The Most DISTURBING Creature In Elden Ring | LORE

#eldenring #darksouls #gaming
Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree was announced back in February and since then we've dove into the lore. We discuss a character that has been forgotten to time by the lore and development of Elden Ring, the wormfaces. Elden Ring is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware. It was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by fantasy writer George R. R. Martin.
Check out my Sci-Fi Novel!
a.co/d/8Be522e
D I S C O R D:
/ discord
Follow Me on Twitter:
/ ziostorm1
----------------
0:00 Intro
0:56 The Wormfaces
2:33 Deathblight And Curses
4:48 Disturbing Qualities
5:47 Oddities
7:26 Conclusion
----------------
Music:
Metroid Prime OST

[@sk8legendz]

Sofia river was a popular shared moment of "Wow look at that" between players But the woods with these worm faces outside Leyndell really had me fixated. It felt like a dark and gritty cursed Kokiri Village

[@kimlee6643]

I think them being in the gameplay showcase made a difference. We saw them like four months before the game came out, even if we had no idea what we were looking at.

[@wolfgangvonodio1097]

you ever just slowly ride through that forest at night, and try to avoid them. Man, I did that the other day. had my headphones on. It is such an audio visual experience.

[@ghastlyanarchy1720]

Guess what happens to those lost ones really is something we don't want happening to us..

[@GroundbreakGames]

Ya that weird murmuring freaked me out the first time I heard it and I've been fascinated by these things ever since.

[@ewaysrevenge]

Sofia River was the first place I went on my blind playthrough on launch. I followed a beetle into the woods, snuck around a bear just to admire the scenery and accidentally found the entrance. That being the first area I discovered absolutely blew me away, and being there at level 1 made it actually a bit challenging instead of a breeze like everyone claims.

[@darkeather2]

With the color of the garb and wrappings they have, and this apparent relation to the minor erdtrees, it makes me think they could be the tree guardians with the golden halberd/spear. Going through their armor's descriptions, it says that they made an ancient pact with the erdtree that their deaths would lead to renewal as guardians instead of destruction. But their flower chest piece variant also says that the flower marks the "senescence" (or deterioration via age) of the pact. If the worm faces were once erdtree guardians, then maybe the deterioration of the pact alongside the deathroot epidemic is causing them to turn into these monstrosities. Also, Malikath for some reason wants to specifically EAT deathroot to reclaim remaining bits of destined death. Maybe these creatures are either helping him by also eating roots, or are a parasite trying to claim bits of destined death for themselves.

[@meaningfulmindfulness15]

Wow I really like this theory. Sounds likely for sure. I love community investigations of lore like this.

[@the1384]

Nice Theory 👍🏾 The Second Part The Worm Faces maybe being Beastman who've eaten too much Deathroot is Solid because that would explain why we find them in Farum Azula

[@ReferenceMachinist]

Yo this is a top notch theory. It actually checks the fucking boxes! I never even THOUGHT of the Erdtree Guardians, or Beastmen eating deathroot like Gurranq.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

My take is they are, in general, tree spirits. Or something that is hosting such a spirit. But the difference between wormfaces and the normal tree spirits seems to be corruption by death via Godwyn's corpse. Normally the flesh and spirit would be processed by the tree if you follow the lore. But what happens to those whom have been corrupted by the forces that allow one to live in death? Seems to me they wouldn't actually get processed but instead act like a disease within the tree. Corrupting it. The wormfaces were likely the answer to that problem. Expel the infection into semiliving bodies that can be dealt with away from the tree.

[@jonathanbaker4361]

I noted their resemblance to Erdtree Guardians.. the slight hunch. Do their sticks resemble tge shaft of the tree spears? I'll have time check that out. But why are they on Farum Azula? The beast man theory is possible, but if that was the case they should look different

[@AymenDZA]

Nothing in the game gave me such raw fear and dread than in the forest where these abominations dwell.

[@yves4169]

i’ve been avoiding that zone of the map in like three runs because of these creatures :(

[@user-bp3cs8nq5x]

@@yves4169 I've explored literally everything in this game except that place. I can do subterranean underground no problem but those woods just fills me with pure dread

[@ariel5301]

Elden ring got so many interesting characters it’s actually crazy how much effort they push in every living thing in the lands between.

[@hakageryu-hz7jz]

And tons of shit that are just unused assets from other games. Its not that there's a ton of effort as much as they give pieces of lore and leave your mind to fill in the blanks, like a book.

[@jaimeg6780]

My favorite enemy is the giant head flamethrower tank thing

[@CaptainSkylocke]

​​@@hakageryu-hz7jzthere's clearly loads of effort put into it. Shut your face.

[@Walamonga1313]

​@@hakageryu-hz7jzWhich assets?

[@dagothurik1815]

@@Walamonga1313To give an example the basilisks are from Ds1 as far as I can tell

[@lutherlupiezowiec4540]

They could have been erdtree guardians poisoned by death root, would explain the holy resistance and the gold garb they wear. also why they haven't actually "died" to the death root, cause the erdtree gives them immortality.

[@Ziostorm]

I like this idea

[@morbidmike]

This was my thought as soon as you mentioned they eat the roots

[@tokilladaemon]

Only issue is how they got to farum azula, since it seems to have separated from dragonbarrow before godwyn's death

[@awesome3995]

​@@tokilladaemon Being at Farum Azula isn't a huge issue as the eyes of Godwyn that we see prop up in places heavy with roots and Those Who Live In Death are also at Farum Azula despite being disconnected from the world, both in space and time. Godwyn's deathblight might not just be a physical curse, but also one that goes where life is.

[@NickCombs]

I’ve been toying around with the idea that deathroot can be airborne given its insect components. This may explain how it can spread to Farum Azula, but I’m open to any better theories.

[@AttiMatter]

The Elden Worm.

[@INSIDEVIEWOFYOURMOTHER77]

That's what she said

[@Wowowoi1]

Skibidi toilet refrence​@@INSIDEVIEWOFYOURMOTHER77

[@Mr.Beaves]

The Elden Ring Worm

[@arnebobflutschkopf3439]

Niice

[@TheDankShrimp]

​@@Mr.Beaves Tarnished: "I only have 2 types of rings, Elden and Worm".

[@OD91MJ]

“With DLC somewhere on the horizon…”. Man I felt that. Worm faces. I remember my first playthrough I really didn’t explore this zone well. I went to the dungeon and got the hidden tower. I missed an early seed. Which isn’t a big deal really. Anything that spewed death I was like F that place.

[@ariel5301]

Let’s all hope they will release it in the 2 year anniversary😢

[@kimlee6643]

@@ariel5301 Fingers crossed for at least an update.

[@senseweaver01]

He says it in every video. At this point I'm sure it's just some sort of detail that pings the algorithm or something

[@TheoJay615]

I still find their cough/crying really creepy. Definitely an underrated enemy.

[@MrSr3nity_97]

WoodsFolk Ruins during nightfall is probably the scariest places to be at in Elden Ring.....such horror I love it!

[@Hornsent_Orhyn]

such horror within such a nice environment - Altus Plateau its a very atmospheric contrast

[@ELDENLORD89]

That’s why I never do that place in the dark fuck that Lmao

[@GenshinNoir]

Scariest place is the windmill village nothing comes close

[@jingalls9142]

When I stumbled upon them for the 1st time I was spellbound. And terrified. It made me feel like I was playing morrowind for the first time. Or silent hill.

[@rewerstfd]

The term "Deracine" used for these creatures, combined with the death blight curse, the loot drops, and their worm faces gives me the impression that these creatures were people who went through Erdtree Burial. After the burial, they may have become corrupted by deathblight - causing them to become Those Who Live in Death. The worms may not have been part of these creatures originally. Instead, they could've just been present due to the fact these these people were buried and being feasted.

[@ImusakHctividar]

Considering that death root seems to always spawn with worms and flies spontaneously, it's possible that the worms are an extension of the death blight. The wormface bodies always reminded me of embalmed corpses, so maybe their human bodies were well-preserved, becoming the perfect place for death blight to fester and bloom, leading to the oversized worms. The pockmarks all across their skin are likely where other worms grew and eventually separated from them. They're like walking contagion/parasite incubators, too sturdy and well-preserved to simply rot away.

[@hannahbanana9842]

I remember Smoughtown mentioning that "uprooted" may also be in reference to their visual design being similar to that of an uprooted tree, but with worms in place of the roots

[@aperson9847]

Zullie's examination of the worm-faces seemed to show that the worms are actually burrowing into heads of these creatures rather than being part of them. We see corpses being pulled up into the roots of the Erdtree in many underground areas, so I think there's some validity to the idea that the worm-faces have been "uprooted" from this process. Some of them appear to be wearing burial wrappings, almost like mummies.

[@cain9851]

My theory with the ones in Faraum Azula is that they're transformed banished knights since the 1.00 description of the hooded BK helmet says "Expose thyself not, but govern thyself to be whole hid; else the curse slip inside thee." So the ones wearing the hoods could be cursed by death blight and turning into wormfaces and are covering themselves in a attempt to protect their self

[@unclaimedusername6608]

Actually between the male and female there's a few differences. The *Height*, which you pointed out, but the *Cloth* the females wear is nicer quality and, if I recall correctly, edged with lace. There's also that the females have the actual *Worm Face Mouth* which I don't think the males have. There's another video breaking them down more but yeah the females have some visual differences. My theory is that they're trees. The uprooted part of their name's description must mean something and these could be walking deathroot. They only show up near Maliketh, the man who's eating deathroot and infused his body with the Rune of Death, and a forgotten valley close to the Erdtree.

[@the1384]

Yeah living Deathroot... that means it could be Godwyn ???

[@NickCombs]

A singular large female makes me think of other insect colonies’ hierarchy with a queen and many workers.

[@dodgeroll7475]

Those foggy woods are genuinely one of my favorite areas in the game. Such well done horror. An interesting note is that on the slope leading up from the woods towards Dominula, the villagers appear to have set up a barricade in the direction of the woods, like they know what's in there and wanna keep it out...

[@grimnir8872]

I always thought these things were a weird hidden part of the Golden order, sort of like a natural cycle of the Erdtree: They act like worms who till and process the corpses for the minor urdtrees, and with deathblight have instead turned into trying to expunge deathroot from the minor Erdtrees.

[@draw2death421]

I think theyre connected to godwyn, perhaps they were followers of him who wanted to follow him to the grave once he died. But instead of dying their bodies just like godfreys body were twisted and turned into these worm faced beings. But if thats the case why arent they in erdtree roots?

[@Daniel_Lancelin]

The wormfaces remind me of some kind of old wives' tale meant to scare children away from the forest. Even the fog-shrouded valley we first encounter them in feels like it's straight out of a Brothers Grimm story book.

[@lorenzoherreros6641]

Elden ring is packed with nightmarish abominations

[@neoneanderthal2658]

I think there is more to them. Specifically that they are connected to Godwyn and him meeting destined death had an effect on whatever they were. Whatever Woodfolk ruins was it could have been a retreat for Godwyn when he wanted time away from the capitol. It's close, well connected and just out of the way enough to serve that purpose. Or it could be their refuge after the capitol started persecuting them for their connection to deatblight, as we see a group of capitol soldiers actively ambushing one under the bridge. Another interesting thing is that Wormfaces are never seen near other sentient-ish creatures except that one ambush. They'd probably get attacked on sight. The Omens can get rehabilitated but not these guys. So whatever they are is seen as even more taboo than the deliberate corruption of the "natural" order. They are something like Malenia's knights imo. Afflicted but not hindered by something. While Godwyn's knight cadre are the Crucible knights, the wormfaces could have been his worshippers or servants. The Crucible Knights are notorious for both their endurance as well as their...interesting choices. After Godwyn's death one ends up in an evergaol - a fate reserved for the greatest foes of the Golden Order, alongside Vykke, a decoy of Godfrey, a former prince of Zemor, a heretic pyromancer, etc. Another serves Godfrey directly, one more protects and tries to avenge Tannith - a sworn foe to the Order itself, yet one more fought alongside a Misbegotten, a creature the Order would treat as less than human...so, they took Godwyn's death in a different way. Freed rather than hindered. The other thing that betrays a connection to the Golden Order are their luxurious shawls. Those resemble cloth seen in the capitol and reminds of the clothes of the undead nobles, pages, capitol soldiers, knights and perfumers. The one on mount Gelmir might have been a victim of Rykkard, and the Beast Sanctum was, I believe a far more metropolitan place than we give it credit for. The place has beasts, sure. It also features Banished Knights, a Tree Sentinel, human skeletons enough for a village, dragons(at least one of witch was so close to Godwyn that it resides in his soul)and Godskins in addition to the wormfaces. I think the wormfaces there were Godwyns emissaries who got stuck there, with a knight as the leader. Them sitting down and crying is them mourning Godwyn and his death was what uprooted them from their previous lives.

[@SuppositionalBox]

I wonder if the worm faces were creatures tasked with the caretaking of the old crucible tree under the erdtree but, since Godwyn's twisted form is found under the erdtree as well (probably in close proximity to the crucible tree), the worm faces are the corrupted remnants of those caretakers? That would be interesting to look into.. I know that if you accidentally drop anything poisonous on dirt and there are worms underneath, they will surface. I wonder if it's a similar thing

[@quazymoodo8452]

In early European folklore (from which fairytales and troll lore are based on and rewritten), there's story cycles called the Bear-Man cycles that tell of Warriors losing themselves to the Passions and transforming them from humans into ____.) If you follow storytelling, you might have heard of the Dragon's Dogma (where a warrior who slays a dragon and takes their treasure, then bears their curse of madness and becomes the next dragon to be killed; the most literal example of this is found in DS3 with the Abyss Watchers who slay each other after they become infected with the Abyss in a forever cycle.) Tolkein wrote about the philosophies of this storytelling through the poetry of Tom Bombadil and the character of Beorn, who explains the nature of the skin-changers and the teachings of balance to stave off the Necromancer, Sauron; ultimately, there are a few mysteries that are welcome from the horrific origins of such creatures, such as Perry-the-Winkle, a troll who teaches a hobbit about baking and makes him well-fed. In Elden Ring's context, these are likely are faceless beasts; priests of the beast sanctum who ate form the trees (like Fenrir bound in the Gleipnir, who is kept bound to prevent it biting the World Tree and starting the Ragnarok.) You can see that, in Farum Azula, they are bound by the golden ribbons, but there are petrifying stone marks that have dissolved the substance of the trees and terms them back into the crumbling earth of the Farum Azula ("generations cometh and generations goeth, but the earth abides forever.") First you defeat the Godskin duo, conjurations of the Spiritcaller Snail (a blasphemic symbol of the Rot's "Lich", aka "the Necromancer") The wormfaces, of course, are right before you fight against Maliketh, the bestial clergyman, Shadow of Marika, and weilder of the blade of destined death. When you slay him, you are revealed the personification of the Lich, and the stone wolves that protect you from its divine gaze at You: Miquella (you might compare him to Dionysus-Zagreus or Hermes Trismegistus; his snail form is akin to Nerites) Lastly, to complete the Dragon's Dogma, you have to slay the World Dragon, First Elden Lord Placidusax who has been sleeping in Farum Azula outside of Time itself. When you do this, you are finally able to face the realist monsters on your path to godhood: Sir Gideon Ofnir the All-Knowing, Wisest man of the Tarnished who glimpsed the face of death in the cosmos (akin to the holy chalice/Wolnir in DS3). Godfrey, Lord of the Battlefield and First Father of the Golden Lineage; no greater monsters are known in history than conqueror-kings. Radagon of the Golden Order, the Sun itself. and finally, the Elden Beast, the eldritch abomination that is God itself-- the primeval current that looks down on us as the God of Time, shaping the cosmos (Rennala's stolen gaze) from the realm outside of space. The origin of the wormfaces? You can see it one time, on the Road of Iniquity outside the Volcano Manor. It's born from blight of an exploding rotting, burning corpse (the cosmological identity of a star) Rykard was a fiercely loyal justiciar who was also dedicated to learning the truth of the cosmos, and to take the battle to siege Mt. Gelmir and the Serpent (Mt. Gelmir is the dead "Great Tree" that is fully been petrified and cut down) and it was in his quest for knowledge that he, rather foolishly, trapped himself in the serpent's mouth. That nameless night near Lady Tanish is the last remnant of Rykard's soul, and he was the wielder of the Windblade. Now the Serpent wears his skin as the Lord of Blasphemy. his soldiers were all slain upon entering the manor grounds. They were left to rot in the cages tied to the underside of the bridge, and then when they are on the verge of bloating and exploding, he dips them into molten lava to reforge them as "stars" (wormfaces). The one female wormface might be akin to Loretta, the most loyal knight of Miquella. There's also the Bears of the woods who have dragon hearts, with the the most fiercesome of them clawing at the base of Raya Lucaria. There's also the Roderika, who lead her soldiers to their doom at the hands of Godrick, who were transformed into a chrysalid that now fights in front of a painting of Godfrey. In fact, you face a chrysalid the moment you enter Elden Ring in the church of anticipation. Did you lead someone back to where you woke up, or were you perhaps followed?

[@A_Saboteur]

Their appearance almost looking like the fingers with extruding worms is a little unsettling lore wise, also it'd certainly be interesting if their strong devotion/connection to the two fingers in their previous forms made them take on a human/finger like form after being afflicted by the deathroot. Maybe the 'female wormface' was previously a finger maiden of sorts (with the laced garment) who are said to carry the wisdom of the two fingers themselves (hence being bigger and close to the dead erdtree)

[@EldenRingBuildsArchive]

Possibly the most terrifying enemy DLC notwithstanding, even the game files don’t give you much hints. They have, however a medium high resistance to holy (40%) compared to all the other damage types, and these types of resistances are granted to folks connected to Marika and the demiGods, my theory is that they are erdtree guardians (those guys with the broken dex halberds) corrupted by deathblight, and the big one that guards a tear, either an important figure (Tree Sentinel?), or an Erdtree avatar, more inclined to say important figure, because the Avatars are in a way ephemeral, and immune to bleed, with the corruption happening because Marika buried the infected Godwyn down where you find the roots. Maliketh, though unaware of Marika’s betrayal, is still technically an ally, so it’s possible that he also has under his command some Erdtree guardians that accompanied him to Farum Azula. Deathblight by itself, seems to be a corruption of Golden Order Fundamentalism, where they try to conjoin the death sorceries (Fia’s mist, the Rite bird screams etc ) into incantations, giving birth to Death Lightning and Eclipse Shotel

[@FoxBatinaHat]

derasciner, (uprooted) - has an additional meaning in french. It means; To have lost your lineage through circumstances outside your control. Ex. 1st born son marries, then dies and land+inheritance goes to the nefew, as a 2nd born you are expulsed from your heritage circumstancially. Desraciner. A king or lord, who removes your holdings could also cause you to become (desraciner), as your children loose their titles to it. Or be an unofficial child (and who's parent died) - leaving the question of your lineage obscured. It could be that the curse applies to all the bastard children or non-official lineage of Godwynn and when he perished, this is why they are (desraciner). The fact that the largest one is female- may be attributed or a hint that the lineage is strongest through maternal lines, rather than paternal lines. You know 100% certainty whom your mother is, but the father is an uncertainty and carries doubt. Which is why both Native American and Jewish familly-lines are followed through the mother -rather than paternally.

[@sentarious1]

Sweet! A Zio vid is always great whether it's about rurmors, game lore, or just cool thoughts about what's been going on. Hope your Christmas went well man

[@metaphysicalparadox]

This is unrelated but one enemy that feels like it doesnt really belong in Elden Ring is the Cemetary Shade. Like why is it here 😭

[@Ziostorm]

Honestly forgot about those

[@michaellongbottom3331]

I remember seeing a second wormface boss (I remember it being a boss anyway...) Only on one of my NG+ runs (Checked in a different run after, did not appear on NG) It was on the sloped path leading down from the site of grace to the minor erdtree where you can get the cerulean hidden tear in Mt Gelmir

[@Elden_Lean]

A while back, i looked these up on the Fextralife wiki (i know, that aged poorly) and what i found amounted to, they were entombed in the roots of the Erdtree but before they could be fully assimilated, something pulled them out, partially assimilated, and granted them a new form of life, and those people have since turned into the wormfaces. And from that wiki page, that is what the file name refers to, uprooted as in literally removed from the roots of the Erdtree. I do not know what the significance of the one female being, let alone why she is so much bigger than the rest, but it sort of makes me wonder if she perhaps was another queen, or princess. It is mentioned in the introduction to the game that Merika and Radogan (very strange, but interesting take on a futanari/hermaphrodite) had many children, and during the Shattering, Merika allowed several of her children to die. I think it's generally assumed that she either didn't want them, or they wouldn't amount to much in the grand scheme of things. So, maybe the one female Wormface is one of these children, and the many males either being suitors or caretakers of some sort, potentially brothers? Or, maybe I'm just reading too far into it at 1 in the morning.

[@stitches513]

I like your theory though! 1am rant or not, what your saying here makes a lot of sense

[@frankcaggiano8282]

Huh. I never thought about the jar warriors around the minor erdtrees fertilizing the trees. I always assumed they were there because they were either fighting one another or fighting the guardian, trying to find more to fill themselves with, collecting around the minor erdtrees either because it's a holy location for duels, or because they wanted the meat of the erdtree guardians.

[@myrrous4284]

After doing a lot of research and digging I have a theory. It’s not a very strong case, but if you got to the fandom wiki and look at the Wormfaces in Farum Azula they have gold medallions and what looks like a chain on their neck and backs. Their clothes are wrapped in ribbons around their bodies. And if you compare Goldmask to their more regal attire I think there might be a connection. Goldmask just showed up and started trying to mend the world. I think even his mask is a nod to the wormface. The worm face lives in darkness and feeds off the remains of the erd tree while Goldmask states directly into the light of the erd tree. I think that gold mask and the wormface are the same kind of creature. But whereas Goldmask chose order, the wormface chose death. Their bodies became malformed like godwyns. Also I think the ones in Farum Azula are older and perhaps got trapped there during the shattering.

[@n00bzkila]

I think they might actually be people who were prepared for a burrial (and that is why they're covered in bondages, lines and other kinds of shrouds), but weren't able to resurect through the Erdtree because of the Godwynn's death. Maybe roots that they're burried below got infected by Deathblight.

[@vergil8833]

The wormfaces are so interesting, I hope we get more about them and like them in the DLC.

[@BlestNekun]

The only real difference I've notice with the big wormface is the shawl looks more maiden-like (with the frills on the ends and the hood is more wrapped around I think like an old nanny) rather than the simpler blanket looking ones the smaller ones wear. 😎🍻😎

[@Solar_WolfGaming]

These creatures are another interesting link to the idea that the Lands Between is an enormous Garden Ecosystem. Each thing in this ecosystem has a function and place within it. These guys seem to be infected by the deathroot blight that is infecting much of the Erdtree's roots. The thing with them being in Farum Azula is a great clue that at one point the crumbling tower in the sky was likely once in very close proximity to the Erdtree at its base. Blight is often catagorized as a bacterial or fungal infection in a soil that effects plants and living things that are in contact with it. The two most common ways to cure blight in soil is to either treat the soil with chemicals or cover the soil in a dark colored tarp and let the heat from the sun kill the bacteria. This is quite fascinatingly what I think Miquella is doing with the eclipse. It's interesting that those who live in death are scorned by the golden order but really its just the flip side of the process of life that some things feed and grow, live, and even thrive out of the decay and death of other things. All a part of a healthy ecosystem that recycles dead matter back into living things. As long as everything works together and doesn't cause harm to one another it's fine, but blight is often considered a disease because of its harm to most other living things that causes them to wither. Which of course is a very big problem if you intend to produce food from agriculture.

[@DanielGarcia-rx3kt]

There's also a big Wormface by the dead Minor Erdtree in Mt. Gelmir. A bit of an odd placement but it could support that they eat Minor Erdtree roots given that that Minor Erdtree's Ulcerated Spirit spawns with what looks like Deathblight.

[@minerman60101]

That's a silver tear disguising itself as a wormface, given that it drops a Larval Tear

[@coatguy2990]

Doesn’t make too much sense. In that case the worm faces in Farum Azula should be long dead cuz there is no erd-tree up there

[@blackrat1228]

One of the creepiest moments of my playthrough was riding around up on the south east rim of that sunken forest looking down into it with all the fog. I paused for a moment to take it in until i started hearing the faint crying that the wormfaces make echoing up from the fog. I hadn't ran into them yet so i wasn't sure what was going on. Creeped me out and kept me out lf there for quite awhile longer until i finally got the nerve to go in and get immediately deathblighted when i came up on one of them. Didnt notice that level of detail (inserted sounds that dont come from an actual nearby enemy) anywhere else in the game.

[@walruss106]

I assumed they were woodfolk who received a tainted version of the Erdtree's blessing. In the ruins you can find three important items: 1) The Icon Shield which depicts folks receiving the Erdtree's blessing. This notes that the people "look back fondly" on the Age of Plenty. 2) The Wrath of Gold incantation which is thought to be an expression of the Erdtree's wrath after the Shattering. 3) A Nomadic warrior's cookbook which says it "contains knowledge for surviving in the face of utter scarcity." There's also a unique ash of war that mirrors Wrath of Gold. These were people who lived near the minor erdtree and depended on its blessings. After the Shattering they found themselves facing massive scarcity, and ultimately wormfaces came to dwell in their ruins. I'm just writing fan fiction now but it makes sense that some of those folks would try to recapture the golden age by taking a blessing they knew was tainted. In my mind these are the wormfaces. Unfortunately I have no theory on the versions in Farum Azula. Possibly they believed the trees there were safe and so there was no danger to accepting blessings from them?

[@gatchu2246]

I think it's more likely that the wormfaces are native to Farum Azula, possibly from when it was occupied by the Gloam-eyed Queen, and some were then forced to relocate to their current location after the city was raised. They may have settled on their new location due to the deathroot growing there, stemming from Godwyn's corpse in the roots below.

[@fenixchief7]

I only ever specifically wondered what the hell was going in with them and that tree when I saw a tree guardian sitting in some ruins on a cliff gazing at the forest in sorrow, I'd guess. Sat there with my new buddy in contemplation for a few minutes until I accidentally hit r1 and sent him off the cliff to his death. I wish I could share your findings with him

[@spiraljumper74]

Oh yeah, the guardian on the ledge of the ruins that have the beast who drops the silver tear right? Always wondered what was up with that guy.

[@andregregory1663]

I think these creatures are something like a Wendigo. My points are that where they are, either there's corpses like the one located near volcano manor on the road with a fuckton of corpses, and that whenever they are, theres no humans. Also, the Worms on they faces may indicate that's where the worms spread froms. My guess is that they were humans that resorted to cannibalism and were cursed by the deathroot, transforming into a creature like the wendigo curse. Wich is why the worms are in their face, the worms of the bodies could've spread from inside their mouths. Another point is that the worm faces are one of the few enemies that actually eat you with is grab attack.

[@ReferenceMachinist]

I wonder if they are the corpses left by jars/an amalgamation of deathroot. Interestingly, all the minor Erdtrees in Altus are decayed and dead, all except the tiny one planted by Miquella (whose a good boy). Godwyn’s corpse, lies at the roots of the Erdtree. Farum Azula is a bit of an enigma though. It does look like a very part of the earth was ripped into the sky....maybe the path to the mountaintops, WAS once Farum Azula. Huh. Never knew there was literally zero lore on the worms-faces. They an enigma fo sure..... .......Knowing Miyazaki we’ll probably get so goddamn repugnant mega worm boss in Shadow of the Erdtree. I get the feeling the DLC is going to beautiful at the start (like the base game) and just get repulsive/disgusting later on 😂

[@karolzolkos5818]

It's also interesting that you there is one wormface that you can find in Mt. Gelmir, near the burned minor erdtree (disguised as burning corpse using the larval tear)

[@WolfofSid64]

I'd like to point out an old discovery of mine while playing Elden Ring, the sounds of the Wormfaces can be heard at the Writh's Blood Ruins as well as the Second Church of Marika. The ruins are quite a far cry from any Wormfaces however, I think the Second Church of Marika has some Wormfaces below the cliff to the Northeast of it when walking through the front door to face either the Noble or Eleonora. I find it odd that the Ruins location has the sound at all but if I'm correct about the Church then, it makes some sense.

[@andrewnguyen664]

A very interesting thing i haven't seen covered yet is that there is a very distinctive wormface in the game "lords of the fallen" (the 2023 version) and i know it's not a fromsoftware title but that NPC is unmistakably a wormface and it actually talks to you and is the sole survivor we see in the game. So i am curious as to what the connection is, if there even is any.

[@skywalkersbutido6375]

Aight zio im making a deracine build now,thank u and happy holidays.

[@gottinrod]

You missed mentioning the one in volcano manor road, also quite large and near the very mostly dead minor erdtree there

[@eldenringpvpenthusiast1710]

The place being called woodfolk ruins or somthing has me feeling like they could be literal tree people affected by deathblight, it was just a glimpse, but one of those trees in farum azula looked kinda hunched like them. And from mountain tops we can see trees can have souls.

[@Tyanus2]

I was so scared of the noises below that I have done the entire surrounding uphill area before coming down

[@Temmie_Master21]

I think it's possible they have a kink to the minor erdtrees but they are also in farum azula and it's unlikely they managed to get up there in many numbers while no other random mobs are up there so I think it's more likely they got down and found the minor erdtrees.

[@spiritusdei5688]

In French Deracine means someone who was torn away from their natural habitat/country and suffers about it. Almost like from real wound. I think they were people someday, since we see human features of body. So, my theory is that they were corpses, buried in graves, but woke up by deathblight infected worms. So they cry on their own graves.

[@whimsiquisitive]

I wonder if the leech creature seen in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer is the earlier form of the wormfaces, and it's a reference to bloodletting. The idea could be that they were once associated with purity or purification, basically being able to remove normal illnesses in the age of the crucible but when they attempted to stop death blight they absorbed it and became corrupted.

[@Psychx_]

I wouldn't call them "wormfaces", but rather "maggotfaces", as an infection with deathblight (as can be seen on Rogier, the player and in Godwyn's domain) is always accompanied with flies. Yes, the appendages on the Deracine look more like worms, but functionally and thematically, maggots make more sense as they thrive in decaying tissue and have a strong cultural association with pestilence, disease and decay.

[@cynvic1872]

I think the wormfaces in farum azula makes sense considering all of the burials that are taking place there

[@keladrygoodell]

I think having the Worm Faces in Farum Azula makes sense as it is the current home of the rune of death - which has been made manifest in the form of deathroot since the night of black knives. Either they are drawn to the rune of death as a source of food, or the rune of death (and hence deathroot itself) is more responsible for the spawning and proliferation of this species as a response to an available resource niche formed in the wake of the assassination of Godwyn the Golden.

[@the1384]

Maybe they were once Beastman ?

[@breezyprods.6196]

It’ll probably be an item or lore tied to the dlc that’ll end up giving us some info on them since the file name hinted at displaced from their area, that could be the Land of Shadows and that’s why they were in the shadows of the erdtrees . Makes sense to me so far

[@creamking3569]

I think it should be mentioned how similar they are to the enemies guarding the sakura tree in sekiro before the dragon fight. They’re sick and cough up poison, they have the uprooting attack and they have the same long necks as wormface with weird long extensions coming from the head.

[@nyalan8385]

I think the worm faces were originally some type of Erdtree priest or worshippers, similar to the Erdtree guardsmen who wield the sword spears, but had a much closer association with the roots of the tree. Because of this, when Godwyn died, they ended up cursed by deathblight, and now they rummage through the roots of the Erdtree, possibly eating the corpses that get buried and slowly make their way back up the roots, and make gold tinged excriment from it, like how worms make “soil”. The reason there are some in farum azula is because both they went there after being outcast by society, and because of Maliketh and the rune of death

[@rossanotimmdasilva9821]

Farum Azula was the capital in the age of the dragon elden lord right before Marika's age. There are evidences that (almost) confirm that it was located in the desert where you fight Radan, there being crumbled parts of what seems like a bridge with similar architecture in that location, FARUM greatbridge being nearby, a lot of dragon in the region (dragons barrow) and Gurranq's beastial sanctum, also its shape fits nicely. The only reason i can think for there being wormfaces there, which eat from deathroot in erdtree roots like you said, is if Farum Azula was still physically connected to the Lands Between after Godwyn died and death spread through the roots. So i think their presence is important because it kinda confirm that Farum Azula was removed from the land only after the shattering. Maybe it was removed from all the chaos by the God of the dragons, to isolate them until its return.

[@rossanotimmdasilva9821]

Either that or it was removed much much earlier and the deathroot sprouted there by Maliketh and the death rune's presence, but i don't like this theory that much because i think the wormfaces only appeared after the shattering.

[@stoicghost4313]

They could be the shaman like people that are always at minor erdtrees that have been mutated by whatever Godwyn became and they weep either the entity that Godwyn becames death Or weeping that they are rejected by the erdtree because of their affliction.

[@AynenMakino]

The gold excrament and gold needle-like splinter from the tree makes me wonder if Miquella experimented on them in order to find the cure they needed for both thier brother and twin sister. A stepping stone on the path to the gold needle they eventually used.

[@oynjx2hy362]

Have you done a video on the kindred of rot? @ziostorm

[@zombiehippo9477]

This was the one creature I was most curious about when the game came out. And terrified of. The sounds they made.

[@cesarbernardi1646]

Disregarding the 'worm' component of their bodies, they have elongated necks and arms, much like the Erdtree Guardians, Zamorians and even the commoners found in all castles. So I think it's safe to assume they were at one point human (or as humanoid as these guys are). Another thing to notice, that you haven't touched upon, is that the Wormface boss (and all of the minor ones in Altus) are placed directly on top of Godwin's corpse - which would give credence to the theory that they are decaying corpses somehow revived by the blight spreading from it, and that might have been somehow fused with the worms that were eating them. I once read someone theorize that becoming the Prince of Death turned Godwin into something akin to an Outer God, that is, someone who can take hold of parts of the world. That Godwin's influence reached Farum Azula somehow gives credence to that, and has terrifying implications, it'd put him in a scale of power at least matching the Elden Beast (and one hell of a fight if it ever happens in a DLC).

[@DanielGarcia-rx3kt]

Regarding Farum Azula's Deathblight, it could be because of the Rune of Death being there and Deathroot being "the Rune of Death spreading through Greatree roots." Also, since it is a Rune that was once part of the Elden Ring, it probably could have spread there simply because there are SoG that are connected to the Erdtree which is, in turn, connected to the Greattree and Farum Azula.

[@snapfrostzz9946]

The work from farum Azula is a lot different and larger and seems more ancient, at every spot they are seemingly worshipping the trees, but in farum azula the lesser worms seem to be worshipping the large one in the middle

[@artorias6149]

I would love to see the dlc have a quest that let us explore the sea

[@cleop3099]

i have done extensive research on the wormfaces before and have found that the pre transformation worm faces can be found in altus outside of lyndales walls worshipping a omen, also i want to explain deathroot is a curse alike the omen curse, and one reason they cry may be how godwyn mourns miquella theres some pointers...

[@cleop3099]

also the ulcerated tree spirits are connected and the royal revenants

[@williamcothrum9199]

Taking a much closer look at their models shows that the worm faces are humanoid, with gaping extended mouths full of the worms. It could be that the worms are a part of the deathblight cutse since those affected by it often are swarmed with bugs, and the bodies of various tarnished have been displaced from their erdtree burials.

[@Lampaluile]

I WAS WAITING FOR THIS!! I even recommended a few channels to speak of these fellows

[@ryanwalker5723]

I dig the parasite aspect previously mentioned. Perhaps the one by the grave memorial is actually mourning for the person they very literally once were. The female could be something like the bedkeeper woman. Possibly one of Godwin's disgraced "assistants" who visited Faram and for whatever reason left with what was remaining of herself or what mission she was sent upon. Worms prefer loose soil an opposed to bedrock from what I know. The males might be a sort of offspring or reguritated corpses that now carry the parasite. Just some random thoughts. Might add more.

[@aghitsaplane4262]

Just realised these things look disturbingly like the king in yellow when they're draped in their garbs, i know it's probably coincidental design caused by their relationship to deathblight and the golden order but i can't help but be reminded of how similar they are to him with their tentacle like faces and yellow cloaks

[@gatchu2246]

Some things I'd like to add to this video: The wormface boss also features a uniquely white, lacey garb, indicative that it is actually the only female one we find. I don't know what relevance this has, but it is actually more than just a resized wormface. The Farum Azula timeline can generally be broken down into a few parts, although exact details are obviously shaky. When it was originally grounded, it was inhabited by beastmen (possibly some humans too), and ruled by the ancient dragons. It was located near the current dragonbarrow. At some point, it was occupied by the Gloam-eyed Queen, back when she wielded destined death and led the Godskins. I think this is the only opportunity for the wormfaces to have occupied the city, as it may have still been grounded, and had some connection to destined death, even if not deathroot. This would also explain why they're "uprooted," as their original city may have been raised from the ground. And this is unrelated to the video, but while I'm on the topic, I think what caused Farum Azula to float in the first place was an invasion/attack by Godfrey's (Hoarah Loux's) army. Besides the dragons and beastmen in Farum Azula, which make sense, we also see crucible knights, banished knights, and stormhawks, which were all forces of Hoarah Loux's army. The Stormhawk King in particular became loyal to Hoarah Loux after his defeat, and is what I believe caused the tornados in Farum Azula. The Stormhawk King's item description says that he ruled "back in the days when Stormveil's winds raged like no other." And to us, it still seems like a very windy place, but is apparently a shadow of former glory. Now, I'd say that Farum Azula is the only place with "winds that rage like no other," leading me to believe that it's floating as a result of the Stormhawk King's attack alongside Godfrey's forces

[@hellxapo5740]

I wouldn't like to be a cemetery shade either, they are truly disturbing creatures too.

[@aura6958]

I remember stubble into that forest and it was scary af and yes the giant one killed me.

[@breakfastxxl7763]

I was do another random play through of elden ring yesterday i and came across those creature again I was like I wonder what’s the lore behind these things and the next day you release a video explaining their lore lmaooo

[@lllXanderlll]

I wonder if they couldn't be some form of tree guardian that had an unforseen turn and went from being a host to a tree to a host of death blight. I can't exactly explain the worms other than to say that deathblight is connected to insects so perhaps if you are exposed to it for long enough you become overcome with worms, maybe they're not even worms but maggots - though I think they'd probably just call them maggot face if that were the case.

[@childofcascadia]

Im bilingual French-English and I took it to mean something entirely different. In French, racinè means roots (of a tree or figuratively), and dèracinè means as you said "uprooted", but with a connotation of ripping roots out, more than just "not having roots". I took it to mean they *themselves* are uprooted pieces of the Erdtree (or minor Erdtree) roots, poisoned by the death of Godwyns soul. Which is why they are found in Aldus Plateau and Faram Azula, but nowhere else. Basically, they are Those Who Live in Death, but the tree version instead of the human version. They were never human. They *are* the roots come to life, mixed with the bodies of those who were buried with the Erdtree, but twisted by Deathblight. And they are trying to spread the deathblight, as a tree spread its roots. In English the translation is "wormfaces". But what if those were never "worms" but horrible twisted wormlike roots? Turn them upside down, so their "worms" are buried in the earth and their heads look like a twisted tree trunk. Food for thought.

[@fasteddy9789]

Ziostorm....bro...I'm so glad I found your channel almost 2 years ago! Man I thoroughly enjoy your lore bits.

[@bait644]

I have a theory that these worm faces are those Tree Guardians that hang about near some of these minor Erdtrees, yet have been touched by Deathroot rather than the Erdtree roots. It might explain their holy resist and possible tie into the Shadow DLC on top of their named significance. However a big hole would be the worm faces in Farrum but that I could guess might be beast folk who've eaten or at least gnawed on the Deathroots out of desperation from hunger. Not the best secondary explanation but it's all just a theory.

[@noahk5397]

I see a HUUUUGE connection with the worm faces and beast clergyman Gurranq. He was obsessed with deathblight. It became addictive to the point he attacked his dealer. Idk much about how gurranq became a beast or if he was born that way but his deathblight obsession, the similar clothing him and the worm faces wear.... It's almost as if deathblight is like a drug, and maybe just maybe there was a group that found a purpose in consuming deathblight. Perhaps its what creates the beast men. Some people may be affected by the deathblight differently with some bodies utilizing it and others destroyed by it maybe there was a ceremony they had to commute before consuming and the worm faces attempted the ceremony, but something didn't go right and only partially prevented them from dying to the deathblight or maybe there's no correlation. I am interested in anyone elses thought's? I'd be REALLY interested to see what Vaati Vidya might think about it but I DOUBT he's gonna ever see this so unfourtunately all the comments I put out to these random videos are gonna be overlooked and I'll never be recognized by him🥲 That's okay though😁

[@titaniumteddybear]

Counter Theory: Erdtree Guardians carry pieces of the Erdtree on their back. After Godwyn's murder the Rune of Death spread through the roots of the Erdtree. What if it infected the "backpacks" that the Tree Guardians wear, mutating them into Wormfaces? In that case they would be "uprooted" from around the Erdtree and forced to live in the woods. That's why there is a small group of Leyndell troops fighting a single Wormface: they are getting too close to leaving the woods. It could also be why they're guarding the Minor Erdtree near the Woodsfolk ruins: they are trying to still perform their function of guarding the Erdtree even now. The jewelry and clothing are even similar. No clue how they got to Farum Azula though.

[@matiasluukkanen7718]

Bower of Bounty (forest they dwell in) is where Kingdom's grain is produced. From there it was transported to Windmill Village to be grounded into flour. I believe Bower of Bounty was inspired by Tolkien's explanation of elvish agriculture, sacred groves where spesific priesthood of maidens, known as Ivonwin or Yavannildi tended the divine corn, which was then harvested. This "grain/corn of the gods" gave a large yield, despite minimal agricultural impact on the surrounding land, but demanded absolute sanctity. The wormfaces seem to be corrupted members of priesthood that had similar function, except that only the larger variant is spesifically female (or head priestess.) Perhaps they accidentally ingested some Deathroot essence that spread around the root system.

[@oscarcordero7811]

I just noticed the sticks they wield have strange Carvings into them

[@NighthunterNyx]

There is at least one more big worm face in Mount Gelmir just before the minor erd tree there is a wandering peasant that when hit turns into gigantic worm face. Very scary PS what is the story of the dwarf like giant statue found underground and in Liurnia north east?

[@akaag9500]

This reminds me a lot of the latest video 'the strangest enemy in Elden Ring': perhaps the Worm faces are in correlation with the Bat women, and they were also priests of the Erdtrees."

[@tylerpetree4271]

There is also a giant Wormface in Farum Azula.

[@nutherefurlong]

Does the underground layer line up with their locations at all? Come to think of it, I wonder if they're sort of a combination of holiness of Erdtree reincarnation and the corruption of deathroot, like they're literally a thing that can't coexist, so it's uprooted, removed. Maybe an artifact of the disruption of the Order, or the disruption that the Order caused when it was imposed, if destined death was a thing before then

[@shadowweegee25]

My theory is that the worm faces are actually beings that were in the process of erdtree burial, and partially absorbed into the erdtree roots. When deathroot began to manifest across the world, the erdtree roots started to become tainted, and so they were uprooted to prevent further infection. This also would explain their high holy resistance, because they were already part erdtree.

[@paralam2175]

I heard some enemy/character in a Souls game that laughs almost the exact same way as Wormfaces, any idea who that could have been?

[@womp3185]

I think the worm faces are possibly like a beast-man clergyman who’s been corrupted by deathblight while trying to stop it from ravaging the beast men like we saw in farum azula

[@SirAshford]

There's a great video by Honoured Madman talking about these. The implication of the video, or what I interpeted from it, was that wormfaces are Erdtree guardians gone wrong. They intended to serve the Erdtree eternally. Instead they now live in death, quite tragic. It would certainly explain the 40 faith resistance.

[@Lampaluile]

I feel like they may be related to miquella but It’s hard to find a strong link. You can find many worm people leaning over items related to miquella in the bower

[@the1384]

That they are nowhere to be found in any Item description and the 2 Items they Drop are the the Link to Miquella. Trust me

[@NoahofWill]

I'll never forget my first encounter with my most hated enemy type. I had just defeated the corrupted tree spirit at Mt. Gelmir's ruined minor Erdtree and was ready to move on, when... There it was, standing in a gap between two barricades. It was as big as a troll, and when I killed it, it never respawned, but goddamn, I'll never forget the revulsion I felt. It carried me all through Altus and Farum Azula too

[@xcluse]

Yea I'm pretty traumatized by the one at Mt Gelmir. Did you noticed the spooked soldiers by it? Felt like that was some type of silver lining

[@s0m3Guy37]

With the Wormface's lack of inclusion in item descriptions, it makes me think of how ancient Egyptians would remove names from reliefs and epitaphs. This would be to have them die truly, with the aim that their name would be forgotten and so would they. Perhaps this ommission is intentional for a similar purpose?

[@andreasreinhardt.2402]

They drop golden poop. Maybe they are creatures of grace, or maybe they consume creatures of grace.

[@Psychx_]

In the world of Elden Ring, there are some crabs that are infected with death blight. You can see Godwyn's face on their backs. Snack too many of these crabs (or eat them uncooked) and you become a Deracine :P

[@siomaiwrapper5229]

This and the hand thingies, i think people call them finger creepers, give me the creeps when im playing Elden Ring. Whenever i tackle areas infested with those creatures, i make sure i do it during daylight and not at night. I know it's childish but night time adds an extra layer of creepyness to these creatures to me!

[@core-nix1885]

Its a play on Worm v.s. Wyrm The word is also cognate with vermin (the "kegare" item in Bloodborne)

[@Kn1ghtborne]

If you look closely at Godwyns body you'll notice he is now shaped exactly like a wormface. I think they're direct derivatives or acolytes of Godwyn since hes the new God of the Dead and they spread death blight. Interestingly if you watch the beginning cinematic of Elden Ring, when you get to the art piece depicting Godwyn's murder at the hands of the Black Knife Assassin's you'll notice his corpse does NOT have the same wound as shown. His neck extended and somehow the wound spread to his face, coming out of his mouth is his hair. In Silhouette he resembles a worm face but instead of worms coming out if his mouth its his hair. They're definitely linked to Godwyn, no question.

[@cb-9938]

The Grafted Hands that act like spiders creeped me out so much

[@skybluebrad2781]

Wait, the description says the excrement remains as it is...does that mean the worm faces are are making gold death poop everywhere that doesn't go away!? The lands between will be consumed by death poop!?

[@say_hello_sarah9792]

My personal theory that I could very well be wrong about (again, as it's my personal theory) there is a certain NPC in Jarburg that I believe may get its own side quest in the expansion. I wonder if these guys, these worm face things, if there will be any lore added into the game or a quest in the expansion involving these things.