lordran still out of sync with time and thats why certain armor from living people show up on dead bodies before they die and events seem out of sync and so on?
618    -Check the part about havel, and speculate.
619           -Isn’t the person in the tower basement actually not havel? On the ring it says that it was worn by his followers, and you do find his armour in the cache in Anor Londo.
620
621What are the Pisacas?
622
623I have noticed that there are two pisacas in Seath’s dungeon that give you miracles when you kill them.  They are also crying.  Is it possible that they could be maidens/clerics, and that the Pisacas are failed crystallization experiments on people?
624    -Very interesting. It matches with the rest of what we know about Seathe and his archives. Do you remember which miracles they were, and/or provide an item description?
625-I think they are experiments of Seath’s on whatever maidens he’s managed to capture. The two are holding the princess’ guards miracles if i’m not mistaken so I think they may have been Gwynevere’s handmaidens or something close to that.