What’s up guys, I’m Dave Klein. Today, we’re going to talk about one of the great
souls, and major influences over the land of Drangleic. And no – I don’t mean the
Duke’s Dear Freja, but rather, the Duke himself: Tseldora. I think it goes without
saying – there will be spoilers. So, with that said, let’s begin:
Tseldora was the residing Duke over the Brightstone Cove, and as such, it was named after him:
Brightstone Cove Tseldora. The residents and settlers of Tseldora who came to mine wore
the Tseldora Set, which “recalls Tseldora’s glory days, and the peak of the brightstone
boom.”
The mines were named for the bright crystals which lay there, and the hollowed settlers
who remain seem to range in their status and class. At the top of the mine resided the
farmers and miners, clearly of lower status as they setup tents to live in and return
to when finished with work. They don the Peasant Set, “commonly worn by peasants. Normal
workwear, more fit for farming than fighting.” Deeper in the mine was a full settlement,
however, those who lived there would be the most affected by the eventual infestation.
Tseldora resided in a lower chapel, a major building built around his Brightstone discovery.
At the base of the chapel resides the “Lord’s Private Quarters”, a small archive of books
and knowledge. Tseldora seemed to be fascinated by learning and in particular… spiders.
His chapel doors are carved with spiders and “the duke himself was an eccentric soul
fascinated with spiders.”
“The eccentric Lord Tseldora, known for his fascination with spiders, built a town
and a personal fortune by mining brightstone. One day, the town was overrun by spiders,
but Lord Tseldora only stood by and watched, eerily contented.”
So what exactly happened in the deep brightstone mines to cause such a horrendous outbreak
of spiders?
As the mines became deeper and deeper, an ancient fossil was uncovered. That of an Ancient
Dragon, and one which contained a Great Soul.
I believe it was here Tseldora truly started to lose his mind. I think it’s possible,
and this is speculation, with the discovery of this alcove, Tseldora also discovered the
Paledrake Soul. I believe the Paledrake Soul started to become one with Tseldora, and he
took on properties similar to Seath of Dark Souls 1.
According to the Paledrake Soul, “This once-magnificent soul continues to exert influence over the
land, even after the eons have reduced it to these remnants.”
He built a private study next to the Ancient Dragon, and similar to Seath, he became enthralled
in his research, losing his mind.
“Men develop the most peculiar fascinations. Sometimes their fascinations take control,
till there’s very little man left. Oh, it’s like that awful traitor long ago.
He coveted what he did not have, and it drove him mad.
What a curious conundrum.”
Within Tseldora’s Study, a broken through cage can be found. I think it’s possible
this is where the Duke’s Dear Freja was kept… before it was giant. I realize a cage
like this isn’t the most practical way to keep a spider, but looking closely at it,
it seems like something broke out, and I believe, given Tseldora’s nature, a spider makes
the most sense.
According to the Spider Fang, a sword obtained by trading the Duke’s Dear Freja’s soul
to Ornifex, “Supposedly, the duke himself, an eccentric soul fascinated with spiders,
went on to take a form that was far from human.” I believe Tseldora infused the Paledrake Soul,
and a part of himself, into the spider, giving Freja its size and power, and thus beginning
the spider infestation.
A hollowed out shell of his former self remained to roam the study, and “Tseldora only stood
by and watched, eerily contented.”
So long as Freja is alive, we see spiders constantly coming out of the Ancient Dragon’s
mouth, and this continues during the entire boss battle with Freja. The infestation of
spiders only stops with its death. It therefore seems that this creation of Freja was the
start of the plague of spiders that would haunt the Brightstone Cove, and eventually
caused the genocide of the entire village and campsite. The spiders burrowed deep into
walls of the village, feasting on the villagers they would find. Within Freja’s domain,
amongst the massive spiderwebs, hundreds upon thousands of bones and skulls can be found
on the ground – clearly indicating this was where the spider’s victims were taken
as food for Freja and its children.
“The fools that venture into Tseldora, unaware of the ancient deeds that still haunt the
cove, are transfigured into unspeakable malformations.”
While the Undead peasants above the cove avoided the worst of the atrocities, within the cove
resided the elite citizens, indicated by their dropping the “Tseldora Set” as opposed
to the “Peasant Set”. These elite citizens remaining corpses became the playthings of
the spiders. The spiders attached themselves onto the corpses, puncturing their victims
mouths with their pincers, and literally used them as puppets and a shield.
Now, there are some other connections that need to be discussed.
The first being Vengarl of Forossa: What is his body doing near the Primal Fire
beyond the Lord’s Private Chamber? “When Forossa fell to war, its citizens
were left landless, and entirely to their own devices. Many were reduced to thievery,
while Forossan knights scattered to other lands as sellswords.”
(Vengarl dialogue about being a sellsword) I think it’s simply possible at some point,
Vengarl came under the employment of Tseldora. But what do you guys think?
The other thing to discuss is Manscorpion Tark: He sends you on a quest to kill his
master, and rewards you after defeating the Duke’s Dear Freja:
“Young human, What skill. You’ve defeated my master.
But our master never dies. And he changes form, so that he may seethe
for all eternity.”
He was created along with his betrothed, Najka, who was “born of the misdeeds of an ancient
being, a frail soul from the beginning that soon succumbed to madness.”
“We once had a master. He created us long, long ago.
But he was born with a fatal flaw. He resented those who had what he lacked and
became fully marred in hatred. Eventually he drove himself mad.
It was at the peak of this madness that he conjured up we strange creatures.
Our master was a tragically lonely soul. Eventually his solitude eroded his very reason.
In the end he never understood What it was that he truly lacked.
I believe it’s heavily hinted that their master and creator was Seath, from Dark Souls
1. It’s also implied, as I discussed in my Dark Souls 2 Story video, that the Duke’s
Dear Freja, and Paledrake soul, were once the soul of Seath. But, now it has been reborn
into Tseldora and his spider Freja.
And, one final note for you guys: I’ve been pronouncing freja with a soft
‘j’, as opposed to “Freja.” In Norse mythology, Freja is the Goddess of Fertility
– an interesting connection considering it seems Freja is the cause of the spider
infestation in the Brightstone Cove. But, when it comes to the name, typically “Freya”
is the proper pronunciation.
Alright guys, that wraps up this Dark Souls 2 lore video. This video has a little more
speculation when it comes to the sequence of events, but I wanted to share how I view
the overall story of Tseldora and Freja. If you have different interpretations, I’d
love to hear! Addtionally, I realize I’m pronouncing the spider as “Freya” as opposed
to “Freja”. I’m honestly not sure what the proper pronunciation is, and for whatever
reason I’ve decided I prefer speaking it as a soft ‘j’, buuuut, I could be wrong
– so, I hope you’ll excuse that. If you missed any of my previous Dark Souls
2 lore videos, make sure to check them out for the story and info on the locations surrounding
Drangleic. And, I’ll see ya next time! Peace!