Elden Ring - A rotten family

[@ZullietheWitch]

Identity, and specifically having multiple identities, is a recurring theme across many characters in Elden Ring. The possibility that Millicent could be some substantial part of Malenia, discarded in her desperation to defeat Radahn, feels like it naturally harmonizes with other similar concepts the game explores. Malenia sacrificed more than just Caelid's wellbeing to win against the Starscourge, she ceded important parts of herself over to the Scarlet Rot, so it's nice to think one of those parts may have found its way back to her.

[@KingTigerGuy]

From my, admittedly tismic, interest and dive into the lore around Malenia, Millicent and the kindred, the first 3 lines feel like ones if you finished Millicents quest and spared her, or otherwise were on the good side of Malenia, but the next 3 feel entirely separate, and seem to refer to you being a bloody finger, maybe just after finishing Varre's quest or maybe after beating Mogh? Things like this i have no access to, so it is always very intriguing to me to see, learn and figure out what can be gleamed from these scrapped line IDs.

[@Dill9540]

I think Millicent being a part of Malenia is further supported by the fact that all of the sisters have different weapons. Millicent can preform the Waterfowl Dance, one of Malenia’s defining traits in the game. One of the sisters uses Miquella’s Halo Scythe (I think is what it’s called), which ties to Malenia’s relationship with Miquella. Those are the only two I remember and I might be grasping at straws but I think it holds some weight.

[@gerrywinzor1103]

Each of the sister has unique missing parts; I always wondered if there was some symmetry between what they are missing and Malenia's missing eyes/limbs. Their names indicate a sort of precedence as well so possibly each came from unique events. Millicent as Malenia's will to resist the rot, lost in her bloom against Radahn makes sense.

[@AscendantStoic]

My guess is that those clones of Malenia are sprouts who emerged from her body when she nuked Caelid with scarlet rot, since flowers seem to be a strong motif connected to scarlet rot it's not hard to imagine that in her desperation to use scarlet rot she accidently created growths from her own body that turned into scarlet rot buds/flowers the clones were born from, and Gowry discovered them in the aftermath of the fight and took care of them as his daughters.

[@mensarius6432]

I don't know how no KZbinr has noticed this so far (at least IIRC), but Millicent talking about "returning her will" is not an allusion to being part of Malenia, she's directly talking about returning the needle, which the player does at the end of her quest with it now coated in Millicent's "dew" (the description changes and the needle also gets lighter in color and has the red gunk cleaned off). Both her quote showing up on the final version of the description (the one about returning Malenia's will) and the tool tip being "RETURN the Unalloyed Gold Needle" confirm this. The Future Press guide also confirms this. Malenia, in flower form, hands back an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone and a different needle (the description of which is the first confirmation that there's more than one such needle) in gratitude. Cut dialogue makes her intent even more direct. In a Japanese-only cut line she literally tells you (again) to give the needle to Malenia.

[@shubniggurath6464]

One thing that makes me sad is that the cavernous area with the Putrid Tree Spirit and Millicent's sisters' fight, is directly above Malenia's arena, you can simply look down and see it. So Millicent travelled across an entire continent, fighting unspeakable horrors and encroaching scarlet rot, to perish a stone's throw away from her mother/sister/source.

[@wolfiemuse]

It’s next to it, not directly above it iirc

[@FKyoutubeSERIOUSLY]

​@@wolfiemuseYeah, the battle is in the husk of the first Haligtree attempt.

[@ShadowSlith789]

​@wolfiemuse no the last fight of the millicent quest takes place directly above malenia's boss area. You're thinking about the flower next to the grace (thought to be melania's first bloom).

[@wolfiemuse]

@@FKyoutubeSERIOUSLY which is next to the arena for Malenia roughly on the same height level or ever so slightly higher, right? I don’t have a character with access to it right now so I can’t check

[@galemisoki6320]

​@@wolfiemuse no its above, just finished the quest..im looking down at the arena from the invasion

[@gravelorddd]

using "superior bud" instead of "best friend" from now on

[@allthe1]

Now that's a superior bud 👆👆👆

[@deusexe582]

@@allthe1 blud*

[@LitlleponeyD]

Superior bound 😏

[@WeFightForKarl]

​@deusexe582 blood(borne)*

[@janvangils5560]

Ah so Malenia was hiding in that tree to not pay child-support

[@apophisstr6719]

That's a good way to put it...

[@youwotboi9288]

"Oh, is that the case?" "...Yes, you cut the arm off your own offspring" "And I'd do it again" "You're gonna pay Malenia!" "Let me be clear Tarnished, I will NEVER pay" *que music*

[@kayhaich]

That tree is full of trash. Miquella is basically a welfare officer taking his job too far.

[@Ixxlostinabox]

Seems everyone is the lands between are terrible parents. Malenia hiding from child support, Rennala addicted to the yellow egg heroin, and Radagon being a full on case of the "your mum's your dad" insult.

[@ElenaBG3]

damn taxes too high

[@samuthegoose]

The Forbidden Aeonial Orange Juice...

[@TheKosmotect]

Heh "Aeonial"

[@ShadowEclipse777]

Neon Genesis Evangelion

[@raijinoflimgrave8708]

Aeonial just sounds wrong lololol

[@jungtothehuimang]

If you drink it your organs fester

[@dsedh23]

Not so forbidden now…

[@shadowcyberdemon8776]

Milicent and her sisters remind of that of monarch butterflies in a way where they naturally knew where to go until they were mature enough to leave their birthplace. That also probably explains why the butterflies in Malenia's second phase also look like monarchs.

[@lordanonimmo7699]

In a cut content weapon for Malenia and Miquella they talked about monarch butterflies.

[@LordDragox412]

And just like butterflies, they have a very short lifespan :P

[@sevenclovers7]

THE MIGHTY MONARCH! Seriously thou that’s a interesting point, I never noticed that

[@allthe1]

​@@LordDragox412Well now I've confirmed many many times: my Tarnished are a flock of Monarch butterflies

[@ramoraid]

What would this mean for all the butterfly's we find in-game

[@Goopyish]

If I remember right: during the later part of her quest, Milicent explicitly mentions that Malenia had to abandon her pride when fighting Radahn and resort to the Scarlet Bloom. This event led to the formation of the Aeonian Swamp and the sisters. Just based off of Milicent's character arc, I'd say she represents Malenia's "dignity" that she had to discard. It's why Milicent in particular refuses to cede herself to the forces that be and she can choose to die as a person with control over her own destiny. She got to have what Malenia was denied by birth. It's ironic, that Milicent was considered superior to her sisters and groomed to be a successor of rot yet she resisted. Contradictory identities and all that.

[@Sol-ck3tp]

This is a very good explanation

[@LilFrankieT]

Very interesting. With the DLC out now, it definitely adds weight to your observation. Miquella cast aside his love which is now St Trina personified. Millicent may be the dignity personified that Malenia cast off.

[@ildathet]

@@LilFrankieT but what would her sisters be ?

[@LilFrankieT]

@@ildathetI guess that’d be up to interpretation as we know nothing much of them other than that they too were “part of Malenia”. Perhaps there’s a reason they were easily controlled by Gowry. It’s possible Malenia wanted her dignity back and the sisters were other parts she cast aside and no longer wanted. Since they essentially lost their purpose with the main body they now listen to Gowry.

[@jurillemarcchan2924]

@@LilFrankieT I'd also add that with the DLC there's lore about shamans being able to merge, and all of marika's descendants are essentially shamans themselves, hence grafting. So maybe at a certain point everyone figured out how to split themselves, like a reverse grafting?

[@Smeelio]

Her birth almost reminds me of Aphrodite, born out of sea-foam via the death of another deity, plus being associated with flowers

[@baddogkelevra1]

Technically not the death, just the castration of Uranus created Aphrodite

[@lorddervish212quinterosara6]

Chronos didn't die tho

[@vaclavsoukup7302]

@@lorddervish212quinterosara6 It was Uranos. Kronos cut off his dick and threw it into the sea. From the dick’s blood, seafoam was formed and from it, Aphrodite.

[@kurosakikun96]

​@lorddervish212quinterosara6 well she wasn't born of Chronos, she was born of Uranus's testicles, which where thrown into the ocean

[@lorddervish212quinterosara6]

Fuck you're right@@kurosakikun96 Chronus was also deposed but didn't die, do I am 50% correct xd

[@NathanTruby]

Something else to keep in mind is that since the Rot is controlled by the God of Rot, the various 'children of Malenia' might've been created by the God of Rot with what little influence it has so it could create a more willing host, since Malenia's whole story revolves around protecting her brother and resisting the call of the Rot.

[@DanielFerreira-ez8qd]

can't wait for that "Melania" I hear people talk about so much to show up in the DLC.

[@Tata-Jooma]

No I think every time Melanin takes a dump it sprouts up as a new copy of her. That's why all of them are worse, aka "shit", versions of her that a re missing limbs, eyes, etc.

[@palladiamorsdeus]

​@@DanielFerreira-ez8qdYou know what he means, don't be an ass.

[@AdaM7m7a]

I think the same. But they will not be able to replace Malenia, because they are not Empyreans.

[@MrDaimeon]

This sounds like something straight from Drakengard 3. An outer influence contained within one host creates 5 other vessels to spread its influence in the world... Yeah, that's just Zero and her sisters.

[@MegaMiquelon]

Caelid, once a beautiful land.... now is Australia

[@sewaprolo]

More like Florida.

[@georgehoward8185]

Floralia?

[@Flesh_Wizard]

Kindred of Croc

[@hitlord]

Weird way to write "Brazil".

[@killerjoke2945]

Lol, you sure were not in Detroit?

[@atoucangirl]

0:30 can we take a second to appreciate this shot please?

[@CuriousLumenwood]

Yes, you get 7 seconds to appreciate the shot

[@atoucangirl]

@@CuriousLumenwood if you pause, you can take INFINITE SECONDS HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA

[@pizzaparker1651]

The way they're posed gives me Asura's Wrath vibes.

[@bigslappy823]

No

[@canislupus3655]

I dunno, can we?

[@grantharrison1715]

Must say, you're getting alot better at creating unique shots for these videos. Always been fantastic but feels like it's getting better.

[@ZullietheWitch]

With how long the video ended up being, and how most of the shots were mainly the same handful of characters, I was definitely thinking harder about how to stage interesting scenes.

[@JohnDWJ]

@@ZullietheWitchYour instincts have become exceptional.

[@thomasgroenewegen5100]

@@ZullietheWitch I really think that that definitely payed off, I was v captivated the whole video through. My first thought that occured to me after watching was "wow that was such a beautiful video for this story"

[@radioactivecat6658]

3:16 is pretty damn creative, I’m guessing that’s a player model wearing the Malenia set and then set to the message spirit translucency, then scaled up to be more accurate to Malenias size?

[@JWest8606]

Came to say the same thing. Particularly dramatic staging for this video. Loved it.

[@TheValiantBob]

It is a shame that the whole "returning Malenia's pride" thing goes nowhere. Just makes Millicent's whole journey feel like it was for nothing, which adds a whole extra level of tragedy to the affair.

[@fingolfinofnoldor3592]

The good and the bad ending for Millicent questline foreshadows Malenia's return. We're definitely going to see where returning Malenia's pride and sense of self goes in the DLC.

[@tartopomme8946]

I always believed by "returning malenia's pride" she meant giving her back the golden needle. And in the end we return it to malenia

[@niall_sanderson]

It feels like setup for the DLC (please Miyazaki just release the damn thing already I’M BEGGING YOU)

[@PBart7]

​@@tartopomme8946I posted the same theory online. We haven't seen the last of Melania. We finished Millicents mission for her. We gave Melania's will back by the needle

[@LuciferLuckless]

It goes *somewhere*. At the end of that questline, you give Malenia the needle she broke in her fight against Radahn, that lets her stave off the influence of the Scarlet Rot, and in return she gives you an entirely different needle, capable of subduing the Frenzied Flame. If you look at the image, the needle you get back from Malenia has a completely different design to the one you gave her, which remained consistent in design all the way through getting repaired by Gowry and used by Millicent. This seems to imply some sort of gratitude on the part of Malenia, even though she is a flower at the time. It's not much, but it's something. *Edited to add flower-Malenia also gives you a somber ancient dragon stone, so I definitely think it's a case of Malenia thanking you, rather than you simply purifying the needle by stabbing the flower with it or anything like that.

[@emzel1602]

The way I see it, and an interpretation I personally like is the idea that Millicent is giving back the unalloyed gold needle. It's far more literal, but her journeying all the way to the Haligtree to essentially give back the last memento of Malenia's dearest Miquella, very much an important part of herself just seems right to me. Especially knowing that the gold needle's purpose is to halt the interference of outer gods, and though you end up using it for other purposes, that Millicent would serve as a vehicle for what would likely be Malenia's last hope, straight from her brother is certainly something.

[@sparrow_solas]

How does a needle stop outer gods?

[@FireTalon24]

@sparrow_solas It's the material the needle is made of, if I recall correctly. Unalloyed gold resists the influence of these deities.

[@kayhaich]

Well then by proxy, the player character has been infected by the three fingers and the world has been saved from the one flame by miquellas Influence and millicent also in proxy essentially.

[@sparrow_solas]

@@FireTalon24Ohhhh just like you resisted the influence of your MOM AND DAD TELLING YOU.. to TAKE a... SHOWERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@AdaM7m7a]

That's right, in Millicent's original Japanese dialogue, when she pulls out the needle, she directly tells us that she wants us to return it to Malenia because it is something that once belonged to her. And this dialogue is given in the description of the needle, implying that this is what we should do with it. And when we return the needle to the flower that remained at the site of Malenia’s death, it seems to thank us.

[@Gidrah]

The unused lines may imply that Millicent was Malenia in an early draft. Perhaps she had amnesia after her battle with Radahn and we help her become whole again with the prosthetic arm and regaining her memories. Its also interesting that following her questline is the only way to undo the frenzied flame ending.

[@Armameteus]

As an aside to your observation at 1:13, when you zoom out to the macro scale of the nature of life/death/rebirth in the Lands Between, there's a lot of recurring themes of plants and trees absorbing the dead and reincarnating them into new life from their branches. The Erdtree is the most obvious and prominent example, but the Haligtree was also apparently supposed to do this as well, what with Miquella (and many of his followers) wilfully entering cocoons in an effort to metamorphose into new, more perfect beings under its boughs, to rid themselves of their faults (Miquella's eternal youth and the Albinauric's slow disintegration/"fading" starting from the legs-up). Then there's the nature of deathblight and its propensity to form as roots and bulbs, which have direct ties to Those Who Live In Death and, indeed, appear to allow the dead to rise again in its presence, so long as there's someone nearby to spur them (the Mariners/Fia). On a related note, that seems to be the reason for Fia's desire to resurrect Godwyn, so that he might be their king and allow _all_ those dead to rise again and become Those Who Live In Death under his leadership. Where the Erdtree absorbs the dead and reincarnates them and the Haligtree seems to encourage metamorphosis from one form of life into another, Deathblight seems to allow those that die to live again in undeath. There's also the nature of the Ancestral Followers and their kin and how, when they die, their bodies undergo a kind of transformation into a spiritual form, seen most prominently with the Ancestral Spirits. Item descriptions from them use terms like "buds" when referring to body parts that they otherwise wouldn't normally have, like horns or teeth, and the Ancestral Spirit corpses around Siofra all have plants growing on them, which seems to imply a kind of gradual transition from life into something beyond life as more "buds" grow (either during life or shortly after death). Upon being consumed by plant matter, their spirits are released as they relinquish their physical forms for spiritual ones and they "live" as ghosts thereafter (kinda like Torrent seems to do, actually; the similarities between him and the Ancestral Spirits doesn't seem like a coincidence). If your theory about the Aeonia being similar is true, then it seems like the nature of Rot is to die and then be resurrected in a manner that seems to bare similarities to both Erdtree reincarnation and Haligtree metamorphosis, but in a way that may strip those born from the Rot of their previous nature in some capacity. If Malenia's invocation of the Rot during her fight with Radahn indeed stripped her of some ineffable aspects of herself - born again as her "sisters"/"daughters" in Millicent and co. - then it would suggest the nature of life/death/rebirth in the Rot is more like the scattering of seeds (or perhaps more appropriately, like spores), where the death of one can lead to the rebirth of many. As Malenia rots away, shedding aspects of herself, she "births" many new lives from her scattered essence, all their own people, with their own natures, as Millicent and her sisters are. I imagine if one's "essence" is more godly in nature, the offshoots/seeds of one's being form into creatures that more closely-resemble their originator, as Malenia and her "sisters"/"daughters" do, while lesser beings are reborn in more grotesque or inhuman forms, like the Kindred of Rot (whom may be born from the remains of normal humans, like those that died en masse during the Shattering in Caelid). Of course, this is all just speculation on my part. I could easily be barking up the wrong tree with this line of thought. Just thought it was interesting to consider.

[@ShaoShaoMienshao]

This was exceptionally well-written and a joy to read. Thank you.

[@lupin2589]

Damn really good lore summary/analysis. Definitely interesting how the game plays with the ideas of death and rebirth in so many different ways

[@eglewether5523]

Your lore, extraordinary...

[@dovakinusss]

the mark of a true theorist

[@Darkprosper]

Thy lore befits a crown.

[@hitlord]

@@Darkprosper Wrong character, but I'll take it. Kudos to all of you, gentlemen.

[@j4agrande902]

I get the intent for the pose at 1:58 but picturing the full scene with Millicent floating in the air upside down is killing me

[@gilvanmessem5335]

I always felt like Milicient was just supposed to be Malenia that we help to get back to the Haligtree after her fight against Radhan, which in my opinion would have been better and the boss more impactful, its a shame because it feels the same for Godfrey that we were supposed to meet from time to time during the game. Thats the most frustrating parts of this game, the missing opportunities.

[@ZullietheWitch]

I've had a similar thought, but I imagine they maybe decided against making their super boss that appeared in all the marketing locked behind doing Millicent's quest exactly right. The fact that there are alternate lines though implies you still could've fought a version of Malenia without Millicent's involvement even in that iteration though.

[@Dolthra]

Yeah, it definitely feels like Malenia was originally supposed to have "split" when she released the Scarlet Rot in Caelid, and Millicent was the part that contained her true soul, or however you want to word it. It's possible that it required taking the bad ending of Millicent's quest to fight Malenia, though, and perhaps that is why it shifted- so a significant boss wouldn't be blocked behind doing something most players wouldn't want to do.

[@gilvanmessem5335]

@@Dolthra In that instance it feels for me a Fromsoft fault, i dont know why they would be suddenly be scared that we miss something in their game when they know how much of completionist rats most of us are, and the quest actually feels more tidious in this version because you have to beat that one rotten root boss then fight Millicient sisters to finish her quest and it always felt like it was an anti-climatic ending.

[@gilvanmessem5335]

Especially when Malenia was over marketed for the game, i was really looking forward to meet her, but turns out we get a Malenia at home with Milicient in the end.

[@darthacez]

I actually believed that Millicent is the physical representation of Malenia’s sense of self and will to resist the rot that was split from Malenia since her first bloom in Caelid. This was the major reason why she wanted to journey to the Haligtree to return Malenia’s sense of self. And in the end she returns the needle to us but the needle contained Golden Dew containing Malenia’s sense of self and returning it to Malenia after her boss fight in her flower state. Malenia thank us for returning her sense of self by giving us Malenia’s needle and Ancient Smith Dragon Stone.

[@imnotthatmatt6524]

I love all the shots you somehow got for these, especially 2:44 and 3:10. You put a lot of care and artistry into these

[@HeevaEgo]

My favourite thing about Elden Rings NPC quests are that they truly expand the Worldbuilding of the game’s setting, with many NPC quests being a direct tangent to many of the Main characters of the game. I.e - how Nepheli’s personality and morals may parallel the clan/family of the Loux’s, with the quest showing extra depth to Godfrey’s character and morals. Or how Diallos’ story and his relationship with his Brother, Juno, also mirrors Rykards story and his relationship with Radahn - which is funny considering how intrinsically linked Diallos’ story is to the Volcano Manor, you get to learn about Rykards insecurity through Diallos’ quest. Ranni’s quest not only gives depth to her and her mothers relationship with the stars, but also includes MAJOR and subtle details regarding Maliketh and how shadows functionally work within the context of the Golden Order - as Blaidd’s character gives a lot of information on what exactly Maliketh may be growing insane over. This next example isn’t as obvious as the others, but I like to draw parallels to Radagon and Gideon - as Radagon seeks to accomplish Knowledge, as an end goal, whereas Gideon seeks to constantly gain knowledges, for there is no end to it. You can come up with a lot of fun characteristics of Radagon by extrapolating details of Gideon’s character - although, as I’ve said, this particular comparison isn’t as obvious as the others… Among many other examples, that would take too long for me to talk about, my favourite - most explicit - example of this is Millicent, and her sisters. While we do not know the personalities of the sisters, we do know Millicent. She is stated to be the Pride of Malenia, the pride of which she’d abandoned to serve Miquella. Millicent gives immense personality to Malenia’s actual boss battle, as it is inferred that Millicent is part of Malenia’s actual being - therefore, you are technically talking to Malenia throughout your journey. Millicent is my favourite quest in any Videogame purely because of how much I identify with Malenia’s character, and Millicent’s quest… I personally know someone with a missing limb, and I’ve cried many a time when going through Millicent’s quest because of how much her resolve and willpower resembles the person I know. No matter how damaged they are, they always make sure to not upset you… they hide their emotions in the face of trauma just to please you. Heartbreaking to know how selfless these people are. Since Millicent is basically a part of Malenia, it gives you good indication of how well mannered and polite Malenia was before being forced into War, and it reallyyy hits home with my relationship with this person I know

[@AdaM7m7a]

There is no evidence anywhere that Millicent is directly part of Malenia's personality, she came from her but she is not exactly her pride. What Millicent means when she says that Malenia abandoned and that she wants to return her is unnaloyed gold needle, and it's obvious at the end of the quest. But I agree with the rest of the text, how Millicent thanks the Tarnished for saving her from the scarlet rot, how she then helps him in many battles, how she resists the scarlet rot, it's all shows and reveals the story of Malenia and Miquella too. And why before? Malenia is still a well mannered and polite person until the very end, do you remember her dialogue after her defeat in bossfight?

[@Adraeth]

A lot of the visuals on this one were nothing short of magnificent. The posing and framing were amazing.

[@trazynstrinkets]

IIRC, Gowry worships / is aligned with the outer god of the rot (and sees Malenia as its herald or vessel). I don't think he wants to "corrupt" them so much as see their power become the dominant force, much like we can choose to champion Ranni's cause.

[@kylegonewild]

No he literally wants you to corrupt them. Without the strong emotional attachment and subsequent betrayal Millicent just...dies. She becomes nothing greater. Nothing of significance to Gowry. The corruption is the desired outcome to bring about the return of the rot god.

[@Xerxes8282]

This. He's disappointed that Malenia hasn't gone full rot. And so he's hoping that one of her offshoots will, enabling the God of Rot to become the central figure in the Lands Between.

[@nightscout9979]

Gowry mentions that the Kindred of Rot worship the Scarlet Rot afflicting Millicent rather than worshiping Millicent herself, so it's accurate to say that Gowry is trying to corrupt Millicent to further the Scarlet Rot outer god's goals.

[@AR-bj5et]

There’s so many cut things that could’ve been so interesting. As much of a spectacle as Malenia’s fight is and all the lore and buildup towards it, you still never feel like you have a real reason to fight her, it just happens, everyone has the same running joke that they could literally just tell her where Miquella is and everything would be fine. Radahn was perfect in that sense. Could the lines about having ‘taken everything from her’ have anything to do with Mohg and Miquella? Was there a cut quest where you were involved in the kidnapping? Who knows.

[@simonealcazar816]

I mean, outside of the gameplay reasons, you were told hunt the Demi God down and take their power to further you march to become Elden Ring. It’s basically for power. I do agree it be cool to with join sides. Outside of the…Caelid thing, it’s seems like a decent person just too trigger happy.

[@franciscoreza8295]

Some say malenia here is in some short of delirium or something, it seems like she is not thinking straight.

[@nightscout9979]

The Scarlet Rot outer god likely has control of Malenia at that point, hence why she attacks on sight and later speaks as though the rot is her weapon rather than something she despises. Malenia's coma seems to predate the Tarnished's arrival, so she couldn't have learned about their joint mission. As such, the normal Malenia would have probably thought the player character was a new asylum seeker at Elphael.

[@paracetamolgirl7820]

​@@nightscout9979Tarnished probably have been returning since shortly after the Shattering, so I'd wager she knows what they are. And as for her attitude towards the rot...I'm guessing that's down to the "will" to resist that Millicent says she lost. She's been struggling/in pain her whole life (and it still eventually kills people around her), yet she still lost Miquella despite her best efforts and feels purposeless. So I reckon she just doesn't give as much of a fuck anymore and so is willing to stop struggling against it so hard if it means the interloper ends up dead. And I'm sure that burden of resistance would be much easier will the needle...hence Millicent wanting to return it. That said, I don't think she's possessed. Tarnished rolls up into the inner sanctum (where they have no business being) armed to the teeth and covered in the blood of the Haligtree's refugees and soldiers (including Loretta). She's totally justified in beating their ass on sight.

[@HeevaEgo]

@@paracetamolgirl7820 Malenia wouldn’t have known the existence of the tarnished. We only came back after the shattering, while Malenia was still unconscious

[@Pepepper]

I'm so sorry Millicent, but that prosthesis talisman got me acting unwise.

[@AscendantStoic]

This and Ranni's quest are two the best quest lines Fromsoftware ever designed, it was really satisfying to complete them without using any guides, very engrossing and they do guide you through the quests using the dialog and the environment a lot. And my guess for the removed dialog is that maybe at some point in development Malenia was literally Millicent and we are the ones who actually rescue amnesiac Malenia and help her return to the Halieg tree only to realize she was Malenia all along hence why she addresses us as a friend (and she thinks we are there to kidnap Miquella or something), but maybe the devs thought it's too obvious (that's actually what I thought when I first met Millicent, I just thought it's Malenia but amnesiac).

[@Scorpion666665]

I really like the idea of the sisters being parts of Malenia's fragmented psyche and after finishing the quest we "put her back together" so it would have been really nice to hear that voice line

[@ultraphoenix95]

"If you happen to be present for the girl's fight with her sisters, I ask that you side with the sisters and kill Millicent. It must be done by your hand; no other. Millicent trusts you, rather deeply in fact. Sever that trust. Nurtured by betrayal, her bud will flower most vividly. When Malenia ascends to godhood, Millicent too shall be reborn. As a scarlet valkyrie." - Gowry

[@JABRIEL251]

Me: Okay....ya gonna give me a good reason to do so, Gowry? That's honestly my problem with the quest is that the game gives you no narrative reason to attack Millicent. Gowry could've given me more than "she'll bloom" as a reason to betray her oor better yet, let us ask the Sisters of Rot why doing so is a good thing.

[@NickCombs]

I believe there's more to this story. Thanks to Jack the Mimic for cluing me in on Miquella's needle. You see, it's very similar in appearance to a bewitching branch, and this would suggest that it not only staves off rot, but also manipulates the will of one using it. To further support this claim, Miquella is thought to be St. Trina, who appears to comfort people in dreams. Upon inserting the needle, Millicent immediately falls asleep and remarks on waking that her nightmares have gone. This leads straight into her describing a vague sense of destiny that she must follow. So her journey is likely the latent will of Miquella, to come to and protect him at the Haligtree.

[@Rincewindus]

I don't see the similarities to the bewitching branch at all. At best, it's similar to the Haligtree icon (which is on the bewitching branch, but also a bunch of other stuff). What it really looks like is the intertwining lines symbol you see on a ton erdtree stuff, especially the Sacred Relic Sword.

[@NickCombs]

@@Rincewindus Sure we can have a discussion about it. But first, stick yourself with this needle-shaped branch if you please.

[@Rincewindus]

@@NickCombs This is a youtube video, I don't think I need you permission to post a reply.

[@NickCombs]

@@Rincewindus That's just a little joke. Not gatekeeping you bud

[@ramoraid]

@@Rincewindus The bottom of the bewithcing branch has a very similar design to the needle and it comes from the fevor's cookbooks, "A record of crafting techniques left by a man who was utterly captivated by St. Trina. He continued the search for her in his slumber." We know miquella created the unalloyed needle and he is closely related to st. trina.

[@champagnesupernova1839]

decay exists as an extant form of life.

[@m.ubaidaadam]

I hope Millicent and Melania return in the dlc since it’s centred around death and Miquella they could return as NPCs maybe?

[@Greywander87]

You know what would be sick? If the DLC largely takes place in the spirit world, then it's possible that dead NPCs/bosses could show up there. So, for example, if an NPC is dead then it might cause that NPC to appear in the spirit world with a new quest for you, depending on how they died. Dead bosses might become friendly NPCs, or you might get to fight a harder version of them, e.g. Radahn in his prime.

[@fourdayz1414]

@@Greywander87 this is what i hoped for in the dlc along with meeting other tarnished and heros that some descriptions only hinted at

[@h0fmeister420]

@@fourdayz1414 like malenia's teacher, id love to fight the guy that birthed the waterfowl dance move

[@fourdayz1414]

@@h0fmeister420 i’d also love to fight whatever might’ve killed Horax Loux and decapitated Serosh out in the badlands (assuming it wasn’t a whole ass army that overwhelmed him)

[@demyx0067]

Melania Trump?

[@SRFriso94]

I've always found it strange that Millicent is not an NPC summon for Malenia, given how closely the two are linked, similar to Siegward and Yhorm in DS3, or even Jerren and Radahn in Elden Ring. Millicent even ends her quest in the Haligtree, inches from Malenia's bossroom. My guess is that the reason for this is the mechanics of the Malenia fight, she heals on hit, so having an NPC there would just mean infinite healing for the boss.

[@sluttyMapleSyrup]

Don't forget Gael in the Painted World of Ariandel; he seems to be closely related to Sable Sister Elfriede and is a summon for her boss fight underneath the Church of Ariandel, and is the entire reason we can even reach the Painted World.

[@axis8396]

This is probably the most likely reason: she either dies to waterfowl and heals Malenia a ton or her ai is cracked and dodges it perfectly every time, both are not good solutions and making it inconsistent as an in-between wouldn't feel good for players either because it would just feel like rng so they prolly felt it better to just kill her

[@123123boobies]

​@@axis8396id be fine with millicent having cracked ai. She is either a part of or directly related to her so it would make sense.

[@ZeeboonInc]

@@axis8396 The best thing would've been to instead scrap both waterfowl and her healing and make malenia into an actually decently designed boss in the process

[@British_Rogue]

​@@ZeeboonIncShe's the best boss.

[@kamuymamushi5877]

In my first playthrough I though Millicent was actually Malenia who lost her memories after her stand off with Radahn. The quest of retracing her memory ultimately lead to the Final Battle in the Haligtree where she finally returned to her former self But then I found Finlay's Ash, and the whole Millicent quest itself turned out very differently 😅

[@martonszentkiralyi2251]

If I recall it right according to cut content there was a blade and runes or abundance and decay, Malenia could represent some sort of virility/abundance since she is life, corrupted or not. Like a tree that produces inedible, rotten fruit and still grows against odds, spreading its vile seeds. Its reasonable to believe Miquella can't have an offspring or creation in any way, he is pure, but embodies decay, like a healthy,strong tree that never blossoms or bears fruit. Maybe if they would be grafted into eachother they would break free of their curses

[@megamilkxl3414]

Fresh Zullie vid = better day

[@Blasphemousa]

a sweething fresh and pure" lol

[@zach7]

So Milicent has become one of my favorite characters in the game because of just my own random explorations. I like many others, wanted to do the Ranni ending, So I had been doing that questline, however, I rarely looked up guides online because I felt that soured the experience. I only did so when I was stuck. Because of this, I eventually wandered into the 3 fingers, and after reading player messages on the ground telling me to disrobe, I did just to see what was on the other side. It wasn't until hours later that I eventually learned it would lock me into the frenzied ending. So I did look up Millicent's quest once I realized there was one way out of having this locked in, so it was one of the few times I felt a need to follow a guide more directly, so I felt a little on rails however, It let me do a lot of backtracking and required me to fully explore what elden ring had to offer. This meant I had to not just do millicent's quest, but I had to do the haligtree, I had to fight Malenia, it meant I had to fight Placidusax, , after finishing Millicent's quest, it made me want to go kill mogh for what he did more than just to kill another boss. It made everything feel like I *had* to do this to get what I considered the ideal ending for my first playthrough. After seeing how gowry and millicent's sisters wanted to kill her after fostering her just to use her to bloom, having her die on her own accord rather than be used it cemented a feeling in me. I saw how Melina wanted life to continue somehow, not all eradicated and reduced to nothing, I understood the frenzy as I saw it was a mercy killing of a world, but I couldn't let that happen, I needed something new to be there. I couldn't let all this effort from my play time and the characters go to waste. For some reason, Melina never confronted me about holding onto the frenzied flame, as I found out that she would threaten to leave if you did, but I never had that conversation, maybe a bug, maybe I missed dialogue, but It felt appropriate because I put the effort into reversing it. It made the game for me to be frank. I had some friends give up on the millicent questline but they weren't frenzied and didn't feel the need to see it through, so it's hard to get that feeling across. It felt impactful to me at the least looking back the cumulative effort was suffering, it was difficult, but it was memorable and it makes me feel like I did the best I could as a character in that world.

[@bri-notthecheese]

I truly believed for a good chunk of Millicent's quest that she was Malenia and we had to do her quest in order to get/unlock the boss fight. I realized with how big Malenia was marketed that maybe that wasn't possible, but once you pick up the prosthetic arm, I was hyped beyond belief and slid right back into believing that somehow it would be like a Sif situation where she remembers who she is and what she has to do and now she has to fight us etc etc. I loved Millicent and was admittedly disappointed that her quest didn't play out like the spectacle I had been imagining for hours upon hours at that point, but it's nice to see there could have been more to it at one point. She was one of my absolute favorite NPCs in the game

[@IDECIDETHETRUTH]

Another banger from Zullie, no surprise there.

[@malicious-fisheeves]

great video. Millicent is one of my fav npcs in elden ring, and her story of taking hold of her personal autonomy even at the cost of her life really struck a cord (and is why despite how much a pain in the ass the sisters can be, i will suffer the gank fight for milli). I find her connection with Malenia very interesting and this is a unique take on the whole deal i really appreciate

[@BillyBob-cx5vi]

This story bears some similarity to the various queens from ds2, who are parts of manus which split apart and were scattered by his defeat at the hands of the chosen undead in ds1.

[@CPU3pt14159]

The effort you go through to pose models for the stills you show is greatly appreciated. Each one has great composition and they really add to the text.

[@jasv49]

At this point I feel like Elden Ring might be the first game where the amount of cut content is greater than the amount of content left in the final game

[@oshkoshbjosh]

"If I am to flower into something other than myself, I would rather rot into nothingness as I am." - Millicent

[@Aelesis]

While the insights and information in this video are at your usual gold standard, I feel like the visual accompaniment has really stepped up this time! So many beautiful compositions!

[@Aelesis]

Also, it had never occurred to me that the Aeonia could be a singular entity, nor had I realised how it towers alone over the swamp -- but now I see that it could be Malenia's own counterpart to Miquella's Haligtree

[@wanderingbufoon]

Millicent: "Dearest Companion" Rusty: "Hey, Buddy"

[@loveisinportant5570]

I never thought I'd come to enjoy videos being presented in text rather than speech quite as much as I do yours. You have a way of telling stories which is really compelling and at the same time educational about the game.

[@verar2247]

Millicent and sisters of rot reminds me a lot about Zero and her sisters in Drakengard 3

[@snowyowl235]

It feels like that old suspicion that the Malenia and Miquella's plot lines were supposed to be way longer. Maybe that's what will arrive in the DLC, who knows?

[@lefteron6804]

Am I the only one that feels tha, despite how unbelievable amazing Elden Ring is, the more we look into cut contnet, it feels like we were robbed of the best game of all times? So much more dept for characters, a deeper relation with the player and characters.

[@LarusFotia]

Reminds me of Sif recognising your scent if you saved her in the past. Sometimes I wonder what transpired behind the scene that they ultimately decided against putting the alternate Malenia lines in.

[@123123boobies]

Sif is a girl? I never knew that

[@LarusFotia]

@@123123boobies Well, it's never confirmed, but the name "Sif" is the name of a Nordic giant, also Thor's wife, so I always thought Sif was a girl.

[@chucklebutt4470]

Behind the scenes? Crunch time to ship the game because it had already been massively delayed.

[@JaggedMastermind]

Sif is male, or at least non-specified. It's purely fans *choosing* to believe in a female identity and repeating it ad nauseam until it simply becomes accepted by others. The only argument I've ever heard has been "wHeRe'S tHe BaLlS?" Are you really so dense as to believe From could/would have big wolf balls flopping in your face, mid-fight? There's nothing at all to indicate Sif is female. It's purely a subsection of the community that clings to it. Prove me wrong

[@HeevaEgo]

@@chucklebutt4470 “massively delayed” *one month*

[@margohughes7074]

Ever since Shadow of the Erdtree came out I’ve have a theory about what Millicent is rattling around in the back of my head. Miquella, to become a god, rids aspects of himself from the metaphorical to the physical. So what if Melania unintentionally did the same? When she bloomed in the fight with radahn, she shed herself of her pride, her dignity, to do what needs to be done. What if she shedded more of herself than she realized? Those aspects of herself become fully separated from her being and given form as Millicent and her sisters. It’s just a theory that probably has a lot of holes in it, BUT it would explain why she was able to (albeit briefly) become a goddess of rot for her second phase. Perhaps since it’s a manifestation of an already existing God it was easier for her to ascend to godhood!

[@CPU9incarnate]

The cut lines are because in an older draft of the story, Millicent was just an amnesiac Malenia.

[@kylegonewild]

Is that confirmed by anyone or just speculated?

[@simonealcazar816]

@@kylegonewild Its speculation

[@CPU9incarnate]

@@simonealcazar816 It's the only plausible explanation

[@mrmacju1530]

"If I am to flower into something other than myself, I would rather rot away into nothingness as I am."

[@Suntoria236]

That’s the best/most believable explanation, theory or not, for the cut Malenia dialogue I’ve seen 😮

[@Unclaimed_Username]

Man...we were THIS close to giving Malenia an actual personality and reason for the player to give a fuck.

[@TheSilly6403]

Your cinematography keeps getting better and better, I love it

[@oldcowbb]

through out my blind play through i thought Millicent would be revealed as Malenia who lost her memory after nuking Radahn

[@RichardHardslab]

I wonder at the possibility that Millicent's original story was that she *was* Malenia, and you help her get home only to find Miquella is missing

[@iateabagelonce]

Love this video. I absolutely love Millicent as a character, she and her story are so cool. Thank you!

[@enricomarelli2022]

What if Millicent TURNED into Malenia at the end of her questline, in some previous version? That would have been awesome.

[@LilithsVeil]

The animation in Malenia's 2nd phase where the Water Fowl Dance generates "clones" or "copies" of her, seems like it may also play in with Millicent and her sisters. Rot is all about rebirth, so it somehow makes sense that almost dying, (the same way the Erdtree released seedlings when it "died"), Malenia's Rot propigates and buds of Scarlet Aeonia birth new little goddesses.

[@viralengine908]

The Tarnished Archaeologist covers this theory in great detail. His Erdtree birthing ritual video is also really good.

[@emberkley6135]

This makes me so happy to see. I've been theorizing for a while now that Millicent is simply an aspect of Malenia...it felt so fitting given Millicent's dialogue regarding Malenia, and I always felt that Millicent returning to Malenia was symbolic for bringing Malenia's strength of will back to her.

[@skinvestor9168]

Milicent and her sisters give me Drakengard 3 Intoners vibe :o

[@major5536]

Was thinking that as well. Zero's prosthetic arm and everything.

[@MadMadNomad]

Glad I'm not the only one! Sisters, somehow split off from an original, infected with an apocalyptic plague that manifests by turning into flowers? Could be a coincidence, but it's certainly not impossible that someone at Fromsoft is familiar with Yoko Taro's stuff. Or they could both be referencing some older story featuring similar ideas.

[@spudbudmorgan]

The use of models for storytelling along with the video was well done. Seeing malenias shade version in front of millicent was potent

[@indeedidosir]

I wonder what the relation between millicent and gowry actually was. I like to think that gowry is some aspect of the outer god of rot, which is why he begs you to kill millicent so that she can ascend as a scarlet valkyrie. But millicent never mentions him at all during her questline, which makes me think she might not have even known him-he might have found her in the swamp, discarded her, and then simply waited for someone else to come along and do his dirty work.

[@heckingbamboozled8097]

Pretty sure he's just one of the Kindred. He sells the pest threads spell, and sits very oddly for a totally normal human

[@lharsay]

The scarlet rot eroded Millicent's memories about Gowry according to him.

[@deathfuzz]

@@heckingbamboozled8097 at a certain point in his questline, if you hit him enough he drops the disguise and fights you as a kindred.

[@kurenian]

The editing and juxtaposition is top notch here.

[@realkingofantarctica]

Malenia's children must have come from heaven, because Millicent is an angel. Gowry knew what was up, she really is a babe.

[@sugarycricket]

Beautifully put together, Millicent's story was so moving to me, its nice to see people do her character justice

[@Halibut878]

Who goes down to a festering swamp to find babes? Gowry is weird

[@efaristi9737]

1:16 "While this seems odd" We're talking about gods and demi-gods, odd is the normal to them.

[@k_o_o_l_a_i_d]

Common Zullie W

[@jonlava173]

I had wondered who was interested in Malenia’s rotussy enough to sire children. Millecent and her sisters being supernaturally formed from the primordial rot ooze, Millicent being an Empyrean, or a cast off part of Malenia’s body are really intriguing theories. This was a good forensic episode.

[@samuthegoose]

"Gowry found them there as babes" 💀

[@ZullietheWitch]

His words.

[@Sleepy_Kitsune]

i mean, babes in old english is just multiple babies, so it makes sense

[@KopruluRuler]

I always thought Millicent and the others were born from the blood Malenia lost in her battle against Radahn, similar to the little erdtrees that sprout from our tarnished's death spot. IMO goes to show nobody is human or at least aren't born the normal way. Excelent video btw, hopefully the dlc and updates will continue Millies quest

[@nightscout9979]

Those branches might represent the Erdtree's roots trying to grow toward the scattered runes swirling in the air, rather than being the runes themselves.

[@mosgon]

The visuals in this one are truly stunning. Amazing work as always Zullie!

[@swapertxking]

I never have nor probably will play elden ring, but the lore vids are addicting and I can’t stop watching.

[@johnsandfort8908]

I love the idea of Millicent being an offshoot of Malenia, in keeping with the arboreal theme. The reverse of a grafting; a cutting, snipped off the main plant and replanted to live independently. Or maybe a spore.

[@TheJackal917]

I like how music from Demon's Souls fits the mood of Elden Ring and videos on this channel.

[@Andres33AU]

Millicent is the best, most tragic From Soft character since Lucatiel IMO. I love this content!

[@baval5]

I always felt like at one point Millicent was supposed to be Malenia with amnesia, and we would restore her before fighting her.

[@michaelmannix1604]

You ever think about how similar Millicent and Melina are as characters? I mean, besides wearing the same style of dress and their names. Both are amnesiacs in search of their destiny/purpose, which leads them to the great trees housing their "mothers..." Also, another fun observation: the astrolabe near the Church of the Plague overlooking Radahn's arena is pointing precisely in the direction of the Valkyrie's Prosthesis all the way in the Shaded Castle. Talk about fate written in the stars.

[@darthacez]

I actually believed that Millicent is the physical representation of Malenia’s sense of self, her pride and will to resist the rot that was split from Malenia since her first bloom in Caelid. This was the major reason why she wanted to journey to the Haligtree to return Malenia’s sense of self. And in the end she returns the needle to us but the needle contained Golden Dew containing Malenia’s sense of self and returning it to Malenia after her boss fight in her flower state. Malenia thank us for returning her sense of self by giving us Malenia’s needle and Ancient Smith Dragon Stone

[@TheHonoredMadman]

Rotten Heavenly Sword is probably my favorite NPC. Shes kinda like the Lucatiel of this game in that she journeys with you and has such a tragic story

[@PolygonAlley]

When I played the game I assumed they were the same person, and I'd brought her to the boss room to fight.

[@alliesangalli1757]

I wonder if it's really possible that Millicent is an Empyrean. The Scarlet Aeonia says that Malenia wouldn't become a true goddess until it bloomed three times. If Millicent and her sisters were born in the Swamp, that was only the first bloom, so Malenia wasn't a true god yet.

[@twilight4life100]

Malenia's whole storyline seems like a Drakengard 3 reference to me. 5 sisters spawned from their eldest as a means to destroy the world when the original resists and the prosthetic + giant flower theming all seem a bit too specific to be a coincidence.

[@syvius7468]

I love the demons Souls Ost which you are using. Great Video as always!

[@lordmado3918]

Zullie i just wanted to say thank you for all your dedication to the Souls Franchise and Datamining iIreally enjoyed your videos and still enjoy them from time to time. Keep on the good work in my mind youre on of the KZbinrs we have but dont deserve. Bless your body and soul and stay both sound and healthy. English is not my first language but i hope i could have declared the things as i feel them. I have respect for your work and thank you for sharing it in this awesome formate.

[@evelynlamoy8483]

"this week we ask the very important lore question: where do baby come from?"

[@UnclePunchalot]

After DLC this theory sounds highly plausible. I guess before becoming a god, Empyreans get rid of interfering aspects (Marika->Radagon, Miquella->St.Trina, Malenia ->Millicent&sisters).

[@xrz3000]

i agree but not with Radagon, since he was his strong and not ill like the other two, and has his own personality independent of Marika, as a golden order loyalist, even chosen by the fingers to subdue Marika after she shattered the elden ring. basically he wasn't an aspect of her.

[@brothel_exe]

After playing Skyrim for so long and reading so much about the lore, I thought I couldn't find a more dysfunctional family than the Daedra. Then I started playing Elden Ring.

[@lilbuddy324]

Your videos are amazing. I love the music. Every video is just so calming. Like I’m in some Elden ring lore museum in 1997

[@wealthybone2990]

A rotten family I'm fine with but love the demon souls music, probably one of my favorite character creation music.

[@joshwhite557]

Its interesting to look at it from a nature standpoint as well. Malenia is a flower and her "children" are the seeds she spread when she bloomed against radahn.

[@fall5923]

"Just eat the freaking boluses!" -my tarnished probably

[@connybengtsson9304]

This was sick, thanks for creating the unique scenes for this video, they are really cool

[@JohnDWJ]

One of the best NPC quests in the game. I wish they had kept in some of this. The idea of having a choice to fight Malenia (outside of just not approaching her) always seemed so cool and correct to the lore. On a side note, I always get chills around the enormous unbloomed flower buds around Caelid. I wonder if others like Millicent will spring forth from them?

[@Ziggy9000]

I think it's like how some plants sprout clones of themselves directly from their roots.

[@TKM20XX]

During my first playthrough I thought Milicent was an amnesiac Melania. Watching the original reveal trailer and reading pre release preview certainly gave me that impression. Especially with finding the same kind of prosthetics arm, Milicent feeling a connection to Melania, reports of Melania going missing. I really thought completing her quest line would lead to Melania's hidden super boss fight. Though what we got was still awesome.