Straid of Olaphis

Straid of Olaphis
Lore
Occupation	Merchant Soul transmutation
Gameplay
Located in	The Lost Bastille
Drops	Black Hood
Other
Appears in	Dark Souls II
Voiced by	Peter Marinker

"Feeble cursed one! Let's hope the magnificence of my spells does not deter you! Heh heh!"

— Straid of Olaphis

Straid of Olaphis is a character in Dark Souls II. Straid is also one of the two characters who can trade boss souls in order to obtain boss weapons and spells, the other being Weaponsmith Ornifex. He wears the Black Set and wields the Staff of Wisdom.

He is voiced by Peter Marinker, who previously voiced Kingseeker Frampt and Darkstalker Kaathe in Dark Souls.

Location

Straid is found petrified in his cell in front of a bonfire in The Lost Bastille, across the bridge from the Sinners' Rise, and must be cured of his petrification before the player can talk to him or access his bonfire, using a Fragrant Branch of Yore.

Description

A legend amongst sorcerers, Straid is known for his inquisitive and curious temperament, which made him a well-versed mage in both Sorceries and Pyromancies. Apparently, he also studied and acquired some Miracles and Hexes, as the player can find spells belonging to these kinds of magic among his wares. This makes Straid the only magic trainer that can teach the player all the kinds of magic that are found within the game.

Although Straid is a wise and knowledgeable mage, he is an incredibly vain individual. He constantly looks down on the player for being "weak" and he speaks highly about his power and the "magnificence" of his spells. Straid always questions the player's intelligence (regardless of the Intelligence stat of the player) and he mocks them using his catchphrase "feeble cursed one!".

Lore

Straid was invited to Olaphis for his wisdom. A well-versed sorcerer, Straid became an expert in the various fields of magic. He is known as the creator of powerful spells, such as Homing Soul Arrow, Soul Bolt, Flame Swathe, and Lingering Flame. He was also responsible for the creation of the Ring of Resistance and the Dispelling Ring.

Although Straid was known in Olaphis for his vast knowledge, he was also feared for it. He was lured into a dreadful trap, which likely resulted in his petrification. Since Straid never accepted an apprentice, a great part of his extensive knowledge was lost and wasn't recovered until he was unpetrified by the Bearer of the Curse.

When cured, Straid reacts remarkably calmly for someone who has been petrified for countless years. He claims that even Olaphis was not the first to stand where Drangleic does now, and that the curse was as much a problem back then as it is now.

Character information

Wares

• Hexes
• Items
• Pyromancies
• Miracles
• Sorceries
• Rings

Hexes	Dark Orb	Dark Hail	Dark Fog	Affinity
Souls	600	1,500	5,200	11,500

Items	Rouge Water
Souls	3,000

Pyromancies	Lingering Flame	Flame Swathe
Souls	6,700	9,500

Miracles	Resplendent Life	Great Lightning Spear	Sunlight Blade	Unveil
Souls	4,500	13,000*	12,400*	2,200

* Available after clearing the Undead Crypt

Sorceries	Homing Soul Arrow	Strong Magic Shield	Cast Light
Souls	6,500	6,300	3,000

Rings	Ring of Knowledge	Lingering Dragoncrest Ring	Agape Ring
Souls	28,000	2,500	5,000

Drops

Item	Black Hood
Drop Rate	Guaranteed

Health and souls

Health		Souls
NG	NG+	NG	NG+
3860	???	1800	3600

Equipment

• Weapons
• Armor

Right Hand	Left Hand
Staff of Wisdom	–

Head	Chest	Hands	Legs
Black Hood	Black Robes	Black Gloves	Black Boots

Boss Souls Trades

• Weapons
• Spells

Boss Soul Given	Souls Cost	Received Weapon
Soul of the Pursuer	1,500	Pursuer's Greatshield or Pursuer's Ultra Greatsword
Soul of the Last Giant	1,500	Giant Stone Axe
Flexile Sentry Soul	1,500	Arced Sword or Barbed Club or Warped Sword
Dragonrider Soul	1,500	Dragonrider Bow or Dragonrider Greatshield or Dragonrider's Halberd or Dragonrider Twinblade
Executioner's Chariot Soul	1,500	Chariot Lance or Shield Crossbow
Skeleton Lord's Soul	1,500	Roaring Halberd
Covetous Demon Soul	1,500	Bone Scythe
Mytha, the Baneful Queen Soul	1,500	Mytha's Bent Blade
Smelter Demon Soul	1,500	Smelter Sword
Demon of Song Soul	1,500	Spotted Whip
Belfry Gargoyle Soul	1,500	Gargoyle Bident

Boss Soul Given	Souls Cost	Received Spell
Ruin Sentinel Soul	1,500	Heavy Homing Soul Arrow
Scorpioness Najka's Soul	1,500	Soul Shower
Royal Rat Vanguard Soul	1,500	Toxic Mist
Royal Rat Authority Soul	1,500	Acid Surge
Soul of Velstadt	3,000	Sacred Oath
Giant Lord Soul	5,000	Repel
Darklurker Soul	5,000	Lifedrain Patch
Old Witch Soul	5,000	Flame Weapon
Old Dead One Soul	5,000	Numbness
Old King Soul	10,000	Blinding Bolt
Old Paledrake Soul	10,000	Crystal Soul Spear

Notes

• The player must have at least 3 Intelligence to access his store and boss soul trading. After buying 4 boss weapons he will reward the player by giving them his armor set.
• After exhausting Straid's dialogue and using a bonfire, he will move outside of his cell.
• Always be on alert when traveling to Straid's Cell Bonfire as the room will respawn (until respawn cap) Undead Citizen mobs.
• If Straid is killed at any point of the game, a Gravestone will appear in Straid's Cell Bonfire and the revival cost will be 6,000 souls.

Dialogue

Click to see dialogue (contains spoilers)

Introduction "Still a bit stiff, I'm afraid. Heh heh heh... I must thank you, young traveller. I am Straid. A wandering sorcerer of sorts. I've been a guest for a very long time. But I don't think that anybody will miss me!" Speaking again without the INT requirement "Cursed one, you lack intelligence. Weak, so terribly weak... Heh heh heh..." Speaking again with the INT and FTH requirements" "Hm-hmm... Very good, very good indeed. Cursed one, weak you may be, but I, Straid, will teach you my spells." Speaking without a boss soul in the inventory "Souls! I need souls! You cursed fool! If you seek my strength, bring me souls! Bigger, stronger souls! Heh heh..." Speaking with a boss soul in the inventory "Well! This is a most peculiar soul. Very good, very good indeed. Unusual souls produce unusual spells. Heh heh heh..." "Well! This is a most charming soul. Very good, very good indeed. My power is yours! Let it serve your desires! Heh heh heh..." "Well! This is a most twisted soul. Very good, very good indeed. Prepare to peer straight into the heart of magic. Heh heh heh..." Leave after using services "Feeble cursed one! Do you really think you can manage the glories that are my spells?" Leave without using services "Feeble cursed one! Let's hope the magnificence of my spells does not deter you! Heh heh!" Leave abruptly "Don't just walk off, cursed one. Heh heh..." Talk "So, how long was I sat petrified... Long enough for the old kingdom to have crumbled, I see. Long enough for Olaphis to rise, fall, and fade away, evidently. Why didn't anyone wake me sooner?! Heh heh..." "Drangleic... I've never heard the name. Is that what they call this place now? Hah hah...Very good, very good indeed." "The cursed ones were imprisoned within this land. Of course, you came of your own free will. Heh heh... The people feared the cursed ones like a plague. Some people would rather keep dreadful things out of sight, out of mind. In the end they swept them up and corralled them here. So very typical of meek minds, don't you think?" "Once people became aware of their own frailty... They seized anybody they found undesirable, cursed or no, and impounded them here. Whoever posed even the slightest threat, was removed. All so that they could sleep better at night. They even turned the great Straid into a stone! Hah hah!" "Many kingdoms rose and fell on this tract of earth; mine was by no means the first. Anything that has a beginning also has an end. No flame, however brilliant, does not one day splutter and fade. But then, from the ashes, the flame reignites, and a new kingdom is born, sporting a new face. It is all a curse! Heh heh heh! And it is your cursed flesh that will inherit the flame. Heh heh..." "Pyromancy was created by the ancient witch of fire. She harnessed the power of flame, and melded it into pyromancy. The witch led her daughters into war against the Old Ones. But legends are legends. What are you prepared to believe? Heh heh..." Talk after buying four boss soul weapons "Cursed one, take these. [Gives Black Set] Put them on, and please, stop being so weak. Heh heh..." When attacked "Heh heh heh..." "How testy, Little cursed one!" "You dare challenge me? Heh heh heh..." Made hostile "Weak, so terribly weak..." Killing the player "Hah hah hah hah!" Approached while hostile "Come back for more, little cursed one? Heh heh..." HP lowered below 50% "Ooh, you're tough, cursed one! Heh heh..." Killed "Very good, very good indeed."

Trivia

• Straid's voice actor, Peter Marinker, is one of the two voice actors who have appeared in all of the games of the series (the other being Matt Morgan, who has voiced the Crestfallen Warriors of each game and Domhnall of Zena in Dark Souls). He voiced Kingseeker Frampt, Darkstalker Kaathe and Eingyi in Dark Souls and King Allant in Demon's Souls.
• One of the classes of the Network Test, the Dual Swordsman, wore the same armor set as Straid.
• Initially, Straid was supposed to have a different backstory. The description of the pieces of the Black Set in the Network Test state that Straid and the king of Olaphis slew an Ancient Dragon together, and that Straid's magic brought Olaphis into damnation. This story was later removed during development.

Gallery

Straid as a petrified statue