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[Ferr986]

Like in DS1, I didnt understand what the fuck is going on here.

I wonder, if the Maiden was created by the dragons, why she helps you on relinking the fire? I though dragons didnt want that, because they come from an age older than the Age of fire, and if the Age of fire keeps going the world cant get back to their old own age.
Or maybe they dont give a fuck about that....

 

[Eusis]

Like in DS1, I didnt understand what the fuck is going on here.

I wonder, if the Maiden was created by the dragons, why she helps you on relinking the fire? I though dragons didnt want that, because they come from an age older than the Age of fire, and if the Age of fire keeps going the world cant get back to their old own age.
Or maybe they dont give a fuck about that....

Probably more the latter, and she clearly was going on with her own agenda at some point. The issue before was that Gwyn, WoI, Nito, and Seath were all going on a murderous rampage that may not have even been justified, the dragons spent forever just chilling out it seems and I imagine even those that remain would have that same mentality so long as you weren't out to kill them.

The way he says it suggests he's repeating the theory and then immediately follows up saying he believes it to be utter bollocks. It's still possible, but with the Herald's dragon origins I think the opening cutscene lady is much more likely.

True, and it would be a lot cleaner to just have that one woman be the fourth fire keeper anyway.

 

[Facism]

Who is this?

Nashandra, if had to guess. Looks exactly like her human form sitting in the throne room.

The best bit is when you get close to the picture and it starts to curse you. Alludes to her not really being who she seems.

 

[Vazra]

Like in DS1, I didnt understand what the fuck is going on here.

I wonder, if the Maiden was created by the dragons, why she helps you on relinking the fire? I though dragons didnt want that, because they come from an age older than the Age of fire, and if the Age of fire keeps going the world cant get back to their old own age.
Or maybe they dont give a fuck about that....

Remember that there is a cycle but that cycle isnt 100% repetition of the previous cycle. We all know that there are people that are against the age of fire as there are the ones in for it. The Maiden seems to be created by the dragons in order to counter Nashandra's purpose which might go against their purpose of keeping balance. Also the Ancient Dragon gives you the tool to enter the Memories of Giants which is help too which makes it seem the Dragons this time are interested in keeping the flame.

The dragons of DS1 were exterminated for being against the flame and maybe these dragons might get something out of it or at least keep their kind safe by it.

 

[soontroll]

Vaatividya's DS2 lore trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQAaf7ExnyU

 

[Huw_Dawson]

There is some weird stuff going on in this game, lore wise.

You travel far to the north, at the behest of the fourth fire keeper, to the gates of the kingdom of Drangleic. Instead of finding a kingdom there, you find a door haunted by dark spirits. A massive whirlpool opens as the door does, and you throw yourself down into Things Betwixt. Yet the Chosen Undead gets to Lordran via flying a crow. (And, I should stress, can get back out to Undead Asylum via the same route, so he's not stuck there). So Drangleic isn't Lordran to me. It's something else.

Oh, and there's the whole thing of there being no firekeepers in Drangleic, which is a pretty big lore change from the first game.

 

[NeoUltima]

If it ain't Lordran, what is with the old Sun Altar in Harvest Valley? Just a different one from DS1?

 

[Ferr986]

Remember that there is a cycle but that cycle isnt 100% repetition of the previous cycle. We all know that there are people that are against the age of fire as there are the ones in for it. The Maiden seems to be created by the dragons in order to counter Nashandra's purpose which might go against their purpose of keeping balance. Also the Ancient Dragon gives you the tool to enter the Memories of Giants which is help too which makes it seem the Dragons this time are interested in keeping the flame.

The dragons of DS1 were exterminated for being against the flame and maybe these dragons might get something out of it or at least keep their kind safe by it.

Yeah I guess so.

About Nashandra, Im kind of surprised how she was smarter than Manus, seeing as how the real one acted like a monkey. If Nashandra is a remnant of Manus, there may be more of them.

Also, guess its just me but this reinforce my feeling that Kaathe wanted more harm than good. We see here how Nashandra/Manus just wanted shit going down in the world and Kathee was (suposedly) the one who fooled the Olacile people to wake him.

About the Sublime bone dust, did we get a confimation about that dust being from Gwyn, or the player in DS1? Would be cool if its the latter. (Would really liked to see more about the players action in DS1 into the lore of DS2).

 

[Noray]

Yeah I guess so.

About Nashandra, Im kind of surprised how she was smarter than Manus, seeing as how the real one acted like a monkey. If Nashandra is a remnant of Manus, there may be more of them.

About the Sublime bone dust, did we get a confimation about that dust being from Gwyn, or the player in DS1? Would be cool if its the latter. (Would really liked to see more about the players action in DS1 into the lore of DS2).

Darklurker may be another remnant of Manus. Unsure.

re: Sublime Bone Dust, it's intentionally ambiguous, since FROM probably doesn't want to prescribe a canonical ending for the players, and it doesn't matter. It's stated that if and when the flame goes out, it eventually rekindles, just as kingdoms rise and fall and rise again on the ashes of the old one. It could refer to Gwyn, or Solaire, or the player. All the same.

 

[Huw_Dawson]

Speaking of Kaathe, another question this game poses is the continuing existence of the cracked red eye orbs, without the existence of darkwraiths.

Anyway, I just reviewed the opening cinematic...

When the player arrives at the gates of Drangleic, he finds a ruin with a dead tree covered in fireflies surrounding it. There's no gate. But after they've wandered inside, the ruin wakes up and in the reflection of the ruined gate, a massive gate opens and that sets in motion the whirlpool and arriving in Things Betwixt. As in, the gates don't exist in the world the player came from, it's magical timey-wimey stuff. And it's there for the player, not for its own ends.

I think Drangleic doesn't really exist in the normal DS universe - it's a mirror world of some kind. And its purpose is to save undead from their curse via the quest they undertake. That's why its so weird and ambiguous. And also why the old woman in the beginning is all "no, how could you" when speculating that you may have heard of the kingdom - you wouldn't have, it doesn't exist in the universe the player's from.

Hell, it's possible that the player goes to Firelink or someplace else in Lordran in the opening, then is sucked into the mirror world.

 

[Facism]

I'm more inclined to believe Darklurker is related to Pinwheel because he went down just as easy for me teehee

 

[ixix]

I transcribed what Shalquoir has to say about the Old Ones for my own reference, here it is in case anybody else finds it useful:

On the Lost Sinner:
Once, people tried to round up the Undead and hide them away from the world.
They thought that imprisoning the Undead would solve the problem.
They created a towering bastille to contain them, but in the end it did no good.
The Lost Sinner lives deep within the bastille.
The fool. Trying to light the First Flame...

On the Old Iron King:
Why do people try so hard to be beautiful?
We cats are born beautiful, of course. Hee hee...
The human ego... how many ugly iron castles has it erected?
And they don't even see the folly of their ways.
But that's what makes watching humankind so delightful.
It reminds me of someone who lived long ago.
A vainglorious liar who ended up hurling himself into the flames.
Now he's Ichorous Earth, if I'm not mistaken.

On The Rotten:
You've seen that gaping hole here?
Well, there's nasty little vermin down there.
Although who you seek is even further below.
And has been down there for a very, very long time.
He's plumb Rotten by now, I'm sure! Hee hee...

On the Duke:
Men develop the most peculiar fascinations.
Sometimes their fascinations seem to take control.
Till there's very little man left. Hee hee hee...
Oh, it's like that awful traitor long ago.
He coveted what he did not have, and it drove him mad.
What a curious conundrum. Hee hee hee...
The Writhing Ruin keeps searching as we speak.
Searching for its heart's desire.

 

[NoirVisage]

Vaatividya's DS2 lore trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQAaf7ExnyU

like a certain friend of mine would say:
I shall watch this finished product in my robe, with hot cocoa and lotion within reach.

 

[SargerusBR]

I'm trying to put together the timeline of when the events in Drangleic takes place:

- Vendrick defeats the 4 Old Ones and creates the kingdom of Drangleic.

- Nashandra arrives in Drangleic and persuades Vendrick to make her his Queen and assault the Land of the Giants.

- Vendrick returns to Drangleic with the Giants ultimate "prize" and builds Drangleic Castle.

- Giants cross the sea and arrive on Drangleic, the War begins.

- At some point the Curse of the Undead begins to spread across Drangleic.

- The War ends, the Giants are defeated but the Curse is out of control.

- Vendrick's brother Aldia, begins to make experiments in order to discover the truth about the Curse. Many of them involves Dragons.

- Vendrick discovers Nashandra's plans and leaves into the Undead Crypt with his most trusted soldiers and Velstadt.

- The Lost Sinner tries to link the First Flame but it fails and it is locked away in the Lost Bastille.

- Drangleic falls to the Curse, the whole land is plagued with the Undead.

- The player arrives in Drangleic seeking a cure for the Curse.

 

[Vazra]

Yeah I guess so.

About Nashandra, Im kind of surprised how she was smarter than Manus, seeing as how the real one acted like a monkey. If Nashandra is a remnant of Manus, there may be more of them.

Also, guess its just me but this reinforce my feeling that Kaathe wanted more harm than good. We see here how Nashandra/Manus just wanted shit going down in the world and Kathee was (suposedly) the one who fooled the Olacile people to wake him.

About the Sublime bone dust, did we get a confimation about that dust being from Gwyn, or the player in DS1? Would be cool if its the latter. (Would really liked to see more about the players action in DS1 into the lore of DS2).

It actually seems most of the remnants of Manus created Nashandra there could be others but it seems most of them went into creating her. (Who knows if now the remnants from Nashandra went elsewhere to create another evil being) As you might expect Manus was full power but not be controlled. Nashandra being fragments of Manus maybe she could control better herself as her power was limited.

The Sublime Bone Dust might be the same from our DS1 character or Gwyn. The description itself says " They say these remains are the remains of a saint who casts himself into the bonfire. But we will never know for sure, for soor and ashes tell no story." Afterall if they want to leave the ending open to interpretation them not saying how it really ends can end both ways. If you were the Darklord ending those remains are from Gwyn and if you cast yourself into the fire of the bonfire those remains can be yours. I still don't find a really concrete thing that clarifies which ending is the true ending.


I have the game guide so I could probably quote anything you guys need.

 

[Cocaloch]

Like in DS1, I didnt understand what the fuck is going on here.

I wonder, if the Maiden was created by the dragons, why she helps you on relinking the fire? I though dragons didnt want that, because they come from an age older than the Age of fire, and if the Age of fire keeps going the world cant get back to their old own age.
Or maybe they dont give a fuck about that....

I think the implication is actually that she was created by the King's brother using the Dragons. I doubt the dragons ever really would have had control of her.

- Vendrick defeats the 4 Old Ones and creates the kingdom of Drangleic.

Did some item that I miss mention something about this? I don't recall hearing anything about Vendrick defeating the 4 old ones.

 

[SoraanTribal]

The game kind of lost me plotwise after the undead crypt. I get the Nashandra and Manus thing but the part with the Ancient Dragon, its apparent connection with the giants, the final revelation with the herald, the role of the Throne..I find it hard to piece together. It may be only a floating feeling, but my impression is that there are lots of elements closer to DeS this time around. The major role of giants, the advancement of soul studies, a "maiden in black" of sorts. Even the final image of the Throne kind of reminded me more of the Old One than the kiln of the first flame. I'd really need more elements to form a coherent theory, I hope the game has more info to be found, everything seems pretty vague for now.

you and me both. I still don't understand why I had to go to speak with the dragon, and why he just gave me that thing, and why I had to jump into memories to collect the old giant king souls and what the fuck...? And why does my character just "accept" fate and jumps into the throne.

Yeah, I feel the same way. I was pretty much okay for most of the game, but then after the undead crypt, things just kept happening and I had no idea what was going on. As beautiful as Dragon Aerie was, I have no idea why I went there, who that Ancient Dragon was, or why he gave me that item to go into the memories. What did collecting the giant souls have to do with the story? Was it just a gameplay mechanic for defeating Vendrick?

About the Emerald Herald... I still do not understand her purpose or what her motivations were for supposedly helping you. She was she created by the dragons themselves or some mixture of human + dragon? Her creators thought she could break the undead curse, but she really couldn't or something? Just not sure what was her goal, I guess.

I understand who/what Nashandra was, but what was the point of my character getting on the throne during the ending? What happens now? The flame was rekindled or something? As weird as it feels to say this, the DS1 ending made more sense to me. lol

 

[Ferr986]

I understand who/what Nashandra was, but what was the point of my character getting on the throne during the ending? What happens now? The flame was rekindled or something? As weird as it feels to say this, the DS1 ending made more sense to me. lol

I think that they wanted to leave the ending open (as a king, you rekindle the fire or not?), although the double ending from DS1 would do the same effect and be more satisfactory. Kinda underwhelmed by the ending too.

 

[SoraanTribal]

I think that they wanted to leave the ending open (as a king, you rekindle the fire or not?), although the double ending from DS1 would do the same effect and be more satisfactory. Kinda underwhelmed by the ending too.

I feel like Dark Souls 1 set up the ending of "kindle or not?" a lot better than Dark Souls 2. I understand why I wanted to kindle that one (to let the flame last just a little bit longer). In Dark Souls 2, that is never really in the story at all from what I could tell. I wasn't even sure why my character would want to do that in the first place unless it was for the exact same reason as in Dark Souls 1 (which is just lazy).

 

[HeelPower]

I feel like Dark Souls 1 set up the ending of "kindle or not?" a lot better than Dark Souls 2. I understand why I wanted to kindle that one (to let the flame last just a little bit longer). In Dark Souls 2, that is never really in the story at all from what I could tell. I wasn't even sure why my character would want to do that in the first place unless it was for the exact same reason as in Dark Souls 1 (which is just lazy).

The story forcefully went to be about the player becoming a king for no reason...


It was supposed to be about curing the curse but it never goes anywhere with that..

 

[Chake]

Did anyone figure out whats up with the child and the mother in opening cinematic? Also, if am not mistaken, the old women in red robes are fire keepers? Just like that tongueless woman from the first Dark Souls?

 

[The Xtortionist]

Did anyone figure out whats up with the child and the mother in opening cinematic? Also, if am not mistaken, the old women in red robes are fire keepers? Just like that tongueless woman from the first Dark Souls?

I assumed it was the player character's family that they either lost memories of or had to abandon due to the curse.

 

[hamchan]

If it ain't Lordran, what is with the old Sun Altar in Harvest Valley? Just a different one from DS1?

I think it's definitely the same land as Lordran, there's a lot in the game to imply that it is.

The land has been through so many repeated cycles of kingdoms rising and falling, with also repeated ages of fire and dark I assume, that after so many years, possibly thousands, the land has just changed.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

The Emerald Herald is this game's Frampt, which is really the only concrete piece of the story that I've been able to piece together naturally. You start the game with the goal of breaking the curse, and are told vaguely to "seek the king" and "find more powerful souls."

By the time you've done that, you've met numerous NPCs who forgot why they came to Drangleic in the first place, and I had by that point as well. I was actually really frustrated with the story in the game before I realized this; I felt like there was no direction and no clear goal. I realize now that might be intentional, which is pretty cool. Shanalotte just wants you to do her bidding.

The stuff I'm less sure about:

-Who/what are the giants? They're completely different from the DKS1 giants, both the giant humans and the monster giants. This is getting confusing.

-Who is the player character and why do you fall through what appears to be the abyss to get to Drangleic?

-Where is Things Betwixt and why is it called that?

-Where is everyone? Lordran was empty because everyone had left. A lot of characters in Drangleic talk about it as if there's still some form of society, but there really isn't.

-Why is there a chunk of broken Lordvessel in Majula's mansion basement?

-What the hell is the Throne of Want?

Stuff that I think is straight up stupid:

-Moreso that Dark Souls 1, this game really confounds the line between alive, dead, and undead. At first I thought the implication was that everyone in Drangleic got there by dying (dialogue with the Pyromancer, Cale, Creighton, the Blacksmith, and his daughter seem to hint at them all not realizing they died before getting here) but some characters can straight up die, while others are in the process of hollowing. Also there are ghosts, because, uh... hmm.

-This game relies too heavily on references to Dark Souls 1's lore, in my opinion. It really beats you over the head with the HEY THE FOUR BIG SOULS HMMM SORT OF LIKE BEFORE HUH thing, especially with the renamed souls in NG+.

-Again, the whole giants thing - there are like three different distinct groups called giants in this series now. It's not cryptic, just confusing.

 

[JerkShep]

I Did some item that I miss mention something about this? I don't recall hearing anything about Vendrick defeating the 4 old ones.

It should be in one of Chancellor Wellager's dialogues

I'm starting to buy the Drangleic= Lordran theory. The "land of the giants" could be the land where the remaining gods and the giants went after Gwyn linked the flame and things started to go to shit.

-Again, the whole giants thing - there are like three different distinct groups called giants in this series now. It's not cryptic, just confusing.

The difference between DaS giants e DaS2 giants could be explained with
- time passage: a bit weak, but I guess thousands of years, breeding with other races (?) and the use/abuse of souls/magic could explain it
- hollowing: like the undead change their appearance when they're closer to full-hollow status, maybe even the giants are affected by the curse and change accordingly
- trasformation caused by too much humanity: we've seen with the four kings and the people of oolacile (and even manus in some way) that a high concentration of humanity changes the form of the owner. The "Soul of a Giant" item even resembles DaS humanity in some way.

The third kind of "giants" (Gwyn's family and friends)..are not really giants, just people with strong souls I guess. This is just a work-in-progress theory of mine, there might be other and better explanations.

 

[isual]

It is lordran, or rather, the remnants of it with drangleic built on top of it

 

[Eusis]

Yeah I guess so.

About Nashandra, Im kind of surprised how she was smarter than Manus, seeing as how the real one acted like a monkey. If Nashandra is a remnant of Manus, there may be more of them.

Also, guess its just me but this reinforce my feeling that Kaathe wanted more harm than good. We see here how Nashandra/Manus just wanted shit going down in the world and Kathee was (suposedly) the one who fooled the Olacile people to wake him.

About the Sublime bone dust, did we get a confimation about that dust being from Gwyn, or the player in DS1? Would be cool if its the latter. (Would really liked to see more about the players action in DS1 into the lore of DS2).

I think Manus had literally gone wild - perhaps he was peaceful at first but either was brought back wrong or something was lost and he couldn't handle it, thus his humanity (Dark Soul?) going out of control and sparking a chain reaction. The game does seem to pain the Dark as likely more malevolent though, not unless Nashandra was just a power hungry ass and it's just on who uses it and how.

 

[Vazra]

It is lordran, or rather, the remnants of it with drangleic built on top of it

Also we dont know how many times the cycle went until reaching what is Drangleic now. Afterall they dont know anything about Lordran except Drangleic had many different names before.

 

[Ferr986]

About the Ancient Dragon, can we say that the one we meet is fake?

I mean, he drops just a giant soul if killed, but if you enter to the memory of dragons in the cove, you see a body of an Ancient Dragon, dead, and with the Ancient dragon soul.

I think Aldia (or someone else) may have found the body of the Acient Dragon, and tried to revive him with souls of the Giants, and use him to create the Herald.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

It is lordran, or rather, the remnants of it with drangleic built on top of it

Drangleic could have popped up immediately after Lordran, or a hundred kingdoms could have risen and fallen between the two. Who knows?

 

[Sparrowhawk]

About the Ancient Dragon, can we say that the one we meet is fake?

I mean, he drops just a giant soul if killed, but if you enter to the memory of dragons in the cove, you see a body of an Ancient Dragon, dead, and with the Ancient dragon soul.

I think Aldia (or someone else) may have found the body of the Acient Dragon, and tried to revive him with souls of the Giants, and use him to create the Herald.

There could be multiple dragons that could be referred to as being "ancient". I will admit that it is strange that he drops a Giant Soul upon death, however.

 

[Prototype]

Can finally post/read here, as I'm done with the game.


The ending was... I didn't really understand it. Why did my character sit down in what looks like a crypt and let the doors close? I thought i was supposed to do something with fire...

Where are Frampt, Kaathe and other primordial serpents? They seemed pretty eternal in DS and their lack of presence here seems strange... I mean weren't they behind all the events in the first game?

 

[Carroway]

Something that i've noticed is that you don't need to collect all the "Great Souls" to be able to enter the castle. the Herald even tells you that you are not ready to actually enter it yet (She will be standing infront of the Castle telling you that you are not strong enough and must turn around, however you can just go further if you want.

With the above comments that she might be manipulating you in some way, perhaps there is a reason for you to be able to do that. It could also just be FROM accounting for overleveling.

On a new character now, trying to do the exact opposite of what the Herald tells me to do and see if it has any signifigance (probably not) But I do wonder why From even gives the option of being able to enter (The castle) without defeating the Four Old Ones or at the very least all four of them.

 

[Ferr986]

Something that i've noticed is that you don't need to collect all the "Great Souls" to be able to enter the castle. the Herald even tells you that you are not ready to actually enter it yet.

With the above comments that she might be manipulating you in some way, perhaps there is a reason for you to be able to do that. It could also just be FROM accounting for overleveling.

On a new character now, trying to do the exact opposite of what the Herald tells me to do and see if it has any signifigance (probably not) But I do wonder why From even gives the option of being able to enter (The castle) without defeating the Four Old Ones or at the very least all four of them.

I did enter to the Castle with only 3 souls. The Herald just tells you that you're still not ready but wont stop you to enter. I assumed that you can enter because the soul of your character grew as big as an old soul one.

 

[GrandHarrier]

Nashandra is of particular interest to me because she doesn't strike me as particularly malevolent. Really, I get the impression that you are being led, purposefully on a journey, and she plays her role both as the Queen (telling you to find the King) and as the last test.

She is clearly the source of the curse, in my eyes, considering both the picture of her and her final form operate on a curse mechanic. But if that is true why did she wait so long before letting the curse overtake Drangleic?

 

[Ken]

Is there any explanation for the importance of the item she had Vendrick steal and the golems it created?

She made golems, had them build Drangleic, and then....they became doorlocks and torch holders? They can also absorb souls too I guess. Maybe they were some kind of soul vacuum for Nashandra?

 

[ElFly]

About the Ancient Dragon, can we say that the one we meet is fake?

I mean, he drops just a giant soul if killed, but if you enter to the memory of dragons in the cove, you see a body of an Ancient Dragon, dead, and with the Ancient dragon soul.

I think Aldia (or someone else) may have found the body of the Acient Dragon, and tried to revive him with souls of the Giants, and use him to create the Herald.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing the other day; the ancient dragon you meet is some Aldia experiment or something, built with the soul of a giant. The fake Ancient Dragon sends you to a dream, to discover the soul of the real Ancient Dragon.

But I think Shanalotte's story has a different meaning; the dragons created her to get revenge agains Aldia and Vendrick, since they managed to control their leader, if not kill them all, ala Seath and Gwyn.

 

[Ferr986]

Nashandra is of particular interest to me because she doesn't strike me as particularly malevolent. Really, I get the impression that you are being led, purposefully on a journey, and she plays her role both as the Queen (telling you to find the King) and as the last test.

She is clearly the source of the curse, in my eyes, considering both the picture of her and her final form operate on a curse mechanic. But if that is true why did she wait so long before letting the curse overtake Drangleic?

Isnt the curse created by the gods (Gwyn and co) so the flame will never fade, thus prolonging the age of fire forever?

I mean, the curse was already present in DS1, and Nashandra didnt not exist there (she was still Manus).

An sure shes bad, he provokes a war, she want to spread darkness all over the world, and we saw what happens when you spread the abyss in Oolacile.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing the other day; the ancient dragon you meet is some Aldia experiment or something, built with the soul of a giant. The fake Ancient Dragon sends you to a dream, to discover the soul of the real Ancient Dragon.

But I think Shanalotte's story has a different meaning; the dragons created her to get revenge agains Aldia and Vendrick, since they managed to control their leader, if not kill them all, ala Seath and Gwyn.

or maybe its all Vendricks plan. They use the power of the resurrected Ancient Dragon to create a being that will find a new king able to dethrone Nashandra.

 

[ElFly]

Isnt the curse created by the gods (Gwyn and co) so the flame will never fade, thus prolonging the age of fire forever?

I mean, the curse was already present in DS1, and Nashandra didnt not exist there (she was still Manus).

An sure shes bad, he provokes a war, she want to spread darkness all over the world, and we saw what happens when you spread the abyss in Oolacile.

What? No.

The curse started at some point after Gwyn took power, and Gwyn burned himself into the flame to keep the curse at bay.

 

[Ferr986]

What? No.

The curse started at some point after Gwyn took power, and Gwyn burned himself into the flame to keep the curse at bay.

yeah, thats true, my bad. Do we know the real origins of the curse?

 

[GrandHarrier]

See, I just don't agree that Nashandra is evil. What we know; She is a fragment of Manus, a piece of a whole. She is a human manifestation of this fragment. She arrives in Drangleic and warns of the Giants, convincing the King to wage war against them (Why?). At some point the curse breaks out (some time after she had been there). The King discovers something about Nashandra and goes into the Crypts (What did he discover and why the Crypts?)

When you see her in the Castle she advises you to find the King, likely so you find the Kings Ring (Why?) Why doesn't she try to mislead you, or stop you? She doesn't face you until the very end, at the climax of the journey, at the Throne of Want (Why then and there?).

Also, if Nashandra is a sharp of Manus, who or what else may be a shard?

 

[Ferr986]

See, I just don't agree that Nashandra is evil. What we know; She is a fragment of Manus, a piece of a whole. She is a human manifestation of this fragment. She arrives in Drangleic and warns of the Giants, convincing the King to wage war against them (Why?). At some point the curse breaks out (some time after she had been there). The King discovers something about Nashandra and goes into the Crypts (What did he discover and why the Crypts?)

When you see her in the Castle she advises you to find the King, likely so you find the Kings Ring (Why?) Why doesn't she try to mislead you, or stop you? She doesn't face you until the very end, at the climax of the journey, at the Throne of Want (Why then and there?).

Also, if Nashandra is a sharp of Manus, who or what else may be a shard?

She is not just a shard, she is all the shards fragmented.
And she didnt warn us about the giants, she convinces Vendrick to declare to attack the giants and stole "something" that she wanted (we dont know what), this creating the war between Drangleic and the giants.

This come from the official guide.

"The Queen, Nashandra, has a secret, Dark and ancient. She is the smallest piece of Manus, the Father of the Abyss. Long ago, after his defeat in the lost land of Oolaciule, he split into minuscule fragments. As the fragments recollected, they assumed a human form - Nashandra. She convinced Vendrick to cross the sea and pilfer a mighty prize from the Giants. She brought a Dark-like peace to the Kingdom of Drangleic, but eventually Vendrick realized something was amiss. He fled and refused to take part in Nashandra's plans any longer. But now she has found you, the new Heir to the Throne of Want..."

 

[SargerusBR]

Did some item that I miss mention something about this? I don't recall hearing anything about Vendrick defeating the 4 old ones.

The ghost in the main hall of Drangleic's Castle tells you that.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

To be honest I wonder how much of the lore in this series is actually written out somewhere at From and how much is just intentionally vague or blank. The entire first fire/curse creation myth the stories are built on is in and of itself kind of confusing and unexplained. I still don't really understand why, in Dark Souls, the creation of all life/the flame apparently involves a bunch of already established living characters and several armies.

 

[J-Rod]

-Where is everyone? Lordran was empty because everyone had left. A lot of characters in Drangleic talk about it as if there's still some form of society, but there really isn't.

I guess it isn't really lore, but I wonder about this as well, and for both games. The npc's seem to act as if there is more to the world, and I wonder if you are supposed to pretend there are more people and you just don't encounter them or if you are supposed to take it as being just their delusions.

Blacksmith has been hammering that shit for 50 hours. Who is giving him and these people business besides me and why give a shit about souls or any kind of currency when there aren't any goods or services for them to really buy with it? It's a fucking wasteland from the player's perspective and just them getting to and from wherever they are in the world seems unexplainable with all the monsters at every corner.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

I guess it isn't really lore, but I wonder about this as well, and for both games. The npc's seem to act as if there is more to the world, and I wonder if you are supposed to pretend there are more people and you just don't encounter them or if you are supposed to take it as being just their delusions.

Blacksmith has been hammering that shit for 50 hours. Who is giving him and these people business besides me and why give a shit about souls or any kind of currency when there aren't any goods or services for them to really buy with it? It's a fucking wasteland from the player's perspective and just them getting to and from wherever they are in the world seems unexplainable with all the monsters at every corner.

Well, in Dark Souls they at least explain pretty much everyone hopped it once they realized the asylum wasn't enough to contain the curse.

But yeah, there are some NPCs who venture around and it's like... damn how did the merchant hag get to Majula?

 

[Eusis]

I guess it isn't really lore, but I wonder about this as well, and for both games. The npc's seem to act as if there is more to the world, and I wonder if you are supposed to pretend there are more people and you just don't encounter them or if you are supposed to take it as being just their delusions.

Blacksmith has been hammering that shit for 50 hours. Who is giving him and these people business besides me and why give a shit about souls or any kind of currency when there aren't any goods or services for them to really buy with it? It's a fucking wasteland from the player's perspective and just them getting to and from wherever they are in the world seems unexplainable with all the monsters at every corner.

I just figured the business came from other players, or at least something like that with several other undead following a similar path. And they DID say time was distorted there.

Of course they usually act like you're the only one running around, but their memories are all screwed up, though meeting at least a dozen other undead WOULD give cause for some characters to go "wait, who are you again?"

Well, in Dark Souls they at least explain pretty much everyone hopped it once they realized the asylum wasn't enough to contain the curse.

But yeah, there are some NPCs who venture around and it's like... damn how did the merchant hag get to Majula?

Infinite fire bomb spam.

Or she hitched a ride on the bonfire, whichever.

 

[Steel]

Maybe the dragon fought and ate a giant?

I find it weird that the King, Queen and Velstadt are all so huge. Are they also giants or something?

Read the description for the king's ring. The king harnessed the powers of the giants, which probably made him huge.

 

[Deified Data]

So what's this about Lost Sinner lighting the First Flame, re: Shalquoir? Was that her sin?

 

[SargerusBR]

More fuel to the Drangleic = Lordran theory.