Talk:Velka, Goddess of Sin/@comment-97.107.71.3-20130823212521/@comment-173.67.159.37-20180724153906

Yes, we are quite sure that Gwyn created the curse of the Undead, inadvertently or no. The brand of the Undead is specifically meant to revive potential bearers of the torch until a "Chosen Undead" can link the First Flame, succeeding Lord Gwyn. Second, it's explicitly stated that when Gwyn linked the First Flame, the Black Knights that followed him became detached from the limitations of time, and were doomed to wander Lordran forever, much like the Undead themselves.

The sole reason Gwyn sought to prolong the Age of Fire was because the Age of Dark had nearly manifested in Oolacile by the hands of Darkstalker Kaathe... er, metaphorically speaking. The Undead Curse was both a blessing and a curse for Gwyn, as it provided an endless supply of potential champions to prolong his reign, but could also potentially give rise to a Dark Lord, an event that Gwyndolin was tasked exactly with preventing.