The Merchant: A Pinionfolk by the (working) name of Jester. For those unaware, Pinionfolk are the winged bipedal bird-people we’re first introduced to in the world of Elden Ring lore in Nightreign snd through the playable character of Guardian. They were a proud people of the skies, who were cursed by a witches magic and through war with a terrible beast were wiped out. This is the reasoning why one makes an appearance in the Realm of Spirits. And, in a manner of reverence for the Twinbird, a majority of Pinionfolk have hung around the lands of the dead. This particular merchant vies in the equipment and goods found throughout the Realm, and serves as a guide for new arrivals to the Realm. She offers advice and guidance, albeit in exchange for information or aid for herself and her kin, and jokes too often for her own good. We can encounter and help other Pinionfolk affiliated with Jester throughout the Realm of Spirits, and bringing back one of their Feathered Ball Bearing Tokens opens up more available equipment from Jester. From crafting materials to unique arms, to certain key items and Notes of places of interest. Jester can also be encountered outside of the Cathedral upon revisiting or resting at specific boss sites. She may make passing comments on individual bosses of note, such as the Divine Bird or Rosus.

The Smith; A skeletal spirit draped in heavy robes hiding their body, who was once in Life called Lento. They are working on attempting to forge themselves a new body, as in Death their spirit has retained this skeletal form of which they are ashamed. As such they are willing to forge any weapons brought to them, in pursuit of honing their craft in order to pursue their dream of gaining a body of their own. They may ask for specific Key Items to aid in their own pursuits of building a new body, to which our Tarnished can aid in finding components out in the deeper reaches of the Realm of Spirits. This skeleton smith is mainly acting as a reference to the smith encountered in the Tomb of Giants in Dark Souls, Vamos. (The name is also a slight pun, with Vamos meaning lets go -often accompanied with fast pace- and Lento referring to going slow.) Talking with Lento, after helping them, leads to us learning about their past before they became one of Those Who Live in Death. We learn they were once considered royalty, who resided in the Seat of the Sun, but their people were cursed and slowly their bodies faded over time, degrading till they were aught but bone. Yet still they could not die truly. Alternatively, I may make Lento be the original Golem Crafter we learn so little about throughout the course of the base game. With the first clue of this being either their bones themselves being Crystallised beneath their heavy robes, or the tools they use to smith being made of crystal.

The Spirit Tuner; Though I haven’t settled on a name yet, this is the Spirit Tuner Hewg mentions having shown him kindness in the past. She shares the same green eyes that Roderika possesses, but is dark haired. In Death, she has been able to better understand the Spirits with which she once communed, and has become an even more talented Spirit Tuner than she once was. However, in Death, these talents aren’t as beneficial to those around her. Meeting our Tarnished changes this, as she immediately recognises the trust Torrent has in us and offers her services. She is able to take Spirit Ash beyond +10, utilising unique materials found only in the Realm of Spirits. Taking an Ash beyond +10 doesn’t improve the Ashs’ base damage output but instead adds a Scaling to a Spirit Ash (connected to either Intelligence, Faith or Arcane.) She is also capable of altering Torrent’s appearance - colour, mane style, horn decoration, saddle alterations - and can grant a handful of unique Spirit Ashes of her own, that have their own requirements to unlock tied to the Realm of Spirits. The three names I have as possible names for the Spirit Tuner are currently Enide, Anima or Dusana.

Leon: My instincts say leave.

Leon: I might need it.

Merchant: You won’t.

Leon: You don’t know that.

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