The Hunt: Dark Souls 1 - Undead Burg

Last time, the Chosen Undead made their way through the Northern Undead Asylum and wound up in Firelink Shrine. In this post, they make their way through the Undead Burg.

via undeadburg.com

The Undead Burg - Synopsis

The Undead Burg used to be an outer ward town of Anor Londo, but is now a town for Undead. It is broken up into the upper Undead Burg and lower Undead Burg. The upper Burg seems to have once been the nicer part of town, but is now home to a dragon and a bull demon. The tight corridors of the Lower Burg have not improved with time. The Lower Burg is a refuge for thieves, and a goat demon has taken up residence.  

The Chosen Undead made their way from Firelink Shrine to the Undead Burg via aqueduct. Making their way through the Upper Burg, CU talked with an undead merchant, toasted a Black Knight, countered Havel the Rock with the Phillidor Defense, threw themselves at the Taurus Demon, and avoided being barbecued by the Hellkite Drake. After an eventful trip over to the Undead Parish, CU used a newly acquired key to go down to the Lower Burg. Here, CU avoided getting mugged, freed Griggs of Vinheim, chatted up another undead  merchant, and played an extreme game of duck-duck-goose with the Capra Demon and its pets.

Undead Merchants

via darksouls.wikidot.com

via darksouls.wikidot.com

There are a couple of nearly Hollow Undead in the Undead Burg who will give the Chosen Undead items and weapons in exchange for souls. There is not much to say about them, other than that they illustrate the degradation of the mind that occurs as the Undead grow close to being Hollow. The male Undead merchant strokes something that isn't there, and the female Undead merchant's dialogue reveals her paranoia.

Black Knights

via darksouls.wikidot.com

The Black Knights fought alongside Gwyn against the demons, and as a result their once silver armor was now charred black. These knights became part of Gwyn's personal detachment when he left Anor Londo, and now their spirits wander the world in service of Lord Gwyn. They are all badasses, and the black knight in the Undead Burg will almost surely mess up the Chosen Undead the first time they meet.

Havel the Rock

via darksouls.wikidot.com

Havel and his followers fought alongside Gwyn and the silver knights against the chaos demons. Havel and his troops were known for their impenetrable armor, and they proved invaluable during the fiery battles against the demons. Havel himself was known for his weapon, the Dragon Tooth, which was literally the tooth from an everlasting dragon. Havel was also a Bishop of the Way of White. It may have been his intense faith that was his downfall.

Seath the Scaleless was Havel’s nemesis. Seath the Scaleless, betrayer of his kin, was named Duke by Lord Gwyn for his help in defeating the everlasting dragons. Whether it was simply because he was a dragon, or because he was a proven traitor, Havel hated Seath. It is unknown how far Havel the Rock went to try and stop Seath, but he outfitted himself in armor that was resistant to magic, and even developed the miracle Great Magic Barrier. It is even possible that Gwyn’s alliance in Seath caused Havel to lose faith in the gods, as an occult club, a weapon to be used against the gods, can be found hidden within his quarters in Anor Londo.

Ultimately, Havel was causing trouble. He was locked away in the watchtower by a dear friend, presumed to be Gwyn, where he eventually went Hollow. It is in this watchtower in the Undead Burg that the Chosen Undead finds this once mighty hero, brought low by forces greater than himself.

Videos
Dark Souls Lore: Havel The Rock by TerraMantis
Creates a series of journal entries that Havel could've written as a means to present his story. (spoilers)
Dark Souls Lore - Havel the Rock by Silver Mont
Presents the background of Havel the Rock . (spoilers)

Articles
Dark Souls Lore, Pt 3: Havel the Rock, or Havel the Back-stabber? by Chris Y
Analyzes Havel and his potential motivation to possess the occult club. (spoilers)
Havel The Rock is Stone Dragon by Mystrallo
Presents the theory that Havel is the Stone Dragon. (spoilers)

The Taurus Demon & Capra Demon

via darksouls.wikidot.com

via darksouls.wikidot.com

The First Flame was failing, and with it the god's power. Desperate for a way to maintain their power and continue the Age of Fire, the Witch of Izalith attempted to create a new flame using her Lord Soul. What she made was the Chaos Flame, a corrupted version of the First Flame. The Chaos Flame twisted life, and created the demons.

The Taurus and Capra Demon, and even the Asylum Demon all act as barriers to the Chosen Undead's progress. It is almost as if the demons do not want the Chosen Undead to succeed, and that might just be what is going on. The demons want to be left in peace, and the quest of CU will come into conflict with this desire. In order to prevent this, the demons have placed themselves as roadblocks between any potential CU and their goal to ring the Bells of Awakening. The Asylum Demon guarded the exit to the Undead Asylum, The Taurus Demon guarded the bridge to the Undead Parish, and the Capra Demon guarded the entrance to the depths and ultimately Blighttown.

Video
Guardians of Chaos - Dark Souls Lore: Demons by DaveControl
Dave explores the history of the demons and explores the idea that the demons are trying to keep the Undead from completing their quest. (spoilers)

Article
Theory about Chaos Demons Outside Izalith  by Sentuh
A theory that explores if the demons found in Lordran are being used to eradicate the Undead. (spoilers)

Solaire

via darksouls.wikidot.com

"Ah, hello! You don't look Hollow, far from it!

I am Solaire of Astora, an adherent of the Lord of Sunlight.

Now that I am Undead, I have come to this great land, the birthplace of Lord Gwyn, to seek my very own sun! … Do you find that strange? Well, you should! No need to hide your reaction. I get that look all the time! Hah hah hah!"

Solaire can first be met taking in a glorious landscape just after defeating the Taurus Demon. If it is not made abundantly clear from his opening dialogue, Solaire is a ray of sunshine in a dark world. After greeting the Chosen Undead, he offers CU the White Sign Soapstone, and explains its narrative significance. He explains that the flow of time itself is convoluted, with heroes centuries old phasing in and out. As the First Flame fades, even time begins to unravel in Lordran. People from different points in time can cross into each others worlds as a result of this, and Solaire offers you a way to do this, as well as offering to come into the Chosen Undead's world, should they require assistance. Afterward, the Chosen Undead leaves Solaire to gaze upon the sun and dream about being so grossly incandescent!

Videos
Dark Souls Story ► Solaire and the Sun by VaatiVidya
Explores the background and story of Solaire. (spoilers)
Dark Souls Lore - Solaire of Astora by Silver Mont
Presents the story of Solaire. (spoilers)

Hellkite Drake

via darksouls.wikidot.com

The Hellkite Drake is a drake that has decided to take up residence in the Undead Burg, presumably to feast upon all the hot dog people who dwell there.  Drakes are distinct from the everlasting dragons, and are seen as undeveloped imitators of the dragons, but they are likely their distant kin. When the Hellkite Drake is attempting to grill up the Chosen Undead it doesn't seem underdeveloped, but I'll trust the experts.

Griggs of Vinheim

via darksouls.wikidot.com

"Brilliant! You opened the door for me! Thank you; Im am saved. I thought I might never escape.

I am Griggs of Vinheim. A sorcerer of the school.

I am much obliged for your assistance.

Thanks to you, I may now resume my travels."

Griggs is a sorceror from the Vinheim Dragon School. He has come to Lordran to seek out his master Big Hat Logan.  After the Chosen Undead speaks with him, he will depart from this spot and make for Firelink Shrine, where he will wait for Big Hat Logan. In Firelink Shrine he will sell the Chosen Undead spells, some of which hint that Griggs is one of the secretive sound sorcerers in Vinheim, and may actually be a spy. What his mission may be is unclear, but perhaps he seeks out Big Hat Logan for reasons other than his own conceit...

Video
Dark Souls Lore: Vinheim, Oolacile (called it!), Path of the Dragon by EpicNameBro
Marcus talks about Vinheim and the sorcerors from there. (spoilers)

Community Content

Videos
Dark Souls Lands - Undead Burg, Undead Parish, and the Undead Church by DaveControl

Dave analyzes the ecology of the Undead Burg. (spoilers)
Dark Souls Lore: The Knights and Followers of Lord Gwyn [SPOILERS] by EpicNameBro
Marcus describes the followers of Gwyn, including the Black Knights and Havel the Rock. (spoilers)

Podcasts
Episode 2: The Undead Burg by Bonfireside Chat
Gary and Kole discuss the upper Undead Burg.

Other Content

Episode 3: Making Progress by Twin Humanities
Paddy and CJ discuss their experiences of playing through the Undead Burg.
Dark Calls 2: Undead Demon by Dark Calls
James makes progress in the Undead Burg.

Dark Calls 3: Taurus Demon by Dark Calls
James struggles against the Taurus Demon.
Dark Calls 4: The Armadillo by Dark Calls
James discusses beating the Taurus Demon.
Dark Calls 9: Capra by Dark Calls
James struggles against the Capra Demon.
Dark Calls 10: Capra Round 2 by Dark Calls
James overcomes the Capra Demon.

Additional Thoughts

Ah, the Undead Burg. If Dark Souls was your introduction to the series, or perhaps maybe even if it wasn't, you are likely to have sunk 6+ hours into this area (I think I was around 8 hours the first time I beat the Taurus Demon). That first time is more about getting your head around the mechanics than figuring out the story, but there is a lot going on here. I think it is only something that can be appreciated in retrospect, but the Undead Burg introduces a lot of the major plot points that will run through the game. The Black Knight, Havel the Rock, and demons all speak about Lordran's desperation and downfall. 

It is interesting just how much of the lore in this area has to do with the demons. Demons are somewhat secondary to where the narrative of Dark Souls goes, but they really act as a barrier to your progress initially. I think that is why I lend credence to the interpretation that they are there to stop the Chosen Undead from ringing the Bells of Awakening. From are very interested in marrying gameplay and mechanics to the lore and story of their games, and I think that's what they are doing here with the demons. They are your initial test, beginning with the Asylum Demon, and they continue to serve as significant barriers until you've made it through the first major section of the game. The story reflects the gameplay, and I totally dig it.

Havel is a mainstay of the series at this point. Demons and the Chaos Flame are a lingering thread and a foundational to the lore of the series. Solaire is quite possibly the face of Dark Souls. All of this combined means that the information in this post is certainly:

Thanks for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed it, and all the great content the community made for the Undead Burg. Next time I will be covering the Undead Parish.