#velka

This happened to me a few nights ago.

*written to entertain both hardcore fans and fandom rubberneckers

i made the mistake of thinking about dark souls lore the other day after choosing to make myself mad about the remaster again, but in the worst possible way. soulsborne fans know to fear and run from anyone who starts talking about this unseen character known only through item descriptions: velka, goddess of sin. if you start talking about velka you’re too far gone in the souls sauce and about to spout some of the most unhinged nonsense ever uttered by a human on the entire history of the planet. velka and the highly secretive “plot against the gods” are quietly mentioned in less than 10 item descriptions. no character utters her name or speaks of the rebellion she participated in, she and her comrades do not appear in the game…probably. its complicated.

her inclusion initially reads as a throw-away means of world-building; much like the now infamous line about the “clone wars” in “star wars: a new hope” that was needlessly fleshed out into a trilogy that haunts us even to this day, the item descriptions serve to establish that you have entered a world overflowing with heroes and history that you were not privy to nor took part in. these events are such a basic foundation of lordran history that no one mentions it because it would be inorganic and narratively heavy-handed. its like if we walked around talking about when lincoln was shot on a day to day basis just in case anyone wasn’t up to speed.

anyway, this thought process started after i realized how fucking weird it is that a giant crow transports you from undead asylum to firelink shrine…why would it do that??? like, yes, obviously it’s a gameplay contrivance in order to get you from point A to point B with a cinematic, fantastical flair, i understand that. i also understand that velka herself is a gameplay contrivance with story written around it to soften the landing, but unfortunately, dark souls is a thread that unravels quickly when you pick at it, revealing shocking narrative cohesion underneath. if you’re completely insane, that is.

we will do this in a journalistic manner: who, what, when, where, why. but first, it requires a lot of dark souls history/lore context. it’s a lot. stick with me.

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Dark Souls 1: Gwyn and Velka

ohhh my beloveds, their story is very tragic i physically can't.

i think they were pretty healthy, they were a cute couple with Lloyd judging them in the back. they had three children (NK, Gwynevere and Filianore) and everything is good and silly... until humanity comes in.

while Velka was very friendly with the humans and affiliated more with the Dark even tho she's a goddess, Gwyn was scared and very paranoid of them and their power, and all the shits happens which led Velka to rebel against the gods, and Gwyn.

and so they cut off every connection they had, and Velka started her plan to kill the gods (the fact that Gwyn committed the "First Sin" and Velka being the goddess of sin starting the prophecy so that the undeads could kill Gwyn is just ejrkgowmrkglel)

they're very sad, and they are also so dear to me🙏

Dark Souls 2: Aldia and Navlaan/Royal Sorcerer

i've already talked about them in a previous post, they are so underrated it's crazy.

Vendrick and Aldia went to Majula to kill this clan of sorcerers, but Aldia decided to take one sorcerer (who was alive for some reasons) with him, that sorcerer was Navlaan's vessel. (he got the title of "Royal Sorcerer" so that means Vendrick accepted him as a member of the court, even tho he didn't like sorcerers very much lol)

Aldia and the Sorcerer were probably very close, while Aldia was researching for a way of the curse, the sorcerer was just trying to find some new forms of hexes.

and then they got locked up, which well caused them insanity, just like everyone in there. but still they were probably the sanest people in the keep, and that probably made them closer.

at the end Navlaan possessed the Sorcerer which caused him to isolate himself even more to prevent hurting people, and Aldia couldn't nothing about it. (he probably felt so bad☹️)

i'm very normal about them.

Dark Souls 3: Friede and Ariandel

it was hard to choose honestly, but i'd go with them!

another story that ended horribly, Ariandel was a Corvian who had the task to burn the Painted World. Friede was a woman of Londor who lived in the Painted World and found comfort in it.

Friede did not liked the idea of burning the Painted World. and so she manipulate Ariandel into thinking that it was a futile act.

the fact that the first thing Ariandel says to us is to bring Friede to him so that she could gave him his flail to prevent the Flame from burning everything☹️