Use the link here: displate.com/misschalice (discount is automatically applied at the checkout) or use my code CHALICE to get: 22% OFF for 1-2 Displates 27% OFF for 3 or more Displates
@@andrewlatva2573 I definitely can. I dont simp for anyone but I very well could for her lol. She's an absolute doll, a proper lady with a beautiful femininity that has no equal I know of. We are blessed to have such an amazing woman making Souls content for us. She really goes all in with her storytelling and cosplay. My favorite lore channel by far. ♥️🖤♥️
Ansbach’s final line is possibly the hardest and most chilling line of dialogue in the entire game. No matter how many times I hear it in game or out it always gives me chills, and in game makes me tear up
an underrated one I’m glad you mentioned! Messmer’s VA really nailed that delivery the way he briefly hesitates between saying “mother” and the rest of the line is just so good
@radagussy not only is it perfectly voiced, the hint that he always doubted Marika, but now sees he was nothing more than a weapon to be discarded makes it 10000% more sad and tragic.
i love the quote "I am loath to admit it, but even at this very instant I wish to run very far away indeed." there is something fuckin terrifying about this insanely strong and stoic warrior admitting that he is so scared of the mind control charm that miquella can utilize that it just makes him want to get the hell out of existence
@@miss_chalice "Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying." ~ Put a pit in my stomach I hadn't felt since Griffith.
@@xnflg3074 I think it’s kinda funny he’s the only one left shaking in his boots when none of the other followers of Miquella seemingly care about the charm breaking, all except for Moore who’s all sad now.
@@Mario-SunshineGalaxy64 prob because he actually has made an attempt on Miquella’s life before so totally understands his capabilities and strength. Makes sense tbh
Ansbach is an absolutely fascinating NPC. I love that guy. The lore mentioned in the "Outer God Heirloom" has also gripped me and gave me more questions than answers.
Yes!! I realised too late that I hadn't included the Outer God heirloom. I think it's one of the few items that actually uses the word "lore" straight up in the description haha
I like to think that Miquella had to use Mohg's body and make up this whole plan because Radahn decided he didn't want to be a king consort/Lord. Miquella apparently couldn't charm him since Radahn seems to be resistant to outside influences, his great rune mentions it's resisting the influence of rot for example. So Miquella has to use Mohg and then basically force Radahn's soul into a body that Miquella can control so Miquella can have his Age of Compassion. Which is sooo messed up when you step by and look at it all
Radahn agreed to the vow. Miquella honoured the vow, which he wouldn’t do if Radahn refused. Stop pretending Miquella is pure evil because it’s convenient.
@@terencebc No I'm not pretending or trying to twist the narrative. It's fairly obvious that something happened and Radahn decided to not honor the vow, probably after or during The Shattering war. Otherwise there isn't much of a reason for Malenia to go to Caelid, challenge Radahn, attempt to kill him with a Scarlet Bloom and tell him that Miquella awaits his promised consort.
@@lllXanderlll again, it is inherently impossible for him to break the vow, otherwise Miquella would not honour the vow. There are explanations or speculations one can make for the battle of Aeonia, watch Smoughtown for example, but there’s no explanation as to why Miquella would honour a vow that Radahn decided to break anyway.
@@terencebc It's very possible that Miquella wants to honor the vow but Radahn for whatever reason changed his mind. And that's what basically kicked the events of the DLC, it's well within reason to me
@@lllXanderlll it doesn’t make sense to honour a vow if Radahn doesn’t uphold the vow. It’s inherently incoherent. If i made a deal to buy a phone for 400$ and the guy doesn’t give me the phone, i won’t pay him the 400$, it’s absurd.
The contrast between honorable Ansbach's demeanor and the one of every other previously seen ally of Mohg makes me believe that Miquella's tomfoolery really fucked shit up for the Mohgwyn Dynasty. I never would have believed I would find myself wanting to defend Mohg's dignity, but in the end i was as invested in doing so as Ansbach himself. RIP Ansbach, truly one of the finest knights the Lands Between have ever seen.
Ansbach used to 'rip and rend' through enemies (in service of the formless mother) and is just as dedicated to a Lord of Blood as Leda is to her Lord of compassion, so these blood knights were most definitely on the battlefield as a vicious faction regardless of Miquella's intervention. Miquella probably damaged their standing and organisation most of all, so it's a good question on if he made Mohg's faction less dangerous by taking over or more by making their lord introduce an element of disorder. Who knows, maybe if Mohg had stayed lucid the formless mother followers would have bloodied an entire region in the lands between same as any other demigod.
No back then he was a crazy bastard. He was known for being fearsome and ferocious and the reason he’s so rational and wise in game is because he is aged so now he assists us.
This just goes to show that empathy is as easy to manipulate as Miquella makes it seem. There is no dignity to defend, unless you find the behaviours of Ansbach and the others as dignified, despite how bloody and ferocious they were portrayed to be. A little bit of faux chivalry and fancy speech shouldn't be so effective in bolstering one's image. Mohg and his ilk are as much of an issue as any other demigod, which is precisely the **entire point of Elden Ring.** There is not a single demi-god alive whose ideology could have, in any way, been beneficial for the Lands Between. Even Ranni, the demigod with the "best" ending for the Lands Between, is still dubious at best since we don't actually know what her ending *actually* entails. We have no clue what it looks like for people in the Lands. The Lands Between is a land plagued by the divine, and there is no dignity nor glory nor solace to be found in any of them - nor their followers.
Yeah. The rhetoric widely used to dismiss the idea of an Order of Blood ("erm, it's a blood cult") is the same rhetoric that can be used to dismiss the Order of the Dark Moon ("erm, they're a selfish assassin syndicate" "erm, it's an order of ethereal life without senses"). These things have nothing to do with the fact that they each work out logistically on a cosmic level. All Orders are equal. Dismissing the possibilities of what the Dynasty under the old Pureblood Knights could have been can only ever be a matter of preference. There is no practical difference between you as a Dark Moon Knight when you claim the Dark Moon Greatsword, and Ansbach as a leader under his Lord--except for that you have the additional title of Consort. Everyone is just a group of loyal individuals sworn to a Lord. It goes both ways of course--"all Orders are equal" includes the Dung Eater's, after all.
@@barnes9211 We can take educated guesses for what each Order looks like when they all work out cosmically logistically. But yeah, out of all options the Tarnished has, both theoretical and actually possible, it can look a lot like "choosing the lesser evil" when it comes to selecting an ending. Even Goldmask's, the one that is about how "Gods [are] no better than men" and vice-versa, is still about making the decision to lock Marika out of the decision-making process, putting the Lord at the helm, which is either a wise or stupid thing to do depending on how you look at everything in the game. But I think it's pretty compelling. This is one of the reasons I don't get how some people claim that there aren't any strong central themes that ER communicates. Aside from the obvious themes of family (the family tree of gods, lords, and subsets of demigod children), and Death (the Lands Between as a setting is alllll about death, the Rune of Death, "old" death i.e. Deathbirds and Mariners and Ghostflame), another obvious theme is Responsibility. The world is broken, it's "post-apocalyptic," and explicitly in a leaderless stasis. It has a leader, yes, but they are locked away. All the Tarnished summoned in the intro cutscene, their purpose is to compete for who will do something to end the current stasis. The Player Tarnished can either help one of them out, or go about a different possible option. Your role isn't to kill everyone in your way, or to kill all demigods--that's just what you're directed to do by the Fingers, before the story's early "turn" in which you realize the directions of the Fingers mean nothing. Your role is, ultimately, to be the one who enacts the change that ends the current Age of Fracture. All that to say: make no mistake, every ending has a personal bias, it really is "choosing the lesser evil", but if you then go ahead and foolishly decide "if I must choose between two evils, I will simply not choose", and therefore choose the action of inaction--to do nothing--you then end up with the *worst* ending imo, the Age of Fracture. You simply take your fated place as Elden Lord, but do nothing to fix the world, perpetuating the same Age as when you started the game. It's the same as when you Kindle the Flame in the DS games--you just delay the inevitable. It's a stupid decision. Only, now, in ER, you have many ways of fixing one of many issues you'll see throughout the game. It's not about choosing what's the "least worst," it's about choosing what's the "most righteous" after all the information you gather on your journey. The game heavily encourages you to take responsibility, and make a choice, of any kind, to bring about a fix to a problem in the world. It provides the options to not take responsibility, and to burn down the entire frame of responsibility (Frenzied Flame), to illustrate the merit of all personal choices you have in the name of responsibility to the world. Not to suggest you were trying to be defeatist or reductionist when it comes to all the different endings, I just mean to say the whole debacle in what counts as a good Lord to follow, and/or a good Order to bring about, isn't a pointless endeavor, which a lot of people end up interpreting the range of endings to be. Like, the player needs to be more ballsy about choosing what's best for the world as opposed to going "erm, it's a blood cult" "erm, but men aren't better than gods" "erm, we don't know whether post-Dark Moon life is actually pleasant after the drastic change in what constitutes life" as ways to eliminate any of these endings for being "not good enough". That's why I don't knock anyone for personally going with Ranni, intentionally or not, even though I prefer some other Order's over hers--it's about making the choice at all, and about *trying* to do the right thing. If it weren't, we would be able to side with not just Miquella, but Godfrey too. I hope any of this makes sense.
I always thought that Ansbach was a really cool character, but the conversation you have with him before the final fight is what solidified him as my favorite NPC in the whole game. He knew all along that you killed his master (and likely, his best friend) but he still chose to help you the whole time, because he knew that it was the right thing to do. What an absolute Chad.
@@bw5020 I think it's relatively clear that Mohg's order was much different and less fucked up before he got charmed. After Mohg was mollested and isolated himself with Miquella's body and the order became left to its own devices it slowly but surely got corrupted to its current form, losing sight of its original purpose.
@@vasilsotirov8706this is a lie. All the f uped things lined up with the formless mother’s blood agenda. Mohg was never good. Stop pretending they didn’t kill maidens for blood rituals before Miquella took over ffs.
@@terencebc I think he’s pretty straightforward with his intentions. He wants to avenge Mohg and he has is out for Miquella for using his master as a meat puppet. And he’s actually going about it in an honorable way as a former knight, unlike Hornsent, who completely lost control.
Funny that everyone call Miquella an evil manipulator but everyone unironically gets charmed by Ansbach despite him doing much worse things, just because he sounds like a polite old man with aesthetic. The irony will never cease to amuse me.
ansbach was the right hand man of the master mind of a satanist group responsible for blood sacrifices concentration camps. He was the only person miquella discarted. Unlike Ranni, miquella didnt screw over THE WHOLE WORLD to promote himself. Marika betrayed, killed and outcated races, abandoned partners and friends, sons and Ranni is the empirean who looks like her the most, she willingly murders her half brother for a chance at personal freedom and condemns most of the Lands Between in the process. Its excplicity explained that miquella went to the lands of shadow to repair his families sins. Since he was a kid, he has been colecting more deeds than any character in all fromsoftware games. He tried to bring an end to the suffering of godwyn ( murdered by ranni ), he used his own blood to grow the helighthree to protect all races, he made needles to help his sister fight agaisnt the rot. Miquella is the only truly good person in the Lands Between as a bodshiwata he cares for everyone, him getting so close to his goal of saving the world, only to be denied by the smoldering flame of ambition, is tragic, classic fromsoftware writting.
Ansbach is THAT GUY. He’s a huge inspiration for my current D&D character, an older soldier haunted by regret. And not just because he’s an interesting and complex character, but his VA did an incredible job at bringing him to life. A comment on your analysis (wonderful, as usual): at 22:23 you discuss the use of the word “trickery” in the item description for the Obsidian Lamina. While it does drip with the aesthetics of Bloodborne, I think this word choice is more a suggestion towards Ansbach’s disgust towards Miquella and his charms or “tricks” as a tool to overpower his enemies.
Ansbach also reminds me of my D&D character's paladin-NPC adoptive father/dead bio-father's childhood friend/head of the royal guards before [entire rest of the backstory] happened.
Ansbach was such a wonderful inclusion to the game. Never did I imagine that not only would we get to learn what Mohg was like before his enchantment, but that we'd get such a clear image that him and his dynasty were a genuinely respectable and dignified faction in the world, long ago. I have my own thoughts as well for why Mohg was chosen as a vessel, if you're interested! Fair warning, I have many thoughts haha. - First, the DLC really seems to hone in on the concept that horned beings are uniquely attuned to spirits in some way. In the hornsent's culture, that is something that marks them as divine - but a more neutral read is that horns seem to work as a kind of antennae that can draw in wandering souls, for better or worse. I think this in and of itself would make Mohg the best choice for a vessel to gather Radahn's soul afterward. - Second, I don't think it's a coincidence that the image of a horned lion is so prominent as an old symbol of divinity. Going off of what you said about Miquella playing build-a-bear with his brothers to make a perfect Lord, Radahn certainly fulfills all the ideas of the Golden Order as a perfect Lord - and likewise, Mohg could be in many ways what the old world of the Land of Shadow envisions as "perfection". If Miquella truly means to unite the world and come up with an objectively "perfect" choice, this is what it could look like, on paper at least: the hornsent's image of divinity in a horned being, paired with the soul of a Lion. - Lastly, and this is my personal read of his character, I think if we're to lean into Ansbach's understanding that Miquella is somehow incapable of understanding when his actions are crossing a line, you could see his choice in Mohg as a body as a kind of "consolation" prize for Mohg. Since Mohg is described as having also wanted to raise Miquella to godhood and become his consort, this could be a way to let him be venerated as a lord and as Miquella's consort in body, while still fulfilling the promise he made to Radahn. It is, in a twisted and tragically ironic way, fulfilling what everyone in the situation "wanted" - but the result of which is so cruel, it sort of makes you wish they never got what they desired in the first place.
What I never understood about Miquella’s followers is why they went to the Land of Shadows in the first place. They were serving Miquella and following his footsteps but Miquella didn’t seem to need any of them, he was off doing well on his own and the only two things Miquella needed was done by a random murder hobo.
To kill Messmer or clear the path for him like we do, up until we turn our back on him. Just a small group of supporters to have his back and carry out his will...
@Zythryl Everyone has their personal reasons too. Ansbach seeked to make amends to his Lord and prevent his body from being desecrated, Thioller was looking for St. Trina, Hornsent wanted to avenged his people and slay the Gods/Tarnished, Freyja the Redmane wanted to step into the footsteps of Radahn and witness Miquella's intentions with him: "Kindly Miquella spoke… of the vow he once made with General Radahn. And… it is here the vow shall be honoured. I am a Redmane. I must know the nature of the vow." Leda is just a crazy bitch and loves Miquella. So they all had reasons to stay even after the charm that beckoned them broke.
Miquela doesn’t control them. His charm makes people adore him (something people thought he couldn’t control before the DLC showed otherwise) and alters their memories. Leda is the one directing this band of travelers to witness the result of Miquela’s pilgrimage, and all of them feel drawn to him, willing to give their life in service to him.
One of theories I made about anasbach, that he was just like mogh. That his character was a mirror of one he served. Just like Leda and Miquella, they manipulate and when they have further use they discard you.
18:29 GASH! Amygdalan arm, another god-like arm! Also caught myself laughing at the boss-cheesing comment. Cause I didn't totally jump out of bounds to despawn the floor and send Mogh into the void, so I could access the DLC faster. Would have been a fun easter-egg if Ansbach betrays you in the final battle, if the game catches you cheating in the Mohg Boss haha.
omg it does look like the Amygdalan Arm! well spotted! when i was trying to get footage of the old arrow-strat, i didn't realise it was an outdated, patched method. and got all these videos of people jumping off the map hahah the ways in which we break this game
Do you think Jerren was Mohg's (and therefore; Miquella's) agent all along? When you kill him during Sellen's quest the message says "bloody finger vanquished". Maybe the purpose of the festival was to simply kill Radahn, so Miquella could access his soul?
It's because Jerren invades Sellen. Also, Jerren gives off totally different vibes. Everyone charmed by Miquellah is a total Simp for him. Jerren doesn't even mention Miquellah. He just wants to see his beloved General put to rest, in a glorious display of battle - giving Radahn the opportunity to die as he lived.
A great video, as always Miss Chalice! Although, something has sat with me as an esoteric topic for quite some time. The culture of the Forges. And particularly, the Power behind the Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword. Are we looking at a remnant of the time where the Fell God was not so Fell? The idea of powers against Marika & not being a part of her Order mutating or becoming more hostile in some way, it's reflected not just in the idea of the Gloam Eyed Queen, the God of Rot but eventually makes it's way to the Formless Mother too, what with the distinction you have made between the era of a Pureblood Knight, vs all these Cessbloods of the Bloody Fingers/Sanguine Nobles. While the Frenzied Flame was always adverse against the rest of creation, has Marika's removal of Death affected the other powers in such a way as to force them to be at odds with her Golden Order?
Ansbach is such an amazing NPC, my favorite if i dare say, his wise and loyal personality to his well written character made him stand out. Awesome video, it made me love him even more than i already have🫶🏾
Great video, as usual! I really loved Mohg and it was so cool to see another side of him through Ansbach. You mentioned the "wound" Marika reaches into in the DLC trailer and pulling out what looks like gold. Have you seen timdiggity's theory about how it's a serpent's empty eye socket? He suggests the serpent was the Gloam-Eyed Queen and Marika defeated it to claim godhood, but I think something weirder might be going on. When Marika got back to the village, she was all alone, so where did her first kid come from? Unless she was pregnant when she arrived (makes logical sense, but birth doesn't seem to work in ER like it does IRL so...), she had to do something to make that happen. There's also the fact that it seems like all of the shamans were women, suggesting that they didn't need men around to have kids - possibly because like the Grandmother, they are akin to trees. Plants can grow via cuttings, they can fertilize themselves, they can send out rhizomes, etc. to make more plants. There's a giant snakeskin near Bonny Village where you get the O Mother gesture. We know there's some kind of blasphemous ritual you can do involving snakes that leads to serpent-cursed children being born, and Messmer has some obvious snake problems. But Marika can also be compared to Leto from Greek mythology, especially because Miquella has so much in common with Apollo. Eternal youth, blond hair, associations with archery, the sun, etc. In the myth of Leto and Apollo, she was hounded by the great serpent Python, who Apollo slew both to protect his mother and to show that he was ready to take on the duties of godhood. Strong parallels, and let's not forget that Trina's magic is gloam-colored. I'm not an Elden Ring expert, but I think that once Marika was left all alone, she had to make some compromises, possibly involving a deal with the Snake, in order to create the children that would become her army. The trailer snake (if it is a snake) can't be the same one that we see by Bonny Village as that one is much smaller, but it's interesting all the same. Anyway, food for thought. Maybe you can make more sense of it than me.
one aspect of the formless mother i think i could discuss on end is how so many ways the god is used and mentioned could lead to interpreted themes of intimacy and the feelings of desire for close relationships
Your lores are a happy break from the constant battles and my deaths, and finding the various ways to beat the game , I can sit back and relax, thank you miss chalice, ny
I do want to put my two cents in on a few notes! We can see some changes on Radahns new body. There are horns coming out of his forearm bracers, potentially being some influence of Mohgs body. Also about the bloody mass Marika walks through in the trailer. I believe this is the ultimate goal of “sainthood” , using shamans and hornsent in the construction of Enir Ilim and the Divine Gate. Putting the subjugated of their people into jars for the creation of construction material. We can see hornets in the architecture of Enir Ilim almost everywhere and shamans were the binding agent. So my theory is that the divine gate was freshly made at the time when Marika was in the trailer. But who knows, it could also definitely have invoked the formless mother, with there being so many wounds, i have no clue. Great video as always!
Thank you so much for making a video relating to Ansbach, without a doubt my favourite character in the game. The sheer style of the Pureblood Knights are amazing, and as a huge fan of blood and blood related magic in these games I am super happy that Mohg and other members of his Dynasty got time in the sun in this DLC.
Ansbach is my favorite npc in Elden Ring, I feel like i got answer to everything with him. When he speaks in the final fight I felt a sense of finality and pride having seen his mission through
One of my favorite lore channels doing right by one of my favorite NPCs in ER. So many tragedies in this game happen not out of simple hate, but out of tangled love. Thank you for giving Sir Ansbach the recognition he richly deserves.
I know so many people have said this before, but the way you do narration (if it is indeed not the natural cadence of your voice) really captures the almost *poetic* quality of a lot of Elden Ring's dialogue. You really manage to sound like you could be a natural NPC in the game. You're a phenomenal voice actor in addition to being a phenomenal cosplayer!!
Between your voice and pronunciation, I could listen to you for hours. Being bedridden isn’t the way anyone envisions their life, but these videos are a little slice of peace and information. Thank you.
Sir Ansbach changed my entire view of the shattering war with just a few words. And then, with his final line, he changed how I viewed Mohg. Best character of the dlc, bar none.
i think it's beautiful to watch lore videos about the same argument from multiple content creators, i love seeing their theories and confronting them with mine...we all had our unique playthroughs and we all have our unique perspectives about the lore because of our journeys across the lands between, great video
Ansbach gutting Miquella like a fish and failing to kill him because of mind control will always earn him my respect. Ansbach wasnt wrong, even Empyreans can be reached by the skill of mortal hands after all... "... he cleaved open miquella the kind with his blood blade" Also i think the reason Mohgs corpse was used wasnt exactly because of his conection to the Formless mother, but his conection to the Crucible as an omen, after all Miquella is using the Hornsents Gate of Divinity to ascend and the gate was made with the corpses of the Hornsent who are blessed by the crucible
These Loreplay vids help me find inspiration especially for my writing. In my Homebrew D&D game I’m writing a main villain as an Outer God of Vileblood that corrupts and infects with depravity. Very Bloodborne-esk and very Mohg like. Has an army of Vileblood Knights (Blood Hunters) with a small resistance group of Pureblood Knights, taking a lot of inspiration from Ansbach!
leda is miquella's number one glazer, but ansbach is also mohg's number one glazer lol the only thing we know about mohg's dynasty is that he has a pattern of kidnapping people (see varre's attire) and that in order to become a pureblood knight you have to kill a maiden. but im supposed to just take everything ansbach says at face value and not think that his bias isnt hiding the dishonorable truth about the pureblood knights and mohg's blood cult? i think he's every bit a snake in the grass as leda is
Ansbach story and lore has giving me so much more respect for his weapon gonna have to make a build for it. Great video, it be great to see more lore on the blood knights doubt that another DLC would happen but that would be something I'd love to see.
20:06 I haven’t seen this interpretation yet but it’s really interesting! There’s also a take that this thing she’s reaching into is the body/womb of the Gloam Eyed Queen! I think Vaatividya has a video on it but I could be mistaken. It definitely has similarities to the godskin robes and I think paring it with the theory that Marika seduced the Gloam Eyed Queen as Radagon gives the theory some very solid ground to stand on
1- At 19:00 I think the Boodfiens are the precursors to the Omen, perhaps they were once a demi-human race and related to Queen Marika's tribe, which is why they were a subjugated tribe, the same as Marika's 2- I think Mohg was chosen because he is the son of Marika and Godfrey after all, perhaps only the body of a Demigod can hold the soul of a Demigod, and part from his Omen twin brother, there weren't that many Demigod bodies left that could hold Radahn's soul 3- I didn't know you could cheese Mohg's fight like that, thanks for the info
I knew summoning Ansbach would increase Radahn's HP and it'd be a more difficulty of the fight but I still did it. I loved this character from beginning to end. I learn something new every time with these videos! Love it 😁
So I have a hee hoo whacky theory about who the formless mother really is, and their ties to the scarlet rot and the verdigris god. I'll start off by bringing up the fingerslayer blade and the knight of black knives. If I'm remembering correctly, the fingerslayer blade was used in order to kill Godwyn's soul, as well as Ranni's body, as part of a ritual. I believe the scarlet rot and formless mother are actually the body and soul or the verdigris goddess, or what's left of them. I mostly base this on the behavior of both outer gods. The formless mother seems to be sentient, at least sentient enough to contact Mohg and the bloodfiends, but can only influence the physical world through her followers. Meanwhile, the scarlet rot has immense impact on the physical, yet it is actively seeking out a vessel. You could even say they are seeking out a form. I first thought of this when exploring Rauh Ruins, and there were two things that stood out to me. The first were these depictions of a woman that seemed to be almost hidden in different corners of the ruins. At first I thought it was Romina, but there's no butterfly or flower motifs anywhere on these statues. Not only that but the statues seemed as ancient as the ruins themselves, while Romina appears to be a relatively newer entity, described as a saint and not a god. The second thing were the scarlet rot/bloodfiend areas in the ruins. In both of this both areas with scarlet rot as well as bloodfiends there seem to grow a unique form of the scarlet aeonia, and the bloodfiends themselves also appear to be attracted to scarlet rot. This might just be a coincidence, but then there is also Romina who was attracted to the Scarlet Rot after Belurat was burnt, specifically stated as them seeing something in the rot worth worshipping. There's even kindred that weren't followers of the rot, and who are specifically connected to this verdigris god, or at least connected to someone wearing armor of that god. Most of these items describe preservation, much in the same way the formless mother's blood never dries or rots. Basically, I believe this verdigris god may have been a god of preservation and protection that needed to be dealt with in order for Marika to bring about her golden order. Whether they were connected to the main god of that era or not I'm not sure, but it fits too neatly with why the Nox would even want to create a weapon capable of killing a god to begin with. However, it didn't completely kill this god. And now we have a mindless force infecting the land between, and an outer god reaching out to anyone that might be capable of granting them destined death. Her truth is the truh of how the golden order began.
The vid was amazing as always Miss Chalice! I know you’ve already discussed madness when covering Vyke and Shabriri, but would you consider exploring Midra and Nanaya’s lore? I find some of the theories about them very interesting.
He, alongside the Dog Pope, Millicent, the Smith, Roderika and Bok are just some examples of people that I would think of if I ever even considered going frenzied flame ending. I know the world is the way it is, but I would not do it simply because someone like them may exist.
Amazing video as always, I didn't realise I wasn't subscribed so I fixed that. I'd like to share my theory on why Mogh was chosen. I think Mogh's body was chosen because it was susceptible to his charms while also being strong enough to hold Radahn's soul. Radahn rejected Miquela before, so Miquela sent Melania to kill him so that his soul could be transfered to a vessel that could not reject him. At least, that's my theory.
I think Miquella failed to become a god because he ultimately wasn’t able to discard everything about himself. This is evident because after his defeat, we find his last vestiges, the memory of his promise and heartfelt wishes for radahn to be his consort. He was able to shed his flesh, his compassion, his power, everything except for his love for radahn.
Chalice you know what would be a great cosplay op? Phillia! It might be a short video due to lack of lore, but our big sleepy albinauric is in need of some love
7:47 wait wait wait! Theory time (sorry if this is brought up later); what if when every corpse including the player's that disappears via that aparkle effect is transported by Miquella. That would suggest the entire game, he's been manipulating the events even further than we thought
I'd be super interested to learn more about Bayle, his injuries, and Senessax closely guarding the mountain path. As always a quality video, keep it up!
Honestly i thought Bayle wouldve played a bigger towl in the dlc, as much as he was hyped up. Then how scared it was getting up to him.. i didn’t expect to take him out in 2 tries it was a total let down!
@@ariesscar443yeah it was sorta trivial with the dragon slaying great katana but there’s always a gimmick fight or two, still was awesome scenery and Igon’s voice actor went crazy so worth it for that alone imo
I love this guy like I love Aldia. They don’t bullshit you like every other authority figure in soulsborne games, they encourage you to learn the truth and act as you will according to what you think is right.
I love your takes on these characters! It's really interesting to see who people are drawn to. There is some evidence that Mogh was not the only choice. I feel like with the Golden epitaph Godwyn was the first choice for a body. But there are ties between Ranni and Miquella with Torrent and the spirit ashes. I think the plot for Godwyn may have been the first plan. And Mogh honestly was only secondary when the Eclipse ressurection didn't work. Also along with Leda, Ansbach has his own biases. Just because he'll side with you doesn't man he's trustworthy. Honestly Thoiller deserved more voice lines, and poor St Trina.
Fun to explore, I hadn’t thought much about the possibility of pure blood knights being of a different order or time from the cursed and otherwise impure members of the dynasty. It might even call into question the validity of getting the medal from one impure and the ritual Varre had you perform. That would be the only way I could see Ansbach as not a monster, because otherwise… Somewhere in his supposed code of honor, there would seem to be an exception for slaughtering fingermaidens and using the blood of their corpses for a right of passage… so the irony is perhaps quite rich. I’m not sure if his honor only applies to corpse defilement of his lord, people within the dynasty, or just men, but it doesn’t sound very worthy of allegiance.
Ansbach: I bear you no grudge, His eminence was felled in an honourable duel Me (Who hid behind his summons and spammed stone of gurranq): Yeah... honourable...
Ansbach is the broest of bros for sure, one of my favorite characters in the whole game. Amazing voice acting too What i do find puzzling is the choice of Mogh as Radhans vessel, due to hus relation to the Formless Mother, when considering Miquellas attitude towards the Outer Gods. The Unalloyed was said to strive to sever the influence of the Outer Gods on the Lands Between, while at the same time embracing an Omen touched by the Mother of Truth? Wierd, something does not add up. One possible hit might come from the blood soaked meatball of the Blood Fiends, for it is said never to "rot". Was Miquella the Kind trying to use the influence of the Formless Mother to somehow drive the Scarlet Rot from body of his sister nad loyal Blade? If so, it would seem a morbidly risky gambit.
Ansbach is the best NPC of the whole DLC, the moment you summon him to fight against Leda is the moment you hear the most badass introduction to battle in the game: "I am Ansbach of the Pureblood Knights. I stand with blade loft, blood afire. For the dignity of my lord and master, Mohg."
Again, well researched... carefully crafted cinematics... poignant moments of dialogue captured. Along with some important notes of dissent: [12:35] "Honorable" soul?? As per Freya, one of Radahn's loyal personal guard: *_"Jerren will disagree with this, but war has always suited Radahn; far more than any honorable death."_* This isn't what she says in 日本語: 「ジェーレン爺には悪いが、ラダーン将軍には、 戦いこそが相応しい」 *_"To old Jerren, this is evil, but to Radahn,_* *_war, precisely, suits him."_* [19:15] Again, a critical difference between English and 日本語: 「かつて、虐げられた奴隷の一族は 戦禍の傷痕に異形の神性を見出し、血鬼となった」 *_"Once before, they were a family of oppressed slaves._* *_They found a strangely shaped divine essence in the scars of war, becoming Blood Ogres"_* [20:00] *"Fleshy orifice"* That is exactly as you hint at. The moment formless... becomes formed. *_The moment of Truth._*
So weird to hear the last supper verse being read in an Elden Ring lore video since I used to hear that every Sunday for the first couple decades of my life. I've come a long way lol
The first time dlc came out I couldn't find anything useful about the formless mother but then I found an area where they worship her. I actually was shocked that ansbach was not anyhow related too the formless mother.
such a lovely video to chill out to, tysm for sharing with us all :D mohg got the short end of the stick in every angle of the story of elden ring. the formless mother was probably the only joy and acceptance that he ever knew. poor child
@@hexnotic not really, he’s among the high tier of evil. Miquella & Ranni are the tame ones in terms of villainy: they do f up things to achieve better outcomes.
Use the link here: displate.com/misschalice (discount is automatically applied at the checkout) or use my code CHALICE to get:
22% OFF for 1-2 Displates
27% OFF for 3 or more Displates
Love the video miss chalice ❤🎉
i really hope the sister of battle displate is becouse you're a 40k fan and not just a wierd coincidence
Can we all appreciate that Ms Chalice actually became formless for this video?
Can we just appreciate her for existing?
What
@@andrewlatva2573 I definitely can. I dont simp for anyone but I very well could for her lol. She's an absolute doll, a proper lady with a beautiful femininity that has no equal I know of. We are blessed to have such an amazing woman making Souls content for us. She really goes all in with her storytelling and cosplay. My favorite lore channel by far. ♥️🖤♥️
It's nice to have my incorporeal-ness appreciated 😌
She actually has s pretty good form.
Ansbach’s final line is possibly the hardest and most chilling line of dialogue in the entire game. No matter how many times I hear it in game or out it always gives me chills, and in game makes me tear up
Definitely a couple dozens of times for me with pre nerf Consort Radahn
And given which fight it's in, we'll all probably hear it a lot.
this and messmers death line allways gives me chills aswell
an underrated one I’m glad you mentioned! Messmer’s VA really nailed that delivery the way he briefly hesitates between saying “mother” and the rest of the line is just so good
@radagussy not only is it perfectly voiced, the hint that he always doubted Marika, but now sees he was nothing more than a weapon to be discarded makes it 10000% more sad and tragic.
i love the quote "I am loath to admit it, but even at this very instant I wish to run very far away indeed." there is something fuckin terrifying about this insanely strong and stoic warrior admitting that he is so scared of the mind control charm that miquella can utilize that it just makes him want to get the hell out of existence
When he said "Miquella the Kind is a monster" it gave me the chills !
@@miss_chalice "Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying." ~ Put a pit in my stomach I hadn't felt since Griffith.
@@miss_chalice I always wondered why he was known as the most fearsome Empyrean when his deeds seemed kinder than most. Now I know.
@@xnflg3074 I think it’s kinda funny he’s the only one left shaking in his boots when none of the other followers of Miquella seemingly care about the charm breaking, all except for Moore who’s all sad now.
@@Mario-SunshineGalaxy64 prob because he actually has made an attempt on Miquella’s life before so totally understands his capabilities and strength. Makes sense tbh
Ansbach is an absolutely fascinating NPC. I love that guy.
The lore mentioned in the "Outer God Heirloom" has also gripped me and gave me more questions than answers.
Yes!! I realised too late that I hadn't included the Outer God heirloom. I think it's one of the few items that actually uses the word "lore" straight up in the description haha
I like to think that Miquella had to use Mohg's body and make up this whole plan because Radahn decided he didn't want to be a king consort/Lord. Miquella apparently couldn't charm him since Radahn seems to be resistant to outside influences, his great rune mentions it's resisting the influence of rot for example. So Miquella has to use Mohg and then basically force Radahn's soul into a body that Miquella can control so Miquella can have his Age of Compassion. Which is sooo messed up when you step by and look at it all
Radahn agreed to the vow. Miquella honoured the vow, which he wouldn’t do if Radahn refused. Stop pretending Miquella is pure evil because it’s convenient.
@@terencebc No I'm not pretending or trying to twist the narrative. It's fairly obvious that something happened and Radahn decided to not honor the vow, probably after or during The Shattering war. Otherwise there isn't much of a reason for Malenia to go to Caelid, challenge Radahn, attempt to kill him with a Scarlet Bloom and tell him that Miquella awaits his promised consort.
@@lllXanderlll again, it is inherently impossible for him to break the vow, otherwise Miquella would not honour the vow. There are explanations or speculations one can make for the battle of Aeonia, watch Smoughtown for example, but there’s no explanation as to why Miquella would honour a vow that Radahn decided to break anyway.
@@terencebc It's very possible that Miquella wants to honor the vow but Radahn for whatever reason changed his mind. And that's what basically kicked the events of the DLC, it's well within reason to me
@@lllXanderlll it doesn’t make sense to honour a vow if Radahn doesn’t uphold the vow. It’s inherently incoherent. If i made a deal to buy a phone for 400$ and the guy doesn’t give me the phone, i won’t pay him the 400$, it’s absurd.
The contrast between honorable Ansbach's demeanor and the one of every other previously seen ally of Mohg makes me believe that Miquella's tomfoolery really fucked shit up for the Mohgwyn Dynasty.
I never would have believed I would find myself wanting to defend Mohg's dignity, but in the end i was as invested in doing so as Ansbach himself.
RIP Ansbach, truly one of the finest knights the Lands Between have ever seen.
Ansbach used to 'rip and rend' through enemies (in service of the formless mother) and is just as dedicated to a Lord of Blood as Leda is to her Lord of compassion, so these blood knights were most definitely on the battlefield as a vicious faction regardless of Miquella's intervention. Miquella probably damaged their standing and organisation most of all, so it's a good question on if he made Mohg's faction less dangerous by taking over or more by making their lord introduce an element of disorder. Who knows, maybe if Mohg had stayed lucid the formless mother followers would have bloodied an entire region in the lands between same as any other demigod.
No back then he was a crazy bastard. He was known for being fearsome and ferocious and the reason he’s so rational and wise in game is because he is aged so now he assists us.
This just goes to show that empathy is as easy to manipulate as Miquella makes it seem. There is no dignity to defend, unless you find the behaviours of Ansbach and the others as dignified, despite how bloody and ferocious they were portrayed to be. A little bit of faux chivalry and fancy speech shouldn't be so effective in bolstering one's image. Mohg and his ilk are as much of an issue as any other demigod, which is precisely the **entire point of Elden Ring.** There is not a single demi-god alive whose ideology could have, in any way, been beneficial for the Lands Between. Even Ranni, the demigod with the "best" ending for the Lands Between, is still dubious at best since we don't actually know what her ending *actually* entails. We have no clue what it looks like for people in the Lands. The Lands Between is a land plagued by the divine, and there is no dignity nor glory nor solace to be found in any of them - nor their followers.
Yeah. The rhetoric widely used to dismiss the idea of an Order of Blood ("erm, it's a blood cult") is the same rhetoric that can be used to dismiss the Order of the Dark Moon ("erm, they're a selfish assassin syndicate" "erm, it's an order of ethereal life without senses"). These things have nothing to do with the fact that they each work out logistically on a cosmic level.
All Orders are equal. Dismissing the possibilities of what the Dynasty under the old Pureblood Knights could have been can only ever be a matter of preference. There is no practical difference between you as a Dark Moon Knight when you claim the Dark Moon Greatsword, and Ansbach as a leader under his Lord--except for that you have the additional title of Consort. Everyone is just a group of loyal individuals sworn to a Lord. It goes both ways of course--"all Orders are equal" includes the Dung Eater's, after all.
@@barnes9211 We can take educated guesses for what each Order looks like when they all work out cosmically logistically. But yeah, out of all options the Tarnished has, both theoretical and actually possible, it can look a lot like "choosing the lesser evil" when it comes to selecting an ending. Even Goldmask's, the one that is about how "Gods [are] no better than men" and vice-versa, is still about making the decision to lock Marika out of the decision-making process, putting the Lord at the helm, which is either a wise or stupid thing to do depending on how you look at everything in the game.
But I think it's pretty compelling. This is one of the reasons I don't get how some people claim that there aren't any strong central themes that ER communicates. Aside from the obvious themes of family (the family tree of gods, lords, and subsets of demigod children), and Death (the Lands Between as a setting is alllll about death, the Rune of Death, "old" death i.e. Deathbirds and Mariners and Ghostflame), another obvious theme is Responsibility.
The world is broken, it's "post-apocalyptic," and explicitly in a leaderless stasis. It has a leader, yes, but they are locked away. All the Tarnished summoned in the intro cutscene, their purpose is to compete for who will do something to end the current stasis. The Player Tarnished can either help one of them out, or go about a different possible option. Your role isn't to kill everyone in your way, or to kill all demigods--that's just what you're directed to do by the Fingers, before the story's early "turn" in which you realize the directions of the Fingers mean nothing. Your role is, ultimately, to be the one who enacts the change that ends the current Age of Fracture.
All that to say: make no mistake, every ending has a personal bias, it really is "choosing the lesser evil", but if you then go ahead and foolishly decide "if I must choose between two evils, I will simply not choose", and therefore choose the action of inaction--to do nothing--you then end up with the *worst* ending imo, the Age of Fracture. You simply take your fated place as Elden Lord, but do nothing to fix the world, perpetuating the same Age as when you started the game. It's the same as when you Kindle the Flame in the DS games--you just delay the inevitable. It's a stupid decision. Only, now, in ER, you have many ways of fixing one of many issues you'll see throughout the game. It's not about choosing what's the "least worst," it's about choosing what's the "most righteous" after all the information you gather on your journey. The game heavily encourages you to take responsibility, and make a choice, of any kind, to bring about a fix to a problem in the world. It provides the options to not take responsibility, and to burn down the entire frame of responsibility (Frenzied Flame), to illustrate the merit of all personal choices you have in the name of responsibility to the world.
Not to suggest you were trying to be defeatist or reductionist when it comes to all the different endings, I just mean to say the whole debacle in what counts as a good Lord to follow, and/or a good Order to bring about, isn't a pointless endeavor, which a lot of people end up interpreting the range of endings to be. Like, the player needs to be more ballsy about choosing what's best for the world as opposed to going "erm, it's a blood cult" "erm, but men aren't better than gods" "erm, we don't know whether post-Dark Moon life is actually pleasant after the drastic change in what constitutes life" as ways to eliminate any of these endings for being "not good enough". That's why I don't knock anyone for personally going with Ranni, intentionally or not, even though I prefer some other Order's over hers--it's about making the choice at all, and about *trying* to do the right thing. If it weren't, we would be able to side with not just Miquella, but Godfrey too. I hope any of this makes sense.
I always thought that Ansbach was a really cool character, but the conversation you have with him before the final fight is what solidified him as my favorite NPC in the whole game. He knew all along that you killed his master (and likely, his best friend) but he still chose to help you the whole time, because he knew that it was the right thing to do. What an absolute Chad.
miqullas number one glazer actually killed me 🤣
Came here to say this 😂
God i was so close to cutting that part out
@@miss_chalice I'm glad you didn't
Asbach is the most level headed character in the entire game. It’s difficult to imagine him even being associated with Mohg and Varré.
Honestly, that's VALID. Like what possessed him to pledge loyalty to...all that.
@@bw5020 I think it's relatively clear that Mohg's order was much different and less fucked up before he got charmed. After Mohg was mollested and isolated himself with Miquella's body and the order became left to its own devices it slowly but surely got corrupted to its current form, losing sight of its original purpose.
Which should make you think he’s not the most level headed character. Ansbach has his agenda like anyone else.
@@vasilsotirov8706this is a lie. All the f uped things lined up with the formless mother’s blood agenda. Mohg was never good. Stop pretending they didn’t kill maidens for blood rituals before Miquella took over ffs.
@@terencebc I think he’s pretty straightforward with his intentions. He wants to avenge Mohg and he has is out for Miquella for using his master as a meat puppet. And he’s actually going about it in an honorable way as a former knight, unlike Hornsent, who completely lost control.
Ansbach is my favorite dlc character and he honestly stands out in the entire game as one of my favorites.
Other than Igon, he is in fact is the best npc in the whole game.
Funny that everyone call Miquella an evil manipulator but everyone unironically gets charmed by Ansbach despite him doing much worse things, just because he sounds like a polite old man with aesthetic. The irony will never cease to amuse me.
Ansbach is up there with the blacksmith for being my favorite npc
ansbach was the right hand man of the master mind of a satanist group responsible for blood sacrifices concentration camps. He was the only person miquella discarted. Unlike Ranni, miquella didnt screw over THE WHOLE WORLD to promote himself. Marika betrayed, killed and outcated races, abandoned partners and friends, sons and Ranni is the empirean who looks like her the most, she willingly murders her half brother for a chance at personal freedom and condemns most of the Lands Between in the process. Its excplicity explained that miquella went to the lands of shadow to repair his families sins.
Since he was a kid, he has been colecting more deeds than any character in all fromsoftware games. He tried to bring an end to the suffering of godwyn ( murdered by ranni ), he used his own blood to grow the helighthree to protect all races, he made needles to help his sister fight agaisnt the rot. Miquella is the only truly good person in the Lands Between as a bodshiwata he cares for everyone, him getting so close to his goal of saving the world, only to be denied by the smoldering flame of ambition, is tragic, classic fromsoftware writting.
put some respect on my man hewgs name
Ansbach is THAT GUY. He’s a huge inspiration for my current D&D character, an older soldier haunted by regret. And not just because he’s an interesting and complex character, but his VA did an incredible job at bringing him to life.
A comment on your analysis (wonderful, as usual): at 22:23 you discuss the use of the word “trickery” in the item description for the Obsidian Lamina. While it does drip with the aesthetics of Bloodborne, I think this word choice is more a suggestion towards Ansbach’s disgust towards Miquella and his charms or “tricks” as a tool to overpower his enemies.
Ansbach also reminds me of my D&D character's paladin-NPC adoptive father/dead bio-father's childhood friend/head of the royal guards before [entire rest of the backstory] happened.
"Become our new Lord. A lord not for gods, but for men"
* Cries while loading bolt gun for the imperium*
Ansbach was such a wonderful inclusion to the game. Never did I imagine that not only would we get to learn what Mohg was like before his enchantment, but that we'd get such a clear image that him and his dynasty were a genuinely respectable and dignified faction in the world, long ago.
I have my own thoughts as well for why Mohg was chosen as a vessel, if you're interested! Fair warning, I have many thoughts haha.
- First, the DLC really seems to hone in on the concept that horned beings are uniquely attuned to spirits in some way. In the hornsent's culture, that is something that marks them as divine - but a more neutral read is that horns seem to work as a kind of antennae that can draw in wandering souls, for better or worse. I think this in and of itself would make Mohg the best choice for a vessel to gather Radahn's soul afterward.
- Second, I don't think it's a coincidence that the image of a horned lion is so prominent as an old symbol of divinity. Going off of what you said about Miquella playing build-a-bear with his brothers to make a perfect Lord, Radahn certainly fulfills all the ideas of the Golden Order as a perfect Lord - and likewise, Mohg could be in many ways what the old world of the Land of Shadow envisions as "perfection". If Miquella truly means to unite the world and come up with an objectively "perfect" choice, this is what it could look like, on paper at least: the hornsent's image of divinity in a horned being, paired with the soul of a Lion.
- Lastly, and this is my personal read of his character, I think if we're to lean into Ansbach's understanding that Miquella is somehow incapable of understanding when his actions are crossing a line, you could see his choice in Mohg as a body as a kind of "consolation" prize for Mohg. Since Mohg is described as having also wanted to raise Miquella to godhood and become his consort, this could be a way to let him be venerated as a lord and as Miquella's consort in body, while still fulfilling the promise he made to Radahn. It is, in a twisted and tragically ironic way, fulfilling what everyone in the situation "wanted" - but the result of which is so cruel, it sort of makes you wish they never got what they desired in the first place.
What I never understood about Miquella’s followers is why they went to the Land of Shadows in the first place. They were serving Miquella and following his footsteps but Miquella didn’t seem to need any of them, he was off doing well on his own and the only two things Miquella needed was done by a random murder hobo.
He has enchanted all of them so they were drawn to him like moths to the light.
@@envoyofrot7046 If they weren't, though, what other reasons might they have?
Pilgrimage could be one.
To kill Messmer or clear the path for him like we do, up until we turn our back on him. Just a small group of supporters to have his back and carry out his will...
@Zythryl Everyone has their personal reasons too.
Ansbach seeked to make amends to his Lord and prevent his body from being desecrated, Thioller was looking for St. Trina, Hornsent wanted to avenged his people and slay the Gods/Tarnished, Freyja the Redmane wanted to step into the footsteps of Radahn and witness Miquella's intentions with him:
"Kindly Miquella spoke… of the vow he once made with General Radahn. And… it is here the vow shall be honoured. I am a Redmane. I must know the nature of the vow."
Leda is just a crazy bitch and loves Miquella.
So they all had reasons to stay even after the charm that beckoned them broke.
Miquela doesn’t control them. His charm makes people adore him (something people thought he couldn’t control before the DLC showed otherwise) and alters their memories. Leda is the one directing this band of travelers to witness the result of Miquela’s pilgrimage, and all of them feel drawn to him, willing to give their life in service to him.
One of theories I made about anasbach, that he was just like mogh. That his character was a mirror of one he served. Just like Leda and Miquella, they manipulate and when they have further use they discard you.
Oh wow this is a really really interesting way to anaylze it. Have you applied this to other characters?
Hearing Miss Chalice describe Leda as Miquella's number 1 glazer is wild lmao
18:29 GASH! Amygdalan arm, another god-like arm! Also caught myself laughing at the boss-cheesing comment. Cause I didn't totally jump out of bounds to despawn the floor and send Mogh into the void, so I could access the DLC faster. Would have been a fun easter-egg if Ansbach betrays you in the final battle, if the game catches you cheating in the Mohg Boss haha.
omg it does look like the Amygdalan Arm! well spotted!
when i was trying to get footage of the old arrow-strat, i didn't realise it was an outdated, patched method. and got all these videos of people jumping off the map hahah the ways in which we break this game
Would be a lot sweeter if it had Amygdalan arm's moveset.
Do you think Jerren was Mohg's (and therefore; Miquella's) agent all along? When you kill him during Sellen's quest the message says "bloody finger vanquished". Maybe the purpose of the festival was to simply kill Radahn, so Miquella could access his soul?
Hold up, you may be on something
Freyja states in her dialogue at The Storehouse that Jerren would be against Radahn's resurrection which contradicts your theory, cool idea though.
@@araya-shiki706true but freya isn’t all knowing so it can still be considered
It's because Jerren invades Sellen. Also, Jerren gives off totally different vibes. Everyone charmed by Miquellah is a total Simp for him. Jerren doesn't even mention Miquellah. He just wants to see his beloved General put to rest, in a glorious display of battle - giving Radahn the opportunity to die as he lived.
@@MoreImbaThanYou It doesn't say "invader", it says "bloody finger". I never thought Jerren was charmed, I just figured he received an order from Mohg
The cheeky little jabs you seamlessly weave into your content make me smile.
A great video, as always Miss Chalice!
Although, something has sat with me as an esoteric topic for quite some time. The culture of the Forges. And particularly, the Power behind the Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword. Are we looking at a remnant of the time where the Fell God was not so Fell? The idea of powers against Marika & not being a part of her Order mutating or becoming more hostile in some way, it's reflected not just in the idea of the Gloam Eyed Queen, the God of Rot but eventually makes it's way to the Formless Mother too, what with the distinction you have made between the era of a Pureblood Knight, vs all these Cessbloods of the Bloody Fingers/Sanguine Nobles. While the Frenzied Flame was always adverse against the rest of creation, has Marika's removal of Death affected the other powers in such a way as to force them to be at odds with her Golden Order?
‘Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying’
Chillingly based lines from Ansbach.
"Become a lord not for gods, but for men"
*chooses Dung Eater ending
Ansbach: Disappointed Dad Pose
Ansbach is such an amazing NPC, my favorite if i dare say, his wise and loyal personality to his well written character made him stand out. Awesome video, it made me love him even more than i already have🫶🏾
Great video, as usual! I really loved Mohg and it was so cool to see another side of him through Ansbach.
You mentioned the "wound" Marika reaches into in the DLC trailer and pulling out what looks like gold. Have you seen timdiggity's theory about how it's a serpent's empty eye socket? He suggests the serpent was the Gloam-Eyed Queen and Marika defeated it to claim godhood, but I think something weirder might be going on. When Marika got back to the village, she was all alone, so where did her first kid come from? Unless she was pregnant when she arrived (makes logical sense, but birth doesn't seem to work in ER like it does IRL so...), she had to do something to make that happen. There's also the fact that it seems like all of the shamans were women, suggesting that they didn't need men around to have kids - possibly because like the Grandmother, they are akin to trees. Plants can grow via cuttings, they can fertilize themselves, they can send out rhizomes, etc. to make more plants.
There's a giant snakeskin near Bonny Village where you get the O Mother gesture. We know there's some kind of blasphemous ritual you can do involving snakes that leads to serpent-cursed children being born, and Messmer has some obvious snake problems. But Marika can also be compared to Leto from Greek mythology, especially because Miquella has so much in common with Apollo. Eternal youth, blond hair, associations with archery, the sun, etc. In the myth of Leto and Apollo, she was hounded by the great serpent Python, who Apollo slew both to protect his mother and to show that he was ready to take on the duties of godhood.
Strong parallels, and let's not forget that Trina's magic is gloam-colored. I'm not an Elden Ring expert, but I think that once Marika was left all alone, she had to make some compromises, possibly involving a deal with the Snake, in order to create the children that would become her army. The trailer snake (if it is a snake) can't be the same one that we see by Bonny Village as that one is much smaller, but it's interesting all the same.
Anyway, food for thought. Maybe you can make more sense of it than me.
one aspect of the formless mother i think i could discuss on end is how so many ways the god is used and mentioned could lead to interpreted themes of intimacy and the feelings of desire for close relationships
Your lores are a happy break from the constant battles and my deaths, and finding the various ways to beat the game , I can sit back and relax, thank you miss chalice, ny
13:12 Isn't Radahns body unfitting, because it's corrupted by the Scarlet Rot?
Also it lacks feet. Miquella clearly not interested in being the one doing the walking.
@@CadavresSansNomMiyazaki self insert
I do want to put my two cents in on a few notes!
We can see some changes on Radahns new body. There are horns coming out of his forearm bracers, potentially being some influence of Mohgs body.
Also about the bloody mass Marika walks through in the trailer. I believe this is the ultimate goal of “sainthood” , using shamans and hornsent in the construction of Enir Ilim and the Divine Gate. Putting the subjugated of their people into jars for the creation of construction material. We can see hornets in the architecture of Enir Ilim almost everywhere and shamans were the binding agent. So my theory is that the divine gate was freshly made at the time when Marika was in the trailer. But who knows, it could also definitely have invoked the formless mother, with there being so many wounds, i have no clue.
Great video as always!
Bloodborne is one of my favorite games. Ansbach's armor design definitely is definitely inspired by the Cainhurst Knights
He reminded me of my first character wearing the Cainhurst helmet and the bone ash armor haha
Thank you so much for making a video relating to Ansbach, without a doubt my favourite character in the game. The sheer style of the Pureblood Knights are amazing, and as a huge fan of blood and blood related magic in these games I am super happy that Mohg and other members of his Dynasty got time in the sun in this DLC.
Ansbach is my favorite npc in Elden Ring, I feel like i got answer to everything with him. When he speaks in the final fight I felt a sense of finality and pride having seen his mission through
Excited for another video! Always helps get me through work!
Thank you so much for listening to me! I'm always happy to hear when and how people use my videos ☺️
One of my favorite lore channels doing right by one of my favorite NPCs in ER.
So many tragedies in this game happen not out of simple hate, but out of tangled love. Thank you for giving Sir Ansbach the recognition he richly deserves.
I know so many people have said this before, but the way you do narration (if it is indeed not the natural cadence of your voice) really captures the almost *poetic* quality of a lot of Elden Ring's dialogue. You really manage to sound like you could be a natural NPC in the game. You're a phenomenal voice actor in addition to being a phenomenal cosplayer!!
Wishhhhhh you had more videos, one of the few things that help me sleep but I’ve watched like all of them
Between your voice and pronunciation, I could listen to you for hours. Being bedridden isn’t the way anyone envisions their life, but these videos are a little slice of peace and information. Thank you.
Sir Ansbach changed my entire view of the shattering war with just a few words. And then, with his final line, he changed how I viewed Mohg. Best character of the dlc, bar none.
Artistic work as usual! I do believe you flashed some humour in this creation. Nicely done! Thanks for sharing!!
We are born by the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood...
fear the old blood,
by the gods, fear it
@@kokorochacarero8003
It yearns to bathe in the blood of your enemies
- 🇧🇷🇯🇵
@@metal_fusion don't deny it its purpose!
i think it's beautiful to watch lore videos about the same argument from multiple content creators, i love seeing their theories and confronting them with mine...we all had our unique playthroughs and we all have our unique perspectives about the lore because of our journeys across the lands between, great video
Ansbach gutting Miquella like a fish and failing to kill him because of mind control will always earn him my respect.
Ansbach wasnt wrong, even Empyreans can be reached by the skill of mortal hands after all...
"... he cleaved open miquella the kind with his blood blade"
Also i think the reason Mohgs corpse was used wasnt exactly because of his conection to the Formless mother, but his conection to the Crucible as an omen, after all Miquella is using the Hornsents Gate of Divinity to ascend and the gate was made with the corpses of the Hornsent who are blessed by the crucible
These Loreplay vids help me find inspiration especially for my writing. In my Homebrew D&D game I’m writing a main villain as an Outer God of Vileblood that corrupts and infects with depravity. Very Bloodborne-esk and very Mohg like. Has an army of Vileblood Knights (Blood Hunters) with a small resistance group of Pureblood Knights, taking a lot of inspiration from Ansbach!
9:35 SHE'S WHAT MA'AM???
Ansbach, the best defense lawyer and he has a cool weapon with a cool ash of war.
Thank you Miss Chalice, always love being surprised with a release of your lore video after a day of work :)
leda is miquella's number one glazer, but ansbach is also mohg's number one glazer lol
the only thing we know about mohg's dynasty is that he has a pattern of kidnapping people (see varre's attire) and that in order to become a pureblood knight you have to kill a maiden. but im supposed to just take everything ansbach says at face value and not think that his bias isnt hiding the dishonorable truth about the pureblood knights and mohg's blood cult?
i think he's every bit a snake in the grass as leda is
Ansbach story and lore has giving me so much more respect for his weapon gonna have to make a build for it. Great video, it be great to see more lore on the blood knights doubt that another DLC would happen but that would be something I'd love to see.
stoked for this one! Thank you for the top tier youtubes 🙏
20:06 I haven’t seen this interpretation yet but it’s really interesting! There’s also a take that this thing she’s reaching into is the body/womb of the Gloam Eyed Queen! I think Vaatividya has a video on it but I could be mistaken. It definitely has similarities to the godskin robes and I think paring it with the theory that Marika seduced the Gloam Eyed Queen as Radagon gives the theory some very solid ground to stand on
Perfect video, thanks for sharing your knowledge and search, love your content
I've just recently discovered your videos :) and the way you narrate lore elements is very soothing
Looking forward to your next video, my parents just broke up and these vids are on of the few things that help me sleep ❤
1- At 19:00 I think the Boodfiens are the precursors to the Omen, perhaps they were once a demi-human race and related to Queen Marika's tribe, which is why they were a subjugated tribe, the same as Marika's
2- I think Mohg was chosen because he is the son of Marika and Godfrey after all, perhaps only the body of a Demigod can hold the soul of a Demigod, and part from his Omen twin brother, there weren't that many Demigod bodies left that could hold Radahn's soul
3- I didn't know you could cheese Mohg's fight like that, thanks for the info
A lord not for gods but for men, 1000 years journey into Goldmask's clockwork autarchy perfection
Man she can tell me anything and I’ll listen her voice is so soothing
Well I guess I gotta play thru the DLC again and follow Ansbach a lot more closely. Honorable old man, he has my heart ❤
Is that Rellana's armor back there? Might be my favorite set in the game.
Also, great video as always!
I knew summoning Ansbach would increase Radahn's HP and it'd be a more difficulty of the fight but I still did it.
I loved this character from beginning to end.
I learn something new every time with these videos! Love it 😁
So I have a hee hoo whacky theory about who the formless mother really is, and their ties to the scarlet rot and the verdigris god. I'll start off by bringing up the fingerslayer blade and the knight of black knives. If I'm remembering correctly, the fingerslayer blade was used in order to kill Godwyn's soul, as well as Ranni's body, as part of a ritual. I believe the scarlet rot and formless mother are actually the body and soul or the verdigris goddess, or what's left of them.
I mostly base this on the behavior of both outer gods. The formless mother seems to be sentient, at least sentient enough to contact Mohg and the bloodfiends, but can only influence the physical world through her followers. Meanwhile, the scarlet rot has immense impact on the physical, yet it is actively seeking out a vessel. You could even say they are seeking out a form.
I first thought of this when exploring Rauh Ruins, and there were two things that stood out to me. The first were these depictions of a woman that seemed to be almost hidden in different corners of the ruins. At first I thought it was Romina, but there's no butterfly or flower motifs anywhere on these statues. Not only that but the statues seemed as ancient as the ruins themselves, while Romina appears to be a relatively newer entity, described as a saint and not a god. The second thing were the scarlet rot/bloodfiend areas in the ruins.
In both of this both areas with scarlet rot as well as bloodfiends there seem to grow a unique form of the scarlet aeonia, and the bloodfiends themselves also appear to be attracted to scarlet rot. This might just be a coincidence, but then there is also Romina who was attracted to the Scarlet Rot after Belurat was burnt, specifically stated as them seeing something in the rot worth worshipping. There's even kindred that weren't followers of the rot, and who are specifically connected to this verdigris god, or at least connected to someone wearing armor of that god. Most of these items describe preservation, much in the same way the formless mother's blood never dries or rots.
Basically, I believe this verdigris god may have been a god of preservation and protection that needed to be dealt with in order for Marika to bring about her golden order. Whether they were connected to the main god of that era or not I'm not sure, but it fits too neatly with why the Nox would even want to create a weapon capable of killing a god to begin with. However, it didn't completely kill this god. And now we have a mindless force infecting the land between, and an outer god reaching out to anyone that might be capable of granting them destined death. Her truth is the truh of how the golden order began.
The vid was amazing as always Miss Chalice! I know you’ve already discussed madness when covering Vyke and Shabriri, but would you consider exploring Midra and Nanaya’s lore? I find some of the theories about them very interesting.
It’s always a treat to have a miss chalice lore video to go eep to :D
I always appreciate your post ms chalice, you deliver lore with grace and character ❤
7:47 Free wink button :3
Miss Chalice, you are my favorite Elden Ring lorist! Keep up the great work
He, alongside the Dog Pope, Millicent, the Smith, Roderika and Bok are just some examples of people that I would think of if I ever even considered going frenzied flame ending. I know the world is the way it is, but I would not do it simply because someone like them may exist.
Amazing video as always, I didn't realise I wasn't subscribed so I fixed that. I'd like to share my theory on why Mogh was chosen.
I think Mogh's body was chosen because it was susceptible to his charms while also being strong enough to hold Radahn's soul. Radahn rejected Miquela before, so Miquela sent Melania to kill him so that his soul could be transfered to a vessel that could not reject him. At least, that's my theory.
I always look forward to your videos. I think you're the best elden ring lore channel.
I think Miquella failed to become a god because he ultimately wasn’t able to discard everything about himself. This is evident because after his defeat, we find his last vestiges, the memory of his promise and heartfelt wishes for radahn to be his consort. He was able to shed his flesh, his compassion, his power, everything except for his love for radahn.
Chalice you know what would be a great cosplay op? Phillia! It might be a short video due to lack of lore, but our big sleepy albinauric is in need of some love
She already did Loretta cosplay. It's basically the same thing
7:47 wait wait wait! Theory time (sorry if this is brought up later); what if when every corpse including the player's that disappears via that aparkle effect is transported by Miquella. That would suggest the entire game, he's been manipulating the events even further than we thought
I'd be super interested to learn more about Bayle, his injuries, and Senessax closely guarding the mountain path. As always a quality video, keep it up!
Honestly i thought Bayle wouldve played a bigger towl in the dlc, as much as he was hyped up. Then how scared it was getting up to him.. i didn’t expect to take him out in 2 tries it was a total let down!
@@ariesscar443yeah it was sorta trivial with the dragon slaying great katana but there’s always a gimmick fight or two, still was awesome scenery and Igon’s voice actor went crazy so worth it for that alone imo
It's my first time on the channel and you must know some of Miquela's tricks cause I'm absolutely charmed by your voice
Great video
I love this guy like I love Aldia. They don’t bullshit you like every other authority figure in soulsborne games, they encourage you to learn the truth and act as you will according to what you think is right.
Ansbach is such a cool character. And fun fact. I used to live in a town called "Ansbach" in Germany.
I absolutely love your videos Miss Chalice, on top of how your ingame character is spot on the looks :)
I love your takes on these characters! It's really interesting to see who people are drawn to.
There is some evidence that Mogh was not the only choice. I feel like with the Golden epitaph Godwyn was the first choice for a body. But there are ties between Ranni and Miquella with Torrent and the spirit ashes. I think the plot for Godwyn may have been the first plan. And Mogh honestly was only secondary when the Eclipse ressurection didn't work.
Also along with Leda, Ansbach has his own biases. Just because he'll side with you doesn't man he's trustworthy.
Honestly Thoiller deserved more voice lines, and poor St Trina.
Fun to explore, I hadn’t thought much about the possibility of pure blood knights being of a different order or time from the cursed and otherwise impure members of the dynasty. It might even call into question the validity of getting the medal from one impure and the ritual Varre had you perform. That would be the only way I could see Ansbach as not a monster, because otherwise… Somewhere in his supposed code of honor, there would seem to be an exception for slaughtering fingermaidens and using the blood of their corpses for a right of passage… so the irony is perhaps quite rich. I’m not sure if his honor only applies to corpse defilement of his lord, people within the dynasty, or just men, but it doesn’t sound very worthy of allegiance.
super excited to watch this video when i get around to beating elden ring's DLC. so many good games out and so little time.
Ansbach: I bear you no grudge, His eminence was felled in an honourable duel
Me (Who hid behind his summons and spammed stone of gurranq): Yeah... honourable...
wake up babe new Elden Ring lore video just dropped
Ansbach is the broest of bros for sure, one of my favorite characters in the whole game. Amazing voice acting too
What i do find puzzling is the choice of Mogh as Radhans vessel, due to hus relation to the Formless Mother, when considering Miquellas attitude towards the Outer Gods. The Unalloyed was said to strive to sever the influence of the Outer Gods on the Lands Between, while at the same time embracing an Omen touched by the Mother of Truth? Wierd, something does not add up. One possible hit might come from the blood soaked meatball of the Blood Fiends, for it is said never to "rot". Was Miquella the Kind trying to use the influence of the Formless Mother to somehow drive the Scarlet Rot from body of his sister nad loyal Blade? If so, it would seem a morbidly risky gambit.
moral of the story, something we all knew from the start, Ansbach is a G and we all love him because he is the best friendly npc in the dlc.
Great video. Ansbach is so awesome. Would love a deep dive on Igon.
Ansbach is the best NPC of the whole DLC, the moment you summon him to fight against Leda is the moment you hear the most badass introduction to battle in the game: "I am Ansbach of the Pureblood Knights. I stand with blade loft, blood afire. For the dignity of my lord and master, Mohg."
Again, well researched... carefully crafted cinematics... poignant moments of dialogue captured.
Along with some important notes of dissent:
[12:35]
"Honorable" soul??
As per Freya, one of Radahn's loyal personal guard:
*_"Jerren will disagree with this, but war has always suited Radahn; far more than any honorable death."_*
This isn't what she says in 日本語:
「ジェーレン爺には悪いが、ラダーン将軍には、
戦いこそが相応しい」
*_"To old Jerren, this is evil, but to Radahn,_*
*_war, precisely, suits him."_*
[19:15]
Again, a critical difference between English and 日本語:
「かつて、虐げられた奴隷の一族は
戦禍の傷痕に異形の神性を見出し、血鬼となった」
*_"Once before, they were a family of oppressed slaves._*
*_They found a strangely shaped divine essence in the scars of war, becoming Blood Ogres"_*
[20:00]
*"Fleshy orifice"*
That is exactly as you hint at.
The moment formless... becomes formed.
*_The moment of Truth._*
Ansbach is invited to the neighborhood cookout for being a real one
always a good time listening to your talks
Your voice is always a pleasure to hear, thank you for the video.
Mohg has a face only a formless mother could love.
Saving this for sleepy time later but looking forward to watching it.
Always a good day when MissChalice drops 👏🏽👏🏽 fairest of them all 🎭
So weird to hear the last supper verse being read in an Elden Ring lore video since I used to hear that every Sunday for the first couple decades of my life. I've come a long way lol
“She’s his number 1 glazer.” Switched up them speech patterns
I've always wondered what kind of a leader Mohg was if he wasn't so brainwashed into being a murderous maniac.
Me and the boys on our way to avenge Lord Mohg
The first time dlc came out I couldn't find anything useful about the formless mother but then I found an area where they worship her. I actually was shocked that ansbach was not anyhow related too the formless mother.
such a lovely video to chill out to, tysm for sharing with us all :D mohg got the short end of the stick in every angle of the story of elden ring. the formless mother was probably the only joy and acceptance that he ever knew. poor child
She gave him the motivation to start an evil and sadistic murder blood cult. Not really a good influence, i must say.
@@terencebc in the lands between this seems fairly tame tbh
@@hexnotic not really, he’s among the high tier of evil. Miquella & Ranni are the tame ones in terms of villainy: they do f up things to achieve better outcomes.
@@terencebcyup
9:36 no way you just used "glaze" seriously in an Elden Ring lore video. Absolute cinema