First Flame

The First Flame is the mysterious fire that is the original source of all souls, and what began the Age of Fire.

Age of Ancients
At the dawn of days, the world was unformed, a land of grey crags, arch tress, and Everlasting Dragons. Then, at some unknown point in time, the First Flame sprang into existence. The flame brought disparity to the world. Before, there had been neither light nor dark, life nor death. But the with the coming of the First Flame, this would all change.

Humanoid beings came to huddle around the flames, and eventually, four of them found four great souls in the flame that transformed them. These four became Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight, Witch of Izalith, Gravelord Nito and the Furtive Pygmy. They waged war on the Dragons, and eventually came to dominate the world, ushering in the so-called "Age of Fire."

Age of Fire
With the flame still burning, and linked to bonfires around the world, and under the rulership of Gwyn and the gods, the world experienced an age of prosperity. Eventually however, without explanation, the flames began to fade. The fading of the flames caused the birth of the Undead, humans that could no longer die.

Desperate to ensure that their Age of Fire continued, Gwyn and the gods did everything to keep the flame lit. They linked the bonfires to humanity, and shepherded the humans to kindle the flames. The Witch of Izalith attempted to use her soul to give create a new flame, but this failed miserably.

Eventually, in a desperate bid, Gwyn himself went to the First Flame and kindled it with his powerful soul, prolonging the Age of Fire, and ensuring that the fire would burn longer. His agents began searching for a hero that would succeed Gwyn and rekindle the flame in his place.

Dark Souls II
A long, long time since the events of Dark Souls I, the First Flame has begun to fade and been rekindled countless times. Few of these fallen heroes are remembered, with only scant hints of their existence remaining. The Lost Sinner tried to light the flames again at some point, but failed, and was imprisoned for the attempt.

By the time of the kingdom of Drangleic's twilight, the flames had begun to fade again. King Vendrick refused to light the flame, searching instead for another way of defeating the undead curse. He would fail however. Instead, the Emerald Herald began searching for undead that might succeed where Vendrick failed and find a solution to the Undead Curse.