Elden Ring Lore | Maliketh and the Shadowbound Beasts

[@SmoughTown]

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Shout out to Shimhaq who kindly gave me permission to use his Malekith Illustration for the Thumbnail, check out more of their work: linktr.ee/Shimhaq Big Thanks to Adam Barker for getting the Freecam shots used in this video. Check out his PVP content here: kzbin.info...

[@voidnaut]

I'm not sure I agree at 15:45 when you say that the master of the Black Knife Assassins is 'Ranni of course'. There's evidence in the game that shows her relationship with them may have soured. She does have the ringleader imprisoned in an Evergaol on top of the Moonlight Altar plateau, and I her dialogue hints that not all went according to plan with regards to the night of the black knives. I think there's more history that's not necessarily revealed to us very clearly in game.

[@bigmacgaming5019]

@@voidnaut hes right she is the leader of the black knife assassins, tell me who else it could be.

[@gunararayhanramadhan2304]

I'm not entirely agreeing on the reason for Blaidd's madness , since Ranni and her fingers have been 'hurling curses' for a long-long time. And considering her role in Night you would think that Blaidd would have gone crazy sooner.

[@AntediluvianGirl]

The dagger is pronounced Chee-nkwih-day-uh I'm pretty sure(the one that Gurranq uses I mean)

[@gillesrondeau9011]

I personally think that the black night assassin we see surrounding Blaid were coming to kill Ranni and Blaid killed them. I wouldn’t make sense for Ranni to ask the assains to go after Iji too… in my opinion the black night assassins have no allegiance

[@joshk494]

What strikes me regarding Blaidd's loyalty is that we can release him from the evergaol very early, right after beating Radahn and before getting the fingerslayer blade. Ranni is still in her tower, sleeping. Yet no matter how long we take he doesn't touch her. He holds on to his free will until she is long gone, when there is no one left to lash out against except a few black knives, and us. This is the main reason why I think Iji knows he was wrong about Blaidd. He had the opportunity to betray her, in spite of Iji's efforts, but through sheer force of will and his pure love for Ranni he resisted.

[@Bonniebelle_00__]

Which makes sense because killing us will halt her progress and not completely abolish the greater will

[@edge4063]

I choose to believe he saw our character and knew in his heart that we wouldn’t let him turn into a monster. That we could stop him and ensure no harm comes to Ranni.

[@jaromanderson2877]

I think the blaidd has fate as well and it was unlocked when radhan got killed

[@Aon_Duine]

I think that the Black Knives betrayed Ranni for some reason and went to Ranni's rise to hunt her down or at least have a clue about her whereabouts. Blaidd fought them off to protect her. Fought against his destiny till the bitter end, just like he said he would do.

[@Majoraspersona]

Something that makes it worse is that Iji isn't even being entirely unreasonable here. We've seen how powerful the Two Fingers are and he himself is extremely paranoid about their control. While he wisely concedes that he made a mistake, it was the correct play considering the risk it had to Ranni's plan.

[@forktrus]

There's something about the thought of a little girl, a 7ft tall wolfman and a giant troll playing hide and seek -- with the giant troll completely visible trying to hide behind a tree -- and the other 2 pretending to not see him while they look under a tiny rock -- that's so sweet it's giving me cavities.

[@kano1652]

Imagine maliketh and marika playing together when they were both small,really wholesome

[@haydenw7981]

Has me utterly tearing up

[@R_Samnan]

@@kano1652 That most likely didnt happen, cuz I assume that was only after when marika became a god, by then shes already an adult

[@es-rh8oo]

Actually Blaidd is closer to 12ft, if you assume the Tarnished/Player is about 6ft. Blaidd is twice as tall as us

[@fenixchief7]

​​​@@R_Samnan Marika could very well have gone through a similar process as what Ranni should have. We know the Gloam-Eyed Queen was a prior Empyrean and we also know there were prior Elden Lords. Even tho no relation is mentioned, it's entirely possible that Marika was a cousin, sister, even daughter to the Gloam-Eyed Queen. Considering Maliketh is the one that defeated her, not Godfrey, it's likely that this was her ascension to godhood, which also means Maliketh was with her prior to that. They grant shadows to Empyreans, not gods. She also wielded the power of Destined Death, so they likely had their own "night of black knives" esque plot, in order for Maliketh to obtain it. We've only seen Empyreans spawn from her line (even Ranni, with the Radagon shenanigans) and with the love that both GRRM and Miyazaki show the cyclical nature of history leads me to believe this may be the case and that Marika was groomed from a young age, maybe even created with the purpose of replacing her predecessor, just like Marikas children.

[@akaErma]

Poor Blaidd. His story was so heartbreaking, because it was so inevitable. It was the fate of Blaidd that truly cemented the maliciousness of the Two Fingers meddling in my mind. Obviously they are not benign, but they wrought the conflict in Blaidd. And it's no wonder Ranni's ambition is to release those of the Lands Between from Fate, affording them their own will finally.

[@KyokujiFGC]

Maliketh's story is very similar. Stayed loyal to Marika to the bitter end -- even after she abandoned him.

[@nox_cadit]

Actually Ranni don't want to release anyone from Fate. What she actually wants is to take the notion of Fate and divine order away. The sole purpose of defeating Radahn is so that fate of everyone in the Lanes Between would resume, since Fate is linked to the movement of the stars. Ranni wants people to stop putting their faith and their lives onto divine concepts, so taking away her new order would erase from people's memory the sole concept of Fate, they would now take responsibility for all their actions and funnily enough their Fate would actually flow more freely

[@KyokujiFGC]

@@nox_cadit Her Age of the Stars is basically one where the gods can't interfere, and people are free to make their own destinies. The english translation makes it sound a lot darker than what it's supposed to be, but the "darkness" she mentions is actually the lack of a defined path that gods set out for the people. Something I'd generally say is a good thing if a little scary due to the uncertainty.

[@livingfailure7264]

@@KyokujiFGC You’re absolutely right, the lack of a set path is scary but it would give people freedom to walk what path they want, that is Ranni’s intention For me personally, however, I dislike Ranni’s plan for the simple fact of the massive amount of destruction she causes to make it a reality, when it seems that there were more peaceful methods to give people free will, at least such is my interpretation of the Age of Order ending

[@MelancholicBodhisvatta]

@@livingfailure7264 why do you think the Age of Order ending gives people free will? To me, it pretty clearly hints towards absolute authoritarianism on the part of the Elden Lord as opposed to the Greater Will, like how it mentions extinguishing the fire of ambition from people, or even Brother Corhyn having a mental breakdown after he realized what Gold Mask was actually doing. Obviously it's vague like most of the other endings, but I don't see it leaning towards freedom in any significant way either. Edit: I stand corrected, it's cutting out the need for an Empyrean to act as an intermediary on behalf of the Greater Will. So, becoming a puppet to the Greater Will and it's philosophy, even including the Elden Lord.

[@WaterFlame3030]

Maliketh's story is quite tragic. He used to be one of the mightiest warriors serving under Marika, and he served her with undying loyalty. He saw the stealing of the Rune Of Death as his failure and nobody else's and he decides to make up for his mistake. Then Marika goes and spits on it all by shattering the Elden Ring, making it a moot point. Where Maliketh gave unyielding loyalty and unrivaled might to Marika, all Marika returns is a life of penance, guilt, and eternal hunger.

[@sanctuarypest2212]

Maidens... heh

[@JA-nl9el]

It's even worse. Marika was the one who started the night of the black knives in the first place. The description of the armor states that the assassins have close ties to Marika.

[@natedawg912]

Tbh. When you’re talking about a from software character, calling their story tragic is pretty redundant

[@natedawg912]

I mean seriously name any soulsborne character whose life didn’t turn out being utterly depressing

[@skully1550]

@@natedawg912 Patches?

[@_ariosto1519]

Loooking forward to this one. Maliketh’s armor is my favorite one. His lines when he is defeated are bad ass too: “…to kill whom?”

[@elleofmusic]

yeah it's really interesting, too! Makes you wonder if even he, who was closest to Marika from before she even became a goddess, doesn't know about the existence of the Elden Beast.

[@Karlonstark]

“COWER BEFORE MALIKETH, THE BLACK BLADE!”

[@mayhemivory5730]

if i remember correctly the line is actually „to kill what?“ and i think that makes it even better. it takes away the idea of killing „someone“, a person and broadens the scope to what you actually kill: „something“, a god, the elden beast, the manifestation of order itself.

[@SorowFame]

@wewew pewpew it’s one of my favourites, terrible it was ruined for you

[@Mgauge]

It only makes sense for him to ask who this Tarnished is so hellbent on killing that they’d go this far just to take the Rune of Death for.

[@darthacez]

What is so interesting is that Raging Wolf armor set seemed to be canonical armor for the Tarnished and used heavily in promos.

[@arcanefire7511]

Yup, i was thinking about whether From have an attachment to its lore as well as its design.

[@darthacez]

@@arcanefire7511 The more I play the game, I deduce that this armor fits the Tarnished as he/her is a lone wolf and is in full rage what had happened in the Lands Between caused by the demigods for more power and becomes more determined in the journey to set things right.

[@asianfidance2224]

Shame that we get it relatively late. I miss the days when we can get the canonical armor early like in DeS and DS1.

[@colt4505]

@@asianfidance2224 The Knight Armor is the equivalent of Elite Knight.

[@angeltzepesh1]

@@asianfidance2224 or you can miss it very easily, if you kill Rykard before doing Lyndell.

[@youtubeuser4943]

Poor Maliketh. I feel so bad for him. Subjected to being alone with an uncontrollable hunger/addiction because of something he didn’t even do

[@Blessed_V0id]

That is a sad fate. It makes me think of soldiers during the second world war, fed drugs to fight a war when on their one day of peace (Christmas), all they wanted was peace. Oh what horrors. It lends weight to the bitter idea of an anarcho-ecoist world Is it better to live and die? Or be a clockwork thing Edit: The second peace was supposed to be a game of football. Apparently listening, reading and writing is hard XD

[@retrospect]

Another Smough classic. Malekith is my favorite character so far, great to learn some more info about him

[@SmoughTown]

As always appreciate your support!

[@Aon_Duine]

Everyone is like Radahn this and Radahn that, but damn, Malekith story and boss fight are way better... At leas in my opinion

[@rushpatriot2866]

@@Aon_Duine both are cool but malekith is my favorite

[@bengough6955]

​@@Aon_DuineI love Radahn and he's clearly the poster boy gigachad of the game but one thing against him He's easy to beat....Maliketh is immense, mandatory and much tougher. Though I love both

[@_cripticon8004]

Shout out to Gurranqs voice actor, when he screams marika, you really feel his conflicting emotions and regret

[@Dbonesburneraccount]

I think Blaidd and Iji always knew they’d die for ranni to start her new age. When you tell Iji about blaidd he makes it sound like he knew it would end in death for him and blaidd but made a mistake by imprisoning him.

[@CC-xr7mo]

I’m not convinced that Ranni sent the Black Knives to kill Blaidd and Igi. Either of them were loyal enough to simply kill themselves if they thought it would help Ranni, yet both Blaidd and Igi seemed to resist the assassins judging by the corpses strewn around the area. One might say that Blaidd resisted because of his madness, but that doesn’t explain why Igi did. Furthermore, Igi’s reaction to Blaidd’s death only makes sense if Blaidd were fighting off assassins intent on harming Ranni, thereby proving his loyalty even in madness. Neither do I buy that Blaidd had to die to separate Ranni from the Two Fingers. Thought it could potentially explain why Ranni would kill Blaidd, it doesn’t explain why she would kill Igi since he's bound to her by oath and not shadow. If being oathbound was enough to warrant death, the tarnished would have to die too. It makes much more sense to assume the Black Knife assassins are available for hire, as most assassins are. They were hired in the past by Ranni when she used them to kill her body and hired by a third party in the present to kill Ranni.

[@Sci-Fi_Freak_YT]

I think this as well because we would have been killed if that theory were the case. I simply think (like you said) they simply betrayed Ranni through choice or a third party.

[@AceAviations2]

@@Sci-Fi_Freak_YT an item description (I think the Black Knife set), states that they have close ties to Marika herself, so they probably weren't truly loyal to Ranni to begin with. It could have been the Greater Will that sent them after the two. Ranni isn't a saint due to Godwyn, but her motivations are some of the more noble of the characters in the game.

[@MeanMustard650]

I think people like thinking of Ranni as a “good guy” but I think she’s the worse. Everything that has to do the stars is down right evil and monstrous. What would rannis world be like a endless night that’s cold with astrals roaming around. Fuck it ima make limgrave habitable lol.

[@Sci-Fi_Freak_YT]

@@MeanMustard650 well her ending is more of trying to destroy humanities ties to outer gods but exposing humans to the cosmos is more of a byproduct. Besides she isn’t really the good guy (that I can agree) but her actions are very right in the sense humanity is free to go forth and explore than be confined by the order of an outer god.

[@BlackFang74]

@@AceAviations2 maybe Rani reneged on some compensation to them for the night of black knives. perhaps they didn't know she would cast aside her flesh at the same time. she was using a false name at first.

[@dumbsterdives]

Blaidd's line about not being able to kill a shadow isnt even a suggestion, if you go back to either the Mistwood Ruins or Radahn's arena depending on where you killed him, he will be alive and hostile and chide you for thinking you could kill a Shadow

[@AdrianDWolfe]

I was driven to use the celestial dew to atone once I'd come to the realization that he could not be killed.

[@photoncages6040]

@@AdrianDWolfe me too, i locked myself out of the ending i wanted cuz i thought he was a boss just chilling somewhere near a shack

[@emytzu]

Oh! Perfect for my Dung Eater run.

[@mrrd4444]

I always had this thought that Malenia choosing to be Miquella's blade is her choosing to be his shadow (the way Maliketh is the blade of Marika), and the reason they didn't get their own can either be attributed to their curses, OR the fact that they're twins and already inexorably linked as Empyrian and Shadow would be.

[@songbird6414]

I really like this theory, but I also can’t help we get some extra lore in the DLC about it. My current theory is that Malenia had to give up her shadow because of the Rot, and Miquella gave his up as well to support her, which then explains why she decided to fight for him in turn. I just really want their shadows as bosses since Maliketh was my favorite boss in the game.

[@Pri1Maiden]

Maybe Malenia and Miquella didn't received a shadowbound because of their curses. But Malenia took that role for his brother and thus became his armed "vassal", his blade, like a shadowbound would normally be for an Empyrean choosen by the Two fingers.

[@SmoughTown]

It's certainly a good shout

[@bazah23]

Yeah I think that’s the difference between a chosen empyrean and an empyrean But both could be the host of an outer god

[@Blaze11592]

What if we are Melina's shadowbound beast or at least cosplayer?

[@tadakatsu123456]

Maybe their shadowbound is torrent? If miquella is the one on the DLC art.

[@Cman04092]

​@@bazah23yo that makes total sense. Miquella and Malenia are both born empyerian because of the "born from one god" clause, whereas Marika and Ranni were both choosen by the two fingers. That could explain why Miquella and Malenia don't have shadows. I wonder why it's like that though, Miquella and Malenia deserve their own goodest of good boys/girls too!. I wonder if the Gloom Eyed Queen had a good boy or girl.

[@StylesX]

Can't wait for this! I went into Elden Ring blind, without watching any trailers. I was so shocked when I found out who Maliketh really was. He is such a fun boss fight, his moveset has amazing animations and flow.

[@crestfallenhussar895]

The twins' beasts will be the most agonizing duo boss fight in the whole franchise. I feel it in my bones!

[@TheProphet49]

Why are the assassins that kill Ijji and attempt to kill Blaidd assumed to be under the control of Ranni? These assassins clearly abandoned her after the knight of black knives, when they killed her body and Godwyn's soul. They never showed up to kill her two fingers for her (or even attempt it from what we can see) and the leader of the black knife assassins is still in the Evergaol on the plateau with Ranni's two fingers. If the black knife assassins ever truly followed her (instead of working with her at the behest of another) and then continued to serve her in the current time by eliminating Iji and trying to kill Blaidd, would she not just free this leader of the black knife assassins? I don't see any evidence to point to Ranni being the one to send assassins after her own vassals, at least not as was portrayed here.

[@SmoughTown]

Yeah fair enough! It's just my interpretation

[@christophereim4102]

@@SmoughTown I think interpretation is just wrong for this one, since there is too may evidence that suggest against this fact, including the fact that literal leader is trapped in a prison on Ranni's land

[@TheMindAdept]

Plot twist the black knives work for Marika

[@dantoki6371]

And just to add to this. Ranni says that "tell Iji and Blaidd I love them", and the next time we see Blaidd, he is already surrounded by Black Knives corpses. Why would she tell us to give a message to her friends if they are already under attack by "her own assassins".

[@TheMindAdept]

@@dantoki6371I just put in my own theory regarding all that in a comment on this video you should give it a read

[@dantoki6371]

One thing I've noticed about the bloodbound knights is that most of them have some relation to the carian royal family. Exception is the one in the crystal cave, near latenna and maybe the one near sellia. Darriwil is a traitor to Ranni. There is one hanging from the lucarian gate. Rennala can summon one. There is one at the Volcano Manor. And one in the Gelmirs Hero Grave, right next to the gelmir knight set. The one in sellia could be tied to radahn, but I'm not 100% certain on that, but he seems to guard of the cell where we find the eternal darkness spell, wich is a forbidden spell of Sellia, the town where Radahn studied and wished to protect. Not 100% sure with this one, but could make sense.

[@SorowFame]

Maybe the Bloodhound Knights were a Liurnian tradition?

[@KyokujiFGC]

I think it's fairly explicit that what drives Blaidd mad is Ranni slaying her Two Fingers with the finger slaying blade after you give it to her. This activates a kind of "trigger" that prompts his transformation into a "baleful shadow", but the difference is that he still resists his programming to a degree. When you reach him, he's surrounded by the bodies of Black Knife Assassins (presumably sent after Ranni, Iji and the rest), and he's fighting to retain his autonomy but can't stop himself from attacking when he notices you. The fact that he's still loyal to her in his mad state is why Iji is surprised. He sealed Blaidd away because he was afraid he would become a danger to Ranni, but by showing that he somehow still tried to help Ranni even after going mad, this shows that Blaidd's resolve was much greater than even Iji suspected, and as a result, he feels immensely guilty. Ranni knew that her path would eventually get Iji and Blaidd killed. I don't think she's evil because it's not like she wanted it to happen, but it does speak to her ruthlessness that she was willing to let them die to achieve her goals -- although she's similarly willing to give up her own body.

[@Celestialbeing21]

You can say Iji and Blaidd simped and got pimped XD. While Ranni comes to you as a... "maiden" , she seems to feign ignorance and put Iji and Blaidd's lives in danger, all the while leaving seluvis to do his creepy blow up doll nonsense. I thought Ranni waifu, but man going through the quest line, Ranni just seems to be callous to obtain her destiny.

[@Esoteraeon]

I personally saw ranni as wanting the bigger picture. Discarded and destroyed her body and risked her loved ones' lives to finally allow humanity autonomy over their own fate and freedom. And for humans to be self sufficient without the gods. Iji also stayed for ranni's cause out of his own volition when he could've left. Blaidd stayed and resisted his fate destined by the two fingers when he could've let it ravage his mind and kill ranni. Ranni didn't force this upon them. It was a two way street

[@sanctuarypest2212]

Ranni is griffith

[@Mgauge]

Ranni said that she loves them both and thinks they’re willing to give too much for her. I think they all knew that this journey would eventually end up with them dying when the Greater Will eventually retaliated at their attempt to usurp it. Ranni was willing to accept that if it meant that the goal of freeing the land from the Greater Will could happen. She killed her own body and her step-brother as step one of the plan, so clearly she’s dedicated and willing to make personal sacrifices. If anything, I’m not sure that Ranni really knew what would happen with Blaidd. She seems to genuinely think that he was on the mission to Nokron with you. Iji was the one who trapped Blaidd because he understood that Blaidd had to be removed from play to protect Ranni. Ranni is willing to go to dark places for what she believes is necessary, but she isn’t just some heartless manipulator working for her own ends.

[@BornToPeeForcedToDrinkIt]

@@Mgauge Yeah, it's not that Ranni was malicious or conniving, they all knew what her quest was and what it would lead to. It's more like she was pragmatic and wasn't going to compromise on her destiny. I'm also not convinced she sent the Black Knives after Iji and Blaidd. The Black Knives may have been created by Ranni but they seem chaotic and not tremendously loyal. Even in her service you encounter them as hostiles in the world, even if your death would directly hinder her plan. I think they either likewise operate similar to Shadows, being more servants of the Two Fingers, or simply turned rogue after their original purpose was served and came after Ranni herself when you find them defeated by Blaidd. The fact that Iji knows he's going to be assassinated implies it's not something Ranni herself had a hand in. Part of me wonders if Iji called them on himself and Blaidd so that they could at least meet a warrior's end since the assassins die in the process, rather than live without purpose or end their own lives.

[@iedawahato]

Lore explicitly ties Black Knife assassins to Marika, even suggesting they are Numen, so it's more likely very much like Baleful Shadows they were sent to assassinate them by the Two Fingers in retaliation. "The assassins that carried out the deeds of the Night of the Black Knives were all women, and rumored to be Numen who had close ties with Marika herself." Iji's mirrorhelm is also found away from his body and its item description reveals that it had the power to ward off the Greater Will and Two Fingers' influences; I'd argue it prevented him from being detected: "Helm fashioned from a crystal looking-glass, said to have never left War Counselor Iji's head. Easily broken and weak against striking attacks. Worn by those committed to high treason, it wards off the intervention of the Greater Will and its vassal Fingers. Iji was afraid. Terrified of his own treachery" In this case, it's more than clear Iji likely removed his helm in shame at Blaidd's death - especially hinted by his final words, which sound suicidal - and the Two Fingers were able to finally act against him with their assassins. He otherwise remains alive upon completing Ranni's questline, which imo makes her being involved in his death highly unlikely as it would follow - much like with other characters i.e. Pidia and Seluvis - he would've died regardless if she was. (Edit: added descriptions)

[@KyokujiFGC]

This. The assassins were not sent by Ranni. That's why Bladd is surrounded by dead black knives when you find him for the last time. They came for Ranni at her rise, and he killed them to protect her -- even in his madness. And yes, it's made fairly clear that Iji partly allowed himself to die. He probably could've hid from them, but he likely felt so guilty about Blaidd's fate that he decided to go down swinging instead.

[@dantoki6371]

And just to add to that, the Black Knives leader is also imprisoned near manus caeles, a place wich seems to have plenty ties to Ranni herself. Also, after we kill the baleful shadow, Ranni says that "tell Iji and Blaidd I love them", and the next time we see Blaidd he is already surrounded by Black Knives corpses. Why would she tell us to give a message to her friend if he is already under attack by "her own assassins". It just doesn't make sense.

[@AceAviations2]

@@dantoki6371 another thing to note, the baleful shadow's weapon has the same effect on it that the Black Knives daggers do, it even does DoT as well. That thing was after Ranni as well, so it's quite clear that there was another power in control of them.

[@dantoki6371]

@@AceAviations2 Yeah that's true! I don't remeber if it does the DOT, but the effect is certainly looks like Black Knives/Destined Death effect. At this pont I'am leaning towards the idea that the Knives are ( and maybe always were) in cahoots with the fingers.

[@yorkoxmaul]

That makes far more sense. You could tell that Ranni had very close connections with Iji and especially Blaidd, I don't see why she'd try to kill them. But Ranni disobeyed the Two Fingers, it would not be hard to believe that they'd want to get back at her. And since Blaidd's loyalty was stronger than his curse, the Two Fingers figured they'd just kill him.

[@thestralner6335]

another thing about the baleful shadow: as you said, it has the same appearance and moveset as blaidd, but it specifically lacks the big frost leap blaidd does. and as per the royal greatsword description, the frost enchantment is the one thing we know for sure was bestowed to blaidd, after his creation. so i absolutely agree with what you said about their birth, seems like a fairly purposeful choice.

[@Slayton1978]

"Tell Blaidd and Iji, I love them" With this, I really want to know the answers. There has to be a connection between Blaidd, Darriwil, the Bloodhound Knights, and the beastmen of Farum Azula.

[@katherineryan7126]

Couple things: First, I heard a theory somewhere (can’t remember where exactly) that Marika’s “betrayal” of Maliketh was basically that her assigning him to seal away Destined Death and go into hiding served a double purpose of getting him out of the way while she plotted against the Greater Will so he wouldn’t go mad and attack her. So far, this is the most convincing explanation for this line that I’ve heard and would seem to be in line with Marika’s character since the woman is clearly strategizing on multiple layers. Plus, it struck me while watching how Maliketh’s hurt and confusion over Marika’s shattering of the Elden Ring seems to parallel Blaidd’s bewilderment at the idea that he could ever betray Ranni, and I suspect this was intentional. Second, I would be thoroughly unsurprised if “stepbrother” and “half-brother” turn out to be mistranslations. From what I can extrapolate, Blaidd is more of an adopted brother to Ranni while Maliketh might be more accurately described as a “blood brother” or “brother-in-arms” to Marika.

[@brado.y.7919]

I'm curious if the relationship between the shadows of the empyreans and the empyreans is similar to the 40k demon of the hound of Khorne. Khorne, the blood and war god, will grant a hound to promising humans who serve him well. These hounds are absurdly strong, and are literal aspects of the blood god that inhabit the corporeal plane. The hounds have three purposes: 1. to show others outwardly that the owner is blessed by Khorne 2. To give the blessed of Khorne a powerful ally/weapon 3. To keep an eye on the blessed of Khorne and drive them on the eightfold path of bloodshed. If they stray from it at all (lose in battle, flee, have mercy on enemies) the hound devours the 'owner'. The hounds, and it appears the shadows, are both carrot and stick for the new owners.

[@xxfalconarasxx5659]

Another thing to add. In the Crumbling Farum Azula and Bestial Sanctum, there are countless mummified bodies embedded in the walls, the floors, and tied to poles of what appear to be large wolf-like humanoids, strikingly similar in appearance to the Shadowbound Beasts. A few of these are shown in the video, but you don't really talk about them. They are different from the Beastmen we usually encounter there. Their appearance is similar to Maliketh, and we don't seem to encounter any other living creature like them. I wonder if there is some relation.

[@Biodebatable]

It's interesting to see the sheer consistency of canines and loyalty, radagon's Red wolf, the shadowbound beasts, the bloodhound knights and the wolves of the albanuarics. The bestial demihumans, and misbegotten however are treated as true outcasts.

[@dannyleo5787]

I actually liked this boss, and I felt horrible after beating him. Giving him all nine death roots only to end him was Saddening, so I redid my very build to be a shadow bound death giver build. I now roam the lands as the scorched hound

[@anthonybreimon425]

I too, wish to be shadow boned

[@dannyleo5787]

Thank you all for over the fifty 👍 and yeah I also made progress in ng+ four. Going for the golden order ending

[@dannyleo5787]

Thank u all for fifty likes fellow strugglers

[@dannyleo5787]

You guys are amazing!!! All hail maliketh!!!

[@alfalldoot6715]

Well you don't have to feel too bad since Malikith/Gurranq lives after you kill him in Farum Azula

[@BaalFridge]

Blaidd was like a failed police dog that got fired for being too nice and so smart he can sniff out where you hide the treats. all in all 11/10 good boy

[@river7874]

One of my friends had a failed police dog. He was the goodest of boys, and he was insanely smart. He could sniff out all the treats and he could get through most child proofing. 🤣😂🤣

[@DubbaLubbaB]

Another interpretation could be a police dog entrusted to a cop who eventually strayed from the department (ex: drug smuggling) and was stuck between his duty and his loyalty; a dog who would be revoked of his position for failing to complete his job and then eventually being the same dog to bust his former owner/partner (like how Blaidd is fated to turn against Ranni). You could also add that the dog refused to alert the department of the potential drugs possessed by the owner as a comparison to how Blaidd held onto his sanity to avoid putting Ranni in harm's way.

[@kalzero3319]

Speculation* I don't think Ranni killed her War Council...at least not Blaiid and Iji. Seluvis/Pidia is different story entirely. The evidence that Marika was in on the plot to kill Godwyn in my eyes was the actions of the black knife assassins we see in game. Their leader Alecto was imprisoned in the Moonlight area. Suggesting that is was Ranni herself that put her there. After Ranni slays her Two Fingers we see the members of her war council Iji and Blaiid get attacked by Black knife assassins. Suggesting to me that after the plot to kill Godwyn's soul was enacted the assassins had orders to betray Ranni. They show up at Ranni's tower where we see Blaiid(who is struggling against his Two Finger's programming) kneeling beside a bunch of dead Black Knife assassins. Same with Iji. If you visit Iji and get the last bit of dialogue from him you can reset at a grace point and come back to find him dead and covered in Destined Death black flames. Around him we find another group of dead Black Knife Assassins that he presumably killed in self defense. This suggests to me that Marika greenlit the assassination of Godwyn. Then when the plot was carried out the assassins were ordered to double cross Ranni. This could've been to put a stop to Ranni's grand plan of overthrowing the Golden Order with a new Dark Moon dynasty and clean up any loose ends. This is obviously speculation but I highly doubt Ranni had the Black Knives murder her closest childhood friends. She is ruthless and willing to risk their lives to see that her agenda came to fruition but the outright killing of them serves no purpose. So who else has any connection with the Numen Black Knife assassins? Marika is the only one that comes to mind. She wanted the shattering to take place and she was willing to see all of her children dead or worse to see that her plan succeeded. There is a ton of Evidence to suggest that Marika was the mastermind behind most of the events that took place in the story. Hewg the Blacksmith crafting a blade to kill a god, the grace being temporarily taken from Godfrey and the tarnished, Radagon being sent as an unwilling agent to bring the Carian Royalty into the fold then being pulled back to Capital to merge with Marika, the fell flame being left to be tended by the last giant until it was needed to burn the tree, Melina and her mysterious purpose to light herself on fire with said fell flame and burn the Erdtree, etc etc etc.

[@WantaFig]

I believe that it could be marikas plan as well but I think she told godwyn her plans before he was killed, he was the only one of her children she fully trusted, her favorite, godwyn the golden. I believe it is godwyns soul that resides in a rememberance with rannis body from the ritual of the black knives as Melina, Marika knew this was the only way to burn the erdtree and have the elden beast slain, melina reborn only remembered her mothers purposeful her once you get close enough to the erdtree.

[@kalzero3319]

​@@WantaFig Where is it hinted at that Marika told Godwyn that he was going to be murdered? I don't think Marika was the sentimental type. When I think about all the people Marika screwed over the saying "With friends like this you who needs enemies?".

[@francescofrancescato1251]

@@kalzero3319 finally, i am 100% agree with you! 👍🏻 i wrote this theory several times in the past days, but nobody believed it. I would like to add, that, as you said, Marika didn't want to be suceeed by any other empyreans and at the same time she wanted to get rid of the control of the two finger and the Greater Will, in order to become a goddess on her own. She knew that if she shattered the ring immediately, Godwyn the Golden would have risen as the new logical Elden Lord (he was the perfect candidate) and would have restored the ring as tradition, opening a new cicle. So she has to kill him in order to make Tarnished (and Godfrey!) come to the Lands Between as last bulwark, and thus killing the Elden beast with the aid of the weapon created by Hewg. The only thing Marika didn't budgeted was the Ranni would have diveded the centipide mark of death; in fact the lunar Princess didn't only want to get rid of the two finger and the Greater Will (like Marika), but she also wanted to establish a new era, the era of the Dark Moon.

[@WantaFig]

@@kalzero3319 This is simply based upon Melina needing to find out her mothers purpose for her once she gets closer to the erd tree and I believe she has Godwyns soul.

[@kalzero3319]

@@WantaFig Now you really have my curiosity. Why do you think she has Godwyn's soul? Doesn't the game explicitly tell us that Godwyn's soul died while his body lived. Isn't that the whole point of Rannis plot and the night of the black knives? Ranni killed herself at the exact same time to complete the centipede shaped rune of death and killed her body but not her soul. Miquella and the entire Castle Sol element of the story is his brother looking for a way to ressurect Godwyn's soul. Malenia is much more likely to be the gloam eyed queen. Or if you subscribe to the theory I do, a piece of Ranni. I believed that Ranni and Malenia are two halfs of the same whole. We even see a beast claw marking on Malenia's sealed eye. Who defeated the gloam eyed queen? Maliketh. It's not an accident that Ranni and Malenia have identical but opposite sealed eyes. I believe Malenia is a piece of the gloam eyed queen that has been re-purposed to carry out Marikas plan to burn the tree down. This Malenia stuff is all speculation though. Almost everything about Malenia has to be speculation since we have next to nothing in terms of information about her.

[@puertolumbian316]

Just incredible lore content. I look forward to the amount story, levels of detail, consideration, and speculation in each of these Elden Ring videos.

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you so much! More to come

[@KrustyBarnacle]

the way malikeths armor appears on him after he breaks the seal and as he draws his black blade makes me think either he can summon the armor at will, or the armor or his body are kind of stored within it as well. kind of like reloading a save when the seal is broken he is returned to a previous form

[@generalsheep4169]

I think death's flames just burn off his cloak

[@FalseSleepwalker]

The baleful shadow has the appearance of Blaidd. I think the two fingers send assassins in Blaidd's image to mess with Ranni's head. Also as they're are multiple two fingers supporting different Empyreans, It seems the Greater will is advocating for competition. At the end of the game enya tells us that the two fingers are trying to contact the Greater will for instructions and that it might take thousands of years to get an answer. This makes me think that the respective two fingers might be trying to run their own show and they might actually be the force trying to control the world instead of the Greater Will.

[@clinthakeman893]

I think it's worth pointing out that the Black Knife assassins, whom we know Ranni conspired with, are most likely not controlled by Ranni. Their use of Black Flame indicates they are commanded by the Gloam-Eyed Queen. I believe it's wrong to imply that the assassins sent after Iji and the Ranni's Rise are the work of Ranni, but rather more likely a retaliation for killing the Two Fingers. The Gloam-Eyed Queen is/was an Empyrean chosen by the Two Fingers, and it may not be outside the realm of possibility that the Black Knives and Godskins struck back at Ranni's compatriots after she slew her Two Fingers. She undoubtedly knew this would happen, but so did Iji and Blaidd. This was, after all, the path that Ranni chose and that they chose to follow as her shadows.

[@Ajonesidin]

I could be wrong since I don’t remember them using black flames, but the Black Knife assassins use power from the rune of death, of which they engraved into their knives. That red black fire effect is the rune of death at work, which is why it’s the same type of energy that Maliketh Uses. Therefore I don’t think they are controlled by the Gloam eyed queen, or maybe anyone that we know of. If you look at Tiche’s spirit ashes it does say that her mother, another assassin, was the ring leader, so maybe they just went after Ranni for tricking them into performing her ritual for them.

[@HijoDeDios999]

They use a fragment of the Rune of Death not the Blackflame

[@clinthakeman893]

@@Ajonesidin You can see at 15:52 Iji's body is burning with Black Flame after his death, which I believe is effectively either the Godskin Apostles' or the Gloam-Eyed Queen's calling card (depending on whether you think the Gloam-Eyed Queen is still kicking and/or in control). That said, you raise a good point that the Black Knife Assassins do have (or had) access to the Rune of Death's power, but it's distinctly the Black Flame here and not the red Destined Death particle effect. And I'm not entirely sure, but I believe the trigger for Iji and Blaidd's deaths is the end of Ranni's quest chain, which of course culminates in her killing her Two Fingers.

[@joaofaria7404]

But you're assuming the Gloam Eyed Queen would assist the Greater Will, no? It's especially odd if we consider the "Melina and Ranni are related somehow" theories out there. (Assuming Melina also has some ties with the Gloam Eyed Queen)

[@clinthakeman893]

@@joaofaria7404 No, not necessarily. There is some ambiguity between the original goals of the Two Fingers and the Greater Will. Gideon comments that "... the Two Fingers lost their purpose a long, long time ago." It's very much speculation, but I'm fairly sure that the Gloam-Eyed Queen and her servants are beholden to an order older than the Golden Order - perhaps to the Crucible or the dragons. Or perhaps the Gloam-Eyed Queen was another force seeking to usurp the Elden Ring and establish a new order, but Marika and the Golden Order defeated her with the help of the Greater Will. Either way, we know that the Two Fingers are older than the Greater Will's influence on the Lands Between, and it seems likely that the Two Fingers are important to the order of the Black Flame.

[@Jemmie69]

Just watching this made me realize how much I still had no clue about when it comes to the lore in this game. Great video once again!

[@Malakith]

Another point that points to the Vulrag Malitia server Malekith is that if you kill a couple of them neam the Beastial Sanctum, the gargoyle will become hostile to you.

[@livingfailure7264]

Another great video, as always! I’m very much looking forward to your take on Farum Azula, the Beastmen and the Dragons, that whole area is just befuddling, it feels like a dumping ground for all the Golden Order’s enemies, rejects and outcasts, can’t wait to see you pick it apart

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks so much! Dont worry it's in might sights!

[@AdamBarkerThe]

Excited to relax after work and watch this! Excellent stuff as always dude 👍

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you my dude.

[@capsuleC0RP5E]

In my own head canon, Vargram is probably a Kaiden mercenary. Their armor sets look far to similar to be a coincidence. Admittedly, he’s rather small to be a Kaiden. I already buy into the theory that Melina was the Gloam-eyed Queen, but now I’m starting to think that as she was “the Kindling Maiden,” she was the Kindling Maiden of the Blackflame. When Maliketh defeated her, she had to seek a new fire to be the kindling for, as is her purpose.

[@justinsaiyan5587]

Loved this lore video. Just started watching and getting more in depth understanding of the lands between and so far this was my absolute favorite. Blaidd and Malekith are my favorite characters in Elden Ring so learning more about them was a treat. Appreciate it!

[@bokagoofy]

Yet another great and illuminating video. Everything presented here makes perfect sense. I actually feel really stupid for not connecting the Vulgar Militia in the Forbidden Lands to Maliketh, with their red energy chicanery. I'm looking forward to more of your content.

[@ff-qo3tx]

You think this is bad? This? This CHICANERY?

[@LoreHunter]

Thanks for another solid video. I agree that the familial description of the Shadows stems from how close their ties are the Empyrean they're bound to. I also think it's most likely that Miquella and Malenia's shadows were "dispatched" of when they went to form the Haligtree and were obviously not aligned with the Golden Order anymore.

[@TimeLordAlex_]

Would love to see a video on the Eternal Cities :)

[@greyworld6242]

Blaidd was the best shadow! Please do a video on the black knife assassins, the black knives themselves and the night of the black knives.

[@jasonstacey3682]

His hunger for death is the rune within being yet whole. It’s probably influencing Malekith to consume the death as a result of the rune and ultimately it wants to be whole again. His hunger would probably be satiated if he consumed the Fingerslayer blade and both Ranni and Godwyn. Then and only then, do I believe he would be truly done

[@edge4063]

I feel like this should’ve happened, you obtain both sides of the mending rune of death by doing Fia’s and Ranni’s questlines. After obtaining the mending rune of death Malekith should be able to eat the rune and complete the true rune of death.

[@retromancer3892]

@@edge4063 virgin fia/ranni simp endings vs chad bro best boy maliketh alliance ending

[@sypher3492]

@@retromancer3892 destined death dogo is the best

[@ThatCleadisGuy]

On watch number 3, and let me just say that you make the best lore content I've ever seen, I'd listen to you talk about lore for hours (which I have) keep doing gods work!

[@ashtonfeatherstoneandersen4783]

Was hoping to hear a little more about The Beast Regent he seemed to serve a similar role as a shadow bound beast. His armor is exactly like Maliketh's except more regal in design. Are shadows originally created by the Erdtree or the Great Tree of old.

[@thedeathofreason]

I really appreciate all these lore videos. I'm 32 and elden ring is my first real fromsoft game. I bought and played Bloodborne for all of like 2 hours never getting further than the starting area because I didn't know how fromsoft games were and got frustrated, and that was in 2016. I bought elden ring when it came out and was so lore hungry because of fromsofts environmental storytelling as opposed to direct story telling. You and a few other creators have been an amazing addition to the lore we get from item descriptions and dialogue. I'm on ng+1 but plan on playing Bloodborne to completion now that I'm familiar with how to properly play a fromsoft game, and luckily I've got plenty of lore vids for that too

[@SmoughTown]

That’s superb Tyler, I’m really glad I’ve helped in someway. Congrats on ng+1 and good luck with Bloodborne!

[@tsarcastic3722]

I find it interesting that when you talk to Blaidd in the Evergaol he says Iji "told me I'd bring nought but bale to Lady Ranni." Combined with the Baleful Shadows it makes me think there might be significance there.

[@AlexanderJoneshttps]

Was looking forward to this but thanks for the amazing content as always!!

[@battlericky17]

Excellent story told here. I completely missed vagrams goals. I had a weird interpretation of the shadow creation, i think a boy was chosen to become a wolf being bound to ranni but was a human child first. Weirdly because of the rainbow stone description but i tend to side with your interpretation as well because its a little more fluid than mine.

[@gillesrondeau9011]

I have the same interpretation. I think a boy (or a wolf) is chosen by the greater will (or maybe the two fingers) and is bestowed his appearance after pledging allegiance. If the shadow beast are entirely created by the greater will it don’t explained why Vargam would aspire to become one.

[@battlericky17]

@@gillesrondeau9011 exactly!!!

[@SocraTetris]

What I liked most about this video was how, from my reading Ranni's questline is the continuation of the existentialist themes of choosing your own worth/purpose from Dark Souls, Blaith wanted to do the same. Choose his own destiny alongside Ranni. But because of his place as a shadow, he couldn't achieve that. Very tragic.

[@GleppaPigg]

Wrong

[@jmell458]

Oh boy I can't wait! Might have to go to the pub after work and have a beer with this!

[@SmoughTown]

Sounds amazing!

[@chonkemonke1971]

Amazing video. Keep up the great work and thank you for being an actual quality and long video and being entertaining. You made some great points and explained the lore perfectly.

[@rexesshadow8628]

One thing I am unclear on is that Iji says that they interacted in their youth. Does this mean Blaidd was always bound or perhaps existed beforehand and, as mentioned by the oath that imbued his blade with frost, became her beast later?

[@redphoenixfilmz]

To add on to this, does this mean Ranni was an Empyrean before Radagon became Elden Lord? I doubt she would be given Blaidd when she wasn’t even a demigod yet.

[@coolguystorm1248]

@@redphoenixfilmz it doesn't sound farfetched for the two fingers to have chosen her as an empyrean early on, we aren't even given a reason as to why she was chosen at all

[@shad03void99]

​@@redphoenixfilmzGiven that Radagon is Marika, I imagine Ranni was always meant to become a candidate since she was born from Radagon and Rennala. I personally believe that Radagon was somehow split from Marika for some time, but since they were of two souls connected, Radagon was still considered a god.

[@blackheartedartist]

Awesome video as usual!! I wonder how anyone knew that a shadow bound would go mad after an emperor's betrayal? None of the in game shadowbound show signs until long after its first mention. Makes me wonder if Miquella or Melenia's shadow went mad at the twins' betrayal and that is how Ranni's lot found out.

[@cannabiss9433]

Great video. I think there's even more to this. What' up with wolves in general? There's a bunch that spawn on top of you in limgrave like they come out of the storm. Also all the statues with 3 wolves, the three wolves sitting outside Ranni's rise. The spirit caller bell comes with "three lone wolves." Demigod children come in 3's. (Godwyn mogh morg/Miquella Malenia Melina/Rykard Radahn Ranni). What's up with radagon being a "leal hound" and having red wolves that match his red hair? The same reskinned wolves in carian manor and one red one outside in the graveyard. I wonder if there's a connection in welsh mythology. Were wolves and the moon type stuff. Fucking love fromsoft lore approach my imagination soars while I play, feel like goldmask half the time only I'm not smart enough to piece it all together like T pose chad bro.

[@tubb1]

They aren’t actually supposed to be “lone wolves” because there was a translation error. It should actually be “abandoned wolves” or something like that

[@SenzuDream]

That bloodhound Darril connection to Ranni is excellent. Though speculations it is very well thought out. Will check out your podcast!

[@grimnir8872]

One thing I want to suggest is the connection to the beastmen of Faram Azula; The Beastmen are wholly Loyal to the dragons and were created by them, Perhaps they are a mass produced shadow, or what the shadows were eventually built up from.

[@FrenziedRoach]

As Andrew Ryan once said - a man chooses, a slave obeys. Blaidd chose not to be a slave in the end. It broke my heart, but giving him a warrior's death was the better fate and the least I could do for a friend and comrade in arms.

[@starrunner2838]

Ooh right after my first final. I’ll need the pick-me-up!

[@SmoughTown]

I wish you the best of luck!

[@richardplunkett8492]

I like the idea that Maliketh grew bigger and more powerful as Marika’s light grew.

[@redphoenixfilmz]

Great video! Do you think you could explain more why you think Maliketh wasn’t originally a Beast Clergyman? I think it makes more sense that he was a beast man first since Farum Azula had been struck by a meteor before Marika’s time. In Crumbling Farum Azula, all of the Beastman are undead and their temples are in ruin. I think it would make more sense for Maliketh to learn the Beast Incantations before the fall of Farum Azula rather than after. If the Beastman worshipped the Greater Will, then perhaps Maliketh was chosen as a high ranking member of the beast clergy to serve as Marika’s shadow. Since Maliketh was such a successful shadow, perhaps all future shadows were created in his image by the Greater Will. I think that could also explain why Maliketh appears like the other beastmen while Blaidd is much more humanoid.

[@sypher3492]

We know the Beastmen and farum Azula As a whole pre dates the erdtree and I’ve seen a lot of arguments for malekith being a shadowbound by oath but not because he was created by them that explains his bestial incantations and him having sherosh’s hammer also his dagger since it was given to a high ranking clergyman

[@ShadowProject01]

“I thank ye brave Tarnished. Tell Blaidd and Iji…I love them both.” Lunar Princess Ranni

[@MinkDaddy]

Man, I would have really loved it if Vargram had more of an active role in the story!

[@SmoughTown]

Me too, given how Iconic he is

[@Spacecowboymo]

Your videos are the bomb! Keep on feeding us this sweet sweet lore

[@barkinghampalace5032]

Instant like. You run a quality content channel my friend. I love how you supplement your statements with item quotes (evidence).

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you so much, I am striving to make a better channel!

[@barkinghampalace5032]

@@SmoughTown my pleasure man, your passion shows in your videos :)

[@spiritandsteel]

Cinquedea = “chiŋkwə̇ˈdēə” “chin-kwuh-dee-uh” (according to Merriam-Webster, so probably still not quite accurate to the original Italian). I always assumed it was from middle Spanish (having once seen a Spanish example of the weapon) and also pronounced it wrong, but no, it’s renaissance Italian. But it’s definitely not “sink-dee”. Amazing work as always. I know it’s a pretty damn late comment, but I’ve been going back through your old videos again. You’ve always done excellent analysis, and it’s been grand to go back through your body of work. Thanks, mate.

[@AlexHyena1]

it’s so good to hear someone else recognise that the Baleful Shadow invader was not Blaidd

[@josephstrassfield7921]

Super interesting subject and great video!

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks Joseph!

[@fennecwolfox]

I think it would have been very interesting if you could have used Miquella's Needle on him to spare him a death and let him survive without going mad.

[@p0oka261]

Shame I missed the premiere and I'm behind but man I'm so hyped for this. Maliketh is definitely one of my favourite characters in the game and gurranq's sin and punishment always made me feel bad for him and blaidd is my actual favourite character in the game. So glad my friend introduced me to this channel

[@SmoughTown]

Same! Gurranq's quest is one of my faves!

[@spiralistichope9216]

I think there is some indication that the Black Knife Assassins actually have factions or shifting loyalties throughout their history, and many of them still work for the Two Fingers. Your interpretation that Ranni would have her own two beloved followers killed as "loose ends" is definitely very interesting and noteworthy, but it's worth noting that Alecto is imprisoned in an Evergaol located at Ranni's Moonlight Altar, probably a decision of Ranni herself. This may suggest that they were tricked into being part of her plot and the Night of the Black Knives, and that they no longer follower her directly any more. Going off of that, there is plenty of evidence that the assassins have a close connection with Marika herself, stated through their armor descriptions as female Numen with ties to her and the location of some of them like the one right outside Marika's own bedchamber. Perhaps the Assassins, like the shadowbound beasts of the Empyreans, have some kind of binding that compels them to obey either the Greater Will, or Marika (who actively rebels against the GW and its Golden Order and may have initially aided Ranni with her rebellion before their shared anti-Greater Will goals diverged), and part of Ranni's conspiracy was tricking them to work to her benefit before betraying them? Perhaps some of them do still follow her, while others continue to work for Marika or the Greater Will, and others still just went into hiding independently in dungeons across the Lands Between, as we find? The assassins are also stated by Rogier to have ties to the Eternal Cities, so there are plenty of possibilities that they follow many other factions besides Ranni at this point, and I really do believe the ones sent to assassinate Blaidd and Iji worked for the Two Fingers. The ones located in Ordina also likely follow the Two Fingers as well, since it is the Greater Will that would feel threatened by Miquella's Haligtree project and its goal to eliminate the influence of outer gods in a new world Order. In my eyes, it just doesn't fit that Ranni, who outright states she loves Blaidd and Iji, would then be so callous and cruel as to have them brutally assassinated, unless you really believe she is an arch-manipulator of the entire plot. I do believe she IS a very potent manipulative force in the narrative, don't get me wrong, she is far from benevolent, and how she may have used and then discarded the Black Knife Assassins delineates her darker side. However, something feels off about assuming she killed her own dearest friends, who were more like family than anything else, even if she is prone to being cold and capable of Machiavellian plotting in many forms. Maybe I'm just too much of a Ranni simp?

[@soulsbornepgamingchannel3755]

I love the way you drop the knowledge on this amazing game been looking forward to this all day keep up the brilliant work ✌🏾

[@t-shirtedhistorian]

At it's core Elden Ring's main story is Melina's revenge. She is was the gloam-eyed queen and tried to lead her apostles to kill Marika. Instead she was defeated by Malekith and left "burned and bodiless" and without memory of her purpose by her mother Marika. We fulfill her purpose by letting her burn the erdtree and getting Destined Death from Malekith in order to confront Marika/Radagon and kill them. In fact if you look at the lattice blocking the Erdtree after you defeat Morgott, it is the exact same lattice pattern shown behind every Radagon statue in the game, thus telling you that it is Radagon and his Golden Order ideals sealing the tree and stopping others from ascending to Godhood. Ranni's plan to kill Marika/Radagon just happens to coincide with Melina's. Ultimately it's a story of children wanting to kill off their parent and take control of the world. Though in Melina's case, she already tried and failed, and thus all she can hope to do is enable you to reach your goals and simultaneously hers in killing off the Gods.

[@Flawi]

To add to this, I don't think it's a coincidence that Ranni's goal aligns with Melina's, I like to think the reason Ranni's doll and Melina look alike is because Melina is indeed also the Snow Witch, Ranni's secret mentor. Ranni was groomed for this.

[@evanjrowley]

Thanks for addressing the bloodhound knight Darwill! I wondered what could be his betrayal, and the connection to the wolf mask makes sense!

[@k.duelist4913]

Maliketh is a goooooood doggo 🐶 😍

[@337wilson]

Your videos are rivalling vaati vidya (who was the go to guy for this) I love the really long vids keep it up 🥰

[@SmoughTown]

I will do! Thanks so much

[@phillipmitchell2254]

Keep in mind the Black Knife Assassins are more Marika's people than Ranni's.

[@NeverUseAnApostrophe]

Yeah, I was taken aback when he just assumed that Ranni had the BKA kill Iji and Blaidd when I read that as the BKA going after her and her ilk after she finally exposed herself.

[@rablezezze6715]

I absolutely love watching your videos, I've become such a huge fan of elding ring, dark souls and demon's souls.

[@dannyb9209]

Quickly becoming my favourite elden ring lore channel

[@SmoughTown]

Wohoo! Thanks Danny!

[@dannyb9209]

Your welcome mate....you never cease to suprise me with your content...I sometimes see that some of your videos are 49 minutes to an hour on certain characters and think....there's surely going to be some filler in there...but there never is.... extremely well thought out and edited video's and when you veer away into speculation your theories are always solid. Hope you do a video on morgott who I find to be one of the most likeable and tragic villains in froms entire catalogue

[@lilstamp08]

I think it’s very interesting what it says about champions on maliketh’s armor, knowing that the gargoyles have corpse wax holding them together from champions. Seems pretty clear that maliketh is using the bodies of fallen champions to make his black blade kindred

[@DjDizzy216]

I thought the reason why Gurranq is still alive after Maliketh is defeated (if you don’t do the deathroot quest) was because of how weird time is in Farum Azula. You defeat Maliketh in the future so Gurranq is still alive outside of Farum Azula. Speculation of course.

[@SmoughTown]

Yehp and good one. I speculate the same on the podcast

[@DjDizzy216]

@@SmoughTown This lore video was great, thank you for it. I’ll check out the podcast 👍

[@druidathanaric7582]

Well done mate. Thank you.

[@SmoughTown]

Much appreciated

[@loquat8676]

This is a really great video but I do want to point out somethings tho. I actually think those black knife assassins were sent to kill ranni and is what iji was refering to when blaidd still gave himself to her by taking out those assassins. Saying that they were sent by ranni to "tie up loose ends" sounds a bit flawed imo. If we're going by that theory, it would makes sense for blaidd but not for iji. It just sounds so needlessly selfish. She has absolutely nothing to gain from that. It also conflicts with how she was presented in the game. She's portrayed as someone who tries to sound cold and uncaring but is actually someone who's pretty soft to people and especialy people who are dear to her given by the tone of her dialog in nokstella and how iji described their relationship. She's also even shown to be sorta selfless to a degree as proven from the darkmoon ring's description which warns us to not take the ring for the solitude of the journey beyond the night is better her's alone. This makes me think her final words for iji and blaidd were absolutely genuine. That's why it'd be pretty weird for her to go and send assassins to kill them just to "tie up loose ends" unless her moral compass is just that fucked up but I doubt it. Going more into the assassins sent to kill her theory. First off, this is strengthened by the fact that even iji who's not gone mad like blaidd has dead assassins around his corpse suggesting that he resisted which would go against his and ranni's dialog that him and blaidd swore to be her vassals even if she goes down the dark path of the empyrean. It'd be weird if he just lost his commitment all of a sudden. Second is the fact that on iji's corpse you can see that instead of their usual red and black flames it's black flame the godskins use. That would suggest that they went so far as to aquire something that has been more or less long lost apart from the few godskins and monks that use them. It also happens to be another power that could kill even a god which is something they already have anyways. So why would they go through all that trouble just to kill iji and blaidd? So like I said, I think their main goal was to kill ranni. Since ranni is already basically half dead already after stabbing herself with a black knife along with godwyn. I don't think it'd be as simple as it is to just stab her again with the same knife to finish her off hence why they opted for something else that could kill a god. I personally think the black knives are still influenced by marika cause she doesn't want ranni to take her place. I could go more into detail about the relationship with marika and black knives and how she was even a big part in the night of the black knives but that would make this already long comment exponentially longer so I'll just leave it at that. And again man I apreciate the lore videos, glad the community is as pasionate as ever for lore on fromsoft games. Keep doing what you love and have a nice day.

[@SmoughTown]

Absolutely fair my friend! It's just one interpretation and tbh I am not married to the idea, and I certainly can accept what you are others are saying. I think I basically need to a deep dive on the subject of the black knives themselves. I can buy into the fact that they come to kill Ranni! Thanks so much for the kind words as well.

[@MADA141]

Love the video. In regards to Darriwill I like the idea that they abandoned Ranni after her physical form was slain as that is what they swore an oath to.

[@EredinLore]

Praise Smough

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you dude

[@krapforbranes]

Maaan. You’re releasing this right when I start work.

[@nickperri6571]

Okay that is an absolutely badass shot of Maliketh. Where’d you find it?

[@SmoughTown]

It's the artist Shimhaq, his social link is in the description :)

[@santiagojara8056]

I think the black knife assassins are the ones trying to tie up loose ends after Ranni is no longer around to protect Blaidd and Iji. Considering both the encounter with the Baleful shadow and Blaidd's mask we can assume that a lot of people have tried to kill her and her associates before, it just wasn't possible with her around. I say this not out of dennial for Ranni's mischievousness but rather because I believe there is, or at least want there to be a deeper meaning behind the Black Knives' moves.

[@diavolo1326]

I’ve been thinking about how perhaps Elden Lords are also given their own form of a shadow bound beast when they take up the mantle. Godfrey took the Beast Regent Serosh on his back specifically to control his battle lust. That seems like a very specific function of Serosh, perhaps he was created in a similar way to Blaidd and Maliketh by the two fingers in order to make Godfrey be able to most effectively lead; therefore spreading the influence of the Erdtree/Greater Will farther. The Red Wolf of Radagon is the Radagon’s equivalent. He stays to guard Raya Lucaria right near where Rennala is. He was most likely left there by Radagon to watch over Rennala and protect her against anyone who would try to attack her. This may all just be coincidence, but I feel like it makes sense for the Two Fingers to also have a beast watch over someone as important as Elden Lord to either protect them or have them killed if necessary.

[@tubb1]

There are several red wolves of Radagon throughout the game, and serosh’s purpose is too oddly specific to be similar to maliketh and blaidd.

[@noahwallace8252]

In regards to Iji and Blaidd’s deaths, I think it’s implied that that was always part of the plan, and that Iji was aware of this from the start, given that he does not fight back and indicates to you that he knows he will be dying soon. Given that he is not directly linked to the fingers it would make sense for Ranni to inform Iji of her plans, while keeping Blaidd, who is a distinct link to her enemies, at least partially in the dark. This also helps to explain his absence in Nokron, and part of why he is so confused by the Black Knives attacking him. That is how I interpreted the circumstances of their deaths

[@abdoul5176]

Cool vid, I wish the dlc has a more coherent story whenever it comes out. I still wonder who the Gloam-Eyed Queen's Shadow was since she was an Emperyean.

[@jamesnorman9160]

I find the Shadows really interesting, because supposedly every God/Empyrean has one sent to them by the Two Fingers. But Malenia and Miquella were both marked as Empyreans, yet their Shadows aren't mentioned, so did they even get one or are they hiding somewhere out of sight?

[@SelfMadeRoc]

Good question

[@TableTopForging]

Lets asume we shall see them in dlc

[@r_bear]

I wonder if their "single parentage" meant that they weren't granted them, even though they're Empyreans

[@elleofmusic]

I think they likely killed them already, bc growing the Haligtree, as we learn from the Candletree shield, is a blasphemy comparable to the Cardinal Sin of burning the Erdtree, since it's an attempt to replace it altogether. The twins' Shadowbounds would've turned on them already. Another detail hinting at this is how Malenia was once known as "The Severed" but then became "Blade of Miquella" signalling their divorce from the Order, and her taking up the position of his Shadowbound to serve and protect.

[@NeverUseAnApostrophe]

@@elleofmusic This is exactly right, they turned from the Greater Will and shed the need for their shadows.

[@Major233179]

Just two quick thoughts about this topic; 1- I believe it's in this topic that we see part of Sekiro's influence on Elden Ring. After all, the main protagonist of Sekiro is called Wolf and follows the strict iron code of the shinobi. There's some similiarities between Sekiro and Blaidd actually, both were asked to undertake a paradoxical quest to seek death by the master they are supposed to protect and both fall to bloodlust due to their adherence to the "code" (In Sekiro's case, Wolf becomes a shura if he follows the Iron Code to the dot). Considering that in both games the "shadowbound" are ruthless assassins that will follow their master's instrunctions even if it ends in never-ending bloodshed, it's possible to take some of Sekiro's lore to further analyse the shadowbound and the bloodhounds. What if the Gloam Eyed Queen's shadowbound is still out there? If he was tailor-made to serve the sovereign of death wouldn't he be considered a sort of "shura"? What if this is the same case of Miquelle's and Malenia's shadows and they've been out there somewhere, rampaging? Food for thought I suppose. 2- Considering that Vagram is pretty much the player stand-in for the Tarnished considering how he featured so heavilly on the promotional material and even was the default class during the nertwork test before they changed it to vagabond, I see this as further proof that Melina is the gloam-eyed queen. After all, out of all tarnished she picks us to walk alongside destined death? Why didn't she seek Vagram considering that his ambitions matched hers? I'm pretty sure that From Software isn't opposed to some meta-storytelling by portraying Vagram as the "portagonist" of the game.

[@dbgoat4436]

All I have to say is I love the sekriousm when I bough elden ring a couple weeks ago I was straight OF OF sekiro I have 156 hours on sekiro Alden ring 1st playthrough was 120

[@ungeckosauvage9496]

ITS MALIKETH NOT MALEKITH U SHOULD CHANGE IT

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you so much!

[@ungeckosauvage9496]

@@SmoughTown no problem, I'm glad you took this the way I meant it, which was a correction rather than a critic!

[@SmoughTown]

@@ungeckosauvage9496 Not at all! You saved my skin! Must have had a momentary lapse, thank you!

[@Cman04092]

I'm not one who thinks Ranni can do no wrong, she did Godwyn dirty after all, which also was the likely catalyst for the shattering. That being said, I don't think Ranni sent the BK assassins. In fact, I beleive the BK assassins we're there for Ranni, and not Blaidd or Iji. I have no concrete proof, but it seem likely to me that Ranni is the one to have Alecto imprisoned in the evergaol, because it is in Ranni's territory afterall. Plus we see BK assassins all over the place, none of which seem to be connected to Ranni. I do think she killed Seluvius though, but he was plotting against her, so he had it coming. It just seems unlikely that Ranni would even want Blaidd and Iji dead. She tells us to tell them both that she loves them, and there is no real benefit to killing them at this point, except maybe killing Blaidd out of self preservation under the assumption that he would go mad after Ranni killed her Two Fingers. But her killing Iji would make no sense at all imo.

[@colt4505]

Sink-D is painful to hear my guy. Why can no one say this correctly? Sin-K-D-Uh Cinquedea

[@SmoughTown]

Love these comments, can already see someone explaining how to pronounce it another way

[@Nesymafdet]

That is an incorrect pronunciation.. Ch, not S, Chink wuh day uh

[@filippogrimaldi7228]

Guys it's latin, "cinquedea" is pronounced exactly as it is written. Edit: it's Italian (I knew it but I thought it was also latin)

[@Nesymafdet]

@@filippogrimaldi7228 It’s Italian.. not Latin.

[@filippogrimaldi7228]

@@colt4505 that's quite wrong. As an italian, I would pronounce it like this: Ch (as in "chimney") in (as in "incel") que (as in "quota" but with e instead of o) de (as in "desert") a (as in "pasta")

[@jm3517]

LFG SMOUGHTOWN! So excited for this one.

[@SmoughTown]

I hope you enjoyed it!

[@bytz4742]

it always amazes me how people can always find this lore for everything they can