For as much hate as the cuckoos get, it is worth noting they are the faction doing the most to fight off the frenzied flame. We find them in several locations involving the frenzied flame and have seemingly set up a quarantine around the walled frenzied flame town, with a defensive network on the road leading to the lift and also the village. Perhaps not all of the cuckoo are as bad as their title suggests.
Kind of an interesting parallel how the Redmanes are fighting the Scarlet rot, while the cuckoos fight the frenzied flame. One side is using fire to hold back the scourge, The other is holding back fire itself. I never thought about that before
The knights of cuckoo are basically mercenary’s that work with the Academy in exchange of magical goods and a title for their services but once the academy’s plan all fall apart they abandoned the cuckoo or more precisely lock themselves up, fully aware of their intimate betrayal and ever since then they’ve been wandering or maintaining their positions once the game starts.🤔🐱
The whole situation in Liurnia/Caria is just miserable. It's said that they distanced themselves from the Shattering Wars...only to go to war amongst themselves. And just like everywhere else, they're all stuck in a constant deadlock of constant battling. And of course they're cuckoos, because everything they did was for themselves, unlike the knights of the other factions.
Actually you're absolutely right about the significance of Caria granting the Cuckoos a title because besides the great prestige and special privileges granted to those serving a royal house the most important advantage said knights would receive is actually the luxury to be ransomed back to their house if defeated unlike mere mercenaries who'd be summarily executed. Which would be an invaluable boon to say the least for those given free reign to pillage other kingdoms at their leisure. Basically it's an incredibly smart political move to secure the loyalty of honorless raiders who have no real code or previous loyalties and thus can be employed as attack dogs against political enemies within your own kingdom.
Two things I wanted to note within the walls of Raya Lucaria: The church of the Cuckoo suggests they once established their operations alongside the sorcerer. Something tells me that the putrid magic corpses were all sorcerers slain by the Cuckoos once the Academy's betrayal was going into effect. In the church, we also find the Carian Knight armor set, revered by these same corpses. I find it unclear as to why the corpses are worshipping what was an enemy to both the Cuckoo and Raya Lucaria itself. Were they the oldest of the sorcerers that still believed in the guidance of the moon?
I have a feeling that within the academy their were two factions of socerors/casters. The royalists/moonists and the star gazers (I call them that)/the cuckoos. Eventually the latter won due to the muscle they got and ovwhelming the more skilled but less numerous royalists (including the carian knights)
I think it is interesting to note that inside the raya lucaria walls there is a "church of the cockoo" and the cockoo symbol can be traced back all the way to the symbol of the eternal cities. I think this suggests the knights of the cockoo's history streches back even further than their war against caria, but i am not sure on the details because we are not told what significance the cockoo holds to RL or the eternal cities is.
My Favourite Knight Fraction armour is the Mausoleum. Those black feathers around the armour and cape are gorgeous. It's interesting how each how each Knight Fraction has their story behind. Like Radahn's are ferocious warriors who really liked their General, Lyendell and their devotion do Erdtree, Haligtree Knights were seduced by Miquella's Ideals and etc.
Cuckoo knights are my favourite knights fraction. They're the most "human-like" knights (they have their own interests and lives and they analyse orders) instead of being mindless dogs on their duty with unnatural boundless love to their masters like mausoleum or godrick knights for example. Lorewise aside I also think that they're the coolest looking knights and their helmet is the closest thing to my dark souls 3 helmet (faraam + dancer's crown).
In my first playthrough I for some mysterious reason have thought that Cuckoo Knights are called "cuckoo" because they have gone mad of using glintstone, that those space gems somehow distorted their minds and they went cuckoo. Once I found their armour and shield I realized I was wrong
Been on a bit of a Carian royalty lore binge recently, the last one being SmoughTown's Ranni vid where he not-so-briefly talked about the family. Thank you for your own contribution to the lore in the betrayal aspect with the cuckoo knights. Always thought it was a nice detail that there wasn't a Carian royal family to begin with till Rennala, therefore setting up a possible excuse to bring her down. Btw, while I have gotten better at fighting knights (and fighting in general) compared to the first time, I still don't like fighting them. All knights who try to kill me are contemptible. Also, gigachad iron pumping crucible knights got the best drip.
While Cuckoo knights might've been inherently hostile to the Carians (although this might be disputable as well), Cuckoo itself is probably something older and well-established. There's too much stuff to mention here, but if we narrow down our observation to the most prominent pieces of evidence, then consider the following 1) In church of the Cuckoo there is a Carian statue on the altar. If Cuckoo is merely a symbol for anti-Carian sentiment and rebellion, what is this statue doing here? 2) The secret courtyard behind the illusory wall in the church contains a Carian statue and coffins that probably house Carian remains, since you can find identical coffins just outside Schoolhouse Classroom with Carian glintstone staffs hanging above them 3) Why are the members of the Lazuli conspectus guarding the church? I can understand if other conspecti that took a more active interest in the primal current (i.e., Olivinus and Karolos) would hold an interest to guard the church, but Lazuli would literally be the last conspectus I would imagine doing this, given they are the most closely affiliated with the royal family. 4) The heraldry of the Cuckoo Knights' horse caparison is _exactly_ the same as that of the Mausoleum Knights' horses, except that MKs' caparisons are faded green. The glintstone and the twinned cuckoo insignia are clearly visible on the 3D model of the horses. 5) The Moon of Nokstella talisman has twinned cuckoos emblazoned on it. The symbol is a bit hard to see in the game, but in high-resolution images the symbol is unmistakable
(Not to mention that if the Cuckoo is meant as merely a symbol or some kind of propaganda tool in regards to the Knights of the Cuckoo, why does the Academy still maintain and guard the church? All this seems to indicate that Cuckoo, whether a person, an entity or a symbol, was important to the sorcerers as well, as they could've left the church to simply fall apart or convert it for other use,)
No wonder I don't feel bad farming the cuckoo knights for their armor pieces. Cuz I felt bad doing it to the redmanes, cleanrots and the haligtree knights
The cuckoo Knights Are my favourite. They’re probably one of the most independent groups in the lands between. Instead of just following out of duty and dying for Honour like so many other groups do, They actually asked for something in return And you’re willing to go against their benefactor if it means they’ll be better off
One thing that would interest me is how the Evergaols are created. When the Cuckoo could do that, could anybody do that? And has it something to do with this rock worms? The enemy type we even don't know the name of, but is all over the Evergaols and are somehow fueled by gravity magic.
Oh my, no. The Carians were not aware of the Raya Lucarian Knights' plot. You are told that in no uncertain terms from an extraordinarily rare first person source, Iji. "This territory once belonged to the Carian royal family. Their manor lies not far beyond this point. When the Raya Lucaria Academy turned on the Carians, the Knights of the Cuckoo descended on this tract. After leveling it, they carried on to the manor. The Carians were taken off guard, but their strength had not waned, and they repelled the knights' onslaught... By conjuring an enchanted snare that remains potent to this day." The Knights of the Cuckoo declared their true enemy was the Carians during the assault on Caria Manor. Though obvious, the point being made is that this what they wanted. Not specifically the Academy. It's also worth noting they have their backs to the Altus lift. "Robe worn by scholars of the Lazuli Conspectus, singular among the greater Raya Lucaria Academy. These scholars, who sought to master Carian sorcery, instead learned to see the moon as equal to the stars. This robe, in the hue of the full moon, signifies their heresy." The last line is probably your why. The Golden Order is the only group that would call moon worship "heresy" because they say there is only one god. I personally think you are looking at the soldiers that came with Radagon. He came to get sorcery and so did they.
Let me correct you, the ones that saw the moon as heresy were the star worshippers. Also I see Radagon as a more sympathetic figure rather than a villain, Marika is more the villain.
Academy sorcerers, knights of cuckoo, soldiers, all of them for some reason turned against Carain royal family and imprisoned Rennala and that is why the carains left the lands between .
Crucible Knights: legendary knights that served and swore allegiance to one man; Godfrey the First Elden Lord Banished Knights: exactly as their title implies, they were knights who were banished from their homelands for whatever reasons, likely once served the Storm King due to their proficiency with wind magic Tree Sentinels and Draconic Tree Sentinels: guardians of the Erdtree and the royal capital of Leyndell, the only real difference is in their armour sets, as the Draconic ones used stone dragon scales and claws to protect themselves from lightning during the Ancient Dragon War Night’s Cavalry: knights who swore allegiance to Margit the Fell Omen, they travel the Lands Between to uphold the stalemate of the Shattering Carian Knights: once an order of knights who served the Carian Royal Family, they eventually fell apart after the betrayal of the academy of Raya Lucaria, they were still one of the most powerful group of knights in the Lands Between with sorcery and enchanted equipment that could easily help them stand against Tree Sentinels Bloodhound Knights: these knights acted more like dogs, hence the title, and like dogs, they were loyal to a fault, which is why when a Bloodhound Knight betrays their employer, they must be punished Cleanrot Knights: knights that swore allegiance to Malenia and Miquella, they were infected by the Scarlet Rot, and thus they fight without fear of death, they don’t have much of a life left worth living anyway, so they fight like they have nothing to lose, and die with honour Drake Knights: knights with an insatiable lust for power, the kind lust that would drive them to consuming dragon hearts and eventually turning into Magma Wyrms, vile and despicable lot who crave nothing more or less than absolute power, and would give anything to obtain it Godrick Knights: knights who swore allegiance to the Golden Lineage, which tragically forced them to swear allegiance to the pitiful Godrick, last of the Golden Lineage Cuckoo Knights: less official knights, more hired mercenaries who were just jealous of the genuine skill of Carian Knights, and took out that jealousy by helping Raya Lucaria betray the Carian Royals, they offer their services in exchange for faux sorceries, detestable and pathetic as they are, they weren’t COMPLETELY incompetent Gelmir Knights: these knights USED to serve Praetor Rykard, but when he lost himself to gluttonous depravity, they abandoned him, for as their lord lost himself to gluttony, they lost their master too Leyndell Knights: knights that swore to defend the royal capital, they defend the Erdtree and the Elden Throne, regardless of who sits upon it Haligtree Knights: knights of the Haligtree, similar to Leyndell knights, they defend the Haligtree and its master, their loyalty however isn’t too Malenia, but to SPECIFICALLY Miquella Mausoleum Knights: souls of knights long dead, that defend the wandering Mausoleums, as well as old catacombs
i feel like the cuckoos must have _some_ connection to Radagon. his relationship with the rest of the Carian royal family closely resembles the brood parisitism of the bird in question. Plus, he leaves with Rennalla a literal egg that she cares for at the expense of her own offspring.
I like to think that many were recruited during the Liurnian Wars as Leyndell Knights, originally from the ranks of mercenaries and other commoners who would join the war effort. However they turned into the “Cuckoo Knights” when Radagon wed Rennala; symbolizing the union by joining with the Church of the Cuckoo, which clearly existed beforehand. When Radagon became the second Elden Lord and Rennala’s mind decayed, the Cuckoos, who we must remember were all mercenaries, no longer saw any advantage in working with the Carians and offered their services to the ones that paid them more. And they also must have gotten tired of living in the shadow of the Carian Knights. Oh and I’m 100% making this up by the way, but I felt inspired.
Hey, this is neat! I can see the video early. It doesn’t show up in my sub feed early, but I can go to the channel and there’s a section called “Membership”. It works like the Community tab. That’s neat!
Cool video. I never actually put it together that Bols was captured by the Cuckoos. On unrelated note, is the song used in these lore dives a Souls song? I do not think I have ever heard it outside of this channel.
Currently on a role playthrough as the Tarnished yet Knightly King of the Cuckoo 😂 I have returned to the lands between and Renalla and Radagon will pay…
The cuckoos are probably the most real knight faction of all of Elden Ring. They the most fully embody What medieval knights really were: Killers for Cash who only served whoever was taking care of them for the moment.
I am pretty sure u guys haven't yet so i think it would be pretty awesome if u made an episode about nokron and nokstella or the nox or both honestly but anyway great job on this vid,like always
Thank you! Vaati has an incredibly detailed video about the eternal cities and we're always a little hesitant to tackle subjects he's explored. Mostly because we don't really want to retread anything that's already thoroughly laid out to the community. That said, if we had anything new to add, we'd definitely look into it!
There's likely no connection between these knights and the death rite birds as the knights of the cuckoo are fairly new players in the lands between and the death rite birds are connected to an ancient worship of death that likely predates anything we see in-game. The death rite birds are more closely associated with "twinbird" imagery.
@@square-table-gaming there are cuckoo birds on the moon of Noxtella. Noxtella being a place that played a role in the old ways of death/life cycle before the Erdtree. Maybe the shunning of death, the nox, and fate with the age of the Erdtree affected the birds. There’s just such a striking resemblance with their symbols too
Love the channel man! I’ve watched a bunch more of your videos and I love learning about this awesome game. And a little help please actually?😅 Where can I get the cuckoo armor? And do you know where I can get the crucible knight armor too?
I figure the academy souring on the royal family sometime between radagon leaving rennala and the shattering. Her shutting herself in her tower showed how weak she actually was as a leader.
Everybody says cuckoo knights are evil. But in the lands between, there are so many evil and foul things roaming around, that i wouldnt call them evil or bad just for serving their own purposes and getting some payment in return for their services. They seem like the only smart ones in the game lol. Maybe not the most honorable, but you cant blame them for wanting to look like pimps and using magic. Its a mean world
Totally not the Golden Company from Game of Thrones who totally aren't sellswords hired by the highest bidder (in this case, the Carians offer them magic stuff)
And you're picking on probably the most honorable one. Hell it's been generations since their founder's ecxile and they're still fighting for the one who they think is the legitimate king
@@allthe1 business rep is easier to lose than noble privileges. Once word gets out that your company backstabs its employers, good luck finding another source of income (other than banditry). Knight orders can always dig up the excuse of necessity or court politics no matter how scummy their actions are.
I love that you focus on the little guys. I mean theres a million lore vids about Radagon/Marika, Godwyn, Ranni, Radagon, the Golden Order, the Fire Giant, Faram Azula etc etc. One thing ive been wondering. What the hell is that yellow goop sealing doors in Leyndell? Corpse wax? Erdtree sap? I mean I get it from a gameplay perspective - a clear visual "theres no way in here", but is there any lore about it? Like what is it, why is it there and who put it there? I havent been able to find any. And Ive been looking ever since I was running around in that area and my spouse goes "what is that yellow crap- it looks like spray insulation?"
My favorite answer to that question is corpse wax. I think it makes sense based on the context of those homes being closer to the underground and the omen hunter nearby. That said, there's really no concrete evidence towards what it is.
What you said about the omenkiller and locations got me thinking. Maybe families who had birthed omens (once their omen child was taken away to be dehorned and/or dumped in the shunning grounds), or other "traitors" such as people seen as sympathetic to the forces that attacked the city during the shattering war - were sealed inside buildings and corpse wax was put around any potential exit points to make sure they couldnt get out. I mean, the powers that be cant kill them - so youd have contain them somehow, and there would be too many to just shove them all in the shunning grounds like with the Dung Eater. Youd have to waste manpower guarding the shunning grounds when you needed everyone to defend the city in the war. I love these games so much. I have never discussed or thought about a game's lore the way I have with From Soft games.
If you go to Tarnished Archaeologist’s channel he has multiple videos about the architecture of Leyndell. He proposes that the wax is used to seal out the ash all round the city. He uses in game info and real life history to back this up.
I think it's a way to denote homes struck by Frenzy. Yellow is the color of the Three Fingers, and just below Leyndell is the imprisoned Great Caravan. You can see similar colored cloth and sealing methods employed in the Frenzied Villages in the Weeping Peninsula and Liurnia. The actual substance is probably corpse wax, it's the only object that we know of in game that looks like that
Thank you for these weekly videos, I look forward to them every Saturday. And thank you for using art from real artists, I've seen a sorrowful trend of using AI on youtube thumbnails recently.
Thanks for being a viewer! Our artist Pat Gee does every piece for the channel and we make sure he's paid for all his work. Not going to cut corners with AI around here. If you dig his stuff his artpal is linked in every vid!
Thank you so much for the video. I do not think I have seen your guys theory on the statue of the girl with three wolves in Farum. A young looking character with three wolves near the “ancient” Elden Ring. Is that supposed to be Marika? Someone completely outside the current story? Would love to hear your take, maybe a future vid. Thanks again
My theory on Bols is a bit different--namely, I believe he was a traitor who turned against the Carians. There's already a precedent for this--the trolls of course betrayed their Giant cousins and fought for the Erdtree. To me it seems like trolls might just be prone to being turncoats and backing the winning team. When you go up to the Four Belfries, you might notice you are attacked by multiple troll knight puppets/spirits (at least that's what they seem to be)--but they've all been *beheaded.* That seems to me like, after the Cuckoos were defeated and driven off, the Carians took rather....extreme methods of punishment towards the trolls who turned against them. There's also another troll knight puppet who will attack you on the way to Liurnia. This punishment would be justified by them having broken the sworn oath they struck with Rennala many years ago. As for the leader of this failed rebellion, Bols, there was punishment as a traitor deserves. Locked away forever in an Evergaol, his prison itself labeling him as little more than a treacherous Cuckoo.
This is possible, but Iji does tell us the cuckoos caught the carians off guard during their march to the castle and were only expelled by Loretta's arrows. It would make sense that any trolls defending the area from the academy to the manor were defeated by the cuckoos. This could also account for the beheadings.
@@square-table-gaming Mmm, yeah, I see your point there. I just find it odd they would imprison Bols instead of, well, just killing him too. They don't strike me as a group to really care about rank.
This makes me not feel bad for them for farming their armor for hours. (I swear, someone in From Software programmed drops in a way that makes one piece of set drops 100 times less than other pieces. After farming for hours I only got one chest armor and like 15 other pieces each.)
I mean.. can you blame the mages? Imagine after two entire blood filled high causualty wars, and then your queen marries their greatest enemy- how is that fair?? And the Cuckoo? It is probable that they were lowly locals of Liurnia, Of course they'd want more? Honestly, if I were to side with any faction? It would be the knights who watch for their own wellbeing, rather than their benefactors. Not to mention most of Renallas children betraying the academy and going to form their own factions, the Redmanes, and the Ghelmir Knights, I feel like both have fair claim to say that the Carians left them to suffer.
@@square-table-gaming finally if a cuckoo knight and a carian knight where to fight who would be the winner? ps after the age of the stars ending do you think the tarnished became somewhat of a carian knight to ranni like learning all the spells they can do?
For as much hate as the cuckoos get, it is worth noting they are the faction doing the most to fight off the frenzied flame.
We find them in several locations involving the frenzied flame and have seemingly set up a quarantine around the walled frenzied flame town, with a defensive network on the road leading to the lift and also the village.
Perhaps not all of the cuckoo are as bad as their title suggests.
Kind of an interesting parallel how the Redmanes are fighting the Scarlet rot, while the cuckoos fight the frenzied flame. One side is using fire to hold back the scourge, The other is holding back fire itself. I never thought about that before
The knights of cuckoo are basically mercenary’s that work with the Academy in exchange of magical goods and a title for their services but once the academy’s plan all fall apart they abandoned the cuckoo or more precisely lock themselves up, fully aware of their intimate betrayal and ever since then they’ve been wandering or maintaining their positions once the game starts.🤔🐱
Like the idea
The constant throwing of those annoying "chase me" rocks is enough to make them "contemptible" in My book.
The whole situation in Liurnia/Caria is just miserable. It's said that they distanced themselves from the Shattering Wars...only to go to war amongst themselves. And just like everywhere else, they're all stuck in a constant deadlock of constant battling. And of course they're cuckoos, because everything they did was for themselves, unlike the knights of the other factions.
Actually you're absolutely right about the significance of Caria granting the Cuckoos a title because besides the great prestige and special privileges granted to those serving a royal house the most important advantage said knights would receive is actually the luxury to be ransomed back to their house if defeated unlike mere mercenaries who'd be summarily executed. Which would be an invaluable boon to say the least for those given free reign to pillage other kingdoms at their leisure. Basically it's an incredibly smart political move to secure the loyalty of honorless raiders who have no real code or previous loyalties and thus can be employed as attack dogs against political enemies within your own kingdom.
Excellent analysis! I love seeing stuff that really combines history with game lore.
I very much like the Haligtree Knights, in drip aspect. But the Redmane Knights are badass.
Two things I wanted to note within the walls of Raya Lucaria:
The church of the Cuckoo suggests they once established their operations alongside the sorcerer. Something tells me that the putrid magic corpses were all sorcerers slain by the Cuckoos once the Academy's betrayal was going into effect.
In the church, we also find the Carian Knight armor set, revered by these same corpses. I find it unclear as to why the corpses are worshipping what was an enemy to both the Cuckoo and Raya Lucaria itself. Were they the oldest of the sorcerers that still believed in the guidance of the moon?
I have a feeling that within the academy their were two factions of socerors/casters. The royalists/moonists and the star gazers (I call them that)/the cuckoos. Eventually the latter won due to the muscle they got and ovwhelming the more skilled but less numerous royalists (including the carian knights)
Their sorceries definitly didn't FEEL faux to my sorry level 25 a**
Knocking one of these bastards off of their horse with a shield parry is one of the coolest things you can do in this game.
I think it is interesting to note that inside the raya lucaria walls there is a "church of the cockoo" and the cockoo symbol can be traced back all the way to the symbol of the eternal cities.
I think this suggests the knights of the cockoo's history streches back even further than their war against caria, but i am not sure on the details because we are not told what significance the cockoo holds to RL or the eternal cities is.
It would make sense if the academy basically co-opted the cuckoo symbol for their knights. Maybe distorting its meaning to their own ends.
@@trissi4468 me or Sophia?
@@trissi4468 why?
@@trissi4468 or we could let people enjoy things
@@trissi4468 ah, okay, you're a literal goblin, got it. Muted.
Radahns faction got the best drip but honestly I'd choose the banished knights even with the duck shoes
The ones on horseback were terrifying the first few times I saw them charging at me. Great work as always
My Favourite Knight Fraction armour is the Mausoleum. Those black feathers around the armour and cape are gorgeous. It's interesting how each how each Knight Fraction has their story behind. Like Radahn's are ferocious warriors who really liked their General, Lyendell and their devotion do Erdtree, Haligtree Knights were seduced by Miquella's Ideals and etc.
Cuckoo knights are my favourite knights fraction. They're the most "human-like" knights (they have their own interests and lives and they analyse orders) instead of being mindless dogs on their duty with unnatural boundless love to their masters like mausoleum or godrick knights for example. Lorewise aside I also think that they're the coolest looking knights and their helmet is the closest thing to my dark souls 3 helmet (faraam + dancer's crown).
godrick knights aren't necessarily mindless or loving godrick
they just kinda don't have a choice
In my first playthrough I for some mysterious reason have thought that Cuckoo Knights are called "cuckoo" because they have gone mad of using glintstone, that those space gems somehow distorted their minds and they went cuckoo. Once I found their armour and shield I realized I was wrong
Been on a bit of a Carian royalty lore binge recently, the last one being SmoughTown's Ranni vid where he not-so-briefly talked about the family. Thank you for your own contribution to the lore in the betrayal aspect with the cuckoo knights. Always thought it was a nice detail that there wasn't a Carian royal family to begin with till Rennala, therefore setting up a possible excuse to bring her down.
Btw, while I have gotten better at fighting knights (and fighting in general) compared to the first time, I still don't like fighting them. All knights who try to kill me are contemptible. Also, gigachad iron pumping crucible knights got the best drip.
While Cuckoo knights might've been inherently hostile to the Carians (although this might be disputable as well), Cuckoo itself is probably something older and well-established. There's too much stuff to mention here, but if we narrow down our observation to the most prominent pieces of evidence, then consider the following
1) In church of the Cuckoo there is a Carian statue on the altar. If Cuckoo is merely a symbol for anti-Carian sentiment and rebellion, what is
this statue doing here?
2) The secret courtyard behind the illusory wall in the church contains a Carian statue and coffins that probably house Carian remains, since you can find identical coffins just outside Schoolhouse Classroom with Carian glintstone staffs hanging above them
3) Why are the members of the Lazuli conspectus guarding the church? I can understand if other conspecti that took a more active interest in the primal current (i.e., Olivinus and Karolos) would hold an interest to guard the church, but Lazuli would literally be the last conspectus I would imagine doing this, given they are the most closely affiliated with the royal family.
4) The heraldry of the Cuckoo Knights' horse caparison is _exactly_ the same as that of the Mausoleum Knights' horses, except that MKs' caparisons are faded green. The glintstone and the twinned cuckoo insignia are clearly visible on the 3D model of the horses.
5) The Moon of Nokstella talisman has twinned cuckoos emblazoned on it. The symbol is a bit hard to see in the game, but in high-resolution images the symbol is unmistakable
(Not to mention that if the Cuckoo is meant as merely a symbol or some kind of propaganda tool in regards to the Knights of the Cuckoo, why does the Academy still maintain and guard the church? All this seems to indicate that Cuckoo, whether a person, an entity or a symbol, was important to the sorcerers as well, as they could've left the church to simply fall apart or convert it for other use,)
No wonder I don't feel bad farming the cuckoo knights for their armor pieces. Cuz I felt bad doing it to the redmanes, cleanrots and the haligtree knights
And their foot soldier helm is the ugliest.
The cuckoo Knights Are my favourite. They’re probably one of the most independent groups in the lands between. Instead of just following out of duty and dying for Honour like so many other groups do, They actually asked for something in return And you’re willing to go against their benefactor if it means they’ll be better off
One thing that would interest me is how the Evergaols are created. When the Cuckoo could do that, could anybody do that?
And has it something to do with this rock worms? The enemy type we even don't know the name of, but is all over the Evergaols and are somehow fueled by gravity magic.
Oh my, no. The Carians were not aware of the Raya Lucarian Knights' plot. You are told that in no uncertain terms from an extraordinarily rare first person source, Iji.
"This territory once belonged to the Carian royal family. Their manor lies not far beyond this point. When the Raya Lucaria Academy turned on the Carians, the Knights of the Cuckoo descended on this tract. After leveling it, they carried on to the manor. The Carians were taken off guard, but their strength had not waned, and they repelled the knights' onslaught... By conjuring an enchanted snare that remains potent to this day."
The Knights of the Cuckoo declared their true enemy was the Carians during the assault on Caria Manor. Though obvious, the point being made is that this what they wanted. Not specifically the Academy.
It's also worth noting they have their backs to the Altus lift.
"Robe worn by scholars of the Lazuli Conspectus, singular among the greater Raya Lucaria Academy. These scholars, who sought to master Carian sorcery, instead learned to see the moon as equal to the stars. This robe, in the hue of the full moon, signifies their heresy."
The last line is probably your why. The Golden Order is the only group that would call moon worship "heresy" because they say there is only one god. I personally think you are looking at the soldiers that came with Radagon. He came to get sorcery and so did they.
Let me correct you, the ones that saw the moon as heresy were the star worshippers. Also I see Radagon as a more sympathetic figure rather than a villain, Marika is more the villain.
Academy sorcerers, knights of cuckoo, soldiers, all of them for some reason turned against Carain royal family and imprisoned Rennala and that is why the carains left the lands between .
Crucible Knights: legendary knights that served and swore allegiance to one man; Godfrey the First Elden Lord
Banished Knights: exactly as their title implies, they were knights who were banished from their homelands for whatever reasons, likely once served the Storm King due to their proficiency with wind magic
Tree Sentinels and Draconic Tree Sentinels: guardians of the Erdtree and the royal capital of Leyndell, the only real difference is in their armour sets, as the Draconic ones used stone dragon scales and claws to protect themselves from lightning during the Ancient Dragon War
Night’s Cavalry: knights who swore allegiance to Margit the Fell Omen, they travel the Lands Between to uphold the stalemate of the Shattering
Carian Knights: once an order of knights who served the Carian Royal Family, they eventually fell apart after the betrayal of the academy of Raya Lucaria, they were still one of the most powerful group of knights in the Lands Between with sorcery and enchanted equipment that could easily help them stand against Tree Sentinels
Bloodhound Knights: these knights acted more like dogs, hence the title, and like dogs, they were loyal to a fault, which is why when a Bloodhound Knight betrays their employer, they must be punished
Cleanrot Knights: knights that swore allegiance to Malenia and Miquella, they were infected by the Scarlet Rot, and thus they fight without fear of death, they don’t have much of a life left worth living anyway, so they fight like they have nothing to lose, and die with honour
Drake Knights: knights with an insatiable lust for power, the kind lust that would drive them to consuming dragon hearts and eventually turning into Magma Wyrms, vile and despicable lot who crave nothing more or less than absolute power, and would give anything to obtain it
Godrick Knights: knights who swore allegiance to the Golden Lineage, which tragically forced them to swear allegiance to the pitiful Godrick, last of the Golden Lineage
Cuckoo Knights: less official knights, more hired mercenaries who were just jealous of the genuine skill of Carian Knights, and took out that jealousy by helping Raya Lucaria betray the Carian Royals, they offer their services in exchange for faux sorceries, detestable and pathetic as they are, they weren’t COMPLETELY incompetent
Gelmir Knights: these knights USED to serve Praetor Rykard, but when he lost himself to gluttonous depravity, they abandoned him, for as their lord lost himself to gluttony, they lost their master too
Leyndell Knights: knights that swore to defend the royal capital, they defend the Erdtree and the Elden Throne, regardless of who sits upon it
Haligtree Knights: knights of the Haligtree, similar to Leyndell knights, they defend the Haligtree and its master, their loyalty however isn’t too Malenia, but to SPECIFICALLY Miquella
Mausoleum Knights: souls of knights long dead, that defend the wandering Mausoleums, as well as old catacombs
You should throw this comment on our knights compilation as a synopsis
AWesome comment! This adds so much depth to the setting and the people within it.
i really love the looks and story of the gelmir knights
i feel like the cuckoos must have _some_ connection to Radagon. his relationship with the rest of the Carian royal family closely resembles the brood parisitism of the bird in question. Plus, he leaves with Rennalla a literal egg that she cares for at the expense of her own offspring.
I like to think that many were recruited during the Liurnian Wars as Leyndell Knights, originally from the ranks of mercenaries and other commoners who would join the war effort. However they turned into the “Cuckoo Knights” when Radagon wed Rennala; symbolizing the union by joining with the Church of the Cuckoo, which clearly existed beforehand. When Radagon became the second Elden Lord and Rennala’s mind decayed, the Cuckoos, who we must remember were all mercenaries, no longer saw any advantage in working with the Carians and offered their services to the ones that paid them more. And they also must have gotten tired of living in the shadow of the Carian Knights.
Oh and I’m 100% making this up by the way, but I felt inspired.
Hey, this is neat! I can see the video early. It doesn’t show up in my sub feed early, but I can go to the channel and there’s a section called “Membership”. It works like the Community tab. That’s neat!
Enjoy early access Wolfie! You'll be able to see the new Elden Lores every Thursday now!
They lost because they all got parried by the greatest Carian knight of all.
Well they are certainly not afraid of a bad omen, summoning in a trio like that. Thanks.
so basically the opposite of redmanes now carian knight time
I keep thinking these will drop at noon, and im always shocked when i check it and its 10 am when it hits for me, lol
At last my favorite faction of knight got a video now to wait for the unalloyed knights of Miquella
Cool video. I never actually put it together that Bols was captured by the Cuckoos. On unrelated note, is the song used in these lore dives a Souls song? I do not think I have ever heard it outside of this channel.
It's the character creation music in Elden ring
@@square-table-gaming I am amazed that I never puzzled that one together.
@@alexandermorgan5958 you're not alone! I answer that question at least twice on every video
I just adore how Iji says "Cuckoo"
Coocoo . Redmane. Or lyendell have the best drip
Love me that mausoleum knight drip
Currently on a role playthrough as the Tarnished yet Knightly King of the Cuckoo 😂 I have returned to the lands between and Renalla and Radagon will pay…
Carai is a strong clan. in their side they have carain knights, carian trolls, glinston dragons, bloodhound knights, puppets, Loretta 💪💪
Mosoleum nights have the best drip no cap
Just an appreciation of all you make and share.
The cuckoos are probably the most real knight faction of all of Elden Ring. They the most fully embody What medieval knights really were: Killers for Cash who only served whoever was taking care of them for the moment.
Currently loading into my highest level character to put the full cuckoo set on and go ravage the carian manor for a bit 😂😂
I find them strangely similar to Ser Gregor Clegane from A Song of Ice and Fire, "knights" who brandish such title in name only.
I am pretty sure u guys haven't yet so i think it would be pretty awesome if u made an episode about nokron and nokstella or the nox or both honestly but anyway great job on this vid,like always
Thank you! Vaati has an incredibly detailed video about the eternal cities and we're always a little hesitant to tackle subjects he's explored. Mostly because we don't really want to retread anything that's already thoroughly laid out to the community. That said, if we had anything new to add, we'd definitely look into it!
those enemies are so weak i didnt even concider they could be knights
Awesome can't wait for the Carian Knights
the best drip in the game is the fire monks armor
I love turning on subtitles sometimes to see whatever is being said, and I loved seeing the KOREANS! My fellow yellows be out there in Liurnia frfr!!
Thanks for always entertaining us :)
Happy to do it!
I wish you mentioned their connection with the death birds possibly
There's likely no connection between these knights and the death rite birds as the knights of the cuckoo are fairly new players in the lands between and the death rite birds are connected to an ancient worship of death that likely predates anything we see in-game. The death rite birds are more closely associated with "twinbird" imagery.
@@square-table-gaming there are cuckoo birds on the moon of Noxtella. Noxtella being a place that played a role in the old ways of death/life cycle before the Erdtree. Maybe the shunning of death, the nox, and fate with the age of the Erdtree affected the birds. There’s just such a striking resemblance with their symbols too
I didn't know they were so interesting. Great video.
Love the channel man! I’ve watched a bunch more of your videos and I love learning about this awesome game. And a little help please actually?😅 Where can I get the cuckoo armor? And do you know where I can get the crucible knight armor too?
great video! will we ever get a lore video for the carian knights?
We're working our way through the various knight factions so it'll definitely happen
I figure the academy souring on the royal family sometime between radagon leaving rennala and the shattering. Her shutting herself in her tower showed how weak she actually was as a leader.
So she did not actually shut herself in her tower. This was done by the leaders of the academy. She was completely bewitched by the amber egg.
Everybody says cuckoo knights are evil. But in the lands between, there are so many evil and foul things roaming around, that i wouldnt call them evil or bad just for serving their own purposes and getting some payment in return for their services. They seem like the only smart ones in the game lol. Maybe not the most honorable, but you cant blame them for wanting to look like pimps and using magic. Its a mean world
I think they're considered evil mostly for their penchant for using their knightly status to do whatever they want. Definitely see your point though.
Totally not the Golden Company from Game of Thrones who totally aren't sellswords hired by the highest bidder (in this case, the Carians offer them magic stuff)
Most ASoIaF sellswords companies are actually quite better at honoring their vows compared to actual knight orders
And you're picking on probably the most honorable one. Hell it's been generations since their founder's ecxile and they're still fighting for the one who they think is the legitimate king
@@allthe1 business rep is easier to lose than noble privileges. Once word gets out that your company backstabs its employers, good luck finding another source of income (other than banditry). Knight orders can always dig up the excuse of necessity or court politics no matter how scummy their actions are.
@@MarvinT0606 which is why sellswords are just slandered all over by ppl in Westeros and the United States of UA-cam alike
I love that you focus on the little guys. I mean theres a million lore vids about Radagon/Marika, Godwyn, Ranni, Radagon, the Golden Order, the Fire Giant, Faram Azula etc etc.
One thing ive been wondering. What the hell is that yellow goop sealing doors in Leyndell? Corpse wax? Erdtree sap? I mean I get it from a gameplay perspective - a clear visual "theres no way in here", but is there any lore about it? Like what is it, why is it there and who put it there? I havent been able to find any. And Ive been looking ever since I was running around in that area and my spouse goes "what is that yellow crap- it looks like spray insulation?"
My favorite answer to that question is corpse wax. I think it makes sense based on the context of those homes being closer to the underground and the omen hunter nearby. That said, there's really no concrete evidence towards what it is.
What you said about the omenkiller and locations got me thinking. Maybe families who had birthed omens (once their omen child was taken away to be dehorned and/or dumped in the shunning grounds), or other "traitors" such as people seen as sympathetic to the forces that attacked the city during the shattering war - were sealed inside buildings and corpse wax was put around any potential exit points to make sure they couldnt get out. I mean, the powers that be cant kill them - so youd have contain them somehow, and there would be too many to just shove them all in the shunning grounds like with the Dung Eater. Youd have to waste manpower guarding the shunning grounds when you needed everyone to defend the city in the war.
I love these games so much. I have never discussed or thought about a game's lore the way I have with From Soft games.
If you go to Tarnished Archaeologist’s channel he has multiple videos about the architecture of Leyndell.
He proposes that the wax is used to seal out the ash all round the city. He uses in game info and real life history to back this up.
I think it's a way to denote homes struck by Frenzy. Yellow is the color of the Three Fingers, and just below Leyndell is the imprisoned Great Caravan. You can see similar colored cloth and sealing methods employed in the Frenzied Villages in the Weeping Peninsula and Liurnia. The actual substance is probably corpse wax, it's the only object that we know of in game that looks like that
Thank you for these weekly videos, I look forward to them every Saturday. And thank you for using art from real artists, I've seen a sorrowful trend of using AI on youtube thumbnails recently.
Thanks for being a viewer! Our artist Pat Gee does every piece for the channel and we make sure he's paid for all his work. Not going to cut corners with AI around here. If you dig his stuff his artpal is linked in every vid!
@@square-table-gaming As an artist I thank you for respecting human made art. Pat's art is wonderful, I discovered his stuff through your channel.
Thank you so much for the video. I do not think I have seen your guys theory on the statue of the girl with three wolves in Farum. A young looking character with three wolves near the “ancient” Elden Ring. Is that supposed to be Marika? Someone completely outside the current story? Would love to hear your take, maybe a future vid. Thanks again
The prevailing theory is that it's Marika, but really we have no lore whatsoever to go on!
May you do a video on renalla
We could absolutely do a timeline of rennalas life
It’s cool to see the lowly cuckoos in Zelda develop their own civilization in Elden Ring.
My theory on Bols is a bit different--namely, I believe he was a traitor who turned against the Carians. There's already a precedent for this--the trolls of course betrayed their Giant cousins and fought for the Erdtree. To me it seems like trolls might just be prone to being turncoats and backing the winning team.
When you go up to the Four Belfries, you might notice you are attacked by multiple troll knight puppets/spirits (at least that's what they seem to be)--but they've all been *beheaded.* That seems to me like, after the Cuckoos were defeated and driven off, the Carians took rather....extreme methods of punishment towards the trolls who turned against them. There's also another troll knight puppet who will attack you on the way to Liurnia. This punishment would be justified by them having broken the sworn oath they struck with Rennala many years ago.
As for the leader of this failed rebellion, Bols, there was punishment as a traitor deserves. Locked away forever in an Evergaol, his prison itself labeling him as little more than a treacherous Cuckoo.
This is possible, but Iji does tell us the cuckoos caught the carians off guard during their march to the castle and were only expelled by Loretta's arrows. It would make sense that any trolls defending the area from the academy to the manor were defeated by the cuckoos. This could also account for the beheadings.
@@square-table-gaming Mmm, yeah, I see your point there. I just find it odd they would imprison Bols instead of, well, just killing him too. They don't strike me as a group to really care about rank.
God i love your content. best elden ring content creator !!!
Glad you enjoy it! We'll keep it coming
Have you done the lyndel knights or haligtree knights yet?
Not yet! I'm considering including them both in 1 video as those Knights don't have much in the way of backstory specific to them.
@@square-table-gaming that’s fair lol great videos though!
This makes me not feel bad for them for farming their armor for hours.
(I swear, someone in From Software programmed drops in a way that makes one piece of set drops 100 times less than other pieces. After farming for hours I only got one chest armor and like 15 other pieces each.)
Banished knights are the best
There like the mountain from game of thrones
Awesome!
I mean.. can you blame the mages? Imagine after two entire blood filled high causualty wars, and then your queen marries their greatest enemy- how is that fair?? And the Cuckoo? It is probable that they were lowly locals of Liurnia, Of course they'd want more? Honestly, if I were to side with any faction? It would be the knights who watch for their own wellbeing, rather than their benefactors. Not to mention most of Renallas children betraying the academy and going to form their own factions, the Redmanes, and the Ghelmir Knights, I feel like both have fair claim to say that the Carians left them to suffer.
I love your lore videos
Thank you! Spread the word haha
I love ruin their day with golden land
Rennala's full moon tells us that -
Swiffer sweeper is the best sweeper! Or your money back!
Best ad placement 🤣
Ask them how they feel about Coco Puffs.
I bet they're cuckoo for them
great video i have to three questions one out of all the knight facsion which is considered the golden order main army the lyndell knights?
I would say that's correct. The leyndell army would have been the main branch before the shattering no hun
@@square-table-gaming second out of all the knight facstsion wich on would consider to be the strongest?
@@sueflewelling3657 The Cleanrots would probably be the strongest knight faction.
@@sueflewelling3657 the strongest, at least by reputation, are the cleanrots, with the redmanes close behind
@@square-table-gaming finally if a cuckoo knight and a carian knight where to fight who would be the winner? ps after the age of the stars ending do you think the tarnished became somewhat of a carian knight to ranni like learning all the spells they can do?
early club, good video :)
No comment am just gona hit that like button
Great video as always 👌
Why is there a Carion Knight in Rayla??
Protecting Rennala from the wizards of the academy
@Square Table Gaming Oooooh. He probably could solo then entire place too. Gave me hell my first playthrough.
Greetings from the Carrot-Man 👋🥕
Hello there! Always nice to hear from the carrot-man
All I know is that they are the most annoying
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