Dark Souls Lore - The Emerald Herald

[@geronimo7360]

Sorry but all I got lore wise from the emerald herald was "Bearer, seek, seek, lest." And "Is that an estus shard you've found?"

[@SilverMont]

Here, let me see it. So that I may help you.

[@Helpmereachsubs-nr1en]

lol same XD

[@Slender_Man_186]

For me it's "be- se- se- le-" and "is- le-".

[@joaolima120]

press X like there's no tomorrow

[@quasarstone4951]

Ive broken my A/x button

[@4evermilkman]

Chest ahead therefore try dual wielding

[@hanzoofbushido9482]

Another Astoran? Interesting.

[@TheFlowerday96]

Try thrusting from rear.

[@randomyoutubename4488]

Try two handing

[@juandom6432]

Manage your stamina and keep poking with your spear.

[@wataspoutingpsychoz1729]

Try horse but hole

[@EvilRingmaster]

I think she was meant to be the Firekeeper of the First Flame. Being part human, she could feed the flame and being part dragon, would never die. This could in theory extend this Age of Fire forever and break the cycle. But something went wrong and she couldn't feed the fire, so the next best thing would be to lead you to it. She guides you to the throne, completing her journey.

[@camiloprieto3814]

I don't think she could. She is a cration of dragons, thus she is not a pure human. Firekeeping bases in humanity and the Dark Soul. Shanalotte, because she is not a pure human, couldn't be a firekeeper, or at least I don't think so.

[@gerald3339]

+ThatToasterTho No, she was created to wipe out the undead curse. But she was a failure because she could not do it. However she still holds some power over the undead (level them up) by forcing them to come to Drangleic in hopes someone does her duty (linking the flame and stopping the undead curse) so she can die in peace.

[@AmadisLFE]

She isn't the firekeeper...though....

[@Afgdgdh]

ThatToasterTho what is your pfp?

[@darklinkx22]

Would you kindly gather great souls. Would you kindly take the thrine. Would you kindly...

[@AlexanderForsman]

Dark souls infinite confirmed!

[@kb24072001]

Bioshock 1 is such a great game. That fucking plot twist...

[@SilverMont]

darklinkx22 We were under her geass all the time!

[@kongo600]

Silver Mont It makes so much sense now, "By the power of my geass I, Shanalotte Vi Drangleic command you... PRAISE THE SUN!!!

[@droctagonapus89]

"Would you kindly"..not a request, but a command.

[@peterfrey3660]

how about this lore: why are there pigs in majula and why do they drop red eye orbs?

[@SilverMont]

Peter Frey Pigs are the natural evolution of darkwraiths, clearly

[@joshuakim5240]

Because bacon is power, and invading is the best way to flaunt one's power.

[@rahulverma8774]

@@SilverMont but if tht is the case ...then how can we find darkwraiths in lothric ........ in fact darkwraiths of lothric were more powerful bcz they had unlimited stamina ...... unlike the one in ds 1 who died in two hits and rarely damaged players

[@AjourChannel]

Bear, seek, seek, lest.

[@austindestani1592]

lol spamming that A button every time

[@Walamonga1313]

+Austin Destani A? Wtf who plays this on NES?

[@AjourChannel]

Walamonga 1313 On the Xbox, interacting with NPCs and/or objects is to press the A button.

[@greg77389]

+Austin Destani Lousy xbox user

[@nicholaslaw8673]

+greg77389 its a turd, but its my cozy turd!

[@highfall60]

Amazing chest ahead.

[@gaelgarivay4470]

Attack from behind

[@devanelloo2627]

Try dual wielding

[@Cragmortis]

Try tongue but hole.

[@icookchildrenandeatthem9085]

Horse but hole

[@Saili_Orig]

Horse but hole

[@AlexanderForsman]

But the real question is: In the picture, is that her nose or her mouth?

[@timelyraccoon8878]

Lol

[@SilverMont]

Alexander Forsman Her mouth!

[@AlexanderForsman]

But, but, It's perfectly place where her nose should jag be

[@MrTravelerify]

Silver Mont yeah im pretty sure its a big ol' squidward nose.

[@AnInvalidEgg]

Silver Mont False! The Emerald Herald never smiles.

[@themacca277]

Uhhhh sorry to burst your bubble but we all know Laddersmith Gilligan is the most important NPC in the game

[@chaiburana]

+The Macca Yeah, he saved us from buying the cat ring which is like, a bajillion souls. What a man!

[@specta4154]

+chaiburana it is basically a 1000 souls more , and also giligan is no where only next the pit leading to the gutter , but the cat ring is usefull in every place in the game

[@themacca277]

s SPECTA im going to introduce you to a new word. Humor Pronunciation: Hju-me Definition: the quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.

[@specta4154]

i get your joke -_- it is just i wanted to point out something -_- also giligan is in ds3 so what you wrote could be true

[@SyntheticLTD]

Not true. It’s the ladders that are the most important lore wise.

[@BallotBoxer]

As an artificial fire keeper, Shanalotte was meant to prolong an age of fire indefinitely by being as everlasting as the dragons she was made from. However, it didn't work. She's an immortal trapped in a dying world (perhaps her real self is sequestered in the Dragon's Aerie). She needs an undead to seek the king so that they may learn from his mistakes and maybe devise a solution. Oh, and that anagram is really neat. I never seen that before. Shanalotte --> Seath Talon Beats all the silly ones: Shanalotte --> Hot Sealant --> Satan Hotel --> Halt Atones --> No Salt Hate

[@SilverMont]

BallotBoxer "No Salt Hate" is my favourite haha

[@budmeister]

Bonfire-chan is best level-up waifu.

[@CyberNotsuru]

+budmeister true dat

[@GreatKingIso]

Bearer seek seek lest

[@harioschtroliki]

The dark souls 3 firekeeper is better

[@Chrome-uc3fw]

+THE SADDEST MAN ALIVE XDD Its The new gen shaders man

[@soulsemblance3163]

is bonfire chan ds1 or 3 firekeeper

[@DOZGraff]

Her heterochromia might have significance in the color of her other eye. The pupil is a light blue implying she is blind in that eye but it's surrounded by the purple. These are the same colors of Seath's wings and Seath is also blind. This is just speculation but also gives some support to the anagram name.

[@AmargoMariano]

I dont know but she is my waiffu.

[@biohazard724]

I never noticed she had Heterochromia

[@loopie1206]

+biohazard724 Her hair almost always covers her right eye in game.

[@Atoz-gx9zj]

+Kenneth Woodard when does it not?

[@TR-ru7wl]

+Atoz when you mess around with the camera until you get it just right...

[@Nutt_lemmings]

biohazard724 yeah she's a teenager and a failed creation so of course she's emo

[@SilverSpectre90]

The most beatiful mutation

[@Buzani27]

"Bearer of the curse I will always be at your side...until hope has fully withered"

[@JustSomeDamnGinger]

Here's my theory that I thought of from the moment the Ancient Dragon dropped the Soul of a Giant; I think that Shanalotte is a creation of those in Aldia's Keep. She says she is born of dragons, but the dragons are dead. We know that they are gone because the last Ancient Dragon is not actually a dragon, else why would it drop a Giant's soul and give us a gift to travel into the memories of giants? I think that Shanalotte was given the purpose of guiding us to kill Vendrick and Nashandra as revenge for the war that they brought upon the giants. That's why she speaks to us just before Vendrick and Nashandra. Her work is 'done' because she knows that we will now seek to kill Nashandra and take the throne as we have done her bidding countless times before. I'm sure someone will point out some lore that contradicts my theory, but that's the fun of the Souls game: there's very rarely a completely right or wrong answer.

[@Rith9789]

The Ashen mist also peers into the soul of a dragon.

[@JustSomeDamnGinger]

Lord Rith True, but I think that's because, and I can't remember if that was Silver Mont or Vaati that revealed this idea to me, the giants and the dragons are the remnants of the world before the first flame. When the giants die, they turn into trees. It's possible that the giants actually form the archtrees when they die. This would explain why the ashen mist allows you to see memories of both giants and an ancient dragon.

[@jennaherman3859]

The Ancient Dragon may have the Soul of a Giant, However we do have both the Dragonblood Knights who seek True Dragons Blood and Sinh who killed them and the City around him (or her), and there are other Surviving ancient Dragons from before Drangleic still alive if isolated and sequestered away. Vendric and Aldia created Dragons in the form similar to the Ancient ones, but could they have known about Sinh? She may have been created by the ancient dragon and perhaps a true dragon? Perhaps she is a typical firekeeper but created by dragons instead of a church?

[@Jontman42]

I imagine she was supposed to just be an immortal firekeeper, but the process failed and she turned out a regular cursed mortal. So she's looking for a bearer of the curse who'll become powerful enough to link the flame again, maybe so she (and everyone else) could die a human. Maybe she's a similar crossbreed as Priscilla, but her human side is stronger and less prominent than the dragon side, so she'd still be an undead like the rest. Her voice is different in the Dragon Aerie because no other bearer of the curse has ever reached so far. Who knows how many she tried to guide before the player, and finally one of them has reached this point of no return. She's just happy. At the throne her journey is already complete because that's all she could do, and the rest is entirely up to you. "Imagined a world of boundless possibilities from the mere sight of a feather" could be quite literally that once she found the feather (however that may be), she realized how she could with its help influence the fate of the undead coming to Drangleic. It's a bit too simple maybe, but that's what I got from it anyway. The most questionable thing is her motive, just wanting to die doesn't really feel like enough. And why would you want to create an immortal firekeeper? To _keep_ the first flame? Maybe she knew that was her purpose, and because she couldn't fulfill it she looked for someone who could, at least partially.

[@stargazer4790]

If you look at the animation while Shanalotte levels you up, she actually does use the feather to transfer the souls' power into you. Dunno how relevant that is, but it's an interesting detail.

[@Guardioz]

The term the Muse could be a reference to the fact that, before meeting her your character has no true purpose or sense of purpose for being in Drangleic. Shanalotte is the Cursed Undead's Muse in that she gives you that purpose. >.> If someone else already said this, then I'm just glad to not be the only one thinking it. Haha

[@SilverMont]

Guardioz It's true that we don't really have any purpose, until she gives us one. Outside of "player" purpose - you know, like making the character to PvP etc. But in both games, we just sorta get dumped somewhere and then told what to do. Main difference being that in DaS, we sort of arrive in Lordran without any say in the matter, whereas in DaSII our character appears to intentionally seek out Drangleic (but then again, they also appear to get attracted to the land like a moth to a flame)

[@Guardioz]

Good points. And yea, its somewhat of a running theme with the Souls games, isn't it? Being thrown into the mix without some sort of initial understanding of what is going on or what the purpose of the situation is, from the character's perspective.

[@TheAsylumCat]

Silver Mont and i think that,s why people say the old woman in the opening cut scene is an older herald. one could argue that the purpose the player character has is to avoid hollowing, much like lucateil. and Dranleic is full of souls to help that (though mechanic wise the human effigies are what really reverse hollowing, maybe that's why lucatiel gives us a effigy, is because she's misguided?)

[@XandrianBro]

What if The Emerald Herald is called the last firekeeper, because she really is immortal by her dragon origin and she will be the last one to die not the last one to be born.

[@samm4409]

OCCCCEEEEELLLLOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTT

[@Ajehy]

*twirls pistols like a crazy windmill* *realizes pistols don't exist in Dark Souls* *Runs off to Bloodborne, meowing for backup*

[@moostw2732]

+Ajehy well played XD

[@TheFlowerday96]

wrong game mate. 😂😂😂

[@TevorTheThird]

So this is how I believe the "you have freed me" part works. She's the equivalent of King Seeker Frampt. Only in a tragic way. The Emerald Herald, after the vagaries of her birth, her failure as a "creation" with an intended purpose, still existed. She also had power in her ability to interact and assist those cursed by Undeath via soul magic or whatever it is she does. Nashandra then simply enslaves her. You see Nashandra needed someone to bypass all those blockades that Vendrick put between her and the Throne of Want, however she couldn't just go out there and ask people to defile her husbands tomb, bring her back his ring, etc, etc, etc. It's suspicious and she'd already been figured out once and nearly had all her plans ruined already. So she enslaves the Emerald Herald, through admittedly unspecified means, and tasks her with bringing someone to Drangleic who can accomplish her goals and allow her to gain the Throne of Want. She becomes a false prophet. A fake. She is too lead us by the nose along a journey whose true purpose she isn't being honest about. Much like Frampt blows smoke up our butts about ooh, we're the super impressive Chosen Undead and whatnot... now go set yourself on fire and re-Kindle the First Flame ok? So the Emerald Herald uses her powers to summon cursed undead after cursed undead to the land, in the form of Player Characters, as seen in the intro and as she alludes to herself, in the hopes that one of them will be able to overcome the challenges and gather the Lord Souls, bypass the Mirror Knight, defeat Velstadt, obtain the Kings Ring, etc, etc, etc, and gain access to the Throne. So like Frampt she's entirely full of shit and merely leading you on your journey in a dishonest fashion in order to get you to do what they need done. Although unlike Frampt she doesn't do this of her own volition and in her own way is honestly trying to help you out because she realizes that if you are indeed successful in accomplishing all of these impossible tasks then it's also entirely possible that you'll be able to simply defeat Nashandra as well. That last time you see her and she says her part is finished, or however the line goes, is because at that point it's the eleventh hour. All Vendricks safe guards have been defeated so it's either the player character goes down to the Throne of Want or Nashandra, now unimpeded by King's Doors, the Shrine of Amana, etc, etc, can simply confront you, take from you what she needs and sit the Throne of Want. Because it's a videogame of course the encounter takes place at the Throne but really there seems to be no reason she can't have jumped you anywhere else. It almost doesn't matter who wins or looses to the Emerald Herald however, though clearly she's rooting for you. Either you kill Nashandra or she gets what she wants. Either way Shanalotte is no longer going to be needed to spend eternity luring undead to Drangleic and telling them to Seek the King. The game as it were, no pun intended, is over and her role is fulfilled. Either she's free because Nashanra is defeated, or she's free because Nashandra doesn't need her anymore and she kill/sets her free herself. Hell even if she just sticks her in a box somewhere she's still free of the endless cycle she's been stuck in. That at least is how I interpret it.

[@ShadoFXPerino]

Interesting explanation, but it doesn't seem to me that the Emerald herald at the far fire really ever thinks that you are the "chosen one". Even after you defeat Nashandra, her behavior doesn't change, whereas when you meet her elsewhere she's all about you getting stronger and stuff. It seems to me that the herald at the far fire isn't aware of nashandra's death. I've heard explanations that her appearances apart from the far fire are all soapstone-like illusions that she set up before going to Majula to guide the undeads, and that in Majula she becomes pessimistic after meeting so many weak undead. Personally I think that she ages backwards in time, being created by men at the end of the world to counteract the dark, she meets you, a strong undead, and decides you to guide you to help you destroy the dark, in majula she can't recognize you because you are so weak, so she has to help all the undead, and finally she becomes the old crone in the opening cutscene who points you to majula.

[@SilverMont]

TevorTheThird What's interesting in addition to all of that, is how Nashandra herself will talk to you in Drangleic, as the "Queen" and still bid you do what she wants. Kinda makes you wonder why she didn't appear to you early on? Or maybe she was like "Damn all these level 1s I don't have time to be dealing with this." - which would explain why she's getting Herald to deal with all the noobs, and those who make it to her have some promise!

[@TevorTheThird]

ShadoFXPerino I've always held the belief that there is no such thing as the Chosen Undead or any kind of chosen one in Dark Souls. It's a tittle by propaganda. People tell you your special to make you believe there's some kind of higher purpose to what your doing, that your doing something for a reason. They tell you your Chosen... to accomplish the goal that is in their best interest to see completed. In reality the only special thing about you is that you're kind of badass because you're capable of succeeding whereas everyone else has failed. Not in a King Arthur, everyone failed to to remove the sword from the stone but Arthur did it because it's his destiny but rather in a everyone died on the way to Vendrick/Anor Londo except you. Or maybe to keep with Arthur, he gets the sword simply ecause he's waaay stronger then everyone else and he brute forced it out where as everyone else who tried was too week. Either way, it's not destiny that leads to success but rather simple ability and skill. Which does keep in line with what DS is mechanically as a game. Your not special, you're just successful. Any undead could potentially light the First Flame. It's just that most of them turn fully hollow or other wise are defeated before they gain enough Souls to do so, or because they're simply incapable of prevailing in the face of all the trials that stand between you and your end goal.

[@TevorTheThird]

Silver Mont Makes sense. Plus it's probably best to minimize her connection to the undead. If she took a personal interest in every single undead who showed up in Drangleic, told each of the to seek the King personally, then it becomes suspicious as the bodies pile up. People start asking what her goal is. Why is she so intent on sending these undead after Vendrick's crypt. It makes her look bad. Suddenly her appearance as the good Queen is in question and maybe people figure out she's actually evil which.... probably not a great thing. Having Shanalotte do it keeps her entirely removed from the process. If people figure out what the Emerald Heralds is actually telling people to go out and do then there's still no direct connection between the questers and the Queen. Even when you do meet her in person she doesn't seem super interested. She's just sort of "Go see Vendrick" and doesn't bother much with you beyond that. Pretty crafty.

[@spacepirateivynova]

The Emerald Herald does have a different voice actor at different parts of the game, denoting that she might be in different ages at various points. Even if it's the same actor, she certainly has different intonation at the various points in the game.

[@ZeroKelvin440]

Emerald Herald? Nah. To me, she'll always be "Emmy."

[@rangertau]

I think she was supposed to be a gift to vendric from his brother, as a method of traveling time + space to find a cure. So kind of like Elizabeth from Bioshock infinite.

[@snakeinthegrass453]

The Herald is so damn cute

[@FV4030]

12:01 - An erection 12:05 - Also an erection

[@SilverMont]

+Punisher1990 Doublerection?

[@FV4030]

+Silver Mont She's that mysterious.

[@snowdrifter6187]

It makes sence to be the "muse" she inspires us to keep going. When we in the game lost our way she pointed us towards an objective. At drangliec castle she tells us the king can give us the answers. Not only that but as a muse she inspires the ability to level up and. Expand our abilities to survive. Much like a artist whos muse is someone or something to create something beautiful the emerald herald inspires one such as us to be stronger faster so that we may finish our quest. Thats how i feel at least

[@rueceless7580]

The Emerald Herald is one if the NPCs we know the most about yet so little, I'm hoping the reworked item descriptions in Scholar of the first sin will shed some light on her importance or at least give us some new clues to work from. Great video as always! I can't be the only one who wants a way to get her outfit for fashion souls reasons, outside of the dress from Amana and the Dingy set theres not many options for decent casual clothing on female characters sadly.

[@SilverMont]

I dig her green cloak, for sure. And I would hope they do sort her out a little with Scholar, as they are claiming there's going to be a lot of new important story stuff, but I wonder if that's really the case, or if they'll just add one extra line here and there.

[@rueceless7580]

If I where to make a guess? Perhaps that new NPC will comment on each area as you move through the game. Perhaps like our favorite cat and Vendrick do.

[@CrazyTom736]

***** Agreed. Still, I'm not sure if I want its description to answer any questions regarding who the Old Dragonslayer really is, and what really happened to Ornstein. It'd be like saying how they got the gold out in the Italian Job. Some mysteries just shouldn't be solved.

[@CrazyTom736]

***** I don't know, dude. Theorising about these things is fun. Would Dark Souls ever have become as good as it did if it had confirmed, for example, where all the gods went when they left? What about the identity of the Sun's Firstborn?

[@rueceless7580]

Hey Slim obviously just wanted to guard another abandoned castle; I'm sure Fatty wasn't much for company either. >.>

[@FourNamesFourEyes]

Perhaps she's aware of the whole ng+ thing, and that everything resets once you beat the game. Her own manifestation would be her from you previous play through, and when she says that her journey is already over, maybe she knows that you've done this before and doesn't need to further explain anything, because she knows you know what to do. It's even possible that your character has already gone through this several times even before your first play through, as each time you start another ng+, it begins exactly the same.

[@SunLovinSolaire]

I have a couple theories, 1. Shanolotte is a fragment of Manus. Nashandra was smallest fragment and thus wanted power, including the power of fear, she made herself appear more threatening than she was (cuz she ain't that tough) in order to stave off her own fear. So she is Want, a basic human trait. Elana, she was the aspect of Wrath, hateful at the fact that they were bested by a human, that she wanted to destroy all they held dear, including the sacred dragon sinh. Nadalia, her aspect was Despair, they were beaten, battered, and when she reformed and sought out one who might've aided her, he was already gone. She forsook her own physical form so that none could harm her again and clung to the Brume Tower and all those that dwelled within, her screams forming infernos and only heard or felt by those that would harm her tower's inhabitants. Her cries forming fog that would strip the very souls of those that dwelled within. (Sorry got carried away there). Alsanna my waifu, she is similar to Nadalia, what could've been. She is the aspect of Fear, once reformed she fled and was taken in by the compassionate Ivory King. She loved him and all those that dwelled within Eleum Loyce. Then an OLD danger erupted, the Chaos, the fires that threatened to consume all above it. Her king tried to stop it and failed, and slowly the city around her hollowed and crumbled. In order to spare the rest of the world the same fate, she swept up an ice storm capable of suppressing the chaos, and dooming the city with it. Then she sees us, the undead, still sane. She warns us to go, to run, to turn back! But we push on, we defeat the hollowed remnants of her city. And claim the eye of the priestess so as to challenge Aava. She and Aava, in an effort to try and spare us the same fate as her king, attempt to repel us. She even asks him to make it quick. When we confront her, expecting to see a deformed grotesque perversion of humanity, we see only a person. She begs of us to rally the remaining knights, and lay her king to rest. Even then she does not trust us, understandable, considering what we are capable of. But gradually, as we free more and more souls from the influence of the Chaos, she sees the same compassion as that of her Husband, she slowly releases her barricades, and allows herself to become vulnerable to us. We have freed her from her own curse by showng her that the kind are not doomed to suffering. And she even gives us her soul, her very existence, which can be used to form a healing weapon, a testament to her faith in us. And Shanolotte? She is humanity's flawed virtue, our Tenacity. She cannot fight, so she strives to better the world by other means, by taking all those individual souls floating about your body and weaving them into your very existence, by taking those shards you collected and breathing life into them, and why do you think the sublime bone dust only works at the far fire? Because she is there to support it. And as she does it she gets better and better at her manipulation of souls, and as there was no time before souls, her manipulation of time. Her version at the Aerie is merely her when she was inexperienced with her abilities, while her being at the crypt and throne are her checkin on your progress while flexing her abilities. And that eventually she adopts new names and becomes so skilled that with nothing more than the shell which houses souls, its vessel, is needed for her to reconstruct your entire being. The old lady in the things betwixt is her after you link the fire, because what is the things betwixt? I believe it is a space created between time, between light and dark. To call to you, and start you on your path. She seems so mean in saying "you will lose your souls again and again." But I believe that is misspoken pride, because she remembers how weak you once were, and how strong you become with her help. And at the end, when we light the flame? Why do we just restart? Because once you've lit it, your soul burns away as fuel. And do you think she could bare to see you, her greatest accomplishment, to waste away as kindling? Souls grow, and when damaged they can eventually reform themselves. I think she bends time around you just when your soul is about to be entirely consumed, she saves just a little bit of you, and let's you reform back in the Things Betwixt.

[@SilverMont]

ARCTC SALAMANDER The prospect of her being another "child of dark / Manus" has been brought up quite a few times! And I suppose she does have quite a few parallels with them. Even at the base level - they are all searching for a "king."

[@Kamastamasta]

Bearer, seek, seek, lest thi

[@tydeveau1895]

Lol

[@wotwott2319]

+Kamastamasta Bearer, I will, until

[@vincentv6891]

My theory of Shanalotte is that, she MAH WAIFU!!!

[@rawrdino7046]

doll is better

[@johnhalo8726]

anime fanboy101 Smough is better

[@andrewedwards2941]

ornifex=best waifu

[@IskArioT27]

Smough is thicc

[@joeschmo3622]

In consideration to Shanalotte’s words regarding “breaking the shackles of fate”, I believe that she is simply referring to the personal efficacy of the new monarch (the player). That is to say that you, out of all the remaining undead of this cycle, have managed to conquer the impossible trials placed before you and stand tall as the new monarch that is capable of taking the true throne, contrary to all expectations. Unfortunately, fate is still not bested as the curse persists but in this particular iteration of the cycle, which has spanned centuries, the player has managed to supersede any predecessors of this cycle who have attempted to bring about the rebirth and renewal of souls by the linking of the First Flame. The curse renders all of humanity into the basest of beings but not the player, who instead harnesses the curse as a drive to excel and attain unprecedented power and, in doing so, you have opposed the supposedly inexorable fate of the cursed undead, thus breaking its shackles in this way. Though she says that her journey is now complete, that may be the case…for now as she has led you to the First Flame. As a being derived from dragons, she will likely endure into the next cycle, from its very beginning, a point at which she may learn a means to fulfill her true purpose: to break the Undead Curse forevermore.

[@sunflowersoul]

When you talk to the crestfallen Knight, he tells you that time and space is convoluted. So her mission for her is already complete she's lived it but for you it hasn't been. In other words your decision in the end is what completes her mission she knows what you will do. That's what I feel the dialogue for her means.

[@sirrparker47]

Isn't it obvious? I thought her story and character were clear as day. She's here to tell us that half life 3 is confirmed. Jokes aside, I'm clueless with dark souls 2 lore

[@Walamonga1313]

That's because DkS2 lore is non existent.

[@anamggss]

She inspires me to get her armor and roleplay her

[@Dart572]

Perhaps Shanalotte was meant to take the throne, possibly as either a fuel source that would either be an alternative to humans, using some sort of dragon stuff, or as like a grand fire keeper for the first flame. Maybe a dragon hypothetically couldn't take the throne or kindle the flame, so she was a failure in that aspect. As for her eyes? Perhaps that's how she gives us power? Japanese stuff seems fond of sealing things in eyes, or having eyes be the source of power for certain things, so that could explain her glowing right eye that she so nicely hides from us. But I have no idea, I think the "connection" to Seath is coincidence at best, but I hope we learn more about her in Scholar of the First Flame.

[@SilverMont]

Dart572 Yeah, the Seath Talon thing is a neat coincidence, I think.

[@Dart572]

Like Xemnas and Mansex.

[@SilverMont]

Dart572 Oh dear

[@bread7932]

Dart572 kinky

[@TheAsylumCat]

Dart572 haha yea it best not to rely on anagrams, but i will say that the idea she was meant to link the flame as an endless source if a bit far fetched but maybe that's why she was considered to be a failure? because the dragons were immortal, which would mean they had no soul, since the soul is the source of life, and the people who made her did not know this, which would explain why we could kill the ancient dragon without lightning like gwyn did, and why it drops a giants soul. i am found of the idea that the emerald herald is either Pircilla reborn, since ds2 has a reincarnation theme, or a kinda sort oh sister to her. the description of the aged feather is similar to the strange doll. maybe under those bandages is fur? a lot of this could be wild speculation of course.

[@deaansugee]

Now, I don't know what to make of this, but, in Dark Souls 1, you remember that the Stone Dragon could not be killed by any ingame method? Well, a funny thing I noticed, is that the bonfire at the Stone Dragon is already kindled. Now this may be nothing, but there are only 4 bonfires in the entire first game to be kindled to give 10 estus flasks: Anor Londo, Firelink Shrine, Daughters of Chaos, The Stone Dragon. The first 3 are all guarded by a firekeeper. How does Stone Dragon fit into that? Whats more, why would man go to such lengths as to create a dragon for the sole purpose of creating a firekeeper? Not asking why they needed to make a firekeeper (that's a different discussion, why did the other firekeepers stop doing their job? Was that the reason man created another one?), I'm asking why did they need a DRAGON for that. The main question I want to ask his, *what is the relationship between firekeepers, DRAGONS, and bonfires?* Now, I really hope Dark Souls 3 answers this in some way, but the biggest problem is, do you know what it will mean if DS3 doesn't answer it? If it doesn't, then there will be a good chance that this has already been answered, but we're all missing it. If that's true, I'll have to replay this thing 20 more times to figure out what the hell am I missing.

[@SilverMont]

+Dejan Andric The fact that the Stone Dragon appears to play the role of firekeeper is kinda interesting! That character in general is quite interesting, as we have conflicting information on whether or not it's a surviving ancient dragon, or a descendant of the ancient dragons.

[@Zugzwane]

I think it was a concept that wasn't put in, because its in Dark Soul 2 limited edition art book

[@maciejstepniewski1970]

Does she also say the thing about her journey if you do not finish Vendrick? Maybe that was her task, for some reason (if we assume he was her teacher or something). Or maybe she is just sure that we will finish the game, so she found a monarch. As for her being the "kind old dear" from the intro, or the narrator, or whatever...that connects to the idea that Drangleic is somehow in the past from the world before jumping into the portal (which doesn't really help with trying to figure out the rules of the world). We know about the reflections in the lake in the cutscene (there are buildings in reflection while there are only ruins on the surface). Also, the description of that god-name engrieving ring suggest that...the storyteller, who is describing the objects is in quite different time.

[@fuzzythoughts8020]

I actually have a thought! Based on her lines about being a failed creation, and how fate will not be bested, perhaps she was created to break the curse herself, but instead she was born with the ability to make the curse, in its hosts stronger using souls, in essence, someone who exchanges something earned for magnified power.

[@lauragasparotto7988]

I want to hug her, she's so precious

[@Obnubilated]

I believe that she is the new goddess of sin. Here are some of my thoughts: The human body has traditionally been an object of sin, and she alone has the power to manipulate that very sinful thing, that is; by leveling it up. I take "My journey is already complete" to mean; that she has lead us past the point of no return - from a gameplay point of perspective you are very unlikely to stop playing once you've reached the throne of want. She has lead you to become a powerful lord-killing/soul-gathering tool, and at the game's end; you might find yourself unable to resist the urge - to go out of your way and hunt down optional great beings in the dlc. With help from the herald you bring judgement on those that might otherwise go on to exist forever. "The Pursuer hunts down those branded by the curse, as if each Undead soul that he claims will atone one of his sins." The pursuer(s) is the player's counterweight, you both have very similar roles, only you hunt those with great souls. "The soul and the curse are one and the same." I think the tie between the herald's feather and the great eagle carrying the pursuer is no coincidence. Do you think the herald is only on your side? You might be taking out many sinners, but does that earn you redemption? You are still a sinner yourself, a cursed. Once you become too strong and the pursuer can no longer harm you, once nothing can harm you and you've amassed all the souls one could want, there will be nothing left for you to do. Your only way out - is the way that the herald has shown you; the kiln. Your final destination, where you will be monarch of your own personal hell.

[@SlothfulKingBelphegor]

For what I can see, souls are the will, and humanity are the desire, would explain the souls fee for some op hexes, could be a reason why Nashandra longed so much for a powerful soul. As for shanalotte, being born from Seath, the precursor of sorceries(that have ties to the knowledge of souls)it would make sense for her to have power over souls, fusing their will to the player's as means of strengthen it... well, not too sure if it makes any sense thought

[@ladyfox6705]

Just watched a video on the origins of Shanalotte and the possible influence by Tennyson's poem 'The Lady of Shalotte' and Arthurian legend.

[@SilverMont]

Neat! It's still a bit of a shock to me that we don't have a Arthurian Souls Clone haha

[@ladyfox6705]

@@SilverMont There's some great legends, mythology and periods in history which would make for fantastic games, clones or otherwise!

[@calaseller6401]

Damn Alex you have the perfect narrating voice, also your accent help a lot to keep that lore theme! Love you and your videos

[@SilverMont]

Cala Seller These videos could have been very different. SEE THIS SLAG 'ERE? SHE'S 'T EMERULD ERALD. BUGGER ME SHE'S A USEFUL ONE LADS. JUST WOP OUT YA SOULS AND SHE'LL SEE TO YA.

[@NiraSader]

who cares about priscilla, shanny is the real dark souls waifu x3

[@christophernathanael728]

Bricklord your right

[@wyom2838]

Solaire

[@atahanakay]

Gavlan

[@Rosielx]

Blasphemy! Priscilla is fluffly waifu, but Fair Lady is best waifu

[@ShadoFXPerino]

Shanalotte at the aerie has a lighter voice and I attribute that with her being younger... For her, time travels differently (though in general it is backwards in time, perhaps her time flow is also drawn towards undead of immense power or potential): She is created by men at the end of the universe as a tool to prevent the darkening of the world, but "fate would not be bested" and so fate itself pulled her into a different flow of time, and that world was doomed to extinction. But at the aerie she meets you, a powerful undead, and is hopeful that you are capable of defeating the dark. Later on (from her perspective) she sees you at vendrick's grave and notices you are significantly weaker than before, so she tells you that you better get more souls. Then, she goes to Majula where she meets countless weak undead, all of which she helps, knowing that any one of them will become the strong undead she met at the aerie (but she can't tell which one is you, especially in the beginning because you are so weak, so she sounds much more dejected here). Finally, she goes to the throne of want and is relieved to see that you are adequately strong to challenge nashandra, and tells you her whole story. After that, she spends the rest of her possibly infinite lifespan wandering the world searching for undead to point toward Majula, and becomes the old crone. Many other undead are also drawn towards Majula because of the rumors she starts. Eventually (or at least I would like to believe), she reaches the beginning of the Dark Souls 1 world, where she is seen by gwyn and is used as the basis for the first firekeepers... so it's not that she is based off of the firekeepers of old, but the reverse.

[@SilverMont]

ShadoFXPerino Damn, that kinda reminded me of the plot of RahXephon - that was also confusing as hell and involved people (or at least one person) going backwards in time whilst their future self was still there.

[@Knight_Astolfo]

I like that idea, but I don't think she's the Old Crone (referred to by the credits as, 'The Narrator.') Milibeth refers to the Firekeepers being sisters. While you could take that in a collectivist sense, it always seemed literal to me. If Shanalotte is the Lost Firekeeper (who is possibly the Narrator), that would imply that the Hags we meet in the hut are also Aldia's creations. Still I like the reverse time concept... very Doctor Who... River Song was the Doctor's wife... and Shanalotte is many people's waifu (including my own. :p )

[@Yoroiful]

Is it weird that I have a huge crush on Emerald Herald? I know we don't really get to meet her well, but she seems kind and...gentle.

[@SilverMont]

+Yoroiful I think she's pretty cute.

[@thatchannel195]

Yoroiful ☺ i do

[@Linkbeatsmario]

Silvermont, I have a theory, including some of the descriptions you mentioned. She is called a muse, as is mentioned, and she is sequestered from the world. My idea is that she is still a child, perhaps one who has imagined the entire world, from Dark Souls 1 being the past of the kingdom, to drangleic being the part in her imagined story she is at, with her being made of a dragon representing her as the original creator, who's story has come to life around her, being a part of her. If this were the case, it would explain how she can give us power for souls, manifest in several areas, and other things, as it is all a child's imagination that, quite frankly, could represent how she wished she could go on such an adventure as we do, become a hero and save a kingdom, if only temporarily. This may be a bad theory, that doesn't make sense but I hope you, and others can kinda see my logic in this

[@Hyperjade1]

Fun Fact: I think it's in the Japanese version, but she says 'bunshin' as opposed to 'manifestation', which is a much more dynamic explanation as to what she's actually doing. I remember that she's effectively eternal through her draconic components. For all intents and purposes she was meant to tend the fire in perpetuity, and by that logic keep the flame from fading in the first place. But the flame began to fade regardless, hence the failure. But the crowns ending of DS2 is perhaps the single most important moment in the entire series, because the character in question now exists outside of the cycle. And with Shanalotte being effectively eternal, so is she. From that point, the new Monarch could build literally anything, because no matter what happens to the flame, they will be there to maintain what exists. A kingdom built by them cannot permanently fall, because they will always be there. Continue to grow in strength, and they become effectively indestructible, until they carry the power necessary to single handedly achieve what none could achieve within a single lifetime, or even era... Find something beyond the cycle. Seriously, it's so important that it's kind of an embarassment that DS3 didn't capitalize on what that creation could look like. Of course, that would fundamentally and dramatically change how the story of DS3 goes, but it still would have eclipsed what we got.

[@SilverMont]

That'd be an interesting way to phrase it! Bunshin means like a duplicate or something, right? Weirdly, google translate puts it literally as "avatar" for Japanese, but from Chinese (using the same spelling) it comes out as "clone."

[@Hyperjade1]

Dark Souls is a Japanese game, so the former context is more appropriate. Bunshins are treated pretty ambiguously outside of shonen, but typically manifest as an entity that can act independently from the creator, but still be fundamentally connected to them. Shanalotte can create these remotely; You can see one simply appear if you're looking behind you when you pick up the King's Ring. Whether this is from her connection to the dark, her connection to the dragons, or her connections to the first flame are responsible for this, is unclear. It's argued that the one in the Dragon's Aerie is the true one, because she's clearly younger, but there's no way to tell since she can clearly create bunshins of varying ages. Regardless of the nature of her abilities, things like bunshins and shikigamis are pretty significant and complex business in some aspects of japanese folklore. Really, she probably would have played a titanic role in the game if the game wasn't absolutely gutted in its production. It's a miracle the game we got is as amazing as it is. Either way, I don't think killing her is actually possible. You reduce a bunshin to ash, and she just doesn't bother with you anymore.

[@kylercoleman4591]

The "manifestation" of the herald vs the young herald is what gets me. I think the older herald is from a distant future that saw a doomed outcome for the world. But then here comes us, one who can break the chains of fate, and so she seeks us out to guide us and stop this apparent doom. It's interesting that we aren't necessarily labeled a "chosen" undead this time, but we came to this world with possibly our own interests in mind, but then get caught up in a grand scheme by chance. So the younger herald.. Is she trapped in this time (for right now) that we find her in somehow?? We don't see the young herald anywhere else except the aerie, but she does have the feather, so what's up with that?? Also, the young herald is aware of the older one.. I wonder if they've interacted at all? Or maybe I'm off on this entirely, and parallel universes are colliding in this game, now THAT would be a doozy

[@NuclearAbyss]

she is the muse of our story, she inspires us to seek vendrik and sit in the throw. also she "manifestation" seems to imply that she isn't real or alive with in our journey. but she is a guide and her souls can't rest till she finds a proper eir of the throne. and since we know that the cycle will play out again, she is like the doll from bloodborne. she will guide the next monarch to the throne again and again for that is her purpose.

[@danieljoel7903]

I accident,y killed emerald once But what if emerald is not kill? Emerald Gem Gem has 3 letters Letters Let Let it go Frozen Frozen has 6 letters 6-3 is 3 The illuminati symbol has 3 sides I swear these lore videos are sometimes just unrelated stuff chucked together

[@SilverMont]

Daniel Joel You have to take the first letter from every line to find your answer: BEGGLLLFF.Aha!

[@SoulShrowden]

Silver Mont Soul Life 3 confirmed.

[@shanalotte9728]

My name is Emerald. I object to this.

[@SilverMont]

Emmy Watson You're pretty close to that Harry Potter girl, there.

[@shanalotte9728]

Silver Mont You don't even understand how many times I got yelled at because people thought I was trying to be her because of how similar our names are. I blame my mom.

[@ReederOnTheRun]

Pretty sure the writers of Dark Souls 2 had no idea what they meant of that stuff either. I got the impression they were trying to "one up" the mysterious nature of the original Dark Souls, but never actually had a grand story to allude to (at least not one compatible with the original Dark Souls lore). What's more mysterious than random jargon with no relevance to anything else in the series?

[@spinyslasher6586]

Dark souls 2 wasn't supposed to be a grand story. It was meant to concentrate more on individualilty than grandeur.

[@WittyUsername816]

I think one way to look at it is as the "Keeper of the Last Flame" is she is your keeper. If you link the flame you essentially give yourself over to the flame, yes?

[@SilverMont]

WittyUsername816 That was my understanding of how it worked in the first game, yeah. Once your soul is powerful enough, you offer it up to the fire and burn it as kindling.

[@jacoblikepie]

When you sit on the throne of want you neither link nor let the fire die. They show you sitting but not your derision because it wouldn't matter as the the cycle continues. She wants you to shatter the cycles of fate if you get the crown ,while wearing it, it pauses the curse from doing further harm to you. With it on you wont loose your mind but do to the curse you cant di so you can live and be sane as many cycles as you want. With the crown on your no longer just part of the cycle. You would be "shatter the cycles of fate". Now how you doing this actually helps her I have no idea.

[@camiloprieto3814]

I have a theory, concerning the Bearer of the Curse. I believe it is the Chosen Undead. But how? You may wonder. I believe that the Chosen Undead, sacrificed himself to link the fire, but the flame did not destroy him, it simply dried him/her of souls. The first flame acted as a Soul Vessel, but instead of returning the souls to the user, it gave them to another thing. As he lost his souls, he lost his memories. He became powerful again after defeating the DS2 bosses. And I also believe that Drangleic is Lordran.

[@SilverMont]

+Camilo Prieto That's a fairly viable one - you can argue that the Bearer of the Curse is the reincarnation of the Chosen Undead, after all! Dark Souls is a very open-ended game.

[@SandonBranderson]

What if the reason that she failed IS because they used seath's talon, and since seath's had no scales,the immortality wouldn't manifest. And her two different eyes could mean that she is half blind due to seath's blindness....... OH MY GOD ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED!!!!

[@SilverMont]

Matthew Krause They should've played DaS and then they would've realised that Seath was basically low tier dragon. Then again, if EH had been made from part of Kalameet she'd probably throw us into the air and explode us with EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

[@snowmcsnow4732]

It was all about her, and her ordering the hit on Neshandra

[@ViperJoe]

Bear-- Seek-- Seek-- Lest--

[@SilverMont]

Viper Joe Bear-Seekers sounds like some sort of missile, like a heat seeker.

[@Usagi33353]

Silver Mont WE MUST ELIMINATE THE BEARS!!!!! KILL BENHART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@gigabyteguru2452]

she is the one who "inspires" us to become the next ruler. maybe her "my quest is done"-ish line issaying that she has set us so far on this path that we cannot go back, and thus she has garunteed the fall of Nashandra. for me at least, the dragon airie was not that long before i went and finished the main game, so she could be saying that she has no duty left as one who leads us to either victory or ruin, and that all that remains is up to us. she set the gears in motion, and now has to just stand back and wait for the outcome.

[@Completionmasters]

I just had a thought while watching, don't know if it would work. But in Dark Souls 1, levelling up was done at bonfires, which were supported by firekeepers. In Dark Souls 2, it is said in Things Betwixt that the firekeepers are no more (save for the old women). I'm thinking that she is meant to be some kind of firekeeper. Specifically, considering she is made of Seath, I think she was meant to be a firekeeper for the first flame. As Gywn's soul was what originally fed the fire for so long, and Seath was gifted a part of Gywn's soul, humans may have thought she could sustain the first flame. As for the fact that killing her doesn't remove bonfires, this could be the thing that went wrong, and she was not linked to the first flame. I have no idea if this is right btw, just thought I'd share and see if anybody agrees :)

[@godlyforever059]

#SilverMont, contrived of humans, born of dragons, Priscilla and Shanalotte are one in the same, perhaps she comes from the past due to the effect of the Paintings effect: pulled Priscilla into the world of Aramis. We don't know how the Paintings work.

[@mr.kittysavestheworld695]

I've always compared the Emerald Herald to a number of other characters in various media, mainly video games. Those guide characters that never get real understandable lore behind them, or make any sense, be it about their motives, or very existence. They never get explained, they just guide the player or character through their journey, for reasons we'll never know. Those characters that seem to be able to show up anywhere, typically after some significant event. Anyone who's played the Red Dead games might remember that odd man that shows up periodically across the game, seemingly out of nowhere. The 'I Know You' guy, with the top hat. He's never directly explained, nor is there really much lore to be picked out of the game. One of those characters that just...is. They get no explanation or reasoning, they just kinda...are. The man gives you a series of quests, each dealing with some moral dilemma. They all deal with the human conscience, the difference between right and wrong. And remember the final encounter with him. I won't spoil too much, but the mysterious man, with his talking in riddles, pisses off John to the point of shooting him, several times. The bullets clearly have no effect on the man. He doesn't even react to them. Some have theorized, based on the man's cryptic dialogue, that he is God. And others claim the total opposite of the coin, saying he's Death, or the Devil. In the end, it's never explained who this man is, or what he represents. I like characters like that. They're really interesting. People can endlessly theorize the who's, what's, and why's, but no real answer is ever found. They aren't always guides, either. Shalquoir, for example. She can't be killed, and has vast knowledge of events that seem to predate even the Age of Fire. She just kinda exists, doing whatever she feels like. Very indifferent, much like a real cat. There isn't any explanation of who or what she is. Whatever she is, she knows a lot about many events that happened long, long ago. And she never talks about them as if she was involved with any of it. Rather, she makes it sound like she observes all these things happening from afar, remaining rather uncaring of any particular side. Some people get pretty upset by characters like that, claiming they're just lazy writing, or are annoyed there's no lore. I personally see a lot of significance behind these characters. Of what, exactly, I couldn't say. It's a feeling that, whatever it is, it's very significant and has a lot of meaning, but you don't know how. Just this gut feeling that this person, or thing, is something of a much higher importance than they seem. They aren't necessarily gods. For example, the Emerald Herald can be killed, and when killed, she stays dead. She is a mortal being, whatever she is. And while Shalquoir is seemingly immortal, she never displays any real power besides her immortality. If she does have some grand ability, she doesn't seem to care enough to use it, or have reason to. She's just an observer. If these characters are done well, they're capable of being some of the best designed characters in a game. Of course, they can be screwed up pretty easily as well.

[@anthonygillespie3140]

I think if you're going to separate the name it makes more sense to see the first half as shanon, which is an irish name, seeing as the herald has an irish accent

[@qosaikadadha8261]

I believe that the Emerald Herald has some sort of link to manus or the abyss. Like all of the other fragments of the abyss, she seeks a king. She never really explained why she does and could be using you. She acted as an ally and guide to you by leveling you up, upgrading/giving your estus, and telling you what to do. By doing this, she can basically lead you into doing whatever she wants. Maybe Nasandra is standing in her way some how, and uses you to get rid of her. Maybe to also get rid of the king and take his place. This is all speculation and not sure about any of this.

[@I_EAF_19882]

I thought she is just a fire keeper who was originally created to be the chosen undead, but the failure in her creation disabled her so you're her partner in crime to link the fire

[@patrickcarl8398]

she's staring into my soul..

[@spectred88]

Seath's experiments to create a firekeeper didn't end with him making pisaca or even with his death. His next incarnation had more success it seems and made a real firekeeper... On a separate note now that I think of it perhaps the bandages cover burns from the process of linking her to the flame. It seems only logical she would have to give some of herself.

[@Tracker947]

I imagine the "Muse" part of it is that she is there to ensure that whoever sits on the throne has some idea of hope or beauty when whomever sits on it does whatever mumbo jumbo that "starts everything anew".

[@SilverMont]

Tracker947 Does it mean we'll get a world populated only with Emerald Heralds? "BEAR SEEK SEEK LEST" echoing throughout the world.

[@Tracker947]

Silver Mont LMAO

[@3DTyrant]

"My journey is already complete" could this maybe mean that we've already sat upon the Throne of Want, even befor we technically play, and what we play is going trough Dragleic once more, and she's saying this to us from the past after we sat on it for the very first time. It seems unlikely, but somehow plausible.

[@SilverMont]

3DTyrant Potentially? But she seems rather suspect of us when we first arrive. As if we're the 100th person she's seen try this, and assumes we are going to fail like all the rest.

[@cmanley2]

I really like these lore video's! Thank you!

[@Bathezid]

Something I find very odd between the two games is the bonfire mechanic itself. Originally, the Chosen Undead was somehow able to infuse souls into his own essence at any given bonfire. So long as the flame was lit, it was eligible to be a catalyst of sorts for gaining strength. The Cursed Undead in DKS2 is unable to do such, and must return to the Emerald Herald so that she may collect souls and transmute them into power. Regarding warping, the "art" was granted to the Chosen Undead by the Lordvessel. The Cursed Undead is simply able to do this innately. And finally, Estus worked a lot differently too. Humanity was infused, or perhaps more accurately, sacrificed in the flames to grant the Chosen Undead a more plentiful Flask. This also strengthened the flames of the bonfire. And Fire Keeper Souls were given to other keepers of the flame to grant the Chosen Undead a more potent Flask. Now, the Cursed Undead must return to the Far Fire to burn the dust of a long dead saint who cast himself into the bonfire, and must collect Flask Shards so that the Emerald Herald may graft them onto the bottle. And in order for the flames to become stronger, an Ascetic must be cast into a bonfire. Are these all simply design choices? I can't imagine making the player return to Majula was a better idea than simply being able to level up at any bonfire. Perhaps being able to warp instantly to Majula very often to not only level up, but to upgrade your Estus Flask was necessary. So clearly, all of the bonfire mechanics work in tandem with each other in DKS2. But there isn't much explanation as to how or why these changes came to pass. In both games, there is nothing explicitly wrong with the mechanics, so the changes were unwarranted from a gameplay perspective in my opinion.

[@SilverMont]

jester with no tears I think it comes down to game design, as we don't really have much lore explanation as to why the undead can offer souls to the fire in order to level up. To be honest, that's one thing I think DaSII handles better. To me, it makes more sense that in both Demon's and Dark II you have to offer your souls to another, for them to empower you. In Dark Souls, you are essentially just forging yourself in fire, using souls. Maybe that's because the Chosen Undead was "unique" after all, but I prefer to think that our player was just the same as every other hollow, he wasn't really special. He just happened to have the willpower and the skill to "become" the Chosen Undead.

[@Liveimprov]

She loves you. Thats why it confuses you if youre too logical. She is in love. Her journey was to guide the next king. Nash would be rendered irrelevant and past-cycle if you turn the wheel of time - shed stop being the present ex queen but old history. Like an obsessed ex who prevent you from moving on. A new king means a new queen. Emerald Herald is seriously crushing on you, helping you because her feelings for you free her from the shackles of the slave life her creators and patriarchs made her for. Rather than being a nun-like servant to the dragons and men, she'd be freed with the power that a king's love grants his queen. She loves that you bear the curse so bravely and are letting her help you. Even if youre a female character, her role as your right hand helper is the whole point. She gets personally fufilled. This is her freedom - to be the inevitable part of fate that frees living beings from fate. It sounds nonsensical but its not. Just as death is a part of life, so is freedom a part of slavery - for slaves are inevitably freed, even if through death. Emerald Herald admits this possibility - that youd either take the throne and usher a new cycle of build&break, or cynically let darkness take over to let the credits roll on life in drangleic. Either way she is living a romantic drama as your helper, and loves every step you take. Regardless of what you do, your presence (which she prayed for) fulfills her soul, spirit, and life so fully that she cares not what the outcome is. This is love.

[@jacksonslifetips6860]

I think the young version of her is the one seen throughout the game being a teenager, and the older version that we don't see, is the old women seen in the beginning cut scene, considering they have some same dialog, and that maybe the young version is trying to trick the undead (player) to be bound into the Kings position, just like the old woman in the intro has you jump in a wirl pool that may be sending you to the past to be stuck in drangleic.

[@phage5342]

Its what I thought when she said the exact same line as intro in undead crypt. Maybe her current past and present self's are nonlinear my connected so she already knew her job of getting you to break the cycle was complete after she led you to the king, hek even if you chose to link the fire or sit on the throne to complete the cycle she knew just by having you go there the next cycle or the one after you would break the cycle.

[@thecatattheend2250]

Why would Shanalotte look like that if she were immortal? I know that doesn't necessarily mean "eternal youth" but I don't think that she would have been called a failure at that early stage if they couldn't tell she would age - it must have been some other reason (can't link the fire, can't take the throne, whatever it is). I'm pretty sure she'll be young and beautiful forever, even when darkness overtakes the land. =)

[@ethangordon7808]

Shanalotte is a child of dark like Nashandra, Alsanna, and Elana. I believe this because each child of dark is equivalent to the one of the seven sins. Nashandra is want, Alsanna im not sure, and Elana is revenge. Maybe Shanalotte is the aspect of greed... that's my opinion though... im not sure

[@217adaptiveperspective]

Alsanna is fear

[@tropicalhumus9598]

Perhaps she is a child of dark awaiting her monarch, like the other children of dark, perhaps she is even leading her monarch to the throne. I know she explicitly says that she was born of dragons, but are the primordial serpents not considered dragons? Albeit imperfect dragons. Maybe since Vendrick failed to become a true monarch, "fate" has brought along a new monarch to take his place.

[@1013mstein]

I think the reason she is the cure to the curse and why she's constantly seeking the next monarch is because she's an alternative to the bonfire. In the first game we were pumping souls into the bonfires and those would be reborn and the cycle would continue. But in dark souls 2 we pump souls into her and these won't be reborn since the curse doesn't affect her. Maybe she lied about being a failure or this wasn't the intended purpose but the souls we give her won't be reborn they are out of the cycle. The reason she tells us before nashandra that her mission is over is because she believes she's collected enough souls

[@TheREXJONES]

OH WOW I AM SO GLAD YOU FINALLY DID THIS ONE :D I am a huge fan of your channel and probably watch at least one of your videos every night when I'm able. Just wanted to say, please keep covering major characters and please keep on speculating!

[@SilverMont]

Rex Jones Well, thanks! I hope you like the vid

[@robTCGZ]

Sometimes I fear that when the new content included in the Scholar of the First Sin update comes out, all the lore videos created so far will be proven wrong. They said they will add more NPC's and an expanded story, in addition to enhanced item descriptions, so who knows, right?. I hope that an answer to the Herald is given though, she is still a complete enigma

[@caturiges]

Sometimes I wonder if the Ancient Dragon/Shanalotte and Nashandra once had similar roles to the Primordial Serpents in Dark Souls, but that idea was scrapped during development. I also have to say that I was very disappointed with her being the final boss, instead of a Hollow King Vendrick, since every Souls game up until now had a decayed king as the final challenge.

[@prestokrevlar]

I think her voice was higher pitched in the Aerie was because the winds were blowing and she had to speak over them.

[@SobutaiPlays]

I like the idea that she is the Fire Keeper from the into and that the portal she leads you to sends you to another time. The Place Betwixt is just a halfway point between Drangleic and where you can't from, that's why the Fire Keepers are no younger. The Fire Keepers also make it seem like she's done this several times before and they know the is no doing the cycle. The Emerald Herald in many of the early places sounds very exhausted, like she's said these lines so many times waiting. I also like the idea that she is waiting for a new monarch to restart this cycle. Every king needs a Queen and if you are to be monarch, you will have no such queen. Maybe something went wrong in creating her and she got a shard of Manus embedded in her arm and she needs you to end her curse by ending the daughters of Manus or she is the only one who understand how to get someone to truly ascend the Throne of Want. She was around the Ancient Dragon for sometime. Somehow learning of the ashen heart and just what the Undead could learn from it. But, if any of this is true, I'd be very interested in the time/place that our undead originally came from.

[@SilverMont]

Sobutai Plays I think that is largely up to the player. Much like how the first Dark Souls provides you with a choice selection of backgrounds for your character, I think that's the same here. Whether you were a knight, sorcerer, peasant etc, it's all up to you.

[@SobutaiPlays]

Silver Mont I mean, are we from a future Drangleic known by another name? Are we simply from another land? What is so wrong with where we came from? If we go with the idea that Shanalotte is that Fire Keeper sending us to another time. I think "When" is a more important question than where. Because of we look at all of these distant lands and even some tied to Drangleic the most smaller humanoid creatures are closer to Vendrick (but not too close) and the land he rules. Looking at the crown DLC's we can assume they take place at the same time based on some descriptions and dialog. They may not fall completely in line with the main story but it's definitely after Vendrick invaded outside lands. So, I guess what point I'm trying to make is, we are probably in a future Drangleic as humanoids are a rare site outside of this plot of land that, time and time again is home too them and what is happening that is so wrong with our time period, obviously our undead cannot remember. But if "an" undead did find the crown to "treat" hollowing where did it go in the time period we came from. Or did we finally break some part of the cycle to cause this future. Or did breaking at least a small part of the cycle create a different time line. I suppose until Scholar of the First Sin, we'll never know. But I've always loved all the bread crumbs and speculation and multiple theories that comes from it in the Souls games.

[@Kenkenlegend64]

I didn't realize about the bandages on her arm before! Great video, Alex. Let's see if Scholar of the first sin finally explains a bit more about her.

[@SilverMont]

***** Hopefully it will!

[@Cragmortis]

I believe that she was an attempt to make beings immune to the curse. Dragon blood has been said to stave it. So I think that some sought the power of the dragons to turn into them, thus breaking their curse. Others who did not want to make a convenient with a dragon attempted to mix human and dragon blood. Shan was born, immune to the curse but they could not use her blood to make themselves uncursed. It was not pure dragon blood after all. Blood slowly becomes very important in souls games. I think there is deeper meaning to this for her in particular. She wanted to find a new monarch because it was the only thing she could do to "save" their world. I also think that when she was born her being actually existed on all plains of time. She was almost omnipresent during the game. This makes me also believe that Priscilla also existed in many different times all at once because she said that her world was full of kind people. Maybe to her the world looked normal, unchanged. Who knows, these are my thoughts.

[@matthewramos2755]

I think she represents the new queen of drangleic as nashandra, elana, nadalia and eslanna did before her. This leads me to conclude that she is helping the undead to become queen. What she intens to do when she is queen I don't know but it's interesting to think that the most important and helpful npc in the game could be the most evil

[@jmartin9529]

If it is scales under her bandages then maybe she inherited deaths soul and gave it to freja to gaurd

[@Aerowarrier]

Milibeth says there was a fourth sister, but she is lost. What if that sister was killed, and her soul used in conjunction with the petrified egg perhaps to create Shanalotte. She would be born of dragons, as the egg is most likely a dragon egg, contrived by men, as they put her there, and maybe even have the power the bonfires had in DS1. After all, one fire keeper can reallocate you, so maybe another can make you stronger.

[@gensaikuroki1793]

No. The fourth sister is the old woman who narrates the beginning.

[@Aerowarrier]

+Kuro_Hitokiri and Shanalotte says her manifestation brought you here. The narrator can be assumed to be who brought you here. Shanalotte could have manifested herself as the old woman to bring you to Drangleic.

[@stephenblackie7444]

The Emerald Herald inspires me to keep going. The first time I played Dark Souls 2 I just learned about the franchise, and decided to pick it up. And the first hours I kept returning to Majula with my tail between my legs. But every time I leveled up by her hand I felt I could push farther. I felt progress each time she gave me new dialog. And it gave me a will to keep going. So to me, the Emerald Herald inspires the will to keep moving.

[@SilverMont]

Stephen Blackie So she does serve as a muse for some! Even if others only hear "BEAR SEEK SEEK LEST" from her, a hell of a lot!

[@alexwright3258]

From proabably got the voice files for child Shanalotte before cutting her, and then wanted to use them anyway because voice acting isn't cheap, so they just used them there for whatever reason. I always felt that Shanalotte's "manifestation" was the old dear from the opening. It's not as if she looks different in the Dragon Aerie, we aren't stupid enough to be told that she led us there. Also, killing her in any one of her locations, stops her from appearing in all of her locations, including Dragon Aerie. On another note, and I'm not sure how accurate this is, I have heard that air density can affect pitch, or at least the way we hear sound, and Dragon Aerie is pretty high up there, which would effectively lower air density.

[@ITanmanI]

11:19 a throne mad of stone? that seems like a very uncomfortable place to rule for years until you go hollow

[@terrorswrath6806]

"Time in Lordran is convoluted", taking into account at that time, no other "land" was important enough to mention. "Time is convoluted in this world" would be a better statement. ( Lord - Ran )pass tense of the lords who ran the world that has become Lordran. So it would make sense that the first time we play Dark Souls 2 it is the ending where we linked the fire. ( who intentionally walk away? impulsive reactions resort to impulsive choices) so that is why the cycle has repeated with the "new lords" yet the NG+ is the "Dark Ending" and that is why the souls of the previous lords are now found with the current powers that be. and why black phantoms are more present ... since the dark was ushered in ... this seems too simple yet is overlooked all over. would love to have a discussion and video explanation, hit me up if ya want to collaborate. it would be a pleasure.

[@iFeelGlee]

think of the mouth between the eyes in the first picture as a nose.

[@SilverMont]

+Zeronite Oho my gawd

[@Jennnalifee]

Lmao

[@iknowtrevsupahyup]

I love your vids Silver Mont, please keep it up ! Nice narrative.

[@SilverMont]

IknowNOTHING Yup Thank you!

[@stormcommander6387]

Might sound odd but what if Seath the Scaleless is not truly dead instead, like Navlaan, he just goes through body to body and it just so happens that Seath the Scaleless is now Shanalotte. What if the next Dark Souls does reveal more about Seath the Scaleless and it just so happens that he is in another form... again? If this is to be true I wonder if he/she will be a protagonist or an antagonist or if it just depends on how we choose what path to go on.

[@Navy735]

She might be a daughter of pricilla as that is another female dragon kin pushed off into another world. Pricilla also appeared to have feathers. Furthermore if she was not like her mother and was too far removed from dragons than she would be considered a failed creation

[@mally4106]

Awesome video silver! Great Job, please keep up the amazing work! :)

[@rafaelsouza7111]

For some reason, I do think Shannalote or at least some beggining to her creation was what Vendrick brought from the land of the Giants. She's a being capable of manipulating souls, so it would make sense if she was used by him to create the golems, or at least teach him how to. A being as unique as her would be invaluable to the giants, so they would surely rage a war to recover her. The melancholy she displays would be tied to some kind of guilty she feels for destroying both the giants and Drangleic. Her journey has ended, because technically Vendrick won against them, bounding her to eternally to Drangleic. Now she seeks a new monarch to link the fire, so the cycle can begin anew and she can rest in peace. I can't tell for sure if she was or not created by Audia. I can only hope Scholar of The First Sin brings us a few more answers, especially regarding this stunning red-head. (I think she's one of the most beautiful characters from the Souls series.)

[@SilverMont]

Rafael Souza If you consider the other kings, you can get some useful info, in regards to that. Ivory King and Iron King also had the ability to create or control golems, to an extent. The Iron King "gave life" to his iron, to create golems. And Ivory did something similar in Eleum Loyce. Sunken doesn't seem to have done all that much, which is why he stands out, to me.