The Scarlet Rot is one of the deadliest
things in the Lands Between, for it has no real cure....Even the demigods, could not
stave off its effects. I guess no one told them about preserving boluses, huh?
Anyway, what's really interesting about the Scarlet Rot, is that it's a very
old legend. One that predates Malenia, and all of the horrors found in Caelid.
And so, to understand where it all began, we have to go below. To the Lake of rot, where we can find
a few item descriptions that speak of this time: for example, here in the southeastern corner,
we can loot a crown of mushrooms that forms a towering headpiece. And it reads: "Long ago, great
lords served the Scarlet Rot. Perhaps such fungal bodies served as their crowns". And the rest of
this set is made up of the Mushroom Set, which are considered "holy vestments for those enraptured by
the scarlet rot, that root them to the earth".
So already, we have a hierarchy of mushroom
lords that served the Scarlet Rot, as well as worshippers who venerated it. And you might
think it strange that these beings would worship, or serve a sickness...but the Scarlet
Rot is so much more than that.
Because the Scarlet Rot is no mere disease.
No. For proof of that, one need only look at the Crystalian. Crystalian are inorganic
beings, and yet they can be afflicted by the Rot like any other. There's even some
crystalian that are infused with rot, and can spread it to others, as well.
Because it's not really a disease. Instead, the map for the Lake of Rot calls it the "divine
essence of an outer god". Something that "is sealed away" in this underground world. f you've been following Elden Ring lore for any length of time, you should be no
stranger to the concept of an Outer God. They are these indeterminable, abstract beings
that impress an order or will upon the world through avatars, servants and vessels.
And in the case of the Scarlet Rot, its order is one of decay, where beings are put
into a progressing state of death, with the intent to achieve the glorious rebirth that will follow.
The Poison Armament description tells us this, saying that "those who dwell within poison know
rot all too well. The death that begets life, that comes to all equally. That is to say: it
is the cycle of rebirth, put into practice".
We see this in places like Miquella's Haligtree,
which might be completely dead were it not for the fungal growths that have sprouted upon the
tree, and in Caelid, where flowers of the rot are on the very precipice of budding. Of course, it's
debateable whether this type of life is desirable, but you can't argue that it IS life. And the
agents of the Rot God certainly find it desirable, so they do their utmost to spark this
sacred cycle of rebirth in others, infecting them with poison and rot.
On that note, there is one extremely curious item that you can find down in the Grand Cloister..and
it's called the "Scorpion's Stinger". This is a dagger, glistening with Scarlet Rot, that is
called a "ceremonial tool". Which means any ceremony that used this dagger would have been
a ceremony to stab and infect another being with the Scarlet Rot. A ceremony of spreading
their treasured affliction to others.
But what's really interesting about this dagger,
is that it's fashioned from a "great scorpion's tail", and is also specifically said to have
been crafted from "the relic of a sealed outer god". And given that phrasing..it sounds like it's
saying that the dagger was fashioned from a relic of the Rot God, who was a Great Scorpion. Many
historical relics in our history are often the physical remains of deceased saints or holy
persons, so the God of Rot might really be, or at least have manifested as a great scorpion.
So I guess this scorpion stinger is sort of like the eye of the fell god, or the three fingers of
frenzy, or the winged theme of death. It's a small remaining hint at the visual identity of these
ephemeral outer gods, intended to stimulate the imagination, even if we never truly find
out what these Outer Gods look like.
But whatever Rot truly looks like, it, and its
Scarlet Rot essence, was eventually conquered, or "sealed". This was done by a legendary
figure, known as the Blind Swordsman.
As the story goes, the blind
swordsman was favoured by a fairy, called the "dancer in blue". The fairy
bestowed upon them a Flowing Curved Sword, which was patterned after flowing water, and with
this sword, the blind swordsman "sealed away an ancient god. A god, that was Rot itself".
There's quite a bit to unpack here. First, who, or what, was the fairy, called the
Blue Dancer? Well, I think the warrior's Blue Cloth Set gives us a clue: It reveals that
the blue color of its fabric "symbolises brisk waters"..and the cloth doll that is the Blue
Dancer is styled to look just like water.
The description goes on to say that
"just as still waters turn foul, stagnation leads to decay". So, "Warriors
must remain ever drifting". Therefore, flowing water is the antithesis to Rot,
which thrives in stagnant water. And I think - and this is just speculation - but
I think the blue fairy might essentially be a sort of river spirit. If you've ever seen Hayao
Miyazaki's "Spirited Away", you might know what type of being I'm talking about. In that movie,
a stinking sludge monster comes to the bathhouse, where it is eventually revealed that he's actually
a river spirit, whose river was bogged down and corrupted by pollution. And once his waters
are unblocked, the river spirit is restored.
Elden Ring, by comparison, does have two legendary
rivers, called the Siofra and the Ainsel, which just so happen to flow underground, next to, and
around the Scarlet Rot that was eventually sealed, all that time ago. So I don't think it's
a stretch to think that this "Blue Fairy" might have occupied, or been a supernatural
extension of those underground rivers. I think its a fun theory, and it helps to explain the
Blue Fairy's relationship with water, and why it might be a natural enemy of the Rot god. So the Blue Fairy gave the Blind Swordsman a flowing sword, and he fought with the power of
flowing water to seal away the Rot God. What's unclear though, is how exactly the Scarlet Rot
god was sealed by the Blind Swordsman. Did he, sword in hand, battle a Great Scorpion boss
in one-on-one combat, and seal its essence away? Or was their battle more of an abstract
one, where the Eternal City dams were built and rivers rerouted to encircle the rot
and contain it underground? These details are left to your imagination..but one way or
another, the Scarlet Rot was sealed away... But it was not defeated. And eventually, it
would return. And this time, it would do so in an empyrean vessel - corrupting Malenia, Blade of
Miquella, at the very moment of her birth. Like her brother Miquella, Malenia was born
an Empyrean. Empyrean, meaning she was a valid candidate to replace Queen Marika as a God, and
as such, it seems, a ripe candidate for an Outer God's meddling. It's unclear what mechanism the
Rot God used, but somehow, it was able to afflict Malenia as soon as she was born. And that's
a shame, for Malenia's Great Rune does state that it should have been the most sacred
Great Rune "of them all", were it not for, what I assume, was the Rot God's meddling. And speaking of Great Runes - In the sister video to this one, we talk about how Miquella was the
flip side to Malenia in many ways - especially in cut content, where the twins were "born of an
inseperable fate", and said to "hold the runes of both abundance and decay, between them". And
to reflect this, it seems, Miquella is in this constant state of overflowing abundance, while
Malenia was in this constant state of dying. We see this tragedy unfolding in a few statues of
Malenia, where she had all her limbs once upon a time, until the rot continued to take hold, moving
her inexorably towards her death, and rebirth.
And that death must have felt inevitable,
for in these early days, there were few known ways to ward off the rot. Fire was probably the
obvious one, and then there was also the act of "consecration", which is the act of "declaring
something as sacred", which was done to the weaponry of Malenia and her knights; to help
their armaments, at least, resist the rot. But their flesh was still susceptible.
Malenia's knights were therefore called the "Cleanrot Knights", and they "vowed to fight
alongside Malenia, despite the inevitable, if gradual, putrefaction of their flesh". And it
was this fact that made these warriors so fierce, for they had already accepted their
terrible fate, and so logically, had nothing else to lose in battle.
These knights were bestowed the Winged Sword Insignia, given only to those who fought
alongside Malenia the Severed. Interestingly, this is the only item to give Malenia the title
"the severed". I assume it's referencing a time where Malenia was known for her prowess despite
her fragmented body, and it's possible that she wasn't yet known as the Blade of Miquella at this
time, though that's just my own speculation.
At any rate, "Malenia, Blade of Miquella" is
her most common title, and it's easy to see why she would dedicate herself to her brother
so fully. For her brother was so dismayed by her condition, that he dedicated himself
to finding a treatment for the Rot. And this search for a cure dramatically
affected Miquella's worldview. For instance, he was formerly a faithful fundamentalist of the
Golden Order, but would abandon it, as it could do nothing to treat his sister's accursed rot.
Instead, he pursued a path of Unalloyed Gold, and crafting for Malenia a needle that could
be inserted into her flesh, granting relief from the rot, and preventing the progression
of the rotting sickness. If you're interested in WHY unalloyed gold works this way, then I'd
recommend you check out this video afterwards, which talks at length about Miquella.
We learn about Miquella's needle's specific effects in-game, when we give it to a character
called Millicent, who is also suffering from the Scarlet Rot. Millicent has lost a limb, she
is losing her memories, and when we find her, she is unable to even move. But as soon as we
give her the needle, she is able to function and fight once more. Therefore, it's fair to
assume that similar benefits were conferred upon Malenia when her brother gave her the needle. It's also worth noting that the multiple needles we find in-game aren't finished. Even the final
version can only be used in the storm beyond time at Farum Azula, where it allows you to cheat
fate. Perhaps if Miquella had been able to imbue the needle with some time-warping capabilities,
he could have undone the effects of the Rot God, but again, the needle was never finished.
But the needle isn't all that Miquella created with Unalloyed Gold. He also crafted for her a
prosthetic arm, leg, and helmet of unalloyed gold, which, again, like Millicent, surely allowed
her to overcome her one-armed shortcoming, and reach for new heights as a fighter.
So Malenia's prospects were already looking up...but things didn't end there. For Malenia
would go on to meet a man who would become her mentor, and he would give her a final, invaluable
tool that could be employed against the Scarlet Rot. We see their meeting play out in the image
of the Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom, which depicts "a scene from a heroic tale". You can even see
Malenia's prosthetic arm and leg if you look closely, which is why I assume this meeting
took place after Miquella's intervention.
Her mentor was, as you might have guessed,
the Blue Dancer - the man who first sealed away the Rot, all those years ago. And after
encountering "her mentor and his flowing blade, she gained wings of unparalleled strength".
This meeting says a lot about the Blind Swordsman. He must have known that Malenia was inhabited
by his ancient enemy, and yet he doesn't kill her here - instead, he takes her under his wing,
and teaches her the techniques that he himself used to curtail the rot in the first place. It's a
pretty sage thing to do, and perhaps we shouldn't expect any less from someone who was able to
defeat an Outer God in the first place.
So this is why the skill on Malenia's blade is
called the "waterfowl dance". This is why Malenia recovers health by attacking during her boss
fight. By moving relentlessly, the damage of the Rot was offset, and Malenia was able to achieve
unparalleled strength, and to maintain her pride.
The same pride that she would
abandon, in her fight with Radahn. Radahn was born of Queen Rennala, who was
the Queen of Caria, and King-Consort Radagon, who was previously a great champion of the
Erdtree. Thus was the order of the moon, and the Erdtree, conjoined. And while Radahn was a true Carian, and certainly proficient in the art of sorcery
- we can see in his character an inclination towards another path; an apsiration to
be like Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, and also his father Radagon, who would become
the second Elden Lord. Caria was, after all, a largely matriarchal society, meaning that power
was passed down to the princesses in the family, so perhaps it's no surprise that Radahn was
not as motivated by his Carian heritage, compared to his sister Ranni, for example. So Radahn's set was decorated with a golden lion that symbolized Godfrey and his beast regent, and
states that "from his youngest years, Radahn was naturally captivated by the Lord of the
battlefield". Then his golden helmet was designed with his flaming red hair in
mind, which he inherited from his father, drawing attention to the fact that Radahn
was fond of the heroic implications of being Radagon's son. He and his knights became known as
the "Redmane", which conflates Radagon's red hair with the mane of Godfrey's Lion, and Radahn was
even quoted as saying "I was born a champion's cub. Now I am the Lord of the Battlefield's
lion", which borders on being a statement of loyalty to Godfrey, and the Golden Order..but
we'll get to that debate a little later. So naturally, this was a guy who revelled in
warfare. And Even in his youth as a Carian Royal, it seems Radahn was already a renowned general. We
can infer this because of a man named Jerren. The Eccentric's Armor specifically says that
"after spending time as a guest of the Carian royals, he became a guest commander for General
Radahn". Therefore, Radahn must have still been close with his Carian family, as Jerren met Radahn
through these Carian royals. And when they did meet, the two seemed to immediately share a
certain bond. For despite Jerren preferring a nomadic existence, he decided to become a
guest commander for General Radahn. And then, despite the temporary implication of such a title,
Jerren, "the restless tumbleweed", "would become bound by honorable oath", and he and Radahn
swore a vow of honorable death to one another. Promising that they would die honorably in battle,
even if it was death by the other's hand. It's not stated which battles Radahn was fighting
at the time, nor which war he required a new "guest commander" for..but then, the world
was very different at the time, and there's so much of the Land's Between's history that we
don't know about. I guess it's possible that the battles were being fought for distant lands like
Limgrave, and Caelid? The Limgrave East Map does, after all, say that this path here was
"trod by many a soldier in the past". Maybe Radahn's forces took this path as well.
This was before Caelid was even afflicted with the Scarlet Rot..so things might have looked very,
very different at this time. Though admittedly, the only shot we have of this time was during the
war that Radahn fights in...aaaand it still does look like a bit of a red hellscape here.
That said, Caelid did still hav some culture to boast of. For example, in the very middle of
Caelid, long ago, there was a town of sorcery called Sellia. And despite Radahn's relationship
with Caria and Raya Lucaria, it was here in Sellia that he studied, learning gravitational magics
that likely could not be taught anywhere else. He did this, as the story goes, "all so he
would never have to abandon his beloved, but scrawny steed". For gravitational magics could
relieve the weight of Radahn and allow his horse, to carry him evermore.
Also, very important lore note: the horse's name is Leonard. Just letting you
know we're using that name going forward.
And what's interesting about Leonard, is that he's
specifically called out as being scrawny..rather than Radahn being called out as enormous. So I
think, personally, that Radahn didn't actually become as large as he is for a very long time. And
there's some good evidence to back that up. For one, his throne in Leyndell is of regular size,
two, his portrait is of a simple grown man, and lastly, we see a brief shot of Radahn fighting in
this image, where he barely even matches Morgott in size. So personally, I think Radahn only truly
grew in size when he acquired a great rune.
Anyway: so it's stated that Radahn initially
learned gravitational magic for the sake of his horse. But, that gravitational skillset would
certainly come in handy, as the years went on.
For one, these gravitational magics were
passed on to some of his elite soldiers, like Ogha, who was the "longest-serving member
of the Redmane Knights", who "studied techniques to manipulate gravity alongside Radahn"
Their equipment and skillsets really were very inspired by Radahn. For example, the surcoat
of Radahn's Redmane Knights depicts a red-maned lion raising a sword in the image of Radahn, and
"all proved they were worthy of the name". Their greatshield takes it further, being shaped like
a fang, and featuring the crest of a red-maned lion. And they were strong like Radahn, too, with
descriptions stating that they were "reputed to be masterful warriors, and it was popularly
said that the Redmanes knew no weakness"
But for all their prowess in battle, it's
possible that a conflict was coming that no mere soldiers could ward away. But luckily,
Radahn was able to solicit the help of an extremely knowledgeable teacher.
According to the Gravity Well sorcery, Radahn's master was an Alabaster Lord, with
skin of stone. And these onyx and alabaster lords were a different race entirely, said
to have risen to life when a meteor struck long ago. The meteorite sorcery tells us that
they were called lords in "reverential fear of their destructive power"...And I speculate that Radahn needed their help because a similarly meteoric meteoric
"destructive power" was on its way to Sellia. Earlier it was said that he explicitly learned
gravitational magic so that he could ride his horse, but the collapsing stars sorcery also
explicitly says that he learned gravitational techniques so that he could challenge the stars,
which I think suggests that there were two distinct periods of learning here for Radahn.
Learning for the sake of his horse, and then learning for the sake of keeping Sellia safe. There's quite a bit of evidence that suggests Radahn's actions here were in defense. The Sword
Gravestone in Caelid, for example, specifically tells us that Radahn "held Sellia Secure".
The Starscourge Heirloom tells us that Radahn "confronted the falling stars",
as if they were the aggressors. Finally, this event was called the "Starscourge
Conflict", suggesting there was a clash of some kind - a back and forth, if you will. So Radahn seemed to anticipate that this event was coming, but I guess that isn't so strange when
you consider that Radahn was of Carian lineage, who were renowned for reading fate in the
stars. So anticipating a starfall seems pretty straightforward, and it makes sense
that Radahn would want to intervene if it was headed for Sellia, which he learned
his magic from in the first place.
So..Radahn took defensive measures. And..I guess
you might even argue that he went a bit overboard. For he didn't just defend Sellia, he actually
sealed the stars movements completely.
So After Radahn challenged the stars, the fate
in the night sky was no more..which manifests quite literally in Ranni's questline,
where Radahn has to be killed and the stars unfrozen so that one can smash into
Limgrave and open a path to Nokron. If not for Radahn, I'm pretty sure a star would
have smashed through Sellia instead, and opened a path to Nokron that way all those years ago.
The Eternal City of Nokron is, after all, said to "sleep below Sellia"...so Radahn really might have
intervened here at the very last moment. Though I'll admit it is strange that the star eventually
hits Limgrave, and not Sellia. I wonder why? You could also make the argument that Radahn
intervened here on behalf of the Golden Order. After all, the Telescope literally says that "the
fate once writ in the night skies" was "fettered by the Golden Order". And Radahn was a fanboy
of Radagon and Godfrey, two proponents OF the Golden Order, so it's definitely possible that
he did this on the Golden Order's behalf.
Personally though, I think that both
things can be true. Radahn was clearly motivated to defend Sellia from starfall,
AND the Golden Order stood to benefit from one of its vassals achieving such a feat.
But while Radahn, and most of the demigods at that stage, for that matter, were technically on
the side of Marika's Golden Order - the impression I get from Radahn is that he has no real loyalty
to anyone other than himself and his men. I think this, because he's not really
hated by anyone in the current age. Even his brother Rykard has his picture
up on the wall, and Rykard famously hated anything to do with the Golden Order.
So while Radahn served the intent of the Golden Order, I don't think he was beholden
to it. Especially not in the later years, when the Elden Ring was shattered.
Remember this cutscene, with Morgott? Willful traitors, ALL.
Morgott labels all the demigods as traitors to the Golden Order. Including
Radahn, who we do see in a clash with Morgott, suggesting that he might have abandoned his
loyalty to order, and marched on Leyndell. For Radahn, like his demigod kin, had claimed
a Great Rune. And it's easy to assume that a warmonger like him would have great ambitions, and
might have even aspired to become Elden Lord. And it's around this time, when
the demigods were clashing - that Malenia enters the picture once more.
Malenia, Blade of Miquella, was marching towards Caelid. Past Godrick ... and Towards Radahn.
Honestly, Godrick's nothing more than a jumped up country
bumpkin. Lord? Don't make me laugh. First he hid himself amongst the
womenfolk to flee the capital, then hid from Radahn in that castle...
Then he insulted Malenia, lost to her in battle, only to lick her boots
rather than die like a man. Has he no shame, the big girl's blouse? This dialogue from Kenneth Haight is a great piece
of lore, as it tells us a lot about a crucial, late part of the shattering war.
At this point, Godrick had just failed to usurp Leyndell capital, and had fled with
his tail between his legs, to Stormveil. Here, he hid in fear. Of Radahn, who was
a close neighbour in Caelid. And it makes sense that he'd fear Radahn, who was considered
by many to be the strongest of the Demigods. But while he was hiding here, a different army
approached. From the north, not the south, as Godrick must have feared. Malenia and
her Cleanrot Knights were passing Stormveil, on their southwards march, which is marked
at the Liurnia Highway Sword Gravestones which state "Nothing will hinder the wings of the
Blade of Miquella, and the Cleanrot Knights" These gravestones tend to mark points of battle,
and Kenneth does state that Godrick "insulted Malenia" and "lost to her in battle", so
I assume this is where that happened. As to the nature of the insult..well we have cut
dialogue from Godrick to help us out here. There is only one tree, and only its branches.
That bathe in true rays of gold.
Not the fool Omen King.
Nor the rank malformed twins.
Godrick considered Miquella and Malenia "rank"
and "malformed". So I assume the insult was along those lines..which was..not smart on
Godrick's part. Malenia must have messed him up, but tellingly, she did not kill him. And
that's a curious detail. Because if she was seeking the power of others' Great
Runes in order to restore the Elden Ring, and live up to her or Miquella's empyrean promise, then you'd think that surely she wouldn't show
him mercy. Surely, she would have killed him? So to me, that suggests that Malenia was not
on a southward march to take power. If she didn't claim Godrick's Great Rune, then she
probably wasn't here for Radahn's either. So then, why? Why did Malenia come full force
towards Radahn, on this southward march?
I feel like there are three options. Four if
you count the theory that Malenia might have chased down Radahn in order to get control of
the Elden Ring, but as I've just explained, I feel like that's unlikely. Option two, though it's still unlikely, might be that Malenia sought to fight Radahn
simply for the sake of fighting him. He was, after all, widely considered the mightiest of
the Demigods - as was Malenia, in many cases. So it's not ridiculous to think that both of them
might have fought simply for the sake of pitting their strength against one another, but this is a
pretty unsatisfactory answer, in my opinion. Option three I feel could be because Malenia
was looking for her brother. At this point, Miquella could have already been stolen away
by Mohg, so perhaps she was looking for him. She pretty intentionally makes a beeline to
the south, towards Caelid, and Mohg's palace is directly underneath Sellia, where an asteroid
was once supposed to hit..so I guess it's possible that Malenia had some intel leading her here,
though this is, of course, only speculation.
But my favourite theory is this fourth one, which
is that Malenia, and, by extension, Miquella, may have wanted Radahn dead for the same reason
that Ranni eventually does. So that the stars could resume their movement, bringing certain
fates back into play! But why would Miquella require the stars to resume their movement?
Well, perhaps Miquella's own fate was locked in stasis. We do find a demigod's amber
starlight shard in Miquella's hideaway, after all, and I feel like it should be concerning
that his fate might have fallen like this.
Or perhaps Miquella wanted the stars
back in motion so that the moon could properly eclipse the sun. This was a
ritual that Miquella seemed to believe would revive Godwyn the Golden, which we
talk more about in this video - and I can definitely see how the stars being in stasis
would prevent the moon eclipsing the sun. In the end though, there's only one answer
that I am confident in: and it's that we can't confidently say for sure why Malenia
fought Radahn. But whatever the reason, it must have been a good one. For it was during this
battle, that she sacrificed ... everything. There is something I must return to Malenia.
The will that was once her own.
The dignity, the sense of self, that allowed
her to resist the call of the scarlet rot.
The pride she abandoned, to
meet Radahn's measure. In Elden Ring's story trailers, we see this
legendary fight play out. Cleanrot Knights finally arrive with Malenia, facing
off against the Redmane Knights, and manage to plunge many spears into Radahn during
their clash. You can actually still see these spears sticking out of his back, to this day. Then, at some point, Malenia and Radahn appear to be the only two left standing. Malenia sacrifices
her prosthetic arm to get close to Radahn, grabbing her blade, and plunging it into them
both, giving us a close-up view of the two characters. Here, Radahn looks monstrous, which
I theorise could be because he's "tainted with the madness of a Great Rune", though that is
just speculation. We can also see Malenia's lips moving here, muttering some final words or
perhaps the incantation for the Scarlet Aeonia, which envelops herself and Radahn,
putting an end to their fight. In this videos first chapter, we spoke extensively
about Malenia's battle against the scarlet rot within her - but in this moment, she lost
that fight, and allowed the Scarlet Rot to take hold. Millicent calls this "sacrificing
her dignity, her sense of self, her will, and her pride". She did all of this, just
so that she could "meet Radahn's measure". Thus did the Scarlet Rot explode outwards,
infecting Radahn, and the very land itself, as their battle came to a horrific standstill.
In the end, neither party was in a state to continue fighting. So technically, Malenia
didn't lose, so she was technically still undefeated.
Few survived the battle of Aeonia, but one who did was the Cleanrot Knight
Finlay, who "in an unimaginable act of heroism, carried the slumbering form of Malenia all the way
back to the Haligtree". They managed this alone, fending off all manner of foes along the way
But back at the center of Caelid, Malenia's scarlet bloom remained.
Sublime, I tell you.
The very first flower of Aeonia
bloomed on this very spot. Malenia, may you blossom into a goddess.
In the present day Caelid features, at its center, a giant tree that spirals in a similar manner
to Malenia's first scarlet bloom. As the phantom says, this was the very first flower of Aeonia,
and the beginning of the scarlet swamp in this land. And at the very center of that, is another
curious thing: A boss named Commander O'Niel, who carries the Commander's Standard, which reads
"Even after his lord was fled, Commander O'Neil continued to brandish this flag in the devastation
of the rot-eaten field of battle, the sole veteran who remembers this battle with pride".
It's hard for me to say exactly whose side O'Niel would have been on. He summons the spirits
of exiled soldiers, who themselves have no real affiliation to speak of - though I will say
you CAN summon one of Millicent's sisters to help you in the fight against O'neil, which might
suggest that he's opposed to the idea of rot, and might have fought for Radahn. And when you defeat O'Neil by luring him into the geysers of Scarlet Rot, because why not -
he doesn't just drop the Commander's Standard - he also drops an heirloom of the battle of Aeonia.
A broken needle of unalloyed gold, that was once buried within Malenia's own flesh..repelling
her scarlet rot..until it snapped. An interesting question here, considering the
needle is broken, is whether Malenia snapped the needle intentionally when she plunged
her blade into herself and Radahn. Perhaps she knew that it would cause the rot within her
to flare up worse than ever, and allow her to defeat Radahn. After all, Millicent comments
as such later in her questline, as well. I pause to even tell you, but...
I took out the needle myself. The scarlet rot writhes now, worse than ever. At any rate, the final moments of the battle must have taken place here, as we do find
Cleanrot Knights able to rise when you're near, even now - but then...we don't
find Radahn anywhere near here. Instead, we find him closer to his
former home at Redmane Castle. In a nearby catacomb, the spirits of
the war-dead actualy continue to clash, refusing to surrender, even in death.
And outside, Radahn is exactly the same way. And while witless; he's still alive, even
managing to keep the stars in stasis. For he's still in possession of his Great Rune, which
itself started to burn, to resist the encroachment of the Scarlet Rot". His feet have rotten off
... the spears of the Cleanrot Knights remain in his flesh - but now he simply uses them as
arrows to fight off anyone who threatens him: Refusing to give up and die in
anything but an honorable death. As the rot takes hold, Caelid becomes a
fresh hell, and the land itself becomes a threat. Even the dragons in
this place were forced to flee, making a new nest on a plateau that
would be dubbed "Dragonbarrow", where no one else then dared to enter. That said,
a few dragons did not make it away unscathed. Ekzykes succumbed to the scarlet rot, though he
did not forget his hatred - and sadly, Greyoll, the mother of all dragons, who dwarfs all -
can be found on death's door surrounded by her children. Sad. Thanks for the 50k runes tho. And in the end, it was Malenia's Scarlet Rot, not Malenia herself, that would eventually
drive Radahn's Redmane Knights to defeat According to their armor, when they were
driven to defeat by Malenia's scarlet rot, the Redmane Knights burned off the
crest on the left breast of their armor, to indicate their resolve, stating "Alas, dear
home, I shan't see you again! For our duty is to remain here, a bulwark against the blight".
The knights using fire to burn away their own crest in this way is a great symbol, for fire
was their one and only weapon for fighting back against the rot. And interestingly, according
to the Armorer's Cookbook, a lot of these tools and techniques were passed down by an
armorer who served the great general Radahn, as his books "contain knowledge of dealing with
rot; the application of fire in particular". And so this "flame of the redmanes" clearly became
a large part of their identity henceforth. Corpses of rabid wildlife were piled high and burned,
long smouldering walls of flame were build in order to prevent the rot from spreading to
neighbouring lands, and to their own castles, and they even managed to commandeer some flame
chariots to help in their fight, utilising torches, fire pots, arrows, and more.
Fittingly, Knight Jerren's beloved sword, a Flamberge, became the symbol of the
castle itself - thanks to the flame-like undulation that gives the flamberge its name. And Jerren himself remained at Redmane Castle, to regularly host a celebration of war,
calling champions from far and wide to deliver death. A death for his friend, who is
now festering with rot, and crippled by madness, who now only wishes for an honourable way out
Meanwhile, amidst Malenia's aeonian butterflies, pale pests emerge from the Swamp of Aeonia and
as the rot spreads, so do they, drawn to any land that is "afflicted by scarlet rot".
And though they appear as mere bugs - they're not. These creatures are intelligent, with a quote
unquote "keen intellect" that allows them to craft uncanny weaponry from sharpened shell, incant
spells, and even tame wild beasts. That said, they are ultimately creatures of worship,
and Gowry actually calls them "witless", which does contrast with them being described
as intelligent, in this item description.
The pests are also called the "abandoned children
of the goddess", and "servants of the Goddess of Rot", who have "been forsaken" . And it's not
hard to see why - not only was Malenia carried far away at the very moment of her bloom, but
she resents and resists the Scarlet Rot - unless she's pushed to the absolute brink. And who
wouldn't hate the pests? Is there anything more annoying than this bloody attack?
Nevertheless, the pests persist. They even have a quotable line of dialogue in the
Kindred of Rot's Exultation talisman, which reads "Rot for the scarlet goddess. O
scarlet blossoms, flourish in distant lands, and return to us, the unwanted children."
...which brings us to the phrase "Scarlet Blossoms". This...might not just be talking
about the literal flower buds of the scarlet rot..but instead, what if the scarlet blossoms are
actual people? What if they're the five sisters; Polyanna, Maureen, Amy, Mary, and Millicent -
who are the flower buds of the scarlet rot?
The girl, Millicent. She is a bud.
Green and undeveloped, waiting to flower into magnificence.
What a wondrous day that will be. In truth, before her, I'd never seen
a bud of such superior quality. She might very well outshine her sisters.
So it seems that the pests, including Gowry, have a keen interest in cultivating these
scarlet blossoms. I'd prefer to talk about Millicent's questline in a future Prepare
to Cry episode, so I'll hold off for now, but essentially, Gowry does this in anticipation
of the daughters becoming scarlet Valkyries, who might one day serve Malenia when she
ascends as the goddess of rot. Stay tuned for a good Prepare to Cry episode on that one.
But Malenia hasn't been seen for a long while. Not since she was carried off to
the Haligtree, and the Haligtree's location itself was a mystery to many.
But there were still those who venerated, and worshipped her. And they weren't all pests.
Some of them were human, like Maleigh Marais, the castellan of the Shaded Castle.
Maleigh wears the Marais mask, which is something only worn by the head of House Marais.
It bears the likeness of the first of their line, and describes the long, dual history of the
Marais family, who served as both executioners and castellans of the Shaded Castle.
So, fittingly, their storied sword is the Marais Executioner's Sword - a broad-bladed weapon..that
would eventually be used against them. For one day, they made the mistake of capturing
a Bell-Bearing Hunter, named Elemer. But Elemer, who knew battle skills that allowed him
to move objects with his very own will, snatched the sword from the site of his looming
execution, and overthrew his captors. But it doesn't seem like he wanted to rule over
the castle in their stead. Instead, the castle falls into ruin...and when we find him, Elemer is
just standing and staring at an enormous portrait, a picture of Malenia, who some believe is
to blame for the fate of the castle. House Marais is ruined... Just deserts,
for falling for that severed harpy. No surprise that guilty cretin took the
castle and our storied sword... In the outskirts of the castle, you can
actually find and fight Maleigh Marais, the former castellan of the castle, who has
now been ousted. He wields the Antspur Rapier, a weapon that evokes the Scorpion Dagger we
mentioned at the start of the video - as it's also a blade fashioned from a chitenous creature - in this case, a giant ant. Fittlingly then, its description reminds us that "Scarlet
Rot is an old legend", and goes on to state that "Maleigh Marais of the Shaded Castle was a
private believer in the Scarlet Rot. And indeed, he eventually found his own personal goddess." The Marais Robe explains why, stating that "The sons of House Marais are all sickly born", and
so "Maleigh Marais was beguiled by the beautiful and fierce goddess who was born into rot".
Malenia was, after all, powerful and fierce in spite of her affliction, so it's easy to
see why Maleigh Marais looked up to her. Though I guess it's possible that he took
this veneration too far, as the castle is found sinking into a poison swamp..aaaand
the throne room is filled with prosthetics, which mirror Malenia's own. Indeed, it's
possible he even found Malenia's own prosthetic, as you can loot the Valkyrie's Prosthesis
here, which reads "Golden prosthesis once used by the one-armed valkyrie. A masterwork of
craftsmanship, with practice and skill it can be used as proficiently as a real arm. When
Maleigh Marais, Lord of the Shaded Castle, embraced this prosthesis, he claimed to feel
the presence of his personal goddess." Now I'm not sure if this is Malenia's actual
prosthesis or not. I feel like you could make debates for and against that, but regardless, it
drives home just how much of a fanboy he was. But in the end, the castle is not much more now
than a home for some surviving Cleanrot Knights, who would understandably feel
at home in this place ... and I guess they don't have much else to do,
as Malenia slumbers, back at the Haligtree.
Where she does little else until you arrive,
and trigger her second transformation.
Wait.
The scarlet bloom flowers once more. You will witness true horror.
Now, rot! Now, I've got some bad news for you guys in
this final chapter. So...I know how difficult Malenia was to defeat. But ... what if I
told you that wasn't her final form? For the Scarlet Aeonia description reads
"Each time the scarlet flower blooms, Malenia's rot advances, and with the third
bloom, she will become a true goddess". It's known that Malenia's first bloom was in
Caelid. And we know she blooms in a fight against us. So the debate becomes - is this mid-fight
bloom Malenia's second bloom, or her third?
Some would argue that this is Malenia's
third bloom, and that she's already become the Goddess of Rot. She does, after all,
literally have "Goddess of Rot" as her title. And there is a bloom right outside,
which could have been the site of her second bloom. So how do you argue against that?
Well, for starters, the bloom outside might not be hers. For one, it'd be weird if she
had a second bloom that is never described, right here...when she's slumbering in just the
neighbouring room, but not only that, In front of this bloom, you actually loot the traveller's
set, which is the same set worn by Millicent and her sisters. Considering Millicent and her sisters
are buds of Malenia, and considering Millicent also leaves behind one of these buds when she
dies, it's not ridiculous to think that one of these might have flowered here already.
And I don't think Malenia having "Goddess of Rot" in her boss title means that
much. Many, like Gowry and the pests, already believe Malenia is the Goddess of Rot.
The Scarlet Aeonia description instead specifies that the third bloom will make her a "true"
goddess, and I think anything before that is just a brief flash of the Rot god shining through.
The biggest piece of evidence that Malenia hasn't reached her third bloom yet, in my opinion, comes
from Gowry - who goes to extraordinary lengths to nurture Millicent, encouraging us to kill her,
just so she can turn into a budding flower, with her true potential unlocked henceforth.
It must be done by your hand; no other.
Millicent trusts you, rather deeply in fact.
Sever that trust. Nurtured by betrayal, her bud will flower most vividly.
When Malenia ascends to godhood, Millicent too shall be reborn.
As a scarlet valkyrie.
If Millicent dies, she flowers, with Gowry's
expectation being that she will be revived after this. So considering there's a bloom in
Malenia's room that appears after you defeat her, I feel like she could have another
revivification after this, as well.
One final piece of evidence was actually pointed
out by you guys in the comments of my recent Oracle short. In that video, I argued that the
Oracles might be there to herald the return of Miquella as a god, as their spirit ashes state
"It is said that when Oracle Envoys appear, playing their pipes, they do so to herald
the arrival of a new god, or age."
But I completely neglected to mention that...they
might be here to herald Malenia's ascension as a god, instead. Thanks to you guys for pointing that out. If you haven't already, I'd appreciate if you gave my shorts content a shot, by the way. It's extremely difficult to fit everything in 60 seconds, but
it's a fun challenge, and there are some great short stories in there
that I think you'll enjoy. So I personally wouldn't be surprised
if we fight some incarnation of Malenia again in the DLC..and I'd be down for that fight, provided she rises again with her lower half as a scorpion, or something.
But what I find to be the most disturbing thought about Malenia's third bloom though, is that Gowry believes a scarlet bloom will be more vivid if it's nurtured by betrayal.
So what if Malenia's third bloom could be more vivid..if she's betrayed by her brother?
But it's late, and I'm really getting into deranged speculation territory now, aren't I?
That's probably my cue to end the video. Special thanks to mispap for the footage and
editing help, as always, and special thanks to Quelaag, as well, for looking over this script,
And thank you, as always, for watching.
Nothing is better than riding around Limgrave listening to Vaati talk about lore