Previously, the Chosen Undead explored the Painted World of Ariamis. Now they travel to Darkroot to retrieve the Covenant of Artorias.
Synopsis - Darkroot Garden & Darkroot Basin
Darkroot is a heavily forested area that is constantly in twilight. This land was home to the ancient kingdom of Oolacile, but the forest has long since overrun whatever civilization once existed here. The lake and adjacent valley form Darkroot Basin, and Darkroot Garden is a forest containing ancient ruins and a hallowed burial ground. Darkroot is home to a large variety of flora, fauna, and creatures that blur the line between the two.
Darkroot Basin contains a waterfall fed lake that is home to
a hydra. In the valley beyond the lake lurk crystal golems. They are agents of Seath, and they prowl
the landscape and look for victims to capture and bring back to the Duke’s
Archives.
The forest of Darkroot Garden is considered sacred land and
much of it lies behind a sealed door that only the Crest of Artorias, attained
from Andre in the nearby Undead Parish, can open. This special forest is
protected by the Forest Hunters covenant that is lead by Alvina. The
Forest Hunters will attack any who disturb the forest or the solemn graves
contained within. Darkroot Garden is home to many exotic creatures, as well as
ancient automatons called the stone
giants. Deep within the forest is the burial site of one of the legendary Four
Knights of Gwyn, Artorias the Abysswalker.
The Chosen Undead's Journey
The Chosen Undead traveled to the Undead Parish, where they
purchased the Crest of Artorias from the blacksmith Andre. From
there, they left the Undead Parish via a hole in the wall and began their cliffside jaunt toward Darkroot Basin. They followed a series of switchbacks where they skewered a Black knight, hacked a few hedges, and before they knew it they were in Darkroot Basin. In the basin they shattered a bunch of crystal golems,
decapitated the Hydra, and summoned Dusk of Oolacile. Then they got caught up in a couple of tourist traps. They climbed Lordran's longest ladder, slid back down Lordran's longest ladder, and found the entrance to the watchtower in the Undead Burg where Havel the Rock was once locked up! Once they were done sightseeing, they
traveled to Darkroot Garden where they whacked a bushel of demonic foliage,
pulled the wings off of the Moonlight
Butterfly, opened a gate using the Crest of Artorias, got attacked by the Forest Hunters for trespassing, exorcised a grove of possessed trees, crumbled
a few stone giants, hacked up a couple of tree lizards, made some frog-rays croak, rolled around with some great
felines, got punched out by a family of mushrooms, and then decided that
Darkroot Garden was a wonderful place and joined the Forest Hunters covenant by
talking with Alvina, a giant talking cat. The Chosen Undead bought some goods from Shiva of the East, defended the forest
for a bit, and then headed toward the grave of Artorias the Abysswalker to
steal the Covenant of Artorias from his grave. The legendary companion of the
knight, the Great Grey Wolf Sif,
defended the grave of Artorias from the Chosen Undead, and they were forced to put
the big dog down.
The moral of the story is that the Chosen Undead is the
greatest monster of all time. Sure the ring will come in
handy later, but c’mon. Did they even try
to find another way to traverse the abyss? Of course not. The Chosen Undead is
a jerk.
Flora, Fauna, and Flauna of Darkroot
Darkroot is home to a variety of different creatures, many of which could just as easily be called plants. This variety and prevalence of flauna in this area really provides a unique experience playing in a world which otherwise pits you against weapon-wielding beings who are aligned with whatever boss serves as the antagonist of the area. That is not a knock on other areas as much as it is an interesting feature of Darkroot, and a good excuse to show off some of the derpier enemy designs that Dark Souls has to offer. As I mentioned with the mimic in Sen's Fortress, the intersection between goofy and terrifying is a real sweet spot for me, and a real hallmark of Fromsoft's creature design work.
Darkroot
Hydra
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| via darksouls.wikidot.com |
Article
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| via darksouls.wikidot.com |
Most graciuous. I am deeply obliged.
I am Dusk of Oolacile.
I cometh from an age long before thine… I can not stay here for long.
So, before i disappear, allow me to ask one thing.
My home, Oolacile, is the home of ancient sorceries.
My hope is to pass this profound knowledge to thee, with thine approval.
Would this be of assistance to thee?"
The Chosen Undead first encounters Dusk of Oolacile encased within a golden crystal golem. After cracking it open like a pinata, Dusk will introduce herself and offer to sell the Chosen Undead spells. She has come to Darkroot from the ancient land of Oolacile that once existed where Darkroot now does. She will sell unique the unique spells of Oolacile to the Chosen Undead, they only need to summon her through time by using her summon sign.
Article
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| via darksouls.wikidot.com |
Forest Hunters
The Forest Hunters covenant protect the forest graves from trespassers, invading the world of any who dare enter the forest. The Forest Hunters are assembled into a series of clans that fight together, and stick together like family. Attacking any member of any clan will turn the entire covenant against the attacker.
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| via darksouls.wikidot.com |
"Is it not so that thou art new.
Thou fared well to find me.
But cometh thee not for the grave of Sir Artorias?
My advice true, forget this!
The legend of Artorias art none but a fabrication...
Traversing the dark? 'Tis but a fairy tale.
Have thine own respect, go not yonder knocking for nothing, I say!"
Video
This video exmaines the cats of the Dark Souls series. (Spoilers)
Other
Alvina asking the player a question by /u/taboo_
A funny picture illustrating Alvina's confusing language.
A funny picture illustrating Alvina's confusing language.
Shiva of the East
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| via darksouls.wikidot.com |
"I've heard all about you.
I'm Shiva of the East, captain of the brigade.
Let's teach you the clan basic now,
as there is no time to chat in the midst of fighting.
Except there's little in the form of rules, you hear?
Fight and hunt as you like. Whoever's fastest gets the prey. That's the way we do it.
Only… Don't forget what Alvina said. Traitors aren't given a second chance, for any reason.
That's about it, then.
Don't worry, it's a good old time, isn't it?
Great to have you with us. Good hunting to you."
After joining the Forest Hunters, the Chosen Undead can speak with Shiva of the East. Shiva is a captain of one of the Forest Hunter clans, and will sell the Chosen Undead weapons to help them hunt intruders. Shiva will travel from Darkroot to Blighttown, where he will continue to sell the Chosen Undead weapons so long as they are part of the Forest Hunters. Shiva is accompanied by a ninja bodyguard, who will remain out of sight until Shiva is attacked.
In cut dialogue, Shiva seeks the Chaos Blade, and will attack the Chosen Undead should they come into possession of it. This is very similar to the storyline of Satsuke from Demon's Souls. The vestiges of this storyline can be seen in dialogue from Alvina where she expresses that she believes that Shive may be up to no good.
Videos
Dark Souls Lore - Shiva of the East by Silver Mont
This video looks at the story of Shiva of the East.
This video looks at the story of Shiva of the East.
Dark Souls Story ► Shiva the Traitor by VaatiVidya
This video exmaines the story of Shiva, including the cut content of his storyline.
This video exmaines the story of Shiva, including the cut content of his storyline.
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| via darksouls.wikidot.com |
The Great Grey Wolf Sif was the faithful companion of
Artorias the Abysswalker, and watches over his grave to this day. Those who seek
to traverse the Abyss pursue the Covenant of Artorias, the ring which let
Artorias enter the Abyss long ago. Sif not only wishes to preserve the memory
of her master, but also to save any who would attempt to pass into the Abyss. The
legend of Artorias states that he sacrificed himself to prevent the spread of
the Abyss. By attempting to recover the Covenant of Artorias, the Chosen Undead
risks falling to the Abyss at best, and undoing the legacy of Artorias at
worst.
But the Chosen Undead must traverse the Abyss to claim to
portion of Gwyn’s Soul that was granted to the Four Kings of New Londo, and so the Chosen
Undead battles against the greatsword carrying wolf. Sif spins and leaps with the
sword, just as her master did. As the battle wears on, Sif begins to limp and
falter as she fights, yet she carries on. She will die before she puts the
legacy of her master at risk, and she does. The Great Grey Wolf Sif, truest
companion of the legendary Knight Artorias the Abysswalker, is slain by the
Chosen Undead in their pursuit to satiate the Lordvessel.
The Chosen Undead recovers the Covenant of Artorias and departs Darkroot, heading toward New Londo and the Four Kings.
Community Content
Video
Let's Play Dark Souls: From the Dark part 28 by EpicNameBro
In this video, ENB plays through Darkroot Garden and discusses game design and lore. (Spoilers)
In this video, ENB plays through Darkroot Garden and discusses game design and lore. (Spoilers)
Gary Butterfield, Kole Ross, and Russ Frushtick talk about the Darkroot Garden and the Depths.
Gary Butterfield, Kole Ross, and Brayton Cameron talk about Darkroot Basin and the New Londo Ruins.
Other Content
Paddy and Coffee, back on another Dark Souls 'cast, talking Darkroot Garden, Valley of Drakes, Sens Fortress (again) and large amounts of poop.
James heads to the Darkroom Garden to take on the Moonlight Butterfly.
James takes on Sif.
A blog dedicated to collecting (hilarious and horrible) Dark Souls hatemail.
Additional Thoughts
Darkroot Basin & Garden have some iconic Dark Souls encounters. There is the hydra, Sif, and Alvina. The Forest Hunters covenant hosts the most chaotic player versus player interactions in the game. Yet, these encounters are all very much a part of Dark Souls, contained within the game. I don't foresee these moments extending in their importance to Dark Souls 3 beyond a callback. So, despite the iconic nature of Darkroot, I'm going to say that the content contained within this post is:
Thanks for reading! As always, feedback and comments are appreciated and encouraged. The next post will cover the New Londo Ruins.
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