The Vulgar Militia Explained - Elden Ring Lore

[@peppyboi9710]

Short men coping as they one shot me.

[@fissilepear7805]

My biggest “oh shit” moment by far was when 10 of these fuckers ambushed me in Liurnia out of nowhere under a big rock thing

[@jamiemiller1885]

Its all we have bro.

[@grug2759]

I want whatever they are on

[@nicknad9165]

It ain't easy being 5'10" or less... 😔

[@afroize]

As a 5'6 man i take full advantage of my stature lol

[@mpbiggame1010]

"In the lands between to be small is to be cursed." This game is just too realistic...

[@alexanderstraight2604]

The vulgar milita appear to be inspired by redcaps: a type of fair-folk from english folklore who would roam empty batlefelds, dyeing their hats with the blood of dead and wounded soldiers.

[@wavelordcelliano1746]

Straight on

[@rxblessed]

Local vegan wolfman gives tiny goblin-people deathblades

[@advcrim77]

This might be the name for the elden ring DLC

[@NatetheNerdy]

I definitely think you're right that Maliketh hired them. If I remember right, beasts are also looked down on, so there's a connection between them there as well. Then like you said, they use destined death and Maliketh's incantations, and if they're being hired to keep people away from secrets their fearsome reputation would do just that. I also think they're their own race, or at least it's a genetic thing and almost all of their children will be short too. The Omen can be born to anyone, and there aren't really enough to make an entire militia out of, just some shock troops for the army. The Vulgar Militia, on the other hand, seem too numerous and well structured to be a random collection of the unwanted. Great video!

[@TheHonoredMadman]

Great observation about the omens but I would say that alot of omens are born but just very few survive the horns being cut off

[@john-paul3271]

So they’re leprechauns.

[@jbowdensdeliveryservice845]

Dude you’re the best Focusing on the smaller elements and there lore is great

[@heavenbot]

When I hear the name vulgar militia, then see these cute bastards, I just imagine them roving through catacombs in bands looking for Deathroot to bring to Maliketh, only to call the cave "fucking bullshit" when they find none. These guys are 8/10 imo, just wish we had more lore. Is the shortness a hereditary thing, or is it random in the Lands Between? Is eating the dead an intended way to Destined Death, or is it a function of the rune only possible due to Gurranq holding it in himself? What are their opinions of the others close to Maliketh/DD, like the beast men? I love thinking about it but hate realizing I have no answers 🙃

[@TheHonoredMadman]

shit i feel you, i think them being born short is sort of random like dwarfs in asoiaf who were also scorned and treated horribly, eating the dead while possessing destined death maybe kills undead for good which could explain why theres no skeletons left in the hidden path. but then its like are they domesticating the octos?

[@umwha]

@@TheHonoredMadman in asoiaf dwarves are just like in the real world - ordinary people with a hereditary or developmental disorder. They aren’t a race, like the Vulgar militia seem to be.

[@InsaneNiacD]

yeah, how do the Vulgar Militia feel about taxes and a 401k through Maliketh.

[@jaredbowman7764]

I believe they cut up corpses in an effort to prevent them from becoming undead

[@john-paul3271]

I definitely feel like we could use more cussing in this game. So far, all we got are tits and that’s kind of cute. These guys should definitely talk more shit.

[@dgouin99]

"Guerilla warfare Goblin cousins" is my new favorite quote

[@burgerdan4936]

"Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth." Book of Revelations describing the Horsemen of death. Vulgar are the 'sword', 'famine' is the beast clergyman's infinite hunger, 'pestilence' could be death blight, and 'wild beasts' are beast magic

[@slicksilver2961]

As a Ninja Gaiden 2 fan, I was *Devastated* to learn I can’t use their Kusarigama. I desperately hope FromSoftware adds it in a dlc later on down the line since it has so much potential with some of the flails and whips we have in game. Also I adore how FromSoftware has a history of using hostile NPCs who are always taller than our player character and in Elden Ring they decide to use characters who are much shorter than us. Idk that’s just kinda funny to me. So in “short” *SHORT PEOPLE RISE UP*

[@TheIYFGamingTM]

The Kurigasama isn't the only chain weapon in the game, that is unavailable to the player. The gladiators use them too, but although it is possible to get their weapons they unfortunately lack the chains. In this case I hope for the upcoming DLC, that may have to do with closed of arenas and who knows, maybe we even get the kurigasama too.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

I actually forgot that have the chain are thing like the snake men from archdragon peak. But you right hopefully we get to use them in a dlc because like in terms of animations they chould just mess around with the flail and whip ones to get us to use the chain weapons

[@john-paul3271]

One of the Fire Prelates has a cool chain weapon too.

[@ilovezombiespew]

These lore videos are great. Love your work dude, the quality just keeps getting better and better.

[@joshk494]

This is the first video of yours I've seen and it's very good. I'll definitely be watching more.

[@ethquancg5956]

I love the way you talk man. I also love that you cover details no one really talks about like these dudes, even the pests. These are the things that I’m like “woah what’s going on here? I wish someone could explain.” You have a great way of giving your interpretation through item descriptions but also leave it up to “who knows, maybe it’s something else” because that’s just how from soft be sometimes. All around, great vids. Keep it up. Great finds too!

[@hypersonicblabla]

NO ONE in the youtube lore channel made video about this small dude .. i love their ashes they are good, ty for the video keep it up

[@ManuelFernandez-nm4hy]

I love that you are explaining the factions that actually interest me, unlike the other youtubers, I'm happy to be a new subscriber and Im looking forward to keep learning of the world of the lands between

[@TheExtinctDinosaur]

“Wooden boom box around their neck” and “Gostoc the Runesteala” LOL

[@evan5148]

Great video, i love that you are covering stuff that i hadnt found on other channels! Thanks for the great content, i cant wait to see what else you make :)

[@charlespullom2691]

Dude this was another great vid, love all of your thoughts on the lore

[@davidchimienti6733]

Yeah the vulgar militia are small but for anyone who has ever fought them especially when they are in a group knows how deadly they are

[@jestenia590]

Love your videos! Super appreciate you going over the obscure bits of the game

[@kieranheaton4951]

Kusari-gama. Amazing weapon. Also a magic the gathering card from the original kamigawa block as a usable equipment. Quite effective and popular as of late.

[@ChuckPalomo]

Also, wooden boomboxes are now canon for me, and no one can convince me otherwise.

[@explosivebanana1453]

Man your videos are awesome! Every time I want to know something about a more niche topic in the game that few others are covering, you come out with a video on it. I originally found your channel from your perfumer video and you were the only video I could find on them.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

the perfumers are some of my favorite enemies in the game, thanks dude i appreciate the feedback

[@spess23]

Hope if there's dlc we get that kusarigama. I like your narration style, feels more conversational than other channels. And great analysis as well

[@CreatMind]

I believe them to be monkey beast-men. That would cover all bases for them: How they know bestial spells, their relationship to Maliketh and Farum Azula.

[@elperronimo]

damn that makes sense. but they dont have tails

[@CreatMind]

@@elperronimo chimps don't have tails either. Maybe they are chimp-men?

[@odeegrotsniffer4166]

I really liked Dark Souls 2. I actually liked it better than Dark Souls 1, which is absolute blasphemy. Guess I gotta feed myself to a snake god.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

hey man same here, let us devour the gods togethaaa

[@h4mm3r51]

Finally short king representation

[@samfish2550]

Me watching the intro: "oh my God THEIR FUCK'N HOBBITS!"

[@MMMM-vq1yr]

Good video. It seem that Guranq/Malikath employs bestial or mutated human monsters as his work force, which makes sense for a variety of reasons. If I had to guess the Vulgar Militia were probably a race of humans considered 'inhuman', 'impure', 'inferior'. I do think they were 'bestial' in some way, just probably not as dramatic as the Misbegotten. They were then subjugated by the people in the Lands Between, with few to no people speaking up for them (unlike the trolls which at least had beyond human strength and Caria on their side). This is why they mostly use farming/work equipment as their weapons, instead of swords and battle axes, they were serfs/slaves working on the fields. Only after the endless wars of the shattering could they rebel against their former masters, who were too weak to stop them. Afterwards, Malikath approaches some of them and offers them a job as his nimble servants. Small, agile, stealthy, spiteful and driven they make excellent agents.

[@WellManneredNate]

Miyazaki said *"Short kings, rise."*

[@TheHonoredMadman]

and rose they did

[@WellManneredNate]

@@TheHonoredMadman Golden Order prejudice: "Born with facial defects and horns, cursed." "Different race with their own beliefs? Kinda cursed." "You are literally 5'2" the Greater Will despises you..."

[@M-D-K]

I love backstabbing these guys. Impaling them into the ground. New sub here, love the lore content.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

same here, its oddly satisfying lol, for once we get to be bigger than a humanoid enemy. and thanks i appreciate that welcome aboard

[@ChuckPalomo]

Say one thing for the vulgar militia, their sense of fashion is unparalleled.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

agree

[@maxwellvindman7212]

11:10 imagine an axe with spinning chain for its weapon art and a special l1 attack where there is a throw and a sweep with the ball. Its annoying because that would be so easy to make, 60% is already finished.

[@Loganz0]

Hammers flails and axes all have the same L1 attacks if I remember right. It's been bugging me I can't weild a hammer in one hand, axe in other if the moves are identical. The weapon you're talking about would even already have a moveset. The ball and chain part could operate like the nox flowing hammer. It's more like 80% done. lol

[@kalzero3319]

I absolutely love your videos. Always insightful, relaxing, and hilarious. Hopefully you keep doing this and take your place amongst the greats of Lore-tellers.

[@Deathforpanzer]

"From Softian" i like that

[@bjarnivalur6330]

There are also a few that seem to be working for the servants of rot and a few that are guarding mines so I wouldn't be surprised if they just work for who ever is willing to pay. But yeah, some of them welding death(but without the health effect) was so weird to me but it makes sense if they work for Malekith

[@TheHonoredMadman]

yeah i i knew i saw them in a cave but i was going thru fuckloads of caves and couldnt remember which ones , but that makes sense that they serve whoever is willing to pay them. discretion is also a big reason theyd be employed by the pests as well

[@rmj7306]

Yesssss! Great work! "Wooden boom box" had me rolling

[@madnessclone9074]

The consistent quality of your content is the mark of a true lord, can't wait to see you in the big leagues

[@benjithecorgi5714]

These dudes are now one of my favourite enemies, thanks for making this. Small but mighty, indeed.

[@BossBoomBox]

The building below the Bestial Sanctum HAS to have something to do with Faram Azula. The bridge leading there is the Farum Greatbridge, I don’t know if it’s supposed to be a part of FA in the last or something, because it looks like the whole city was once rooted to the earth, perhaps it was built more like Nokron where it’s all underground and was sucked up, and the entrance was the Bestial Sanctum which went down. Heck, maybe it’s still there and we just don’t know because the sky version is in the past or the future or however it works. We can only see FA from one place, the Isolated Divine Tower. FA is huge, we should be able to see it from MotG, Forge, Caelid, Leyndell, etc, but can’t; which makes me think the times we can see it is not the same time as when we’re usually playing.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

dude i was shocked when i jumped down there to get the cinquedia i was like holy shit this structure is huge but its only supposedly one room

[@prod805]

The 5'11 militia

[@kevindangelo1091]

It's amazing how relevant Sunny is and will remain forever and ever. You seem to have dug out this niche of talking about all the smaller elements and I really appreciate that

[@enjoji]

when it was new i was there farming, & hoping that kurisagama would drop too! Gogo Yubari time! lol

[@julioguzman2915]

Great vid bro. Think we can get a lore dive on the duelist gladiators

[@TheHonoredMadman]

dude no bullshit, i was just taking notes on them earlier, im gonna do a video on them and pumpkin head dudes as theyre supposed to be former gladiators as well, so i gotcha covered

[@Esoteraeon]

I kept getting jumped by these fuckers in the trees. Short enemies are deadly

[@ShadeUnderTheSoul]

We call them "short kings"

[@jackreacher7495]

I've been wracking my brain while playing, about the timeline of Elden Ring's lore. I'm starting to think that in the age before the Erdtree, which was ruled by Placidusax, all the bestial races coexisted with one another: the beastmen, the dragons, and the ancestral followers at the same time. And perhaps the Eternal Cities, too. The "Crucible" was their way of life, their Erdtree, until the Greater Will sent the Elden Beast and effed everything up. On that note, I think it's safe to say that Serosh also existed in this time as the ruler of the beastmen - in the same way that Placidusax ruled the dragons. He seems to have befriended Godfrey after he was defeated in the same way that Fortissax befriended Godwyn. It also explains why Godfrey modeled his Crucible Knights after, well, the era he probably lived in before the Erdtree. I also think the Misbegotten and Deihumans are descended from the once-proud beastmen.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

The misbegotten and omen appear to be signs of the crucible trying to return. Omen horns match the ones on sillurias spear that also remember branches, and the crucible knot, feather and scale talisman indicate that the humans of the crucible probably looked a bit like the omen and misbegotten but that's my working assumption. Serosh is very intriguing to me tho I think you're right about him being the beast man leader before malekith, but I haven't looked to deeply in on it, I'm gonna make a video 9n the beastmen soon so we'll see what I can dig up. I always appreciate long comments like this, thanks for watching dude

[@jackreacher7495]

@@TheHonoredMadman no prob, this stuff is fun to bounce around and no one else is going to cover these obscure, interesting corners of the lore like you are. Thanks for taking the time, man. I know Maliketh is Marika's shadow given to her by the Two Fingers, like Blaidd is for Ranni, but I'm wondering if him being her half-brother means that one of her parents during the pre-erdtree era had gotten together with one of the beastfolk.

[@Nin_the_Shinobi]

For the longest time I thought the demi humans were goblins

[@brotherpigeons8395]

Hell yeah. More funny stoner lore man.

[@osriccauldwyn]

I think the reason we don't have a kusarigama as a usable weapon is because it's tough to see how you could use it one handed and all the weapons can be wielded one and two handed.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

yeah the only thing i can thing of would be to make it similar to paired weapons

[@ryanleatigaga7596]

I wish there was one who you could talk to. I love skewering these little guys and getting 1094 runes a piece.

[@44theshadow49]

Finally someone talks about the vulgar militia and why they have rune of death flame

[@ThommyofThenn]

There are several "loving" references to gamers in this game lol

[@binaryburnout3d]

Don't know if it was patched, but if you use striking weapons to crit them, you get two procs of the assasin blade trinkets that give you health and mana.

[@Bungowumperpuss]

It is indeed vulgar to be under 6ft. Really enjoyed this one, was always curious about these guys.

[@Matherz4]

Hopefully that weapon type will be in the DLC !

[@rocki_bb]

Nice video! Isn't Gostoc the son of the first rune holder we kill? Many of the men we see in the Lands Between have a hunched posture. Some also have a grotesquely long neck, even when they don't have the hunched back. It's really noticeable in some of the armor helms.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

Oh yeah I saw zullie the witch did a video about how he's probably godricks son. And yeah it trips me out most peasants or commoners have long ass necks it's really noticeable on frenzied villagers too

[@rocki_bb]

@@TheHonoredMadman I don't think most of the "normal" looking people originally came from the Lands Between. You should make a Discord. I would love to be able to talk about lore with people as interested in it as me. I respect you making these videos. I have ideas, but I can't get it together to make videos about them.

[@bungalowfeuhler1541]

You will have one million subs in one years time. That means that your KZbin will be paying all your bills for you, right about the time that Breath of the Wild 2 comes out and provides you with another thousand hours of lore to soothingly describe.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

heres hoping. i appreciate the positive forecast man thanks. i honestly cant wait for botw 2. i plan on covering a bunch of zelda topics prior to its release

[@James_Rustled]

Great video. Wish there was more info about these guys but what can you do, filling in dots is part of the fun

[@fumomofumosarum5893]

their small design might be insprired by the "Halflings" race : ) because just "small humans" does not really make any sense, that position is already taken, small humans are called "children" XD

[@TheHonoredMadman]

or dwarfs

[@minespatch]

"The slumped over posture", makes me think of the genuflectors and lunatics in the game Blasphemous. People theorize the imprisoned Lunatics were part of the holy genuflectors but lost to their sanity. Though I guess the enslaved slumpers in Elden ring are just a slight resemblance but have no connection to the Militia midgets?

[@hollow6189]

bro when you called the thing around the commoner necks a wooden boombox I fucking lost it lmao

[@kyrastartt2053]

I tried getting them to drop that weapon for hours. I was a sorcererurai (sorcerer-samurai) and I thought it would go so well for my int dex build. I was so mad when I found out it's unusable 😭

[@HenryGreenEngine3]

There's red deathflame, blue deathflame, and yellow deathflame... and also red lightning, blue lightning and yellow lightning. And also death lightning. Love to see it

[@mugo4581]

They are just silly little dudes

[@hollow6189]

just silly lil guys,how can you be mad at silly lil guys? for shame

[@AlbertusSalvatierra]

Lol just subscribed today. You cover a lot of lore, but you do it in pretty casual manner. Honestly love it.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

Welcome aboard man i really appreciate it

[@TTV_TOMTISM]

it's like you're shooting the shit with a fellow adventurer from Elden Ring, not another player but a sentient NPC.

[@TTV_TOMTISM]

imagine if game AI got good enough to empower a single NPC to be able to talk to you like Honored. its topics to talk about limited to where you are in the game, if you reach beyond your "progresses topic limit" the NPC's AI would be siphoned spoilers but talks only in suggestion or speculations to keep the player engaged. this is something i'd like to experience before i die, in gaming. i mean having only ONE npc gifted this 'advanced npc AI' is a realistic wish, 1 npc that smart would be the limitations of the hardware at the time. i'm so zooted rn

[@torgo_]

gavlan wheel, gavlan deal.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

best character

[@thehungrylittlenihilist]

There's some Celtic spirit, I can't remember the name of it, that was said to be small and to kill people by jumping over them and clubbing them on the head. Maybe someone here knows or is better at googling than I am, but I definitely remember reading about it.

[@ethanortega359]

Lore Theory: These little dudes are just imitating child trick or treaters, also they’re just super in character

[@davidchimienti6733]

Hey yeah if the flail was a drop and you could use that jump that the v m have that would be awesome!

[@Blackshroom]

Nioh 2 baby lets go! Would be nice get that kasurigama, or even the crystal chakram from the crystalians.

[@odeegrotsniffer4166]

I really thought they were goblins. You basically proved they aren't, but as a Gloomspite Gitz player, thems gobbos.

[@morzorkatvfm]

They're basically goblins anyway

[@xSettlerx]

I farmed this enemy for the sickle and chain for days I too was very saddened you can't currently get it. DLC weapon perhaps?

[@Sadboi_Rook]

You're like Uncle from Jackie Chan Adventures- "one more thing!" Lol

[@Titaniusart]

Someone probably pointed it out already, but I just realized when you showed Maliketh's cutscene, the Crucible has an orange tint to it, Destined Death is red, and the Elden Ring is yellow, so basically the Elden Ring is the Crucible without Destined Death (orange - red = yellow).

[@nodude4863]

That sunny clip was perfect

[@GrowlieDave]

Only for reference. Kasuri Gama (Ka-sue-ri Ga-ma) Good work dude, was pretty informative

[@artOVtrolling]

Kusarigama* I think you have the first 2 vowels backwards.

[@theguardlorenzo5898]

they have the exact same model as the slave soldiers that were scravenging one of the eternal cities, you know, the one mentioned on the inverted hawk heather shield and the ones you find near the greatshield soldier ashes, of which the said ashes are aswell

[@bigFoote0069]

10/10 description of Misbegotten

[@mee4644]

They will forever remain Bushwhackers.

[@Freyafanboy90]

I'm not sure if Kusarigama were used. If they were it must've been very rarely but yeah it would be cool to have a new weapon class for them. Still the milita seemed to have more respect then the Omens as some are seen guarding crypts where the Erdtree roots are and the fact they have spirit ashes means they had some level of respect to be granted that.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

Somehow I think I forgot to mention that they wear the morrowind hats to look taller

[@dachevidz5185]

Wooden boom box around the neck, and Ki-Ati-Mundi killed me!

[@davidbetts2980]

I used these to assassinate and level up early game. I think their like a warrior magick cult pigmy tribe. Definitely guardians of some type.

[@ConspiracyOpossum]

Thanks for the heads up was trying to get that weapon for a bit

[@josedorsaith5261]

Pocket princes with gardening tools

[@K8theKind]

Peasants with wooden boom boxes 🤣😂🤣💀👻

[@somgun23]

Has anyone theorized that this is Martin’s/Miyazaki’s version of hobbits? They fit the size and proportions, and this game already has a bunch of LOTR references

[@TheHonoredMadman]

they arent quite a stocky as hobbits but i can definitely see them as martin and miyazakis take on hobbits/halflings

[@garbange]

They're what I use to farm runes immediately after starting the game. Little cannibal gremlins

[@kg3451]

Great sopranos reference

[@andrzejniemierko1408]

We live in a low income housing environment.

[@MikesChannel1108]

I thought they were gnomes

[@nathreetimesnineequalstwen7172]

Same

[@MilesHadley]

Maybe they are the result of crossbreeding between humans and demi-humans.

[@happytrees6484]

Keep it up bro

[@Khornecussion]

" HOW'D YOU GET DESTINED DEATH!? YOU'RE A TINY MAN! " Vulgar Militia: " Seethe, incel. "

[@Wonderbread91]

Anyone know the name of the flute song in the video? I’ve looked for it when I heard it in game but I can’t seem to find it

[@TheHonoredMadman]

theres a video upload of it from bonfirevn

[@friendoftheoyster3906]

Their hunched backs make me wonder if at some point they were supposed to be human sized.

[@gormorus196]

Good use of an It's Always Sunny reference

[@thedenseone6443]

Ah yes, the most feared of all the Elden Ring enemies, the Small