Rarely do the giants of Dark Souls have happy fates.
In the Age of the Gods, they had it best.
Perhaps because one of their own was a powerful knight of Gwyn.
Yet, even then, he suffered at the hands of former humans,
who packed his helm with tree resin, and fooled him into thinking he was blind.
The other giants of this Age were put to use as basic laborers.
Their wits made them unfit for much else, except in rare occasions.
In Drangleic, a distant race of giants invade the kingdom of the humans
to take back that which was stolen from them.
It ends in bloodshed.
Not to mention the giants taken for experimentation,
their very souls becoming displaced from their bodies.
And finally, Lothric, where their abuse hits new heights.
Imprisoned,
forced to wallow in the muck of the cathedral,
slaughtered, or feigning death.
Only one rose above the rest, and even ruled over humans:
Yhorm.
Yhorm is the descendant of an ancient conqueror,
a conqueror who once subdued the people of the Profaned Capitol.
And in time, Yhorm was asked by these very same people to lead them.
He would come to accept this role,
and he served as both their weighty blade, and their stone-hard shield.
And you would think this transfer of power would earn him the people's respect and gratitude.
But it didn't.
Instead, those who spoke of Yhorm as "Lord" were quite insincere.
Perhaps this is because of Yhorm's heritage.
We don't know who the conqueror before Yhorm was,
and he might not even be featured in-game.
Our two biggest clues, however, are Yhorm's size,
and the fact that the people of the Capitol suddenly found themselves without a ruler or protector,
and needed to ask for one.
And, in my opinion, Wolnir,
the enormous conqueror of Carthus, who suddenly fell to the Abyss,
fits this criteria.
Or at least, is a good example of it.
Wolnir once brought the rightful lords of the world to their knees,
and ground their crowns to dust.
However, he went on to fall to the Abyss,
presumably leaving many kingdoms without a ruler.
And Wolnir wasn't exactly known for sharing his power with others.
So, at the very least it was probably an absence of rule, like this,
that lead the people of the capital to ask for a powerful protector
instead of simply being conquered all over again.
So it fits, that they would ask Yhorm,
yet it also fits that they would feel some shame for having to ask him.
Their fate would be in the hands of the conqueror's descendant.
And not just that, but in the hands of a giant no less.
Simpletons, and dullards with very few notable exceptions.
So Yhorm fought hard to prove himself as lord, risking everything for his people.
Against the kingdom's enemies he fought unflinchingly,
Great Machete in one hand and greatshield in the other.
Yet, still, his people's shame and prejudice must have manifested as bitterness,
distrust,
For...
In another brave gesture,
Yhorm gave his people the means to defeat him.
A Storm Ruler.
An ancient sword also known as "Giant Slayer."
Capable of bringing giants to their knees from the strength of storm held within it.
Yhorm carried two of these and now, only one remained in his possession.
At some point, during the wars, Yhorm lost the one he wished to protect.
It's not clear who this is...
Whether they were a friend or a partner,
nor how they died.
But, this loss became the legacy of his later years.
It was an event so significant he threw away his greatshield,
for he was no longer interested in self-preservation,
nor the protection of others.
In the place of his shield, Yhorm added a left-handed notch to his machete,
enabling the smashing technique of a berserker with nothing left to lose.
In time, his enemies were crushed,
and the only threat to the capital was from within.
The group of women, relatives of some oracle from a by-gone age,
suddenly triggered a curse subsisting deep within them.
They all distorted into the same monstrosity,
an enormous hand with calcified protrusions and a hole swelling deep within the palm.
Despite all of this,
they went of living without any cares,
and from that day forward, the Profaned Flame was born within the capitol.
The Profaned Flame...
It came to define the capitol.
And it was defined by three rules:
One:
It is said to be in-extinguishable.
Two:
It is able to swallow the hearts of those it touches,
inspiring cruelty, and torture.
And three:
The darkness of the Abyss can be seen within it.
With nothing left to lose, and a monumental soul to burn, Yhorm decided to link the fire.
With this act, he would put the Profaned Flame to rest,
enable a new age of fire, and prove his detractors wrong.
Show them all they were wrong about him.
So,
just as he gave one Storm Ruler to those who doubted him,
he gave the other to one that he trusted...
Along with a promise.
That Siegward, this bumbling, kind-hearted knight of Catarina,
would slay his old friend if he ever faltered in his duty.
And so the fire was linked.
And... Yhorm failed.
In all the ways that they said he would...
In this place we get an unprecedented look into the linking of the fire.
When it happened, items say,
"A rush of flame fell from the sky,
and incinerated not only Yhorm...
But all the residents of the capitol."
So, the question, we're left asking is,
was this normal?
Or, was Yhorm's soul somehow not enough?
Were giants not supposed to link the fire?
For all his hard work protecting these people...
They all went up in flames,
and I assume his detractors would have felt validated in doubting Yhorm.
If they weren't all burnt to crisp.
Ages pass, bolstered, in part, by Yhorm's sacrifice.
But, the fire inevitably fades and Yhorm is brought back from the dead,
to link the fire once more.
There must be something about a second chance at life that causes a lord to fear death.
For, like the other two lords that rose alongside him,
Yhorm flees his duty and settles in the ruined capitol he once called home.
He takes his old throne, which is now surrounded by the melted corpses of those who once doubted him,
and.. He waits..
Truly alone this time even more so than he was in life
Moment
Has almost come
I just need a bit more time
Seigward with a little help from you of course
Finds the courage to meet his old friend
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
(Gasping)
It seems... I am in your debt once again
My thanks
I could have not kept my promise without you
Now
For a final toast
To your valor
And my old friend Yhorm
Long may the sun shine
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaa
ha
Well
I'm going to have myself a little nap
The only thing to do really after a nice toast
You are a true friend
Best of luck with you duty
After your final toast
As you leave the arena
Seigward's soul floats toward you
Did he die from wounds that he sustained during the fight
Its impossible you'd think
Considering that Seigbro has
Healing properties
No
His quest is complete
His oath is fulfilled
So Seigward ends his life
For all that remained
Was that final toast
And to wish you luck
With your duty
In the end
All that came form the Profaned Capitol
Were the cinders of a lord
Fit only to surrender its fire
For your ambition
So knowing all of this and all of what happened
What do you make of it
Oh and did I forget to mention
The Profaned Flame burns on
Exempt from the tragedy and
Waiting for more hearts to corrupt
And somewhere
A young sorcerer escapes a painting