Quelana: "My mother, the Witch of Izalith, was one of the primeval lords." Quelana: "Her power came from a soul that she found near the First Flame." Quelana: "She focused this power to light a flame of her own," Quelana: "but she failed to control it..." Quelana: "The Flame of Chaos.. Engulfed mother and my sisters," Quelana: "and molded them into deformed creatures." Quelana: "Only I escaped, and now I'm here." Quelana: "My mother..." Quelana: "My sisters..." Quelana: "What have you done?" Long ago , we thought the Chaos Flame was born of desperation a flame created to replace the fading First Flame , and to secure the age of fire for the Lords, we were wrong. Izalith's flame was a flame of ambition, for the First Flame gave life, and Izalith believed that her soul could replicate this power... ...and she was right. But, not in the way that she expected For when the witch and her seven daughters huddled together and focused their power, chaos was born. Their flame spiraled out of control,
engulfing the women and the city of Izalith And during this period of instability, the very worst demons were born. But soon after, the witch clearly wrested chaos under control, becoming the Bed of Chaos and the heart of a new city. On that day, Izalith learned a set of core truths. First, that her power has limits. Second, that fire is to be feared. And third, that grotesque, parasitic life... ...is still life. The first daughter we meet is Qualaag. She's described by her soul as a perfect creation of Chaos, and we see this in her movements. Note how she affectionately caresses her demon half, how she smiles with contentment, and how she embraces her parasite. Quelaag: "Ah. A precious new sacrifice." Quelaag: "The Children of Chaos are hungry. Give yourself to Qualaag's flame." A steady stream of undead are attempting to ring the second bell of awakening, making this the perfect place for a Daughter of Chaos to nest. For Chaos, just like the First Flame, thrives off of humanity. Quelaag: "Those who defy the pact," Quelaag: "those who trespass Qualaag's domain," Quelaag: "may you feel the depth of our wrath." She speaks of a pact, but a clueless undead can have no knowledge of this. To us, Qualaag is just another foe who blocks our path... ...but she was so much more than that. Eingya: "Oh dear." Eingya: "What have we here? Are you a new servant?" Eingya: "Hmph, but... You have no eggs." Eingya: "Ah, no matter. Go along and have audience with our Fair Lady." Eingya: "Except, If you lay a hand on the Fair Lady, you should be prepared to face my wrath." The Fair Lady: "Qualaag," The Fair Lady: "my dear sister," The Fair Lady: "what is it?" The Fair Lady: "Don't mind me... it does not hurt terribly." The Fair Lady: "Your visits are more than anything." The Fair Lady: "I'll be fine." The Fair Lady: "I have you, dear sister." The Fair Lady: "But promise me that you will take care of your self." The Fair Lady is second Daughter of Chaos we meet, but she's not much longer for this world. Blind, ailing, and unfeeling, she subsists on offerings of humanity. Humanity that her sister Qualaag once brought to her. With the Old Witch's Ring in our possession, the Fair Lady understands us. And since Qualaag was the only remaining one capable of speaking to her, you must be her sister. The Fair Lady: "You know, I still remember your beautiful, silky face. If only I could gaze upon it once more." The Fair Lady: "Is something troubling you?" The Fair Lady: "Please sister, do not cry." The Fair Lady: "I am happy, really." The Fair Lady: "I-I have you," The Fair Lady: "don't I?" Eingyi: "You speak the tongue of the Fair Lady? Eingyi: "In all honesty," Eingyi: "I am envious. What comfort can I offer without speaking her tongue?" This egg-burdened undead was once an renowned Pyromancer. He developed spells of toxic and poisoned mists, which are considered to be terrible, heretical spells. These pyromancies earned him exile, followed by a terrible infection, and then led to a chance meeting with the Daughter of Chaos. Eingyi: "Worse than undead," Eingyi: "we are diseased, and unwanted, like the grime of the Great Swamp." Eingyi: "But my dear Fair Lady," Eingyi: "she cried for me, and swallowed the great blight pus," Eingyi: "despite mistress Qualaag's orders to the contrary." These two Daughters of Chaos care really deeply about their offspring, And, in the Fair Lady's case, even for the undead that carry those offspring. But without the humanity that her sister brought her, she, and her children, will die. The Fair Lady: "Q-Qualaag, my dear sister," The Fair Lady: "the eggs, it hurts..." The Fair Lady: "They've gone still. I am afraid..." The Fair Lady: "It may be too late." The Fair Lady: "I am so sorry, dear sister." Luckily, Eingyi does not yet know that mistress Quelaag... is dead. So, he shares his flame with you, which is a deeply personal act for a Pyromancer, because the flame is a part of himself. Eingyi: "You have served our Fair Lady well." Eingyi: "Now, let this strength be yours." Before there were pyromancies, there were fire sorceries. And then, when the Witch of Izalith shared her flame with her daughters, Pyromancy came to be. Unlike Sorcery, which requires a certain intellect, pyromancy is this personal, primal art, rooted in this desire to hold and control fire. And then, it's refined by the acceptance that true control is impossible. Laurentius: "Pyromancy is the ultimate fantasy. We are born into dark, and warmed by fire." Laurentius: "But this fire, we cannot touch. " Laurentius: "Those whose... fascination with fire persists," Laurentius: "learn to hold it in their own hand." And so, humanity took really well to this ancient art, passing down knowledge from a Daughter of Chaos herself. Eingyi: "Have you heard of Lost Quelana, an inhuman witch who wanders the poison swamp?" Eingyi: "Only no one has ever seen her, so who really knows?" Eingyi: "But what if she is another of the Quelaag sisters?" Eingyi: "Our fair lady would be greatly comforted by her presence." Quelana: "Hmm... A mere undead," Quelana: "Yet, you can see me." Quelana: "Fascinating... I am Quelana, of Izalith. I am not often revealed to walkers of flesh." Quelana: "You have a gift. Are you, too, one who seeks my pyromancy?" Quelana is the eldest Daughter of Chaos, and she's the furthest one from home. It's thanks to her that mankind became so attuned to pyromancy. Quelana: "Pyromancy is the art of invoking and manipulating fire," Quelana: "But remember one thing..." Quelana: "Always fear the flame," Quelana: "lest you be devoured by it, and lose yourself." Quelana: "I would hate to see that happen again." Interestingly, Quelana refuses to teach the Chaos pyromancy of her homeland, instead, opting for the more refined pyromancies to come: Fire Whip. An effort to control that which cannot be controlled. Fire Storm, which desplays the indiscriminate horror of flame. And, perhaps most importantly, Rapport - an advanced spell of Quelana that uses fire to lure the living, making them a temporary ally. Quelana: "Hm." Quelana: "I have a favor to ask." Quelana: "I abandoned my mother and sisters, and fled to this land." Quelana: "But my mother and sisters have been in anguish since." Quelana: "I beseech you," Quelana: "free mother and my sisters from the Flame of Chaos." Quelana: "I cannot do it myself." Quelana: "I lack the strength... and the bravery." Quelana: "But you... I realize what I am asking, but please..." Quelana: "free their poor souls." Quelana: "Mother's ambitions were misguided, no doubt," Quelana: "but surely a thousand years of atonement is enough." Quelana believes her family has been in penance for a thousand years, and that death would be their only comfort. But is this true? Will you take the word of a woman who's afraid to face her own demons? The Flame of Chaos is not as evil as Quelana would have you believe. How could it be when it motivated an entire developed civilization? Izalith's architecture is inspired by Chaos. Its first demons are considered priests. The Capra is capable of taming animals. There were embers of Chaos used for smithing, there is a written language, a spoken language - This is not really a place that was ruined because of Chaos. It's a place that became defined by it. And it's all thanks to Mother Izalith. If it was Izalith's goal to create a flame of life, then she succeeded, for two younger sisters, and their mother, can be found in the depths of Izalith at its lowest point, where demons are born. This seedbed of life is called the Bed of Chaos It's actually comprised of three family members. Flanking on the sides are two enchanted, fleshy mounds connected to the center with staves. Staves that look awfully like the Izalith staff seen in the beginning, where two sisters flank the mother in the center. Which makes the center of the Bed of Chaos... Mother Izalith herself. Her control is evident by virtue of our ability to undo it: Because if you take out a Sister on the side, then the Heart of Chaos breaks free. So, if Chaos was under control, what happened to Izalith? Well, war. Despite Izalith's aide in Gwyn's war against the dragons, the Lord of Light turned his ire to the creatures of Chaos. Did he feel threatened by these monsters? Did he consider Chaos to be this affront to the integrity of Divine Flame? It's impossible to say for sure. For this war, he commissioned an elite order of warriors who became known as the Black Knights. Their oversized weapons were designed to deal with their oversized foes, And their loyalty to Gwyn was so fierce that they would later follow him into the Kiln of the First Flame. If there ever was a time for Quelana to slip away and leave, it would be now, during the war. Her family must have thought that she died. For upon an alter, dressed upon an unrecognizable corpse, is a gold-hemmed set that says it was once worn by Quelana of Izalith. So, not only does this suggest that she faked her death... it suggests that she couldn't bear to have her family know about her desertion, and this news, of her death, would have hit no one harder than her brother. This giant is a being of Ceaseless Discharge, born alongside the worst demons when the Chaos Flame was still unstable So, to soothe his lava inflamed sores, his witch sisters gave him a special Orange Charred Ring. Which, fool that he is, he accidentally dropped. He would never receive another. And so he spent the rest of his days in pain, oblivious to everything around him. Everything, except the shrine to his sister Quelana. Desecrate her corpse, and he would literally throw away his life to punish you. So strong is the love for his family. Leaving her family may well have been the worst decision Quelana could have made. For, in a move that she could not have predicted, Gwyn stopped short of annihilating the demons entirely. Izalith, after all, was already broken referred to by many as "the Obsolete Capital of Chaos." In return for their miserable lives, and along with a promise to never leave Izalith, it appears that Gwyn received a swarm of demonic troops for his own army. Stray demons guard the Asylum, Lesser bat-wing demons became the messengers of the gods, And a white-winged, demonic lion watches over the sanctuary of Oolacile. So it was that the Family of Chaos survived. And Quelana deserted them all. It's likely Quelana didn't expect her sisters to survive the war, but now that they have, she becomes stuck in this awkward state of Limbo. She cannot return, for she disgraced and abandoned her family. And yet, nor can she bring herself to fully leave, either. Instead, she sits as close to Chaos as possible, punishing herself with this endless wandering through a poison swamp She watches on, so close to her tormented family... And yet, given her survivor's guilt, and her cowardice, she might as well be miles away... Which is a shame, because Quelana could truly be a comfort to her remaining family. Especially to the Fair Lady, to her brother, and to her mother. Quelana: "The Witch of Izalith... Please, do not speak of her." Quelana: "I abandoned my mother and sisters," Quelana: "And fled to this land." Quelana: "Now I roam these parts feigning ablution, and pretending to seek answers." Finally, after a thousand years of survivor's guilt, she meets us. Someone who can finally break the stalemate. She lacks the strength, And the bravery And we have a Lordvessel to fill. Eingyi: "You- You would betray us?! I should have known! Eingyi: "Ah, my dear Fair Lady!" Eingyi: "You are in danger!" The Fair Lady: "Quelaag?" The Fair Lady: "What was that?" The Fair Lady: "Is something troubling you?" The Fair Lady: "Ah!!" The Fair Lady: "Quelaag? But..." The Fair Lady: "Why...?" Eingyi: "Why- ah! You-" Eingyi: "Monster!" Eingyi: "The Fair Lady!" Eingyi: "What have you done?! What have you done?!?" Eingyi: "Ay-haa, ah-haa..." They gave everything to wrest Chaos under control. They ignited a culture, They displayed that they could control their parasites, and even that having a parasite, at all, is a choice. A choice to serve Chaos. And we undo it all. We rip the sister's shackles from Chaos, and despite the Mother's feeble attempts to sort of swat us away, we finally put an end to Mother Izalith herself. Quelana: "Outstanding - you have done very well." Quelana: "Thank you." Quelana: "I am blessed to have met you." Quelana: "Please, take this." Quelana: "It is all of me." We fed Quelana's ignorance. She never got to see her brother mourn her for centuries. She likely never knew that her sister poisoned herself for the good of the wretched. Did she know that a Dark Wraith was squirreling away humanity for his Fair Lady?... That her mother was doubled over in pain for centuries to contain Chaos?... Survivor's guilt is a real traumatic condition, and it led to the death of her family. Aeons afterwards, the affects of all of this are still felt Without the Mother, Chaos rises again, unbridled in a city called Eleum Loyce. Until a powerful King and Queen sacrifice themselves to contain it once again. And even later still, towards the end of the world, surrounded by mountains of dead demons, an Old Demon King gives up the Vestiges of Chaos in one final effort to fight for his species. There is only one silver lining to this tale. It's that deep within the long forgotten ruins, past the last surviving off-shoots of the demon race, and behind an illusory wall... lies the corpse of Quelana, curled up to the Fair Lady. She finally found the strength to return home. [Outro]: This video is dedicated to my patrons, 'cause there's like a thousand or so of you, who support my stuff so that millions can enjoy it, and I think it takes a special kind of person to do that, so... Thank you. And, hey, I guess I can now include my Twitch subs amongst that number, as well. Twitch subs actually get the same perks as $5 Patrons do, so that means early access to videos, and, also, early access to the art that I commission for the channel as well. It's really nice to be able to give back to you guys, and all of the wallpapers this month are awesome, since they were specifically created for Twitch, so they have the right aspect ratio and everything. I actually use most of these myself, check it out. And, we debuted this video on Twitch yesterday, and it was super fun and motivating to read your comments about it in real time. At the very least, I plan to stream every time I upload a new video, so keep an eye out for that. I gotta get that practice in before Sekiro launches in March, because I think I'm gonna stream the hell out of that. I'd love to be able to share my first playthrough. I'd also like to thank TheParryGod, who collaborated with me for this video. Uh, he was responsible for the incredible camera angles, and all of the slow-motion shots, so check out his channel in the description, and there's also two other lore content creators I wanna shout-out: there's Hawkshaw and Lokey - two content creators who really changed the way that I view Izalith, and a lot of the conclusions that they draw inspired this video, so - I think you guys would particularly enjoy Hawkshaw's video on the demons; I know I've shouted it out before, but that's in the description. But, that's all for now. Thank you, as always, simply for watching the video. Hope it enhanced your enjoyment of the Souls series, because that's what this is all about, and... I'll see ya next time.
