One of the things that I really enjoy about Elden Ring is that the world created by Miyazaki and FromSoft, the lands between, is absolutely brimming with mystery and intrigue. It might sound a bit like hyperbole, but pretty much every time I play the game, I find myself asking questions and wondering about the story behind something. For instance, am I the only one that's wondered what exactly is going on with these caravans that we find traversing the landscape? Where are these guys going? What are they carrying? And why? I welcome you Tarnished to join this humble scholar as we try to answer these questions and Learn some pretty interesting lore together along the way So, to my knowledge, there are four of these giant lead caravans found throughout the lands between. There's one in the Consecrated Snow Fields, one in Liurnia, One in Limgrave. And finally, one in the Altus Plateau. At first glance, these caravans seem like they might be normal supply convoys. But after digging into it a bit more, it turns out that there is actually a lot more to these caravans than meets the eye. And they have some really interesting lore associated with them that you may not expect. And that's because these large black carriages that these groups are hauling around aren't really just carriages at all. but I rather refer to in-game as great coffins. We learn this fact from a note that can be purchased from the nomadic merchants that reads Great coffins travel the lands between, carrying the bodies of nameless fallen warriors. So these large carriages are in fact not really supply carts, but are actually more like funeral hearses, hauling away the casualties of war. And these were likely not simply low status soldiers either. as it's from some chests on these great coffins that we receive the ruler's set, a mask and robe that is worn by lords of a smaller nation. The descriptions read, "Mask in the image of a wisened sage, customary dress among lords in a smaller nation." Such a mask illustrates the qualities of an ideal lord, chiefly, wise, and possessing a certain defanged geniality. One at the center of society often finds these qualities most expedient. Luxurious robe worn by lords in a smaller nation, its fine blue mantle serves to prove its wearer's status. If not the Lords themselves, the bodies in these great coffins may belong to their soldiers, since we can also find the Lordsworn's greatsword, a well-crafted straight sword with an illustrious design, wielded by regulars of a Lord's army. In either case, as we discussed quite extensively in my last video, in the lands between Under Marika, those who proved themselves through great deeds or heroism are sometimes granted an honor called Erdtree Burial, a process which sees the dead interred at the Erdtree's roots, where they're assimilated into the tree and able to exit the otherwise continuous cycle of death and rebirth. And so while we can't say for sure, I think it makes sense to assume that these great coffins containing fallen lords or their soldiers are headed to the catacombs or hero's graves found throughout the lands between so that their bodies inside can receive their hard-earned Erdtree burial. Whether or not Erdtree burial is in fact a good thing is very much a question that's still open for a discussion. But in any case, it seems that many of these great coffins never reached their final destination anyway, and are instead left abandoned in various places throughout the lands between. For a prime example of this, you need look no further than the abandoned coffin site of Grace in the Altus Plateau. Here you find a landscape completely littered with these great coffins that probably never made it to the catacombs. We can only speculate on the why, but perhaps because the roots of the Erdtree have been corrupted by death, these carriages were simply turned away upon reaching their destinations. Cruel bloody joke you ask me Maybe something went tits over there. Maybe it's been broke for a good long time. The Erdtree I'm sayin. But why are these great coffins being hauled by the giants in the first place? And why are they pulling them in such a bizarre way? I'd imagine in terms of efficiency and comfort, these spikes probably leave a bit to be desired. Well, to answer that question, you first have to realize that these guys aren't really giants at all, but are rather trolls that descended from the giants, as we can learn by reading the description of the Troll's Hammer. And these trolls actually have a pretty dark past, in which they betrayed their giant kin during Marika's war with the fire giants that took place before the shattering and the events of the game that we experience. We learn about this from the sword monument that you find in the mountaintops of the Giants, whose inscription reads The war against the Giants Champions battle. Trolls betray. Fire vanquished. The error of the Erdtree begins. So it seems that the reward for turning on their giant brethren and aiding Marika in forever forced to haul these great coffins across the lands between in this brutally inefficient way. So it's no wonder that they don't really put up much of a fight when attacked. perhaps preferring death to their continued oppression. It's also pretty interesting to consider though that not all of the trolls chose to serve Marika and her cause, as we learn from the troll knight's greatsword. A greatsword embedded with a blue glintstone. Weapon of the Trolls in Service to the Royal Family of Caria Called into service when the queen invoked an oath they swore, the trolls are treated as true knights of Caria, and fight arm in arm with their human comrades. And this bond with Rennala and Caria is further supported by the description of the sorcery, Great Blade Phalanx. which is described as one of the sorceries of the Carian royal family. Used by the enchanted troll knights, they were the comrades of the young Rennala, bound by oath. And so i think this creates a really interesting juxtaposition between Marika and Rennala and the types of rulers that they were. Rennala fought alongside the trolls as comrades, taught them sorceries, and granted them knighthood. Marika slammed giant spikes to their chest and forced them to pull coffins around for all eternity. And this difference in how they treated the trolls is further exemplified, I think, by looking at the condition of the weapons used by both Marika and Ranallo's trolls side by side. Marika's Trolls weapons are described as being in sad shape, and having their gold plating flaking away. Rennala's Troll Knights, on the other hand, wield these pristine, ornately etched blades, carefully inlaid with gemstones and carrion glintstone. And so I see this as yet another small detail to throw onto the pile of others that we have that paint Marika as well, let's just say a less than an ideal God Queen. And I think it's pretty amazing that even a question with such a seemingly simple answer, like, "What's up with these weird caravans?" can lead into a really interesting rabbit hole and the uncovering of subtle bits of history that really enhance the game's overall worldbuilding. And I hope you found it interesting as well. If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like and subscribe, and maybe consider supporting my work on Patreon, or by becoming a member. Thank you kindly, and I'll see you next time.
