Thank you everyone for checking out my lore video on the Carians. Let me know your thoughts below! Help Fuel the Lore: www.buymeacoffee.com/smoughtown Patreon: www.patreon.com/SmoughTown Join the channel here: www.youtube.com/@SmoughTown/membership Subscribe to my second channel: @smoughburgh
It's just a bit of a channel meme - in my first few lore videos on Elden Ring, I observed that I kept bringing it up for some reason or another!@@LabTech41
My guess is Renna is the snow witch and she somehow fused with Ranni hence the double face she has. And the third sister would be Melina, that's why she gives you torrent wich is recognised by Renna/Ranni. Ranni started the rebellion against the golden order and she uses you to finish it with the help of Melina and that's why she hates you for choosing the Frenzied Flame because it's the only ending that poses a real threat to Ranni. Also torrent blue particul when calling and jumping are reminescent of glintstone magick and maybe lunar magic.
Caria was already a noble familly before Rennala declared hereself royalty, so when Ranni says that Rennala is the last she means of the Carian dynasty, that predates her crowning has queen of Liurnia
I feel like you completely glossed over that both the Sellia crest and the Carian Royal crest both use the Dark Moon of Nokstella subtly as the base for their designs. Which extends to their boulder summoning magic. Additionally that both locations are located above eternal cities, and have direct ties to the royals. I believe the Nox are the middle step between Astrologers and modern Sorcerers, the various schools and factions like the carian royals formed after the banishment and subsequent collapse of their dynasty Oh and Elden Stars explains why Radagon went to Liurnia, and all Amber is glintstone canonically according to Sellen
I have a slight feeling that Rennala's insanity was not solely caused by Radagon leaving her (though that served as a catalyst). Radagon's departure may have weakened her mind enough that others conspired against her, but that wasn't enough to fully break her: it was Ranni's "death". Consider this: the love of your life leaves you, then the bunch of people who follow you begin to doubt you and, to put the cherry on top, your daughter and heir seemingly dies out of nowhare. Driven to madness, she tried to reincarnate Ranni through the Amber Egg; the last renmant of her beloved husband. I think that fully justified her descent into madness without invalidating or contradicting her previous displays of willpower. Awesome video Smough! As always, very exhaustive and well-researched. Cheers!
I’m not sure about that though, the fact that Ranni developed a spell familiar to protect Rennala suggests she was already relatively far gone before Ranni faked her death and went into hiding
The reincarnated scholars in Rennalas chamber all look somewhat feminine and have a tiny glint of gold in their eyes as covered by Zullie the Witch, maybe they are what Ranni originally looked like
Talking about the "Moon magic" being something the Carians had never seen before, just look at the Lazuli conspectus mask's facial expression: two gemstone eyes opened wide, the lips parted in what is clearly an expression of surprise! 19:57 shows this very clearly. When the Carians undertook this study, it was apparently something radically different from what they normally worked on. This was a huge break from their magical orthodoxy, and I think this mask tells a lot about how the Carians felt about this new type of magic.
Speaking of Rennala's oathbound dragons, maybe the reason Smarag exclusively eats sorcerers is because he is such an oathbound dragon and thus a sworn enemy of Raya Lucaria after it rebelled.
I don't know if anyone has pointed it out yet, but Rennala and her Full Moon married Radagon and accepted the light of the Erdtree for a time, a full moon being when the side of the moon is hit full on by the light of the sun. Ranni with her Dark Moon killed her physical body & her Two Fingers in opposition to the Golden Order, and to make a "new" order facing away from the Erdtree light; the Dark Moon would also be known as a "new moon" to us irl.
Not a new order, Carian family is ROYALTY. Meaning they ruled over in the past. Presumably during the age of the fire giant. (They considered each other neighbors)
@@DrooledOn It would still be newer than how Rennala's moon was during her tenure, Ranni isn't doing it with her flesh body. Actually, that makes me think about how she's going to space; maybe she'll have to turn you into a puppet or soul-only form so you both can survive out there.
I really wish they'd made the Carian Knights Sword capable of actually being used as a catalyst for sorcery. Maybe R2 or an ash of war would've worked, mechanically.
That's a thing i miss from dark souls 3, weapons that can cast spells. Wish they could cast spells but maybe only the carian ones. That would have been cool.
Crazy that Elden Ring doesn't have any despite DS2 and DS3 having them (and being popular weapons for that reason). Seems like every new Souls game. mechanically, takes two steps forward and one step backwards compared to its predecessors.
Radagon's marriage to Renalla also has a very obvious alchemical parallell. Albedo is the alchemical stage associated with the moon, already linking it clearly to Renalla. And transition from nigredo to albedo is often associated with - marriage, water, cleansing and purification and baptism. Radagon purifying himself in a baptism-like ritual with celestial dew and marrying the lunar queen is exactly the nigredo-albedo transition, tying into the whole of Radagon's story being basically magnum opus. The next stage would be rubedo, and is associated with gold, and union of selves, corresponding to Radagon's marriage to Marika, though based on some other dialogues, I think the union was never fully completed.
The silver - gold alchemical references are strewn throughout the lands between. The albinaurics, or those without gold is another reference. They seek the unalloyed gold of miquella.
@@avakinzerochillI would also say d's armor set is a good example of the union of silver and gold, as in game it is supposed to symbolize a union of two bodies that share a soul I think.
a criticism i have is that i do not believe the three sisters refers to three princesses but instead the three moons, rennala's full moon, ranni's dark moon and nokstella's black moon with this being exemplified by the odd one out amongst the towers representing a moon that has been destroyed (thus having a different name) and said tower containg a memory stone which is said to be made from the black moon. This actually may make killing astel even more thematic as part of ranni's quest if you view astel as the destroyer of said moon, in essence as part of this quest you are taking revenge on the one who destroyed the sister moon of your mistress ranni
I think this is a better theory than there literally being three sisters that are somehow in no way relevant to the plot whatsoever, but I also think it's worth pointing out that there are a lot of examples in architecture of similar structures or ones built at the same time being referred to as 'twins' or 'brothers' or similar terms. It feels weird to me to assume that such an unimportant name points to something that would argueably change the plot or how we read Ranni/Rennala, rather than a simple reference to the fact that there are three identical towers in an area associated with a matriarchal monarchy, or the already relevant moons.
@@quisslequassle404 I think it is more than an architectural reference. The nearby 4 belfries are just belfries, and the feature could have been named the 3 rises if it were just about the buildings.
Could be a reference to maiden, mother and crone trinity too. Trinity is also associated with Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, magic, necromancy and ghosts. Not a lunar deity explicitly but a connection remains. Hecate had a temple in ancient Caria, present day Turkey.
@@shplinkoThere is a rl ancient peoples from the area in modern west Turkey that are called Carians, the Hecate myths are likely from them. To further deepen the link, Hecate is often depicted as three bodied, like three women standing back to back, like three sisters.
I think the story of Rennala also influenced Ranni view on how the new age should be structured. The safety and stability of Liurnia basically hinged on one person. That made it all extremely fragile. If anything ever happened to Rennala, it would all collapse. And when Ranni looked outward, she saw the exact same thing happen with Marika. One ruler becomes too involved, too important, too intertwined with the land they rule.
Phenomenal insight on Rennala's "scheming" side, making her handling of Azur and Lusat a political move rather than a simply "ethic" or moral dispute in regards to what ought to be studied at the Academy. Really appreciated that part.
Great video, as always! When it comes to Loretta being an Aubinauric, my stance is that her story is more interesting to me if she is not, as that shows her to have a compassion for others that goes beyond just trying to make things better for her people, as she tries to give a group she is unrelated to a safe home to live in. She could very well not have cared, just kept on with her good life as one of the most notable knights of the Carians, but she chose to help those nobody else would, simply because it was the right thing to do.
Honestly same. I also feel like it would make more sense to specifically point out that her being an albinauric is a rumor if it's meant to tell us that the from the perspective of the people of the lands between, specifically those that oppressed and mistreated them in the first time, Lorettas compassion only makes sense if it was ultimately for her own sake in some way.
Personally up until a little bit ago I believed Loretta was an Albinauric herself, but in her boss fight on the Haligtree she bleeds red blood, a trait that Albinaurics don't have, which makes me believe she's a human.
I actually take her bleeding red blood as being a result of her being the ultimate Albinauric instead. I think if she isn't an albinauric, I would go so far as to suggest that she was not, because albinaurics and the nox are essentially the only characters wearing or wielding silver
Great video as always dude, really enjoyed listening to this. One little nugget I've never noticed before is Sellen being described as a 'Carian weed', potentially indicating her as a member of the Carian dynasty itself. Interestingly Caria is an area in modern day turkey which is notable in Greek mythology as the birthplace of the goddess Hecate - goddess of witchcraft and the moon. She is often portrayed with having multiple faces and the Greco-Roman influence on the Glinstone Crown masks is obvious. Hecate's chief rival as Goddess of the moon was named Selen.
I'm sure I'm not the first person to link Renalla to Hecate but I'd never thought of the stargazer heirloom explicitly referencing renalla herself 'The young astrologer gazed at the night sky as she walked' until this video. Interesting factoid: Hecate was also known as 'Nyktypolos' which roughly translates as 'she who wanders at night'
Hecate also has power over the skies seas earth and the underworld (no realm was barred to her) She is also considered to be the goddess of Necromancy. She is considered to be in-between both the light and the dark..in more modern traditions she is called the mother of angels and cosmic world soul. Sorry for rambling but as a worshipper of Hecate just thought I would share some of my knowledge on her :)
Ahh, I can't wait to sit comfortably with a cup of home made coffee, block out everything else and enjoy your wonderful voice and curious insights. Thank you for being a permanent company and a weekly routine. Cheers and much love
One odd bit of lore that I think might be relevant here comes from the Greathood helm. {Hood far larger than the head it is meant to cover. A burial shroud of sorts for those who discover, at long last, the truth they sought. Increases intelligence and faith to the detriment of HP. "Yes, surely this is the moon that young Rennala gazed upon."} This has always stuck out to me, since it’s found in the Mountaintops, on the bridge leading to the Stargazer Ruins, but the dialogue implies that this is where Rennala first encountered the Full Moon. But this only seems to raise questions about how the Moonlight Altar was discovered, and why it became so relevant to the Carians. As far as I’m aware this description is not a mistranslation either.
53:00 It's possible that Caria's fate was bound to the golden order until Radagon 'married' Marika, breaking his vow with Renalla and thus, divorcing Caria's fate from the Golden order. It would've reverted back to the stars, which were held by Radahn.
By the time the Tarnished arrives to challenge Rennala for the shard, she's pretty much checked out. As the game states, when the people needed her most, they found out she was no champion. I actually want to expand on this a little further with the Cuckoos and their fair-weather loyalties. Mercenaries at the best of times are already pretty flaky when it comes to honoring contracts, and have historically often betrayed their hosts if they felt they weren't being paid enough or the contract simply wasn't worth holding anymore. Such as the case when the mercenary army employed by Carthage laid siege to the city after the first Punic War because the city couldn't afford to pay them anymore. Homilcar Barca, their leading general at the time, had to pay ANOTHER mercenary army to defeat the first one. One the he personally lead against the Romans. It would stand to reason that the Carians were "hands off" with the Cuckoos because they weren't officially apart of the military and governmental structure like the Carian Knights or their other oathbound retainers, and when Rennala just receded further into despair no one remembered to pay them. One thing leads to another, and the Cuckoos lay siege to both the Academy and the Lunar Estate to exact payment the old fashioned way. Bloody conquest and loot. Hence why to the people of Raya Lucaria, Rennala wasn't a champion anymore. If she ever was to begin with.
I find it interesting that there's a connection between the Numen and the Carians, considering Marika's origins and the eventual marriage between Rennala and Radagon.
Thanks for the deep dive into the lore of Carian. FromSoftware managed to mix mythologies lik: Alchemy, Astrology, Tales of Knights and Hermetism into very beatiful dark fantasy tragedy
As a fellow Knight servant of the Queen of the full moon, I'm delighted to see recognition for our beloved royal house. May the full moon light your path, my fellow Carian protégés. 🛐✨
I think it would have been good to speculate more on the exchange made between the Carian rule of the Moon and the Erdtree Order. The marriage of Rennala and Radagon seems to have been, at least initially, a political arrangement to break a stalemate and ensure mutual gain. Marika/Radagon learned a great deal from Carian sorcery and their way of thinking. But what did Rennala get? A truce alone doesn't seem like enough. I personally believe Rennala was unable to bear children on her own, and that Radagon bringing the egg with the rune of the unborn offered her the chance to establish a royal line after herself. I think ALL of the 3 children they had were born with the assistance of the egg and the rune. That Ranni turned out to be empyrean could have been an unexpected gift. But, alternatively, perhaps Radagon/Marika were already trying to produce one, which had not happened with Godfrey, and hoped Rennala's involvement would lead to success. People have speculated that Ranni may have been born of the amber egg in some way, but that makes much less sense to me than ALL of them being born in this way out of necessity.
The way that the Erdtree Order and Caria are bound together reminds me a bit of how in Warhammer 40k the Emperor of Man (Earth) forges an alliance with the Mechanicus (Mars) because a war between the two forces would have been pointlessly destructive. It was rarely a comfortable alliance, but at the time, there was not enough room in the galaxy for two independent human polities. Elden Ring gives me this same vibe: the Order, while more powerful overall, would have to expend far more resources to actually conquer Caria, when there is a much simpler fix: unify the two royal houses.
As a phantom troll champion, I really found it interesting how there seem to be several distinct moons who appear to certain people. I wonder if this has to do with the fate/stars thing. Also why they dislike how Radahn binds the 'stars' which somehow stops fate. I think it has to do with these moon encounters both mother and daughter have
There's a physical detail on the Preceptor's Mask that hints to the idea of the private matter they're meant to keep being the truth that Marika and Radagon are the same being: the "gold thread" that seals the mouth is in the exact lattice shape of the mending rune Radagon used to try and repair the Elden Ring.
It took me a month but now I remember. In Slavic mythology, there are three godesses representing Dawn, Twilight, and Dusk. In astrology, they are represented as 3 sister stars, along with an evil star that is chained to them. When the 3 sisters vanish from the night sky, the evil star will come free and bring about the end of the world. The fourth star, which is chained to the three sisters, is similar to Fenrir. It is a ravenous WOLF known as Simargl.
As far as im concerned, this is THE go to lore channel for anything Elden Ring. Youve done such a phenomenal job Smough. I cant thank you enough for the hours of knowledge and entertainment youve given to me/us.
One problem with your version of events is it suggests Rennala and the Carians were not prepared to suddenly lose the favor of the academy. But numerous item descriptions suggest the opposite: that the Carians *knew* a split was coming, *knew* the Academy would eventually fight them, and made preparations so that *when* this split happened, the Carians would be ready for it. This suggests to me not merely that Rennala was a political leader felled by a moment of weakness and opportune political opponents, but that she was actually secretly betraying the academy in some way. Perhaps she actually wanted Radahn to arrest the stars, or perhaps the her binding the stars to the Golden Order or forbidding study of the Primeval Current wasn't just a "disagreement," but treachery. The academy scholars couldn't see it because they were *bewitched.* Rennala was taking advantage of the academy, and knew she'd be found out eventually. That's a very different story than it seems most folks have concluded.
If you can make the argument that Seluvis's Rise is a relatively recent renaming, couldn't Manus Celes have been renamed after the Two Fingers arrived?
If you didn't upload such quality content I would have stopped watching lore videos on this game a long time ago. Props to you for keeping up the good work so long after this game's launch
with the topic of the town of sellia, i think that the remaining population is entirely from the nox settlement. but i think that the aeonian swamp used to be another portion of sellia, the part with ties to gravity magic and the alabaster lord. we find the meteor staff in the ruins of a street on the other side of the swamp, and given the rot explosion that would've happened, this would explain why the "town" of sorcery has been reduced to two or three streets, and why there's nothing in regards to gravity magic, and thus the sorcerers that studied it there, despite it being the location where an alabaster lord had been and where radahn had gone to learn gravity magic
Fantastic content, as aways! There’s a theory that Godwyn was stand-in for Marika while she was absent from the Capital durning Radagon’s marriage to Rennala? I think it’s possible that he could take a female form also.
Not every person can be expected to consume all media immediately. I've got plenty of friends who are likely to play the game but haven't yet for one reason or another. It's always worthwhile to be mindful of other people and their experiences.
I just got it and completed my first playthrough, so I understand the assertion that not everyone consumes media immediately, but if people don’t want to be spoiled, can’t they just do what I did and avoid looking up obvious lore videos until after playing the game?
I consider it likely that radagon (being marika at this point) agreed to marry rennala as a form of subterfuge, already planning to woo rennala and then leave her heartbroken and weak since the forces of the erdtree were unable to physically conquer liurnia. its already conjectured by miriel why radagon, a "mere champion" would cast rennala aside and then become elden lord. would rennala being privy to this secret identity not throw a wrench into marika's supposed plan of mentally crushing her enemy? i would imagine that such a secret would be kept at the utmost discretion from the carian family, if that were the case
A bit of speculation on my part regarding a few things covered in this video. To me, it seems the sweetings created by Renala are made to be a younger version of her, or perhaps one of her daughters. Perhaps a way for her to try and feel joy again? Also could the Three Sisters be in reference to Renala herself and her own theoretical sisters? It seems likely if Ranni had sisters they would get a mention. Like Selevus’ Rise, Ranni’s could be renamed because she now occupies it. This could also mean the Snowy Crone is her aunt Renna. I disagree with the notion that Marika and Radagon always shared the same body. Namely, no absence of Marika is noted before the Shattering. Radagon in my eyes is a masculine aspect of Marika created on her ascension, yet occupying his own body until they are later unified. Gets back to that Alchemy sub-theme, that Marika represents the White Queen, and Radagon the Red King both are separate and trying to be united. I will admit that this stance is taken also to support my other theory regarding Godfrey and his sons Morgott and Mohg. It is likely the birth of the Omen Twins that led to the loss of Grace and Banishment of Godfrey and the Tarnished; thus leading Marika to seek a new Elden Lord in Radagon. (Also the logistics of getting pregnant as a singular being like that sounds like a headache to sort out.)
One of my favorite role-playing backgrounds for my Tarnished is that they are of Carian descent with dark red hair (implying they could be a bastard of Rykard or Radahn), forced to leave the Lands Between and die, the Greater Will recognizes the demigod blood in my veins so I arise, and then I return to Caria Manor to assist Ranni in her quest. The Carians, Liurnia, and the cosmology are the most fascinating parts of Elden Ring for me. Again, another great Lore video SmoughTown!
In vers 1.00 the flavor text for Celestial Dew refers to it as a "nostrum", or medicine, perhaps indicating that a transgression, or "sin", is viewed like a sickness in the body. The theory that sin is a sickness fits with a lot of the demigods and their current afflictions. Some people have already theorized that the Seven Deadly Sins are represented by the demigods, all of whom are afflicted with some sort of sickness or impairment. Malenia is Pride, Margott is Envy, Mohg is Lust, Godrick is Greed, Rykard is Gluttony, Miquella is Sloth, and Radagon is Wrath. All of them are "sick with sin". And if Marika is Radagon, her Wrath against all whom she conquered is fairly evident in Melina's echo dialogues. Perhaps Radagon used the Celestial Dew to clean himself of Marika's transgressions as a whole, not just those against Liurnia. But then Godwyn was slain in soul and Marika's wrath fell upon the Elden Ring, after which she was crucifief for her sin again. It is too bad we have no option to cleanse Marika with Celestial Dew.
I feel like there is soo much more to this game to uncover. Keep digging for nuggets of world building and piecing together content for those of us in the community that have an absolute addiction 😅 praise the sun
Regarding the discussion of Albinaurics and Carian royalty, I feel like it's an oversight not to mention the likeness of the female Albinaurics to the Sweetings present in Rennala's chamber. Both appear to fit the description of being frail beings, and neither can effectively move on their own. The female Albinaurics depend on their wolves to get around, while the Sweetings are similarly forced to crawl about. I also can't help but notice a certain similarity between the female Albinauric face and that of Rennala. And the fact that Rennala, too, was given wolves, and has obvious connections to the Nox. This may be considered conjecture, but Rennala's hat seems to show an evolution of the traditional Noxian dress. All in all, I think there's a lot more to be gleaned from Rennala in regard to a potential connection to the Albinaurics; especially the female ones. And it all begs the question; how does the Amber Egg fit into all of this? I simply refuse to accept the fact that we have no good explanation as to why Radagon would leave Rennala with that rune, specifically. It cannot just be a matter of gameplay convenience.
I have to believe that Marika intended for the Tarnished to not only find Rennala, being able to change your stats fits her theme. With this I wonder if Ranni’s second phase of her mother was meant to counter Marika’s plan. Also, Caria has the best drip and the best knights. All the coolest characters are tied to then
Man your Radagon video was heat honestly. It's so interesting to watch this Sun Queen and Moon Queen war unfold into this deceptive scheme. Marika = 5Head
Perhaps the fingers crashed and tried to dig deeper in the ground trying to escape ranni. We see the fingers in a position showing a struggle to get away. I could still see these fingers being lifted into the heavens by the greater will to prevent ranni from truly escaping. Rhadan could have been approached by the greater will to help maintain them with the stars
There is a Elden ring manga, MC going visit her, she still insane but her attention taking care of reincarnation kids slowly curing her. She became sane talking about how she hate Radagon, and threating MC not doing the same thing to Ranni. After the battle, she mention to MC say hello to Ranni.
I think that the glintstone and astrological studies are 2 halves of the same coin. You can see the astrolabes and a lot of other star gazing tools laying around still. I think the glintstones are comets turned asteroids. Their seems to be a reverence with the stones. And there are some sentient Chyralians that almost guard them on behalf of the academy too. Going into the moon thing is a whole other thing that Rennala brought to the academy it seems.
Another excellent video man you have no idea how much I look foward to these and the bloodborne lore videos. Your definitely one of the best. Thanks for all your hard work
Hypothetical: ranis ending leads to bloodborne. A marriage of the blood star and moon . Gets moon presence, focus on blood and faith and explains the moonlight great sword. Also the beast from the shadows of rani and the queen
Thank you for making this video! I adore all of your soulsborne lore videos, and as I'm playing Elden Ring the Carians are my favorite part of the lore (with Ranni being one of my favorite characters)
Finally got around to watching this video and damn i was so good! Honestly the Carians and their great rise to poor falling from grace remind me of the Targaryens from game of thrones and house of the dragon.
Man the work you and others put into these is incredible, thank you for such an extraordinary video. I’m subscribed now and can’t wait to watch the others and any future video, this is the only channel I’ve ever pressed the notification bell for and you’ve earned it.
Tin foil hat time but talking about Loretta’s loyalties reminds me, I’m convinced there’s going to be some hitherto unguessed link between Ranni and Miquella in the dlc. Especially if Miquella is “Torrent’s former master” who entrusted Ranni with the spirit calling bell she gives us. Maybe something about Miquella’s frustrations with Golden Order fundamentalism, maybe him knowing that Ranni causing Godwyn’s death, I don’t know, but I’m sure there’s something between them that hasn’t been revealed yet
Great video as always! for future videos i would strongly suggest that you cover the Abyss from Dark Souls, a lot of people often misunderstand the true nature of dark and abyss and i never found a good video (at least not as high quality and well researched as your videos) on this subject.
Excited about more SmoughTown! Hoping this video addresses the turtle pope in the room. I still don't read Fate as being a literal force in this world.
One of the things that still confounds me is why Godfrey was never involved in either Liurnian wars (assuming he was not already banished). If victory is the only thing that mattered for Marika, why not send Godfrey and his mighty Crucible Knights? If you look at the Crucible Knights wiki, they actually are strong vs magic - having a 40% resistance to it. If they got buffed by Barrier of Gold they would have incredible magic defense. For whatever reason Marika/Radagon wanted to keep the truth of their nature secret. So wouldn't sending Radagon out into open war be an unnecessarily risky move? Or why not just send both Radagon and Godfrey? If not for the first war, then at least for the second war. Assuming Godfrey was not already banished, I feel like Marika/Radagon might have wanted something more than just domination over Liurnia. And I feel like it might have something to do with the cleansing ritual involving Celestial Dew. If we aggro an NPC and use Celestial Dew, the inhabitants of the world are returned to a state before we aggroed them. What if Marika wanted that as well? She has certainly committed countless atrocities against multiple people. And right here, she has access to an easy, risk-free item that just wipes away a lot of the hostilities caused by her many wars. It's the only explanation I can think of that is consistent with all the available theories regarding Marika and Radagon. This is also why I think "Fate" and things surrounding it are potentially, inherently sinister. An ability that can easily give you a clean slate regardless of how atrocious your actions are, is certainly too powerful for it to not be abused by everyone who knows of it.
Thank you so much Geoff. This was beautiful to watch! Next, if you have any major update in your mind, I’d love to see an updated timeline video. I’m a story telling style that tells us what possibly happened. I just finished playing the game for the second time, and even after seing hundreds of lore videos I hate to admit that I’m still confused.
I appreciate how much work you put in your vids smough I rarely if ever agree with your entire analysis but you usually give me something to think about
I still wish we could have a red wolf of radagon as a spirit ash. Even if it doesn’t have its fire spells or the jumping magic attack. It’s just so cool.
I am skeptical that Ranni had more siblings than we know. There's no evidence for it and since Radagon divorcing Rennala is a big deal, it would be for Rennala doing the same to not be mentioned. That said my theory is nearly as speculative in that I think the sisters/princess are Rennala's siblings or half siblings with Renna being the Snowy Crone and Ranni's mentor. In Japanese I believe the name of Celestial Dew is something like Nightmist (unsure) but whichever the point is the Japanese makes the item's connection to the Nox more explicit. May add more when I finish video, I commend your efforts
Didn't marika have a bunch of kids we don't really know about? the time between the shattering and now cannot be understated, it could be that any demigods that failed and became mere sacrifices were forgotten completely, and the same for rennalla's childreb
@eamonmcandrews7707 Marika's bastards are the mausoleum residents, yeah. But considering that Rennala was very into the marriage with Radagon I'm pretty skeptical we would not have heard anything about a prior family.
@@specialnewb9821 I also think it would be kind of weird how much she cares about her unborn amber egg if she had at least two other kids that died. So much of her character is focused on how much she loves her kids, yet she cares more about her egg and adopting a million juvenile scholars. Focusing on the egg so much she needs protection from her adult children is a tragedy, focusing on the egg over her dead kids, or seemingly only caring about the Radagon kids is just weirdly cold.
Either Rennala's relatives, or, possibly, other Liurnian Noble Houses vying for power, is what I personally thought (irt the "of many princesses only ranni was left" part)
The manus selis cathedral predates the erdtree, which means it's not carian in origin, but possibly an origin point, because the church of vows has similar architecture, but it lacks the pillars made of concrete, along with filled in high-arching window panes. Also, the stone maiden statues are different, the ones at manus selis are wielding swords, which were removed for the ones at the church of vows. The church of vows was made post erdtree, evidence by the similar building materials used there and Leyndell, which do not use concrete for any of their architecture, mirroring the architectural changes from the Roman Empire. Also, Manus Selis is a reference to the archaic depictions of God, who was often drawn as a massive Hand descending from the sky, clearly the source of inspiration for the 2 and 3 fingers, which were also referenced from the split in Christianity, where you can see in old images were represented by the use of either 2 fingers or 3 fingers to distinguish between the split sects
@SmoughTown I’m so pleased you finally covered Caria. Thanks again, for another great video essay! I’m curious if you and Loki ever discussed the fact that the Oath-Sworn summons during phase two of Renalla’s boss fight are also beings that are also vassals or have an association with Ranni? While I acknowledge wolves, trolls and dragons are important icons to all of Caria, I don’t think it’s coincidence that Ranni gifts us the wolf Spirit Ashes, and has Iji and Adula both as oath sworn vassals - especially if we hold to the belief that the second phase of the aforementioned boss fight is really a contest with Ranni’s magic. I’d be curious to know your thoughts if you see this. Thanks again!
I have a small theory that the existence of Radagon was a curse placed on Marika by the fell god for her crimes against the fire giants as well as trying to extinguish the flame. The same way their children are also afflicted by outer gods.
One thing that's I'd be interested in seeing you look into is if there is any in game references at all to anything related to the Nightfolk race from the character creator. You've pretty much completely exhausted all the lore available on the Albinaurics, but the weird missing link that is the Nightfolk still remains. My pet theory is that Loretta is actually a Nightfolk and is the final Albinauric experiment that actually produced a true artificial human, but there's not much basis other than her just appearing to be the only feasible candidate as their representation. Hopefully we get something substantial on them in the DLC.
What if the collapsed roof of Manus Celes could be the result of fate being freed, thus a meteor has hit the cathedral and reopened the way for Ranni to reach the previously hidden Two Fingers
I still like the idea that loretta was actually an Albanauric. That just makes the most sense to me. Especially considering how many relationships the Carians had that were built on sworn oaths, I'd think it would take a lot for someone to break that oak. The oath of knighthood probably even more than most, even if the queen has gone mad with grief. I feel like it would take feeling a real kinship with the Albanaurics to forsake the family the youve spent so much time protecting all so you can devote yourself to protecting a people you've probably always been taught are lesser beings. When we fight Loretta in the Haligteee, she has even altered her armor to bear the symbol of the Haligteee, which would generally mean she has aligned herself with Miquella, or at least with his ideals. Whats more, there are only two other mounted enemies that cant be knocked off their mounts, the tree sentinels, amd the Albanaurics on wolves. The tree sentinels are literally chained to their horse, which explains them, but loretta isnt.
I like the idea that Blaidd's oath to Ranni allowed him to resist his Golden Order programming. An allegiance he consciously chose overruling one that was thrust upon him
I like the concept that the Snowy Crone was Ranni's mentor after Rennala was broken, but as an alternate possibility, it would make sense if the Snowy Crone is the reason Ranni summons a Dark Moon instead of a Full Moon. My thought is that Rennala would not be trying to teach Ranni a different spell from her own, when she guided Ranni to conjure a moon, she conjured the Dark Moon because she already had knowledge of it. Just an alternate take.
you described the conifers in the mountaintops as "ghosts" but they actually _do_ have collision... for some reason. no clue what that's implying honestly, it might not even be intentional since you're not likely to notice during normal gameplay
Every time the Beast Shadows are brought up it makes me think, we've seen Maliketh and Blaidd, but what of Melania and Miquela's Shadows? Not even a mention in the entire game.
44:59 I personally think that ALL Albinaurics are a Raya-Lucarian attempt at recreating the Nox's Mimic Tears. I also believe that the sorcerer we can credit with their creation is Lusat who is also Loretta's Father. These games have a habit of having members of the same family share the first letter of the first name, also, the Albinauric we interact with most in game is Latenna. I actually think that in trying to make knockoff mimic tears they got the spark of life down but when they got them to change form they got stuck in the first forms they saw, their creator, Lusat, and his daughter and assistant/apprentice Loretta. This would also explain why they have similar skillsets, the males are sorcerers and the females are magical mounted archers, and why Loretta is so invested in their plight, she feels personally responsible. She didn't learn to ride and shoot from the Albinaurics, quite the opposite. The Frogfaced Albinaurics have been cured of having their bodies degenerate by Loretta, You see the simpler body and facial features and lack of magical ability and even speech put less strain on their ability to maintain a solid living form, keeping them being crippled and then melting, and therefore living happier lives at the cost of their humanoid looks and intelligence. It worked, I mean you can't help but smile watching them cartweel around.
I wonder if there is a connection between the nox/carian tunnel to the moonlight alter and the knowledge that Marika was once of the nox. Possibly a collaboration that Rennala had as a contingency plan in during or after the Liurnian wars?
![The Complete Story of Destiny! From origins to Shadowkeep [Timeline and Lore explained]](/img/n.gif)
Thank you everyone for checking out my lore video on the Carians. Let me know your thoughts below!
Help Fuel the Lore: www.buymeacoffee.com/smoughtown
Patreon: www.patreon.com/SmoughTown
Join the channel here: www.youtube.com/@SmoughTown/membership
Subscribe to my second channel: @smoughburgh
Just out of curiosity, you always say the Albinauric blood clot is the best lore item in the game... why is that?
It's just a bit of a channel meme - in my first few lore videos on Elden Ring, I observed that I kept bringing it up for some reason or another!@@LabTech41
My guess is Renna is the snow witch and she somehow fused with Ranni hence the double face she has. And the third sister would be Melina, that's why she gives you torrent wich is recognised by Renna/Ranni. Ranni started the rebellion against the golden order and she uses you to finish it with the help of Melina and that's why she hates you for choosing the Frenzied Flame because it's the only ending that poses a real threat to Ranni. Also torrent blue particul when calling and jumping are reminescent of glintstone magick and maybe lunar magic.
Caria was already a noble familly before Rennala declared hereself royalty, so when Ranni says that Rennala is the last she means of the Carian dynasty, that predates her crowning has queen of Liurnia
I feel like you completely glossed over that both the Sellia crest and the Carian Royal crest both use the Dark Moon of Nokstella subtly as the base for their designs. Which extends to their boulder summoning magic. Additionally that both locations are located above eternal cities, and have direct ties to the royals.
I believe the Nox are the middle step between Astrologers and modern Sorcerers, the various schools and factions like the carian royals formed after the banishment and subsequent collapse of their dynasty
Oh and Elden Stars explains why Radagon went to Liurnia, and all Amber is glintstone canonically according to Sellen
As a carian knight from the lands between I approve this message.
As a cuckoo knight puppet, ensnared into servitude, I am compelled to approve this message.
Here here! Same.
Profile pic checks out
As a leyndell knight loyal to the golden order I disapproved this message in the past but now I think you guys are cool.
Simp
I have a slight feeling that Rennala's insanity was not solely caused by Radagon leaving her (though that served as a catalyst). Radagon's departure may have weakened her mind enough that others conspired against her, but that wasn't enough to fully break her: it was Ranni's "death". Consider this: the love of your life leaves you, then the bunch of people who follow you begin to doubt you and, to put the cherry on top, your daughter and heir seemingly dies out of nowhare. Driven to madness, she tried to reincarnate Ranni through the Amber Egg; the last renmant of her beloved husband.
I think that fully justified her descent into madness without invalidating or contradicting her previous displays of willpower.
Awesome video Smough! As always, very exhaustive and well-researched. Cheers!
I’m not sure about that though, the fact that Ranni developed a spell familiar to protect Rennala suggests she was already relatively far gone before Ranni faked her death and went into hiding
@@khallous Ranni could have done that after her “death”.
Oh I love this!
The reincarnated scholars in Rennalas chamber all look somewhat feminine and have a tiny glint of gold in their eyes as covered by Zullie the Witch, maybe they are what Ranni originally looked like
@@oliver_twisted6838 They could be failed attempts at trying to reincarnate her. Ranni had also red hair, as evidenced by her corpse.
Talking about the "Moon magic" being something the Carians had never seen before, just look at the Lazuli conspectus mask's facial expression: two gemstone eyes opened wide, the lips parted in what is clearly an expression of surprise! 19:57 shows this very clearly. When the Carians undertook this study, it was apparently something radically different from what they normally worked on. This was a huge break from their magical orthodoxy, and I think this mask tells a lot about how the Carians felt about this new type of magic.
MOON! POG!
Speaking of Rennala's oathbound dragons, maybe the reason Smarag exclusively eats sorcerers is because he is such an oathbound dragon and thus a sworn enemy of Raya Lucaria after it rebelled.
I don't know if anyone has pointed it out yet, but Rennala and her Full Moon married Radagon and accepted the light of the Erdtree for a time, a full moon being when the side of the moon is hit full on by the light of the sun.
Ranni with her Dark Moon killed her physical body & her Two Fingers in opposition to the Golden Order, and to make a "new" order facing away from the Erdtree light; the Dark Moon would also be known as a "new moon" to us irl.
Damn bro, that’s actually a wicked observation
Also... If Nokstella had its own third moon underground, with no light in any direction and no Erdtree to shine on it, it would indeed be black!
Not a new order, Carian family is ROYALTY. Meaning they ruled over in the past. Presumably during the age of the fire giant. (They considered each other neighbors)
@@DrooledOn It would still be newer than how Rennala's moon was during her tenure, Ranni isn't doing it with her flesh body.
Actually, that makes me think about how she's going to space; maybe she'll have to turn you into a puppet or soul-only form so you both can survive out there.
I really wish they'd made the Carian Knights Sword capable of actually being used as a catalyst for sorcery. Maybe R2 or an ash of war would've worked, mechanically.
That's a thing i miss from dark souls 3, weapons that can cast spells. Wish they could cast spells but maybe only the carian ones. That would have been cool.
Yeah, weapon catalysts are one of the reasons I really like the Reforged mod
Crazy that Elden Ring doesn't have any despite DS2 and DS3 having them (and being popular weapons for that reason). Seems like every new Souls game. mechanically, takes two steps forward and one step backwards compared to its predecessors.
While it would def make sense and be cool, I can see why from balance perspectives they chose not to do this.
They have a rapier in sote that can cast !!!
Radagon's marriage to Renalla also has a very obvious alchemical parallell.
Albedo is the alchemical stage associated with the moon, already linking it clearly to Renalla. And transition from nigredo to albedo is often associated with - marriage, water, cleansing and purification and baptism. Radagon purifying himself in a baptism-like ritual with celestial dew and marrying the lunar queen is exactly the nigredo-albedo transition, tying into the whole of Radagon's story being basically magnum opus. The next stage would be rubedo, and is associated with gold, and union of selves, corresponding to Radagon's marriage to Marika, though based on some other dialogues, I think the union was never fully completed.
The silver - gold alchemical references are strewn throughout the lands between. The albinaurics, or those without gold is another reference. They seek the unalloyed gold of miquella.
@@avakinzerochillI would also say d's armor set is a good example of the union of silver and gold, as in game it is supposed to symbolize a union of two bodies that share a soul I think.
Your absolutely right, I hadn't thought of that.
@@nimblejarl7635 so a homonculus, a creature with 2 souls in one body and also associated with alchemy
What's up my nigredo
a criticism i have is that i do not believe the three sisters refers to three princesses but instead the three moons, rennala's full moon, ranni's dark moon and nokstella's black moon with this being exemplified by the odd one out amongst the towers representing a moon that has been destroyed (thus having a different name) and said tower containg a memory stone which is said to be made from the black moon. This actually may make killing astel even more thematic as part of ranni's quest if you view astel as the destroyer of said moon, in essence as part of this quest you are taking revenge on the one who destroyed the sister moon of your mistress ranni
@@zippydastrangesure but those three princesses wouldn’t be three sisters
I think this is a better theory than there literally being three sisters that are somehow in no way relevant to the plot whatsoever, but I also think it's worth pointing out that there are a lot of examples in architecture of similar structures or ones built at the same time being referred to as 'twins' or 'brothers' or similar terms.
It feels weird to me to assume that such an unimportant name points to something that would argueably change the plot or how we read Ranni/Rennala, rather than a simple reference to the fact that there are three identical towers in an area associated with a matriarchal monarchy, or the already relevant moons.
@@quisslequassle404 I think it is more than an architectural reference. The nearby 4 belfries are just belfries, and the feature could have been named the 3 rises if it were just about the buildings.
Could be a reference to maiden, mother and crone trinity too.
Trinity is also associated with Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, magic, necromancy and ghosts. Not a lunar deity explicitly but a connection remains. Hecate had a temple in ancient Caria, present day Turkey.
@@shplinkoThere is a rl ancient peoples from the area in modern west Turkey that are called Carians, the Hecate myths are likely from them. To further deepen the link, Hecate is often depicted as three bodied, like three women standing back to back, like three sisters.
I think the story of Rennala also influenced Ranni view on how the new age should be structured. The safety and stability of Liurnia basically hinged on one person. That made it all extremely fragile. If anything ever happened to Rennala, it would all collapse. And when Ranni looked outward, she saw the exact same thing happen with Marika. One ruler becomes too involved, too important, too intertwined with the land they rule.
There's something magical about the Carians, even in a fantastical world like Elden Ring! Been looking forward to this video!
Agreed - had a great time making this video
it might be all the magic they do
its why i switched my build to magic hybrid after going there
Phenomenal insight on Rennala's "scheming" side, making her handling of Azur and Lusat a political move rather than a simply "ethic" or moral dispute in regards to what ought to be studied at the Academy. Really appreciated that part.
Thanks bud - yeh I really think she was a master at building her power base. From claiming Raya Lucaria to gathering vassals
Great video, as always!
When it comes to Loretta being an Aubinauric, my stance is that her story is more interesting to me if she is not, as that shows her to have a compassion for others that goes beyond just trying to make things better for her people, as she tries to give a group she is unrelated to a safe home to live in. She could very well not have cared, just kept on with her good life as one of the most notable knights of the Carians, but she chose to help those nobody else would, simply because it was the right thing to do.
Honestly same. I also feel like it would make more sense to specifically point out that her being an albinauric is a rumor if it's meant to tell us that the from the perspective of the people of the lands between, specifically those that oppressed and mistreated them in the first time, Lorettas compassion only makes sense if it was ultimately for her own sake in some way.
Yeh I've always leaned towards her not being an albinauric
Personally up until a little bit ago I believed Loretta was an Albinauric herself, but in her boss fight on the Haligtree she bleeds red blood, a trait that Albinaurics don't have, which makes me believe she's a human.
Maybe she was the template they used for the female ablinaurics
@@banebeardthinking about it, the female albinaurics' infamous sniping abilities are like a physical version of loretta's bow sorceries
@@dumbsterdives it would also explain their proficiency with riding
Her ash of war shows her standing
I actually take her bleeding red blood as being a result of her being the ultimate Albinauric instead. I think if she isn't an albinauric, I would go so far as to suggest that she was not, because albinaurics and the nox are essentially the only characters wearing or wielding silver
Great video as always dude, really enjoyed listening to this.
One little nugget I've never noticed before is Sellen being described as a 'Carian weed', potentially indicating her as a member of the Carian dynasty itself.
Interestingly Caria is an area in modern day turkey which is notable in Greek mythology as the birthplace of the goddess Hecate - goddess of witchcraft and the moon. She is often portrayed with having multiple faces and the Greco-Roman influence on the Glinstone Crown masks is obvious.
Hecate's chief rival as Goddess of the moon was named Selen.
I took that more as a thorn in their side, but possibly. Interesting fact about Selen and the rival part!
I'm sure I'm not the first person to link Renalla to Hecate but I'd never thought of the stargazer heirloom explicitly referencing renalla herself 'The young astrologer gazed at the night sky as she walked' until this video.
Interesting factoid: Hecate was also known as 'Nyktypolos' which roughly translates as 'she who wanders at night'
Hecate also has power over the skies seas earth and the underworld (no realm was barred to her)
She is also considered to be the goddess of Necromancy. She is considered to be in-between both the light and the dark..in more modern traditions she is called the mother of angels and cosmic world soul.
Sorry for rambling but as a worshipper of Hecate just thought I would share some of my knowledge on her :)
@@zippydastrange it’s Blaidd and also no
Ahh, I can't wait to sit comfortably with a cup of home made coffee, block out everything else and enjoy your wonderful voice and curious insights. Thank you for being a permanent company and a weekly routine.
Cheers and much love
That sounds lovely Nick, might join you and make a tea myself. My pleasure - hope you have a nice Sunday and thank you for the support
I'm always amazed how you manage to insert the item description for the Albinauric Blood Clot, the greatest lore item in the game...
I got you
One odd bit of lore that I think might be relevant here comes from the Greathood helm.
{Hood far larger than the head it is meant to cover. A burial shroud of sorts for those who discover, at long last, the truth they sought.
Increases intelligence and faith to the detriment of HP.
"Yes, surely this is the moon that young Rennala gazed upon."}
This has always stuck out to me, since it’s found in the Mountaintops, on the bridge leading to the Stargazer Ruins, but the dialogue implies that this is where Rennala first encountered the Full Moon. But this only seems to raise questions about how the Moonlight Altar was discovered, and why it became so relevant to the Carians. As far as I’m aware this description is not a mistranslation either.
53:00 It's possible that Caria's fate was bound to the golden order until Radagon 'married' Marika, breaking his vow with Renalla and thus, divorcing Caria's fate from the Golden order. It would've reverted back to the stars, which were held by Radahn.
it made me so happy to see a new elden ring lore vid
By the time the Tarnished arrives to challenge Rennala for the shard, she's pretty much checked out. As the game states, when the people needed her most, they found out she was no champion.
I actually want to expand on this a little further with the Cuckoos and their fair-weather loyalties. Mercenaries at the best of times are already pretty flaky when it comes to honoring contracts, and have historically often betrayed their hosts if they felt they weren't being paid enough or the contract simply wasn't worth holding anymore. Such as the case when the mercenary army employed by Carthage laid siege to the city after the first Punic War because the city couldn't afford to pay them anymore. Homilcar Barca, their leading general at the time, had to pay ANOTHER mercenary army to defeat the first one. One the he personally lead against the Romans.
It would stand to reason that the Carians were "hands off" with the Cuckoos because they weren't officially apart of the military and governmental structure like the Carian Knights or their other oathbound retainers, and when Rennala just receded further into despair no one remembered to pay them. One thing leads to another, and the Cuckoos lay siege to both the Academy and the Lunar Estate to exact payment the old fashioned way. Bloody conquest and loot.
Hence why to the people of Raya Lucaria, Rennala wasn't a champion anymore. If she ever was to begin with.
Excellent comment
I find it interesting that there's a connection between the Numen and the Carians, considering Marika's origins and the eventual marriage between Rennala and Radagon.
Gary Numen
Thanks for the deep dive into the lore of Carian. FromSoftware managed to mix mythologies lik: Alchemy, Astrology, Tales of Knights and Hermetism into very beatiful dark fantasy tragedy
As a fellow Knight servant of the Queen of the full moon, I'm delighted to see recognition for our beloved royal house. May the full moon light your path, my fellow Carian protégés. 🛐✨
I think it would have been good to speculate more on the exchange made between the Carian rule of the Moon and the Erdtree Order. The marriage of Rennala and Radagon seems to have been, at least initially, a political arrangement to break a stalemate and ensure mutual gain. Marika/Radagon learned a great deal from Carian sorcery and their way of thinking. But what did Rennala get? A truce alone doesn't seem like enough. I personally believe Rennala was unable to bear children on her own, and that Radagon bringing the egg with the rune of the unborn offered her the chance to establish a royal line after herself. I think ALL of the 3 children they had were born with the assistance of the egg and the rune. That Ranni turned out to be empyrean could have been an unexpected gift. But, alternatively, perhaps Radagon/Marika were already trying to produce one, which had not happened with Godfrey, and hoped Rennala's involvement would lead to success. People have speculated that Ranni may have been born of the amber egg in some way, but that makes much less sense to me than ALL of them being born in this way out of necessity.
The way that the Erdtree Order and Caria are bound together reminds me a bit of how in Warhammer 40k the Emperor of Man (Earth) forges an alliance with the Mechanicus (Mars) because a war between the two forces would have been pointlessly destructive. It was rarely a comfortable alliance, but at the time, there was not enough room in the galaxy for two independent human polities. Elden Ring gives me this same vibe: the Order, while more powerful overall, would have to expend far more resources to actually conquer Caria, when there is a much simpler fix: unify the two royal houses.
Over an hour of SmoughTown? Yes please.
Let's vaporise it and inhale deeply
As a phantom troll champion, I really found it interesting how there seem to be several distinct moons who appear to certain people. I wonder if this has to do with the fate/stars thing. Also why they dislike how Radahn binds the 'stars' which somehow stops fate. I think it has to do with these moon encounters both mother and daughter have
A film length lore video on Renala and the Carian! This is my superbowl!!!!! LETS GOO!!!!
There's a physical detail on the Preceptor's Mask that hints to the idea of the private matter they're meant to keep being the truth that Marika and Radagon are the same being: the "gold thread" that seals the mouth is in the exact lattice shape of the mending rune Radagon used to try and repair the Elden Ring.
It took me a month but now I remember. In Slavic mythology, there are three godesses representing Dawn, Twilight, and Dusk. In astrology, they are represented as 3 sister stars, along with an evil star that is chained to them. When the 3 sisters vanish from the night sky, the evil star will come free and bring about the end of the world. The fourth star, which is chained to the three sisters, is similar to Fenrir. It is a ravenous WOLF known as Simargl.
As far as im concerned, this is THE go to lore channel for anything Elden Ring. Youve done such a phenomenal job Smough. I cant thank you enough for the hours of knowledge and entertainment youve given to me/us.
One problem with your version of events is it suggests Rennala and the Carians were not prepared to suddenly lose the favor of the academy. But numerous item descriptions suggest the opposite: that the Carians *knew* a split was coming, *knew* the Academy would eventually fight them, and made preparations so that *when* this split happened, the Carians would be ready for it.
This suggests to me not merely that Rennala was a political leader felled by a moment of weakness and opportune political opponents, but that she was actually secretly betraying the academy in some way. Perhaps she actually wanted Radahn to arrest the stars, or perhaps the her binding the stars to the Golden Order or forbidding study of the Primeval Current wasn't just a "disagreement," but treachery. The academy scholars couldn't see it because they were *bewitched.*
Rennala was taking advantage of the academy, and knew she'd be found out eventually. That's a very different story than it seems most folks have concluded.
If you can make the argument that Seluvis's Rise is a relatively recent renaming, couldn't Manus Celes have been renamed after the Two Fingers arrived?
yep very true! What I presented was just my interpretation
If you didn't upload such quality content I would have stopped watching lore videos on this game a long time ago. Props to you for keeping up the good work so long after this game's launch
Means the world my friend - I just loved the game and keeping thinking of new subjects to cover!
with the topic of the town of sellia, i think that the remaining population is entirely from the nox settlement. but i think that the aeonian swamp used to be another portion of sellia, the part with ties to gravity magic and the alabaster lord. we find the meteor staff in the ruins of a street on the other side of the swamp, and given the rot explosion that would've happened, this would explain why the "town" of sorcery has been reduced to two or three streets, and why there's nothing in regards to gravity magic, and thus the sorcerers that studied it there, despite it being the location where an alabaster lord had been and where radahn had gone to learn gravity magic
Fantastic content, as aways! There’s a theory that Godwyn was stand-in for Marika while she was absent from the Capital durning Radagon’s marriage to Rennala? I think it’s possible that he could take a female form also.
I've been having a hard time winding down for sleep lately, this video is a godsend. Thank you SmouGeoff
Sorry to hear that my friend - hope this helps! All the best
i like how there's a spoiler warning 20 months after the game released
Hahah! Better safe than sorry
I mean I started playing Elden Ring about 1-2 months ago.
Not every person can be expected to consume all media immediately.
I've got plenty of friends who are likely to play the game but haven't yet for one reason or another.
It's always worthwhile to be mindful of other people and their experiences.
I just got it and completed my first playthrough, so I understand the assertion that not everyone consumes media immediately, but if people don’t want to be spoiled, can’t they just do what I did and avoid looking up obvious lore videos until after playing the game?
Carian gang for the win - gonna binge this
I consider it likely that radagon (being marika at this point) agreed to marry rennala as a form of subterfuge, already planning to woo rennala and then leave her heartbroken and weak since the forces of the erdtree were unable to physically conquer liurnia. its already conjectured by miriel why radagon, a "mere champion" would cast rennala aside and then become elden lord. would rennala being privy to this secret identity not throw a wrench into marika's supposed plan of mentally crushing her enemy? i would imagine that such a secret would be kept at the utmost discretion from the carian family, if that were the case
Well, we know the preceptors were sworn to absolute secrecy by Radagon, as indicated by the preceptor mask (helm?)
So you might be on to something
A bit of speculation on my part regarding a few things covered in this video.
To me, it seems the sweetings created by Renala are made to be a younger version of her, or perhaps one of her daughters. Perhaps a way for her to try and feel joy again?
Also could the Three Sisters be in reference to Renala herself and her own theoretical sisters? It seems likely if Ranni had sisters they would get a mention. Like Selevus’ Rise, Ranni’s could be renamed because she now occupies it. This could also mean the Snowy Crone is her aunt Renna.
I disagree with the notion that Marika and Radagon always shared the same body. Namely, no absence of Marika is noted before the Shattering. Radagon in my eyes is a masculine aspect of Marika created on her ascension, yet occupying his own body until they are later unified. Gets back to that Alchemy sub-theme, that Marika represents the White Queen, and Radagon the Red King both are separate and trying to be united.
I will admit that this stance is taken also to support my other theory regarding Godfrey and his sons Morgott and Mohg. It is likely the birth of the Omen Twins that led to the loss of Grace and Banishment of Godfrey and the Tarnished; thus leading Marika to seek a new Elden Lord in Radagon.
(Also the logistics of getting pregnant as a singular being like that sounds like a headache to sort out.)
marika and radagon always been the same person, Radagon was not mentioned until his existence to subdue Lucaria become a thing
One of your best videos yet… putting all the information into a greater context sets you apart !
Means the world to hear that bud - I enjoyed making this one!
Another god-tier lore video. keep it up brother. I cant wait for you to get your hands on the dlc
Thanks so much my friend - I cant wait either!
One of my favorite role-playing backgrounds for my Tarnished is that they are of Carian descent with dark red hair (implying they could be a bastard of Rykard or Radahn), forced to leave the Lands Between and die, the Greater Will recognizes the demigod blood in my veins so I arise, and then I return to Caria Manor to assist Ranni in her quest.
The Carians, Liurnia, and the cosmology are the most fascinating parts of Elden Ring for me. Again, another great Lore video SmoughTown!
with rellana being added ti the dlc this only confirms the three sisters theory well done ❤️ great connection seluvis tower was renallas sisters.
PLOT TWIST Renalla was somehow transported to the Hunter's Dream and learned her full moon magic from the Moon Presence
In vers 1.00 the flavor text for Celestial Dew refers to it as a "nostrum", or medicine, perhaps indicating that a transgression, or "sin", is viewed like a sickness in the body. The theory that sin is a sickness fits with a lot of the demigods and their current afflictions. Some people have already theorized that the Seven Deadly Sins are represented by the demigods, all of whom are afflicted with some sort of sickness or impairment. Malenia is Pride, Margott is Envy, Mohg is Lust, Godrick is Greed, Rykard is Gluttony, Miquella is Sloth, and Radagon is Wrath. All of them are "sick with sin". And if Marika is Radagon, her Wrath against all whom she conquered is fairly evident in Melina's echo dialogues. Perhaps Radagon used the Celestial Dew to clean himself of Marika's transgressions as a whole, not just those against Liurnia. But then Godwyn was slain in soul and Marika's wrath fell upon the Elden Ring, after which she was crucifief for her sin again. It is too bad we have no option to cleanse Marika with Celestial Dew.
I feel like there is soo much more to this game to uncover. Keep digging for nuggets of world building and piecing together content for those of us in the community that have an absolute addiction 😅 praise the sun
Doing my due diligence Carian knight playthrough, right now, about to fight rennala, and then this drops? Thanks for the gift
Regarding the discussion of Albinaurics and Carian royalty, I feel like it's an oversight not to mention the likeness of the female Albinaurics to the Sweetings present in Rennala's chamber. Both appear to fit the description of being frail beings, and neither can effectively move on their own. The female Albinaurics depend on their wolves to get around, while the Sweetings are similarly forced to crawl about. I also can't help but notice a certain similarity between the female Albinauric face and that of Rennala. And the fact that Rennala, too, was given wolves, and has obvious connections to the Nox. This may be considered conjecture, but Rennala's hat seems to show an evolution of the traditional Noxian dress. All in all, I think there's a lot more to be gleaned from Rennala in regard to a potential connection to the Albinaurics; especially the female ones. And it all begs the question; how does the Amber Egg fit into all of this? I simply refuse to accept the fact that we have no good explanation as to why Radagon would leave Rennala with that rune, specifically. It cannot just be a matter of gameplay convenience.
I have to believe that Marika intended for the Tarnished to not only find Rennala, being able to change your stats fits her theme. With this I wonder if Ranni’s second phase of her mother was meant to counter Marika’s plan.
Also, Caria has the best drip and the best knights. All the coolest characters are tied to then
Man your Radagon video was heat honestly. It's so interesting to watch this Sun Queen and Moon Queen war unfold into this deceptive scheme. Marika = 5Head
Thanks so Moxie - means so much
Perhaps the fingers crashed and tried to dig deeper in the ground trying to escape ranni. We see the fingers in a position showing a struggle to get away. I could still see these fingers being lifted into the heavens by the greater will to prevent ranni from truly escaping. Rhadan could have been approached by the greater will to help maintain them with the stars
It’s always a good day when I open yt to see you’ve uploaded. Only you and 3-4 other channels I really look forward to.
Humbled to hear that my friend - means the world and I hope you enjoy this one
There is a Elden ring manga, MC going visit her, she still insane but her attention taking care of reincarnation kids slowly curing her. She became sane talking about how she hate Radagon, and threating MC not doing the same thing to Ranni.
After the battle, she mention to MC say hello to Ranni.
I think that the glintstone and astrological studies are 2 halves of the same coin. You can see the astrolabes and a lot of other star gazing tools laying around still. I think the glintstones are comets turned asteroids. Their seems to be a reverence with the stones. And there are some sentient Chyralians that almost guard them on behalf of the academy too. Going into the moon thing is a whole other thing that Rennala brought to the academy it seems.
Another excellent video man you have no idea how much I look foward to these and the bloodborne lore videos. Your definitely one of the best. Thanks for all your hard work
Super kind of you to say that my friend. Thank you so much, I am glad you enjoy the content
Hypothetical: ranis ending leads to bloodborne. A marriage of the blood star and moon . Gets moon presence, focus on blood and faith and explains the moonlight great sword. Also the beast from the shadows of rani and the queen
Thank you for making this video! I adore all of your soulsborne lore videos, and as I'm playing Elden Ring the Carians are my favorite part of the lore (with Ranni being one of my favorite characters)
My pleasure! Really pleased you enjoyed it
The royalty of all time!
Finally got around to watching this video and damn i was so good!
Honestly the Carians and their great rise to poor falling from grace remind me of the Targaryens from game of thrones and house of the dragon.
Very nice video, I really like Caria and everything about it so thanks again for explaining and expanding the knowledge about it!
My pleasure my friend! Enjoy
Man the work you and others put into these is incredible, thank you for such an extraordinary video. I’m subscribed now and can’t wait to watch the others and any future video, this is the only channel I’ve ever pressed the notification bell for and you’ve earned it.
Tin foil hat time but talking about Loretta’s loyalties reminds me, I’m convinced there’s going to be some hitherto unguessed link between Ranni and Miquella in the dlc. Especially if Miquella is “Torrent’s former master” who entrusted Ranni with the spirit calling bell she gives us. Maybe something about Miquella’s frustrations with Golden Order fundamentalism, maybe him knowing that Ranni causing Godwyn’s death, I don’t know, but I’m sure there’s something between them that hasn’t been revealed yet
Great video as always! for future videos i would strongly suggest that you cover the Abyss from Dark Souls, a lot of people often misunderstand the true nature of dark and abyss and i never found a good video (at least not as high quality and well researched as your videos) on this subject.
Excited about more SmoughTown!
Hoping this video addresses the turtle pope in the room.
I still don't read Fate as being a literal force in this world.
He's done it again! Thanks for these, always a pleasure to soak in some fromsoft lore and theories.
One of the things that still confounds me is why Godfrey was never involved in either Liurnian wars (assuming he was not already banished). If victory is the only thing that mattered for Marika, why not send Godfrey and his mighty Crucible Knights? If you look at the Crucible Knights wiki, they actually are strong vs magic - having a 40% resistance to it. If they got buffed by Barrier of Gold they would have incredible magic defense. For whatever reason Marika/Radagon wanted to keep the truth of their nature secret. So wouldn't sending Radagon out into open war be an unnecessarily risky move? Or why not just send both Radagon and Godfrey? If not for the first war, then at least for the second war. Assuming Godfrey was not already banished, I feel like Marika/Radagon might have wanted something more than just domination over Liurnia. And I feel like it might have something to do with the cleansing ritual involving Celestial Dew. If we aggro an NPC and use Celestial Dew, the inhabitants of the world are returned to a state before we aggroed them. What if Marika wanted that as well? She has certainly committed countless atrocities against multiple people. And right here, she has access to an easy, risk-free item that just wipes away a lot of the hostilities caused by her many wars. It's the only explanation I can think of that is consistent with all the available theories regarding Marika and Radagon.
This is also why I think "Fate" and things surrounding it are potentially, inherently sinister. An ability that can easily give you a clean slate regardless of how atrocious your actions are, is certainly too powerful for it to not be abused by everyone who knows of it.
Thank you so much Geoff. This was beautiful to watch! Next, if you have any major update in your mind, I’d love to see an updated timeline video. I’m a story telling style that tells us what possibly happened. I just finished playing the game for the second time, and even after seing hundreds of lore videos I hate to admit that I’m still confused.
I appreciate how much work you put in your vids smough I rarely if ever agree with your entire analysis but you usually give me something to think about
I still wish we could have a red wolf of radagon as a spirit ash. Even if it doesn’t have its fire spells or the jumping magic attack. It’s just so cool.
I am skeptical that Ranni had more siblings than we know. There's no evidence for it and since Radagon divorcing Rennala is a big deal, it would be for Rennala doing the same to not be mentioned. That said my theory is nearly as speculative in that I think the sisters/princess are Rennala's siblings or half siblings with Renna being the Snowy Crone and Ranni's mentor.
In Japanese I believe the name of Celestial Dew is something like Nightmist (unsure) but whichever the point is the Japanese makes the item's connection to the Nox more explicit.
May add more when I finish video, I commend your efforts
Didn't marika have a bunch of kids we don't really know about? the time between the shattering and now cannot be understated, it could be that any demigods that failed and became mere sacrifices were forgotten completely, and the same for rennalla's childreb
@eamonmcandrews7707 Marika's bastards are the mausoleum residents, yeah. But considering that Rennala was very into the marriage with Radagon I'm pretty skeptical we would not have heard anything about a prior family.
@@specialnewb9821 I also think it would be kind of weird how much she cares about her unborn amber egg if she had at least two other kids that died. So much of her character is focused on how much she loves her kids, yet she cares more about her egg and adopting a million juvenile scholars. Focusing on the egg so much she needs protection from her adult children is a tragedy, focusing on the egg over her dead kids, or seemingly only caring about the Radagon kids is just weirdly cold.
Either Rennala's relatives, or, possibly, other Liurnian Noble Houses vying for power, is what I personally thought (irt the "of many princesses only ranni was left" part)
The manus selis cathedral predates the erdtree, which means it's not carian in origin, but possibly an origin point, because the church of vows has similar architecture, but it lacks the pillars made of concrete, along with filled in high-arching window panes. Also, the stone maiden statues are different, the ones at manus selis are wielding swords, which were removed for the ones at the church of vows. The church of vows was made post erdtree, evidence by the similar building materials used there and Leyndell, which do not use concrete for any of their architecture, mirroring the architectural changes from the Roman Empire. Also, Manus Selis is a reference to the archaic depictions of God, who was often drawn as a massive Hand descending from the sky, clearly the source of inspiration for the 2 and 3 fingers, which were also referenced from the split in Christianity, where you can see in old images were represented by the use of either 2 fingers or 3 fingers to distinguish between the split sects
I was excited for this video but I wasn’t notified by youtube, and only found it through your community post.
@SmoughTown I’m so pleased you finally covered Caria. Thanks again, for another great video essay!
I’m curious if you and Loki ever discussed the fact that the Oath-Sworn summons during phase two of Renalla’s boss fight are also beings that are also vassals or have an association with Ranni? While I acknowledge wolves, trolls and dragons are important icons to all of Caria, I don’t think it’s coincidence that Ranni gifts us the wolf Spirit Ashes, and has Iji and Adula both as oath sworn vassals - especially if we hold to the belief that the second phase of the aforementioned boss fight is really a contest with Ranni’s magic.
I’d be curious to know your thoughts if you see this. Thanks again!
This is your most underrated video
It was heat as usual!
I have a small theory that the existence of Radagon was a curse placed on Marika by the fell god for her crimes against the fire giants as well as trying to extinguish the flame. The same way their children are also afflicted by outer gods.
I love this video!!! I would absolutely love more videos on Bloodborne and Dark Souls aswell! :)
One thing that's I'd be interested in seeing you look into is if there is any in game references at all to anything related to the Nightfolk race from the character creator. You've pretty much completely exhausted all the lore available on the Albinaurics, but the weird missing link that is the Nightfolk still remains. My pet theory is that Loretta is actually a Nightfolk and is the final Albinauric experiment that actually produced a true artificial human, but there's not much basis other than her just appearing to be the only feasible candidate as their representation. Hopefully we get something substantial on them in the DLC.
Glad I’m here early! I love all the lore videos!
Thank you Brian! Enjoy
Rennala knowing that Radagon is Marika makes sense. No wonder she's devastated and mind-broken after literally being abandoned by God.
If those creepy hand spiders were Rennala’s idea, I have no pity for her.
They were Rykard's invention.
What if the collapsed roof of Manus Celes could be the result of fate being freed, thus a meteor has hit the cathedral and reopened the way for Ranni to reach the previously hidden Two Fingers
I still like the idea that loretta was actually an Albanauric. That just makes the most sense to me. Especially considering how many relationships the Carians had that were built on sworn oaths, I'd think it would take a lot for someone to break that oak. The oath of knighthood probably even more than most, even if the queen has gone mad with grief. I feel like it would take feeling a real kinship with the Albanaurics to forsake the family the youve spent so much time protecting all so you can devote yourself to protecting a people you've probably always been taught are lesser beings. When we fight Loretta in the Haligteee, she has even altered her armor to bear the symbol of the Haligteee, which would generally mean she has aligned herself with Miquella, or at least with his ideals. Whats more, there are only two other mounted enemies that cant be knocked off their mounts, the tree sentinels, amd the Albanaurics on wolves. The tree sentinels are literally chained to their horse, which explains them, but loretta isnt.
I don't hate it either...I just don't know what the truth is hahah
We as carian knights are blessed by the shared knowledge of Smough
I like the idea that Blaidd's oath to Ranni allowed him to resist his Golden Order programming. An allegiance he consciously chose overruling one that was thrust upon him
My favorite aspect of Elden Ring from my favorite Lore-master? Yes please 🤓
Too kind! Thank you so much, hope you enjoyed
@@SmoughTown You never miss! Thanks for all your hard work(:
Ahhhh, a new video to enjoy with my lunch. LEGEND.
I like the concept that the Snowy Crone was Ranni's mentor after Rennala was broken, but as an alternate possibility, it would make sense if the Snowy Crone is the reason Ranni summons a Dark Moon instead of a Full Moon. My thought is that Rennala would not be trying to teach Ranni a different spell from her own, when she guided Ranni to conjure a moon, she conjured the Dark Moon because she already had knowledge of it. Just an alternate take.
My favorite faction. ❤
A nice reminder to go play elden ring again :)
you described the conifers in the mountaintops as "ghosts" but they actually _do_ have collision... for some reason. no clue what that's implying honestly, it might not even be intentional since you're not likely to notice during normal gameplay
Every time the Beast Shadows are brought up it makes me think, we've seen Maliketh and Blaidd, but what of Melania and Miquela's Shadows? Not even a mention in the entire game.
So Rani made a magical version of Loretta, and also the abandonce of her father Radagon of his family is the reason why she hates the golden order 🔥
I thought we were talking about CARLA from finding Nemo… thumbnail had me for a second LOL
44:59 I personally think that ALL Albinaurics are a Raya-Lucarian attempt at recreating the Nox's Mimic Tears. I also believe that the sorcerer we can credit with their creation is Lusat who is also Loretta's Father. These games have a habit of having members of the same family share the first letter of the first name, also, the Albinauric we interact with most in game is Latenna. I actually think that in trying to make knockoff mimic tears they got the spark of life down but when they got them to change form they got stuck in the first forms they saw, their creator, Lusat, and his daughter and assistant/apprentice Loretta. This would also explain why they have similar skillsets, the males are sorcerers and the females are magical mounted archers, and why Loretta is so invested in their plight, she feels personally responsible. She didn't learn to ride and shoot from the Albinaurics, quite the opposite. The Frogfaced Albinaurics have been cured of having their bodies degenerate by Loretta, You see the simpler body and facial features and lack of magical ability and even speech put less strain on their ability to maintain a solid living form, keeping them being crippled and then melting, and therefore living happier lives at the cost of their humanoid looks and intelligence. It worked, I mean you can't help but smile watching them cartweel around.
Just what I needed!!
I hope you enjoy! Happy Sunday
I wonder if there is a connection between the nox/carian tunnel to the moonlight alter and the knowledge that Marika was once of the nox. Possibly a collaboration that Rennala had as a contingency plan in during or after the Liurnian wars?