In Dark Souls, to be Undead means that the victim has died, but has been reanimated. Most Undead were sent to the Undead Asylum and imprisoned to await the end of the world. Undeath is seen as a curse or a disease by the living.
Causes (WIP)[]
The curse of undeath was created when Gwyn, Lord of Cinder and Ruler of the Age of Fire, began to feel threatened by the kin of the Furtive Pigmy: humans were immortal beings, born from the Dark yet able to live in a world enlightened by the Fire, whose souls did not lose power despite being endlessly splitted and multiplied. The Gods were although aware that humans, both because of their obliviousness regarding their true might and because the immense military might of Anor Londo, could not have yet posed a significative threat to their realm: therefore, a complex and ingenious apparatus was set in motion with the goal to mold humanity into a subservient, weak people that would not only serve the Age of Fire, but also refused to relinquish it to make way for the Age of Dark. The knights of the human armies were the first ones to be marked with a Sigil of Fire[1] that would contain their Darkness and numb their abilities[2] . The strength of the Fire was strong enough to leave an imprinted mark that would become, through few generations, genetically inherited by every newborn.
The seal restrains the Darkness within the man, and once the consciousness of that part of the self is lost[3], Humanity's presence and nature remains unknown, its abilities nullified, its feelings[4] ignored, its role forgotten. When a human dies, its darkness is not strong enough to keep it alive and death affects men just as it would do with any other creatures born from the Fire. However, their Humanity is still present within their bodies and, unless it gets pillaged, there shall remain forever.
When the Fire begins to fade, its strength is not sufficient to contain the Humanity any further and the immortal darkness brings them back from death. Although, Humanity had never been acknowledged, understood and trained, and after a lifetime spent constricted is deprived of any lucidity and control: and, most importantly, it holds no trace of the self, like the soul did. Therefore, gathering souls is essential to retain sanity for strength is the only defense against mind's decay.
How undeath is triggered is unknown, as not all the deads we encounter have been brought back to life, but it almost always occurs regardless of the victim's intentions. However, some individuals like Solaire of Astora willingly embraced undeath. All those that become Undead show the trace of the Darksign.
Symptoms[]
Unlike the living, the Undead do not perish with death; instead, they are resurrected at bonfires. However, in time they gradually lose their sanity and intelligence - called Hollowing - unless they can procure souls. The process of hollowing covers many stages of sanity and consciousness, until the last trace of identity is lost. An Undead that has fully lost their sanity is known as a Hollow.
Hollows[]
Hollows are universally hostile to lucid individuals, including other Undeads.
Another effect of undeath is the gradual decay of the body over time; this effect is reversed when hollowing is reversed with the absorption of Humanity and its use at bonfires to reverse hollowing: however do note that at a certain point hollowing itself becomes irreversible. It is also mentioned by Aldia that the "illusion of love" is said to cease when the Darksign touches a human's flesh.[5]
Undeath is usually reversed whenever the Fire gains enough strength to enforce the sigil over the darkness, which usually happens with every new Linking of Fire. However, powerful beings that have acknowledged how to control their humanity are presumably able to maintain their natural state and avoid death: such people are often revered as Dark Lords.
Social status[]
As a general rule, the Undead are treated with hostility by the living. Game lore suggests that Undead are hunted down by followers of Allfather Lloyd in the lands of the living, who round them up and send them to an asylum with no hope of release. Many of the characters the player meets mention the stigma they faced from the rest of society before they left their former homes.
However, some Undead were treated with respect. For example; Paladin Leeroy, the first Undead from the Way of White, was granted the treasures of Grant and Sanctus by his order.
References[]
- ↑ Ringed Knight Set description: "Malformed black armor of the Ringed Knights. The armor of early men was forged in the Abyss, and betrays a smidgen of life. For this reason the gods cast a seal of fire upon such armor, and those who possessed them."
- ↑ Aldia, when met in the Undead Crypt: "Once, the Lord of Light banished Dark, and all that stemmed from humanity. And men assumed a fleeting form. These are the roots of our world. Men are props on the stage of life, and no matter how tender, how exquisite…A lie will remain a lie. Young Hollow, knowing this, do you still desire peace?"
- ↑ Humanity (item) description: "This black sprite is called humanity, but little is known about its true nature. If the soul is the source of all life, then what distinguishes the humanity we hold within ourselves?"
- ↑ Pursuers description: "The will feels envy, or perhaps love, and despite the inevitably trite and tragic ending, the will sees no alternative, and is driven madly toward its target."
- ↑ When met in the Dragon Shrine: "Peace grants men the illusion of life. Shackled by falsehoods, they yearn for love, unaware of its grand illusion. Until, the curse touches their flesh. We are bound by this yoke. As true as the Dark that churns within men."