Nito The Gravelord | Dark Souls Lore

[@SmoughTown]

Go to buyraycon.com/SMOUGHTOWN to get 15% off your order, plus free shipping! Brought to you by Raycon.

[@giovanniprovost]

Been waiting for one of these, gonna get my first pair thanks to you. Cheers!!

[@SmoughTown]

Awesome dude! Enjoy and thanks for the support!@@giovanniprovost

[@supergoonbros5050]

Can you make a video about manus

[@dgalloway107]

Shadows are created when objects interact with light, so creating a light or fire that literally devours dark and shadows is just... wrong. Ds3 makes more sense knowing that, as not only is the light dim, but even the dark is faintly lit. it's all been mixed together again, and disparity is nearly gone.

[@MortonFMurphy]

Something I really respect is not only crediting other creators but also offering their takes so as not to imply they share your opinion when you present their findings. You are a class act, and it keeps me coming back.

[@SmoughTown]

Cheers my friend - I really appreciate, I am just super grateful for all the inspiring creators who influence my work

[@pogostump1745]

I think it’s interesting that the Milfanito says Nito taught them how to sing, and it reminds me of the Miracle Gravelord Sword Dance. The fact that Nito’s followers and their practices are associated with song and dance further develops Nito’s “soft side” that you talked about at the end of his video with his penchant for comfort and family. This all makes me think about how in the real world, music can be a way to forget about one’s anxiety surrounding death. Furthermore, that anxiety is often a source of creative inspiration, and I’m confident it has been for Miyazaki. I think the way Nito embraces death and develops miracles from darkness while Gwyn tries to run away from it leading to disaster can be seen as a statement on human nature, that the only way to find true meaning is to accept the fact that things come to an end and avoiding it makes things worse.

[@SmoughTown]

That's an excellent observation

[@jackdubois1512]

Papa Nito just wants us all in his embrace

[@Chokblaar]

I love the idea of Nito having spooky dance parties in the catacombs

[@dumbsterdives]

it makes sense, given death is meant to be peaceful, that the god of death would have some correlation with things that offer comfort. bro just wants to chill out and sleep in his giant coffin

[@jeffcarroll1990shock]

@@dumbsterdives And then we show up....

[@bubbasbigblast8563]

@13:58 On How Nito Died: "Nito, no! You can't fly over the Valley of the Drakes on that motorcycle! I don't care HOW cool it would make you, it's too dangerous, and it sets a bad example for the-!" *VROOM!* *VROOM!* "Nito!" "NITOOOOO!" *VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-* *Woooosh!* *Vrrrrrr-* *BOOM!* "Nito! NOOOOOOOO!" --- "..and that's how we got wheel skeletons." [Agree] -> [Don't Agree] "..you just chose to sit through my dialog again, buck-oh."

[@SmoughTown]

This is the canon

[@tedronnkvist1630]

I'm laughing way too much at this

[@miimiibeschde4818]

Yeah, they call him Nito First of the dead and discoverer of Gravity

[@Diskhate]

He was confined in the catacombs after a turf war against the notorious gargoyle motorcycle gang that guards the church upstairs: the Bell's Angels (....this one was bad...)

[@Kurgan0822]

I was not expecting this 😂

[@alexgroot2508]

I appreciate that you don't just skim over Dark Souls 2 lore, as a lot of fans unfortunately do. It really does tie in beautifully. I find it rather interesting that out of the lords of Lordran, despite being worse for wear, Nito is easily one of the least affected or threatened by the growing dark. Gwyn turned himself into a burned out husk to keep the flame going and the witch was devoured and twisted by the chaos flame she birthed to replace the fading First Flame. Meanwhile, Nito just sits back, and waits for whatever age comes next - another fire or the first dark - as it matters little to him: in both cases, death returns to its full glory. He has no horse in this race. A musing on the Rotten: it seems to be a purposeful 'pale imitation', following the affectation of its lord soul but falling short. You can see the same in the Old Iron King - an ambitious, ever grasping lordling, seeking to dominate and control all he could - and the Lost Sinner - who according to some theories is hypothesized to be Eygil, the pyromancer that helped the Iron King create 'fire with a will' and creatures like the Smelter Demon, creatures that are 'given life' in flame and that ultimately led to the Iron King's downfall - analogous to the creation of demons. All seem to be a purposeful perversion of the lords whose soul they inherited, compelled to follow through the motions without knowing why, making them an apt metaphor. They are stuck in cycles just like the world and it shows.

[@kamantariq2513]

Perfectly said my friend. Ds1 intro hit like ost of ash lake. Ds2 intro as confusing as is the whole series. Ds3 intro hurts due to nostalgia.

[@SmoughTown]

I always have time for DS2 - was the game I was most involved in the pre game hype etc and I like the 'feel' or the lore contained therein! I defo agree re the 'Great ones from DS2'; pale imitations that are slightly affected by the original lord, with little bits of their personality coming through.

[@OneIED]

did y'all forget he actually is already dead? like bro was a normal ass giant at some point

[@duckyduckington9736]

I think (hear me out) the souls that were FOUND in the flame, not already had by the 4 lords required something to be used. With nito you had to have been dead to obtain it and gained more strength the closer you are with the dead. And thats why the rotten has the soul in the first place. With the Old Kings soul you would need to be close with fire and be ambitious and cocky. The lost sinner we have little on, but I think the lost sinner wasn't actually affected by the old witch soul and instead the chaos bug housed it and when u kill the sinner the bug dies with and THATS where the soul is from. And the spider is another form of Seath (as we learn, his master achieved 2 immortalities with the second one being his soul fragments would seek a host and join with them) and obviously the one for the dark soul doesn't exist, instead we learn that darkness and death are like brothers. Due to the old dead soul being used for hexes and dark weaponry. Showing that maybe its closer to darkness than we originally thought, after all the tomb of the giants is incredibly dark even though there is clearly natural light shining through.

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

Skipping 2 is impossible. The scholar of the first sin is such pivotal piece of the puzzle of the whole universe.

[@agni-kai132]

That's real freaking Nito

[@Xanthelei]

That's terrible. Bravo, well done.

[@stoop..kid..]

I see… what you did there. I know everything you’ve done.

[@user-zp8kj2cl9g]

Meme older than a lot of people watching this video lol

[@agni-kai132]

@@user-zp8kj2cl9g mfw people don't even realize my icon is Ravelord Nito, the first on the floor.

[@Fergusonhelper225]

@@agni-kai132 So easily forgotten

[@splunkmastah4609]

Nito is my favorite of the original Lords. His boss fight might be irksome, but I've always loved his portrayal as a god of death that just wants to be left alone. I've been waiting for Vaati to post his remade prepare to cry on Nito for years, so it's nice to see that you've devoted nearly an hour to him here.

[@ButterNuss.]

Welp.. time to fall asleep again

[@jafetvalcarcel7854]

Glad im not the only one

[@costlycoffee4234]

Lmao so true. I be watching tarnished archeologist, smoughtown, the exploring series, etc. Videos like 4 times each because I fall asleep listening to them

[@HeyGuy4321]

I don't.

[@KaiKukumetsu_Requiem]

His voice has become so relaxing to listen to so I feel that

[@DeathPonyy]

Just got in bed myself 😴 Yay overnight workers

[@voraito]

The statues that The Rotten builds are from Shulva. They are a depiction of the kingdom's beloved queen, Elana. Just as The Gutter is full of things discarded from the surface world, it is also full of culture brought over with those who fled the toxic miasma released from Sinh. It is likely The Rotten is an amalgamation of people from Shulva, as it seems to still harbor this reverence for their queen. The Sunken City feels like yet another offshoot of culture stemming from Nito's domain, with a massive mausoleum being the dominant structure. In it are elaborate burial rutuals, spirits, necromancy, dark magic and dark imbued weaponry. Not to mention that a big part of its story is a dragon helping these people by containing the poisons and toxins from the environment. It is fitting that someone from this place has inherited the soul of the dead one.

[@dumbsterdives]

you know, the statues being of elana is something i never thought about but makes a lot of sense. makes them getting overgrown with poison seemingly on their own (something the rotten seems to be trying to stop judging by the fires in his room) make a lot of sense

[@daniell1483]

I always thought Nito was the most interesting of the Lords, simply because he seemed to be at odds with everything you'd assume about a "grim reaper" sort of figure. His closeness with Dark was also a confounding element to his character. I certainly appreciate him a lot better now!

[@Writh811]

Something I had been thinking lately with regards to Nito was that he did have a family, humorously enough. The empty companion coffin next to his gives the impression that someone is missing. My assumption is that Pricilla is actually related to Nito rather than the bloodlines of Gwyn. Her power is one associated with Death, Lifehunt. Nito's power is a threat to the gods much like Lifehunt. I get the feeling, and I stress the word FEELING, that while things were ok at first between Nito and Gwyn's crew that there was clear breakdown perhaps the abduction of Pricilla was a part of a plot to keep Nito towing the line.

[@Markcus003]

hmmnn i smell what youre cooking keep going.

[@seelcudoom1]

alternately shes related to both, and pricilla was the result of a political marriage in an attempt to mend the rift

[@Writh811]

@@seelcudoom1 I tend to think that if she was attached to Nito that she was taken during the first plot against him. The one where there were Holy weapons that kill his skeletons. I think when referring to Nito's power to kill the gods it is talking about Pricilla and her Life Hunt. Just tossing some more circumstantial fuel on the reasons I think Pricilla was part of Nito's clan. She pretty much is a straight up goddess of Death. She turns invisible, she possesses Life Hunt, she wields a scythe. Her gentle disposition makes sense as a Shepard for the dead. You would hear a gentle voice beckoning you and you would follow this towering white figure, that only you can see, with a scythe down to the Catacombs (the land of the dead); that sounds straight out of real world myth. Also given that Nito was a giant in the age of ancients, he was actually in the best position of anyone to find a ancient dragon to couple with. There being only one coffin next to him may mean his dragon companion did not make it to see the end of the war against the dragons. There is a line in Nito's Lord Soul that says he gave most of his power to death and that made no sense to me for the longest time. I mean think about that, what does it mean? Is he using part of his lord soul to reanimate skeletons, I don't feel like "giving his power to death" would quiet describe that process. But something not taken into account but is clearly demonstrated among the other lords is succession. Gwyn gave his power to his children/friends, Izalith gave her power to Chaos (and we see Chaos as the Bed of Chaos birthing demons). I believe when it refers to Nito giving his power to Death it may be referring to HIS own successor. We have one example of what Gwyn does when his peers try to dynasty build with their power (see war on Izalith). I doubt Gwyn would tolerate a Princess of Death who could destroy even his clan. None of these thoughts are set in stone so if you have a convincing logic thread for the Political Marriage I'm sincerely receptive. We'll never know if any of this is right or wrong and thus mean everything is both right and wrong. Talk about Schrodinger's Lore.

[@naiustheyetti]

One thing to consider is that she is part dragon, and dragons are near immortal in this universe. Maybe She was a mix between dragon and god that Seth created to help mend the rift between the two lords?

[@ilcorvo9559]

Oh yes some OG from lore. Such a cool character and area

[@SmoughTown]

Agreed one of my faves

[@somebodyoncetoldme5203]

As someone who studied Greek mythology in university I feel the need to correct you on this, the Titans are not giants they're not even depicted as being larger than the gods or heroes they are just the privous dynasty of divinity, but giants do exist in greek mythology but they are made by Gaia to overthrow Zeus as she's grown dissatisfied with his rule this war known in myth as the Gigantomachy comes much later than the Titanomachy as we have heroes like Hercules participate in it

[@SmoughTown]

Appreciate that but I also did classics at Uni - it's merely a simplification of the concept of a race preceding the current gods for a lore video.

[@somebodyoncetoldme5203]

​​​@@SmoughTown sorry if I came off as pretentious but I still feel that it's a bad example as the giants in greek myth come way after humanity has already established itself and the Titans tried making their own versions of humanity multiple times before the Olympians ever come into the picture and it continues the misconception that the Titan's and giants are one and the same which they never where

[@SmoughTown]

Nah not at all - I probably should do a text clarification on screen when I use such analogies. Youre right it is an imperfect analogy that probably could have used some clarification. Appreciate the feedback@@somebodyoncetoldme5203

[@julianlovato1093]

Titans are very much depicted as being larger than the gods. In almost every interpretation I’ve seen titans were considered giants and were much larger than the Olympian gods

[@somebodyoncetoldme5203]

@@julianlovato1093 have you checked in anything other than modern pop culture? In all the texts and pottery and sculpture the Titan's are never depicted as giants the only exception is Atlas but that's in one single Roman text.

[@davidanderson9967]

Nito is such a cool dude. He hands out his sword to everyone of his followers. We're all lords in his eyes🥰

[@danielrhodes548]

Gotta love the Skelly-man, bravo! Was cool that you thought to show him without the cloak. I’ve seen images like that before, always got me thinking that Nito was the inspiration for what Pinwheel was trying to do. He’s a combination of dead forms that share life. Instead of Nito just being some guy, Nito is a bunch of people. That may be the power ol’ pinhead is trying to steal for himself/theirselves.

[@matthewlyons3392]

Favorite lore videos on YT right here. So glad you’re revisiting DS1 lore.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks my friend - It's been a joy to revist the world of Dark Souls

[@ted4979]

As someone who loves Nito, and his design, this video is perfect for scratching that itch. I think nito is a massive background figure in the lore that a lot of people may overlook. Therefore it feels like a crime that nito feels so neglected in ds3. lol

[@SmoughTown]

Agree on all fronts - always been captivated by his design

[@giovannigiorgio831]

Great work as always, SmoughTown! Hope to see you deep dive into Lord Gwyn, the Witch of Izalith, and the Furtive Pygmy.

[@DaGoblinHour]

Me yesterday, “Man I wish there was more in-depth lore video on Gravelord Nito”

[@stingerjohnny9951]

I’m not sure I’m convinced that Pinwheel is an order. Between the stories of a father, mother, and child, and the fact we see Pinwheel clone himself, I still subscribe to the “single priest who lost his family due to betrayal” rather than an order. I’ve also felt like Necromancy was actually an offshoot of Pyromancy. We see plenty of pyromancies that have nothing to do with actual fire, and we see the necromancers of the catacombs shooting fire at us. Still, great video!

[@SinHurr]

If flame is life then it's perfectly reasonable that pyromancy can branch into necromancy.

[@kalameet3136]

It's absolutely possible that tale of father, mother and child was indeed true and this family was reanimated as Pinwheel itself by Nito, but also this particular Pinwheel may be having some memories of previous lives of those three beings. Also Pinwheel creates illusions of himself, I wouldn't look into that too much, might be just a boss mechanic.

[@Tinkering4Time]

What is funny is that the dynamic of physics we call time has thusfar been determined to be a byproduct of entropy irl. Without entropy there is no time. And the first flame is the reason for entropy in Dark Souls; the disparity in light and dark, life and death, the separation of energy into nonuniform gradients. So with the fading of the flame, and the declining of energy toward a uniform spread, time itself is failing and can be breached so close to the core of time’s existence.

[@SinHurr]

source?

[@DanielFerreira-ez8qd]

​@@SinHurr Uh, anything. It sounds crazy when you say it but you then realize that "spacetime" is a thing and the passage of time itself is heavily affected by context.

[@Valsorayu]

@@SinHurr The laws of thermodynamics, Second law I assume? As for time being a byproduct I think it's more meant in that if nothing changes then is time even moving sort of way.

[@Albassam90]

The sleeping beast has awoken. I was visiting your DS3 Lore videos, and i just can't get over them

[@andreworders7305]

Miyazaki really loves his stagnant/flowing metaphors

[@09csr]

It is an important aspect of Japanese culture, so that is hardly suprising. But I do agree that Miazaki in particular really revel in it (in a good way... mostly... but were all those swamps really necessary?!).

[@jeffcarroll1990shock]

It's almost as if he doesn't know how to write anything else.

[@Touma134]

His familial desire could be a play on the sometimes loving aspect of death. It can be seen as the end of suffering. Eternal peace is a common descriptor. Death is equal and we all share in the same fate that connects us. Ideas like that could influence his paternal view of his followers.

[@alexspain9103]

I think the skull on the effigy shield is one of those "elongated, fanged skulls," that lie on the ground in the tomb of the giants. Perhaps those bodies are the conspirators?

[@toridelire8697]

When I saw you dropped a Nito video my heart stopped (affectionate) seeing you go back into older bosses is something im so excited about. Your insights have really expanded my views and thoughts about the lore of these games and I'm thrilled to see you touch on old favorites

[@cross-eyedhollow]

IT'S BONING TIME >:)

[@SmoughTown]

👀

[@TheScrootch]

Boner alert!

[@greenhydra10]

I have a bone to pick with this comment.

[@platypipope328]

you're super boned if you keep this up

[@Uro_Boros]

'd rather be boning than loning

[@FRIEDRICH_NASHTON]

A video on my favourite of the Four Lords? That's quite a treat, thank you very much!

[@SmoughTown]

My pleasure! Enjoy

[@jamesnankervis9215]

That's real fuckin' Nito! Looked forward to a Nito video since the heady days of 2011, I know im going to like this.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks my friend - he was my first 'favourite' character when I first played back in 2011. Always held a special place in my heart

[@The_3ean]

I love listening to this during work helps time go by faster

[@SmoughTown]

That's great to hear my friend - hope work goes well

[@BeesAcrossTheRockies]

Geoff is back with another banger for my post-work errand and gym runs! I get genuinely excited for these, they always make my work days more fun

[@SmoughTown]

Hahaha thanks bud - hope it helps it out and that you enjoy!

[@notyourlod]

Glad to catch this in my feed :D

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks for being here my friend

[@brennanneaton3062]

I love how these lore videos are so jam packed with content that it’s literally impossible for me to fall asleep to it

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks for the kind words, really means alot to me

[@Squabbywabose]

What a hunk, neto is the flirtiest fromsoft character by a MILE

[@SmoughTown]

[@SmoughTown]

[@jackdubois1512]

Hes got that hotdad energy like Giles from buffy

[@CadavresSansNom]

Imagine if Fia the deathbed companion lived in the same time and space as Nito existed.

[@dcomeau3636]

A thought, that might be worth considering, "Gravelord Nito, Frist of the dead. This Lord Soul was discovered at the dawn of the Age of Fire...." It may be that Nito was the first to die and the cause of that death may be why he gained that Lord Soul. The reason I think that the Cause of death may have a role to play on it is that at the "dawn of the Age of Fire" to being who until that point didn't have a grasp on the power and Danger associated with flame would not have known to fear those aspects. It may also help to explain the skeletal nature of Nito for in cremation it is the bones that are often the last consumed by the fire and heat.

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh honestly can defo buy that - and was closer to what I believe until recently

[@SinHurr]

A weak, fearful hollow grasped the Flame and became mighty. Another grasped the Flame and became wise, learning the ways of fire itself. Seeing these frail things become strong, a lonely hollow reached for the Flame, only to be struck down by an ambitious challenger. In being felled, the lonely hollow robbed the would be lord of its prize. The Lords fled the cave, but the ambitious hollow stayed cowed. Eventually, one last great soul rose from the Flame, and the ambitious hollow grasped at its destiny, sure that, in time, all would fall to him.

[@Caleb-zs8is]

Love the video man I was going into this thinking that it was going to explain the theories about Nito but this blew my expectations out of the catacombs. However there is one thing I don't agree with and that is the fenito. They feel too disconnected from Nito and the Melfanito. The way Agdayne talks about death and of nito compared to how the melfanito talk about them is notably different. He talks about death and darkness being almost something that is one in the same while the only mention of dark the women say is that they comfort those bound by it. It's also strange that he is blue but the Melfanito aren't, why are they different? Agdayne states that light and those who bear light are not welcomed, but the woman is praying by an alter with a large flame not to mention the entire area of the shrine is illuminated by light. Agdayne from what I remember doesn't even talk about the Melfanito he simply explains what the Fenito are. Something else that doesn't sit right is the fact that we find other enemies in Aldia's keep and in the congregation boss fight that have similar looking robes as the fenito ladies and have blue skin. The final thing I want to express concern about before I make my final statement is that we never get an actual reason as to why the fenito are so different from the Melfanito and it has nothing to do with gender because we fight female fenito. My idea is this. Fenito are imposters. Now please here me out I do have some good points backing this idea up. First of all the fenito use dark magic and the weapon we get from Agdayne is imbued with dark magic, and gave a reason why they use hexes however I don't think that true followers or "descendants" of Nito would use the magic derived from the only lord soul that couldn't be affected by death. It's speculated that the "curse" isn't actually a curse and being immortal in a sense is the natural way of humans but it was twisted with the prolonged age of fire, and if this is true then death would not have dominion over humankind. Nito's magic is a miracle just like Gwyn's. The second point is this. We find a Fenito in Aldia's keep and it's possible that it was taken for research but everything else we find in cages are actual failed experiments by Aldia. The third point is this, however I'm not entirely sure if this is true. Agdayne was going to be connected to the darklurker and there are a two things they have in common, number one is that they share the same crossed arms, second is that they are both blue. So here is my theory. The Fenito are puppets made by Aldia, and this might be far fetched. We know that Aldia can make human looking creatures because we meet two of them, the emerald herald and the sorcerer. We also know Aldia was messing around with life and all forms of magic to find a way to break the cycle. And I know that the old dead one soul can create a hex or a weapon imbued with dark but the rotten is theorized to have been the king of shulva or pharros. If it was the king then that gives the probability that the rotten was soaked in darkness by his queen who was a piece of manus and that is why the dead ones soul is tainted by darkness. Alright here is my complete theory. During Aldia's pursuit of understanding the soul he created two beings using the magic of the abyss. The sorcerer who we find locked up and Agdayne. He learns about his connections to the dark and he escapes leaving the sorcerer behind. He finds nashandra who makes a deal with him. She fears the Melfanito and their ability to hush the dark so he is sent to the undead crypt to turn the priestesses into servants of the dark. This succeeds and the rest of the Melfanito retreat to the shrine. Agdayne starts to understand death more and finds himself becoming a warden over the dead. He takes up the title of Fenito and creates the lie of them being born from the dead one. We see throughout the crypt that the dark has tainted it. The leydia sorceress are now black and if you get their robes you can see that they used to be white. Velstadt has been in the crypt for so long that his once proud miracles are now hexes. Agdayne even talks about death as a women possibly thinking that the dark and death are one in the same and see nashandra as death itself. Of course there are statues of a lady in the crypt however I personally believe that they are statues of Amana who might have been a high ranking Melfanito or maybe the first. This is all my personal opinion but I hope you enjoy it and if you are reading this I just want to say thank you so much for reading all of it. It means a lot to me.💀☠💀 if you have any questions or simply want to point out mistakes please do.

[@Mikhael.R]

Nito is my favourite of the lords (lore wise) and im so happy you decided to give it the attention it deserves. Imagine being the first dead in an everlasting and unchanging world?

[@SmoughTown]

Same here - one of the first characters I fell in love with

[@AmazingChest]

Yes! Was waiting for this one. Super excited to watch it.

[@SmoughTown]

Hey bud! Great to see you here - thanks for the support and hope you enjoy

[@Pontif11]

Coincidentally i just finished Illusory Wall's video about Gravelording before starting this. I'd recomended to anyone as a companion. Its a documentary type video about Nito's covenant and how it was tocplay back in the day and how some of this lore translated into mechanics.

[@SmoughTown]

Such an AMAZING video - great recommendation

[@thatguywesmaranan]

SMOUGHTOWN!!! massive thanks to you again for providing another amazing lore video to listen to on today's hospital shift... **lights bonfire in gratitude**

[@SmoughTown]

Hahah thanks my friend - hope your shift goes well!

[@donaldjrandall]

Smough and other DS'esq creators do such a great job explaining these worlds. Makes gameplay very enjoyable. Keep up the wonderful work.

[@SmoughTown]

My pleasure my friend - thank you so much for the kind words. Means the world to me

[@danielwilliamswriter]

Smough: Releases a new Souls lore video Me: Neato

[@musacajelly2941]

Seeing Nito in the opening cutscene and wanting to know more was the whole reason I got in to Dark Souls in the first place. Glad my favorite souls youtuber did a video of my favorite of the lords.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks bud - really humbled im your fave!

[@gagegrogan4352]

I love how years after these games come out people still have hour long videos on lore. I hope it’s the same for Bloodborne and Elden Ring for eternity. Great video btw. 👏

[@MrUnboxerVideos]

*Kitchen Nightmares music plays* "HELLOO, MY NAMES NITOOOOOOOO"

[@bl0odh94]

I appreciate how you tell your point of view and the source one as well like lokey, it helps to think of new theories from both. Thank you for the amazing nito lore video 🙏

[@eyesontheinside5776]

Amazing! Great work and i cant wait for more revisionary videos looking at ds2 and ds3! Youre one of the few to do it

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks bud - more to come!

[@TheAuspiciousGoldmask]

Great video Geoff, as always you clap in lore telling, i hope you´re doing fine and can´t wait to see your next video!

[@MrPuddle30]

Always a good day when I open up KZbin to some new Smough 🤝

[@SmoughTown]

Cheers buddy! Enjoy!

[@dkolb]

I love the video. I'm impressed there was so much lore for him but it really helps flesh out his character. Which I realize is somewhat of an ironic statement given he's not too into flesh.

[@Chritin]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention Carthus at all, considering the fact that it’s basically the only place in DS3 that has the dead.

[@chrislevack405]

Thank you for being one of the very few to accurately pronounce Hawkeye Gough

[@GilboPaints]

Hawkeye Jeff

[@christiandaugherty6339]

It's Goff, he says it himself.

[@DieDieNacho]

I've been loving all the content! This video, in particular, is pretty Nito.

[@SmoughTown]

Hahaha thanks so much! Really hope you enjoy

[@doll5274]

Silly theory: what if the four lord souls were found in "proximity" to the first flame. Example- Nito- first of the dead apparent, was the first maybe due to him being close to if not dead centre of the first flame during its ignition, thus becomes father of the dead. Witch of izalith- you see her hands and forearms burnt in the op cutscene, maybe she found her lord soul at the edges of the first flame, emitting chaos in her mind subconsciously. Lord Gwyn- perhaps he saw the first flames light and ventured towards it with complete visibility and has embraced the sunlight to guide his way and others. Furtive pygmy- how easily forgotten, potentially found the dark soul right before the first flames ignition, being more akin to the darkness surrounding future descendents. Only adapting to an age not yet fit for their role.

[@criisjooy7805]

blessed the youtube recommendations! in pursuit of quenching my boredom, I stumbled upon a diamond.

[@SmoughTown]

That's awesome! Great to have you here and hope you enjoy

[@beneta0312]

what a great surprise fot the weekend

[@SmoughTown]

Hope you enjoy

[@whiteboideku983]

Great work, man! Love darksouls lore 🔥

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks dude! Hope you enjoy

[@TheFeralFerret]

Interesting analysis of Lohkey's speculations.

[@ursakumaluna]

Brother I just wanna say that I love your content and continue to just take your time making these videos. I absolutely love LoK and I'm so happy you're making this fantastic content on it

[@Noct_Snow]

Great video dude. Had no idea there was this much to dive in with nito.

[@giorgiobarone6522]

Hi from Italy, I only want to say that your work is always amazing. I discovered you through Sabaku no Maiku. He said in one of his live streams that you're a top tier content creator in the Souls community, and all I can say is that it's definitely true. Continue like this! You're amazing ❤

[@SmoughTown]

wow that's super amazing to hear! I've always respected and loved Sabaku's work, so it's great to hear that. Thanks for the kind work and support, and thanks for watching!

[@lixthewitch6718]

Awesome video. I'd give a shoutout to Hawkshaw as well when it comes to his Nito in love video, which may also give more context on why Nito became so reclusive over time. It also meshes well with the greek inspiration that Dark Souls has for the Lords.

[@redpandarampage2191]

Nito was always one of the most enigmatic and mysterious characters due to his reclusiveness and having less lore in general. Great video!

[@DeusExAngelo]

What I find peculiar is that Nito represents death, yet the catacombs are full animated and semi-cognizant skeletons that should not be able to move...let appear to have sensory ability. If Nito was the first being to die, it may have been why he was found or was reanimated by the Flame. Because Nito represented a change in the current primordial existence. Thus he became the avatar of this change and truth. At the same time became this very paradoxical being. The truly dead are still and do not act. Their bodies unable to properly house souls, nor do they grow. They either calcify or decay , often becoming the nutrients needed for other life. It makes me wonder if the various skeletons in The Catacombs and Tomb Of The Giants exist as constructs designed to protect the remains of the dead from being tampered with. Though in doing so, Nito had tamper with the same dead to prevent others from doing so. What if this part of why the Undead Curse and fading of the flame was happening? That Nito's nature and efforts were a sort of "glitch" in reality. Same with the things done by The Witch of Izalith, Gwyn, Seath, and the pygmy? That all them, their efforts, and existence created a corrupt, paradoxical existence that was attempting to stabilize itself? It would explain the time distorting nature in the series. I wonder if the Dragons were the entities that were the pillars that kept it stable and overall unchanging.

[@kofu1267]

I honestly think Nito is the reason I fell so deeply in love with From lore and world building. I was desperate to find out more.

[@SmoughTown]

He was the first thing that drew me in in that cinematic Had an old PvP guide channel called 'The Nito Look' back in 2012

[@sammyt555]

Smough, I saw someone point out a while ago that “first of the dead” might mean something more like lord of the dead or prime dead, so it’s a title more than a literal descriptor, he’s not necessarily the first one to die. The item descriptions could have come about due to the same interpretation of the translation. He is made of human skulls after all. Your interpretation could very well be true- to your point the age of fire is what brought about the concept of life vs death anyway, so it does create that opportunity for the “first in line”

[@47ejecting2]

This interpretation comes the translation from the original Japanese by Lokey, who argues that there is no ambiguity about the use of the word "first" - it literally and simply means "first in a sequence." But I don't speak Japanese lmao, I'm just taking it on faith that the phrase leaves little room for interpretation. Still, your point is interesting in that he's enrobed in human skulls. Could it be that he just picked them up and added them to his drip over time? Seems unlikely, given his consistent depiction in the cutscenes. Hmm....

[@sammyt555]

@@47ejecting2 yeah, I think the word can mean first in a sequence and still not be meant to signify that he was the first being to experience death in the age of fire. It could simply mean first in terms of some kind of rank, like in terms of succession of power. If the arrival of flame is meant as a kind of “beginning of existence” like a big bang idea (it’s like a creation myth) then I would think quite some time would have passed between the beginning of existence, and the discovery of the lord souls, in other words I’d think lots and lots of death had occurred by the time they were discovered. I like the idea of him being literally the first thing to die too, that’s fkin sweet. I’m just pointing out that first in a sequence doesn’t rule out from my perspective, the other interpretation. I also would ask why Nitos title would be that he’s the first dead when the real distinguishing factor is that he possesses a lord soul which gave him power over death. His identity is having lordship over death, that’s what’s significant about him and seems likely that’s what his title is trying to convey, like he’s the chief of the dead, not the first person to die.

[@sinclair2199]

“We weave death” My mind : Oiu Oiu death 42:25

[@SmoughTown]

lmaaoooo

[@screwyoutube-ed9jx]

How is your voice so calming, like my boyfriend literally has one of your videos ready for me when I get home after a bad day to help me chill

[@MrTroves]

It also says a lot about Nito's understanding of the Dark that when it came to his methods of trying to counter the undead... they were generally a lot more successful then those of the other lords or powers trying to suppress them. Where others used outright hunts or trickery, Nito merely offered places where one could rest and find peace. He offered places of actual asylum in which they could zone out and embrace their hollowed state in a peaceful mind and thus not be a threat to anyone.

[@waltersullivan2727]

One interesting bit with Nito is that you speculate he wants a family, that his motives are more warm than evil. With the internal name of pinwheel and Shrine of Amana I agree. Miyazaki did once say in interview that they had to change Nito’s name because it was too sad. Alluding to the fact that his background may be more tragic than we first thought. Also perhaps this is why the grave lord covenant exists. To create more dead is to create more like him, a family.

[@artofwar420]

BAABEEEE new smoughtown lore video dropped

[@timjohn1130]

Omg I've been waiting for this moment ❤

[@trentonwallace6884]

Great video, always liked nito probably my favorite souls boss ever because of his time in the intro cutscene, really made an impression on little kid me back in 2011.

[@SmoughTown]

Absolutely the same situation for me - was the first character that drew me in

[@jeffcarroll1990shock]

hello

[@viggiestrikes]

The elden ring dlc delay really got us looking back to 2011 huh. I welcome it wholeheartedly

[@betterinsodapop]

I just want a hug from Nito so I don't have to go to work anymore.

[@Rayninray]

Love listening to these at work

[@ShiranuiLoki]

I wonder if Nito is just like Godwyn in Elden Ring. The first God that dies.

[@Bigfreakinsword]

Interesting too that the spread of their death influence appears as eyes.

[@okami7847]

I know one day eventually we'll run out of things to talk about in Dark Souls 1, but thank you sincerely SmoughTown for covering this game even in 2024. It's a legendary game with a such a wonderful story.

[@eirates1550]

Always happy for smough lore

[@jake1918]

it’d be really cool if you make a school of mensis video. there’s so much mystery surrounding them and to this day idk what they were up to

[@hateful8bit]

Dont give up, Skeleton.

[@09csr]

Nito is pure awesome! The fact that From managed to make a Skellington (what is wearing a suit made out of other skellingtons to boot) terrifying goes to show how good they are at doing their stuff. The moment you drop down there and you start the boss battle with damage. The moment the music starts and the skellingtons run towards you. And the very slow but decisive way Nito moves. My only gripes is that he is (to me at least) too easy, I personally feel he has too little HP, especially since he is so slow-moving. But man the music is so good! It is terror embodied, I feel cold inside everytime I hear it, I love it! And coupled with that is the cryptic lore! We know so little about Nito, and the fact that he seemingly doesn't react at all to the fading fire fascinates me. In general while the other greater lords put a lot a mark on the world, Nito just seem to care about death. I really wish we'd seen more from him in the sequels, but I'm happy with what we got. On the "first of the dead" subject... Well, logic says that he likely was the first to die, one way or another, but it could really just be that he is the leader of death.

[@everythingiscoolio]

YES!!! I love it, keep the souls lore coming man.

[@SmoughTown]

Absolutely! more to come my friend

[@cheatsykoopa98]

what I understand is that nito "giving his power to death" means that his power is what keeps the dead, dead. with the fire fading the line between life and death starts to disappear and everyone who dies loses their souls and humanity goes back to being the hollow bodies they were before

[@futurewarriorhero123]

Once again, we are blessed with a video by the greatest chronicler of all time. Amazing video as always. 😊

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks my friend - way too kind

[@futurewarriorhero123]

@@SmoughTown not at all bud. You work hard and your efforts are recognized and beloved by everyone.

[@SmoughTown]

@@futurewarriorhero123 That means the world to me my friend, especially in moments of self doubt. Much appreciated

[@futurewarriorhero123]

@@SmoughTown of course smoughtown. And as my father always tells me, so too I would extend to you. “That you are capable of anything so long as it is what you desire and it’s what brings you happiness and not solely for the sake of pleasing others”. Your videos give me respite from life’s more difficult moments as I am certain it does for others. And in those moments of doubt and uncertainty know that I will always support you and offer my prayers for your wellbeing and happiness. Likewise let the amount of love and support from your fans be a testament to the earnest nature and passion you put in all the time to make your content. Remain bright always my friend 😊

[@thebigbean8783]

One of my all time favorite characters ever. Nito is the reason i got over disliking the first dark souls so much. It couldn't save the game, but dang, it was super hype to finally get to see him when going for the gravelord sword. Then i got to fight him? Extremely cool. I hate fighting him now, but I'll never forget him.

[@lojk2]

12:21 "a lot of Gwyn was based on Zeus" I wondered about this for a long time and found the answer just a few weeks ago. There was an aspect of Zeus worshipped on the island of Crete called "Zeus Tallaios." I'm a little fuzzy on the exact history, but basically in the Cretan dialect "Talos" and "Helios" were the same i.e. "the Sun." So to the Cretans, Talos the titan was also the Sun. If anyone doesn't know, Talos was the brass titan, commissioned by Zeus and forged by Hephaestus, that protected the island of Crete from invaders. Somehow, the cult of Zeus on Crete syncretized the worship of Solar Talos into the worship of Zeus to become Zeus Tallios, or "Solar Zeus," god of the sky, lightning, storms, and the Sun. It seems like an obscure piece of Greek mythopoeic history, but in finding out about it I finally understood why Dark Souls depicts its Zeus analog as wielding rays of the Sun as lightning bolts.

[@Zach-qo1on]

sucks that DS3 didn’t mention Nito at all, while beings like Gywn, The witches, and the dark soul itself where more fleshed out and felt more complete in terms of lore and the story of dark souls. While Nito and his legacy felt left out.

[@SmoughTown]

Agreed - I'm glad DS2 added some interesting things at least

[@trevorelliott7701]

I only played through DS3 once, but I came away from it associating Aldritch with Nito. Is there anything lore-wise that ties them together?

[@heuvelke1065]

​@@trevorelliott7701not really, i know that he was studying the dark and humanity inside humans. Within the church he could torture victims and eat them. The dark is pure emotion. This way he could fill himself with it and became a dark bloated monster.

[@dumbsterdives]

the idea of humans and giants being offshoots of dragons is an interesting one. The intro to ds1 always gave the impression that the creatures that became men giants and lords were just down below when the flame appeared and found it almost instantly. Of course, if you subscribe to some of Hawkshaw's theories, it wouldn't be the first time the intro has been a bit tricky in terms of chronology.

[@Ajbolt89]

Cool, i just replayed DS Remastered so this is fun timing. There's so much in that first game that echoes through the following games.

[@jessepacheco6020]

Thank you, sir!!! I thirst for more Souls lore.

[@Neptunequeen42]

I've always believed that The Rotten is what's left of Pharos, not least of which because it drops a Pharos lockstone. You can trace the path of Pharos through the game by seeing where his mechanisms appear, and they seem to dead-end in the gutter. He was surely someone sympathetic and kind to the 'forgotten' and 'rotten' of society, like the rats and the people in the gutter - after all he created all those traps for the rat covenant in Doors of Pharos. It's more of a vibe, but I think he has a vibe that fits quite well with Nito's more quiet and kind characterization. Perhaps he discovered the lord soul deep within the bowels of the earth in the Gulch and wanted to use it to help the people of the gutter, who ended up becoming the rest of the Rotten.

[@umukzusgelos4834]

I began thinking, considering Pinwheel holds the Rite of Kindling, a very crucial tool for the "one chosen Undead" to complete the Quest of Linking the Fire as ordained by the Primordial Serpent Frampt and by extention Gwyndolin, would you believe that Pinwheel was perhaps an agent of Gwyndolins, acting on his orders to perhaps keep Nito (who in Frampts words has outlived his usefullness) in check or perhaps reduce a possible threat coming from him, As Hawkshaw has pointed out, when Pinwheel dies he does not leave a soul behind and his death is... somewhat dramatic as he flails and spins around almost as if he is putting on some kind of show As for Nitos relationships, I guess the second large coffin next to his own is also a signifier that Nito yearned for companionship and perhaps this is why all of his incarnations like to mend multible bodies together even the Rottens soundtrack, while being overbearing and grotesque on the forefront invoke a sense of longing and sadness during the more gentler segments, just like the original did at times

[@swam4362]

I think something interesting that you didnt mention is the fact that there is that huge skull in ash lake, which could be an early Giant skull. The only issue there is that it is way more massive than we have seen other giants, and even most dragons. But its just kind of sitting there. Maybe some of the dragons were massive.

[@teddyhh9947]

The power pinwheel stole was likely the power of grafting, not a method to further kindle bonfires.

[@MossOwnsYouYT]

It's so weird to see Eredin mentioned in Souls Lore again after his hard pivot to religious mythology. Good storyteller though

[@DJYungHoxha]

It's not just "religious mythology" it's more that he treats Christian theology as real life history. Dude's gone off the deep end completely. Sad, I really used to enjoy his videos, but you could always tell that he was a bit... socially isolated, you could say.

[@AlexHyena1]

it’s more likely that the necromancers in the catacombs (the ones who may drop a skull lantern) are the priests of Nito, and the horde of Pinwheels outside Nito’s arena are simply discarded attempts at resurrection & separation by the original Pinwheel (who may well have also been a priest at some point)

[@eowade9211]

I don't think medials are a race It's just that they have so much souls that they get bigger

[@silence6408]

And have amazing chests.

[@topcat59]

Great vid bro.😺

[@jarltryggvi]

My personal interpretation of Nito as First of the Dead is that the First Flame burned him to death and in doing so created Nito and the very concept of death. Thus death has a place in the fire and The Age of Fire