The Hunt: Dark Souls 1 - The Depths

Previously, the Chosen Undead rang the first Bell of Awakening in the Undead Parish. Now they are getting down and dirty as they wade through The Depths.

The Depths - Synopsis

Functionally, the Depths is the sewer for the Undead Burg. The labyrinthine sewer tunnels of the Depths are home to humanity-gnawing rats, poisonous slime, and frog-like basilisks that threaten to petrify those who cross them. There are Undead who dwell in this place; a group of cannibalistic butchers and their dogs. It could be assumed that they were found to be too undesirable to live among the thieves of the lower Undead Burg, and made the entrance of the Depths their new home. At the very bottom of the Depths dwells the Gaping Dragon. Some say it is but a small lizard, and some do not return to say anything at all...

After living through the Undead Parish, the Chosen Undead stomped over the corpse of the Capra Demon and makes their way into the Depths. Here, they made their way through a poorly placed kitchen where they met an entree-on-deck by the name of Laurentius of the Great Swamp. Afterward, the Chosen Undead headed into the sewers that made up most of the Depths, slayed slime and rats alike, flushed the Giant Rat down the drain, avoided basilisks like the plague, rolled over Kirk, Knight of Thorns, re-stocked from the merchant Domhall of Xena, spied another Channeler (talk about them and basilisks in the 'Additional Content' section), and swallowed the Gaping Dragon whole.

Laurentius of the Great Swamp

via darksouls.wikidot.com

"Th-thank you.I would have been her supper without you. Being eaten alive! I shudder to think…Thank you, thank you dearly.

I am Laurentius, of the Great Swamp.

I will not forget my debt to you."

Laurentius is a pyromancer from the Great Swamp. He is an Undead who has come to Lordran because it is the home of the Witch of Izalith, the Godmother of Pyromancy, and pyromancy is more respected in Lordran than in other lands. The Chosen Undead finds him stuck in a barrel by the butchers, to be used for a later meal. After freeing him, he begins his journey toward Firelink Shrine, where he agrees to help the Chosen Undead with the art of pyromancy. Article
Just realized something about the lore behind Laurentius and the Butchers by SirAwesomely
This article takes a look at what the placement of the Butchers in relation to the Giant Rat might inform about Laurentius' dialogue.

Video

Dark Souls Story ► The Heroes of Firelink Shrine by VaatiVidya 
This video examines Laurentius among characters and the significance Firelink Shrine plays in their stories. (Spoilers)

Giant Undead Rat

via darksouls.wikidot.com

The Giant Undead Rat is found in a cage below the butchers. This rat is much larger than any other rats that can be found in Lordran, which seems to be a result of being fed scraps by the butchers above. Laurentius says that he "...would have been her supper..." if the Chosen Undead had not rescued him, with the "her" presumably being the Giant Undead Rat.

Kirk, Knight of Thorns

via darksouls.wikidot.com

Kirk invades the Chosen Undead in the sewers of the Depths. His barbed weapons and armour are his trademark and the source of his title as the Knight of Thorns. He is an infamous member of the Darkwraiths, a group that murders for Humanity. The Chosen Undead is able to overcome Kirk, but that only serves to send him back to his world. Kirk is intent on his mission, and will very likely appear again...



Video
Dark Souls Lore - Kirk by Silver Mont
An interpretation of the story of Kirk, Knight of Thorns. (Spoilers)

Article

The Legend of the Knight of Thorns by Link1299
An interpretation of the story of Kirk, Knight of Thorns. (Spoilers)

Domhnall of Zena

via darksouls.wikidot.com

"Aye, siwmae. And good day to you.
I'm Domhnall of Zena. I'm just, well, a peddler, of sorts.
I adore trinkets and oddities, so I trade for them."

Domhnall is a merchant, and the only person from Zena that the Chosen Undead meets during their travels. He sells a variety of weapons and armour, specializing in the armour of bosses that the Chosen Undead defeats. He will also offer some very straightforward tips and hints about overcoming the challenges of Lordran that seem to suggest that he has braved the dangers that this land has to offer.

Article

Possibility of Domhnall being 'more than meets the eye? by Seamus-MCMXCVI
This article takes a close look at what Domhnall carries and says as a means to figure out what places he may have visited in Lordran, and what this says about him. (Spoilers)

The Gaping Dragon

The Gaping Dragon resides at the bottom of the Depths. A descendent of the Everlasting Dragons, the Gaping Dragon has such an overwhelming appetite that its ribcage has come apart and formed a secondary, horrific mouth. In lieu of a picture for the Gaping Dragon, I am going to include the introduction cinematic for the Gaping Dragon, which stands among the best in the series.

 Video
Dark Souls Lore Q&A #3 - Gaping Dragon by Silver Mont
This video discusses the Gaping Dragon among other topics. (Spoilers)

Back at Firelink Shrine...

Rhea of Thorolund and Her Companions Nico & Vince

"You are Undead, as well?

Then we've no time to fraternize. I have my mission, and you no doubt have yours.

We must not let this curse overcome us."

Upon returning to Firelink Shrine, the Chosen Undead finds that Petrus of Thorolund has been joined by Rhea of Thorolund and her companions Vince and Nico of Thorolund. Rhea is the daughter of a prestigious family in Thorolund and a member of the Way of White. Having become Undead, she has journeyed to Lordran to seek out the Rite of Kindling in the Catacombs, a standard practice for members of the Way of White who become Undead. 

Vince and Nico are childhood classmates of hers who have been enlisted to accompany her on this quest, and are notably not Undead. The pilgrimage to the Catacombs to acquire the Rite of Kindling is a dangerous one, and they have journeyed with Rhea in order to protect her against whatever dangers they might come across.

The Chosen Undead finishes their conversation with the party, and is informed that Rhea, Vince, Nico, and Petrus will be departing for the Catacombs shortly.

Community Content

Podcasts
Episode 4: Darkroot Garden & The Depths by Bonfireside Chat
(spoilers about Darkroot Garden)

Other Content
Episode 4: Bro-Gerine and Episode 5: Bro Butter, No Problems by Twin Humanities

Episode 4: This episode covers Darkroot Gardens, bro-operation, the Capra Demon and candles! (spoilers about Darkroot Garden) Episode 5: This episode covers The Depths, the Gaping Dragon, the Catacombs, and overpowered fire people! (spoilers about the Catacombs)

Episode 12: The Depths by Dark Calls

James makes it to the Depths.

Lego Dark Souls is a really cool site run by Allison Baker that re-creates scenes from Dark Souls and other media using Legos! One very relevant example of this is her creation of The Gaping Dragon.

Additional Thoughts

For one, I apologize that I skipped out on posting this the week I meant to. It totally didn't have anything to do with the Old Hunters coming out...

But back to Dark Souls and the Depths! A cool thing to note here is the invasion by Kirk, and how it imitates PvP. Not only does Dark Souls provide a similar experience for those who may be playing offline, but I love how invasions and PvP are as much a part of the game world as they are a mechanic of the game. It is these details and connections between the experience and narrative of Dark Souls that really elevate the enjoyment and immersion. Dark Souls is certainly a video game, but it takes its video games aspects (PvP, Co-op, dying) and incorporates them into the story instead of glossing over them. This is something that I really love about the Souls games, and something that has increased (often to their detriment) my expectations about how videos games can combine their gameplay and narrative content into a cohesive experience. 

The content covered in this post pull in and further develop the characters of Dark Souls. The Gaping Dragon is a really great set-piece. Kirk, Knight of Thorns showcases the fusion between gameplay and lore that the Souls games do so well. That being said, I think that most of the lore and characters of this area are contained within this game, and will be at most referenced in Dark Souls 3, meaning that, for the second post in a row, that this information is: 

Thanks for reading this article! Any feedback or comments are massively appreciated. The next post will be covering Blighttown!