Pinwheel. The necromancer who rules over the catacombs. We meet this being, who seems to be a joining of three independent minds,
just before the Tomb of Giants. We see the masks talk to each other... Even the music uses primarily
three instruments at a time: a high pitch, a middle pitch and a low pitch. Like voices of a child, a mother, and a father. Who are these three minds, or beings? And how did they come to be? Welcome to The Legends of Dark Souls: Pinwheel. Information on this macabre character is sparse,
so, let's see if we can thread together its story. Pinwheel is a necromancer. Necromancy is the practice of predicting the
future by communication with the dead, but also, of raising and summoning spirits,
raising dead bodies to life, and the discovery of arcane
knowledge through the veil of death. There are other necromancers in the catacombs,
but Pinwheel is by far the most advanced. We believe he has been here for a long time. Let us start with pinwheel's history Pinwheel was, in all likelihood, originally a separate being before
some event caused the joining. All around the catacombs
he rules there are statues: one more masculine and the other more feminine. And on close inspection, the masculine
statue has the mask of the father and the other the mask of the mother. This means two things: it is likely that Pinwheel used to be separate
beings before some event welded them together, but also, that two separate
entities, likely male and female, ruled over the catacombs before the
events that led them to be conjoined. Pinwheel is also well-known in the community
for having stolen the Power of the Gravelord, whatever that may be. The Power of the Gravelord is generally
assumed to be the Rite of Kindling. The Plot against the Gods was an attempt
to steal the same Power from Nito, which, as we know, did not succeed. As the plotters did not attempt
to steal it from Pinwheel, we can date Pinwheel's theft after the Plot. As we have proven in our timeline video,
the Plot against the gods happened less than a few hundred years before our
chosen undead character enters lordran. Now, with the Plot against the
Gods being such a short time ago, is it likely that a whole architecture of the
catacombs, with pinwheel as its ruler, was built? No, nor is it likely given the destruction, enslavement, or banishment that the other would-be
thieves of the Gravelord Power suffered. Pinwheel is allowed to rule the
catacombs, so, he is not a rebel. Nito may be his enemy, but not
the powers that be at large. We believe pinwheel ruled long before
he stole the Power of the Gravelord. Instead, the mother and the
father, or indeed only the father, were high priest and priestess of the catacombs
and controlled access to Nito's domain. When we arrive to challenge Nito, as well as copy
Pinwheels and skeleton babies, we find almost shrine like fabric and lanterns, and skeletons
bowing and worshiping towards the entrance. Like a high priest, he orchestrated
those who wished to avoid death, worship death, or simply came to die. Until one day, the father,
and perhaps the mother also, got greedy. They decided to steal the Power of the Gravelord,
or maybe... they were pushed to do it... by Gwyndolin. Leaving Nito vulnerable. But what was the Power that they actually stole? It is unlikely to be the Rite of Kindling, as this
was a "secret rite ... passed down among clerics". This implies it was information
that was passed down, not a Power. As Pinwheel only stole the Power a few hundred
years ago, it is also unlikely that this historical rite of clerics was passed down after
pinwheel stole it and then handed back to him. Therefore, we believe the Power
of the Gravelord is perhaps the ability to weld bodies onto oneself, as Nito seems to have done as an early
way to consume or hold more humanity. Or, is it the ability to
raise the dead in some form? This would have been useful to the
original plotters against the Gods, looking to revive dragons. Or was it the power to use
souls to stave off death? Whatever it was, the father
and mother tried to steal it, and, unlike the Plot against
the Gods, they succeeded. For some time all went well. Nito is a quiet god, and
content resting in the dark. But the God of Death does not have to be
concerned with time. Death is not a factor. He rested in his tomb until one day the two rulers of the catacombs expected a child. Now was the time for Nito to make his revenge. He sent his Gravelord servants with
eyes of death to the pregnant mother. Eyes of death cause tragedy but also spread bane. Bane being a cause of distress, but also,
a word for "poison which causes death". Nito infected the child in the
womb through some sick magic, and the pregnant mother held
a poisoned child within her. On birth, the child and the mother died, symbolised by the statues in the catacombs that
have the mask of the child on the mother's belly. When you pass them, spikes
burst from the child's face, symbolising the child's damage to the mother. A few interesting correlations here: Do the shapes on the forehead of the child and the skull of the corpse pinwheel
is working on have any significance? Does the infectious looking bump on the mask
of the child symbolise its own death by poison? Certainly, the poisoning of this innocent child
matches Nito's ability to toxify you in battle. So too, do the darting
spears on the mother's statue match the style of his Gravelord Sword Dance. For the father, the change of fortune
must have felt just as sudden. Pinwheel is distraught, and loses all morality
in the quest to get his wife and child back. Necromancy may be able to raise
the dead, but, it is not for free. A life for a life. Using his position as high priest over
the vulnerable coming to see Nito, he allows women and young
children into the domain. The father then kills them to harvest
their humanity and their bodies in order to revive his loved ones
and imbue their souls in a corpse. But it seems not to work. Nito's curse lasts beyond death. Numerous babies die once again, but remain undead
thanks to the operation of humanity removal. They swarm outside nito's domain. Toxic with the blight curse, and useless
for necromancy thanks to this poison. Dead, pleading mothers crouch
in front of the shrine. Eventually pinwheel turns to a sick compromise. Using the Power of the Gravelord, but in its archaic, basic form, he welds the bodies onto himself. The souls of his wife and
child are raised from the dead. These bodies are attached to him,
like Nito's skeletons attach to Nito They become part of him, the child growing
as part of the monster that is Pinwheel. Maybe he compromised too late, and had to
imbue their souls into other, fresher corpses, with the original mother and child's
bodies buried in the catacombs. The Darkmoon Seance ring buried with
her showing her allegiance to Gwyndolin. They may wear masks because the
faces they possess are not their own. The mother's and child's souls are in these
new bodies with new and different faces. Or perhaps... Perhaps they wear the mask because every Pinwheel is different. After reviving his wife and child,
the necromancer learnt much more. He realised he could duplicate himself. Could thread corpses together, and,
like a puppeteer, animate them. We find many skeletons ready for
use, strung up, like marionettes. Puppets are strung in many places, and usually at the wrists and ankles instead of hands
and feet for the simplicity of control. All around Pinwheel we find saws, bloody with use. And on inspection, all his skeletons
have had their hands and feet cut off. Without them they are also
powerless once reanimated. And how does Pinwheel operate
them as puppet master? Surely there are no strings. Just as the lesser necromancers
animate with their lanterns, and we ourselves are revived by flame, Pinwheel animates his collection
with his lanterns imbued with magic. Pinwheel ties their handless arms to steel rods. To the end of these rods, he attaches his magic
lanterns, through which he can puppeteer them. Runes appear from the lanterns as they
move, hearkening to other deep magic in-game The jumps of these puppets defy gravity,
as though being pulled up by the lanterns. Their movements are directed by the
lanterns, and not from beneath the robes. Exactly how a puppet works... The attacks, teleportation and duplications are generated by the lanterns
which glow when providing their power. And, once the puppet is defeated, it seems to be
the lanterns that have their final burst of life, bouncing and coiling in the air
after the body has disappeared. Add to this technique the anonymity of the masks and you can make endless Pinwheels
and never know which one is real... Perhaps, in the carrying
out of Gwyndolin's orders, Pinwheel, rather like a magician, makes
you feel you have won. That he is easy. When, in fact, you haven't beaten him at all. He teleports away after you kill him, or perhaps, you only fight his clones. After all, with the wheel skeletons
forcing you to charge blindly forward there is no sneaking up on Pinwheel. Even when you enter, Pinwheel gives a sham act
of being busily distracted until he notices you. The whole design of the
character is one of showmanship. Of illusion. Copies, misdirection, teleportation. The idea of study yet with books
all around and uncared for. Pinwheel is a firework after all.
All show and barely any substance, Other masks of Pinwheel can be dropped or
sold by Patches - peculiar for a unique boss. The Rite of Kindling is handily left on death, almost like Gwynevere giving you the
power to warp between bonfires... Pinwheel may be almost as illusory. And he is so easy... almost too easy. Just another trick to blind you, to use
your ego to further Gwyndolin's plans. As the Darkmoon Seance ring says, the ring found on the corpse in
the catacombs that Pinwheel owns Gwyndolin's "followers are few, but
their tasks are of vital importance".
