Dark Souls 3 takes place in a transitory place, revolving around the first flame and the cycle of fire and dark. You play as a protagonist whose goal is to find and return the five Lords of Cinder to their thrones at Firelink Shrine in order to link the flame again. The protagonist is known as an Unkindled, a kind of Undead, although it is never fully enunciated upon what differentiates an Unkindled from other Undead. There are implications that an Unkindled is the remains of an Undead warrior who failed to link the flame and, as a result, burned their bodies into ash. The five Lords of Cinder are Ludleth the Exiled; Aldrich, Saint of the Deep; Farron's Undead Legion, the Abyss Watchers; the reclusive lord of the Profaned Capital, Yhorm the Giant; and Holy King Lothric, Last Hope of His Line. Lords of Cinder are past beings who were successful in linking the flame, being burned remnants of their past selves.
The Age of AncientIn the beginning there was no such thing as life or death. The land was a constant drab gray, ruled by immortal dragons. It is unknown whether or not the primordial serpents existed in this epoch.
The Discovery Of The First FlameWith fire came the division of things and with it, strange living beings that were not dragons emerged from the dark. Giants, relatives of The Archtrees, and smaller races as well. Three such beings found the Souls of Lords within the flame. They gained inmense amounts of power, making them capable of defeating the dragons, and so they fought to change the order of the world. One Soul was taken by the Gravelord Nito, first of the dead. The second Soul was found by the Witch of Izalith and her daughters of Chaos. The last was taken by Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, and his faithful knights. However, what remained when the rest was taken was a peculiar soul, known as the Dark Soul, found by the easily forgotten Furtive Pigmy.
The War Against The DragonsNito, the Witch of Izalith, and Gwyn became Lords with the power of the flame, and waged war on the dragons. To aid in their battle, Gwyn used the power of the sun to spawn the first miracles to rid the dragons of their scales, source of their immortality, and the Witch of Izalith created the first pyromancies from sorcery and burned the Archtrees, the ancestral homes of the Archdragons. The Lords, with the help of the dragon Seath the Scaleless, defeated the dragons in great dragon hunts and won the war, driving the dragons to the brink of extinction, such that only their distant relatives remained. Seath was the first mortal dragon, born without scales, which were the dragons' source of immortality. He became fearful of death, and sided with Gwyn. Seath was a brilliant academic, and focused on research, which spawned the first Sorceries.
The Age of Fire
With the Dragons defeated, the Lords settled their own kingdoms. Nito ventured deep into the Catacombs where he rewarded his servants and created the Finito and Milfanito and begun offering his Fire to the strange force he had found, Death, and sought to spread it, serving to administer death to all manner of beings. The Witch of Izalith and her daughters returned to Izalith in order to study their Flame Sorceries, eventually birthing Pyromancy, the creation and control of the Flame within The Soul itself. Gwyn settled at the pinnacle of all of their kingdoms in the golden mountain city, Anor Londo, where he and his brethren proclaimed themselves Gods. At this time, Gwyn gives Seath the title of Duke and grants him the Archives for his research, where he begins studying the secrets of immortality.
Little is heard or known about the Pygmy, only that he is the forebearer of all of humanity, the smallest of the races from the dawn of time. After his descendants reproduced, through many generations, a large number of human kingdoms arose, and humans began learning sorceries, miracles and pyromancies. It is speculated that the human's affinity for magic is attested to the power of the Dark Soul fragments scattered within all mankind.
The early state of the Age of Fire is shrouded in mystery, much of which is touched upon in the events of Dark Souls III. However, eventually it came to be that, because the race of Gods was far more powerful than humans, humanity considered them true gods and started to worship them, forming religions. Lloyd, uncle of Gwyn, would declare himself All-Father, and found a religion worshipping the gods of Anor Londo. These Gods also saw the humans as their subjects.
Gywn and the orders of his mighty kingdom reigned supreme and created many forces that were to play a fundamental role in future events. Gwyn had many children, each of whom recieved part of his lordship. His firstborn became god of war, but in unnamed events was stripped of his birthright and removed from The Annals of History, such that not even his name remains. (This is elaborated on in DS3 where The Nameless King is implied to be this son) Gwynevere, the beloved daughter of Gwyn, would become the Goddess of fertility and bounty, and become the foundation of the healing miracles. Although there might have been others, only one other child of Gwyn is known and that is Dark Sun Gwyndolin, last son of Gwyn, born with the power of moonlight and raised as a woman. Other gods form a court around Gwyn, including Flann The Fire God. Other gods remain distant, such as the raven haired witch Velka, who would become the Goddess of Sin. Gwyn ruled with an army composed of many legions of knights. He had many friends and allies, such as The Primordial Serpent Frampt and the imposing knight, Havel The Rock. Supreme among his forces were four knights under his direct command: Dragonslayer Ornstein, Hawkeye Gough, Lord's Blade Ciaran, and Artorias of The Abyss, who will play an important role in the events of Oolacile. He also bequeathed fragments of his own soul to Seath and The Four Kings of New Londo for their contributions. Seath became highly popular in court, and apparently fathered offspring with the gods, such as Pricilla, creating a half Draconic lineage that had to be hidden away.
Speculation :Gwyndolin, the son of Gwyn, possesses serpents instead of feet, much like the tendrels of Seath, and like Seeth possesses the power of moonlight, a trait unique to creations of Seath in Dark Souls 1. Gwyndolin upon birth was hidden away, and raised as a woman so that he could never become a heir. It is possible that Gwyn's wife had a secret trist with Seath, resulting in a child that had to be claimed as Gwyn's own to prevent controversy.
Scholar of The First Sin
Ultimately, although he produced many spells, beings, and devices, Aldia was unable to find a cure for the curse, nor a way to escape the shackles of fate. However, he concluded that Humans, born of Dark, contained its nature, and that the transitory parts of humanity were illusion, stating:
"Once, the Lord of Light banished Dark, and all that stemmed from humanity. And men assumed a fleeting form. These are the roots of our world. Men are props on the stage of life, and no matter how tender, how exquisite...A lie will remain a lie."
He therefore determined that the Hollow was man's true basic state (a conclusion supported by the opening of Dark Souls I, depicting hollowed men finding the Flame, and the fact that there was a "first" of the Dead) and that the curse stripped away the illusion of Humanity, revealing man's Undead Nature. The concealment of this nature, by pretending that mankind was by nature mortal and unhollow and should therefore fear hollowfication, was considered by Aldia to be The First Sin. Although Aldia's power was great, his experiments had left him in a monsterous state, akin to a tree, hollow yet sentient, and bound to Bonfires, and he therefore sought those with power, to guide them so that they might find a solution, to overcome the shackles of destiny binding them to the cycle of Light and Dark.
The Daughters of ManusThe Daughters of Manus sought out Kings with Wonderous Souls, Ones who would Link the Fire, their thirst for power drew them to these kings. The Daughters of Manus had a plan to gain power by preying on these Kings, stealing their power before they could relink the flame and perpetuating an age of Dark.
Fire Keeper"Welcome to the bonfire, Unkindled One. I am a Fire Keeper. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. The Lords have left their thrones, and must be deliver'd to them. To this end, I am at thy side."
The Fire Keeper tends to the Bonfire of the Firelink Shrine and to the Chosen Undead, called The Champion of Ash in DS3.
"Ashen one, to be unkindled is to be a vessel for souls"
As one of the Unkindled, and with the Fire Keeper's help, we can effectively consume collected souls and become stronger. I think not all undead can absorb souls. It is the Unkindled that can. Perhaps the Unkindled are specially chosen undead who serve the bonfire so it may live on, by renacting the first fire linking, which involves returning Lords of Cinder to their thrones.
"Touch the darkness within me"
Oh this line...\(OvO)/, anyway, lore wise, the firekeeper, though her name has "fire" on it, her powers actually come from dark. Long ago, back to dark souls one, the world was a dark place with giant trees that rose to the heavens, ruled by mighty dragons. Fire was discovered, and this wasnt simple flame. This flame allowed man to rise up, champions and lords sprouted and overthrew the dragons. However this empowering flame was of a dark nature. In the dark souls one intro, both lords of light and dark come into power with the help of the flame. Both light and dark are able to use its power because of their humanity as deep within man is dark, and this is the catalyst that ignites this flame, bring about the age of fire.
Back to the Fire Keeper, because of this nature or connection of the flame to dark, Fire Keepers are trained in the ways of dark. Our Fire Keeper has a mask that covers her eyes because she has no eyes, she is blind as this somehow aids her connection to dark and helps her with her job. To help achieve a certain different ending, you can restore the sight of the Fire Keeper. This changes her view and tempts her to act differently at the end, suggesting that process of training Fire Keepers had grown beyond simply teaching them how to do it, and became a way of sort of controlling them or influencing their behaviour. The Fire Keeper of Dark Souls 2 had eyes and did not have to be blind.
The Fire Keeper is undying in the sense that if the player kills her, she will result in her revival once you reload or sit at a bonfire. Unlike many other NPCs that stay dead, she is probably very connected to the player's world. Or perhaps the bonfire revives her. The fire of long ago is fading, and it will take a strong humanity, a strong kindling ( 5 Lords of Cinder, ) to keep it alive. The firekeeper must assist and empower the champion of ash so the impossible becomes doable.
Later, the Fire Keeper will be able to heal the Darksign once you bring her the soul of a former fire keeper. She absorbs it most likely. Looking at her dialogue, trained Fire Keepers seem to lose their sense of self and become one in a way.
Andre of Astora
Coal used for weapon infusion.
It is said that the giant blacksmith of Anor Londo was once the blacksmith of the gods.
Give to the blacksmith in the shrine to allow the use of gems for lightning, simple, and chaos infusion.
My, my. the coal of that peaceful giant...
Seems like ages past... I imagine his passing was long ago.
I miss the old bugger, I do.
My thanks. I'll be sure this coal is put to good use.
I'll be smithing weapons never afore seen by the likes of y'.
It's but a small service, to pay my humble respects".
With Andre's dialogue upon receiving the Giant's Coal it can be inferred he is the same Andre from Dark Souls 1.
Andre revives upon death. Like the Fire Keeper, he is bound by the flame to serve. I dont think he can leave Firelink Shrine
Firelink Handmaid
By following Siris of the Sunless Realms' questline, one finds out the the handmaid is Sirris' grandmother and that Hodrick is the Handmaid's husband.
Cornyx of The Great Swamp and Orbeck of Vinheim.jpg)
Cronyx is an old Pyromancer who somehow got trapped in a cage. Cronyx seems to emulate legends in his attire, as shown by the raven feathers he wears that referred to The Giant Crow of Firelink Shrine and the black skirt he wears that references the Wiches of Izalith/Daughters of Chaos.
Orbeck is an assassin that decided to try and study sorcery upon undeath. Aside from his studies on sorcery Orbeck is also mention to be in pursuit of becoming the Lord of Hollows.
Irina and Eygon of CarimIrina is a saint from Carim and a failed Firekeeper. She is protected by the Knight of Carim Eygon, upon releasing Irina, Eygon relinquishes her safety to the player. Once Irina is in Firelink there are 2 paths she can take. She can either be redeemed and become a firekeeper or she cane become more broken and sink into the dark. If Irina sinks into Darkness Eygon takes her away and fights the player.
Karla, The Dark Sorceress
The spurned child of the Abyss never dies, but phases in and out of its fringes. Only, there is no one to search for her any longer.
Karla was locked up in Irrithyl Dungeon by the Prisoner Chief who enjoyed to hoard all manner of things. This is hinted by being able to get Karla's Set from the Prisoner Chief's Ashes.
The prisoner chief used this clout to hoard all manner of things, but died without putting them to use. On what grounds do they remain imprisoned, considering that by now they are mindless Hollows, or unrealized, gibbering fools?
This stained coat is torn and odorous, telling of a long journey and even longer imprisonment. It would be madness to wear such a thing.
It seems Karla's jailers had their way with her. As illustrated by her Dialogue and Affinity Spell.
A forbidden dark sorcery. Casts a dark manifestation of humanity.
It appears to be an expression of envy, or perhaps love towards another, that will tenaciously pursue its target. Even if, like so many human desires, it amounts to nothing but misfortune.
Oh, there you are."
"I thought you'd all but forgotten me. How sweet."
"Good to know that a skinny little heretic can still turn heads.
"Hm? Oh...you're not one of them, are you?"
"Accept my apologies, for mistaking you for one of those leeches."
"So, what business have you here?"
"This is a land of monstrosities. And I am no exception."
"You're here to save me...?"
"But I am guilty. A wretched child of the Abyss."
"Is that something you can forgive?"
Greirat The Great Thief and Unbreakable Patches
Lets start with Patches. He is a recurring character in the Souls games. He tricks the player, hoping to end our lives and asks for forgiveness if we survive. If we dont kill the bastard, he provides some assistance, often in the form of items, and we become his "friend".
Once upon a time, a bastard once lived. Life was tough for the bastard and in response, the bastard bit back at what life threw at him, resorting to tricks, thievery and murder. His Unbreakable title may come from this persistence. Eventually he died but even as a cursed undead, Patches is still up to mischief. Patches is a cunning rogue, liar and downright *****. He is first seen wearing Siegward's armor and attempts to trick the player. Siegward is his first victim and progressing through Siegward's quest will require meeting Patches. Having stolen Siegward's armor and trapped him down a well, Patches attempts to lure you to a bridge that he lowers, which brings you to a hostile enslaved giant.
Speculation
As to how he seems to know that you met Siegward ( he tries to disguise his voice to match Siegward ) and how he strips Siegward bare and tosses him into the well... Perhaps undead can get drunk, as Siegward seems to trusting and likes to drink and give away his brew, which suggests he has a lot of it. Patches may have noticed this, befriended him and drank with him, or spiked Siegwards brew. He may had passed out, then got stripped and tossed. Probably told Patches about the player while drunk, which is why Patches sets up a trap for us.
Our next encounter with Patches is outside the bed chamber of Rosaria. He tries to fool us with the old "It wasn't me", but proud Patches removes his helm as he lowers us in his first trap. He wants his victims to know who killed them. If forgiven, we can buy items from him and continue his questline. If you browse his wares but dont find anything, Patches says "Are you sure? You could look a little harder". Lines like this emphasize his greedy and shrewd nature.
We next find him trapping us in the upper areas of Firelink Shrine, accessed by the key from the handmaid. Without the door, we are forced to navigate through a potentially fatal fall. If we are able to avoid the full drop, we can find Patches inside Firelink Shrine. If we can resist the urge to pummel the bastard, he will sell us items and reward us with a gesture. We become "friends" again! Yay!
Speculation
Infuriated that we survived the giant, and intrigued by our skill, power and potential loot. Patches wants a rematch and targets us again. His second trap is at Firelink Shrine. Maybe he realized we are unkindled undead chosen by the bonfire, and are bound to return to Firelink Shrine. Patches could had made a walk to the shrine, or maybe he can use bonfires to travel as well, either way Patches waits for us there. He hides somewhere and when we arrive, he uses his rogue-ish skills and stalks us from a distance, with lots of ninja hiding or maybe he just waits for us at the top, in some disguise or behind some column. He traps us again hoping to kill and loot the champion of ash. Upon foiling his attempt, Patches realizes that our patience is not eternal, and befriending us would be the safer and easier way of milking us for souls.
After this, Patches stays in the shrine as a merchant and sells us various goods. Dialogue with Patches reveals that he is owes a debt to his friend, Greirat the thief, however, Patches sets up shop in the higher areas of the shrine, away from the others, unseen by Greirat. Eventually when Greirat is sent to his second pillage, you can talk to Patches, tell him of Greirats whereabouts, and, if you have not bought Siegwards armor from him yet, he will wear it and leave for a while to save Greirat. He pretty much just sits there in firelink after. He asks about Greirat the third time you send him, but he will not be able to save him.
Speculation
Patches, like Greirat, may have come from the Undead Settlement, as both rogues seem to have a history. Patches probably messed up an attempted robbery, or trickery and got jailed for it. Greirat may have been caught trying to free Patches. Patches may not want to show his face to Greirat because Patches may have used Greirat as a decoy so he could escape. He feels some obligation and regret for his actions, which leads him to trying to help out Greirat. He needs Siegward's armor because he doesnt want Greirat to know. Patches may have a soft side to him, but he doesnt want others to know. He takes pride in his reputation as a cunning trickster.
Yoel and Yuria of Londor, Anri of Astora and Horace
Yoel is found in the Undead Settlement despairing that he failed his mision. He is among a number of dead pilgrims on a broken bridge facing Lothric. When he is found he can be taken into service. Yoel's service consists of drawing out one's true strength by applying Dark Sigils.
I am Yoel of Londor, a pilgrim as you can see, only… Somehow, I've failed to die as was ordained.
Once Yoel has applied enough Sigils he dies and Yuria will thank you for taking him into your service.
Umbral ash of a Hollow who faithfully served a woman, only to become separated from her.
With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.It takes but a brief glance at this thing to easily envision Londor, the foreboding land of Hollows.
From Yoel's ashes it seems that he may have once served Yuria which might be why she comes upon his death.
...Oh, prithee...art thou good Yoel's master?
I am Yuria of Londor, a close friend of his.
Thanks to thee, Yoel's soul is redeem'd.
Allow me to express my gratitude, in his stead.
Following the introduction Yuria claims that you will become the Lord of Hollows and tasks you with seeking a spouse.
Our Lord and Liege.
Knowest thou of a youth/maid named Anri?
He/She is hollow, and will join thee in wedlock.
A fellow of mine guides him/her at this moment. When the time is ripe, thou mayst make thy salutations.
For what Lord taketh no spouse?"
From this it might be implied that Anri who is being led by Horace might be a hollow.
Oh, hello. How do you do. I am Anri of Astora. Unkindled, like you. This is Horace. A friend and travelling companion.
We learn in that Yuria had a traitorous sister named Elfriede.
"Elfriede...A poor wench turned to Ash, who would abandon Londor..."
|Siegward of Catarina|
Greatsword with a broken blade, also known as the Giantslayer for the residual strength of storm that brings giants to their knees.
Yhorm the Giant once held two of these, but gave one to the humans that doubted him, and left the other to a dear friend before facing his fate as a Lord of Cinder
Yhorm, old friend. I, Siegward of the Knights of Catarina, have come to uphold my promise!
Let the sun shine upon this Lord of Cinder
Siegward was a friend of Yhorm at one point and had made a promise with him.
Emma, High PriestessEmma is the one who tasks the player to seek out the Lords of Cinder and to make Prince Lothric a Lord as well.
"Sulyvahn was born and raised inside the painting yet had little use for his frigid homeland, since he had not yet experienced loss."
"Long ago, when Sulyvahn was yet a young sorcerer, he discovered the Profaned Capital and an unfading flame below a distant tundra of Irithyll, and a burning ambition took root within him.
The jailers were among the few survivors inhabiting the Profaned Capital, later serving under Pontiff Sulyvahn. Perhaps the screams emanating from the cells help them forget their old home.
"Pontiff Sulyvahn of Irithyll imprisoned a god of the old royalty in the abandoned cathedral, to be fed to the devourer."
"The Darkmoon Knights were once led by my elder brother, the Dark Sun Gwyndolin. But he was stricken by illness, and leadership of the knights fell to me. Then Sulyvahn wrongfully proclaimed himself Pontiff, and took me prisoner."
Sulyvahn seems to keep his homeland in his memory given that his Pontif Knights wield a Great Scythe akin to Sister Friede's.
"Great scythe wielded by the Pontiff's knights, frigid spirits that linger in Irithyll."
"In the painting, the scythe is a symbol of a long-lost home, possibly explaining Elfriede's preference for it."
"Friede was the first Ash to enter the painting, but together with the good Father, they chose rot over fire."
Sister Firede and Father Ariandel, reside in the Painted World. Ariandel restored the Painted World from a destroyed state. Sister Friede seeks to let everything in the Painting rot, for unclear reasons. Sister Friede was once a member of the Sable Church of Londor and is seen as a deserter or traitor. Ariandel carries with him what greatly appears to be The Lordvessal, a critical part of rekindling the fire in the first game, and is actively trying to keep it from catching fire by drowning it in blood, for unclear reasons.