What’s up guys, I’m Dave Klein. Today, we’re going to talk about what lies at the
bottom of the deep well within Majula. The heaping mass composed of multiple Undead clumped
together… it’s time to talk about The Rotten.
“You’ve seen that gaping hole here. Well there’s nasty little vermin down there.
Although, who you seek is even further below. And has been down there for a very, very long
time. He’s plum rotten by now, I’m sure.”
The Rotten resides at the bottom of the well in Majula, along with everything unwanted.
“All manner of terrible things have been cast into the Gutter in Majula, forming a
settlement of filth and chaos.”
“That gaping hole? Hell, search me It’s where the people round here
Toss all their rubbish. Corpses or you know what…
Whatever they’d rather be rid of.”
However, not all corpses tossed within were dead, as several Undead seemed to try and
climb out of The Gutter. They built up rickity paths and make shift living quarters as they
tried to escape, only to slowly become hollow. Deeper within, beyond the Poisonous Black
Gulch, lies one mass and entity, eternally crying and creating figures to the point of
obsession… The Rotten.
The Rotten becomes startled as the player enters its domain, and irritated as this causes
it to mess up in creating another one of its figures. The being is comprised of multiple
Undead strapped and melded together, and “The Rotten embraces all, in his sanctuary for
all things unwanted or tossed away.” It has embraced these tossed away Undead in order
to become one complete being. And yet – it resembles a similar figure from Dark Souls
1… that of Nito. While Nito is comprised of multiple skeletons linked together in order
to create one whole, The Rotten is comprised of multiple Undead linking together and creating
a whole.
Upon killing The Rotten in New Game +, players will receive the Old Dead One Soul, “Soul
of the infeffable. This once magnificent soul continues to exert influence over the land,
even after the eons have reduced it to these remanants.” The Old Dead One, a clear homage
to Nito, indicates that at some point The Rotten acquired Nito’s great soul reborn,
and likely began fusing with other Undead at this point.
And yet, there seems to be one Undead in particular who controls the entity of The Rotten. If
you watch the Undead on top of The Rotten’s left shoulder, you’ll notice something peculiar…
this Undead telegraphs all of The Rotten’s attacks just before The Rotten performs them.
It would seem The Undead on the shoulder is actually controlling The Rotten, and perhaps
the Undead who obtained The Old Dead One Soul.
But, who was this Undead before it existed as The Rotten? I believe there are a number
of clues that link Pharros the Vagabond to this mutated being. So – who is Pharros?
According to the various Pharros Lockstones players can find throughout the game, the
Lockstones are “Stone[s] activating a creation of Pharros the Vagabond. Pharros the Vagabond
was a legend who wandered the lands, creating contraptions to help those in sincere and
dire need. The scope of his travels was so wide that
(the) Pharros has been mistakenly credited with many inventions that were crafted by
others.”
On top of the lockstones, there’s an entire portion of the game referred to as “The
Doors of Pharros”. This area is packed with Pharros Contraptions, and upon completing
it, the Cursed Undead will run into the Rat King.
“Knowest thee of the Lockstones? Those odd contraptions fashioned by human hand long
ago. Thou art human, and thence able.
I know thy kind, base plotters and schemers all. Put these contraptions to they employ
‘gainst thy foe.” The Rat King has a cardinal knowledge of the
Pharros Lockstones and their uses, and for every victory within the Rat Covenant, you’ll
receive yet another lockstone. It seems Pharros and the Rat Covenant is intrinsically connected,
and I think it likely Pharros was a part of this covenant.
But, we can find the Rat Covenant in another location, one much closer to the Rotten…
the Grave of Saints. The Grave of Saints is located just above The Gutter, and also houses
several Pharros Contraptions, all useful for the Rat Covenant.
So – what does this all have to do with The Rotten?
I believe it likely Pharros delved even deeper into the pit. On entering the Black Gulch,
the first Bonfire players will find is referred to as the “Black Gulch Mouth”. And taking
a look at the wall here… you’ll notice that there are holes placed which resemble
a mouth, and I believe are what give this bonfire the name. Placing this side-by-side
with a Pharros contraption, you can see they resemble one another.
Within The Rotten’s sanctuary, there lies a single Pharros Lockstone players can obtain.
And, beyond this, yet another Pharros Lockstone can be found by cutting off the arm of The
Rotten, once again linking The Rotten to Pharros.
But, while this all seems to establish a link to The Rotten, it could all be coincidental,
as Pharros Lockstones can be found all over Drangleic. To cement the connection, I think
we need to look at the statues The Rotten has been building. These statues can be found
throughout the Rotten’s sanctuary, all over The Black Gulch, sparingly in The Gutter…
and they even bleed out into Majula. But… there lies one other area they can be found…
The Doors of Pharros. Which, I believe further cements the relationship between The Rotten
and Pharros.
But there are some questions that remain.
“Oh, and those human statues? Who are they supposed to be?
Anybody I suppose, Probably just some old pagan custom.”
Who do you think the human statue is supposed to represent, and what has lead Pharros & the
Rotten into an obsession with creating them? And furthermore, do you think this is linked
to why The Rotten can be heard moaning outside of his boss chamber?
Alright guys, that wraps up this Dark Souls 2 lore video on The Rotten. Do you agree with
me The Rotten is Pharros, or do you think it’s likely someone else? And who do you
think the statue represents? For lore on more bosses, make sure to check out my other Dark
Souls 2 lore videos, and I’ll see you guys next time. Peace.