A Not-So-Concise Lore/Headcanon Theory on the History of Godrick the Grafted
He is the son of Godwyn and his unnamed wife (possibly Fia? Or the human form of Fortissax?)
He is the older of twins—him and Godefroy. However, Godefroy is far stronger. This would be a fantasy take on vanishing twin syndrome—ie, the amniotic sacs are connected and blood etc is transferred from one twin to the other. In real life, this is deadly for both, but this fantasy version would have Godefroy growing strong at Godrick’s expense.
He has a malformed leg from birth and is very weak as a result of his birth. While he is cooped up with the various perfumer healers, Godefroy is becoming a squire and eventually a champion and hero in the vein of Radahn.
Whoever his mother is (and this is why I think it's the human form of Forti), she has connections to Limgrave—in particular, Castle Morne, and due to its location, the Temple of Dragon Communion.
The connection to Stormveil Castle is via the mother. Godrick isn’t squatting there, and he didn’t take over—he has some sort of birthright to Stormveil (which is why Leyndell and etc don’t just lead an army to evict him, and why Melania left him there to his own devices—more on that later).
Godfrey is sent away along with his people (Marika’s plans to escape the grasp of the Greater Will have begun—she is planting a backup plan out of the reach of the Greater Will). The Fingers, controlled by Metyr, command Radagon to leave Rennala, and command Radagon and Marika to marry, which results in Melania and Miquella.
Back to his childhood. Godrick spent the time either in medical care (ala Elric of Melbione or Baldwin IV, the so-called Leper King), or studying to find some sort of cure for his condition. The motivating crux of Godrick’s behavior is his sense of inadequacy, and his desire to be like Godfrey. He will do anything to gain power.
He spends time in Sellia, and there learns of the Nox and the Numen, and begins to harbor suspicions about the truth that Marika and the Golden Order are telling.
For reference, Godrick and Godefroy were born around the same time as the Rennala/Radagon children.
Time passes, Godrick remains weak, and Godefroy makes a name for himself in Limgrave.
It should be noted that prior to Marika and Godfrey marrying, she tricks the Hornsent into making her their God, and then betrays them out of revenge for the Shaman. Around this time, or perhaps prior to it, she has Messmer and Melina with an unknown father (possibly Radagon), then seals away the center of the Lands Between, turning it into the Shadowlands, leaving Messmer there to carry out her crusade against the Hornsent. She builds the Golden Order alongside the existing religions (the Crucible and the Fire Giant) and marries Godfrey, having Godwyn, Mogh and Morgott. Melina raises the Godskins, and has her rebellion as the Gloam-eyed Queen. This rebellion is put down. In retaliation, the Golden Order begins to put down other religions, led by Godfrey and Radagon.
At this time, persecution of the Omen begins and Mogh and Morgott are sent to the Shunning Grounds.
Fire Giant is killed, Godrick and Godefroy are born, Godfrey is sent away.
Godrick’s first memory is of Godfrey and the Tarnished being sent away on the ships.
Okay, back to the ‘present’. The night of the Black Knives occurs. Marika shatters the Elden Ring and is locked away in the Erdtree by Radagon. It should be noted that it is Radagon who is barring the entrance to the Erdtree, as commanded by the Greater Will aka the Two Fingers.
The demigods all receive a Great Rune—except Godrick. Godefroy is the original owner of Godrick’s Great Rune.
There is minor chaos before Morgott emerges from the Shunning Grounds, wearing the Mimic’s Veil, and wrests control of the Lands Between. Miquella and Melania have been building the Haligtree for many years at this point, and do not oppose him taking over.
Over many years, the Lands Between collapse—consider the slow motion collapse of the Roman Empire.
Godrick begins to scheme against his brother, who is extremely ambitious by his nature. He convinces Godefroy that Morgott is usurping his birthright—as the son of Godwyn, Marika’s first son, Godefroy has more claim to the throne than Morgott, who is her second son, and, per Morgott’s lie that he left the Land’s Between with Godfrey and returned when Grace called him back, a foreign usurper.
At the same time, he makes an ally/friend with Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff. Remember that Godrick is directly related to dragons, and thusly would have a lot of sway with people who participate in dragon communion. He relays his suspicions that Godefroy is planning something against Leyndell.
Eventually, Godefroy decides to lay siege against Leyndell—this is the first Defense of Leyndell. Limgrave is the most fertile part of the Lands Between, and probably has the largest armies. Godefroy leaves Kenneth Haight in charge of Fort Haight, and Edgar in charge of Castle Morne (or their families, at least).
During the first defense of Leyndell, all of the Demigods rally in defense. Godrick told Godefroy that he would be his man on the inside, but when the time comes and Godefroy comes to get Godrick to uphold his part, Godrick instead stabs him and calls for Kristoff.
During the fight, Godefroy bites Godrick on the arm.
Kristoff captures Godefroy, and Godrick claims his Great Rune.
Per the description of the Toothed Whip: “Whip bestrewn with rotting, misshapen teeth. Filthy and seething with disease, the teeth are embedded in the whip and dose the victim with deadly poison upon each strike. As the wounds ripen they grow inflamed and ooze pus. The flesh of shamans was said to meld harmoniously with others.”
Godrick’s wound begins to heal oddly, and he realizes that the flesh of other people is able to stick to it perfectly.
He begins to experiment on Godefroy, who is currently trapped in the Golden Lineage Evergaol, eventually turning him into the Godrick Asset Reuse we see in the game.
Meanwhile, in Calied and the Haligtree, Radahn and Miquella have been scheming to overthrow the Golden Order and replace it with their new, perfect order.
Radahn invades Leyndell and is turned back by Morgott in the guise of Margit. This is when the collapse becomes obvious. It is also when Kristoff, who has been harboring suspicions against Godrick, finally airs them. He has come to realize that Godrick has been grafting Godefroy, and that Godrick was behind Godefroy's attempt to sack Leyndell. Godrick manages to kill Kristoff with his new strength from minor grafting, and flees Leyndell with a bunch of treasures—including the Mimic Veil, which he uses to disguise himself as a woman. He escapes with the help of a thief and prisoner, Gostoc, who's loyalty he acquires by offering to graft Gostoc a new arm—Gostoc's arm was cut off as a punishment for theft.
Margit cannot return to the form of Morgott, and conjures the illusion of Godfrey outside the throne room to hide himself. He then goes into reclusion, speaking only seldom from a balcony, wearing a veil to hide his omen nature.
Godrick claims his birthright and overtakes Stormveil Castle.
Because he and Radahn both studied in Sellia, Godrick has some awareness of his and Miquella’s plans. He threatens to air these, and that is why Melania comes to attack him.
He loses badly, and begs for his life.
She cuts off his arm (in a cruel irony of her own condition), and leaves him in Stormveil with a bunch of Exiled Knights to keep him there. He is a Lord in name only, only playing at ruling, while in reality he is a prisoner in all but name.
At this point, the Tarnished begin to return, and Morgott sends Margit and the Night's Calvary out to hunt Tarnished. The illusory Margit at Stormveill is placed to guard Godrick, who is still the weakest of the Demigods, in order to stop powerful Tarnished from claiming a Great Rune.
As a prisoner, Godrick becomes more and more unstable. He attempts to graft Gostoc a new arm, which fails. Godefroy had children, who Godrick attempts to graft to save them after they are injured during an accident. This goes horribly wrong and they end up as the Grafted Scions.
He realizes (mistakenly) that it is only the Golden Lineage that can be grafted, and assumes that this is the ultimate fate of his bloodline—Godfrey had Sarosh, after all. He does not realize that this ability stems from Marika.
Godrick's experiments get more and more extreme, until he ends up as the unstable, mangled man that we see in the game, obsessed over his own dwindling power, and the legacy of the Golden Lineage.
And then we kill him!
