new job is fun! HOWEVER! i have been working nonstop since last saturday (13th) with four different 11 & 12hr shifts sprinkled in there! today's my day off, work tmrw, chrimmus, and then who knows!
i'll be around when things are more predictable! love y'all!
-Indie Oc & Canon MultiFandom MultiMuse, planted by Atomic
-Mun was born in 1997, 18+ to interact, 21+ to dm
-This blog has many triggering topics that may or may not end up tagged ultimately, viewer discretion is advised
-Please read the rules, muse list, and verses pages for more information
What truly was it that he wished to achieve? Was what he had already made come to pass not his true wish? To be certain of all things in this new era was paramount and now, faced with the idea that perhaps some facet of his will had fallen aside, Miquella felt himself tense. Only the steady hands continuing to braid his hair kept his thoughts grounded. "It will all come in time if it is meant to." Sage words from the still-young god whose core shivered, unsteady.
Soon, a hum came from his throat in response to her observation. "I would say that is kind, yes, but I can tell you are not out to cause me harm. To not lash out for being in my presence is not kind, it is simply the right way for me to act."
❝ Well, then isn't it awfully kind of me not to cause you harm to begin with, ❞ Daphne muses in turn, obviously taking some humor of the statement forward to ease the moment. A slight slip of her fingers has her undoing half the braid and threading his hair through again; no marring of the golden locks by her hands. Each movement rings chimes clear and melodic from her joints and medallions she's decorated with. Were one to simply pass by, she could almost be mistaken for Miquella's phantom, pale as she was in all aspects. The only telltale sign being the rhythm of her braiding his hair.
❝ .. I cannot recall the last time I've been this at peace. ❞ Another remark that feels awfully out of the blue despite being so present to her in the moment. Even with the small lull in their conversation, everything felt so serene. Whether it was simply an effect of his presence itself, or an element unaware to either of them, she wasn't going to question it. It was obvious Daphne wanted to relish this shared peace.
❝ I wonder if many feel this way in your company as well.. Must be quite hard to be without, once so entrenched. ❞
Something twines within the middle of Roland's brain, a rally come from the substance and the training of becoming a Priest of the Blood Church, whence this delicate doll doth pluck at her personal artifact. The cornea of his left eye shakes, and dost he blink rapidly to clear his vision--
Mesmerized by the summoning of three figures, transparent and real; all borne of their own personalities, all unique by their own faces! "Remarkable," awes Roland. Dost he place his palm upon the space of his breast, and dost he bow, as well as canst he within this sitting position. "Faire Tidings and fortuitous Meet to all of thee. I am Roland," offers he, freely.
And thus: dost he open his palm to this doll, the silvery bells ringed around Roland's wrist and elbow threaded like thin chains. "And thou?"
Helen is the one that seems to shy the most at the awe, canting her head aside humbly at the exclaimation. Sebastian does his best to convey a bow by bending all of his spine, lowering his cranium in tandem to match the man's - Roland's. It's when he sees his hand move towards the doll that the skeleton, still ever the doting butler, rises attentively to keep a close eye.
Roland's chime is met in kind with Daphne's as she, too, extends her hand into his. She's surprisingly soft and silken to the touch ( thanks to the silicone she's gloved in ), palm resting within Roland's. A firm grip follows, enough to convey respect without harm.
❝ .. Daphne. ❞ She gives her name naturally now. For a long time, it felt foreign on her tongue. Now with her memories fully embraced, it felt at home again. ❝ What is it you do, Roland? ❞ Curiosity keeps the conversation from stagnating at least.
4a, can't sleep, thinking about daphne being tender behind closed doors.
i just think she's learned all her affection and intimacy through the stories chloe read to her + chloe's gentle care of her when she was still just a doll. i don't think she's overtly affectionate or even very handsy but while within shared privacy with those she's comfortable with, she's so very soft and affectionate. hair braiding, preening, leaning against / laying against, idle kisses to hands and arms and shoulders, like... augh... AUGH... don't get me started on the family cuddle piles either, i'll explode...
i adore all the added insights but i'm still coming to the conclusion that crafting the northerncroft story will have to be an independent thing for me as it's always been but god do i love all the added context that others have pointed forward in their essays waaaah AMAZING INSIGHTS!!! long long post to come once i get my thoughts together!
i love this parallel so much because Hewg mentioned he met a girl who was like Roderika a long time ago, their eyes are the same hue...
Roderika's eyes have the same hue as Messmer's serpents and if you follow the theory that the serpents' eyes are his original eye colour, Marika as his mother probably has green eyes too.
there's also Rakshasa who i think is a surviving shrine maiden (or their descendant) who went insane in her quest for revenge (killing until she became a demon, like how Wolf turned into Shura), her eyes are also green (+ you found her buried right under Bonny village).
"She's crestfallen, and can scarcely swing a blade, but she has a gift for spirit tuning.
I saw another one like her, long ago. Their eyes share the same hue."
My theory is that Hewg was one of the Hornsent at Bonny village, he probably took pity on Marika & treated her a bit better (well as better as you can get where your job is to put ppl in jars) and that's one of main reasons how she managed to survive and escape.
when she became a God & took her revenge, she spared him & tasked him with forging a weapon to slay a God. which is why even though he feared her, he was committed to helping her get her wish.
"But one day, without fail, you will have your wish. So please, grant me forgiveness, Queen Marika..."
he talked about the girl as if she was weak & feeble
yet he feared her
but he still seek her forgiveness & want to help her
those 3 points are solved following that theory.
if u need more subtle hint of Hewg's connection to LoS, Roderika said this:
"I know he was given this great entreaty; to craft a weapon which could slay a god.
Though I can't help but think of it as a curse. A fearsome curse, put on him by Queen Marika."
same wording as the ones used in Nanaya & Midra's story.
and if we look at Roderika as a parallel to how Marika used to be, her pleading for us to kill the God / Marika is even sadder because the girl Marika used to be would hate who she had become in the end too. she's Marika's Trina.
EDIT 1:
there are Misbegotten in Land of Shadow, near Ruined Forge of Starfall Past (interestingly enough, Marika's name means "star of the sea")
after finishing Crumbling Farum Azula, Hewg will lose all his memories, as if he's another person altogether. so even if you don't buy the Misbegotten could also belong to Hornsent faction theory, it's also possible that that Misbegotten was inhabited by another person (the real Hewg) and became themselves again after Hewg passed away (and we knew Hewg passed away already because Roderika was crying and last time we spoke he already said his last words)
One Face, Two Names: The Thematic Connections and Foils of Revenant
[Revised 10/17/25]
With how coy FromSoft was about sharing any details regarding them, right up until release, Revenant and Executor stood as the most anticipated and intriguing Nightfarers for a great many people, myself included. In addition to their sheer mystique, this was also largely thanks to their designs appearing to imply some relation to various critical lore elements. Of course, we now understand these characters to have fairly minimal ties to the greater narrative and lore of Elden Ring, which may be surprising and disappointing for some. However, their thematic connections both to each other and to Elden Ring's central concepts run deep, and in keeping with the theme of synthesis, by reading them in conjunction, the individual components are elevated into something greater than the sum of their parts.
This focuses on analyzing the story and themes of Revenant. You can find the follow-up, focusing on Executor, here.
(Naturally, this piece discusses the entirety of Revenant's Journal/Remembrance storyline. I do highly recommend experiencing at least the final scene for yourself first, if only because it’s one of the most stand-out parts of Nightreign's narrative. You can view the full questline here. Additionally, you can read her Journal entries here.)
From our first glimpse of Revenant, I was incredibly excited about how overtly her design elements alluded to some of the game’s most deeply significant lore. Her hair being styled in narrow, parallel braids in front and a single larger braid behind clearly evokes Marika and, by extension, the Dominula Celebrants who wear their hair in imitation of her. Similarly, the figure on the back of her lyre also strongly resembles many depictions of Marika. That her hair is white brings to mind the jarred shamans, as well as Rakshasa, commonly speculated to have been a shaman, in part due to her hair and eye colors. In addition to this, Revenant's bridal veil, flower crown, blue shawl/cape with gold embroidery, and general silhouette all very strongly echo the Celebrants, whose festival revolves around a sacrificial blue-garbed maiden, and is overtly inspired by real-life fertility festivals. Dominula is also lush with flowers in a myriad of colors, of a kind only otherwise seen in the Shaman Village, save for the jasmine-like flowers at the roots of the Haligtree; blue, however, is consistently associated in Elden Ring with matters of spirits, death, magic, and night, making Revenant’s particular flower crown, and general color scheme, even more significant.
Then, there is the matter of Revenant being covered in medallions bearing the “nine-pupil” motif, the ring of circles around a central circle; I refer to it as such here because folks most commonly associate it with the eye of the Fell God of Fire, and indeed it is seen prominently all across the Rauh-style architecture of the Giants’ Forge and the Divine Towers, but it is also present, with varying numbers of “pupils,” in many other places, including the Verdigris Discus, the Miquellan Knight's Sword, the trim of Godrick’s mantle, and, as it happens, the accessories of the Celebrants. Given the clear significance of this symbol, as well as Dominula's relationship to Marika, the shamans, and the Godskins, and in light of Revenant's spirit-calling abilities, many were sure she would tie into the deep lore of the Lands Between. As it happens, she does not.
As with all the Nightfarers, Chloe Northerncroft seems to have hailed from outside the Lands Between. The prestigious House Northerncroft are known for their mastery of puppetry, and their patron is the esteemed, elderly Edgar Northerncroft, who doted on his young granddaughter, Chloe, wishing for her to seek the happiness she deserves; he expressed this in a message described as “hurriedly scrawled,” likely implying that it was written just before passing away. Chloe owns a life-size doll, crafted by Edgar himself; it is modeled after herself, and wears the same dress and basic medallions as her, but is otherwise adorned in a manner highly evocative of the Lands Between. She has named it Daphne. When the storm of the Night falls upon the Northerncroft estate, its power induces violent madness in at least one member of the house, a man of unspecified identity, but presumably Chloe’s father. He brutally bludgeons to death a woman, then Chloe herself, the girl's blood spattering on Daphne. The doll awakens afterwards, not truly possessed by Chloe's spirit, but imbued with her lingering will and vengeful resentment, animated in part by the power of the Night. Thus, the Revenant is born, the cursed, composite echo of a sacrificed innocent and a cold vessel, driven to “avenge her disgraced lineage.”
Now, while the presentation of Daphne/Chloe's story is superb, the gruesome final cutscene in particular, it isn't quite the lore insight many expected. Really, Revenant's story seems to have absolutely no relation to Elden Ring at large; at least, at first glance. But the themes of her story ring out clear. A young girl abandoned and brutalized by those she was born to, her life forfeit at the whims of an indifferent preternatural force, leaving her bereft of all but her yearning for revenge, a duty that defines her very being. A nascent sprout who should have epitomized the potential of life, reduced to naught but a cold, ashen phantom. Whether Marika, Melina, Millicent, Anri, Shanalotte, the Forlorn, the Milfanito, Anastacia, Maria, Yharnam, or any number of other characters, variations of this refrain have played out time and again throughout FromSoft’s stories. The indignities and acts of violence inflicted upon women, falsely justified in the name of order and systems of power, is one of their most enduring themes. However, Revenant's tale bears yet further, more specific connections to the themes of Elden Ring.
First, it is worth acknowledging that, in the Lands Between, the art of crafting puppets and dolls is almost exclusively associated with Liurnia; Ranni’s own doll bodies were an immediate point of comparison when Revenant was revealed, and the same manner of Marionettes as the Iron Menial originate in this land. It is, incidentally, the very same land most associated with magic and spirits, and even hosts a number of the notorious, wraith-infested enemies known as Royal Revenants. One such enemy serves as the boss of Daphne’s final Remembrance, a representative manifestation labeled as “Contaminant.” Though it cannot be definitively stated what royalty these revenants originally belonged to, be it that of Leyndell or Liurnia or even Eochaid, their nature as former aristocracy cursed by vengeful souls paints a clear parallel. As in the mythologies of real-world cultures, particularly the very same Celtic and Nordic regions which hold noteworthy prominence among Elden Ring’s inspirations, these revenants present as those condemned to death, yet returned to life for the purpose of wrathful, even feral, retribution.
Returning to our Revenant, she is often found sitting on the balcony overlooking the entry hall, poised beneath the looming portraits of Godfrey and Radagon, king consorts to Marika. Even the girl's posture is notably similar to Marika's in her own portrait, found on the balcony's other side. I previously made mention of Dark Souls II's Milfanito, and even well prior to the game's release, at least one keen-eyed individual observed comparisons between Revenant and the Shrine of Amana's ethereal singers; the use of music to quell or call the dead, the nearly-identical injuries, Revenant being “attuned to life's ebb and flow,” and the Milfanito's own overt parallels to the shamans all position Revenant within a deeply significant metatextual legacy. This persists into her Journal Questline, where she must retrieve a “Blade of Night Fragment” from one of two Nightlords; its description notes how its “dark substance slowly spreads, as if to restore the lost portion of the blade, or to sharpen the existing blade beyond its natural properties.” Put another way, it seeks to either complete itself, or to ascend to a greater state. Quite reminiscent of a certain hero who became lord, and a shaman who became god.
Conspicuously, this key item can be obtained from defeating either Gladius, a fiery wolf, born with three heads due to a mutative aspect, once loyal to a fearless warrior, or Fulghor, a bestial champion of storm-clad gods, whose attire and aesthetics are highly reminiscent of certain factions known to worship divine beasts and sacred light. Regardless of whether or not either Nightlord is truly connected to Radagon or the hornsent, the thematic allusion being drawn is clear: Revenant's character is intended to be read within the context of Marika. A unifying embodiment of this is the connection to be drawn between Marika and the Shield of the Guilty, the description of which states: “Shield made to venerate a maiden whose eyes were crushed by Briars of Sin before being reborn in these lands. Venerating the repose of the soul, this shield boosts focus.” Whether parable or recounting, this concept speaks clearly to both Marika and Revenant, spirit-channeling maidens condemned as sinners, deprived of life, now reborn in forms eternal. These stories are woven of the same thread, and there is no aspect of Revenant and Marika's stories that overlaps more clearly than their shared thirst for revenge.
Edgar Northerncroft is described as the patron of House Northerncroft, though given he bears the name, it's likely he is indeed also the patriarch; I would suspect the terms may have simply been conflated, but the word used in the Japanese text is obviously relevant here, and I cannot speak to that. However, what is particularly of note is that he shares his name with Elden Ring’s own Edgar. That Edgar is a Banished Knight, and castellan of Castle Morne, having explicitly been granted stewardship of the location by Godrick. He resides there with his daughter, Irina, who possesses some unclear connection to Hyetta, prospective Finger Maiden to the Three Fingers and the Flame of Frenzy; notably, a Frenzied Flame village sits very close to Castle Morne, and in the 1.00 text, Shabriri himself was stated to have been exiled to the Weeping Peninsula.
In spite of these ties to Frenzy, Edgar is the steadfast keeper and protector of his castle's legacy, which heavily revolves around the Grafted Blade Greatsword, the weapon of an unnamed “revenger” who, in the wake of his country’s ruin, slew an entire clan of warriors; there is ample reason to suspect this was Elemer, but that is its own tangent. This unique term comes up several times in the game; the Grafted Blade revenger, the Revenger's Shack in Liurnia where the Frenzy-addled Edgar himself ends up, the rot-afflicted dragon Ekzykes being a “Dragon Communion Revenger,” and the hornsent revenger among Miquella's followers. In every case, these are individuals whose kin and clans have been slaughtered, who have been left with nothing but despair and hatred, or so they believe, and have subsequently become consumed by a vengeance that eclipses even their own self-inflicted demises. In this way, they thus serve as foils to Marika, herself a “revenger” in essence. The genocidal crusade she sends Messmer on is ostensibly justified as long-delayed recompense for the potentates’ butchering of her shaman kin. Yet, as with the other revengers, her hatred consumes her, blinds her to that which she still has, and drives her to seek retribution even against those merely kindred to the true transgressors, fomenting prejudice and perpetuating the violent cycle of sin and causality. Such scorn eventually extends to the Albinaurics, who implore, in their despair, “Oh, stars. Oh, night. Oh...fate. Punish them all. Punish the world, entire. We speak to those who forsake us to this world that shuns our kind. Punish every living thing...”
Revenant herself is yet another “revenger,” but hers is the story that, at last, deviates from self-destruction. She does not abandon her purpose; as she reminds the Duchess with her gifted Crown Medal, “with strength comes the burden of duty,” and as we are reminded by Marika and Radagon’s Scarseals, “solemn duty weighs upon the one beholden; not unlike a gnawing curse from which there is no deliverance.” And indeed, within Nightreign’s OST, the track that plays as the blood-spattered Daphne steps out into the night, clutching Chloe’s portrait, is titled “A Girl’s Solemn Wish.” This is not to say she is free of all temptation to sink into the vengeful depths of hatred; in addition to her myriad of dialogue expressing vengeful bitterness, a cut content item, the Dried Droplet, reads as follows: “Power of Night that failed to acquire a host. Droplets that sought to intermingle, and gathered in anticipation of a fitting host's welcome, only to be abandoned. Desire finds its way through a back door, and longing reveals one's true nature. Little doll, how long can you continue to resist?” The “Night Idol” yearns for bloody, indiscriminate retribution upon all that lives no less than any revenger, a fact that renders her resilience all the more admirable.
For, rather than submit, Revenant faces her true nature, purges the Night’s corrupting hold on her, and finds new resolve to fulfill this duty, to honor this wish, all through the aid of her newfound family; in particular, the Recluse, whose own narrative heavily emphasizes her theme of motherhood, and indeed, this is what she acts as to young Daphne. This is what the Nightfarers come to all be to one another, and what comes to form the core theme of Nightreign’s narrative: family. This very concept ever torments Marika, as she perpetuates the fixation upon blood that haunted her early years, and in doing so perpetually destroys her own family. Daphne, on the other hand, embraces the family to be found beyond the ties of blood, beyond the solitude of night. And through these bonds, closure and healing is to be found, the likes of which elude Revenant’s fellow revengers, save one. Though never referred to with that term, Diallos, youngest of the esteemed House Hoslow, seeks revenge for the death of his dear companion, but ultimately finds true solace in tending to the Living Jars of Jarburg, themselves the vestigial legacy of Marika’s own butchered people, the spirit-attuned shamans. A familiar tale to that of Daphne, no doubt, and one amplified now in parallel to her own journey. One must walk the path of vengeance with a clear mind, conscientious that such is but a righteous mission, and that only in embracing new bonds can the wounds of sorrow heal.
This use of the same central theme, or the same design or name or motif, across different stories, such that the stories come to inform and recontextualize one another, is perhaps the most recurring and crucial aspect of From’s storytelling. Another example lies with Irina herself, a blind young woman from Castle Morne, who seeks to become a Finger Maiden; Dark Souls III features its own Irina, all but identical in nature, save that “Morne” here refers to a renowned apostle of the church she serves. In this same vein, Bloodborne features its own Edgar, an agent of the highest echelon of that world’s own dominant church, fought within the depths of a nightmare realm steeped in Bloodborne’s version of Frenzy. And, of course, Bloodborne also has its own Doll, a sentient echo of the iconic Lady Maria, shamed by the foul legacy she was complicit in, sacrificing herself to bury the sin. Revenant’s story, of a patriarch unable to save his brutalized family, of a man lost to violent frenzy, of a girl who takes the form of a doll to remedy the wrongs of the past, threads neatly into these precursors, and indeed, it evokes the story of Elden Ring even more clearly. Though the reason for her Lands Between-esque attire yet remains unexplained, in truth, the reason matters little, for the real answer is that Revenant is a mirror, cracked such that her story reflects a myriad of scenes at once.
Just as at Castle Morne, a girl is brutally bludgeoned to death, and the patriarch Edgar is not there to protect her from one driven mad by a cosmic force, naught surviving the night but a will of pure resentment and revenge. Just as in Liurnia, a doll is possessed by a girl's spirit, driven by her desire to right a deep-rooted injustice, marked by a curse. Just as in Enir-Ilim, a girl survives her slaughtered kin, even as she herself dies and is reborn in their blood, walking away with a heart set only to wax wroth and wreak revenge, and the girl's vengeance will require a vessel. But, just as in humble Jarburg, one who was once a vengeance-seeking scion confronts the nature of their self, discovers the strength and purpose of a new family, and escapes the tainted and bloody cycle they so easily could have fallen prey to. “On that night, the doll understood – the young girl wished to live. And with that understanding, the doll found her purpose.”
pondering that last post and albi's commentary about rev and lore things and just omg. omg. i can't believe i hadn't considered marika's village / people / the shamans... omg. omg.
i have consistently been remarking that i believe rev / the northerncrofts have to have something to do with the giants, or are from the time when giants were still considered part of the higher pantheon with the gods / were revered as such. her medallions have several different imageries we see associated with the giants (their eyes, the seals, etc) and her braids feel reminisce of the braids seen with the giants / giant's whip.
marika? ties to marika / the shamans? oh my god i'm so blind. it feels really obvious now that someone else has pointed it out and i'm about to dive into such a rabbit hole i'm so ecstatic!!! me like IT ALL MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW!!! and still, imo, feels validating towards my connecting rev to the giants because of all things considered lmao but. AAA!! EXCITING!! EXCITING!!
definitely have to thank @drenched-in-sunlight for having the observation in the first place. albi already has such amazing beautiful art but to have the insight too ohmygoddddd!!!! HELL YEAH!!!!!!
salutes. see y'all after i'm done deep diving this lore rabbit hole, hopefully with more observations!
probably just an artist thing but my eyes twitch a bit whenever ppl say Revenant's blue theme is related in any way to Caria and try to make lore connection from it...
that is not Carian blue... these are two different colours
Revenant's blue and design is reminiscent of Cerulean Coast (/ghostflame), the Mind (FP/ high Faith and Arcane which translated to her skillset), and the Dominula maidens
even the obvious similarity with Ranni is only in her doll form, which is modelled after the Snow Witch and her cold magic - that is actually closer to the Zamor Warriors, & not have anything to do with the Carian (notice how it's also the same light baby blue, not the deep Lapis lazuli blue of Caria).
Revenant doesn't just stare at Radagon's portrait, she sits and broods under Godfrey's portrait too, with a pose similar to the Marika portrait nearby.
i guess it's just strange to me all lore discussion i've seen of her only focus on her Carian connection (????????), while the Marika/ shaman culture influence is no where in sight (which in turn results in no one paying attention to the fact that 1/ Revenant is a spirit summoner, aka what Marika and her sisters were 2/ her ult gives life back to her comrades and grants temporary immortality... which is what Marika as Queen of Life also embodies).
little low effort promo for my 90th post & my post - revamp era !
please ♡︎ if you are interested in interacting with private & canon - personal portrayals of sorceress sellen and / or fia , deathbed companion from elden ring ! or ⟳ this if you'd like to spread the good word hehe :)
Crow can't help but huff out a coarse laugh from around his pipe, smoke winding up past his thin lips before they curl into an exhale-- a perfect smoke ring treading the air a moment later. "Mhm, no helping that. Iron Menial ain't exactly test tastin' what he puts in th'pot, and I don't reckon th'priestess is gonna be much better. Not when she'd rather head out with you lot anyhow."
He smothers a cough against his ragged sleeve, then another, before rasping further. "Not like kissin' cheeks or patting asses will do much 'gainst th'Night anyhow. No sense wastin' breath and time when ya could be gettin' ready." His own gaze doesn't flicker away before the perhaps unnerving visage of the doll, flinty eyes alight with some quiet interest and intent.
"Gotta offer for ya. Reckon it'll be more use t'ya than any of them others."
For as trivial as these housewarming tasks were, it almost perturbed the doll that her very family weren't being asked to assist. Frederick, though burlier than before, was and remained a rather satisfying cook. He was not like the mad pumpkin heads he currently inhabited. His wits, unspoken as they were, remained about him, only subtler. Even he looked as disappointed in this neglectful fact, sat mighty and childlike in the grass below their gathering, staring up at the rest of their collective.
Daphne's attention is taken away from her companion's spirit only as soon as the man's proposition piques her interest. Sky blue hues take him in the same way she takes in his little offer; with hesitation. She has doubts he knows what may truly be of use to her, so different from them all as she was, but she'll listen.
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