Mirrah, in the Sunless Realms. The Sunless Knights of Mirrah serve the Nameless Moon, whom we know to be the Darkmoon Gwyndolin. By the time of Dark Souls 3, Gwyndolin has become the new Allfather/King of the Gods, and so I designed a Church of Night, a place in Mirrah where the Way of White and the Way of Blue can unite to worship Gwyndolin’s family and his other divine relations.The baroque carvings on the facade of the Twilight Chapel depict the Darkmoon encircling the sleeping goddess Filianore, the older sister of Gwyndolin and the 2nd youngest child of Gwyn. The above is the Blue Spirit Tree mentioned in the Allegory of Quella, and on either side of this tree is Gwyndolin and his snake-legs reclining in a chair beneath the branches of Quella’s tree. I personally would assume both of these reclining figures actually represent Gwyndolin and Yorshka, rather than both being Gwyndolin, but Gwyndolin can make illusions so one assuming that Gwyndolin appearing twice is just as valid. Statues of Gwyndolin are guarding either side of Filianore, and on the left side of the Church is a statue of Caitha, granting solace to the mourning. On the right side is a statue of Velka, where Pardoner has brought sinners to plead absolution. Various knights of Mirrah have come on this night bearing candles, to place on an altar beneath the incense burner that will place them in a deep sleep, so that they may wake up in the Dream of Quella.
Mirrah is constantly fighting defensive wars. It is the duty of the suspiciously corvid-masked Shadow Knights to aid in the defense of Mirrah via subterfuge. While generally a secret order that is above the chivalrous nature of Mirrah’s citizens, the Shadow Knights are respected all the same as a necessary dark side to the moonlit knighthoods
The Dream of Quella is accessed via the hazy smoke of the Church’s incense burner. which helps place its holy knights in arcane slumber. In this Dream is a manifestation of Quella himself, a boy in the shape of a tree, growing between the statues of an old ruined church in the old capitol of Mirrah. It is here where, hidden by illusion, that the Holy Water is found. Long ago, when the Sun still shined, a bountiful goddess of sunlight and fertility blessed this ancient spring. Statues of Gwynevere and her Maidens preside over this spring, and their watchful gaze keeps their Divine Blessing alive.
My entries for the Unseen Lands of Dark Souls Contest by @vaatividya ! I’m grateful as ever to find myself in the Top 100 List yet again. I actually convinced one of my tutors at uni (we study comic and concept art) to make this into an assignment, as part of my quest to push Dark Souls into my university life. So. That means I’ll be graded for these as well. I learned a LOT while painting these, as they were particularly out of my comfort zone.