Farum Azula's denizens and the possible origins of Marika and Maliketh | Elden Ring Lore

In this video I talk about Farum Azula and its denizens and a theory on the origin of Queen Marika.
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Elden Ring OST:
Character Creation
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Maestro Tlakaelel - Jesse Gallagher

[@ArlunGrim]

I think I f'd up in explaining the Half-brother thing, I don't mean that Marika and Maliketh are literal siblings, which is why I tried to allude to the fact that Maliketh is a beast. What I tried to mean is that they're something like brothers-in-arms, or that Maliketh is Marika's sworn brother because the beastmen served the theorized Royal Family of Farum Azula which I theorized to be Numen and Placidusax the Dragonlord. The 3 wolves statue is what I theorized to be the progenitors of the beastmen, meaning they might have been the first beasts given intelligence by whichever God did so and since then have sworn loyalty to Marika/the Royal Family. In any case I understand that the video is confusing, I accept that, and I will attempt to do better in the next one, I promise.

[@aboodshaat460]

It’s a good video bro! Keep it up

[@papadaddio866]

I disagree. Malekith is a half-wolf, like Blaidd. This implies that one of his parents is humanoid and one is a beast person. Given that his armor explicitely names him as Markia's half brother (not step or foster), it's pretty clear that they share a human parent

[@SynthBro]

@@papadaddio866 Love these super in depth theories but in the Japanese, Maliketh and Blaidd are both called sworn-brother, it's as simple as that.

[@jacsonevans1455]

Don’t be too hard on yourself bro, the video was fun and fascinating🤝

[@TheCerbari]

@@papadaddio866 also blaidds is called rannis half brother as well. So yeah i think you are 100% correct

[@110350057]

The beastman in Limgrave isn't necessarily random. The chunks of masonry that stick out of the ground all over the area are implied to be fallen chunks of Farum Azula. Perhaps he was on one and somehow survived the fall?

[@russian_knight]

That sound like so much fun holy shit

[@Eladnav1]

hmm missing a link so obvious really trashes the cred of the video and renders most points moot, seeing as your findings may be interpreted completely different if more of those missed links were taken into consideration.

[@JointedSpagel]

@@Eladnav1 very black and white arent we?

[@pjnerdcore1213]

yeah it looks like pieces of farum landed all over limgrave from the sky, and in some other places of the world as well

[@smesh8318]

You’re kidding me right.. all the broken / half buildings you can jump on in limgrave and collect rune fragments have fallen from Farum Azula.. doesn’t take someone with 99 int to figure that out

[@roseredthorns]

The godskin duo is likely in farum because they were attracted to the rune of death, remember the godskin used to draw their power from the rune of death, and want it back

[@subject8776]

That would explain why they came in a pair, one can't possibly win against Maliketh.

[@ComradeOgilvy369]

Aside from Prison and Windmill towns, where they're obviously collecting tithes, you strictly find them in places connected to death.

[@williamhanna9718]

Not only that but there the two strongest ones you can find in the whole game with their damage and health taken into account

[@williamhanna9718]

The Noble at the prison was definitely in league with Rykard, probably explaining where he learned the secrets to create the Man Serpents by letting the Noble experiment with the flesh of the imprisoned Albinaurics there

[@dielan6847]

@@williamhanna9718 I agree with the theory but I hate taking enemy health and damage into account, especially in elden ring lol. There's no logical reason a random land octopus or misbegotten in the consecrated snowfield is like 5x stronger than anywhere else in the game, and don't even get me started on the haligtree. Those mfs are basically demigods

[@1792cake]

Just a small suggestion about the stone trees. I was under the impression they are trying to convey the absurd length of time Farum Azula has been around by having the wood becoming petrified wood and take on the form of stone

[@subject8776]

The Banished Knights engage in Dragon Communion, so I guess that they are in Farum Azula because they want an Ancient Dragon Heart

[@holidaygirl-1225]

another piece of evidence for the Gurranq and Maliketh connection is that if you give Gurranq every deathroot in the world before facing Maliketh, he has an additional piece of dialogue at the beginning of the battle. He says: “tarnished… why woulds’t thou… why…? ‘Tis not matter. I hearby vow, that destined death shall not be stolen again.”

[@TheCerbari]

Gurranq is Maliketh, but i dont underdtand how that works. Why would Maliketh chill there? Why is he still there After we kill him?

[@bloodangels2900]

@@TheCerbari I think its because it lies outside of time? Its a little confusing but then again Farum Azula isnt exactly the most normal of places

[@dylanreeves8528]

​@TheCerbari because he is Marika's shadow and he can't die as we know it while his Empyrean lives. Bliadd says something about this if you "kill" him before finishing Ranni's quest.

[@dzvw8840]

I'm pretty sure the 5 fingers in Cinquedea's item description refers to the original 5 Fingers before it split into the 2 and 3 Fingers. If you examine Placidusax closely, you'd see that he has 3 neck stumps, implying that he was once 5-headed. The god of the Ancient Dragons was probably the One Great and its messenger was the 5 Fingers aka Manus Celes (Celestial Hand). After the "fracture" between order and chaos, the 5 Fingers would "fracture" as well following the now separated gods, the Greater Will and the Frenzied Flame.

[@ComradeOgilvy369]

I'm pretty sure you've got it

[@rianrodrigues8195]

That theory would make sense if there weren't multiple Two Fingers in the game. There are 5 more: 4 that are dead on the Divine Towers and one that Ranni kills in her questline. So the total number of fingers would be 15, not 5

[@Lilybun]

@@rianrodrigues8195 all of the two fingers incarnations work for toward same cause though and only one might have been alive at a time. If we assume ranni's fingers were the last to die the next fingers popped up at roundtable hold to herald us

[@MMMM-vq1yr]

@@rianrodrigues8195 Plenty of other three fingers could've been killed before the events of Elden Ring during the good times of Order, or hiding in wait to help bring about the chaos lord's will of burning the world. From what I understand according to the lore the three fingers we find were summoned when the nomadic people lost hope after being persecuted so harshly. So why did nobody go down their and kill these three fingers? It could have been the case that the reason why nobody bothered killing these Three Fingers was because they were powerful at first, and nobody was willing to sacrifice men during that time. However, after what is likely a REALLY REALLY LONG TIME meddling with various desperate villages and handing their power to one tarnished already, the reason why we find them in the pathetic state they're in and the reason why they die as soon as we embrace them is likely because they've simply ran out of energy.

[@SolarFantom]

@@rianrodrigues8195 Apart from what the others said, it is possible that the three fingers die every time the frenzied flame is passed on to a tarnished. When the player character inherits the frenzied flame, the three fingers vaporizes, which may happen everytime someone inherits the flame.

[@GILGAMESH069]

Stumbling upon farum azula from the 4 belfries was the most jaw dropping moment in the whole game for me

[@TheLucasblanes]

I know we try to find meaning in everything From Software do, but I think that Gurranq is alive after you defeat Maliketh just for you to be able to complete his quest and get his itens and incantations.

[@ArlunGrim]

Yeah thats how I interpreted it too tbh, I mentioned it anyway since I'm sure it'll come up.

[@dorian326]

Is Gurranq still there once Marika is dead? If so then it can't really be the immortal shadow because he would no longer be one.

[@riccardocirielli]

@@dorian326 yeah He is still there even after the end of the game

[@elahnaurofer6163]

I honestly find this a bit silly given that they're not afraid to kill NPC's, even merchants, because you blinked accidentally went a bit to far into an area. Like with Pidia(granted he deserved it). I'd chalk it up to either an oversight or running out of time.

[@lukelmaooooo]

I mean, literally all of the other npcs in the game dont follow that trend. if you miss your chance to complete the questline then you missed it.

[@Oveyz]

Regarding Maliketh, I've long hypothesized the same as you, that he returns because he's a shadow, so as long as you have not killed Marika, he'll respawn. Why doesn't he acknowledge us then though? I think that's game oversight. They just wanted us to be able to buy from him as a merchant NPC to the end. I think it would honestly make sense that Beasts and Numen have close ties, and why not even interbreeding, tbh. Or bonds/families bring them together. Could be as easy as a beast family being "merged" into a numen one, and children raised together. I like the theory that Maliketh came pre-packaged as a loyal follower to Marika, and the two fingers/greater will really liked the idea of shadows, to the point they went ahead and "made their own" to push on to Ranni. It might also explain why Blaidd is cursed to turn on Ranni, while there's no lore about that regarding Maliketh. Maybe the two fingers were happy to be able to integrate a failsafe in that new Shadow scheme. Although, a strong argument can be made that Maliketh has gone insane from more than just the influence of the fragmented rune of death inside his body, having his Empyrean betraying him "an age ago". From his line about "I remember now/I won't forget again" at the 5th deathroot, it could be that time and the damage of the rune of death eroded his memory of the betrayal, and maybe that freed him from the two fingers curse to some extent, who knows. But as per my last comment, I think it's very interesting that Serosh is a Lord of Beasts, and Maliketh is likewise a Beast, and NOT a beastman. I made a post elsewhere (which I'm happy to share if you want) about Maliketh's anatomy, which is not at all that of a wolf, except for the narrowness of his snoot. He's much closer to a mix of hyena/panther. His profile is strikingly similar to Serosh's. He's nothing like the wolves Fromsoft models-like Red Wolf of Radagon for example, or even Blaidd! The simplest hint that Maliketh isn't canine is his nose. It's not a wolf or dog's nose, but a feline one. ANYWAY, my point is, I think Maliketh is a beast, or a mix of beast and numen. He share many similarities to Serosh in his comformation. Serosh was clearly a trusted and OLD advisor to the golden lineage, and Maliketh is clearly a contemporary of Marika. I think we can conclude that Beasts and Numen had excellent relationships, and for their subjects to be beastment, and their lords to have once been Dragons... Eh, that all is very possible. Something is going on between them, and it's older than the Golden Order.

[@entombedentity7059]

Gurranq isnt maliketh

[@CHosey219]

@@entombedentity7059 Yes he is...

[@CHosey219]

He does acknowledge you but you have to complete Gurranq's quest-line first by giving him all of the death roots. If you look up videos on what happens when you complete the quest, Gurranq's boss fight has different voice lines recognizing you and Maliketh's death line also changes.

[@trustee8503]

Maliketh isn’t technically marikas brother, it was a translation error which and the correct translation should say “sworn brother” which would make a lot of sense

[@SlippyCyppy]

Miyazaki was heavily involved in overseeing the translation of Elden Ring from Japanese to English, so i don't think there're many mistranslations

[@shogomakishima7224]

There is also a following template that we can choose at the start of the game: "Draconian - The stony face of the people of the ancient dragons, among whom life is typically short."

[@AlbertusSalvatierra]

THANK YOU. Farum Azula has always been a favorite for me. There are too many mysterious civilizations that are honestly really interesting - like the Beastmen, Zamor, Fire Giants, Nox and or Numem. But yeah, Farum Azula is honestly my favorite so thx for this :)

[@emmanuelcrespy8878]

Concerning the apparition of some sort of Royal family depiction in Farum Azula, it may be worth to remember that Ancient Dragon can take human appearance. From Lansseax's Glaive : Lansseax was the sister of Fortissax. It is said that she took the form of a human to commune with the knights as a priestess of the ancient dragon cult. So it also justify the fact that certain Beastman can yield Red Lightning, and the dragon communion is also a motive for the presence of the banished knight as we can see them patroling the Dragon Communion Cathedral too. The fact that Ancient Dragon specificly Fortissax, Gransax and Lansseax tried to attack Lyendell during the War of the Ancient Dragon is in my opinion a damning proof that dragon where not on the side of Marika or the Greaterwill, so I don't think that those royal family depiction are tied to her.

[@ArlunGrim]

The question is though, why would the dragons shapeshift into humans if they're ruled by a dragonlord. imo dragons take on the shape of humans to blend in with the humans but if it's all beast and dragons they wouldn't have needed to do so. But I will acknowledge that I did forget that the ancient dragons can shapeshift, so thank you for pointing that out.

[@Lil.Grandpa]

Regarding some (implications) of the denizens of Farum Azula, don’t forget that little piece of lore in character creation regarding the draconians: _The stony face of the people of the ancient dragons, among whom life is typically short._

[@jessecrooks7233]

Maybe placidusax is communing with the greater will? We see the two fingers stand up straight earlier in the game and the finger reader says it is communing with the greater will, which can take “tens of thousands” of days. Much like we encounter placidusax when we first meet him? Maybe the greater will abandoned the dragons, and is now abandoning the two fingers? Speculation

[@patriciapandacoon7162]

I think the northeastern section of Caelid and Greyoll's Dragonbarrow was once part of Farum Azula. You can see the same architecture as in Farum Azula scattered around there and in the Bestial Sanctum. Of particular note is the skeletonized beastmen absorbed into pillars. What if Farum Azula wasn't always floating in the sky? It might have once been connected to the land - Farum Azula taking off into the sky might even explain the large bay separating the northern and southern sections of The Lands Between. (Also: "whenever I hear 5-fingers, it always gives me PAWS")

[@alyandthecats]

It even has Farum Greatbridge!

[@Oveyz]

Heya Arlun! Check out the lore on Serosh "Lord of Beasts" I think the fact he's described as "aged counselor who guides the golden lineage" means that he's older than anyone in that lineage. Maybe even older than Marika herself, and seen as a guide and ally. He was clearly respected and seen as wise even before he became Godfrey's regent. Godfrey needed him to become Elden Lord, annddddd Marika needed a consort to become the Elden Ring. So I think Serosh predates the Golden Order by a fair bit, and so beasts are likely to have received their intelligence before the arrival of the Erdtree. I'll not get started on my wild theories on beasts and Maliketh, but wanted to point this out after your "not sure" comment at 5:50.

[@ArlunGrim]

Thanks, I'll definitely look into that.

[@TheOneWithNoFNnick]

I don't think that Farum Azula always was a flying city, even though I couldn't find any lore in that regard. But going back to Caelid after Farum Azula, crossing the Farum Greatbridge, I just thought 'this is where it once stood'.

[@rainbowkrampus]

I agree that it was once grounded. But where is maybe not so clear. Limgrave has the most ruins from Farum Azula. It's possible it was built in Caelid then moved around and was eventually destroyed over Limgrave. But I'm fairly certain that it was connected to the Eternal City at one point and was likely built in Limgrave. I think the structure we see in Caelid was built after Farum Azula's destruction and moving out to sea. It was a structure built by Maliketh/Gurranq and possibly other surviving beastmen in remembrance of the city they can no longer return to.

[@arthurvidalmendes1873]

It makes a lot more sense if Farum Azula were at the middle of the map, where we have the cloud. Most of its fallen pieces are at Limgrave and Liurnia, the beastmen in Limgrave... I think they moved it far away so your focus in the first half of the game would be solely on the Erdtree. It would be a little distracting to look at the Erdtree and see a bunch of ruble in the way... Jokes aside it would take away focus from Leyndell, but lore wise makes more sense

[@Zantetsu13]

11:24 That's not Placidusax, you can see 4 separate dragons and each one has their own set of 4 wings. Their size doesn't match him anyway. The head in the temple is likely one of Placidusax's missing heads however.

[@thedeltaagent6678]

I honestly think Gurranq being at the Bestial Sanctum after the fight with Maliketh is just a development oversight with no lore significance. Just like how you can still fight Margit in the battlefield just outside Lyndell even if you’ve already killed Morgott. As you said, Gurranq and Maliketh are clearly one in the same, and if you complete Gurranq’s quest with the deathroots before you encounter him in Farum Azula he has unique dialogue at the start of the fight that references you helping him earlier.

[@spiralistichope9216]

My only big issue with your theories in this video is that I think it's rather heavily implied that the Numen once resided in the third, Unnamed Eternal City located within the Deeproot Depths. All the Numen Runes we can find down there, coupled with Rogier's dialogue stating the Black Knife assassins (rumored to be Numen women with close ties to Marika herself, according to their armor descriptions) were from an Eternal City,. Even the fact that Godwyn's final resting place was also chosen to be there, in the remnants of what may have once been the Great Tree which was the progenitor of the Erdtree (and likely linked to the Crucible of life), could be seen as evidence that the Numen are somehow affiliated with that place. Of course, that doesn't completely negate the possibility that they were also involved with Farum Azula, but I think that feels like the weakest conjecture in this video, personally. It could just be that Marika and her authority eventually extended to Farum Azula after the War of the Ancient Dragons concluded in her victory, and thus her presence in Farum Azula was memorialized because she ended up becoming the hegemonic power of the world once the Age of the Erdtree began in earnest, replacing the prior Order that Farum Azula once led.

[@ComradeOgilvy369]

But the Numen are also described as potentially being from another world. If we're gonna reach on what "another world" means I prefer my idea to the other popular theory that other world means subterranean kingdom, though the Numen and Nox (if they aren't related) did end up there.

[@spiralistichope9216]

@@ComradeOgilvy369 Very true, though another idea could just be that the Numen DID come from some other world in the literal sense, but ended up residing in the Eternal City regardless, which became their new home.

[@rainbowkrampus]

What if Farum Azula was the third wing of the Eternal City? Farum Azula was over Limgrave before it moved out to the ocean. This is where the majority of its fallen ruins are found. What else is in Limgrave? Aqueduct like structures which resemble the stone used for building seen in the Eternal City. Many of these structures seem to jut out into the ocean, out to nothing. Perhaps this is where Farum Azula was when it was being constructed. Personally I think Farum Azula was the Crucible. The Numen built it, the dragons ruled/shared rule over it. Then a bunch of stuff happened which resulted in its destruction and being moved out to see away from the rest of the Lands Between.

[@joshj1953]

@@rainbowkrampus the "crucible" is simply the state of the world back when all life was mixed together as one, before definitive species/races were in existence

[@matthewmarling4680]

The most interesting part of this video to me was a statue surrounded by three wolves. I was just thinking, trying to figure out the significance of Ranni giving us the spirit calling bell and three wolves spirit, whilst telling us they were given to her to give to you by torrents former master (whom we can presume was/is destined death by the flame of frenzy ending.)

[@amorimjt]

So happy to see the recognition of your work and talent. I’ve been here ever since the first Genshin video, and thru the all… and i loved that you decided to cover Elden Lore while Genshin is on a hiatus. (At least i hope you still make Genshin videos from the big things). You have an incredible investigative instinct.

[@retrospect]

This was so well done! 👁👄👁

[@sasuke15156]

The dragons in the wall are ancient dragons who "protected their lord as a wall of living rock" as stated by the pearldrake talisman. Protected maybe from the drake knights probably since you can find elenora's armor set/The Drake Knight armor there

[@simeonanderson2437]

I really appreciate your uploads

[@jarbairnthejar4937]

The statues at 9:47 are taken directly from Cainhurst Castle in Bloodborne. They're based on real-life statues of Charlemagne and the Virgin of Paris

[@annaclarallb]

This video could be titled "Arlun confused for 22 minutes"

[@Kaadmon]

About Cinquedea and 5 fingers - this type of sword actually existed in Italy, and it's named after number 5 (cinco). I think that's because it usually has a width of 5 human fingers on the base of the blade, and also it often has grooves, so kinda like human hand with fingers folded together.

[@SirSaladAss]

Cinco is Spanish, my dude. The word is made up of "Cinque", meaning five, and "dea" which is Venetian Italian for "fingers". And I would like to point out that Arlun pronounced it perfectly. He took the time to look up the pronounciation, which is something I commend.

[@leverett7069]

I like that you talk about creatures that are not specifically bosses but related to them. It helps to better understand the complex masterpiece of world of Elden Ring

[@Toe_Jamson]

Hey Arlum, great video! I do want to bring up something about those statues of people in the walls that I found recently, and sadly, they might just be reused assets. Those same statues can be seen in Bloodborne and specifically Cainhurst castle. The man with the staff and the woman with the baby holding a ball are included in said statues. Whether this is truly just assets or the concept is being repurpose is up in the air, but they're definitely the same statues.

[@riccardocirielli]

It's pretty clear after hearing Gurranq(not Maliketh) death dialogue, that Marika betrayed Maliketh by shattering the Elden Ring. Remember that Maliketh is loyal to the Greater Will and that shadows' mind is influenced by the Outer God(Blaidd became mad because Ranni commited treason), so weakening of the Golden Order must have influenced Maliketh negatively, thus making the Shattering an act of betrayal towards Maliketh

[@aranthur]

Thank you for this video! I've been wondering about this exact topic for ages! Specifically, I've been very curious about who gave the first Beastmen their intelligence. It could be Marika or some other Numen. But another interpretation might be that it was the Carian Royal family, with one of their ancient queens represented by that statue of the woman with the wolves. We know they existed before the Erdtree after all, when the world was guided by the stars. And when we fight Rennala, who are the "oathsworn" spirit ashes she summons? Wolves, dragons, trolls, and bloodhound knights (who may be Beastmen as well under their armor, but that's a whole other discussion). All creatures that pre-date the Erdtree, and whose glory, power, and perhaps even intelligence has faded since the rise of the Golden Order Maybe Farum Azula existed as a sanctuary where Beastmen, dragons, and sorcerers lived in peace, high up in the sky where the movement of the stars could be watched even more closely Extra evidence for this might lie in the fact that along with the spirit calling bell, the spirit ash we are first given by Ranni, another descendant of the Carian Royals, is a pack of wolves. Just like the statue On the topic of ash though, we know that in Elden Ring, there is power in death. Ashes can summon memories of great warriors, bodies of the honored dead are placed in the roots of the Erdtree for it to feed on, corpse wax is strong enough to seal cracks in stone gargoyles and their weapons, etc etc. Perhaps the bodies in Farum Azula work the same way? Farum Azula has been slowly breaking apart for almost the entirety of the age of Erdtree, and maybe it would have already if the dragons had not literally fused the bodies of their dead into the stones of its foundations. And when that was not enough, the Beastmen started doing the same. This could explain why the Beastmen who Live in Death tried to end their lives like you said. They consider it their duty to be ritualistically prepared and then sealed into the walls of their home after they die to preserve it, and this is a perversion of that purpose and puts the entirety of Farum Azula at risk of breaking apart for good It could make sense, given what Bernahl's armor suggests, that the Beastmen were loyal to the dragons and the Carian Royals when they were at their strongest, but became loyal to the Golden Order after their rise to power. Just look at Serrosh and Godfrey

[@PropagndaX]

I think the Beastman in Limgrave was either on his way to the Church of Dragon Communion or guarding it. If they were followers of Dragons then you could imagine him being there to stop travellers reaching the church and devouring hearts. Or he may be looking for a way to communicate with the Dragons and find a way home to Farum Azula. Big reaching lol but I think he has some lore reason for being in the cave.

[@wesleyvl8572]

A other good vidoe dude keep it up you rock

[@ghakal007]

im down with your speculations they re built on the many item discriptions and dialogues throughout the game i have one thing i wanna say is that i always thought that the beastman in fetal position to be a sacrifice to feed Placidusax just like you offer yourself to him to fight .. u can find many bones scattered on the ground in that boss arena and great content man

[@LFiles48]

Great video. Personally I think Farum Azula was built around the primordial crucible (placidusax or Maliketh's arena maybe), but then again, maybe not.

[@astrealbrizbee9815]

If you place waypoints by where Plaxidousax's boss arena is at, its right at the central vortex by Malikeths room. Meaning the arena is high in the air at the center of that vortex's eye.

[@ArlunGrim]

That's actually because the physical "game" arena is literally high above Farum Azula, though I'm not sure if it has any lore implication or is simply game level shenanigans.

[@Erick-ue6fh]

We do know one thing for a fact. You actually stated it and I've stated it before in the comments on a video a couple of weeks ago. You do not fight plaxidusax in the past or in the future. The game clearly says he exists outside of time. You made a fantastic video. Thank you for this.

[@alanzhong2728]

I’m not sure if anyone mentioned this, but the statue of the woman with child can be found in one of the nox city outskirts (the first one you reach with blaidd, statue found by the dragonkiin soldier through a portal). Maybe the humans from farum azula would eventually try to make their own lord.

[@jarbairnthejar4937]

I was in Dragonkin Soldier area looking for lore the other day and I must have missed this. Where in that area did you find these statues?

[@N1tr063nFr05trhym3]

GJ on the pronunciation of "cinquedea", I appreciated ❤️

[@TheSchoolyD]

To add about beastmen in caelid, the bridge to sanctum is called Farum greatbridge. So either farum was connected to caelid before floating, or sanctum was a pathway to it.

[@TempestRequiem0]

From what I've heard Maliketh is not Marika's half brother. It was a mistranslation from japanese. It was meant to say "sworn brother".

[@kali-mariarose6099]

BABE WAKE UP! NEW ARLUN LORE VID DROPPED 😍

[@dooglesledoogs4221]

I simply love the fact that the Item Description for the Ruin Fragments that you find at those large chunks of buildings all over the map are genuinely pieces of Farum Azula that were scattered by the Tornadoes all over the lands between. "Stone fragment found near places where ruins have fallen from the sky." It even mentions it as a "Ruin in the sky" ... FROMSOFT really delivered on the lore this time around.

[@lazypasta4103]

Hi whats your armor you have equipped? specifically your greaves and gauntlets?

[@justinmillertech]

Thanks!

[@luigi999ish]

Very interesting. Gotta keep an eye on this theory, it seems to make the most sense. It would explain why Marika would go against the Greater Will, since Farum Azula getting destroyed was more than likely influenced by the Greater Will. She would probably want revenge eventually for the destruction of her home and her people, leading to the Shattering. That brings a lot of other things into question and it's gonna be so much better once some DLC comes out and either validates or completely erases everyone's initial ideas.

[@Soseman]

Just like in Dark Souls, Elden Ring is probably not just a story about the age of the shattering, but one with multiple ages and the never ending struggle against the inevitable. There was a time before the Erdtree and the Golden Order and I guess there was a time when the Greater Will was of the five fingers. It would make sense to create the Golden Order it had to banish the chaotic parts of itself. I don't think the five fingers was a simple reference to the beastmen being blessed with five fingers and the intelligence to create things. The two fingers represent control and order, while the three fingers represent chaos and emotions out of control. To me it would make sense that the world created and supported by the five fingers would be full of dragons and beasts. Creative, but ferocious beings. A society based on power alone isn't exactly the order the Greater Will was looking for so it shed the three fingers, created the Erdtree and the Golden Order and human civilizations started to flourish. One of the greatest among them were the Nox, people of science and sorcery and the ones who thought they could challenge the Greater Will, but we know that they were punished to live deep underground to never see the starry skies that they tried to reach. I mean what's the point of a highly developed, near perfect world, if the Greater Will can't control it. It seems like this story is about the Greater Will and it's struggle to create the ideal world. Whenever it decides the current project doesn't live up to the standards it flips the table and starts anew, but always keeps a few useful parts of the previous tries. In our current age we still have beastmen as shadows, ruled by absolute power, and there are technologies and tools that the Nox created. Or maybe I'm completely wrong, but at least I had fun thinking about it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@SolarFantom]

Interesting video! The five fingers given to the beasts when they gained intelligence seem to me that the beastmen were given intelligence by the Greater Will or whatever being sent the two and three fingers to the lands between. This may have been the One Great described by Hyetta, which fractured into the Greater Will and Frenzied Flame(?). Either way, Placidusax was described to be a former Elden Lord, presumably chosen by the Greater Will or the One Great. If this outer god gave the beastment intelligence, it would make sense that they would defend the dragons and Farum Azula, since the dragonlord was ordained by this outer god that blessed them. I also wonder about the theory that the beastmen are losing intelligence. Unless there is an indication that they behaved differently in the past, I don't think it makes sense to assume that they are not intelligent, because they are somewhat beastly in their nature. The fact that they can use weapons and incantations speaks to them maintaining some level of intelligence, whether it is similar to normal humans or very different.

[@lukelmaooooo]

I would kill for a silmarillion style text that shows every world event and its chronology

[@jungtothehuimang]

Farum Azula gives me the most Bloodborne vibes in all of Elden Ring perhaps that;s why I love it so much

[@mkmfan3197]

Love your armor. Can you please tell me what set is this

[@edujokin7308]

Farum Azula has to be one of my favorite areas for both looks and lore. Also, if we aren't sure if the head in the dragon temple is an actual head, then it could possibly be a depiction of Greyoll, who is said to be 'mother of all dragons'. It'd make sense for it to be there, as she could've been worshipped in Farum Azula. If it is an actual severed head, then maybe it was from a dragon who was similar to greyoll in size.

[@ThatKid7718]

The trees petrified instead of dying up there. GRRM does that in more than 1 of his works

[@kidam8438]

Something you missed was actually mentioned at the start of the game in the same place that we find the lore about Numen being long lived. In character creation, there's a template for a Draconian with lore that says "The stony face of the people of the ancient dragons, among whom life is typically short." This brings up many other question, especially how they were the people of the ancient dragons, who themselves seemed pretty long lived, but I think it could offer clues to the human statues in Farum Azula.

[@VarmitCoyote]

15:00 I just realized Placidusax was communing with its Outer God the same way the Two Fingers are after you burn the Erdtree 🤯🤯🤯

[@punkassbamboo]

The skeletal Beastmen drop Human Bone Shards which I find interesting because according to lore regarding the Crucible, beasts were supposedly the first to gain intelligence, but perhaps this doesn't refer the the denizens of Farum Azula, and since a lot of the artwork there depicts humans, perhaps the Beastmen were once Human After All by Daft Punk

[@ailaxl]

Maliketh is literally an empyrean shadow, yes. Also interesting that one of Rykard's recusants made their way to Farum Azula.

[@pustuleofyelough]

My theory comes from the fact that there might be some overlap between Farum Azula and the Lands Between, we know that Goldwyn made friends with at least one dragon, and that may allude to why there is death blight around the ruins.. aswell as the Wormfaces which are another creation from the Prince of Death (Godwyn). We find them in the lower levels of Azula, death through being a part of these ruins would make sense seeing as a piece of the death rune itself was stolen from here.. we never did know where Godwyn was killed... what if he was murdered here? That’s just speculation on my part however.

[@GH0DE]

He was killed where you find that face at the bottom of stormveil. it actually has arms behind it and is in same pose when his eye opens which is the start of the body mutation.

[@riccardocirielli]

Maliketh is loyal to the Greater Will and the Tree Sentinels are the protectors of the Erdtree. It's much more likely that the Dragon Tree Sentinel was helping Maliketh, stopping anyone who wanted to reach him and steal the Rune of Death

[@maximumcockage6503]

at 3:50 you say it's weird that the beastman was there because it was far away from anything Farum Azula. Except if you consider where the giant stone pieces are in Limgrave and the ruin fragments, it's not unlikely to think that he fell there with it.

[@kountesskorvinae666]

Considering the recurring theme of twins, it is possible that Gurranq and Maliketh and not the same individual, but twinned individuals connected in a similar way to D and his brother

[@thehorrorist3471]

Aren't there wormface creatures as well? I haven't seen a single lore video covering them yet. I am intrigued by them, ever since I found one kneeling and weeping at a gravestone in Altus Plateau.

[@gregatoncic4549]

thanks for head thing, dragon lord i suspect had 4 heads :D was wondering where 2 could be...1 more needed

[@voidling3236]

What armor were you wearing if you don’t mind me asking?

[@AskSeebs]

I noticed that random head in the room where you fight the godskin duos and it just hit me. Isn’t the ancient dragon missing a head?? It has two heads and a neck curled up against its body during the boss fight. Could this be it’s missing head? It seems large enough, and petrified much like the rest of its body along that big rock wall, so it’s been there a LONG time. God I love this game. Its lore is deep.

[@augustuslxiii]

"Or, if you're heartless, burn Melina."

[@shogomakishima7224]

Also Malekith is queen Marika's shadow given to her by two fingers. Same deal with Ranni and Blaidd. This is how Iji describes their relationship: "Blaidd is Lady Ranni's stepbrother. Ranni's mother, Queen Rennala, approved of him, and they played like siblings from childhood. They were always happy to have me tag along, as well. "

[@shawniep5806]

The statue of the "human" has to be a old albeneric like latenna! A girl on her knees with dire wolf's surrounding her?! That's spot on.

[@RikuNamako]

Maybe that dragon head in the room with the Godskin Duo is the 3rd head that Placidusax is actually missing when you fight it in the Vortex.

[@its_jawnney]

what armor set are u rocking in this vid?

[@dap0]

dopeness.

[@Trotsworth]

Great video! Iji says Blaidd was raised with Ranni as children, but also that he is her stepbrother. Do you think that's because he's related by blood to Malekith and Marika?

[@boxkicker7784]

What armour is being worn at the start of the video?

[@mabonman]

"oh ok Blydd, you can't be harmed? tell you what then ... YOU go deal with Radhan. I'm waiting."

[@cameronhollingshead5842]

Sort of feels like farum azula was a reference to Babylon and Laputa based on architecture and the storms that keep it hidden beyond time.

[@JLeviNow]

17:25 more evidence for that being Marika if you look at the old elden ring you can clearly see Marika's Rune at the top. Could mean at this point she already chosen by the Greater Will and Placidusax other half had already left

[@AlbertusSalvatierra]

Just thought about something. If Miquella and Malenia are born of a single god, Marika, would that make them full-blooded Numen?

[@rawbii]

yes, and if Ranni was born from just Radagon and the Rune of the Unborn that would technically make her full-blooded Numen as well. And bam we have another connection to what makes one "emperyian" They have ALL been full blooded Numens. thats SUS bruv

[@Esoteraeon]

@@rawbii no wonder why there's so many cursed omen demigods. The whole family took a dip in the gene pool

[@nightscout9979]

Regarding the dead dragons that resemble Placidusax lodged in Farum Azula's stone walls, how many are there ultimately jutting out from the rocks? If it's five, I'm curious if Placidusax was some kind of fusion of five dragons, hence the five heads/necks, and upon being fully defeated, the dragons split apart into their five original forms. Additionally, Placidusax could have died from his injuries without the player.

[@peterfthagn3646]

I believe the ones in the cave could have remained there since farum azula was still on the earth, since it probably rose from somewhere close to the bestial sactum, as you mentioned. The cave is practically a little haven of green vegetation, isolated.

[@Bobbyhiddn]

Isn’t the head by the Duo one of Placidusax’s missing ones?

[@gajspalt]

The Humans you see are possibly the Ancient Dragons or Lord Placidussax himself. As it's mentioned ingame that Ancient Dragons have the ability to shapeshift into a humanoid form.

[@pjnerdcore1213]

i had different dialogue when i killed gurranq and i've become unconvinced after my own ng+++ and videos that he is actually maliketh. He just says something about stopping destined death. I like the beastmen and azula stuff, makes sense. There are some spirit ashes that are 3 wolves i wonder if its related ot the 3 wolves and the girl statute in farum azula.

[@MeanAndPristine]

The Beastmen in Greyoll’s Dragonbarrow are probably there because of the presence of Elder Dragon Greyoll, likely there to worship and protect her in her helpless state

[@greenwolf1601]

I like to thing the reason the game treats gurangg and maliketh as two different entities is that, being maliketh Marika's shadow, he has the same "two people" condition Marika has. So Gurangg is his version of Radagon.

[@SassyTheSasquatch96]

I think its more likely the trees became petrified. Petrified wood is trippy as hell, i own a log of it to use as a door stop looks exactly like wood, feels exactly like stone.

[@youtubeuser4943]

we also know Gurranq is Malekith because if you give Gdawg all the Deathroot there's additional dialogue at the start of Malekith's fight

[@ChubbyJimRaisinBran]

The dragon head in the temple looks like Placidusax's heads. It originally had 4 heads so the beast men most likely retrieved one of the other heads after Placidusax got messed up

[@matttownsend8406]

So from my understanding the Elden beast is the Elden ring, and the Elden Lord is the wielder of the Elden ring, Placidusax was Eden Lord meaning that the outer god they served was the greater will as the Eden beast is the Eden ring, just in a different form than the one of the golden order, the old Elden ring and it’s order had the great tree and when it’s god, the vessel of the Elden beast disappeared the golden order replaced it and also the erd tree replaced the great tree. Also I think the draconic tree sentinel is there to prevent anyone else taking a fragment of destined death from maliketh, it’s there for his protection not his imprisonment.

[@eldenringpvpenthusiast1710]

I noticed on the walls in farum azula, are what looks like hawks and wolfs(or some beast) eating their own tails ouroboros style. Idk what it means but it reminds me of dragons being perfect beings and how other beings in souls games have been known to worship dragons to the point of becoming one. I also wonder why these dragon cult people like gold ornaments so much, placidusax has gold in his flesh and golden fire breath.

[@darklordnier]

Melina is a Leader of Black Knives and The Gloam Eye Queen aka Godskin apostles leader.

[@theiyrosthenes1639]

I think bloodhound knights are also either half-wolves or beastmen. They have a long slender frame and fight like animals with swords. Not to mention Blaidd has beef with the bloodhound knight in that evergaol

[@russian_knight]

6:12 see, I'm cool because I let Melina burn herself, then inherited the frenzied flame so nobody can challenge my rule, best ending

[@Deadly_Blowfish]

Did you get the destined death cutscene at the end?

[@aayushjain9562]

Hi great video. Small correctioon tho, the crucible didnt fight the dragon with low hp, we did. We fight him earlier in the game and he flies away. And then we fight him again and finish him

[@dogedude1535]

I would like you to know that you are my new Vaati, thank you for your service

[@warbeast3248]

Personally reckon with the Beastmen hanging from the tree, that it was the still living Beastmen who may have done this in some attempt of keeping them dead, or just keeping them out of the way. Also cause I reckon they were too high up too have done it themselves.

[@FoxBatinaHat]

5:15 (About the 5 finger-thing). This is an Asian concept. Lung/Ryu (dragons) and other spirit-creatures, were closer to the heavens in status, based on the number of fingers they had. Conceptually, this is because they could shape the Mudras or Kuji-In. Hand symbols of buddhism/hinduism which connected them to the heavens (Dharma_ aka cycle of divine Karmic wheel). In Daoism/Buddhisn/Japanese Shinto. Those hand symbols helped woth meditation and connecting your own spirit to divine forced of the world. Ex. Dragons In Elden ring (wyverns with no front hands) cannot cast magical incantations. Whilst a 5-fingered dragon in Elden ring can cast faith incantations. Animal-like spirits (Yokai) who had paws as front limbs, were considered insignificant . Simply part of the landscape. Those with fully formed hands where divine creatures and sometimes considered Kami (deities). So this makes sense in a Fromsoftware game.