#lusat's glintstone staff

[only-eldershadow]

So, this is the elden ring weapons that I think could fit perfectly Shadow Milk.

What do you think ? Tell me in the comments ! 😄

[buriedknight]

A bunch of Ymir headcanons

While I'm busy painting big and serious stuff I brought you some wholesome headcanons I've developed on count Ymir

☾ Sometimes Ymir falls asleep during work/stargazing/etc, so Jolàn and Anna gently carry him to his cell. Yuri crawls into his bed and they see sweetest dreams together

☾ Yuri grows up into a giant fingercreeper and Ymir sleeps on his palm, tenderly covered with fingers. Girlies sometimes sleep like that too because Yuri is really spacious.

☾ Ymir and his daughters have matching nightgowns with ruffles and starry embroidery. Ymir wears white or blue, Jolàn and Anna wear black ones!

☾ Jolàn and Anna aren't sorceresses yet they do enjoy stargazing with Ymir and listening to his lectures.

☾ The sibling dynamics: Jolàn is a responsible eldest sister, Anna is a second child with attention issues, Yuri is mother's beloved youngest child. Sometimes they argue but they are pretty close

☾ Girlies help Ymir with handling the corset, hiding the squirming beneath (this hc was born in discussion with starrythroat)

☾ If you follow me long enough you know my favourite Elden Ring character, who is Sorceress Sellen btw. And here is a little hc linking her to Ymir because my faves should know each other lol Master Azur was a teacher and researcher in Raya Lucaria the same time Ymir was. Azur introduced Sellen as his most promising apprentice, and they gazed from time to time into the stars together (+Lusat ofc). The Carian Glintstone Staff Sellen possesses was Ymir's farewell gift to her as he left the Academy because he saw a potential in her

[blasphemousclaw]

Hello there huge fan of your blog and wasnted to get your thoughts on something, if that's ok! In one of the glintstone sorceries' descriptions there's a quote that goes "the moon and the stars will be together no more" hinting at why Rennala and the academy had a falling out. This led me to wondering about the title of Radahn, Starscourge. Is it possible that Radahn went into gravity magic not just bc of Leonard but bc of wanting to control the stars, the power of his mother's enemies? Thank you in advance!

Hello! Yes, I’ve definitely had the thought that Radahn might have had some beef with the glintstone sorcerers… but first, I think there are a ton of layers to this question to pick apart. WARNING: this became extremely long and meandering and I ended up answering several questions that have nothing to do with your question at all. SORRY! I hope it’s still interesting.

Anyway, as you say, the description of Carian retaliation reads,

“One of the sorceries of the Carian royal family. Swing your staff to dispel incoming sorceries and incantations, using their power to retaliate with glintblades. This was the Carian royal family's secret means to prepare against the disloyalty of the academy. The moon and stars would one day go their separate ways.”

The Carians were prepared for the event of the Academy rebelling against them… perhaps the Carian astrologers predicted this fate within the stars, or perhaps they knew not everyone at the Academy embraced Rennala’s teachings. The Lazuli Conspectus robe description also portrays the moon and stars as being two separate factions within the Academy: “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 word “heresy” implies that other glintstone sorcerers of the Academy still viewed the stars as supreme even while Rennala was in charge.

Perhaps the biggest controversy between the Carians and the Academy was the matter of the primeval current sorcerers. Sellen tells us that Azur, Lusat, and herself were banished from the Academy “for attempting to restore the primeval current of glintstone sorcery.” She goes on to say, “The toothless pedantry peddled by the Carian royal family can rot for all I care. I want glintstone sorceries that open our minds, unbound by terrestrial taboos.” As we later find out, Sellen had been turning sorcerers into a Graven Masses which are “seeds of stars” created by primeval current sorcerers, and they became “a nightmare that would continue to haunt the academy.” According to the Graven Mass talisman, “The primeval current is a forbidden tradition of glintstone sorcery. To those who cleave to its teachings, the act of collecting sorcerers to fashion them into the seeds of stars is but another path of scientific inquiry.” It can be inferred that the primeval current sorcerers were expelled from the Academy under the leadership of Rennala because they were using other sorcerers in their grotesque experiments (Could Rennala have also used this as a perfect opportunity to solidify her hold on the Academy and eliminate sorcerers who didn’t agree with her leadership? Maybe!).

Now, what I believe connects this matter to Radahn specifically is two details. The first is Lusat’s imprisonment. Sellen tells us that after his banishment from the Academy, Lusat “languishes, imprisoned somewhere” and gives us a glintstone key that will let us cross the barrier “that keeps Master Lusat confined.” Later, she tells us that she heard Lusat had returned to Sellia, his home, after his banishment, and that she got the glinstone key off of a Sellian sorcerer. What this tells me is that after returning home to Sellia, Lusat was not welcomed, but imprisoned by the sorcerers there, his staff taken away... which means that the sorcerers in Sellia probably heard of Lusat’s crimes, and by imprisoning him are siding with the Carian royal family. We know that a young Radahn came to Sellia to study gravity sorceries from the Remembrance of the Starscourge, and from a Caelid sword monument, that “Radahn alone holds Sellia secure, and stands tall, to shatter the stars.” All of this points to some kind of relationship between Sellia and the Carian royals, and a hostility towards the primeval current sorcerers.

The second detail connecting the Carian-primeval current feud to Radahn is Jerren’s mission. Jerren is essentially Radahn’s right hand man. According to Iji, Jerren had made “an old promise” to get rid of “a longstanding Carian weed.” After Radahn is granted an honorable death, Jerren is now able to leave Redmane Castle to hunt down Sellen, a longtime thorn in the Carians’ side. Jerren came to serve Radahn “after spending time as a guest of the Carian royals,” and is loyal to the family through and through. Jerren was probably distracted from the goal of getting rid of Sellen when he and Radahn fought in the Shattering war, but I wonder if in the past, Radahn had also viewed Sellen as a personal enemy?

Since Radahn seems to be surrounded by people who oppose the sorcerers of the primeval current and uphold the decrees of the Carian royals, it makes sense for him to have felt this way himself. Did this influence his decision to challenge the stars, though? It’s possible, but I have two caveats toward the idea that he wanted to seize the power of his family’s enemies: one, even though the “moon and stars” are often positioned as two separate factions, the stars are still the origin of all glintstone sorcery, and the stars also “alter the fate of the Carian royal family,” who were not just sorcerers but astrologers — those who study fate within the stars… so the stars are still quite important to the Carians, and Radahn would know this. Two, it’s kind of unclear to me how halting the stars’ movement might have hindered the primeval sorcerers from achieving their goals… Sellen never seems to consider this to be a problem for her, only mentioning the halting of the stars when asked about Ranni’s destiny:

“The stars alter the fate of the Carian royal family. And the fate of your mistress, Ranni. But long ago, General Radahn challenged the swirling constellations, and in a crushing victory, arrested their cycles. Now, he is the force that repulses the stars. If General Radahn were to die, the stars would resume their movement. And so, too, would Ranni's destiny.”

Sellen doesn’t seem particularly personally inconvenienced by the stars being frozen, and in fact, the stars resuming their movement actually threatens her life: Iji says that “a certain sorceress has been dispossessed of her immortality,” and Sellen says that “A star has fallen, and my fortunes waver. someone may come for my life.” I think what this might mean is that back in the day, Sellen divined her fate by reading the stars (possibly with the help of Seluvis, since this was his official job, and we know he also helped her make a new body?), and she saw her own death… and now the only thing keeping her fate from coming to pass is the fact that the stars aren’t moving, so she’s functionally immortal. But that’s beside the point.

To understand Sellen’s goals, let’s look at what the primeval current actually is and consider the goals of the primeval sorcerers. The Founding Rain of Stars sorcery reads,

“The eldest primeval sorcery, said to have been discovered by an ancient astrologer. A sorcery of legendary status. […] Thought to be the founding glintstone sorcery. The glimpse of the primeval current that the astrologer saw became real, and the stars' amber rained down on this land.”

Sellen explains to us that the “stars’ amber” is glintstone:

“Our powers draw upon the powers embedded in glintstone, but what is the nature of such power? Glintstone is the amber of the cosmos; golden amber contains the remnants of ancient life and houses its vitality, while glintstone contains residual life. And thus, the vitality of the stars. It should not be forgotten that glintstone sorcery is the study of the stars and the life therein.”

The primeval current is the source of all glintstone and all glintstone sorcery. The last line can also be read as a dig at Rennala and her lunar magic. We know Sellen intends to “restore” and “hone” the primeval current, and with Azur and Lusat’s bodies to help her, “we, fallen children of the stars, shall beam with brilliance once again.” But what does Sellen mean by this? Why must the primeval current be “restored”? I have absolutely no idea. But what I can say is that primeval current sorcerers create graven masses in order to form “seeds of stars.” Azur and Lusat’s bodies, which Sellen needs to hone the primeval current, are near inorganic, turned into glintstone, each of them “nigh a child of the stars.” Then, Sellen’s quest culminates in her becoming part of a graven mass herself. It seems that the primeval current sorcerers are taking the idea of the inherent life within stars, and are attempting to BECOME stars themselves in order to become a part of or expand the primeval current… although this doesn’t seem to work out for Sellen in the end.

Anyway, all of this is to say that there’s heaps of evidence showing how the movement of the stars affects fortune and fate and the practice of astrology, but there doesn’t seem to be any direct evidence of an effect on the primeval current. It’s still possible that Radahn’s actions could have hindered the primeval current in some way, but I just can’t find any dialogue that suggests this. Of course, Radahn could have simply thought that halting the stars might thwart the primeval current sorcerers and in reality he ended up shooting his own family in the foot, but that’s pure speculation. If this were true, it would certainly be poetic! Personally, I still think Radahn’s reasons had much to do with Sellia and wanting to prove himself a hero, but I absolutely see merit to this idea.

[dragoncult-handmaiden]

Sorcerer Build Guide

(screenshot is mine)

this is my first post for some build guides i'm gonna do. keep in mind these are just what i play as, and are just suggestions. do what works best for you!

General recs followed by in-depth explanations

Main stats

Vigor (max 55)

Mind (at least 50)

Intelligence (80)

Dexterity (60)

Other good stats to level up

arcane (at least 20)

endurance (around 30)

Weapons

Carian regal scepter +10

Moonveil +10

Bastard's stars +10

Talismans

Godfrey Icon

Graven-Mass

Rotten Winged Sword Insignia

Ancestral Spirit's Horn

Wonderous Physick Crystal Tears

Magic-shrouding cracked tear

Crimson bubbletear

Stats

Vigor: after 55, the payoff for vigor decreases dramatically. It’s much more worth it to invest more points in your offensive stats and use a rune arc or talismans to increase your health

int & dex: i always like to have a back-up offensive stat, and dex pairs so well with int for moonveil and because it increases the casting speed. if you're lower leveled though, definitely focus on getting int up first and just use radagon's icon for faster casting speed until your dex is higher

end: i kept running into the problem where i couldn't cast so frequently because i didn't have enough stamina. i prefer to have my end at least 30 so that i'm not constantly running out. the green pickled turtle neck that increases stamina regen speed is a good thing to use until you can spare the points for this stat

arc: i like arcane because some weapons scale with it (albeit poorly) and it does get your discovery up. we love finding things!

Weapons

Carian regal scepter and moonveil, both +10, is a must for a good sorcerer build. you could use lusat's glintstone staff, but it consumes a lot more fp than the regal scepter. moonveil is amazing for pvp and just about any enemy you can think of. for enemies immune to bleed and slash damage, i like to use bastard's stars for its magic damage and insane skill.

Talismans

Since you'll likely be using moonveil's skill a lot, godfrey's icon is great since it'll give you even more damage. it also enhances charged spells, so overall this talisman is a must if you want to focus on damage output. the same goes with the graven-mass talisman. it significantly improves the damage of your spells. it is a late-game talisman though, and its counterpart, graven-school talisman, will work fine until you reach it. rotten sword insignia also focuses on damage output, since it increases the power of successive attacks. this can work great if you're volleying bosses or pvp.

i like to focus on damage output, but you could definitely use some more defensive talismans including the dragoncrest greatshield talisman.

ancestral spirit's horn is a must, and will do you so many favors in co-op and in your build overall. you do have to progress a bit through Ranni's quest to get to the area it's in, but it is worth it. it replenishes 3 points of fp for each enemy killed, and it really adds up after a while. starlight shards are so rare that i don't really like to use them, and this talisman kind of negates their existence. the only time this talisman won't make a difference is when you're using intensive spells on a lot of enemies, since it won't make too much of a difference how much fp you have.

Wonderous physick crystal tears

I like to use the crimson bubbletear since my armor rating isn't very high given the low endurance. this tear has saved me in so many boss fights and given me the edge i need to win first try.

the magic-shrouding crystal tear is offensive and increases the damage output of your spells for a certain time. i find it very useful when i'm dealing with a boss with a massive hp bar, since it can help me to quickly get it down to almost half health in the beginning of the fight.

the cerulean crystal tear is great too, since it eliminates all fp consumption for a time. i only find this useful in pvp since it is so easy to run out of fp in those fights. the ancester's horn talisman is obsolete in pvp since you're not getting enough deaths to replenish your fp. i like to use the cerulean crystal tear when i am on my last leg in pvp, and it has saved me a few times

hope you enjoyed!

[katyspersonal]

since you've been playing elden ring, do you have a favorite npc so far?

Haha, my pace at discovering more of Elden Ring is SNAIL slow. And I don't mean moderately fast snail-like mobs in ER, I mean real life snails. xD So, my knowledge is still lacking. But with what I DO know, I think I can pick a favourite already!

This might come off as a surprise, but this...

...is...

...SELLEN!

Honestly, so far I liked her the most! She gives me very strong Imposter Iosefka vibe (in the scenario if after having made enough Emissaries, the Imposter also joined with them to be several small ascended people hiding in a trench coat pretending to be one BIG ascended person…). Whereas she is still, of course, a unique and interesting character on her own! It is just this kind of a female character after knowledge beyond human plane that reminds me.

I am particularly fond of the madman/woman/person characters who want to know the eldrich truths of the universe, no matter how horrifying they are and no matter what taboos they have to break, and what they have to give in exchange. I also can respect the type of 'scientist that is not above trying their own medicine' because, again, she becomes The Orb herself xd Her sassy and blunt attitude is also very appealing for me, she is a confident character with a very certain motivation! I do also enjoy how no matter what scroll she is given, her reaction is that she is familiar with this sorcery, so she is already very educated!

I've posted my analysis how in Bloodborne, Willem and 'original' Choir (from which only Yurie remains) prioritise ascending humanity and leveling with the gods as people, whereas the Choir as it is later tries to TRANSCEND humanity, and will break any taboos, just like Mensis too. In there, I actually sympathise with Willem's side and see Choir as reckless and desperate fools. But in Elden Ring, for some reason, I actually sympathise with the ideas of Sellen (and her teachers, Azur and Lusat) more instead, whereas seeing how Caria family goes about the glintstone teachings as kinda weak. Not REAL researchers. It is very funny and I can't even explain why I am so inconsistent all of a sudden; doesn't help that Rennala herself gives strong Willem and Yurie vibe! Truly, the magic of narration can make EITHER side feel more sympathetic than the other o_o"

Also, I've learned that initially her Witch's Glintsone Crown was named Grana Glintstone Crown, but it was patched out!

I feel like developers initially did want to make Sellen as important as someone who had her own school and the crown made in her likeness was a common wear too, but it never picked up because… well, her line of studies contradicted with Caria's family agenda and restrictions too much? It is one thing to just explore rocks from space, but completely different one to try and BECOME one! But I decided to go with 'they retconned the idea' rather than with 'they obscured the idea'. I mean, how exactly people would follow this "school"? They'd just become rocks lol. It is not really studying the object when you become the object.

I also honest to god cannot recall this particular shade of green glintstone anywhere else - not in an environment, nowhere on Graven Scholars, and there are no spells or staff associated with this color. So I feel like it is artificial and created BY her; would go with theme of her experimenting with turning people into seeds of a star. Heck, maybe this glintstone also had an… organic origin, too. So it cannot be turned into a weapon (unlike staffs of Azur and Lusat that ARE made from existing cosmic material), but only serve as cathalyst for intellect and sorcery of THE caster.

Also I just gotta say, I really appreciate how in these spheres everyone is always having the both horrified and awe-full expression, but she looks really blissful and calm x) She actually gave a realistic, adequate estimate towards how much she wanted to become one with the cosmos xD Lore says that even Azur and Lusat were devastated when they witnessed it, so she is arguably MORE of a madwoman than those two. Love this about her so much.

Honorable mention: so far, Nepheli is my second favorite. Her design definitely beats everyone else's amongst NPCs yet, but also she is just really appealing character. Badass warrior with two axes with great honor and will to go on no matter what, who is also very sensitive and compassionate at heart, is in touch with her vulnerable side, grieving the fallen, strong but not invincible… It is a very good example of how TO write a strong and badass female character; the power is not to be a solid brick that never cries but to be able to connect with one's insecurities and still get back up. Her being heartbroken when her father figure turned on her was very moving, for some reason this way she feels stronger than if she just got up and kicked Gideon's ass and hated him forevermore after that. I just live for this balance of both big muscles but ALSO a big heart.

[eldenringslut]

do you think if Sellen had the time, she could have made Graven Schools out of other creatures? she seems adept at smooshing mages together, what if there was other things she could fuse? I'd kinda want to see a graven crystallian school tbh

Probably. She used Lusat and Azur in her own Graven School and they had already become partly glintstone crystal beings through their exposure to the Primeval Current.

Another interesting theory I’ve seen is that the way Lusat and Azur managed to glimpse the Primeval Current in the first place was that they were the ones who created the Graven Schools we see in game. Specifically the inert ones we find in Raya Lucaria (in front of which you pick up Azur’s staff).

[recusantchicky]

One of the glintstone crowns bestowed upon Raya Lucaria scholars whose pursuits were deemed worthy. Increases intelligence to the detriment of stamina. The Karolos Conspectus is the oldest of the academy's lineages of study, begat by the sorcerer Azur. Scholars who follow in his footsteps pursue the mysteries of comets.

and lets remind:

Comet Azur: When Azur glimpsed into the primeval current, he saw darkness. He was left both bewitched and fearful of the abyss.

Azur's Glintstone Staff: Staff of the primeval glintstone sorcerer Azur. Only those who have glimpsed what lies beyond the wisdom of stone may wield it.

Founding Rain of Stars:

The eldest primeval sorcery, said to have been discovered by an ancient astrologer. A sorcery of legendary status.

Summons a dark cloud of stars overhead. Shortly after, the cloud will release a violent deluge of star rain. This sorcery can be cast while in motion. Charging increases potency.

Thought to be the founding glintstone sorcery. The glimpse of the primeval current that the astrologer saw became real, and the stars' amber rained down on this land.

Stars of Ruin:

Legendary sorcery devised by Lusat, primeval sorcerers.

Fires twelve dark shooting stars that pursue the target. This sorcery can be cast while in motion. Charging increases potency.

When Lusat glimpsed into the primeval current, he beheld the final moments of a great star cluster, and upon seeing it, he too was broken.

the helmet is required for the Converted and Converted Fringe towers + the Erudition gesture in front of the--Marika statue huh?

i was just annoyed by the puzzle when i did it but why tying azur studies, the oldest lineage of study, to marika? whomst also foresaw the end in a rain of fire and the death of stars? whomst lost her culture to it in the beginning and so made the stars IRRELEVANT and CHANGED FATE ITSELF to avoid the END OF ALL THINGS?

come on! if yr gonna lean into the vibe of "marika did this for a reason, and had gone thru an extinction event" why can't we work with the actual one the game has always been telling us about???

erudition: the state of having or containing a lot of knowledge that is known by few people.

[txicroak]

elden ring worms in my brain so bad i started tagging posts wrong

[stuffandsundry]

Fia, Rogier, and D (Part 2)

Part 1 is here but its outdated as shit lol dont read this

Been spending much too long over the past few weeks thinking about these guys, so here's another personal theory compilation regarding these 3. Actually, you know what, don’t even read that post!!! this one is the sexier redux!!!!

Rogier

Going by the metal decorations on his outfit (notably similar to the ones on the Carian Knight set), I like to think that he used to be a Carian noble when he was alive. I think in this case, that makes Prisoner my favored starting archetype for him— “A prisoner bound in an iron mask. Studied in glintstone sorcery, having lived among the elite prior to sentencing.” and all that. So I like to think that he died in that cell, and was called back to life by the guidance of grace.

R name: A lot of the royals have first letters that correspond to the godly progenitor that’s the most important to them (M for Marika, Morgott, Malenia, etc), so could Rogier have also been a Carian royal? …I mean, sure! Why not? I think it’s hard to say that this was 100% intended, but I like to use this as secondary proof that he probably is actual nobility, mostly because of Roderika! She’s an expatriated royal (denoted by Crimson Hood description) so it makes sense to me that by the same logic Rogier is also at least distantly related to Rennala. (I think that there’s also the option that he was faking being nobility the whole time as well, but while this one is fun to think about, I don’t think it holds a lot of water.)

Rogier Trans Icon: i see so much art of trans Rogier and it gives me life. even disregarding his vibes, another point in favor of him being trans is that he’s the merchant for the Spinning Weapon Ash of War, whose description says that it was used by Carian princesses. Rennala uses a more powerful version herself on her own staff!

Rogier mentions that he used to want to be a scholar, but I do have to wonder! Does this mean that he failed to get into Raya Lucaria, or that he was disillusioned with the school itself and walked out? Both are possible, but I like the second option more. Non-Raya Lucarian sorcerers are by and large all heretics, and even sorcerers who are really good at their research, or are bestowed conspectuses aren’t immune to being tossed out (Azur, Lusat, and Sellen). Rogier’s interest in deathblight seems kind of non-kosher, so even though it isn’t Sellen’s particular form of blasphemy, perhaps he got tossed out for the same reason.

Fia

I think Deathbed Companions were directly related to the Gloam-eyed Queen in some way. See the language used in the Black Flame’s Protection— “The Apostles were all embraced by the Gloam-Eyed Queen, and the black flame was their armor within.” Which super reminiscent of the way you get Baldachin’s Blessings. Though, of course, this could just be an overlap in the meanings of “embrace” — the word could be used both as an euphemism for doin’ the do or as a literal hug.

Speaking of Baldachin’s Blessings, the way that having one in your inventory decreases your maximum health is very obviously in line with Fia’s Death allegiance as well. 

Side note, since Melina has Very Strong Ties to the Gloam Eyed Queen (check out the Beast Eye, the pattern would fit into Melina’s empty eye socket very easily!), I wonder if there’s a comparison to be drawn between her and Fia characterwise?

Rogier’s goals do NOT align with Fia’s. He sees the Dead as something to be cured, she sees them as something that should be accepted as part of the natural order. While they’re currently both teamed up, they only thing they have in common really is sympathy for the Dead. However, despite everything, I do think that Fia holds some genuine fondness for Rogier… though this won’t keep her from using him for her ends.

Did Fia have the ability to leave the hold this entire time? There’s two interpretations of the line mentioning that she’s compelled to stay in the hold: one, shes being kept under watch by D and Corhyn, etc, or two, she’s figured out that someone in the Hold has something she needs, and she won’t leave without it.

Actually, going back to the embraced thing, I do like Fia’s interpretation of her role being primarily along the lines of a mother rather than as a prostitute like others in the Lands Between think of it. Elden Ring is a game with a lot of family/lineage stuff anyways, so it fits better, and I just think it’s more interesting an interpretation! 

Devin and Darian

Ok so this is where i get a little deranged. There’s just. A lot up in the air about these guys. THERES A LOT. MARIKA’S TITS.

So, is he a Tarnished? Bro I literally do not know. It’s never stated, alas. I think the only thing that marginally points in either direction is the fact that he says “I swear, there's a blight spreading amongst the Tarnished…” upon player death if you attack him in Limgrave. Saying the Tarnished rather than us Tarnished might imply that he doesn’t count himself as one of their number… but then, this might just be because he has no interest in the throne, like most Tarnished. It’s up to you!

Devin found sleeping in Nokron: is he a native of Nokron? Hey, it makes sense to me! Would help to explain why the two are so insanely pale. Kinda interesting that some guys from Nokron would be such devout followers of the Golden Order when Nokron is most well known for treason against the Erdtree, though.

Description of their sword: “The inseparable twins found solace in the Golden Order, the only institution not to revile them as accursed beings.” Why were they reviled? I think there’s a lot of theories floating out there, but here are some of my favs:

Twins are just kinda scary, man: this ones the most boring but I can see it, if they grew up in a more insular community and were then raised in the Golden Order. “Accursed beings” is kinda strong language to use in this case, though…

They were conjoined twins, and the Golden Order separated them: YEAH! Love it. This theory is usually extrapolated into “the Golden Order snip snapped the two apart, allowing them to pass as separate beings”. The pose of the armor also lends some credence to this theory— pretty similar posture to historical images of conjoined twins— and the sword is called Inseparable, after all… Maybe there were complications after they were separated, and that’s why Devin has to be asleep? I think that this explains why they’rd have such loyalty to Things that this theory doesn’t explain: Why is Devin all the way down in Nokron?

One of the two is a Mimic Tear: So, this one is my personal favorite theory because there's a bit of fun circumstantial evidence for it. The area that you find Devin sleeping in is an area with a whole bunch of silver tears, and he’s just a few steps beyond the Mimic Tear fight as well. If people knew that one of the two wasn’t human, that would explain why there was a lot of fear directed at them. Out of the two options, I think it would be more interesting if Darian was the Mimic, and Devin was real, because summoning the Mimic Tear uses HP instead of FP— so maybe this could explain why Devin is so sleepy all the time. Having Darian active drains him. Things this theory doesn’t explain: If Darian’s a Mimic, why does he have a real corpse? How come he looks slightly different from Devin if you look at face data? Why does he know beast incants that Devin doesn’t use?

Quest/Story

So this confused me at first so let’s just start with this: the hallowbrand, mark of the centipede, and cursemark are all referring to the same thing. Because of this, Fia’s dialogue after killing D makes a lot more sense than I originally thought in my first post. 

D had the other half of the cursemark that Rogier was looking for this whole time, and it is potentially why he gave the Tarnished the job of deathroot hunting (needed to stay somewhere safe like the hold so that nobody could steal the cursemark? Or, knew that someone would come looking for it/wanted to lure them out?).

Rogier knew that D had the cursemark (mark of the centipede, in his dialogue), and since he tells the Tarnished, it’s likely he also told Fia. Thus, whether he actively participated or not in the act, it’s almost certain that Rogier had a part in D’s death. More than one part, actually, just wait til i get to that damn dagger…

The Weathered Dagger: so, obviously it belongs to D. No question about that. But where exactly did the black gunk come from, and how does returning this dagger lead to Darian’s death? What message did it send to D? And how did he know that Fia was responsible for it? Actually, come to think of it, I suppose that the Tarnished could have just told him that last point. OK THE REST OF IT, THOUGH?

One thing for certain. Fia killed D with deathblight. It can be assumed that she somehow used the dagger to do it. Since the trigger for the dialogue where she gives you the dagger is Rogier’s death, then this must consequently mean that either the dagger, or the black gunk on it, or her plan for killing D, is somehow related to Rogier.

Option 1: the dagger and black deathblight stuff isn’t related to Rogier. Devin happened upon Godwyn’s corpse at the roots, carved the cursemark out (leaving the ruined dagger there) and gave the thing to his brother, and Fia has been looking for the stolen cursemark ever since. The reason that she only gives the dagger after Rogier dies is because she uses the deathblight on his body to somehow boobytrap the shit out of the dagger, enabling her to kill D. This one's one of the most probable ones, i think, but since this is Elden Ring there are logistics questions yet again. Just when did Devin pass the cursemark to Darian?! Nokron has been cut off from the rest of the Lands Between for ages. Additionally, Rogier and D both have lines that seem to imply that D finding the “mark of the centipede” is a very recent thing…

It also needs to be mentioned that there is a possibility that rather than Rogier being a passive party in Fia’s plans, there is resentment on his part that leads to him conspiring with Fia to kill D! But he regrets it when it’s too late, and that’s why he leaves the Tarnished a note, hoping that you’ll at least be able to help Devin… this ones dramatic so I love it, hehe.

Option 2: Both the dagger and the black stuff is related to Rogier. D could have given the dagger to Rogier as a parting gift, since it seems that even though they parted, it wasn’t on especially bad terms. This theory is taking Fia at face value when she says that the dagger was a gift from someone— there’s no indication she’d have had an opportunity to receive a gift from either D brother, and the only person in the game she’s been shown to be close to is Rogier so far (not counting her dad Lionel, who shows up at the Radahn Festival). Therefore, maybe the dagger was a gift from D to Rogier, and then from Rogier to Fia. I do like this one because generally speaking in Elden Ring, characters who are not Patches lie primarily by omission, and if their lies are not uncovered eventually through the story (ie, Renna being revealed to be Ranni) then there are usually ways to piece together the truth (Gowry not mentioning the whole Rot kindred thing). This would also lead to such a dramatic confrontation between D and Fia, whoof, I LOVE that. However, does not explain

Another theory I’ve seen is that the dagger was something that D gave his brother, and Fia giving it is a sort of taunt at D, tricking him into thinking that Devin had been killed. I love the drama of this, but I do have to wonder— if they’re really one soul in two bodies, would he have felt Darian dying? It does seem that Devin has some notion that Darian is dead, after all…

Anyways, this has gone on for…. Way too long, actually, so I’ll just cut it here. As always, these are more or less just my own musings, but I hope that it’s an interesting read of someone else as well!

[velvet-apricots]

I decided to record myself doing some testing between how much magic you can cast on one estus charge using the Carian Royal Scepter vs Lusat’s Glintstone Staff.

Summary of Video for those who don’t want to watch it:

At 60 Mind with no fp increasing items, you can cast 13 uncharged Comets using the Carian Regal Scepter, while you can only cast 9 with Lusat’s Glintstone Staff. Mean while, you can cast 9 seconds of Comet Azur with the Carian Regal Scepter, and only 6 seconds with Lusat’s Glintstone Staff.

With Lusat’s staff offering inflated fp cost, I recomend using Carian Regal Scepter for regular game play and Lusat’s Glintstone Staff for PVP due to the difference in health between a player character and a boss like say, Radahn.

Edit: Lusat’s staff does not have a flat percentage of damage boosting. it just has good scaling but my point remians.

[katyspersonal]

BLOODY CROW VS ALBERICH

Who is winning the edgelord contest?

LMAO. I see you still haven't learned to stop pitting the kings against each other sjffhdsd Well, I actually think Alberich might win this one..? xD

Okay, so, Bloody Crow is, indeed, edgy: he is one of the guardians of the vampire queen using the sword that he powers up with the blood and that keeps draining from his life force, he is heavily implied to hunt the hunters themselves to get the blood dregs from them (hence the affiliation, and the heresy to what Hunters of Hunters should REALLY do; feed corpses to the birds). His look ALONE is pretty edgy; he has all the Cainhurst drip but chest piece is the cape inspired by crow feathers, and he is also one of like, three survivors of the castle ruined by religious fanatics, still latching onto what he knew despite not being able to return (Annalise tells us we are her only affiliate after we contract with her).

So like, yeah, why would Alberich win? Because of the term you used, lol! xD 'Edgelord' would imply like... humorously, comically, unnecessarily over-the-top with angst and blood and all against the society, and honestly, Crow is more serious (dare I say, tragic?) character than meets the eye! Besides, the 'edginess' of his weapons is reduced because it is just normal covenant weapon for them!

Alberich though? Like I mentioned, if you remove his hat in alteration of outfits, you can see similar process with Azur and Lusat, but with bloody glintstones instead of their comet ones. I don't even know whether he did that to himself, or he was likewise an exiled criminal; he uses cold sorceries as well, and Staff of the Sinner/Guilty/whatever? I feel as though nothing about his data suggesting any eyes injury or absence (unlike, say, with the sisters) implies that he inflicted the blindness on himself by never taking the bandage, because he JUST decided bloody sorcery was cooler, hahaha. Regardless of the interpretation, dude is edgy. Again, the blood glintstones are reviled as they're brought by stabbing (if not killing) other people! The dude also uses his own blood to create spiky bloody vines - sorry, but this is MORE edgy than simply coating the sword in the blood that is already IN the sheath; Crow doesn't even STAB himself, unlike Maria!

But more importantly? He is said to be asocial in general, keeping away from people. ...and he was driven mad by "jeering tongues", whereas dropping an item Taunter's Tongue that is golden in color, whereas Ensha is stated to have golden bones, whereas he doesn't speak, so I conclude Alberich cut out his tongue for talking shit about him! Like!! Okay, look, that is VERY edgy! Like, unnecessary over-the-top reaction, that I think Bloody Crow would not have had! In fact, I believe Crow might even enjoy it if people talk shit about him? And I feel like Crow has more merit to needing to keep away from the society with his story and goals, whereas Alberich is more on the "studying heretical magic that those plebs just won't "understand"" side!

^^^ that's Alberich with blood glintstones when he appears in the Roundtable Hold frrrrrr fhdhds xddd

...but also, Alberich is wearing blood glintstones on his clothes. It is like, showing off how many people he stabbed, since blood turns into them. Crow doesn't really show off his 'crimes' like that.

Honorable mentions: 1) Me and @val-of-the-north headcanon that Alberich enjoys consuming blood, like adding it in the tea or whatnot, and that is WITHOUT any vampiric implications, which is edgier 2) If theory about Gideon being his father holds up, that'd give Alberich HEAVY daddy issues, which would add to the angstiness. 3) I just... like, if I had to choose which one of these characters would give a villain speech full of oddly specific, even petty grudges, I'd totally pick Alberich! I feel like Crow would either not even honor his opponent with a word unless seriously pissed off (by refusing to die fast enough? xD), or he would be kind of on point.

______________

Argh. This ask had no business being THIS hard. These characters do not even have a darn dialogue, I have to walk in the dark and base my judgement on headcanons. ;-; Please never do it again.