Wait, Was Aldia in Dark Souls 3?

It's a secret sequel to a hidden ending!
Aldia, the Scholar of the First Sin, is easily one of the most fascinating characters in Dark Souls 2, if not the whole trilogy. So it was disappointing that Dark Souls 3 completely ignored him.
Or did it?
In both the Japanese and English versions of the game, Dark Souls 3 does actually allude to Aldia, but in very different ways. In this video, I argue that Aldia actually had a major impact on Lothric, and may have even inspired the Usurpation of Fire/Lord of Hollows ending. I also found quite a few surprising connections between Aldia, Vendrick, and Yuria of Londor.
This theory would also rectify one of the biggest criticisms of the story and lore in Dark Souls 3: Aside from a few fan service items, the game seems to ignore almost everything that happened in Drangleic.
Lokey on Aldia: lokeysouls.com...
And on the first of the scholars: lokeysouls.com...
(Lokey's Abyssal Archive is an amazing resource that I highly recommend.)
Ashen_Shroom's theory on Soul Stream and the Soul of Cinder: / soul_of_cinder_and_the...
Edited with Gling AI: bit.ly/46bGeYv

[@crossbones116]

>Attains true immortality >Explodes out of bonfires to bombard a random hollow with philosophy and lore >Shrugs off attempts to kill him >Refuses to elaborate further >Leaves Absolute gigachad.

[@adradox]

"A LIE WILL REMAIN A LIE!" *leaves*

[@Mrcrow300]

I like to imagine Aldia and the player are together looking for an alternative if you choose to leave the throne. Has aldia is technically eternal

[@Ashlevon]

Those chumps who turn into dragons in an attempt at immortality are chumps, and just turn into rocks. But Aldia literally turned into a tree and became one of the most influential individuals in the world. What a chad.

[@Aaronreacher]

​@@AshlevonHe hates it tho That's why he wanted us to chose "peace" over truth. Aldia Knows the Truth and he's disappointed, he realized what he lost and encourages us to follow the path of false peace if that makes us "happy".

[@Happy_Sailor639]

​@@Mrcrow300 Well, judging by Lucatiel set in ds3, that is kinda canon.

[@Chatisthisrealquestionmark]

Aldia is, hands down, my favorite character of the souls series. so wise, the truth unveiled.

[@DS-wl5pk]

WHAT.TRUTH. The most I am able to gather is he didn’t like that Gwyn linked the flame and wanted to live forever. Not exactly original, I struggle to see what makes him special at all

[@SmokingRobotussin]

@@DS-wl5pk because gwyn ruined the order of the world Aldia explains how after Gwyns age of fire runs out there is to be a natural age of dark but Gwyn was a selfish ass and said nuh uh and put a curse on the dark soul making it so they dont die and now the order of the world is permentaly screwed between choosing linking the fire or not linking it which neither choice matters cause youll just be going in circles. I think thats what I understood from the games plus Aldia be like 'I LIE WILL REMAIN A LIE" and that sounded cool so pretty much gwyncells stay seething.

[@ryanmoore7283]

@@DS-wl5pkbecause before Gwyn intervened the age of dark was a natural occurrence that would have happened, the age of the gods would have died and the age of men would have come naturally and man would have prospered. But because of Gwyn’s curse upon the soul of humanity, and the constant re-linking of flame, not only has the age of dark not come, but it will never truly come, because the world is falling in on itself and the dark has twisted and festered into the abyss. Aldia’s real discovery is not this, his truth is that no matter what, whether you link the flame, it will just die again, or if you don’t link it someone else will after you. In DS2, your choice at the end truly does not matter. Until they added the option, through the advice of Aldia, to collect the three crowns, become immortal, and leave the lands of the flame, and choose your own destiny, for this one was never a real destiny anyway.

[@matteomarchese8503]

So true

[@Exel3nce]

​@@DS-wl5pkits a Joke

[@sieghardtofcatarina7827]

Also, the statues in the Archive's balcony are quite cleary representing a man made of wood shrouded in a mantle, possibly because Aldia's real looks could put the royal family off.

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Yeah, I was on the fence about mentioning that statue since it's possible it could represent Aldia, though I don't think it's as clear-cut as the statue of the Pontiff. In any case, it's clear that the Lothric royal family couldn't handle Aldia being so grossly incandescent.

[@Krosstic]

Aldia has one of the best lines in the entire trilogy. “No matter how tender, how exquisite…A LIE WILL REMAIN A LIE!”

[@bliss6417]

"Life is brilliant. Beautiful. It enchants us, to the point of obsession."

[@Happy_Sailor639]

Did he described a hate train towards ds2 in that single line...?

[@zelnickno.2348]

​@@Happy_Sailor639 lies about how bad it its, yeah

[@Merc7734]

"Many monarchs have come and gone, not one of them stood here as you do *NOW"* - Aldia

[@planetcheese]

I always had a problem with the theory that Pontiff Sulyvahn was the First Scholar rather than Aldia, and it's not really anything lore-wise. It's just that Sulyvahn being the First Scholar is less narratively satisfying than having it be Aldia, especially given the latter's lack of presence in Dark Souls 3. Being the most important character in Dark Souls 2, it seems only right he has some level of significance in Dark Souls 3. Also, while I'm positive this was not intentional, this is a little detail that makes me like the "Aldia is the First Scholar" theory more: "For that is your fate. The fate of the cursed." -A line from the opening cinematic of Dark Souls 2 "Such is our fate." -The last line of Dark Souls 2, spoken by Aldia "For that is our curse." -Lothric to Lorian in their phase transition

[@chrisdaughen5257]

VaatiVidya pointed out there's a statue in the early areas of Lothric that depicts a young Sulyvahn. It could be evidence of Sulyvahn's involvement with Lothric as the scholar.

[@planetcheese]

@@chrisdaughen5257 Yeah, I think that's the same statue that's brought up in this video (there might be two statues though, I don't know)

[@alyseleem2692]

I've always been slightly confused by this idea. Like, yes, Irithyll is very involved in the affairs of Lothric, and so, Sulyvahn is as well, and yes, he likely has a part in what is happening currently, but how could he ascend as both First of the Scholars AND Pontiff?! He can't be both, can he? And even if he held each at a separate time, it would require him to ascend two completely different hierarchies ( the Scholars and the Way Of White), possibly simultaneously. Yes, he is a sorcerer, but so are half of Irithyll's denizens. Doesn't mean he's THE First of the Scholars.

[@planetcheese]

@@alyseleem2692 Yeah, that's another thing. I'd take it a step further and ask why Sulyvahn seems to be invading Lothric during the events of the game. If he really was one of the most high-ranking people of Lothric, why would he be doing so? We also aren't given any implication that the First Scholar has fallen out of favor, so I just feel like it doesn't add up.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@planetcheese Yeah, that too. It's pretty obvious that Sulyvahn had a hand in the current situation ( the Lothric statue, his Knights, etc) , and not all of his influence is just due to invasion. Irithyll's government is likeback when the Catholic Church was more hands-on deck, or even more than that; they directly influence other countries and direct their religious and political course, sometimes with military action. Such it is with Sulyvahn.... But that does not mean he has to be the First Of The Scholars. The nature of his influence is on the opposite end of the spectrum. He's a pope. A fake one, yes, but still a pope! He influenced Lothric as the supposed leader of organised religion. Doens't matter if he's a fraud; if anything, it's likely why the Lothric statue exists. To prove that he, the Pope, endorses Prince Lothric's current course of action. This seems to be a general tradition since Aldrich came along; endorsing and encouraging increasingly Dark ventures, like the Undead Settlement's current situation, The Road Of Sacrifices being set up, and the policy with Lothric itself. Gwyndolin would be rolling in his grave, if he had one.

[@Alexander-dg8sh]

I think Aldia's vision was different form Kaathe's. Kaathe thought that holowness was natural for humans, but Aldia seemed to have resented that idea and beleived humanity to have been destined for something greater before "the first sin", hence his desperate studies of the undead curse and attempts to stall it, ending with him being a fiery head ("I sought to shed the yoke of fate, but failed"). Instead, he encouraged the protagonist to seek "something else entirely", something "beyond the scope of light, beyond the reach of dark". Interestingly, Vendrick also thought regressing into hollowness to be a curse and wanted a better fate for humanity ("One day fire will fade, and dark will become a curse... Only... is this our only choice?").

[@garrulousgoldmask]

I definitely agree that Aldia wasn't after the Age of Dark that Kaathe wanted in DS 1. Though I do find it fascinating that Londor, which on the one hand seems very much devoted to the "something else entirely" that Aldia sought, also had links with Kaathe since Yuria mentions Kaathe's "dying wish" in the original Japanese text. I did go back and checked Kaathe's dialogue and he doesn't actually say anything specifically about Hollowness. But Kaathe does lament that "Lord Gwyn resisted the course of nature," which reminded me a lot of Aldia's speeches.

[@Alexander-dg8sh]

@@garrulousgoldmask Thank you for replying! I haven't refreshed the lore about Kaathe in my mind for a long while, but he always struck me as some schemer who used evil methods to acheive his goals (IIRC, he tricked people of New Londo and Oolacile to unleash the abyss on their respective cities, and also assembled a gang of murderous humanity robbers). So, not exactly someone who had mankind's best interests at heart. Well, maybe Kaathe sincerely thought that he did and considered the collateral damage negligible. It's interesting to notice, that in DS3 there are actually several factions, who had their own solutions to the problem of the fading fire. Ludleth, for one, was pro-Gwyn and beleived in linking the fire, so much that he was the only lord of cinder in the game, who returned to his throne out of his own volition; Aldrich, according to his soul description, envisioned some age of the deep sea; Hawkwood and, presumably, Ornstein too, wanted the power of everlasting dragons; team Londor wanted to realize Kaathe's vision; Gael and his niece wanted to paint a new world; Lothric, his siblings and some of his knights sought salvation in a new faith (mentioned in the description for Divine Pillars of Light as "Angelic faith"), which Gwyn supporters declared a heresy, which then apperently led to a civil war. The theme of different parties trying to establish their world order is also prominent in Elden Ring. DS2 is different from DS1, DS3 and Elden Ring in that, instead of proposing to constantly try to solve fundamental problems of the mankind by replacing one faulty world order with another potentially faulty world order, DS2 alludes to the idea of true salvation coming from beyond the world of humans. I'd like to think that the "Angelic faith" is what Aldia and Lothric might have eventually come to, but it's just my interpretation.

[@kingofsnekes4007]

All I want is a canon discussion between Gael and Aldia. The two have been around for so long, and seen the worst parts of the world and age of fire. I feel like they are likely the two wisest in the series and would just love them to discuss the state of the world. With Aldia being easily the wisest and most knowledgeable in the entire series and Gael being the oldest (and still reasonable) human alive who has seen everything happen almost from the beginning, their talk would be so fascinating.

[@jeftecoutinho]

7:32 Do you think that this is what Nashandra was going to do? Shanalotte says that Nashandra wants to "...covet the First Flame, and the Great Soul"

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Great question! And that's certainly possible. Though for me, I took that line as Nashandra wanting the First Flame in order to snuff it out entirely. So her goal would be like the Age of Dark in DS 3, but without any flickers of flame, just unrelenting Dark. In any case, I definitely think that she persuaded Vendrick to attack the Ringed City to seize the Dark Soul (as per the Ruin Set description in DS 3) and when that didn't work out, the two waged war on the Giants instead.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@garrulousgoldmask I disagree. You see, the curious thing about Dark and Dark creatures in general is the kind of disquiet Fire creates in them. Because, fascinatingly, it isn't hatred. "The will feels envy, or perhaps love, and despite the inevitable trite and tragic ending, the will sees no alternative, and is driven madly towards its target." Humans covet Fire; beings like the Lords Of Cinder and Ash are merely exemplars of that nature. That nearly all of both are human can only demonstrate to what degree the Dark desires it's opposite. The Dark does not destroy or consume Light because it is merely agitated by it; it does so out of desire for that Light. That desire takes a dozen forms. Genuine affection. Covetousness. Envy. Hunger. But all of them can be distilled into a single word; Want. Light agitates Dark because it provokes desire and emotion where there should be silence and emptiness. By doing so, it brings out both the best in us, and also the worst. If Light didn't exist, us Hollows would be sleeping like children, but as long as flames and Souls exist, us Hollows will covet them. I don't believe Nashandra could've silenced the Flame if she wanted to. Even Nadalia, the sister with " inconceivable strength", turned to Ash before the Flame's might. Nashandra herself is weaker than her siblings, and even after gathering power, there is no guarantee such measures would help her survive.... But that's the thing; Want is not a logical thing. Nashandra does not think in terms of " Age Of Fire" or " Age Of Dark" or " humans will be strong" or " gods will be weak". Her father didn't think in those terms; why would she? She thinks in terms of " What I want". " What I love". She genuinely loved Vendrick; it is just that her love takes the most twisted form possible. Picture Vendrick succeeding; becoming a true monarch; becoming one with the Great Soul. The Soul Of Cinder. The Soul that is " God". Now imagine Nashandra throwing herself inside. Maybe she'll be Ash. Maybe she'll be of Cinder herself. Maybe, she'll even usurp The Flame and become " God" herself. But guess what? It doesn't matter. In all outcomes, she finds what she covets. She gets what she desires. And she needs nothing, and I mean nothing,else. It is a tragedy, that she could not do with just Vendrick.. But it is predictable. " For the curse of life, is the curse of want."

[@Eonopolis]

​@@alyseleem2692 And this is why DS Lore is so fascinating

[@alyseleem2692]

@@Eonopolis Thank you. Indeed, it is.

[@mylesmixon5078]

I’ve been trying to figure out nashandra for a while, and that’s a very compelling breakdown.

[@damienmcneff7715]

I don’t think Aldia is part of the soul of cinder. You specifically have to link the fire to become part of it.

[@gamongames]

He appears from several bonfires in ds2

[@DeadSparkMan]

@@gamongames So does our character and every other Undead lore-wise, doesn't mean much.

[@kaltsssit]

I could see it happening. While he didn't perform the ritual of linking the flame that so many hollows have done before, I don't see how he could have so thoroughly interwoven his being into the linked flames without eventually being absorbed by it.

[@EJaDav]

I’d like to think that someone, maybe even the player character who learned Soul Stream linked the 1st flame and that’s why Soul knows the spell.

[@PolishGoblinn]

i know I'm a little late but "canon" ending for ds2 is taking the throne and linking the flame off screen, what do we do in ds2? we learn soul gayser (souls stream according to the video) and link the flame so yeah hollow who knew souls stream linked the 1st flame@@EJaDav

[@spencersheahan9709]

The general line of thinking is that Lothric and Lorian are both brats undedicated to their duties as king but when you consider Aldia was their scholar you realize that they were doing what they thought a true monarch should. "Young Hollow, there are but two paths. Inherit the order of this world, or destroy it. But only a true monarch can make such a choice." "Men are props on the stage of life, and no matter how tender, how exquisite… A lie will remain a lie. Young Hollow, knowing this, do you still desire peace?" "Peace grants men the illusion of life. Shackled by falsehoods, they yearn for love, unaware of its grand illusion. Until, the curse touches their flesh. We are bound by this yoke. As true as the Dark that churns within men. All men trust fully the illusion of life. But is this so wrong? A construction, a facade, and yet… A world full of warmth and resplendence. Young Hollow, are you intent on shattering the yoke, spoiling this wonderful falsehood?" Lothric, bound by the undead curse, faced with the choice of linking the fire, made the choice to attempt to escape the curse. The question remains, do you, lord of hollows, have what it takes to become a true monarch?

[@alyseleem2692]

The refusal to make a choice came from Aldia's acknowledgement that he, and we, did not know one beyond those of linking and leaving the Fire. The premise is that the choice itself is a farce, as either would force humanity to lose something core to it, immediately or with time. The same applies to Lothric. He does not truly know a third choice, and that is a tragedy. Nonetheless, we do. And we will clear the path. A true monarch does not listen much to pity.

[@MoreImbaThanYou]

I think Lothric was completely justified to do as he did. I mean, he was created for his family to basically boast about having one to link the fire in their ranks. He never was allowed to be an autonomous person in the first place, with his brother being the only one to show him love. And so they both became disillusioned by the world they live in and basically said: Fuck it, let it all fade. I think they were right, and it's sad that we have to kill them. Would be nice to have the fading fire ending without killing them.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@MoreImbaThanYou Lothric the prince was the justification of Lothric the kingdom. The kingdom of Lothric was founded upon, and devoted to, the creation of a worthy monarch to link the Flame. This is their royal line's raison d'etre; their divine right of kingship was earned by the promise of keeping the Sun in the sky, the crops aplenty, and the Pus away from sight and mind. That is the oath by which the first kings of Lothric secured a kingdom. That is the pact by which they earn the fealty of their subjects. That is the one and only justification for their continued existence; the promised coming of a true monarch. All the wars they have made, all the lands they have conquered, all the sacrifices you see on the sides of the Great Road, the Three Pillars, they all stand on nothing but a promise. I believe King Oceiros did love his sons.In fact, I do believe his obsession with dragons, and little Ocelotte, held it's root in the notion he wouldn't have to throw them into the bonfire like so many saints and heroes; once, in the land of the legend of Linking, Shanalotte was born for a similar purpose... But evidently, failure was both her, and his, due. I do not know how many priests, knights, Kings and princes were thrown into the fire before this boy prince, but I do know one thing: A child should not bear the weight of such a choice. I am Ash, and I am old. Very old. So old,I've been buried and dug up at least twice, if we go by me being Undead once. I can't even remember my own name. I am old, and I can make such a choice. I can renounce all thought and memory, toss myself into the bonfire and become legend.. But this boy? This boy should've known nothing of Lords and Cinder and Ash. He should've only known what it is to be a child.

[@sporepda]

@@alyseleem2692 I dont think its 'something core to humanity'. In fact, its kinda the opposite - its a lie forced on humans by Gwyn. Humans, in their natural forms are darkness. And as fire grows weaker - the darkness in humans grows stronger, hence the 'curse' of undead. It is the lie Aldia refers to - yes, human lives are a lie, but they enjoy it while it lasts. So he asks, should it be broken and humanity brought back to its natural state, or is it better to continue the grand lie of gods, since it brings joy to people, even if it is, in the end, all fake?

[@Deflamed_Sphere]

@@alyseleem2692 well said

[@AnacreonSchoolbagsJr]

Coolest voices in each game, according to me: DeS: Nexus Blacksmith (he sounds like Old Greg) DS: Solaire (If only I could be so grossly incandescent!) DS2: Aldia (A lie will remain a lie.) DS3: Oceiros (Bah! You ignorant slaves...) Bloodborne: Ludwig (...My guiding moonlight!) Elden Ring: Rykard (TOGETHAA-)

[@CPSPD]

I played through elden ring with no spoilerinos and stumbling upon Rykard was insane. Such a creepy and cool character, with a crazy intro cutscene to boot.

[@JessGulbranson]

"Feeble antediluvian one, do you think you can manage putting me on your list of coolest voices?"

[@NisseDood]

@@JessGulbranson Also Sweet Shalquori's sick burn. Hoh Hoh! What's happened to you? You have that glint in your eyes. And the scent…Of one with quite the catalog of sins… Oh, don't feel bad. I'm sure your mother's still proud…Hee Hee!

[@Krapoutchniek]

Sekiro : (MY NAAAAAAAAAAAAAME IS) GYOUBU MASATAKA ONIWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (AS I BREATHE YOU WILL NOT PASS THE CASTE GATE!)

[@deathrodamus9608]

@@Krapoutchniek 😂🤣😂🤣we must never forget about GYOUBU MASATAKA ONIWA.

[@kalsizzle]

I noted that the Grand Archives are overgrown with roots which you don't really see in other areas of Lothric castle.

[@MoreImbaThanYou]

I'd really like a game to show how Londor goes to shit, just as the age of fire has, and threfor presenting the ultimate nihilistic metaphor of how true rest can only be found by fading away. Letting the fire fade is by far my favorite ending tho. "Ashen one, art thou still there?" is just such a beautiful final line.

[@garrulousgoldmask]

That definitely would make for an impactful ending! And I completely agree: That line is such a wonderful wayto close out the trilogy.

[@tbotalpha8133]

And I would argue the complete opposite - that the Usurpation is the best ending, because it implies something actually new will follow. An actual Age of Dark, not the repetitive, self-consuming cycle forced on the world by Gwyn. Because that was the First Sin: Gwyn refusing to let his Age of Fire die out. Gwyn is the one who failed to learn the lesson of letting go, and the entire world has been suffering for his refusal to fade ever since. Letting the fire go out won't do anything, because it's implied that's happened before, and the Age of Dark that followed after didn't last. But Usurping the First Flame is something new, that hasn't been tried before. And given what a crumbling mess the world has become by the time of Dark Souls 3, I think the world's inhabitants could do with trying literally anything new.

[@BloodyArchangelus]

You all are heretics. Burn them. Feed the flames, untill dark soul would be found and the painting would be made.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@tbotalpha8133 Though I don't agree with calling it an " Age Of Dark ", precisely( there's still a Flame. You just happen to own it), I agree with it being the newest and the best. To Londor!

[@joshuakim5240]

It should be noted that Ringed City ultimately shows that Aldia's quest was futile, because beyond flame and dark is...nothing. The firelinking cycle has damaged the world so thoroughly that it just reverts to an ashen wasteland with nothing in it at the end of time. Though what is interesting is that the "something else" path that Aldia alludes to does exist via the Corvians and their painted worlds, meaning that Aldia had the right idea all along but was simply looking in the wrong place.

[@miklosz4162]

The "Usurpation of Fire" ending fits Aldia well. He knew that Gwyn had cursed the world and humans would not inherit the world as it naturally should have been. The flame cannot be extinguished, so it is better to make the flame serve those whom it has enslaved. Take the curse of the undead sent by the gods and make it your source of power instead of fighting it. Either way, humanity will have its last laugh.

[@Umbra_Ursus]

I prefer the ending where we, and the Fire Keeper, just finally let the Flame die: Considering an entire beat of the whole franchise could be summed up as "Let go", finally letting the cycle continue on as it was always meant to feels right. And it has sequel potential, considering that by the time the theoretical next cycle rolls around, we and most everything else would be lost to time, allowing total freedom in what we'd be doing.

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Yeah, I definitely think the End of Fire is a very fitting end to the trilogy (if it stays a trilogy).

[@MrKayouh]

If it allows for total freedom, as we don't know what the age of dark is at all, we could technically say that Bloodborne is actually what happened after in the new cycle, with men taking on a true form of beasts ?

[@Umbra_Ursus]

@@MrKayouh Honestly, unless there was anything to say otherwise, it could be. Sure, Dark Souls lacked the elder/outer gods, but who's to say that they simply weren't mislabeled there? Nito is proof you don't need to still look like a big human as a god/demigod.

[@dr.veronica6155]

I agree, the End of Fire seems like the best option. You let it die and go out for good, and an Age of Dark will start, which we see from the Fire Keeper speaking to us and by going to the Firelink Shrine that's in an Age of Dark that it doesn't destroy the world or anything, the sun just goes out and darkness covers the world. I imagine that after a while, the Fire will light itself again, as it did the first time, and we can have an Age of Light again once the Fire is good and ready.

[@daltongarrett3393]

⁠​⁠@@dr.veronica6155the thing is though, Gwynn’s linking of the flame, and consequentially linking all of the lord souls to the flame, irrevocably fucked the cycle of light and dark. Not just humans, but the world itself is undead, and hollowing after being brought back from death so many times. Whatever the dark was before gwyn metaphysically ruined the entire universe, we can see now from new Londo and oolacile that it’s an existentially terrifying, lovecraftian, corrupting force. I don’t think dark firelink shrine is representative of what the age of dark would actually look like, I think oolacile, new londo, and the abyss are

[@TheHogfatherInvades]

Aldia is the scholar of the first sin so that you can be the scholar of the first sigma rule

[@Driver_Nephi]

The scholar of all time!

[@rohitchaoji]

@@Peanut-yi1qiSigmas do exist. In statistical analysis.

[@Mercy_Sandy11]

@@Driver_Nephi I own you

[@ThalerMan92]

Scholar of the first Cos

[@Myrskylintu]

Ahhh, Cos, or some say Cos(m)... Do you hear our functions? No, we shall not abandon the grid. No exp can catch us! No log can stop us now!

[@Luziehl]

personally, i think that any ending could be a good tie-in for Aldia, his character gives the vibe that he would help anyone that had an interesting idea on how to change the status-quo on the dark souls world

[@thekeeper1287]

Dont forget about the pilgrims of dark covenant from ds2 with grandahl. He's probably one of the founders of the sable church and londor since he was associated with the dark and abyss. The bearer of the curse probably helped with it. The whole of londor and the church gives off ds2 vibes and fits with the pilgrims and aldia. (Also they're called pilgrims in ds3 too 🤔)

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Great point!

[@arealhumanbean3058]

This is honestly SUCH a big connection that I am baffled that more people haven't talked about it You even fight an Angel in the end of Pilgrim of the Dark's quest!

[@gtf234]

@@arealhumanbean3058 Darklurker feels like it's just a cheeky callback more than a meaningful narrative inclusion. It's just a nicer rendered model of Seathe from King's Field; and DS2 has the most King's Field DNA of all the Souls games given the people who ultimate finished the game's Development Hell. That also explains many of its aesthetic and design differences: like key item locked mechanisms that just spring traps on you more often than not, and hidden passages behind Doom-style pushwalls instead of illusions.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@gtf234 Except, it is a being with an apparent Light Soul, who only inflicts Dark damage, except when it decides to do Fire damage. Oh, and that Light Soul? It transposes to Lifedrain. You know the funny thing about references? They don't exist to contradict lore. They exist to explain visual similarities. Sure, Darklurker is visually based on Seathe. Does that mean it has no significance? Evidently, no. Now, we have Angels born from Hollow Pilgrims, who cast Curse with Light spells and seem " incomplete "( their faces are...eroded). Oh, and before you say it, yes, they have feathers, but only as effects from their spells.

[@AnimeFan4815]

Man I love that the spell hints at pursuing purpose bc some of the dark orbs had also crazy tracking and barely anyone knows about it

[@daltongarrett3393]

Barely anyone? Christ, I still have nightmares about constantly being spammed with those things in PVP

[@KuroNoTenno]

I don't think Aldia is a part of Soul of Cinder. Soul is an incarnation of those who linked the Fire, which is why it uses all the things the players can. Aldia would not link the Fire, therefore he can't be a part of Soul of Cinder. Soul Stream is probably used by some other shmuck from another cycle who learned the spell the same way we do: found the scroll lying on a dead body.

[@alyseleem2692]

And where did the owner of that deal body find his version of the spell? Does it just keeps going? This spell is Aldia's " heirloom". Nobody else has it; only him, whichever student he taught( all dead or insane) and the Bearer Of The Curse who found it. As such, it either traces back to him,or the Bearer Of The Curse.

[@KuroNoTenno]

@@alyseleem2692 He could've taught the spell to more than one person, one of whom linked the fire.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@KuroNoTenno Who would also happen to be the First Scholar? Whoever he taught would have to be a very close student of his; it's his inheritance. Whoever got it wouldve been his protégé. As such, I don't think it'd be a nobody.

[@mauriciorosademoraes9209]

Aldia can literally spawn in the First Flame too, he's linked to all Bonfires in the world. In Ds2 we fight him at the Throne where's the Bonfire (i don't know why Miyazaki when Scholar of The First Sin was being made just put the the Bonfire here, the only comprovation of the Bonfire Existence is Emerald Herald).

[@din6675]

Interesting. Didn't know that in Japanese Soul Geyser and Soul Stream are named the same, and that in DS2 Soul Geyser directly links Aldia to the spell.

[@pockystyx4087]

Easily my favorite character in the series; there's just something so fascinating about the SotFS ending, and how it sets up the idea of fixing or reversing the sin that lead to the whole mess. It also helps that Aldia has a very dark grey morality; making him both understandable, and reprehensible at the same time. Would've loved it if this theory was 100% true, and we had gotten a third DLC to go into Londor and all that lol

[@adradox]

I also thought that Wolnir was connected to DS2's protagonist when I saw description of his crown. Would be funny to learn that in the end Aldia was not satisfied with choices "true monarch" took in forging their own path and sought new solutions for his eternal dilemma in face of Lothric and hollows of Londor.

[@alyseleem2692]

Yeah.... My first thought when seeing Wolnir was" wow, the Giants sure had their vengeance. Giant Lord didn't die for nothing." ( No, I don't think Wolnir is the Bearer, nor do I think he was ever human. Abyss corruption doesn't really do...this. Not to humans.)

[@adradox]

@@alyseleem2692 Surely you have evidence of abyss corruption effects on different species in the world of dark souls. Manus was primeval human, look what happened to him.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@adradox Yes, I know. That's not what I mean; Wolnir specifically has his flesh decayed down to the bone. He is completely afraid of the Abyss, and desperate for release. He is of sound mind, or relatively sound mind; enough to teach Black Serpent from within the Abyss. When he is dragged into the Abyss, he dies. You get his Soul. The only reason he is still alive is the Light of his sword and bracelets, shielding him from the Dark. Now, in contrast, Manus is comfortable in the Abyss, as are the Four Kings and other corrupted beings. The Abyss feels like home to them. Their flesh grows in twisted and new forms; they become aggressive to anyone entering, and nearly mindless in comparison to their former selves. They are sustained by the Dark. Light hurts them. The latter is an example of human corruption. The former indicates, to me, that Wolnir is not human, and that his Soul is Light, not Dark. He is like a human dabbling in Chaos pyromancies; a being who explored the element opposite to his own nature, and one who pays for it with their life Play with Fire; get burned. Play with Dark; get swallowed.

[@adradox]

@@alyseleem2692 Do people of Oolacile feel to you like they comfortable with dark or they are just in mindless state of pain and agony? If Manus is within his own element then why does he spread it uncontrollably and behaves like rabid beast, desperately trying to cling to remnants of his mind, seeking the pendant?

[@alyseleem2692]

@@adradox As for what I think happened with the Bearer Of The Curse... I don't think they kept the Crowns. The crowns Wolnir crushed were once " bequeathed judiciously " to their rightful lords. As if they had one owner who did the " bequeathing" part. I think that, as part of their journey to find a true solution to the Curse, they abandoned the Crowns, giving them to those who truly needed them, before setting off on their own quest with Aldia. Then, along came Wolnir.

[@SmoughTown]

This is so good Goldmask. Thanks so much for covering Aldia, he's my GOAT

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Thank you so much! Glad you agree on the GOATed nature of Aldia!

[@Coast2CoastFlyin]

I'm pretty sure that Londor is just New Londo, possibly expanded to include more of Lordran as well. Not only is the name remarkably similar (the slight change likely due to the passage of time; same reason Anor Londo is now known as Irythyl, with only the Cathedral known by the city's old name). The fact its a city of hollows (associated with the Dark), and had Kaathe as a central figure in the establishment of the primary religion are also big clues. It's by no means confirmed, but it's hard to deny the likelihood of this being the case. If anything, it should've been in the bsse game, as Lothric and Lordran are in close proximity to one another, and not soley due to the convergence of lands towards Lothric. We see both Anor Londo and Lothric Castle in the distance during our fight with Gael, and it would make sense that the Ringed City would also be somewhat close by geographically as well, given it fell under Lordran's direct domain. Then of course there's at least 2 different locations considered part of Lothric that were both part of Lordran. Farron keep is Oolacile, and Irythyll is Anor Londo. Of course, geographically these areas don't exactly make sense, as Anor Londo was on top of a mountain, and while there is a city that expands down the mountain from the actual playable areas, it's on the other side of the mountaintop from Oolacile. But it's possible that Lothric arose on this side of the mountaintop, which is sort of why it leads into the lower city portion. It's also possible that Irythyll and Anor Londo are different places that just have the Farron/Carthus thing going on, but I doubt this is the case. Not only is Anor Londo the distinguishable part of Irythyll we can see from a distance from atop the High Wall. I don't even fully accept the theory that Carthus was some distant land that was destroyed by the Legion when word got out of the abyss emergering from that land; its directly atop Izalith, which happens to be the only place aside from Farron where we find Ghru, which have a similar look as several other Souls demons, such as the bat demon and Capra demon. Not that they necessarily are, since most demons seem to be doing pretty bad since the Chaos Flame has died, aside from the fragments housed within most demons, and the Ghru are seemingly spreading, either from Farron into Izalith, or vice versa. No idea about the 4 armed Ant eater looking demons, aside from feeling a bit more confident describing them as demons. Their bizarre and entirely unexplained connection to fungus is one of those mysteries I'd had liked to have been given some kind of clue for

[@garrulousgoldmask]

That certainly could be the case! Though it seems to me like details of Londor's location were kept deliberately rather vague in case FromSoft ever wanted to further develop it as a setting. And I figured Oolacile and Farron’s Keep were the same, but I didn't realize just how deep those connections went!

[@yikes6969]

That same fungus in the demon ruins also appears on Oceiros' back and I cant figure out the connection. But the anteater things are referred to as smoldering gru. Gru are descendants of those from Oolacile. Oolacile was home to the living mushrooms and Heysel and Jeremiah. Smoldering gru cast pyromancies, almost like they gave up sorcery from their past and resorted to it after living in the demon ruins. So theres something there we're not fully putting together. Edit: forgot something. That specific fungus is also found on vagrants in DS1. The only thing I can think of that links all 3 are are that all of them have transformed from a previous form. Oceiros used to be human, the gru were humans, vagrants were humanity left behind.

[@hannahharris3980]

​@@nachalnik5738 "to be fair" Dont think you know how that phrase is supposed to be used.

[@nachalnik5738]

@@hannahharris3980 okay Mr.Grammar Nazi, please enlighten me with thy knowledge

[@jacobhoover1654]

The Sword of Avowal that Yuria uses at the end of her quest is the same symbol that appears on the roof off building in the DLC & the room that leads to Midirs boss fight is called a primordial serpent church, Londor is the ringed City.

[@TheGlucoside]

For some reason I read that as "Was Alan Alda in Dark Souls 3" and thought "Terrific, that is just terrific"

[@Greywander87]

My issue with the Usurp the Fire ending is that it feels more like a perversion of Gwyn's undead curse. The dark sigils seem like Kaathe or the Sable Church took the Darksign and corrupted it further. Also, I thought that hollowing was actually a result of the Darksign. The fact that you don't normally hollow in DS3 and yet still possess a darksign is curious. Perhaps that was the fruit of Aldia's research, the staving off of hollowing even though the Darksign hasn't yet been removed. If so, then the Sable Church seems like a step backward. I suppose the counter-theory is that the dark sigil is the "pure" form of the "corrupted" Darksign, and "true" hollows don't go mad, only cursed ones.

[@RamixTheRed]

So, here's the thing about Hollowing "Hollows" those shriveled up zombie boys with no eyes, are what humans are SUPPOSED to look like. That's what the Furtive Pygmy looked like, its what the Pygmy Lords looked like. BUT, when Gwyn sealed the dark away with the Darksign, he made humans resemble smaller versions of his "God" race. Most people in-universe dont realize this and just see the shriveled body and beef jerky flesh as a sign of becoming a monster, when in truth, it's just Gwyn's illusion fading away. This is what Aldia means by "Men assumed a fleeting form", this is the lie that shall remain a lie. THE PROBLEM however, is that by linking the fire to humanity, Gwyn made it so that when humans hollow out, they also go insane, hence his sin. THAT is what Aldia is so pissed off about, Gwyn not only robbed humans of their true appearance and right to inherit the world, but he made it so that whenever his Age of Fire is threatened, humanity starts faling apart and going insane, causing them to continue linking the flame in an attempt to survive. This is why the Sable Church and associated figures worship Hollowing, because it's a return to mankind's true form. Therefore, the point of Usurping the Fire (presumably) is that humans will return to their "true" hollowed bodies, but without going insane like the countless random hollows we kill.

[@TheRahyah]

@@RamixTheRedgwyn is a piece of shit that I have zero sympathy for

[@alyseleem2692]

"With Dark unshackled, a curse will be upon us, and men will take their true shape." "One day, fire will fade, and Dark will become a curse. Men will be free from death, left to wander eternally." I want you to think about these two for a moment. What they are supposed to mean, hmm? You're Undead because your Dark cannot be shackled. Your shackle, the sign, weakens as the Fire fades; slowly, you assume your truest nature. The true face of humankind. A Hollow. Why is that? "Death is not the end, for anything that has ever once lived remains a part of a great cycle of regeneration. But what of those outside of the cycle?" We, you and I, all of us humans, do not possess Death naturally. This form you see, the shape you take when you burn the black thing you call humanity is nothing more than an illusion. " And men assumed a fleeting form." Fleeting. Not Undead. Not immortal. Fleeting. This form, this spell cast by the gods, by the Lord Of Light, is what allows us to die. It is what allows anyone to die. It is what allows to play pretend at being mortals... But the truth, at it's simplest, is that we are not. You and I, all of us humans; it is we who stand outside the cycle. "Dark was seen as a curse" when Disparity came for a reason; all other beings had complete, distinguished souls; they had names, faces, races and places of their own. A niche within existence. A place to belong within the cycle of regeneration. Only we, bearers of the Dark Soul, remained as we were before the Flame came, with only one difference: Consciousness. Even then, without purpose, that gift was fleeting. It is only a matter of time before we lose it, and become just as we were in the beginning; in fact, there is little difference either way. The Dark covets that which it lacks; by nature, we hunger for souls, Hollow or not. Like a hungry serpent, we consume that which is greater than ourselves, simply to feel it's warmth in our bellies. That is why Gwyn devised the Darksign; in a world where beings like these existed, beings who existed beyond death and the laws and cycles of this world, the world he built would forever be threatened. Only by including them, by teaching them the illusion of life and the gift of death, could his world be safe. As for why you do not Hollow as Ash, it's quite simple: You do not technically possess an actual body. You are a ghost, clinging to Ash. Do you remember Nadalia? By becoming Ash, she " sacrificed her form". She has no form; not anymore. None but her Idols. And in this case, you don't either. Your vessel is a mere image of you, from before you burnt to Cinder. Don't worry, though; your mind is not as invulnerable as your body. The Hollowing comes, no matter from where it comes.

[@sengan2475]

​@alyseleem2692 you should make videos dude

[@BasicallyBaconSandvichIV]

I've always seen the Usurpation ending as the only way to truely end the cycle. When accepting the age of Dark it is stated that one day Embers may return and restart the fire. Essentially just continueing on that accursed cycle. However Usurping the Flame seems to me the way to get around that. Truly making the Light and Dark one. Somewhat undoing or mitigating the first sin. I think the Usurpation ending is the final succes of the work Aldia started.

[@baconaterlover5399]

It does seem like the localization team just decided to allude to Aldia because they thought it would be neat. However, after learning about the Japanese description of Soul Geyser it seems entirely possible that an apprentice or person who studied Aldia could’ve been this scholar to Lothric. If Soul Geyser is Aldia’s legacy, then it makes sense that someone somewhere down the line would have acknowledged or used it, otherwise it wouldn’t really be a legacy after all.

[@Ivory5547]

Could be the Bearer of the Curse. Who knows... By the end of DS2 and if we leave the throne we pretty much become Aldia's apprentice, or at least have him as a sort of "conselor" on our way to make our own path.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@Ivory5547 That is a very, very good point. A clever Undead would fit much better in court than a mass of tree roots shaped like a face. It would also allude to how there are other references to the Bearer in other items, like the Fire Keeper Soul. The question would be what his agenda was.

[@ardea1021]

The Age of Dork

[@williamkensington2772]

Pontiff likely makes more sense as Pontiff was intended to be the final boss and main antagonist of Ds3 and even in the final release is the cause of most of the goings on in Lothric and controls a great sphere of influence going from Lothric Castle to Anor Londo. However Aldia to me is much more narratively satisfying as it ties all 3 games together nicely and gives closure to Ds2's ending and story not to mention a character as intelligent and powerful as Aldia wouldn't just fade away after the end of Ds2 and would have quite a grasp on the future So Pontiff Sulyvahn is probably the right answer but Aldia is the much more satisfying answer

[@phobit]

4:30 Isn’t there a possibility that Pontiff WAS the secret mentor, but after he was „done“ he disappeared, Lothric announced he wouldn’t burn, and maybe Lothric build the statue as a sign of appreciation for his former mentor?

[@tragiclittlepikachu9632]

It is.

[@alyseleem2692]

Depends on how quickly you can make yourself a pope.

[@justinhowe3878]

i would say you made a pretty convincing argument here, very cool theory

[@cyberhawk9950]

I always thought the Profane Flame was Aldia. It’s been a while since before ER came out that I last played, but I remember the items in the Profane Capital being evidence for me. Either way, nice theory.

[@garrulousgoldmask]

That's an interesting theory! The Profaned Capital definitely has some of the stronger connections to DS 2. Though I always thought the Profaned Flame was more akin to the Old Chaos under Eleum Loyce, since both are burning under frozen capitals.

[@dragonslayer3552]

​@@garrulousgoldmask I think the old chaos is simply the extended roots of the bed of chaos in izalith and the idea is that even though she is dead her roots continued to spread throughout the world and so did the demons until they were hunted all down by lorian So the profaned flame is something completely different and to this day unknown

[@dragonslayer3552]

That actually makes a lot of sense could be wrong but remember yhorm wanted the age of fire and according to the story he became a lord of cinder to extinguish the profaned flame but he failed so that makes sense right ? He wanted to extend the age of fire since Aldia didn't want the age of fire so perhaps he assumed that aldia would die from the age of fire and that he wanted the age of dark to survive but as we know that's false and therefore the profaned flame remained But as I said it could just be completely wrong

[@cyberhawk9950]

@@garrulousgoldmask Alright so looked back and found out the ‘meat’ of what I thought. TLDR; The profaned capital is Aldia’s keep. There’s magic stuff laying around (WoG, Court Sorcerer Set and staff, Logan Tome, Profaned Flame spell). There’s also the fact that the Profaned Spell requires only intelligence, something I don’t believe is seen in any other pyro spell in DS3. There’s unnatural monsters around like the Monstrosities of Sin and the Spider Corpse Women. They don’t look natural and instead look like some Aldia would make. The MoS look similar to the ogres from DS2. There’s even the Giant in the area, which was the focus of Aldia’s research. The second part relates to Aldia being the Profane Flame. It’s said that Pontiff, after leaving the painting, encountered the Profane Flame and a “burning ambition” took him. My interpretation is that he saw the Profane Flame (Aldia) and decided to strive for a third alternative besides letting the Flame live or die. This would lead to him following Aldrich, who strives for an age of the Deep (something hinted at being different from the Dark). Either way, it’s more of a headcannon to satisfy my sadness that there wasn’t as much DS2 stuff mentioned in DS3 (Even though they share similar themes). Thanks for reading and responding!

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Oh that's a lot more than I realized-I definitely have to do a deeper investigation! I guess finding Laddersmith Gilligan wasn't just a nice little Easter egg, but a prompt to be on the lookout for more DS 2 connections. Thanks for flagging!

[@JimnyThePython]

If Aldia is the scholar of the first Sinh, then who is scholar of the first Kalameet?

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Hm, well Logan has to be the scholar of the First Seath, so maybe Gough? He's fairly wise (and can pull off 360 no scopes)

[@A-Rune-bear]

Nameless is the scholar of the first midir

[@golgor321]

Apparently Lorian and Lothric were either supposed to be the same person (or having one surpass and consume other in civil war) and end up as Old King of Eclipse or just generally be typical fromsoft inheritor characters. Pity that line was scrapped, I'd love to face off with angel-barraging and butterfly-lasering "Sally".

[@garethrns]

Aldia is always with me... in my heart

[@potatoguy84]

all of this brings happiness to my heart even if we are, trully, props on the stage of life

[@acidgiraffes]

You deserve more subscribers, awesome lore video!

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Thank you so much!

[@soulstarved4116]

If you look at the statues in the Grand Archive, there are hooded figures with odd root like bodies. Possibly being a reference or is Aldia. My personal theory was Aldia being Sulyvahn mentor who then trained Lothric. With what remains Aldia actually being the Profaned Flame. But there is very little evidence, only coincidence.

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Yeah, I was on the fence about including those statues since they could be Aldia, but I don't think they're as clear-cut as the statue holding the Profaned Greatsword. Definitely fascinating though. And I actually found quite a few connections between Aldia and the Profaned Flame! So I'm planning on doing a lore video on that soon-ish.

[@BigPapaKaiser]

Age of Dorks is upon us! As the Sholar wished! :P

[@lunayre]

this is a fantastic idea, i always just passed off lord of hollows as just being kaathe at it again, trying to get men to embrace dark, but the idea that it follows on from aldias attempts to break the cycle is fascinating. i think it makes sense that the sable church would try to seize fire instead of put it out, trying to take matters into their own hands. after all, at this point kaathe and his followers have probably realised the futility of putting out the fire, as as long as the curse continues, some men will relink it even if it dies out. indeed, i think it is likely they would take inspiration from the scholar of the first sin (which i understand to be the linking of the fire to humanity) to break the cycle, considering the fact that he is the expert on the very problem they are trying to solve. also, wishful thinking, but adding to your idea if they make a dark souls 4, i would love to see the player from ds2, if the secret ending is considered canon, and where the world brought them, considering they escaped the curse. actually, now that i think of it, to posit a new theory, what if the first scholar and mentor to lothric was the player from ds2? it would make sense they are trying to pass down what aldia learned, without openly revealing who they are, as presumably the power to escape the curse comes with the crowns, so if someone took them they would be just an average hollow, explaining the secrecy. sorry if this is a bit indecipherable; i tend to talk in streams of thought! in any case, very interesting stuff once again!

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Thank you so much! I still think Aldia makes the most sense as the fire-linking skeptic, but I really like the idea of having the Bearer of the Curse show up in Dark Souls 4! There could be a lot of fascinating narrative possibilities, as well as make for an awesome boss fight.

[@spencersheahan9709]

I agree that the ursurption of fire ending works better with Aldia as it ties in quite well with his philosophy. You are the Lord of Hollows, the ubermench, the Griffith who determines and justifies man. Instead of being controlled by the cycle of light and dark you decide to control it. We all love Kaathe but Aldia represents far greater questions and ideas when it comes to the cycle of light and dark in terms of where mans role in it lies. Kaathe is a part of the cycle so it makes little sense why he would try and break it, thats Aldias domain. Not to talk bad of Kaathe of course.

[@colorgreen8728]

Aldia fighting us in ds2 likely was just a test and they didn’t die.

[@Phantom17685]

Aldia didn’t drop a soul, and kept talking after defeat. He cannot die, he has achieved immortality at the cost of pretty much everything he had.

[@carlosdario9810]

“They”?

[@colorgreen8728]

@@carlosdario9810 it’s a giant tree, no idea what it is

[@TheOptimalmax]

@@colorgreen8728 King Vendrick's brother. It's a dude, and it's not more than one being.

[@carlosdario9810]

@Juniper_Wippersnache sure buddy, whatever you like.

[@Boc_theSeamster]

I still think that it's Pontiff Sulyvahn who's the mentor but those were good arguments. It's totally possible for Sulyvahn to be a well known figure in Lothric while also mentoring prince Lothric in secret.

[@oskarszile4372]

These Dogsouls games seem pretty interesting maybe ill give them a try:)

[@vagabundorkchaosmagick-use2898]

Aldia is the best big NPC in the series, no doubt! While Solaire, Laurentius, Lucatiel, Siegward, Greirat and Patches are all fantastic, Aldia, being also a boss and one of the few NPCs that talk the talk, that walk the walk, that are in the know, is in another level entirely. Also, even if he didn't secretly teach your princelings, he might have taught young Sulyvahn! After all, Pontiff uses dark and fire to fight. Dark and fire.

[@johnfairweather7012]

I also believe that geal had had conversations with aldia leading to his obsession with escaping into the painting

[@jonathanferguson7791]

Wow, great editing (made me chuckle) I have maybe 1-2 people who's videos I really like that offer takes not commonly put forth. I really like this suggestion and it'll probably be my head cannon from now on. Great job!

[@garrulousgoldmask]

High praise indeed-thank you!

[@alyseleem2692]

Huh. A video I almost completely agree with. To start, I am a Dark Souls 2 fan, so you can call me biased, but I never understood the fandom's idea that DS2 was dead in 3. I'm sitting here thinking of the fact my home base is covered in Thrones Of Want from a dozen eras, the fact that Lothric is a wyvernslaying then wyvernriding kingdom dedicated to the linking of the fire( sound familiar?) , the references to the Crowns in Wolnir's crowns, Londor essentially being a package of references to areas like Undead Crypt and Earthen Peak, angels all over the Dreg Heap ( for those of you who are Darkdivers).. There's even a Giant tree at my door. Look at it. Look at it! I could go on. My only disagreement with the video is the final conclusion. I think you haven't covered the scope of the implications wrought by successful Usurpation. To be clear, no being in all of existence has ever had command of the Flame itself. Not even Gwyn. He simply had a bigger piece of the pie. That is because, in essence, the Flame is " God". Or at least, a manifestation of it. It's power defines the divisions between concepts, the laws and lines of existence itself. In essence, the Lord Of Hollows, by uniting the power of Light with Dark, has done what a successful angel does with their Darksign. But he has done it with the Flame. The difference is scale; in both cases, the being resulted is beyond the definition of Light, or Dark. If the Darklurker was an angel, then the Lord is now "God". If you've played Demon Souls, you may guess what I meant by that. I also do not think in terms of the Fire in terms of " letting it fade" being a graceful or moral solution. The only beings implied to be capable of surviving this process are Men, and only in their true form. You saw what happened to Artorias. If not, ask the Locust Preachers. " Fear not the Dark, my friend, and let the feast begin. " Pray tell, who's the main course? The world we know, this world of warmth and resplendence, will be gone. Our forms as humans, the Sun, the Moon, the fire you have in a hearth, all of it will be just.. Gone. It may be because I'm a pyromancer, but I agree with Aldia on one thing: That choice is a farce. Choosing between our ascension and the survival of this world is a farce. Choosing between the supposed lie and the truth is a farce, because even if I accept the truth, what kind of monarch would I be if I forced a man to accept that there is no Sun? You think the Fire needs to die because, what, it stagnated? Do you think it's water or something? Do you have a flipped version of the four elements? No. It is natural to feed fire with wood. The problem is, you need to feed it more and more wood, each time. A cycle. The Curse is separate from the Fire; the Curse is both curbed and fed by fire. Only by burning humanity can you appear " human"; that is the illusion of life. That is why, to be true to mankind, you must wear the face of a Hollow. Hollows are the true face of humankind. Undeath is our natural state. Only with Fire, can we taste life... Or death. " With Dark unshackled, a curse will be upon us." The Curse was our true nature all along. That was the revelation Vendrick and Aldia reached. Should the lie of our form, our illusion of life, be discarded, because it is a lie? Is the truth worth living by? Or should we keep the warmth of this world, not only for ourselves, but for all that yet lives? End the cycle. Be the hearth. Be the one who keeps both together. Make the lie a truth. For all of us. Free Hollowkind. Free Humankind. From the Curse.

[@garrulousgoldmask]

This is a fantastic write-up-thanks for commenting! So I actually played Dark Souls 3 before Dark Souls 2. But on a recent playthrough of DS 3, I was definitely struck by the fact that there were a lot more references/allusions to DS 2 than what seems to be the conventional wisdom (i.e. Earthen Peak and a few armor sets here and there). And that's something I'm aiming to address on my channel! That's a great point about the true power of the Usurpation of Fire. It really makes the Lord of Hollows come across as even more of a Promethean figure (actually, even more powerful). As for letting the fire fade being graceful, I got the impression that that was the mood FromSoft was trying to convey with the ending. After all, we see the Fire Keeper gently catching the fire in her hand and you hear her soft voice as the screen fades to black. So I see that ending as representing the seductive power of surrendering to non-existence, with the soft mood being deliberately misleading. As you pointed out, Fire is life, and there are so many dangers lurking in the Dark, ready to swallow us whole.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@garrulousgoldmask Thank you for such kind words. The Fire Keeper is calm, because she knows that embers will still persist, thanks to the souls of the Lords Of Cinder, from whence new flames may emerge. Flames that will challenge the Dark. Perhaps briefly. Perhaps forever. In other words, Light may return if the Fire within us is strong enough.... But what we see as hope, others see as a " feast". I may see her hope as genuine, but I do not know if it is justified. I know things that will see these Embers, these growing Flames, and see only souls to eat. I know these things,because I am one of them. I am keeping myself from ripping the Fire from her hands; from letting it's warmth hang in the back of my throat without remorse, or pity. I am ash, and I must seek embers. The Dark blankets the world in black. A thing of tranquility, a thing serene. But the Firekeeper will not surrender. Her calm is her hope expressed. To let the whispers of despair triumph would be to let the Dark win, So, let us follow her example in one thing. Let us keep hope in our bosoms. _ Speaking of, what do you know of Ash? People always say you not hollowing is merely the game speaking, but the fact you can hollow in very specific circumstances says otherwise. And yet, your health is still lessened, whenever you die. You still awaken by the bonfire, exhausted. Still drink from the Estus Flask. What's different? Do you remember Nadalia? What did it mean when she turned to Ash? What did she become, per se? Answer: A ghost. To be Ash is to be spirit bound to feeble remains. Ashen Idols, you might call them. Only, you have only one Idol, built in your image. The body you inhabit. Reformed at the bonfire, each time. Summoned by the call of the bell. Your hollowing does not manifest physically because your body is not a body. It is merely an image of you, built from ash. It is empowered with Fire, by Embers, but weakened when slain. So, why do you hollow when taking on the Dark Sigil? " Abyss sorcery is weighty and inflicts physical damage. Perhaps a human soul is closer to matter in it's humanity." To take on the Dark Sigil is to open a gate to the abyss within your flesh. To open the abyss means to take on humanity's aspect. And humanity's aspect is closer to matter in it's nature. The Sigil brings you back from Ash to Undead. From spirit to flesh. From Unkindled to Kindling. And in doing so, you once again know hollowing of the flesh. (Yep. Told you I was biased.)

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Oh that's a great take on Unkindled Ash and the Dark Sigil! From a DS 3 gameplay perspective, I'm sure FromSoft was tired of people complaining about their characters going Hollow and ruining all the time spent in character creation, but I deeply appreciate (and prefer) having an in-depth lore justification instead! And having Nadalia as a precursor seals the deal for me for your theory.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@garrulousgoldmask Thank you again! I mean, I am quite certain they meant it to have a lore justification. If it didn't, we wouldn't go Hollow at all. Our fellow players' beloved cosmetics wouldn't be touched. But no. When we get the Dark Sigils, we go Hollow. There is a Hollowing meter in our status. That must have at least some significance. As such, I dug up my memory and, wouldn't ya know it, we're not the first! It made some special sense to me that Unkindled are ghosts. Otherwise, there's little reason to consider them less than Cinder, or other Undead. But the truth is, us being Ash means that we are less...real. We're not like Chosen Undead, or the Bearer Of The Curse. Both of them were real, living people, with a past( however muddied) and a purpose. But us.... We have nothing but purpose. Almost like a gust of wind could throw you back into being an ash pile. Humbling to think of.

[@DarkCT]

@@alyseleem2692 Just here to say your write up is beyond impressive. the thoughts this franchise gives continues to stick with me, even though i was a late joiner to it all. I still to this day question what lies beyond the result of the ringed city...

[@dricdroc4985]

I mean it makes sense that there's no other item refering to the secret private mentor of the Royal Prince expect from Soul Stream. Since it is a secret, what/who else could give a hint about this relationship, except from one of the involved character

[@exherbo]

I think it's fair to assume that if Aldia managed to escape Drangleic, we as Undead managed to escape Drangleic as well, and we might've even "opened" the gate to leave it, because, a few things from Dark Souls II are in Dark Souls III, be it the Fume Knight Greatsword, which we acquire after defeating the Fume Knight, or Aldia, which as far as we know, was born in Drangleic, yet his magic is being used in DS3. Interesting to know that in some way or another, we succeeded on finding a way out, instead of succumbing to linking or not linking the flame.

[@dovhadark7108]

personally I always thought that aldia was the profaned flame my evidences for this are : - at the end of dark souls 2 he seems to merge with the player as a voice in their head - the entrance where the profaned flame is placed strangely look like the entrance to the throne of want arena, mayber a coincidence, maybe not - the profaned flame does not come from light, chaos or the abyss, but is described as dark - the profaned flame does not fade, a vital distinction that would make one wonder why nobody is interested in replicating and/or studying it, you know with all the first flame fading problem that's been going on for a while - when sulyvhan came across the profaned flame he became filled " with a dark ambition " - the first scholar ( here sulyvhan that inherited aldia disposition ) teach to the princes exactly what aldia teach us in dark souls 2 now one may ask why we don't hear aldia after we killed sulyvhan, the answer could range from the flame only carrying aldia( and possibly the bearer of the curse ) will to a new host and not their consciouness, aldia being dormant within the flame unless a specific trigger occur, to aldia will being subjugated/destroyed by sulyvhan like he did to the dancer and vordt also the possibility that time inevitably made aldia loose cognitive function, even in this form ( or maybe because of it ) leaving only brut, primal information assimilated later by sulyvhan no matter what possibility, to me it's clear that aldia and the profaned flame are connected and have something to do with each other simply because there is no better connection or character to link the profaned flame with in the whole trilogy

[@garrulousgoldmask]

I'm actually going to be doing a video on Aldia and the Profaned Flame!

[@Peeper117]

maybe it was planned for him to be in the scrapped DLC, so that's why he wasn't in DS3

[@GD0nly]

Aldia is actually my favourite Soulsborne character. "Men are props on the stage of life, and no matter how tender, how exquisite... A lie will remain a lie... Young Hollow, knowing this, do you still desire peace?" Even knowing that what you chase can never be attained, will you still go after it? Linking the fire just pushes us back slightly up the line, to a new iteration on where we were before. Dark ends the whole thing all together. Do you seek safety in what you ready know? Do you seek to end this whole thing? Or are you a TRUE MONARCH who desires something else all together?

[@AntiSpaceGhost]

Fascinating video and an interesting theory. Ill admit it never crossed my mind, but Ringed City having Earthen Peak and Undead Settlement having True Dark Souls 2 Best Waifu, Lucatiel's armor, I probably should have when I read that spell. Small criticism of the video and maybe something to consider for future efforts: The speech by Aldia at 6:45 is kind of drown out by the roaring fire sound effect or whatever it is. Beyond that, great video.

[@kadinwisniewski6928]

This isn't the first time I've heard it, but the idea that Aldia was Lothric's mentor and the reason he shirked his duties as a Lord of Cinder is one of the most compelling Dark Souls lore theories I've ever heard

[@2102082]

Would be interesting to see a Dark Souls 4 set far into a distant future that is the ending of one age and shows the beginning of a new age that basically brings back the ancient dragons and stuff. Make it a literal whole ass cycle: Age of Ancients, Age of Fire, Age of Dark

[@hyx6194]

I like how aldia, a higher being, prices us like treasure. Not like a random cursed man, left to die.

[@AsianBasement]

It certainly makes sense why so many lords refused to link the fire in Dark Souls 3, Aldia influenced them.

[@lmpure_4542]

The question we never asked but and most people don’t really care to know but all the same happy to hear more secrets

[@minespatch]

Aldia's a great character but he makes me grumpy with how many times he blows up my bearer of the curse and doesn't apologize for it. 😆

[@garrulousgoldmask]

He's the intellectual’s version of a Mimic chest!

[@andyspanks7792]

Good quality and a some solid arguments👍

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Thank you!

[@colorgreen8728]

Vendrick and aldia are some of my favorite characters

[@ProMysticloFoReal]

Everyone always says that there's nothing in ds3 from ds2 aside from "a few items". There's tons of shields and chimes, estus flask shards and bone shards, a dead npc and a living npc; I understand it may not seem like a lot in comparison to stuff from 1 but it was gameplay changes as well instead of just lore references.

[@n1lknarf]

You misunderstood the timeline. In ds2 a Cursed goes back to the past to stop nashandra from bringing the forlorn into the human world. The intro cutscene shows a Cursed opening the gates of the destroyed drangleic that reflects in the water as the not destroyed drangleic. A portal opens in the water and the Cursed jumps into the portal, which leads it to drangleic before it's destroyed, back to the past. The timeline is ds1-ds2 where nashandra won-ds3-ds2 where you defeat nashandra. The ds2 where nashandra wins we don't experience it, it was another Cursed who failed to become the true king. Ds3 is what happens when the Cursed fails in ds2, and ds2 is what happens when the Cursed fails in ds3. You misunderstood because you think you're the same Cursed and the only Cursed throughout the timeline, but you're just another one and you're always a different one, but you're the one that didn't quit. Hopefully you'll make a video about this.

[@Noizzed]

I hope Miyazaki doesn't abandon the deep and intricate metaphorical world building he used to write

[@Alex-ck4in]

My understanding about the usurpation of fire was that it was synonymous with letting the fire die: The dark soul was cursed by having a ring of fire encircling it, you're usurping that curse/claiming that power as the first lord of dark.

[@alyseleem2692]

Not quite. Usurping the Fire means exactly what it means; you take the Fire for your own use. The beings who first discovered the Flame became " Lords" and " Gods" by taking on it's aspect and power. Their race ruled over it's own age. It was an Age of magnificient wonders and relative prosperity, but alas, it's bearers, the gods, are gone. Perpetuating the Linking as a ritual is not necessary; there is a simpler way to make Flame eternal. Us. It is time for us to take on that mantle. By becoming the Lord Of Hollows, and taking on the power of the totalies of Light and Dark, you essentially become the " God" of this new world. No more Light. No more Dark. We stand beyond both.

[@vollgereat]

"dork soles" 💀

[@dr.veronica6155]

Aldia was awesome, but I follow more King Verdrick, who gives dialogue that, when taken with the context of Dark Souls 3, seems a lot like Nashandra wanted him to become Hollow Lord, and him explaining why he stopped at the last step upon recognizing what she wanted him to do. "With Fire, they say, a True King can harness the Curse. A lie, but I knew no better." "We would cast aside the prop of life, only to face greater hardship. Are you another such fool? Or something more..." This really fits the Hollow Lord ending. Some random woman shows up from nowhere and entices you to become a True Monarch by claiming more power (a term used a lot to describe what Vendrick almost became before he stopped at the last second, and the only time the phrase is mentioned in Dark Souls 3) by claiming the power of the Fire for yourself in order to harness the Curse and become Hollow Lord. This is basically exactly what happened to Vendrick. Nashandra showed up out of nowhere, enticed Vendrick to claim more strength just like Yuria does with you, and wanted him to claim the power of the Fire to become a True Monarch, like Yuria wants from you. But like Vendrick says, it's a lie, and too good to be true. Sure, *maybe* we won't be stuck in the cycle of human-to-Hollow anymore. But the idea of harnessing the Curse to ensure nothing bad comes from making everybody Hollow? A lie. And the result of casting aside our human forms for permanent Hollowing? Even greater hardship.

[@garrulousgoldmask]

That's a really great interpretation! I hadn't thought of the comparison between Nashandra and Yuria before but that definitely fits.

[@ramiromen6595]

Thanks for this video, i was of the idea that the Scholar in Lothric was Aldia and not the Pontiff. Plus the "third way" of the hollow is very Aldia-ish. Also man that statue in the library is Aldias, i mean the serpent grew wings why couldn't the guy grew a body hahaha

[@core-nix1885]

Aldia was an Archmage of Lindelt. Sulyvahn was born in a Lindelt reconstruction of the Painted World. He and the scholars merely followed Aldia's traces, including Angel and Dragon research (Thrones, themselves, are a class of Angel, as are Giants [Nephilim]). Sulyvahn's Chandlers are analogous to Seath's Channelers, but also suggestive of the candle-statue of Caitha from the Undead Crypt. Londor = Lande d'Or = Golden Land Sulyvahn studied a *Xanthous* Scholar imprisoned in Irithyll Dungeon.

[@lucyarmy8879]

Life is beautiful, it enchant us, to the point of obsession...

[@Timebomb_19]

Although I’m unsure of this theory, one small detail is that yuria’s blade is translucent, or perhaps ethereal. Similarly to the shadow hollows and forlorn created by Aldia.

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Oh, good eye!

[@alyseleem2692]

That would be Darkdrift; an heirloom of Nito, eventually passed down to Grave Warden Agadyne of the Undead Crypt. That it now lies in Yuria's hands is most curious.

[@Timebomb_19]

@@alyseleem2692 that’s true, I completely forgot it was in ds2.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@Timebomb_19 Indeed. Most people encounter Agadyne but briefly. The obvious question is: how is it here, in the hands of one of the three founders of the Sable Church?

[@kingdomcome3914]

The Soul of Cinder's Phase 2 battle not only contains Gwyn's theme, but also pieces of Aldia's theme.

[@Rottenwaifu]

"A lie, shall remain a lie" i love that quote, i used it on law school. Thank you Based Lord Aldia.

[@shadowreaper998]

4:50 ok but then again why would they have a statue of pontiff? Pontiff is a surprisingly complex boss and his influence is everywhere like the dudes been all over the land of lothric

[@giacomorinaldi8803]

That statue is a mess of repurposed cut content, that's why it shows a prince of Lothric holding Sullyvahn's sword: they were originally the same character. Pontiff aka The Eclipse King was originally supposed to be the final boss and king of lothric in the first draft of the game.

[@phantombigboss8429]

I would like to see a Dark Souls 4 someday so many questions still unanswered.

[@BlueAsterismSolstice]

I wouldn't paint it as Dark Souls 2 having little influence on Dark Souls 3. Dark Souls 2 invited many more entities and concepts to the storytelling of the series such as humanity ascending their Dark through one another and Angels too a part of this becoming as we've learned with the Pilgrims of Dark covenant in DS2, or the event of Eleum Loyce succeeding and demons losing their Chaos Flame to a land swallowed in the first certain ice magic of the series being wrought at the hands of Alsanna and her lord's knights, her home and lord no more for this child of the Abyss. In DS3, the frost magic would resurface from Sulyvahn and the mysterious tree women without referencing information, but some using pyromancy, unlike the other inhabitants of the painting. Almost as though native to these tree women who are also a tad similar to Alsanna.

[@mesamesamesa1277]

"and londow is of couwse the land of hollows >w

[@halfabar5058]

Awesome vid dude like thinking aldia had such an impact at the end of world is cool

[@DrPhantomCow]

I always thought Londor was connected to Drangleic somehow, a lot of the DS2 spells that also appear in DS3 now mention Londor. And the fact they embrace being hollow

[@Spicywtrmlon]

Eh, i don't think so.... It's mainly that ds3 devs just put dark spells in dark faction.... Like how all of the Velka spells are no longer known as Velka spells (not even getting into the fact they returned as dark miracles and not as the hexes they became in ds2)

[@darthronin808]

I believe the best ending in ds3 was end of fire because it was the most natural way to end things. Lord of hollows is cool asf but I don’t believe it should be the definitive ending.

[@karljohan2300]

just wish we got more than just a maybe mention of him in the princes story

[@NerdFiction]

Second phase cinder is intended to elude to the other ashen ones in alt universes who have linked the flame. It's why it's built like PVP, maybe aldia but probably not. Also, first scholar and scholar of the first sin are VASTLY different things so I wouldn't say that's sound either.

[@wanwinters9961]

you're bring "Arrested Development" meme into Dark Souls video presentation? masterpiece!

[@urtoryu_dy_althraidn]

Soul Stream being the same spell as Soul Geyser just for sharing the name doesn't make sense, it's completely different in function and could simply have been named in the image of an older spell. It's like saying a person is the same person as another just because they have the same name. They can be connected or one inspired by the other, but they are not the SAME spell. That said, pretty interesting theory. I never thought about Aldia's connection to the dark before, that was the main thing for me, since I found the rest of the theory to be a stretch.

[@garrulousgoldmask]

That's a fair point though for me, I saw the fact that the spells share the same name but still function differently as an example of the Ship of Theseus thought experiment.

[@urtoryu_dy_althraidn]

​@@garrulousgoldmask Here's my argument: If the spell was changed so much, the person responsible for said change would definitely take credit for it, that's just what cientists and schoolars do (Just look at the countless discoveries named after the person who made them, or even just how every written document always references all places it took information and data from). The fact that only an "original creator" of the spell is mentioned in the description very much implies that it was either never severely changed, or the "creator" is actually who modified it and took credit, not who originally made it. Do keep in mind that the Dark Souls narrator does frequently omit info or limit a narration to a specific perspective (In this case for example, it might not say the name simply because it isn't known by current day schoolars, who's perspective could be the one used in this description), it isn't always reliable. Also, a more subjective reasoning for my point would be that in the original Ship of Theseus thought experiment, the parts replaced would be implied to be similar to their predecessors, as it was a tradition. That means the ship itself would remain very similar to the original. I think that's a big difference to Soul Stream's case. This point is just my opinion though, so it isn't a valid argument like the previous one I made is, but I think it's still worth mentioning. Good point for you to have brought up though, I hadn't thought of Ship of Theseus before. And now that you mention it, I've always been more on the "It isn't the same ship" camp.

[@user-uo9yb2qx8z]

Sad bro, but you don’t make sense.

[@shnorkeythefourth4572]

It’s a shame dark souls 3 was a rehash of previous entries with the theme of “letting things die” the Ip still had a few things to offer that we’ll never truly experience. What does an actual age of dark look like? Not just the beginning or some shut off location What was the age of deep that the priests foretold? Do all souls eventually burn to nothingness, leaving only beings fueled by the dark soul/humanities? Or do the souls coalesce into an eventual new primordial flame?

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Completely agree.

[@bigdeadanimals]

yeah but the teacher of Lothric is one of premordial Serpents. We know this by the statues in the location. But good fan-theory overall. Love Aldia.

[@giacomorinaldi8803]

And we know from the statue covered in roots in the middle of the archives that the scholar was aldia. The statues likely show Frampt, who was all for linking the fire so that's why the kingdom of Lothric respected him

[@alyseleem2692]

We don't. There are statues of a king, and a priestess in a hood, and a man covered in wax holding a book( a scholar). We don't know where the serpent statues fit, but they don't represent any of the three. Whatever they are, they don't represent the scholars, who are already accounted for, and whom they do not resemble.

[@user-uo9yb2qx8z]

You’re wrong but nice try.

[@cthulhluftagn3812]

The plot of dark souls 2 always felt like it was changed last minuette to be about the fire, everything in the game has been aluding to transformation and change as a central theme. The kiln itself dosent even feature any Fire for you to link, rather a throne upon wich to mold your new self. The fact that you can find the (i cant rember the name) soul bowl thing from ds1 broken and forgotten in a basement shows that as far as the developers go the choice made in ds1 DOSENT MATTER, link the fire or dont it all ends up the same, so instead use the kiln to become something new.

[@IsolatedPixels]

@@cthulhluftagn3812 you don’t know nothing, ending in ds2 you literally are the flame in a cauldron…. It’s symbolism….. not to mention the alternative ending……

[@todd3143]

if soul stream is a spell only aldia knows/his family heirloom, then isn’t the body you find it on aldia himself/his heir?

[@garrulousgoldmask]

Well we do find it in the Archives, so at the very least, I think it could be seen as Aldia's intellectual heirs

[@cooperblackwell1392]

I dont agree that the game ignores ds2. Its just time is so strange in the third game. Did yiu know in the boreal valley a painting of nashandra is on a wall

[@zerotodona1495]

Personally after beating Sots. I believe it’s cannon we break the cycle. How? The crown and linking the fire of drangelic but also embracing our hollowness. We are a never ending battery. We are not afraid of the dark. We have our ending and we are better than the lord of cinders. All of them. It’s why our ds2 isn’t one of the lords, but why creighton is alive. It also means creighton is the cannon choice to save.

[@ToweringPepsiMan]

I would love if the director pf DS2 made DS4. Since he had to clean up the huge mess the original director of DS2 left behind.

[@NerdishGeekish]

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Aldia was the Fell God of the fire giants in Elden Ring too. He's just that much of a chad.

[@Happy_Sailor639]

Idc, Aldia and "young hollow" became immortal and having their fun experementing on the ashen one. As a proof, Aldia is like an immortal, also influence of a bearer of the curse is present in ds3, Lucatiel set says that someone told her tale, also remember that between all ds games there are a lot of time passes.

[@chompythebeast]

*7:36* lmao, great use of a scene not often referred to

[@Xikrai]

Vendrick saying "Men will take their true shape" can even elude to Bloodborne.

[@EZW_Riptide]

Even after dark souls 3 I wonder the fate of botc Are they still alive. After the end of the world.

[@Solaire_au_Frohmage]

I don't mean this in a rude way, but watching ds lore theories narrated in an UWU voice makes me unconciously smile.

[@garrulousgoldmask]

No offense taken!

[@nobody5093]

I don't think the endings really matter, as everything seems to lead back to gael's end of the world situation.