Dark Souls III: What do we want from the DLC?
The Pus of Man
It’s a black mass that afflicts Iudex Gundyr, numerous undead throughout Lothric, and even a couple of dragons too. Crawling with life, it resembles an animated torrent of the Abyss. And in many ways it’s very much alive. Springing from the back of a hollow or writhing in the heart of a wyvern, they have glowing red eyes and lunge at you with gaping jaws, throwing out a strong swipes with misshapen, black claws.
Manus the Father of the Abyss turned into a monstrosity when his “humanity went wild”. The Pus of Man may be a similar corruption of a hollowed being who lacks a soul. Their humanity is growing “wild” and is beginning to resemble a serpentine form. If you compare them to the imperfect dragons in Archdragon Peak and even going back to Sen’s Fortress, a hint of similarity between these Abyssal beings and serpents exist.
The Pilgrims of Londor also come into play here too. Why? Because of the shells they chain to their backs, suggesting they’re beginning to transform and succumb to an affliction of some kind. Honestly though, we don’t have any strong convictions as to exactly what’s going on here. Especially when the Pus of Man manifests itself in, and seems to control a dragon.
DLC, please explain.
Gertrude and the Angel Knights
Again, we turn to Lothric castle, the hub of mystery. More specifically the top of the kingdom where a regal tower is guarded by a twosome of radiantly golden Angel Knights. They’re utterly menacing and if you slip past them or somehow manage to defeat them you’ll eventually find yourself dropping down into a huge cage. Inside, on the corpse of an undead surrounded by scattered white feathers, you’ll find a Divine Miracle, “Divine Pillars of Light”.
“Miracle of Gertrude, the Heavenly Daughter.
Brings down multiple pillars of light in the vicinity.
The Queen’s holy maiden Gertrude was visited by an angel, who revealed this tale to her.
Despite losing both her sight and her voice, she was determined to record the tale. Ordinary men cannot decipher her fragmentary scrawl, nor comprehend how it became the foundation of the Angelic faith of Lothric.”
Reading the item description we discover this confined undead is the Queen of Lothric’s maiden, Gertrude. She seems to have been visited by an angel and scrawled something down, which gave birth to the faith that pervades Lothric. The first Angel Knight who we encounter skulking around a fountain at the High Wall casts this specific miracle, and there are paintings within the Kingdom’s walls that show these knights proudly facing us while wearing their bulbous armour adorned with adorable little wings. It’s interesting to note that the first knight is clad in a blue tabard encircled by the corpses of knights he’s beheaded and ruthlessly swept aside with his enormous halberd. They’re all clad in red tabards, suggesting there’s a civil war going on within the kingdom, between those who follow the faith and those who don’t.
Angels are also unheard of in terms of Dark Souls, to the point where they’re in stark contrast to its very name, connoting light and purity amidst the incessant doom and gloom. Don’t get us wrong, divinity has always had its place: clerics, churches, miracles. But Angels? We’d love to know more about how this faith spread across the kingdom and the significance of angels in the grander scheme of things. Gertrude was also locked away, for what end? Why did she lose her sight and her voice? And what does this tome really state?
Aldrich and the Deep Sea
He may be a big pile of sludge, but he’s a surprisingly nasty piece of work. In order to truly understand Aldrich and illustrate our wishes from the DLC, we need to try and understand as much of “the Deep” as we can.
Taking a look at the miracle “Deep Protection” we gain a grasp on what we’re dealing with, “The deep was originally a peaceful and sacred place, but became the final rest for many abhorrent things. This tale of the Deep offers protection for those who worship amidst those horrors.” It’s fascinating to imagine that the Deep was almost idyllic in nature, and somewhere people would go to seek solitude. It’s also referred to as “sacred” implying those who visited the Deep would treat the place with reverence and respect. However this solace didn’t last and the microcosm of tranquility was shattered. The Deep eventually fell from grace and became a resting place for some hideous, grotesque events.
The Cathedral of the Deep was formed to contain the Deep, suggesting that it has taken the form of the encroaching Abyss in its hunger to consume and increase its hold over the world. We know the cathedral and its deacons attempted to lock away the Deep by looking at a number of item descriptions, but the most direct evidence stems from the “Deacon Set”, “In time, those dedicated to sealing away the horrors of the Deep succumbed to their very power. It seems that neither tending to the flame, nor the faith, could save them.” Looking at this description we can take note of two important things. First, the Deep isn’t referred to as “its”, but rather, “their”, implying that the Deep is more of a conglomeration of horrors rather than a single being. Lastly, the flame wards off the Dark, and the Abyss can be contained, albeit unsuccessfully. But the Deep couldn’t care less about fire and flame, meaning it could be something entirely separate and even more dangerous than the Abyss.
Cue Aldrich.
Talking to the Crestfallen Hawkwood (potentially a former Abyss Watcher) at Firelink Shrine he says this, “What do you really know about the Lords of Cinder, these supposed legends? Let’s take Aldrich for one. A right and proper cleric, only he developed a habit of devouring men. He ate so many that he bloated like a drowned pig, then softened into sludge. So they stuck him in the Cathedral of the Deep. And they made him a Lord of Cinder, not for virtue, but for Might. Such is a Lord I suppose… At the foot of Lothric Castle, an old path still runs below the tower in the Undead Settlement. It was used to transport sacrifices to the Cathedral of the Deep. You should see where it leads, if you’ve the stones for it.” Aldrich used to be a “right and proper” cleric before developing a habit of “devouring men”. His insatiable appetite turned him into a pile of goop and he was plopped into the Cathedral of the Deep, but not before being given the title “Lord of Cinder” due to his immense power. What follows is more speculation than anything, but it can be assumed that Aldrich was responsible for the downfall of the Cathedral. They became infatuated with the Deep and began serving it, rather than imprisoning it.
Cue Pontiff Sulyvahn.
Lets take a look at his Soul, “Pontiff Sulyvahn of Irithyll imprisoned a god of the old royalty in the abandoned cathedral, to be fed to the devourer.” When we bump into Aldrich in Anor Londo (Irithyll) we find him literally devouring poor Dark Sun Gwyndolin, the God whom Pontiff Sulyvahn prepared for him. Aldrich had moved on from rustic dishes to gourmet, five star meals. According to “Aldrich’s Ruby/Sapphire” we find he thoroughly enjoyed eating his victims alive and wished to share this experience with others. Freaky bastard. If we then go and transpose his soul, we gain access to two different weapons. Both of which are extremely prevalent – one more so. Related to Crossbreed Priscilla who was locked away in the Painted World of Ariamis in Dark Souls I, Aldrich’s soul can be transposed into a miracle form of her Lifehunt Scythe. “Aldrich dreamt as he slowly devoured the God of the Darkmoon. In this dream, he perceived the form of a young, pale girl in hiding.” There’s no evidence of him actually eating Priscilla which suggests something pretty spooky and rather ominous. Aldrichs’ dreams seem to turn into reality, or at least give him the capability to learn spells and abilities. And this is where the crux of the mystery lies.
Taking a look at the Soul of Aldrich one last time, it reads, “When Aldrich ruminated on the fading of the fire, it inspired visions of a coming age of the deep sea. He knew the path would be arduous, but he had no fear. He would devour the gods himself.” Going by the miraculous nature of Aldrich’s dreams, it’s entirely plausible that this coming age of the sea will happen at some point in the future. But just what is this “Deep Sea”? Is it in relation to the Fire, just as water extinguishes a flame? Do we have four different states: Fire, Dark, Abyss and the Deep? And what is Pontiff Sulyvahn really up to?
Oceiros and Ocelotte
Oceiros is the Consumed King of Lothric, who’s unfortunately descended into madness. He’s extremely vocal, banging on about his “Child born of dragons” Ocelotte. He calls us “pathetic slaves” and berates us for finally coming to our senses and recognising the power of his child. It doesn’t take much effort to notice that Oceiros is far from a king now. He’s taken on a dragon form, gone blind and cradles an invisible child. Remember Seath the Scaleless from the first game? The dragon who betrayed his own kind, and descended into madness in his attempts to seek immortality? Yup, Oceiros locked himself away in the Grand Archives and became obsessed with Seath and the tales the heretics weaved about him.
He was seeking a way to validate the royal bloodline and create a worthy heir, and he believes he’s succeeded. But his child has been either been taken away from him by his Queen, or like Crossbreed Priscilla, has the ability to turn invisible. “The Queen of Lothric, married to the former King Oceiros, was initially revered as a goddess of fertility and bounty. After giving birth to Ocelotte, her youngest, she quietly disappeared.” This description taken from the item “Divine Blessing” suggests that the Queen is in some way related to Gwyn’s bloodline. Why? “A goddess of fertility and bounty” relates irrevocably to Gwyn’s daughter Gwynevere who was also a goddess of the same attributes.
Again, we’re deliberately missing quite a few links to Lothric, Lorian and the Scholars of the Grand Archives, but the main sentiment always rings true; we want to know more about Ocelotte no matter what.
