We Unkindled are worthless... Can't even die right.
Gives me conniptions...
Before we get into Farron Keep, I want to talk about the Unkindled,
because there's been a major breakthrough in to 'what' we are.
Miyazaki was asked the question-
"What is the difference between Undead and Unkindled?"
at a Taiwanese press event, and a very very literal translation of what he answered, is this-
"In Dark Souls 1, the player is set as the Undead because it describes the inheriting (or linking) of the fire.
But in dark Souls 3.. not only do they (the Undead) become unsuccessful in becoming kindling,
They also burn out after failing. Unkindled is born out of the leftover ashes"
and what I think we take from this, is clarification in to HOW we came to be.
Unkindled failed at kindling the fire, but we 'were' still burned in some capacity.
Becoming ash.
And given that we start near a kiln, Firelink Shrine-
I'd say our Unkindled WAS Undead, tried to link the fire, but failed.
So our ashes exist in a graveyard full of failed undead unkindled ash.
In contrast, a Lord of Cinder is someone who was successful at linking the fire, which is why they were the 'first' choice.
But since they've refused to link the fire again, we're the next choice.
The ash of failure, rising again, to fulfill the cycle.
"And they'd have us seek the Lords of Cinder, and return them to their moulding thrones..."
"But we are talking true legends, with the mettle to link the fire..."
"We're not fit to lick their boots..."
"...Don't you think?"
This is Hawkwood - a deserter of Farron's Undead Legion
Probably because the Legion isn't in a very good state right now
"The Undead Legion of Farron is a caravan of undead
sworn by wolf's blood to contain the abyss.
The Legion will bury a kingdom at the first sight of exposure."
Probably because if you saw those helmets, then you knew your kingdom was the one about to get buried.
So if you've played Dark Souls I, then the relationship between these Abyss Watchers and
Artorias the Abysswalker should be very-very clear.
Artorias was a knight of Gwyn with an unbrakable will of steel,
who took it upon himself and his wolf
to fight against the Abyss after it erupted in the ancient land of Oolacile.
And reincarnation of Souls and of purpose as well it's nothing new in the Souls universe,
so the Abyss Watchers are a force that share Artorias and his wolf's purpose,
split between multiple bodies literally down to the blood of the wolf that they all share
The Wolf Knight Helm reads:
"A vanquished knight left behind only wolf's blood and a legacy of duty.
The Undead Legion of Farron was formed to bear his torch.
At the center of the wood we find the wolf itself
Best described by the Exile set,
which is worn by two burly men who guarding Farron's Keep.
"Iron mask of the watchdogs of Farron's Keep.
After the Legion's Watchers became Lords of Cinder,
the wolf blood dried up, and Farron was consumed by a festering wood.
Within the wood, an emaciated old wolf commands watchdogs
to defend the sanctity of sleeping warriors.
Both the Exiles were surely the Watchdogs themselves
for Farron has always been a land of itinerants."
There are like 4 parts of this item description and all of them are interesting.
The curious part is the description of the wolf as emaciated,
which means adnormally thin or weak
This could suggest that the wolf is still alive, though
Maybe, it doesn't really matter: if it is or not.
Its blood lives on in the Legion or, at least, it did,
Because it tried up when the Legion Watchers became Lords of Cinder
And it seems quite obvious that the Legion dispended when they did become Lords of Cinder
Just like with Artorias the wolf lived on after his master was consumed,
and just like in Dark Souls I, it leads to us joining a covenant.
The covenant is the Watchdogs of Farron,
and the Watchdogs defend this area to ensure that everyone who's resting here -
rests serenely.
The Age of the Abyss Watchers seems to have passed
and all that's left is to respect the warriors, who have died
People invade to defend this place
There are hundreds of swords thrust into the ground in a gesture of respect
And the Swordgrass you get is a reward
for defending the home of the spirits of warriors past -
A symbol of exceptance and gratitude.
So, these two exiles (and, presumebly, other watchdogs like them),
they found a sense of purpose in defending the sanctity of the old warriors,
and you can kind of understand why -
There is the sense of respect towards the Legion,
even after they no longer a force in the world.
Tne Undead Legion is one of the only mentions in the series of undead being able to fight for something,
instead of undead just being hated and locked up.
So, you can see, how they would garner a lot of respect.
but the abyss watching of the Undead Legion appear to have ended
when they became Lords of Cinder.
After the Watchers became Lords of Cinder,
Farron was consumed by a festering wood.
These are the only words that describe Farron as a place, not a person,
so if you were wondering "Who the hell is Farron?" - well, this should answer that.
Farron is the festering wood itself
full of monstrous slugs,
horned Ghru goat demons and Darkwraiths
and another important tidbit in this gold mine of a description is that
it tells us, that Farron was not always this way.
The main evidence that this was once a better place is the overwhelming links to Oolacile,
with its light sorceries, its Xanthous scholars and,
of course, its race of mushrooms.
It's implied that Farron's swamp was forest of Oolacile
or, more likely, a parallel version of it,
which is a concept that I'm sure we're familiar with now and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere, anytime soon.
In this cave, one mushroom resembles Elisabeth -
the talking mushroom of Dark Souls I,
and she overlooks a golden scroll, which talks of Oolacile,
where the sorceries orchestrated light, and were said to shine in golden hues.
She also overlooks the antiquated dress, which was worn by Dusk - princess of Oolacile,
whose crown is found by one of the three white birch trees of Dark Souls III.
Little Dusk's first sorcerer staff eventually became a seedling and then three white birch saplings.
The young branch is said to still contain echoes of little Dusk's capriciousness.
The description of Dusk as carpricious was new to me,
and it's also mirrored in the game's description for Chameleon, which is a spell found later in the game
And it's a spell that does the same thing as the branches.
Chameleon reads:
"Far from formally developed, this magic was instead born from the mischief of a young girl,
who sought relief from the solitude of the woods at dusk.
So perhaps this mischievous nature, this sneaking away
was how Dusk was snatched up by Manus all that time ago.
Regardless, it's just really nice to have a bit more personality, put into Dusk.
The white birches of Dusk are also guarded by this giant wielding Gough's great bow.
And Gough himself would have known who Dusk was, since he existed at Oolacile at that time,
so there's another reason why the giant protects these birch trees from harm.
And finally, the lost arts of Oolacile in this place are championed by Yellowfinger Heysel
who's a Xanthous's scholar, she wields the Heysel pick, firing Great Farron dart and Farron hail
which are described as her own sorceries,
that went on to be refined by a Crystal Sage.
"What's the Undead Legion doing with a coal, such as this?"
I heard one of the Crystal Sages is siding with Farron's Abyss watchers
"I suppose it must be true..."
The Crystal Sages desire knowledge, which is a legacy of master Logan and
it's also described in a Crystal Rapier as "the devotion to a lifetime of research.
The Rapier also improves your item discovery"
Crystal hail, a adaptation of Farron hail says that the Sages made a pact to ally with the Undead Legion
and train their sorcerers.
Though given that Crystal hail is an adaptation of Farron hail, it's possible they learn from each other
Farron dart and Farron hail are said to have originally
been in trusted to the Legion's acolytes.
Curiously, the Rotten Ghru Dagger says that the Ghru are "decendants of the acolytes of Farron Keep"
Suggesting that these primitive demon like goat creatures, surely, were not always this way,
or, at least, they had time to devolve to this state.
They still seemed allied with the Legion, even now,
and they face away from the great keep where the Abyss Watchers reside.
Spears in hand, ready even to face against two approaching Darkwraiths,
who likely threaten the Abyss Watchers in the same way they threatened Artorias all that time ago in Oolacile.
So Farron Keep has the sorceries, it has the characters,
and it has the same corrupted inhabitance that Oolacile of Dark Souls I.
It even hides the gear of Pharis, who is the legendary archer,
who defended the resting place of Sif so long ago.
So, the inevitable question is:
What is the lore reason for the recycling of the same concepts?
And, in the last episode, we heard Cornyx say that:
"The lands of the Lords converge upon Lothric"
"The home of pyromancies drifts comparatively close, as well"
And Emma told us that the Lords' homes are churning
and the Lothric banner states that the high wall just appeared.
Look at these bridge aswell - it also looks like it used to line up with Vordt's chamber
only for the entire city of Lothric to apparently be pulled up towards the heavens upon a mountain of stone
So it's not just time that's convoluted, space clearly is as well
The fabric of the world is pretty damn broken in Dark Souls III,
and we'll see that in later episodes even more.
Before Lothric was heaved upwards on its mountain of stone,
the Stray demon above the old wolf of Farron was its gatekeeper
This class of demons has always been used as powerful gatekeepers
(take the once in the asylum, for instance)
this one in particular has lost its flame,
for the Chaos flame is dying, its body is brittle and it spews boulders instead of flame.
Further on is a drake which looks like he had crashed into the bridge and
from the items you pick up it's pretty clear that there were knights here who brought him down,
and, that that's the story they're trying to tell.
Lightning spears are effective against dragon kin and one of them is found on a corpse here
The Dragon Crest Shield greatly reduces fire damage - and it's found nearby as well.
From on high, you can easily track down the three flames, that you need to open the door to the Abyss Watchers.
Gaining admission to the Legion is a matter of...some ceremony.
Inside their Keep, snuffing out the flames of three altars open the door to the wolf blood.
Even a cursed undead want to believe they're special, it seems...
I pity the sorry souls.
From outside you hear the clash of swords within -
Two of the Abyss Watchers are fighting each other.
"But why?" - you have to ask.
My first thought was that it could simply be for practice - since when they die, they rise from the dead anyway, right?
But that would imply that they're sane and what sane boss fights itself when the Unkindled comes through its door?
Another thing I came up with was that it's possible they're just madly attacking anything they see -
similar to the way Artorias did, you know -
except now they're stuck in a room fighting themselves endlessly.
But... Yeah, there's nothing concrete here, for sure.
You theories are just as good as mine.
The dagger is utilised as a wedge in the left hand, while the great sword is held in the right,
a technique synonymous with the Undead Legion,
confounds foes in the manner of wolves hunting prey.
Wolves hunt as a pack and they aim to preserve themselves,
they single out their prey and they prod for weaknesses in their prey.
And it's cool to see that the Abyss Watchers weaponry makes reference to this.
The Old Wolf Curve Sword (which is one of my favourite weapons)
It tells you how you slice downwards and then you jump away from harm just before it can hit you.
And the Farron greatsword has that little nip with the short blade before using the stun
to hit them with the full force of the blade.
So the sword and the dagger are symbolic of the way I imagine the knight and the wolf would have fought,
but merged into one.
Every Lord of Cinder has a second phase where they become imbued with flame and
in the Abyss Watchers case, the blood of the wolf coalesces into one form.
Their shared wolf's blood is what served as their mandate as Lords, allowing them to link the fire.
But now that they're resurected, if the Lords will not return to the thrones themselves
then let them return as cinders.
I failed to thank you
for helping them find their final resting place...
I pity the sorry souls.
Is that really Lordship's last reward?..
So, Hawkwood was once part of the Legion as well, but he was on of the only ones with a shield.
The unique swordmanship of the Watchers would not allow such a shield,
and Hawkwood's very possession of it was telltale of his defeat.
The next episode we venture into the Cathedral of the Deep and, hopefully, we'll learn a little bit more about the Abyss, down there.
And, to keep you, guys, posted, the next videos are most likely going to be the SoulSong,
and then, a descriprion of all the Bosses in the game.
And if you're still listening, you're in the minority because most people click off by now.
Thank you for watching and I'll see you next time.