Elden Ring Lore | General Radahn, The Starscourge

General Radahn, The Starscourge, The Red Lion. No Other figure in Elden Ring's Lore is spoken of with such reverance and respect. Inspired by Godfrey and Radagon, General Radahn is a formidable warrior, a respected leader and a mighty sorcerer. In this Elden Ring Lore video we attempt to explain the incredible tale of Radahn.
Editor: Creators Studio - creatorsstudio.co.uk/
Intro: 0:00
Champion's Cub: 1:43
Sellia Town of Sorcery: 13:06
The Starscourge: 28:08
The Red Lion: 44:45
The Shattering: 1:01:57
This is an extremely expansive video that not only discusses General Radahn but also covers the following subjects: Sellia Town of Sorcery, Gravity Magic, Alabaster Lord, Leonard the Horse, The Redmanes, The Radahn Festival, The Shattering, The Battle of Aeonia, The Carian Royal Family, Raya Lucaria, Rykard, Ranni the Witch, Malenia, Miquella, Radagon, Marika, Great Runes and much more!
Shout out to Lokey for their insights and translations.
Lokey's Abyssal Archive: www.abyssalarchive.com/
Subscribe to my second channel: @smoughburgh
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REFERENCES
Radahn's Herioc Concept by Ratatoskr: • General Radahn's Heroi...
Radahn Boss Analysis by Ratatoskr: • General Radahn, Conque...
Lore Hunter on Radahn's Motivations: • ELDEN RING Lore - Did ...
Why Malenia and Radahn fought by Lore Hunter: • ELDEN RING - Why Malen...
The Tragedy of Leonard by Zullie the Witch: • Elden Ring - The Trage...
Astel Video by Zullie: • Elden Ring - Where wer...
Aesir Aesthetics on Silent Hill: • The Horror Lost in Tra...
SmoughTown Radagon Lore Video: • Elden Ring Lore | Rada...
SmoughTown Night of the Black Knives: • Elden Ring Lore | Nigh...
SmoughTown Albinaurics Lore Video: • Elden Ring Lore | The ...
SmoughTown Eternal Cities Lore Video: • Elden Ring Lore | The ...
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CREDITS
Commission Thumbnail art by S-Mrry: / bloodexer
Thumbnail layout by BrightSparkIV: / brightsparkiv
Please subscribe for more future Elden Ring Lore content!
Follow me on Twitter: / smoughtown
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Soundtrack is Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Sekiro, King's Field and Elden Ring
I do not own the rights to Elden Ring, all rights to FromSoftware
#eldenring #eldenringlore #gaming

[@SmoughTown]

If you'd like to support the channel: Patreon - www.patreon.com/SmoughTown BuyMeaCoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/smoughtown Or Memberships through the Channel! Thank you all for watching my take on General Radahn. Please let me know your thoughts below!

[@titaniumteddybear]

Radagon could have giant blood if Marika had it too.

[@Blakobness]

What if Radahn had learned about the threat of the stars from the Onyx Lord himself? He wasn't aware of it before he learned the gravity magic, he just wanted it to ride his horse. Maybe the Lords had some shred of awareness before they took humanoid form in the Lands Between after falling as meteors, and were aware of the threat and it's why they taught Radahn in the first place.

[@metsa6563]

A gravity spell can be found at the street of sages, and the sages set says they were driven from town. This might suggest that gravity mages might have been outcast from Sellia like you said.

[@briankeys5941]

has anyone ever looked at certain map points (as shown in this video at 16:34, for example), and directly compared it, one for one, to the astrological points (stars), that make up one of the 12 zodiac signs? the one via the timestamp i mentioned, seems to line up very close to SANGITARIOUS, half horse... half man. familiar, no? (its not a perfect match, but i bet it is SOMEWHERE)

[@briankeys5941]

also, I just realized there are 12 main bosses, u have to defeat, to complete the "story campaign" of Elden Ring... and a dual boss fight making it actual 13, that being the Elden Beast. Just like there are 12 zodiac signs. almost like its saying u need to destroy the 13th (last boss), bc it doesn't fit in the order of things, from an astrological POV. idk... just a thought. List: Margit, the Fell Omen Godrick the Grafted Red Wolf of Radagon Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon Godfrey, First Elden Lord (Golden Shade) Morgott, the Omen King Fire Giant Godskin Duo Maliketh, the Black Blade Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing Godfrey, First Elden Lord/Hoarah Loux, Warrior Radagon of the Golden Order

[@lhomepereta6425]

Personally I do not see Leonard as small, he is actually very big for a normal horse, taller than Mogh. Is just that Radahn is massive.

[@SmoughTown]

good shout

[@Vincent.E.M.Thorn.Author]

I think the word the game uses is 'Scrawny" which seems in reference to the fact that he is very skinny, not just calling him short

[@jaydenwarnke641]

The word used is "scrawny" which is bony and non-muscular, lacking in fat or non-skeletal bulk

[@Only1Miles]

I mean ofc he’s scrawny what is he going to eat in the wailing dunes? Sand?..leftover dead bodies like radahn? Leonard is hungry!

[@nekomatanyah1643]

⁠@@Only1Miles #FeedLeonard2023

[@feralbunnydonut8495]

Radahn learned an entire school of magic so that he wouldn’t have to abandon his faithful steed. Mans the GOAT as far as I’m concerned

[@SmoughTown]

Real W

[@spacewalkergaming1846]

Bro can literally fly but he loves his horse too much. Respect

[@MonEyRuLess]

@@spacewalkergaming1846 Look at the poor critter though! I'm not sure I'd want that kind of love. He could've just gifted his horse to a trusted (normal sized) commander and Leonard could have remained a proud and mighty steed instead of the tortured beast trapped under that rotting behemoth.

[@tingle2958]

​@@MonEyRuLess thank you lmao thats what I'm sayin

[@richter6699]

​@@MonEyRuLessLeonard would have been dead ages ago. You don't see another horse in Caeliid. Leonard was also described as scrawny before the war, and is only beneath a rotting behemoth because somebody decided to nuke Caelid. So you're wrong on every level :)

[@guy7912]

I love Radahn as a character, like a lot of Fromsoft's work, he is a very fleshed out character with a personality and demeanor that you are able to discern even before meeting him in person and of course before his fall.

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh very true! He's kinda like artorias that way - you hear so much about him before you finally throw down

[@ThommyofThenn]

​@@SmoughTownand to a much lesser extent, the Pontiff Soolyvahn. You hear talk of his notorious misdeeds before ever setting eyes on the haunting beauty of Irythil

[@bigbean2587]

@@ThommyofThenn what misdeeds has Radahn committed?

[@TroyTheCatFish]

This is a certified Starscourge classic

[@SmoughTown]

I am humbled

[@smokinbonez420]

Prime Radahn is so powerful it's hard to actually imagine after becoming so familiar with his maddened state, but the fact that his great rune burns shows the magnitude of his blazing spirit and that he's still fighting Malenia

[@rushpatriot2866]

What's funny is most bosses we fight are nerfed or held back they're all extremely strong but radahn is something else. Him maliketh and malenia seem to be at the top I'm sure godwyn was too

[@A_Black_Sheep94]

​@@rushpatriot2866I'd have to imagine Godwyn/Horah Loux would still be more powerful than Godwyn.

[@PETHRIS]

I love the idea that Radahn honestly had no idea what was going on when The Shattering started. He's just a general, with his own army and castle, and probably thought that the Golden Order would last forever under his stepfamily's rule. Suddenly, his stepmom and dad are gone, the prospective heir Godwyn is dead, and all his siblings are traitors and fighting amongst themselves. He figures he's the only righteous heir left to honor the Golden Order, only to get his ass beat by some sewer goblin he's never met before, being called a traitor himself now. Even with Malenia, it seems like she was much more interested in bringing the fight to him, than him to her. Dude's just tossed into one nightmare after another, and all he can do is fight.

[@JonDundas10]

The only thing I'll say to that, is: he was never "just" a general. He was always divine royalty, even is his younger and weaker states.

[@tristank8076]

​@@JonDundas10yeah it's more likes. He's "The General. The Highest commander aside from the Monarch

[@joshuakim5240]

The implication of everything just spiraling so out of control that Radahn couldn't keep up with it is both hilarious and kind of sad in hindsight. Technically speaking, he still abided by Marika's final edict so he was probably super confused at suddenly becoming labeled as a traitor by some angry Omen who looks like a hobo for doing exactly as he was told, with said confusion growing when this Omen hobo showed that he could throw hands as well as he could with divinity pouring out of his horns. Radahn probably just assumed that going straight to the capital to take the throne by his lineage was the most simple, direct, least overall confrontational, and obvious thing to do, only to figure out to be his bafflement how that was the most complicated, roundabout, most confrontational, and ass-backwards thing to do for the sole reason that Morgott exists which no one could have seen coming since his existence was a secret. "I just wanted to take the chair like mom told us to, only for a manhole cover to blow open as the most busted Omen ever proceeded to hit me with a stick while calling me slurs." -pre-rot Radahn, probably.

[@deletekeys]

Radahn held back the stars, with it the fate of 3 Demigods and interfered with Outer Gods. To say he was clueless makes no sense what so ever.

[@PETHRIS]

@@deletekeys even Ranni's crew seem to be surprised with the connection between Radahn's halting of the stars and fate, it's possible that Radahn was doing it for the sole reason of preventing destruction while unaware of its effects on his family

[@capollyon]

I wonder if Radahn knew who Radagon truly was. Ranni seems to understand. But i am not sure if Radahn and Rykard knew it.

[@SmoughTown]

Agreed - I feel he liked the image of the 'champion', rather than the fundamentalist he became

[@jstar3382]

Both of the brothers seem a bit blinded by their goals, with Rykard being obvious. He didn't give a damn about anything else once he found the serpent

[@redpandarampage2191]

I was never sure if Ranni knew or not. Where did you get the impression that she did?

[@capollyon]

@@redpandarampage2191 well, she is Empyrian and she knew what that status meant. And her ambitions and schemes were much more sophisticated that anyone else. She exactly new what had to be done. And I think she understood the opportunity Marika created, enabeling her to cut off the influence of Greater Will and become new god of new age of Moon. But, there is no literal confirmation that she knew that Radagon was Marika. It is just my feeling anf ubderstanding of things. After all, she seems to care more for Rennala than for Radagon.

[@Photoloss]

@@capollyon Well it takes two to wreck a home. Sure she can pile _most_ of the blame on Marika because unlike IRL she's a goddess who might have literal incontestable authority over a Champion of the Golden Order, but in the end it was still Radagon who left his first wife, presumably broke his oath of marriage (and that kind of thing was a *BIG DEAL* in real life past, Henry VIII literally split from the Catholic church "just" to get a divorce) and plunged Rennala into despair as a result.

[@betheve9890]

To be fair, Rennala is also weirdly large so Radahn's size could come from whatever odd genetics she gave him

[@virtem7686]

I agree, to support that there is the sword of night and flamme and troll knight's sword, both weapon state closeness between giants and carian the first tell us that the forefathers of the carian were close to the giants and the latter that this relationship lasted to the time of rennala with this can be hypothesis that the carian may have giant blood, that between the astrologer and giant may had happen unions (with small giants like milos) and latter this could still had happened with the trolls as those were treat as carian knights.

[@virtem7686]

@@zippydastrange what makes you think they are fire giants? they are way bigger than them, by a lot they are clearly their own specie

[@KossolaxtheForesworn]

rannis original body was larger than normal as well, id imagine rykard as a human was also larger than average. but radahn did get all the big boy genes.

[@robertocioffi2523]

Maybe it's just a One Piece type of thing. Size is pretty random.

[@AdamOwenBrowning]

@@robertocioffi2523 i always saw it in the Dark Souls way. Enemies aren't necessarily to scale, they are as big as they need to be to look and feel strong. A bit of artistic license, like if a Tarnished was telling the story of Elden Ring around a fire, they would talk about how towering and mighty Radahn is to emphasize how much of a warrior he is, not that he's actually 25 feet tall

[@327thepeanut]

On the point of the fact that Sellia used to have a greater emphasis on the use of gravity magic, you can find the gravity magic staff in the ruins of a building in the scarlet swamp adjacent to Sellia. The city was likely larger in the past, but was ravaged and partially submerged by the shattering.

[@emma-rz7mf]

yea it seems like the swamp of aeonia ruins were actually part of sellia and arent as old as they look (just extremely rotted). it might even be that the entire lake of aeonia was sellia

[@sleven1160]

​@@emma-rz7mfif that's true it paints Melanie in an even more unfavorable light. She was willing to release the scarlet rot against not only radahn and his army, but against an entire city of innocent people, knowing full well what the consequences would be even if she did manage to kill Radahn.

[@moniker2804]

​​@@sleven1160All because her pride, her sense of self (worth/importance), was so strong. That, and her dedication to her brother. Perhaps her pride got the best of her. Especially as one who had never known defeat.

[@NicSantiagoG]

I like to think that instead of Radahan turning into a meteor, or fighting an Astel on the Dunes, but Radahan was gonna capture an Astel and ride it down like he was in Dr. Strangeglove.

[@SmoughTown]

Oh boy I need this

[@anthonygarcia1148]

I would shit my pants and be happy about it

[@williamsova9313]

My empyrean! I can walk, I CAN WALK!

[@ProjectMathesar]

I really hope we get to go back in time before the Shattering to see Caelid before Malenia and Radahn destroyed it

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh after researching this one, I am so intrigued about Caelid as it was before

[@unai8659]

I heard it was like a jungle of sorts

[@samueltitone5683]

If we do go back into the past for Shadows of the Erdtree, I’d say pre-shattering Caelid could be a pretty good candidate for the setting.

[@user-im7oj9sd6m]

@@samueltitone5683does Caelid have anything to do with miquella? I didn’t really make any connections during myplay throughs of the game

[@samueltitone5683]

@@user-im7oj9sd6m Sort of? His cacoon is located in Mohgywn Palace which is directly below Caelid. A lot of people seem to think the cacoon will be an entrance to the DLC.

[@laBoogy]

I always thought Malenia fought Radahn on behalf of Miquella because he held back the stars thus preventing Miquellas tree from growing more

[@geordiejones5618]

I thought the stars affected the eclipse and Godwyn

[@09csr]

​@@geordiejones5618 Could very well be both at once. According to Ranni's followers, halting the stars means halting fate itself and the halting of events to some extent. It is very likely that us freeing the stars unlocks more than just Ranni's path forward: it could likely unlock multiple things, like the growth of the Haligtree, Miquella growth inside Mohg's cocoon, the arrival of Godwyn's eclipse and could maybe even affect Rykard to some extent.

[@geordiejones5618]

@@09csr and yet you can mend the Elden Ring without ever facing Radahn. I see the stars and moons on the same level as the outer gods, and then the greater will is something even higher, and the stars affect reality but not all reality like the greater will seems to be invested.

[@OfficialChrissums]

@@geordiejones5618 all of the above. he froze EVERYONE's destinies

[@Mohamed-lh9hc]

​@@OfficialChrissumsonly the carians

[@S2Pot_Gaming]

Note one the Sellia timeline for Gravity vs Night magic: they may not necessarily have to be separate periods, and they might not be such different schools of magic. Gravity in the real world can manipulate and bend light, therefore, Sellia may be more commonly known for Gravity among the peoples of the lands between, but have a secret school for Night sorceries to train assassins not known by many, all at the same time due to the magic inherently being the same though applied differently.

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh agree - doesn't need to be mutually exclusive!

[@iudex_Luke]

I think the "stars have aligned" is more of an expression from jarren. In that it must take time and preparation to organize the festival and make sure there are enough worthy champions to even stand a chance of killing g radahn

[@jstar3382]

I've commented this before, but Radagon and Radhan have a lot of links to the giants. Red hair, yes, but Radagon's weapon of choice, a hammer, is a tool first made and used by Giants for forging, and he even tried to use it to reforge the elden ring. The big thing for me though is that Radhan's great rune is actually ON FIRE. As if the giant in him resists the rot as well. And the only other things we've seen affect great runes is on the level of gods or god like entities. Only Morgott and Godrick have "normal" runes, as they have no ties to an outer god or something similar

[@tyco1649]

Another fun bit of thematics is Giant’s having weak ankles/feet; both the fire giant’s weak point is it’s foot (which effectively is so ruined it’s gone even before the Giant rips it off) and Radahn’s feet dragging on the sand have worn off. Could just be a “big things have stress points” thing but might be a more meaningful nod at this Giant heritage. For a less-fun, more definitive answer; just bring up a picture of Radahn’s and the Fire Giant’s faces up side by side. Nose structure, skin color, features; Radahn is clearly a giant when you’re literally looking another one in the face at the same time.

[@matthiasmelaku7118]

Something I’ve noticed in the fandom is the idea that Radahn and Malenia were in a stalemate BEFORE the scarlet bloom. This isn’t helped by one of the sword monuments apparently justifying this claim. However, I don’t agree. Millicent states that she is the “pride” that Malenia cast aside, to “meet Radahn’s measure”. Millicent, who is for all intents and purposes a fragment of Malenia herself, states that the rot was used to level the playing field. Meaning that, even when holding back the stars, Radahn was winning. Until Malenia stopped holding back.

[@gunnarschlichting9886]

I mean, it's possible to have a stalemate with one side being less injured. Radahn was definitely hurt (see all the spears in his back) but I'd agree that he was slowly wearing down Malenia more than Malenia was wearing down him. Neither were decisively winning though, resulting in a stalemate. Like, Malenia was eventually going to lose, which is why she resorted to unleashing her Rot, but before that point it was still a stalemate.

[@static4802]

Millicent's statement doesn't contradict with the sword monument. To meet someone's measure means to defeat or overcome them, not draw with them.

[@NaK-R]

So the Millicent that said her memories were shattered have more credibility than Gideon Ofnir and an item provided by the game itself? The game also shows that Morgott defeated Radahn. Cope

[@static4802]

@@NaK-R It's not clear he defeated Radahn though. Could simply be that he pushed him back.

[@NaK-R]

@@static4802 Radahn invaded Leyndell. Morgott pushed him out, that means he had to fight him at some point..

[@Eric-md3mp]

The stars being aligned for the radahn fight might be in reference too the meteor he is holding back, perhaps it wasn't held in a steady spot but just up above being kept from getting closer. So the alignment that is being waited for is a time when the meteors won't crash into sellia, so that radahns defeat won't mean that he failed at the one act he was able to keep himself doing after his mind rotted

[@09csr]

Agreed, and one can argue that the proof of that lie in the fact that no meteor strike Sellia after Radahn's defeat.

[@deviantMystro]

I like this theory!

[@titaniumteddybear]

If the moving stars robbed Sellen of her immortality then doesn't that mean she's of the Carian Royal line? I mean they're the ones whose fate is governed by the stars.

[@SmoughTown]

🤔That's a really great point that is worth investigating. Also referred to by Iji as a 'Carian Weed'? I always thought it was because she causes them an issue...but maybe its because she is a black sheep of the family?

[@slav_bonk1655]

Or maybe she kind of stole or usurped this characteristic of a Carian Royal family? Maybe she somehow tied her destiny to the stars with forbidden spell, that is forbidden firstly because current royal lineage wanted to protect it's privilege? Though, I hardly doubt that there is confirmation to this theory in game.

[@varsoonhks3211]

I feel you're reading 'fate' too literally. Most people tend to do that.

[@Marco1995Mega]

Doesn't Seluvis control other people and create his puppets via Star Shards? Doesn't that mean that other people's fates are also controlled by the stars?

[@varsoonhks3211]

@@Marco1995Mega Don't read 'fate controlled by the stars' so literally. The Stars and cosmos are powerful, don't get me wrong--you're exactly right that Seluvis and others use cosmic magic to literally puppeteer other people's bodies. People looooove to read the 'fate controlled by the stars' as a literal cosmic power of actual fate and not a metaphor on the level of fate being controlled by the sword or the Elden Ring or anything that has power over people's lives. It's just that the Carians put their stock in cosmic magic and divining significance from the stars, so, yeah, they're all extra dramatic about it.

[@89Dienekes]

I’ve always liked the theory that even in his madness Radahn some small part of him realized it was his time. This person who struggled against change his entire life fueling his need for power and control finally let just a little go. He let the star that determined his fate move, so someone could finally hopefully take him out of his misery.

[@scribesorcerer4967]

Radahn would have been proud of every single warrior who dared face his maddened form. For their bravery alone would have made him laugh heartily and ask their arms to be by his in the glory of battle. My Lord Starscourge, may you rest as Ash within the Erdtree, for all time. You have earned it.

[@Writh811]

I think Radahn's size is a result of his partaking in Dragon Communion some time prior to his battle with Malenia. The main Communion church is pretty much right outside Redmane Castle. His eyes in the trailer where he fights Malenia aren't so much gold as they are yellow and the pupils even appear to be slits. His large curved swords are similar in shape and style to the Magma Wyrm swords. The way the Magma Wyrms roll around their butts and then strike at you is similar to how Radahn scoots around on Leonard and strikes at you. The way Radahn chooses his idols tells you something about him, he values raw power. Dragon Communion is a path towards greater power when you feel like you've hit your ceiling.

[@robgowing6139]

Ive thought that as well! It would also be interesting if he held the stars in place to halt his own fate of turning into a wyrm, perhaps protecting the golden order from himself.

[@jakewu8268]

Huh both of this would actually be pretty cool ! 😅

[@patriciapandacoon7162]

I like this idea a lot

[@taistelusammakko5088]

He doesnt use a one dragon communion spell and nothing suggests him being related to dragon communion in any way

[@Writh811]

@@taistelusammakko5088 No suggestions of him being related? Did you read my post: He has dragon eyes. His skin is turning greyish brown like the magma wyrms. His castle is right next to the larger Dragon Communion temple. When we fights him one of his strategies is to take off flying into the sky. If he didn't have Leonard he would be crawling on his belly like a magma wyrm. Not to mention when he lost his mind he started eating people, cannibalisms can occur at points of mental breakdown but it is not a common occurrence by a long shot (most of the folks in the Lands Between aren't cannibals but are all mad). If his consumption is purely due to his madness we should have gotten to the wailing dunes and found Radahn dead on the beach from having drank too much sea water. The cannibalism demonstrates a beast is subsuming his consciousness. Something to keep in mind when dealing with powerups in lore is that the player experiences a simplified version of the narrative concept. Narratively, communion isn't just something you do to get a spell. It gives you further strength, per Yura. If Elden Ring were a book rather then a new breath attack each time a heart was handed over it would describe our characters strength and senses becoming greater. We can see this even as we take shards of the Elden Ring. We don't grow larger or become anything demonstrating we hold the power of the universe within us. Instead we get mostly useless buffs. Also Magma Wyrms, whom I most directly compare Radahn with, don't use communion spells either. As you can see there is some evidence that points to his connection to communion. I'm ok with it not being right, I'm just having fun with stories, but if you got even circumstantial evidence to counter these points I'd be happy to call my theory trash for a more accurate truth.

[@MasterSho02]

I always thought Commander O'Neil was one of Malenia's soldiers. Being surrounded by Clean Rot Knights and the usage of "fled" in the halberd's description made me think of her being carried away, back to the Haligtree.

[@Psub950]

Add to that the fact that Cleanrot knights and O 'Neil not just don't attack but actively buff each other it's pretty appearance that there on the same side

[@Pizzifrizzo]

I always thought that Radahn's tutelage in Sellia and his training under the Alabaster Lords were two separate events. I always imagined it very... anime-like: a young Radahn learns basic gravity magic in Sellia in order to be with his horse, while a more mature Radahn goes on a trip to find an Alabaster Lord to gain a power up when Sellia comes under threat later.

[@Scrotus_the_odd]

This is a man I would absolutely go fishing with

[@SmoughTown]

He could just pick the fish out the water with magic

[@NickCombs]

Just a small note on the gravity symbol: if you look up "gravity and spacetime curvature," you will see depictions of this "magnetic" field. But it isn't magnetic of course. That's a different force. The interesting part about being able to control gravity is that it implies control over spacetime, which would allow for time dilation.

[@Darkheart00]

General Radahn, Conquerer of The Stars, Famed Red Lion cub of Champion, Slayer of Giants, Mightiest Demigod and Best Boy😊 Thanks for making this video. Can’t wait for more🙌

[@SmoughTown]

My pleasure my friend, more to come!

[@swamashijudbedolofritt4448]

I believe Radahn's size is due to his rune. During the shattering when he fought Morgot he was about his size and the other soldiers were not so small compared to them. After he grew larger having his own rune. This is what I believe.

[@minerman60101]

This is my thought too. GRRM wrote the backstory up to the Night of the Black Knives, and I remember hearing that everyone in his lore were human sized (maybe a smidgeon of largeness on the scale of Renalla) but once that event happens and Miyazaki takes over, soon after is the Shattering where they all receive their Great Runes and diverge from their human forms in their own unique ways.

[@requiemnemesis2413]

In the Elden Ring, height is a sign of power. The bigger you are, the stronger, so maybe after he got the great rune, then got bigger cause it made him stronger?

[@vincentlorusso689]

In a perfect world, each Shardbearer would get their own massive DLC where we play as them in each of their respective primes lol. Great video. Thank you.

[@SmoughTown]

Couldn't agree more and thank you so much. Was my pleasure!

[@nicholasloduca6668]

Love the addition of the First Hunter OST when talking about Radahn being along in the wailing dunes, mind rotting, hoping someone will come kill him. Brings the connection with Gerhman stuck in the hunters dream which I never really thought about

[@nox_cadit]

I interpret the feat of holding back the starts as not him literally stopping the STARS themselves, but the falling "stars", aka comets and meteors. I know the fallen star beast is called that, and that Astel is also a star, at least a malformed one, but I can't get this out of my head, that once we beat him a comet falls, not a star, probably the same comet that was supposed to fall on Selia and due to his meddling it changed trajectory and fell on Limgrave instead. Also, your take makes sense, that he's only able to hold back falling stars, and honestly this is what makes more sense since what happens literally after we beat him is a star shower and a falling star hits Limgrave

[@rohanthomas6629]

What is interesting is that Ranni, Radahn, and Rykard were once a part of the Golden Order. Ranni was an Empyrean candidate, was gifted Blaidd by the Two Fingers, but betrayed them as she didn't her fate to be controlled by the Greater Will and mindcontrolled. Radahn was apart of the Golden Order at-point considering his golden armor, and love for Radagon. Then he abandoned it considering he besieged Leyndell 2 times, and even fought Morgott. Rykard was a justiciar who commanded a company of inquistors, then of course betrayed it. Despising the Golden Order, Greater Will, and feeding himself to the Great Serpent Eiglay for more power.

[@davidpower5710]

He only attacked leyndell once the other was Godric ancestors/predecessor godfroy

[@OttoVonBonesmarck]

Radahn is a giga chad and a demigod actually worth following into battle. A true father to his men until the end and a loyal friend to his horse.

[@Vincent.E.M.Thorn.Author]

I have a different take on Sellia being all about Night Sorcery in the present day: I think Sellia was once a home to sorcerers of multiple schools, rather than just one, and it's just the Night Sorcerers that remain post shattering. Considering many of Radahn's soldiers use gravity magic, it's not unreasonable to think he took all the gravity sorcerers with him to war. Also, I am still firmly in the "Radagon was not always a part of Marika" camp, so I can buy into Radahn just having giants blood, HOWEVER, it is worth noting that his throne at the Elden Throne site is the same size as all the others.

[@LegoM12]

Maybe “the stars have aligned” refers to the idea that Radahn is weakened enough to be defeated by us. If this is the case then the stars aligning could be proof of a weakening of his grip on the stars, and thus the loss of his strength. Which would be the right time for the festival to happen.

[@monkeymaster8563]

I think radagon once had golden hair and when he fought against the fire giants, due to his hatred of them they cursed him with the appearance of a fire giant, I think this curse then carried over to his children and the one most affected by the curse was radahn

[@gunnarschlichting9886]

Alternatively, if Radagon was originally part of Marika and she spilt herself into two parts, she could've been the one the giants cursed, and just shoved the curse onto Radagon in the process. My point is that I agree that Radagon has a curse from the fire giant, and it works regardless of what his origin really is (part of Marika split off or someone separate who later merged).

[@monkeymaster8563]

@@gunnarschlichting9886 true but we clearly see marika with her gold hair, and miquella is the only exception to the red hair

[@elis5820]

When it comes to Radahn's size (and other Demi-God's sizes) I always assumed that it was half heritage and half a side effect of the Great Runes. Marika is much bigger than most people, so of course Radagon is too, which can account for some of the size. When looking at the thrones in Lyndell, Morgott and Radahn are way too big for them. Either they are ceremonial (which i think is odd, just make a chair to fit them), or they grew in size post the creation of those chairs. Perhaps the power of the great rune made them grow in strength and size. Great video as always!

[@williamcote4208]

I just noticed something watching this: Radahn is literally the best wingman ever. If it wasn’t for him, we would not have met Ranni.

[@Kirisame312]

Real bros want their siblings to meet a lord worthy of them.

[@thedukeofchutney468]

Radahn is the best demigod. No questions asked.

[@alexterieur8813]

I think Malenia is more interesting but he is badass for sure

[@TheDsIEGE]

Just wanted to say congrats on how well your channel is doing, it takes a lot of guts to branch out like you did, and your videos continue to be high quality and fun to watch. Keep up the good work!!

[@SmoughTown]

Cheers my friend! I am just so grateful for all the suppot I get

[@TheDsIEGE]

@@SmoughTown Well you definitely deserve it. Excellent content here!

[@youtubecommenter2527]

Something I never see mentioned is the way the Black Knife assassins fight. They wear cloaks that make them invisible and make no sound while moving. And they ALSO fight in a way that makes their attacks hard to dodge or time properly. Ever aspect of their design, in game lore and in game mechanics is custom made to make them hard to fight. Truly perfect for assassins intending to kill both demi gods and the literal god of their age.

[@colinwhelan2099]

Theory on where all the gravity sorcerers went: I think Sellia used to be MUCH bigger. We know Numen architecture can support massive cities due to Leyndell. But Sellia is fairly small in comparison. However, if we assume that Sellia is the home of gravity sorcerers given its history, it would make sense that the Street of Sages Ruins was also once part of Sellia. We find the Meteorite Staff and the Rock Sling sorcery there. Now the architecture is certainly different, but there's also plenty of examples in-game of a town being expanded by later inhabitants. It's definitely possible that the Numen or Nox built the original town we run through, but it was either abandoned or entirely taken over by a group, and I think that group was Raya Lucarians, specifically a contingent following Lusat. We have both avionettes and marionettes, and all of the ghosts that wander the town proper are Lucarian scholars. Perhaps when he first took his leave from the Academy, given his now crystalline form is still in Caelid whereas Sellen and crystalline Azur are much further away. I think the rest of Sellia, the newer parts built by the extant Raya Lucarians, were obliterated when Malenia bloomed in her fight with Radahn. Sellia and the Street of Sages are the two closest sets of buildings to the original site of her bloom, and would be in the most danger from the disaster. However, Numen architecture is strong enough to hold up to the likes of Gransax, so that was the last part left standing.

[@valentai_777]

I’ve come to imagine that whatever technique, specific spell or raw exercise in power that Radahn did to hold the stars in place became so natural to him, that it was something he could do even while fighting his only true rival. His holding of the stars comes so natural to him that even while his brain and mind are rotted, he is still capable of holding the stars in place while also fighting off the strongest Tarnished in the lands between. Or maybe was it that his desperation to hold on to the past is so strong, that the holding of the stars and his horse is something he does through sheer will power as an expression of his desires. I find it rather beautiful the rivalry between Malenia and Radahn can be attributed or analogous to their afflictions with Rot. Rot is allegorical for stagnation, it is through this that Malenia takes the approach of ever fluid movements as was taught to her by her master. She is constantly moving, even in her boss fights. Meanwhile Radahn succumbs to his stagnation. His mindset and philosophy is one that renders him weak to Rot. His decides to continue standing still in time. Refusing to let the stars move on, to let his horse go, to let himself die. How tragic is it that in his desperation to hold on to his dear horse, he inadvertently led them both down a path of suffering, of war, and of rot.

[@stampede274]

Some things i think are notable about the Sovereign Alliance: Godrick has a normal-sized chair, meaning he likely hadn't started grafting yet Radahn and Rykard both have big chairs, but nowhere near as big as they would become. The "rots from within" wording on the sword monument seems to be poetic rather than literal, as my quick and dirty google translate just says "collapsed," which removes any implication of Malenia's involvement. "Bloody conspiracy" seems accurate though. Mohg is the only demigod excluded completely.

[@adamfowler350]

I still think Radahn and Maliketh are the best characters of the game. Ill never forget seeing Radahn do his cragblade gravity move the first time, and just being awe-struck.

[@blbl1292]

I quite love the lore of elden ring, fromsoft really improved on story telling in my opinion, as dark souls would only have an hour long video when people went over everything, but elden ring gets hour long videos just for a character, fromsoft effectiveness with giving us a sample of information and than we pretty much have to come to a conclusion

[@tiagocosmos]

My favorite part is when Radahn said "It's Radahnin' time!"

[@MukiMuki688]

"Back in my day I had to fight pre-nerf Radahn, you little whipper snappers!"

[@topcat59]

I feel like the reason general radahn is larger than a normal man is due to the curse of the Giants that they placed on his father, we’re any of his children or descendants will inherit the traits of a fire giant.🤔🐱

[@SmoughTown]

it's defo a point that is hard to ignore!

[@sk8legendz]

And if radagon is marika Was radagon an attempt to embody the giants curse and to remove it from herself?

[@aceundead4750]

​@@sk8legendziv often thought that question myself

[@williamsova9313]

​@sk8legendz I can believe it, especially when your fighting with radagon/mariks and they looks like a broken statue which is simular to the last giant

[@TuffCatDad]

Lusat and Azur share a lot of physiological traits with the Onyx/Alabaster lords. They have gray stony skin and are about as tall as the Lords would stand, their hands and faces are very similar as well. Maybe since Lusat's home is in Sellia he could have taught Radahn? Speculation based on just observing Lusat but it's something that I found interesting when observing things on my most recent playthrough.

[@MachineMindDesigns]

Starscourge Conflict in a nutshell: Overpowered demigod yells at stars

[@ImBarryScottCSS]

One hour and twenty one minutes of big Radders lore boiiiii.

[@retrospect]

Radahn is the goat

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks as always for being here bud

[@baileyedwards615]

I love Elden Lore! May this DLC bless us with more knowledge about the amazing mysterious game. I loved hearing everyone come together to understand something greater than ones self.

[@SmoughTown]

Agreed! Can't wait for the new secrets that will be presented in the DLC

[@sumwightguy7634]

You can get a kind of decent idea on Radahn's march path to (and retreat from) Leyndell, and can theorize some of the battles he'd have engaged in along the way. Probably took the main road out of Caelid through Stormveil, defeating Godrick's forces along the way. Marched through Liurnia, likely without incident as he is Carian royalty still, and may even be part of the reason that the college decided to seal itself off during the Shattering and not interfere with it. Up the lift of Rold and probably immediately began combat with Leyndell defensive forces on route to Leyndell proper. Leyndellian forces were probably also somewhat split because of Rykard which may have given Radahn slightly less resistance to travel through. Second defense of Leyndell in which Radahn and his troops are unable to get through the walls, and Margott personally intervenes as Margit and probably ambushes Radahn, forcing him to surrender (my personal theory on the scene we see of them in the opening cutscene, as I doubt Morgott could best Radahn in straight up combat). I'm personally more interested in how the heck Malenia and her forces got from the Haeligtree to Caelid? She clearly had to march down the mountain right? But that means she'd have to come THROUGH Leyndell, and since she was undefeated that means she'd technically have defeated Morgott but there is no indication of a third defense of Leyndell against her forces. Did Morgott grant her military access for the purposes of letting two high risk enemies take eachother out or to potentially weaken her (since he already defeated Radahn?) Like I'm genuinely curious on her movements through the greater Altus region and how many battles she overall fought on her march South. Also I agree, Mohg likely took Miquella away while Malenia was absent and unable to protect him.

[@StarShopping69]

This video was an absolute pleasure to listen to. I know people joke about how everyone fan boys over Radahn but how do you NOT. He's just such a cool character.

[@Aceius]

You're doing the Greater Will's work Smough, keep it up!

[@Wolf-bz6kq]

In regards to Radahn's size The only interpretation I can theorize is Marika and Radagon's split is a more perfected version of the Ds, the same entity that can split thier soul AND body so the Radagon half was cursed by giants Some theorize Makrika split herself after they cursed her red hair so she split that part of her soul of that was cursed and the curse became like a resecive gene affecting one out of three children of the part of her (Radagon) that was cursed Another thing I can think of is the fact that Marika/Radagon were born more closer to the crucible then Rennala's generation so they bear recesive genes of the crucible which also explains the Omen Twins and Godwyn's affinity with dragons

[@noahrombough2802]

Radahn's size might actually be a direct result of his learning gravity magic, in that if he learned it while he was still growing to something like Radagon or Rennala's height, he may have lessened the gravity local to him enough that his body wasn't hindered by it. Similar to how astronauts supposedly gain a bit of height while in low orbit but shrink down again when on land. It might be that Radahn has spent so much time under a low gravity effect for Leonard's sake that he either doesn't remember how to turn it off, or won't for fear of potentially killing himself. Additionally, given he is still decently fast, his sheer height/reach advantage is a massive benefit in battle, so he may have chosen to keep it "on" permanently, which arguably means his magic is slightly nerfed by two constant drains or he figured out how to make a spell permanent. Terrifying either way, really.

[@Just_Beboy]

One thing that still doesnt sit right with me, is the idea that Radagon and Marika were always the same being. I think the most prominent piece of evidence used to reinforce that theory is Radagon giving Rennala the Rebirth Rune, suggesting that he HAD to be a part of Marika to have access to the rune in the first place. My point is less about taking away from THAT theory, and to remind everyone of the Alchemical influence within the lore. Marika and Radagon are a representation of the Alchemical Rebis, Man and Woman both in the same form. The symbolism of alchemy is very clear with this as seen by: -Masculine, Gold, the Sun, and Fire, all things associated with Radagon -Feminine, Silver, the Moon, and Water(Ice), all things associated with Marika and her people the Numen/Nox They are the perfect representations of The Red King and The White Queen. The Rebis is formed by the King and Queen and, in a way, the "pinnacle" of existence, seen most of the time as someone who has made or is in possession of a Philosophers Stone. For the connection to the Rebis to really make sense, they would need to have been separate initially to ACHIEVE this pinnacle status. This is why i think that Radagon is a descendant of the giants or is directly related to them in some way. I dont think his red hair, love of gold, and association with fire are just coincidences. Furthering this, the numen are said to be mostly, if not all, women and i think if its not confirmed within the lore already that we will find the giants are made up of men or masculine beings. This gives a bit of clarity to the lore saying the Numen are long-lived but seldom born. Similar to the Geruda in LOZ, they cant reproduce if there isnt a male born in their society. Last thing I will mention is my theory on the giant crypt-chairs and the giant corpses found on them. Just as the numen are women seldom born, i think the giants are as well. I think the giant corpses are the FEMALE giants that are rarely born in giant society. Females being associated with the nox as stated before were most likely shunned from giant society and fled or were banished underground to the cities of the Nox. These are just my theories and im not gonna say they're free from plot holes, but theyre informed by my study of alchemy and general fascination ive had with it since before elden ring released. Feel free to fire off some replies, id love to hear what others have to say about this.

[@nox_cadit]

34:30 this is an argument I always see people make, that Malenia wouldn't stand a chance against Radahn if he wasn't focused on holding back the stars while they forget that Malenia has been holding back too, and a literal god that is using her as it's vessel, not like Radahn holding back god-like forces that don't have a hold on him. She's crippled and damaged by the sole thing that is the source of her power, she's blind and already lost an arm when fighting Radahn, not to mention that she has to constantly keep her power in check otherwise she would bloom and become the rot god sooner than expected. Now I ask, had Malenia not been crippled and damaged by her own power and had she been on perfect body conditions, would Radahn stand a chance against her even without holding back the stars? I don't really think so, I still think she would have bloomed, but I honestly think that she wouldn't pass out like she did by the overflow of her own power through her body. We must remember that her blooming was enough to create a new "lake of rot" and even affect other parts of the country away from the battlefield, I really doubt that Radahn would be able to stand that even without holding back the stars, and I think that if her body was in better conditions she would not pass out and Radahn would still be maddened by her rot. "Oh she's been assisted by an outer god while Radahn's power is entirely his own", is it really? Aren't sorcerers just using a "god-like" power source in the form of the stars, gravity, black holes and the primeval current? It's not their own power, they are just channeling those sources, much like Malenia is a vessel for a god and can channel its power, with the difference that Malenia has lots of negatives while being this God vessel and she doesn't have a choice not to be its vessel.

[@SmoughTown]

100% I agree - but I do also say that later on! They both fail because they both refused to let go Had she embraced the rot and become the goddess of rot, I imagine her power would be like Nito in the opening of DS1; just melting people

[@nox_cadit]

@@SmoughTown oh I'm not saying that you don't agree hehehe I just don't get why people insist that Radahn is more powerful and they completely ignore all of the negatives for her as well I also believe that if she embraced the rot she could literally kill everyone around her by simply being there. We saw what a sleeping Malenia is doing to the Halig Tree simply by being there without even embracing the scarlet rot.

[@nox_cadit]

@@SmoughTown I know you already got a video on Ranni, but how do you think she fits among them in therms of power? I honestly think that she may not be combative, but she could easily be disputing with Malenia and Radahn for the top spot, she literally insta kills us barely moving an inch, not to mention that her Dark Moon seems more powerful than Rennala's Moon, this makes me consider her along with Malenia and Radahn in therms of power, but she is not a warrior, she uses different means to get where she wants.

[@Mohamed-lh9hc]

​@@nox_caditshe didn't even manage to kill the shadow i would say she's godrek now before killing her body that's different story

[@nox_cadit]

@@Mohamed-lh9hc but I don't think the empireans can kill their shadows, can they?

[@ShupperDupper]

Thank you for the video! He's easily one of the best written boss fights in gaming. I loved that you caught that it is Radahn's own stagnation and his goal to stop change is a defining characteristic of his legacy. I wish you had made a point of it again, for his battle against Malenia. Her strength comes from not only her bloodline as a powerful warrior of Golden Lineage, but her being a student as well. She learns the way of the flowing sword to help fight her own demons, the rot that plagues her. It has only served to stave off the rot in her body. This battle is a test of that, and it matches Radahn's strength as well. However, we see she needs to resort to releasing Goddess of Rot by impaling herself on his back when it comes to final blows. It's a powerful moment of the end of the conflict for the gods of the time before we enter the scene.

[@SirAshford]

While he has a very commendable character, Radahn is also a powerful symbol for everything gone wrong with the Lands Between. Fully agree with him being considered a force of stagnation.

[@EmissaryOfStuff]

12:20 Or fight on foot. I'm fairly certain that, given the length of his legs and how fast he can move his arms, he would be faster and more agile on foot.

[@yvngvudu]

My favorite thing I always look forward to when starting a new journey is fighting Radahn. Great vid.

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh it is one of the stand out moments. Really glad you enjoyed the video!

[@Adelesprings]

My theory about the stars aligning for the Radahn festival is that the red lion himself let these stars move as a sign that he was ready to face honorable death. Only because we're lead to believe he is in control of the stars until his last moments

[@paumartisa]

Your lore vids really bring me joy. Thank you very much

[@SmoughTown]

That means the world to me. So pleased to hear that. Thank you

[@asweetroll7276]

Excited to dive into this one!

[@SmoughTown]

Let's go!

[@monsieurbear2506]

Your channel has brought so much more out of Elden Ring for me, there is so much nuance and detail in this game. Thank you.

[@kaztheunbreakable]

I too think Radagon was born from or was "spawned" from Marika, but I believe she used what she pillaged from the Fell God (possibly part of its soul) to create Radagon. Meaning Radagon and his children do have a connection to the giants, hence Radahns growth

[@walruss106]

Worth noting that this lines up with the Norse mythology on which the Godwin Assassination is based. Freya and Odin's son Baldr is the god of beauty. He's killed in a "plot" (eh, kinda) by Loki. Meanwhile Odin impregnates a giant and has a son named Vali, whose sole purpose is to avenge Baldr's death.

[@wpb5876]

Another fantastic and insightful video. Thank you for consistently putting these amazing videos together! Radahn is one of the most revered characters in the lands between (personally) and learning more about him was especially fun

[@garbear420]

I remember after the first time beating him how much of an honor & pride I felt wearing his iconic armor. What a great moment in my gaming memories.

[@MutantHeadcrab]

Every time I hear the bell chimes in the background music, I keep thinking Pinhead is going to emerge and take me to a place where I will experience pleasure and pain until neither can be distinguished from the other.

[@Schunn]

I once thought that Malenia fought Radahn because she was looking for Miquella, generally because of some circumstantial evidence like the Sword of St. Trina being found in Caelid (maybe placed there to frame Radahn). But I now think that Miquella may have sent Malenia to fight Radahn for similar reasons that we (the Player) are sent, to release his hold on the stars. Miquella is implied to have been messing around with some ritual that involved an eclipse for the purpose of granting his brother Godwyn a true death. Given that it isn’t possible for Ranni to call the Dark Moon without Radahn’s death, it stands to reason that Miquella’s eclipse couldn’t happen either unless Radahn died or relinquished his hold on the celestial bodies. With that said, I don’t think that Miquella necessarily outright ordered the death of Radahn, but sent Malenia to negotiate with a show of force. Naturally Radahn would not back down without a fight or at the very least without the most favorable terms. The rest is history.

[@evanpetrolle2596]

Probably my favorite SmoughTown video yet. Love Radahn and love this channel.

[@rumanfu2454]

I wonder If the reson the stars have to align for the Radahn festival has to do with him being a Carion royal.

[@TheStormMotivated]

Amazing video as aways Geoff, Radahn is a great character in Elden Ring, like the guy wanted to mount his horse so he learned gravity magic, but looks like he didn’t cara much about his family( some part of it anyway) stopping the fate of Ranni and Rennala, his own mother and sister, seems to me he didn’t care much for them to do something like that. If i have to pick a l favorite demi-god it would be rykard, he challenged the golden order and he won the conflicts at the mount gelmir, he was strong enough to be trusted to face Maliketh with the blasphemous claw and he devoured the serpent after the serpent devoured him. Really enjoyed the video, the fine quality you always provide to us, thank you Geoff, keep doing the awesome job you aways do, have a good day/night.

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you my friend, really appreciate you taking the time to comment. Rykard is awesome and probably my second favorite - on my first playthrough his reveal was my fave moment! Malenia is probably always going to be my fave tho. Thank you so much, hope you have a great day too.

[@ZakeryFyke]

Yessss been waiting for this all week

[@Thrasher-92]

Man, great video...i think, when marika battle the giant god, she cursed him but get cursed too in the process...then, her son, mohg and morgott, came as omens...later, she creates radagon to bear the curse of the guantes, a part of herself with red hair, but, obviously, the sons of radagon get cursed with red hair and gigantism (the throne of rykard its enormous like radahn's and the corpsebof ranni is big) then , when she reunites with her other half, thats what makes the empyreans afflicted....only godwyn its safe of the curse cause he born before that war

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks my friend! and yeh that's a good shout; if I was to choose between Radagon being related to the giants, or if he is afflicted by their curse I would choose the latter!

[@Thrasher-92]

@@SmoughTown 100 per 100 agree...the game try to tell us always that marika is cursed by the fell god, and radagon is marika...all the sons are cursed, except godwyn, thats why the People loved him...keep it up my man

[@whiteboideku983]

Your content is amazing! Great work!

[@SmoughTown]

Cheers my friend! Really appreciate that

[@jacobshafer1675]

The stars being in alignment might just signal his strength is finally waning. The movement of the stars could be the signal to Jerren that the Rot has weakened Radahn to the point where he can be reasonably challenged by the tarnished, considering Malenia could only fight him to a stalemate.

[@tomsimpkins1211]

Radahn is by far my favourite Demigod, and second favourite character in Elden Ring as a whole. His story is one of triumph in the face of defeat, his legacy lived on and he inspired his men so well that even as he lays on the beach, an unintelligent monster, his cause never died.

[@detroitfc9530]

Hey always excited to see your excellent work, please if you could take some time to touch on the physiology of the Winter Lanterns in the next bloodborne video I would really like to hear your thoughts on a closer look at them, keep up the fantastic long form content, and thank you again for your hard work😁

[@TheHogfatherInvades]

The general of all time!

[@jakewu8268]

Love me some Radahn lore!

[@mcjibbo6100]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the horse. It's more than a part of him.

[@matthewcline4035]

Worth the wait! Yet another amazing video!

[@JohnnyAppleFiend]

It’s my opinion that originally the boss fight in the wailing dunes might have been a double boss fight, in the sense that after you beat Radahn, a falling star beast would crash down and continue the battle. Having literally just killed the person holding the stars back. It’s also interesting that we only see one consequence for beating Radahn with the hole in Limgrave. Maybe I’m wrong but “holding back the stars” sounds plural

[@BigPapaKaiser]

Something that hit me just now - Radahn is quite similar to Ludwig. Ludwig was talked of as a great man, and yet when we fight him he is a mangled twisted beast, who then regains enough sanity to fight us as a man. Radahn is very similar, we hear of his deeds, Jerren calls him a mindless beast in his current state, and we find him eating corpses, after which he manages to regain composture to fight us as a warrior. And of course, both are a "horseman" type of enemy, even if in Ludwig's case that is quite a literal term.

[@ClayProof]

I feel we need to acknowledge that Radahn was very much a brutal warlord. He might have been cool but certainly not a totally morally straightforward character. As it seems he sought out war in itself, even without much pretense just for it's sake, as it was considered honorable in his worldview.

[@SmoughTown]

100%

[@giacomorinaldi8803]

Yeah, I remember the first time walking into Redmane Castle, seeing all those weapons hanging like decorations at a party, and thinking "Man, someone has a raging war-boner in here". This was before finding about his more wholesome side and his dedication to his horse, but still.

[@marcogianesello6083]

Trying to apply individual scale morality to the demigods is kind of pointless. They're, by design, too much larger than life for that. The world is too different from ours for that. The whole story revolves around the power to shape the world in one's image, of course the central players of that conflict will go really damn far when they do something. It's like myths, the stroke of the picture is too broad

[@foxtheoutsider]

Also worth noting that after you defeat Radahn, he releases his hold on the stars, except the most impactful (and maybe only) impactful star hits east Limgrave, not Seilla. Speculatively, this could mean that even as he was dying, his last action was to ensure Sellia's safety. That, or it was to let Ranni's fate progress with the Tarnished.

[@Amknownas_743great_explainer]

Can confirm. The aesir aesthetic video about stagnation was an incredible watch, and so are your videos. I especially love the way the content creators all shout out each other's videos, work, and influence on their own videos. If every group worked together and appreciated others work like the, as I call them, soulful souls community even governments might get things done, even when there wasn't a national emergency!

[@lrakwons9799]

yet again another blessin. Love your channel so much man thank you for all the hard work

[@SmoughTown]

It's my pleasure my friend, I really appreciate your kind words and support.

[@eugenialysa]

Been waiting for this video!🤩

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks for being here Eugenia! Means a lot

[@TeoReviews]

Fromsoft has always been fantastic about lining up gameplay and lore, with my favorite example being how insight reveals things and is tied to madness and knowing the inner workings of things. Spells in Elden Ring, especially passive ones, are always functioning until they go off. Like the carian glintblades, starlight. I think once a spell is cast, it uses the power, the mana, from you and then that's it. It stands to reason that the spell was designed to just be passive maybe not even drawing on any power past the initial casting. Dude coulda cast it and drank some Cerulean Flask and would've been fine. That's always been my read on it. Another great video, SmoughTown! Thank you!

[@TeoReviews]

I'm talking about Radahn's spell to hold the stars lmao

[@thekraken4886]

Perfect timing!!

[@rgdaxter]

Class stuff, Smough! Thank you for the detailed video

[@SmoughTown]

My pleasure, thanks so much for the kind support

[@BENIS8D]

Gosh darn it, I forgot my headphone on my way to work but can't wait to watch this banger when I get back home 🤩 Radahn is one of my favourite fromsoft chars of all time, such a interesting char just like you Smougeoff 😉

[@Mop890]

Amazing work as always SmoughTown! I was always curious about Sellia so this video shed a lot of light on that ^_^

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks so much my friend! Sellia is always of interest to me as well!

[@EM-bz1rn]

Hitting refresh every minute for a SmoughTown video finally worked!

[@SmoughTown]

That's so awesome! Thanks so much for being here so fast