DARK SOULS™ III – BONFIRE LIT

Guide for DARK SOULS™ III – BONFIRE LIT

Plot

The game takes place in Lothric, at the junction of the domains of the Lords of Ash. Since the time when Gwyn the Lord of Ash first kindled the First Flame, many centuries have pa*sed and many cycles of ignition and extinction of the First Flame have pa*sed. After he kindled the fire, this path was repeated by many great heroes known as the Lords of Ash. But the First Flame is extinguished again, and someone must rekindle it in order to prevent the world from plunging into Darkness. Prince Lothric, one of the heirs of the royal family, was supposed to light the First Flame in this cycle, but did not answer the call, deciding to wait until the First Flame extinguished by itself.

The Bell of Awakening in the Fire Temple has rung, calling upon the Lords of Ashes of ancient times to rise from their graves, reunite in the Fire Temple, and eventually reignite the flames. Of the awakened Lords, only one – Ludlet of Courland – sat on the throne in the Temple of Fire voluntarily.

Other Lords of Ash from past cycles have settled in their old domains, long abandoned and inhabited by various monsters. Aldrick was once a simple cleric, but has risen to the level of the Master, devouring people, now his goal is the gods. The Void Guardians of Farron Citadel were an order of knights, followers of Artorias the Voidwalker, destroying entire kingdoms in their struggle with the Void. The giant Jorm was made their leader by the people with whom his family once feuded, so that he extinguished the defiled flame.

When four of the five thrones remained empty, the bell rang one more time, but not for the Lords of Ashes, but for the Unburning ones – the undead who at one time tried, but could not ignite the flame. The Non-Burning now serve as overseers for the Lords of Ashes who have refused to do their duty. One of them is the main character. His mission is to return to their thrones the Lords of Ash, or what remains of them.

Iudex Gundyr

As champion, Gundyr arrived too late at the Fire Temple and found him without flames and with a faulty bell. Gundyr was defeated by an unknown warrior and then became a scabbard for a twisted sword in the hope that the First Flame would someday be rekindled. Thus, Gundyr became the “judge”, awaiting the arrival of the Ashes Champions to hand over the twisted sword to the chosen one. He received a special halberd to fulfill his duty and was bound with a steel chain. One day during his vigil, he became the master of a writhing creature of the Abyss, which has a will of its own.

Vordt of the Boreal Valley

The Vordt was once one of the high-ranking Knights of Irithyll, along with Dancer of the Boreal Valley. However, the pontiff’s left eye ring turned him into a brutal monster that meets anyone who tries to continue their journey to the Undead Settlement. The Vordt was a*signed by Pontiff Salivan to the High Wall of Lothric to guard the lands of the Lords of Ash from the Non-Burning, seeking to reignite the First Flame.

Crystal Sage

Long ago, one of the experts made a pact with the legions of the undead and began to train the sorcerers of Farron.

Deacons of the Deep

The cult of “Deacons of the Deep” was founded in the Temple of the Deep, the founders were clerics who believed in the Flame. The cult is led by archdeacons close to Aldrick. It is not known exactly how many archdeacons were until now, but at the moment there are three of them: McDonnell, Royce and Klimt.

It is unknown when they became heretics and began to renounce their original beliefs, but it is known that Aldrick contributed to this.

At the moment, the Deacons of the Deep are led by Archdeacon Royce. Klimt left to serve the Rosary, because he considered her a goddess, and McDonnell, along with Aldrick, went to Irithyll, where he founded a covenant so that its members would keep his master’s sleep. But before leaving, McDonnell taught Royce and his group of deacons the Deep Soul spell so that they could effectively defend themselves.

Royce stayed at the Temple of the Deep to defend Aldrick’s tomb, hoping that he would return someday.

Abyss Watchers

These warriors have sworn to taste wolf blood and search for traces of the Abyss everywhere, constantly fighting its creatures. The Legion was a group of undead and followers of Artorias the Voidwalker. With wolf blood and a legacy of unbending will, they were ready to destroy entire kingdoms at the slightest sign of Void infestation.

The Legion is also known to have enlisted the help of one of the Crystal Enchantments. The twin who joined the legion created magic, in the essence of which was speed, which fully reflected the tactics of the legion, based on speed, not strength.

Swearing allegiance to the Wolf Blood soul, the Void Keepers became Lords of Ash, but at the same time the power of the Wolf Blood soul was exhausted. It is unknown why they took the throne of the Lords of Ash; perhaps in order to fulfill their duty and prolong the Era of Fire, in order to prevent the Abyss from spreading. At present, the Void Keepers are only a pathetic version of their former self, and they appear to have been corrupted by the Void, just like the rest of Farron’s Citadel.

They will forever kill each other, as they once vowed to destroy the manifestations of the Abyss at all costs.

High Lord Wolnir

When Volnir fell into the Abyss, he was seized by the fear of true darkness, and he turned to the gods with a prayer for the first time.

With his sacred sword and three bracelets removed from the bodies of the clerics, he felt calmer.

Pontiff Sulyvahn

Salivan was born in the painted world. It was alien to its inhabitants, as it had not yet survived the losses.

Once, having visited the Defiled Capital, Salivan discovered the Defiled Flame in it, after which something changed in it. Endowing his blade with a cursed, unquenchable flame, he gave it a new name – Fel Sword.

In search of his new abode, he reached the Temple of the Deep, where he found one of the Lords of Ash – Aldrick, the patron saint of the deep, who was not yet a “Eater of the Gods” at that time. Having one goal, they became allies, there they also gained their strength, after which they left the Temple. Leaving the Temple of the Deep and heading to the ancient city of the gods – Irithyll, which earlier had a different name – Anor Londo, there they found the last god, the protector of the city, Gwindolin, who was already weakened. When Salivan locked the weakened god one on one with Aldrick, the second absorbed him, becoming exactly who he appears to us, and Salivan captured the city by force, proclaiming himself Pontiff.

After that, the Pontiff locked Gwindolin’s self-styled sister, Yorshka in the tower, and also demoted one of the representatives of the royal family of Gwynne to the knights and, making her the Dancer of the Cold Valley, sent her into exile in Lothric along with another knight. He handed both of them the eyes of the pontiff, which drove them mad, forcing them to fight with the Burning One in a dance of madness.

Aldrich, Devourer of Gods

Aldrick was once a righteous White Path cleric, originally from Irithyll. But gradually a craving for devouring human flesh developed in him. According to Deserter Hawkwood, he ate so much that over time he swelled like a drowned pig, and then softened into an amorphous substance. Therefore, “they” placed him in the Temple of the Deep. The depths were originally a quiet and sacred place, but many terrible monsters have found refuge there. Who “they” is, Hawkwood does not specify, but, most likely, we are talking about the gods.

Aldrick did not give up his pa*sion for human flesh, and gradually a whole cult formed around him in the Temple of the Deep. It included in many ways those who served in the Temple: priests, broken by the power of the Depths. Desecrated treatises of the old faith became their sacred tomes. The robes, ritual objects, and architectural style of the cult’s buildings are reminiscent of the noble religions of the old days, but at the heart of this belief was the feeding of new flesh to Aldrick. Temple preachers who promised salvation to ordinary people, in fact, sent them along the path of victims to be devoured by Aldrick, and the remains were buried in the area around the Temple of the Deep.

When the time came for the fire to go out, Aldrick was made Lord of the Ash, not for his virtue, but for his size. So, from the faith of the White Way a new, perverted faith arose, and Aldrick became the patron saint of the Depths.

Rebelling at the call of the bell, the former cleric traveled to his homeland of Irithyll of the Cold Valley. There, Pontiff Salivan locked up for him the god of the old royal dynasty in an abandoned cathedral. Coming to the throne through eating flesh, the patron saint of the Depths became disillusioned with him and became a Devourer of Gods.

The most faithful of the deacons, in particular Archdeacon McDonnell, followed Aldrick to Irithyll, so that with the covenant of Aldrick’s Faithful to defend his idol from anyone who decided to interrupt his meal, and patiently await his return.

Yhorm the Giant

Yhorm is a descendant of an ancient conqueror who fought against the human state a long time ago, and the descendants of these people asked Jorm to become their leader, their heavy sword and strong shield. As overlord, Yhorm risked everything and fought fearlessly at the forefront. But, having lost someone he really wanted to protect – he refused to use his shield, while changing the handle of his machete for a two-handed grip – this made his attacks truly crushing and furious.

Yhorm’s homeland was put into question when the Fel Flame appeared, and in order to save his home, he became Lord of Ash. He had no illusions, and he knew that those who call him master were hypocrites.

Yhorm had two powerful blades, one given to his people who doubted him, and the other to a dear friend. This friend swore an oath to kill Yhorm if Jorm gave up his duty as Lord of Ash.

Ruler of the defiled capital and one of the Lords of Ash, a giant who once sacrificed himself to prolong the life of the First Flame and again took his throne after that. Yorm – risen from the ashes, a monstrous enemy waiting for you in his palace, sitting on a stone throne.

Dancer of the Boreal Valley

She was one of the daughters of the royal family of Irithyll, but was ordered by Pontiff Sulyvahn to become a dancer first, and then legioneer, which is equal to exile. He also gifted her dual blades, infused with darkness and fire, similar to his own weapons.
While Pontiff Sulyvahn wields his dark weapon in his left hand and his fire weapon in his right hand the Dancer does the opposite, wielding dark in her right hand and fire in her left hand.
All Outrider Knights are fated to turn into beasts. According to her armor’s description the armor is actually fused to her “hide”.

Dragonslayer Armour

A suit of armor that belonged to a dragonslayer from times long past. It is controlled by the Pilgrim Butterflies that soar high above Lothric Castle and guard the entrance to the Grand Archives. It wields a gigantic shield and a greataxe infused with lightning.

Lothric, Younger Prince, Lorian, Elder Prince

Lothric and Lorian (along with Ocelotte) are the sons of King Oceiros and the queen of Lothric. Their eldest, Lorian was once a mighty knight who single-handedly defeated the Demon Prince, staining his sword with the power of fire. Lothric appears to have had little combat training, if any, and Ocelotte’s status is currently unknown. What is known is that their mad father called Ocelotte a “child of dragons” and claimed he had a special power, but what exactly this means is unclear considering the sanity of the speaker.

The kingdom of Lothric, which shared the name of the middle son, was a mighty land in the mountains. It was famous for its dragonslayers, developing special tools to slay them, but eventually began to tame dragons through unknown means.

The kingdom included three organizations called the Three Pillars of Lothric, likely called this for some vital role they played to the rulers.

The Knight was, as the name suggests, the fighting forces that held the warriors. It was permitted to tame drakes for battle, which became a symbol of Lothric’s power.With their dragons and weapons originally designed for them, sometimes amplified by miracles, the knights of Lothric crushed all who threatened their shores. When the Scholars fully acquired the archives, the Knight strengthened ties with the High Priestess. Those that directly attended to her were blessed with her holy power.
The High Priestess appears to attend to the faith of Lothric. The current is Emma, who was the wet nurse to the prince Lothric when he was much younger. They are connected to the Way of Blue and the Warriors of Sunlight, the latter likely because of the kingdom’s worship of the sun and their dragonlslaying past. Another faith was developed by the Heavenly Daughter Gertrude, the queen’s holy maiden and rumored daughter, who was visited by a member of a race of divine messengers called the Angels and recorded the message despite being rendered blind and mute from it. Winged Knights being formed and of the Angelic faith becoming prevalent across the kingdom, with heavenly miracles being used and taught, though the religion was considered heresy and none of the pillars recognized it as the faith.
The Scholar was likely the academic center of Lothric, and for their importance, gained access to the Grand Archives near the main castle. Because of this, though it is not clear why, both the Knight and the clerics of the High Priestess disliked them. During the hostilities between sorcerers and clerics, they captured Gertrude and imprisoned her in a cage, later experimenting on her sacred chime to develop a method of casting sorceries and miracles. One day they were visited by the preacher twins, two sorcerers who had mastered the arts created by the sorcerer Logan as a sorcerous “translation” of the magic made by Seath. These twins, called the Crystal Sages, trained the Scholars and gave them spiritual guidance in their research. Their research was just as foul as that of Seath’s, who they worshiped as the Paledrake, and without special equipment it could induce madness in them. In particular, King Oceiros became interested in these works, seeking to use his royal blood for a greater purpose. The first of the Scholars, who doubted the linking of the fire, was prince Lothric’s private teacher.
While not a pillar of the rule, the Hunters were a skilled contingent of fighters that worked in the shadows, and often went places outside of Lothric’s borders. They were critical to the rule, acting in ways that the Three Pillars could not. It appears that some of the requirements were dexterity, marksmanship with the bow, and most appear to use dual weapons. When a hunter was kept from the previous rule, they were called a Black Hand, and only three among the Hunters have become Black Hands. Two of them were Gotthard with his dual knight swords, and the prince’s protector Kamui from the east, who forged a second blade for the purpose of joining the ranks.
The royal family, specifically that of Oceiros’ rule, desired to create a child so strong that it could be the perfect candidate to link the First Flame while surviving as a Lord of Cinder. But it is said that when they could not biologically produce a strong enough heir, the family committed an unnamed deed so heinous and foul that it cursed Lothric. Some connect this deed to the search for Seath’s moonlight conducted by the king after discovering the pale dragon’s worship by the Scholars, though this is merely a speculation, and the nature of the curse remains vague.

But the deed was done, and Lothric was destined to burn, and become a Lord of Cinder. Despite this, he was a frail small boy with poor health all to his adulthood, and was so small that he was still able to wear his swaddling in the form of robes. For reasons unknown, his elder brother Lorian decided to share his brother’s curse, and was left mute and with almost useless legs because of it. Because of this, they are inseparable in soul, and Lorian could not die unless Lothric did. From all this, they were also inseparable in kinship, fueled by their grief for the events that transpired in their family.

Since the two were linked so closely that their souls could nearly meld together, both brothers would be required to link the flame. Due to some combination of occurrences that may or may not include the unspeakable nature of Lothric’s birth, his teacher’s own doubts, and the state of the world despite countless sacrifice, they rejected their duty to become Lords of Cinder and watched the fire fade from a distance.

Due to the chosen sacrifice refusing to burn, a contingency plan was activated, where previous Lords of Cinder were woken, to offer their remaining strength to the flame. But when the bell tolled to signify the fading of the flame, only Ludleth of Courland was willing to help, and the other three forsook the flame for various reasons of their own. Yhorm is believed to have been filled with such despair over the loss of his home (which he sacrificed himself to prevent) to care for the flame, Aldrich received more visions of the inevitable end that he was merely instructed to prevent, and the Abyss Watchers either went mad or were corrupted by the Abyss buried beneath their keep.

One day the High Wall appeared, a ma*sive seismic upheaval of the land beneath the castle, raising it high above the bridge that once lead to it. There was no route to leave, messengers had no way to return, and pilgrims were unable to seek refuge.

Many people have attempted to kill the Twin Princes, but they have barricaded themselves, and the kingdom is consumed in war without their participation. The Knight and the High Priestess, who Lothric has forsaken the lives of while placing all favor in the Scholars, become undead then hollow in a battle with each other, the Winged Knights of Gertrude’s faith, and a small force of Outrider Knights, including the Dancer and her “watchdog” compatriot Vordt, sent by the Pontiff Sulyvahn to hinder the Unkindled.

Soul of Cinder

An essence that combines all the Lords of Ashes who have ever ignited the First Flame.

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