Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-173.26.140.146-20150224231900

Be prepared for a long winded explanation:

Dark Souls 2 Explained:

Let us suppose that Vendrick was just another in a long line of men who sought to gain power and/or end the curse. We have been shown obvious signs that the kingdoms within the DLC’s all represent potential monarchs who were never able to light the flame due to their own dealings with the daughters of Manus. These potential monarchs were obviously powerful in some regard, otherwise the daughters of Manus would have had no reason to seek them out. Also, king Vendrick is an example of one of these monarchs and he was obviously very powerful to have defeated the four Old Ones.



Now for some background story: regardless of your choice in Dark Souls 1, the cycle will continue leading us up to this point. Whether or not the flame has been relit multiple times is unsure. Also, whether or not the past kingdoms we have visited existed during a time of darkness or not is also unsure. However one piece of evidence remains: the daughters of Manus. If Manus’s kin sought out potential lighters of the flame, their goal would have probably been to forestall the age of light. So we can safely assume that if these monarchs were going to light the flame, they were promptly stopped before having the power, the knowledge or the chance to do so. Whether this means that an age of darkness was occurring or did occur is hard to know but is also irrelevant. All that matters is that we were led to the age of light where we now sit with Vendrick.



Vendrick probably happened upon the land in which he resides at some point and probably saw multiple regions which were either loosely associated or were wiped out by the time he arrived. Either way, he conquered the four Old Ones and probably either united these regions for a time or simply built his kingdom upon their ruins. In either case he and his brother Aldia set out building a new kingdom. At some point Nashandra arrives and warns the kings of the giants that live in a far off land.



Nashandra already knows that Vendrick, being a powerful monarch, will need to light the flame. First he will need more power though. This leads us back to the giants. These giants turn into archtrees whenever they die which is an interesting fact. This relates them to the land of Lordran since this is the only place thus far where we have seen archtrees. The developers would have known this and might have intended to make this connection. If that is the case, then Vendrick was indeed led to the land of Lordran. Why the archtrees would become giants and vice versa is something I have no idea about, but regardless Vendrick went to this land assumed to be Lordran and brought back a prize.



This prize was probably the Lord Vessel, which would have been the only item that could have informed Aldia and Vendrick of how to imbue objects with the power of souls. Vendrick probably also killed a Giant Lord and brought back many giant souls giving him more power which is what Nashandra would want. Now at this point let us assume Vendrick and Aldia come home victorious, build golems of rock and use their knowledge from the Lord Vessel to animate them. I read somewhere that a Soul Vessel could possibly be the heart of these machines. Let us assume this is the case. Using these machines, he builds a castle in honor of Nashandra. However during their research with the Lord Vessel, Aldia and Vendrick discover what its real purpose was and they slowly see that the curse is already taking hold in Drangleic.



In a desperate attempt to stop the curse they research everything about souls. They eventually find an old Ancient Dragon and begin using his scales to engineer more dragons in the hope of finding a way to create another Ancient Dragon and in doing so uncover the secrets of immortality. At this point, I think Vendrick sends his men out even further to uncover the secrets of the other kingdoms. The markings near the petrified egg are surprisingly similar to the markings we find in Shulva, making me think that the egg was recovered from there for research or, more likely, the egg was laid by the faux Ancient Dragon (made through giant soul experimentation). This egg was put into a shrine probably to mark the folly of men who would try to break the cycle and tamper with dragons.



Soon though, a new Giant Lord had risen through the ranks and had commanded the giants to cross the seas and destroy Drangleic. Vendrick conquered them and most likely used the giants’ bodies for experimentation purposes.



Regardless of these things, Vendrick eventually realizes that the only way to stop the curse it to light the flame. So he sets about possibly building the Throne of Want to emulate the Kiln of the First Flame or, more likely, he discovers the throne of want and realizes its purpose. I take it that it is the latter because there are already ashes in the Throne of Want, meaning that this has occurred before. This would also explain why Nashandra would be so excited about going to Drangleic. She may have already known it was there and knew someone would attempt to light the flame there.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Vendrick’s relationship with his brother was very strained at this point because of his brother’s obsession with souls and the undead. So he parted ways with him. Also at this time Vendrick probably began to realize that Nashandra was a daughter of Manus and is only there to destroy him and take his power. The game says that to sit upon the Throne of Want is to see whatever one wants to see. I don’t think this is the power of creation. I think this is the dichotomy of extending the age of light or allowing it to slip into darkness. Nashandra was simply there to keep this from occurring. Her intention was probably not to sit the throne, but to destroy it, for it represented the extension of the age of light. Once she had killed Vendrick and taken his power, the throne could have then been destroyed and she could have become the new Dark Lord. An upset Vendrick, having lost his brother, having realized the pointlessness of choosing light or dark and now having to face fighting his wife smashed the Lord Vessel in the bottom of his old mansion, wishing he had never tried to learn what any of it meant.

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<p class="MsoNormal">All the while, Aldia had somehow transformed himself into an otherworldly beast. How this occurred is irrelevant because we know he is not the Ancient Dragon now and we also know that the Ancient Dragon was a fake. They probably used the faux Ancient Dragon’s body to lay an egg and then attempted to place the Ancient Dragon soul within and it did not work. This explains why the real Ancient Dragon’s body is somewhat discarded and decaying in Brightstone Cove Tseldora and you only find his soul within his memory.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Vendrick ensconced to his underground graveyard and removed his soul in the hopes that someone greater would come and defeat Nashandra so that he would not have to. This could have been because he felt defeated by his wife because of his human love and wished to hollow away so that maybe he would forget. Or maybe he would simply lose his mind and not have to worry about it. He also did not know which route to take considering no matter what he did, there would be a price to pay. He wished that he could simply exit the cycle. Maybe this was his attempt to do so by not choosing.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Probably over time as he hollowed the souls he had simply left him, for he no longer wished to be powerful. These souls would have had the souls of the four Old Ones therein and probably made their way into the current forms we see now. He may have also purposefully released them, hoping someone else would fight them and prove themselves worthy, seeing as though that is a common theme.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Aldia, seeing all of this occur, knew that one day somebody would step up to the plate, so he had the Emerald Herald, which he would have created long ago, guide the wanderers that came about Drangleic. He probably also left the Ancient Dragon with the ability to peer into souls, as a gift to those who could make it that far. Those who would wish to sit upon the throne of want would require this in order to defeat the Giants and earn the right to command the golems. I’m assuming the golems in the Throne of Want are run by Giant Souls and will only respond to those who have bested their Lord.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Enter the player. As you are led through this strange and winding story, you come upon the realization that no choice is good. You defeat the other kings and gain their crowns, which hold within them the remnants of their power. With each king defeated, you take the crowns to the old Vendrick who still had power and probably still had the ability himself to peer into souls. This means that he reawakened each great king’s power, and as it has been pointed out throughout both games, more power equals more flame. You were able to defeat all of the potential would-be flame lighters and were able to take their power with you. In a sense, you have a great flame within you and are given enough power to individually exit the cycle. You defeat Nashandra who wished to do the same to you as she would have to Vendrick. Afterward, you fight Aldia probably because Aldia wished to prove to himself that you truly are the most powerful warrior among all who had come before.

<p class="MsoNormal">Why would Aldia’s fight with you represent the above? Simply put, lots of things in this game were put in your way to test you. Many wished to see you succeed not by the virtue of your character but by your power and with each victory you did indeed grow more powerful. However, you have gained enough power to where you are almost godlike now. You are almost no longer human and thus Gwynn’s linking the flame to humanity no longer applies to you. You have truly bested all that was before you and saw the ruins of all those who had tried to do the same. So if you take the other ending, meaning you don’t squander your power by lighting the flame or simply sitting upon the throne and waiting for the age of darkness to come, you are choosing to set out on your own path to find a better way. The cycle no longer applies to you, so maybe you could find a better way to fix this. Also, the truth of the matter is, you came to this place seeking a cure having heard of its existence in Drangleic. In a roundabout way, you have found one. But what does this “cure” mean for the future of the world you inhabit?

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<p class="MsoNormal">What do you guys think? Any holes in this theory that need pointing out? Let me know! <ac_metadata title="My Own Highly Speculative Take on the DS2 Story (Spoilers)"> </ac_metadata>