The Profaned Flame and Possible Insight into Pontiff's Motivations

The following was originally posted in this thread by horizoning, and all content contained is credited to them. Only minor changes were made to accommodate the difference in format. 

TL;DR: The Profaned Flame is profaned because it will never fade, which provides evidence that something must exist beyond the end of the First Flame. This inspired Sulyvahn to ally with Aldrich, because the Cathedral of the Deep was the only other nearby group to share the belief of something beyond the Cycle. But the Profaned Flame harbors a darkness of its own, and that darkness has spread to everything Sulyvahn touches.

via primagames.com

The Profaned Capital and the Profaned Flame were pretty disappointing encounters in-game. There wasn't a lot of up-front info available for the Profaned Flame, and so it has been largely overshadowed by more eye-catching topics to theorycraft about. I had a realization when I was re-reading the Profaned Greatsword description today after watching ENB fight the Pontiff. The weapon reads:

A ceremonial sword, held in Pontiff Sulyvahn's right hand, representing the Profaned Flame.

Long ago, when Sulyvahn was yet a young sorcerer, he discovered the Profaned Capital and an unfading flame below a distant tundra of Irithyll, and a burning ambition took root within him.

Skill: Profaned Flame Temporarily summon the Profaned Flame. Lunge forward and use strong attack to enshroud blade in flame.

There's a few interesting things here that I had previously glossed over. Namely, the flame is described as "unfading," it appears to be summoned to the weapon itself, and it was the source of a "burning ambition" in Sulyvahn. Intrigued at the idea of an unfading flame, I looked around for more information. The Immolation Tinder wielded by the Pontiff Fire Witches reads:

Profaned Flame wielded by the Irithyllian witches, frigid spirits roaming the Boreal Valley.

This torch, both a weapon and a staff, is enshrouded in an everlasting flame.

Everlasting. The Gargoyle Flame Spear and Hammer read:

Stone torch spear/hammer wielded by gargoyles of the Profaned Capital.

The Profaned Flame, which never goes out, imbues this weapon with a fire attack.

Now, if Dark Souls 3 drives home one fact about flames, it is that they fade. The First Flame is dying, and when you choose the Link the Fire ending, the result is a whimper compared to the Linking at the end of Dark Souls 1. The Chaos Flame, which seemed like it was only growing in power in Dark Souls 2's Ivory King DLC, has completely died out, according to the Soul of a Demon:

Demons were born of the Chaos Flame, but the flame has not survived, and the demons are a dying race.

This is why the Profaned Flame is profane: it does not fade. It defiles the cycle by its mere existence. Note that the Profaned Coal allows Dark and Hollow infusions, and that the Fire Witch Set says that

The witches who lead the Pontiff's Knights were originally ordained as holy knights. It was not long however, before their hearts were swallowed by the Profaned Flame.

There is something seriously disturbing about the Flame. It imparts darkness, and swallows hearts. The Profaned Flame existed before the Profaned Capital fell, as Yhorm's Cinders tell us:

Lonely Yhorm became a Lord of Cinder to put the Profaned Flame to rest, knowing full well that those who spoke of him as lord were quite insincere.

The Profaned Flame Pyromancy then reads:

The Profaned Capital was consumed by fire after Yhorm the Giant became a Lord of Cinder. The fire, born of the sky, is said to have incinerated naught but human flesh.

You can see the results of Yhorm's error in the piles of burnt bodies littering the Profaned Capital. But what does all of this have to do with Sulyvahn; how did this inspire him to ally with Aldrich and the Cathedral of the Deep, when he previously held no ties to the Deep or to any of the clerics?

Think about what Aldrich's soul tells us:

When Aldrich ruminated on the fading of the fire, it inspired visions of a coming age of the deep sea. He knew the path would be arduous, but he had no fear. He would devour the gods himself.

The Profaned Flame defies the cycle. It is literal proof that something exists beyond the cycle of the First Flame. Now we can't know the Pontiff's exact thoughts, but why wouldn't you throw your lot in with one of the only other sects in the world that thinks something exists beyond the cycle?

To make things even more convenient for Sulyvahn, there was a direct tie to the Cathedral of the Deep available. From the Deep Soul sorcerery:

Sorcery of Archdeacon Royce and his deacons, said to have been imparted to them by McDonnell of the Boreal Valley.

Archdeacon McDonnell, the leader of the Aldrich Faithfuls covenant, was himself from Irithyll, and the doll that allows passage into Irithyll was found in possession of the Deacons of the Deep. Interestingly, Great Deep Soul describes Archdeacon McDonnell as a sorcerer:

Archdeacon McDonnell, a sorcerer himself, delighted in the cathedral's stagnating souls. For him, they represented the glorious bedrock of this world.

(Fun note, the Archdeacons of the Deep where formerly members of the Way of White and of the highest rank within that faith - see the Archdeacon Robe... although this may have only referred to Royce who wears the set).

McDonnell's greatest accomplishment appears to be his greatest sin. The Archdeacon's Great Staff reads:

Archdeacon McDonnell's trespass, the sin of channeling faith for sorcery, transformed what was once merely a symbol of ecclesiastic authority into a catalyst of sorceries.

Lo and behold, it scales with faith. In fact, there is a running theme of staffs/talismans/chimes that cross stat scaling boundaries having enhanced affinity for dark magic, and being considered at least somewhat taboo (see: Sunless Talisman, White Hair Talisman, Izalith Staff, Crystal Chime, Caitha's Chime). From these items, of note is that Pontiff's pyromancers and the Daughters of Izalith are both referred to as witches, that the Archive scholars defiled Gertrude's chime, and that the Sunless Talisman's compatibility with the dark is considered "an initial warning" in the Sunless Realm.

But back to Sulyvahn. The Greatsword of Judgement reads:

A ceremonial sword, held in Pontiff Sulyvahn's left hand, respresenting the judgment of the moon, but with magic far closer to sorcery than any existing lunar power. Its dark blue hues, deeper than the darkest moon, reflect sorcerer Sulyvahn's true nature.

Like McDonnell, Sulyvahn was an Irithyll sorcerer in his past. Irithyll has its ties to Gwyndolin, and thus to moon-based magic. But the sorcery of the Greatsword reveals how far Sulyvahn has strayed from the moon, and how the allure of the Profaned Flame has consumed him.

And the darkness of the Profaned Flame that consumed the Pontiff and his Witches extends unfiltered to the Outrider Knights through the watching eyes of the Pontiff Rings, until they deteriorate to the point of becoming the monstrous crocodogs in Irithyll. What's more, the darkness has spread to the Irythill Slaves, who have become shadow beings. Next time you fight a dog in Irithyll, pay close attention to its skull. It doesn't look like a dog. It looks like one of the shadowy slaves, turned into a beast just like the Outriders.