As someone who's dropped... well over 1500 hours into this game between both the release version as well as the exclusive-to-on-disc-PS5 1.0 version of the game, it would be an understatement to say that I am QUITE looking forward to this.
Given that I am the kind of person who's been buried neck deep into
Elden Ring design, I figured I'd just go off on miscellaneous interesting things that I noticed from the
Shadow of the Erdtree trailer that I haven't heard mentioned yet by Vaati, Zullie, or any of the others who do that sort of thing. I sometimes forget that I have a rather exhaustively deep knowledge of details on the game and frequently am surprised that even people who spend a lot of time on the game don't necessarily pick up on the same things that I do.
So, first important thing outside of the trailer is the "
Fall From Grace" summary on the official page:
The Land of Shadow. A place obscured by the Erdtree.
Where the goddess Marika first set foot.
A land purged in an unsung battle.
Set ablaze by Messmer’s flame.
It was to this land that Miquella departed.
Divesting himself of his flesh, his strength, his lineage.
Of all things Golden.
And now Miquella awaits the return of his promised Lord.
Additionally, there are some more details in the
Eurogamer interview, as well as a few others in Japanese which for me the only important detail is that both Mohg (who guards Miquella's coccoon through which you access the Realm of Shadow), as well as Radahn need to be defeated in order to enter the Realm of Shadow.
So, diving right in on all that in my classic tl;dr way:
From the outset, this charred Erdtree behind Messemer doesn't appear to be THE Erdtree, as it lists to one side in a way that the tree in The Lands Between doesn't. If I had to venture a guess, I'd speculate that this is located on the still unvisited gigantic landmass to the North of Miquella's Haligtree. In the starting area there are
Kaiden Sellswords whose armor states,
"These hulking, fearless mercenaries, said to hail from the mountaintops of the wintry north, are adept at fighting on horseback. Kaiden is the name of their home settlement." yet nowhere in the Forbidden Lands of the north is named Kaiden, and there is visible land still further north. Nothing can be seen upon it, so perhaps it's covered in a massive veil like that used by the Black Knife Assassins to prevent anything on that entire continent from being visible. I'd also expect that something about what happened here is why the Mountaintops of the Giants are the "Forbidden Land" and the Guidance of Grace when you exit Leyndell is suddenly intersected by a slightly warped and reddened version in the air, as well as why all the trees & animals in the frozen region appear as incorporeal spirits. This whole realm and the Fell God of the Fire Giants are split off from everything else.
Given that the whole of Ordina Liturgical Town is obscured within an Evergaol and one of the Black Knife Assassins wandering through there can be seen but not touched until you're within the massive Evergaol itself, it would stand to reason that the Realm of Shadow is essentially the origin of this type of magic. This would also explain why Blaidd as Ranni's Shadow is able to escape his imprisonment in the Forlorn Hound's Evergaol regardless of whether or not you choose to free him, as the Wolves are the form of the Empyrean's Shadows. This would also be why that same magic is used in order to facilitate the Night of the Black Knives, and the slaying of Godwyn the Golden that happened,
"An Age ago, on a night of wintry fog" as recounted by Ranni showing the two mightiest remaining – Radahn & Malenia fighting with no victor, events which occur LONG before
the opening narration when the Tarnished awakens.
Speaking of Ranni,
when she first greets you, she's been entrusted by Torrent's former master to gift you (the one who Torrent chose) the Spirit Calling Bell and the Spirit Ash to summon three wolves, and it functions to summon them "with Ash unreturned to the Erdtree" and given the iconography of this tree as well as Messemer's Flame, it's likely that those who are able to return as Spirit Ashes are directly connected to the Realm of Shadow. Further emphasizing those themes are the fact that
in Farum Azula at Malekith the Black Blade, there is a statue of a woman surrounded by three wolves, seated in front of AN Elden Ring – but not the same as the one used in Leyndell.
The one on the game's primary logo has 3 concentric circles around the Anchor Ring,
whereas the one in Farum Azula has FOUR RINGS around its anchor.
The Great Runes from the Shattering make up all the broken pieces of the 3 ring version used as the game's logo:
Queen Marika's Scarseal Great Rune (
Soreseal Rune) is the arc at the peak &
Lord Radagon's Great Rune (
Soreseal Rune) is the crosshatched pattern behind the ring (soreseal),
Godrick's Anchor Ring is the centerpiece,
Morgott &
Mohg at the top,
Rykard &
Radahn at the bottom right,
Malenia & the
Great Rune of the Unborn at the bottom left. Given that all of the twin rings are possessed by the sibling pairs, it stands to reason that the Great Rune of the Unborn belongs to the Empyrean unable to reach maturity: Miquella, and as a larger version of the Great Rune of the Unborn with a cross in it is seen in the trailer at 0:50, this seems likely to be confirmed. Additionally, the Three Ringed version of the Golden Order is the one that is
formed within Ragadon's body, as well as the one formed in the sky by the Elden Beast during its encircling attacks.
What this doesn't answer is what occurred to the missing Ring shown in the ORIGINAL form of the Elden Ring that was used in antiquity during the time of Farum Azula?
While Farum Azula has been lost since time immemorial, there are context clues in its history. The Dragon Temple from the early Dragon Cult in the capital city is still there and is overrun by Godwyn's Deathroot, making it the only area in the game that has Those Who Live In Death. All the other semi-skeletal Beastmen are merely worn down since
Beast Blood contains flecks of gold prevents rot & decay, so they're just worn away until they can no longer survive, at which point they're chained up and then entombed in stone like we see all throughout Farum Azula as well as at the Beastial Sanctum in Caelid. Additionally, the body of Godwyn the Golden continues to live and grow despite his spirit being dead. This entangles with the Erdtree forming the Deathroot and this caused the bond between him Fortissax to become corrupted,
"After Godwyn the Golden became the Prince of Death, the ancient dragon fought long and hard against the Death within its companion. Alas, victory was never achieved and its only reward was corruption." becoming the Lichdragon whose body is penetrated by Deathroot thorns, and which even pollute his once Golden Lightning turning it to
Death Lightning.
Fortissax can only be accessed through entering Godwyn's dream through Fia, the Deathbed Companion. This then spread into the burial grounds at Farum Azula at the Dragon Temple, where Fortissax's sister
Lansseax served as the priestess, and where she would eventually form her own bond to Vyke,
"Lansseax was the sister of Fortissax. It is said that she took the form of a human to commune with the knights as a priestess of the ancient dragon cult." giving him unique protection of
the Ancient Dragon's crimson Lightning since,
"Of all the knights, Vyke the Dragonspear was the one Lansseax loved the most." who would go on to ALMOST become Elden Lord, making him the key figure shown on the cover of the game, as his
Fingerprint Set details,
"No other Tarnished was closer to the throne of the Elden Lord than Vyke. But without announcement, Vyke traveled far below the capital, and was scorched by the flame of frenzy. Did he make his choice for his maiden, or did some other force lure him with suggestion?"
Both Madness of the Frenzied Flame & Deathblight are Status effects that exclusively ONLY affected Tarnished, indicating that they have some core connection to the deeper history of those banished from the Guidance of Grace like the player character. Even if you have a Sacrificial Twig, it remains untouched by Deathblight – and you still lose your Runes as it only affects Tarnished. Not only that, but once you are possessed by the Frenzied Flame, after retrieving Miquella's Needle from Malenia, it can ONLY be used within the center of the storm in Farum Azula where the Dragonlord Placidusax resides outside of space & time.
Placidusax was Elden Lord in the Time before the Erdtree – which connects directly to Shadow of the Erdtree as this was the realm where Marika
FIRST set foot.
For even more context on Placidusax, he's not even truly a dragon as he's even older than that (the game's weapons that are effective against dragons do not do any extra damage against him). Additionally, his attack
Placidusax's Ruin doesn't require the power of blood in Arcane to wield as it is a Faith-only Incantation, differentiating it from the heart-consuming physical powers of all other Dragon Communion incantations. Even the trailer at 2:05 shows this form of Arcane incantation summoning a red-haired Bear with omen horns (and the Rune Bears used to drop Dragon Hearts when killed to explain their supernatural power and slitted eyes). The game's visual iconography of Red as Arcane & Gold as Faith permeate throughout the Great Runes, the hair of Radagon & Marika and their children, and even the dung found in game as it is either stagnating on a throne that rejects him like Morgott
Golden,
"Gold-tinged excrement is a highly stable substance; it doesn't dry out, nor does it lose its customary warmth or scent. For better or for worse, it remains as it is." or
Blood-Tainted like his brother Mohg who embraces his accursed Omen blood,
"The bloody excrement of a carnivorous beast. ... Found in the land of the new dynasty. Mixed inside with half-digested flesh are dense colonies of tiny eggs of unknown but assuredly revolting origin."
Those two core draconic elements are notable as the Elden Beast is JUST golden, and the ancient husk of Placidusax is as well. The Rune of Death held by Malekith is a deep crimson, as is ALL of the iconography of Messemer the Impaler's Flame and his crimson serpent with two heads and no tail, as well as and draconic wings sprouting out of its body. But every half has its companion, and Messemer's single working eye makes that clear, just as much as the crimson Destined Death held in the
Black Knife used by the Assassins who slew Godwyn, there is the Blade of Gold in the
Blade of Calling wielded by Melina, both of which utilize the identical attack animations and form, and Melina has only one open eye – a trait also shared by Ranni as
both of them were divested of their flesh. This is something that we know is also true of Miquella whose husk sits empty of blood as well as being divested of Strength, Lineage, and ALL THINGS GOLDEN.
Beyond just this, should the Tarnished abandon Melina for the Frenzied Flame,
Melina recovers Torrent's whistle from the ashes, and upon vowing to hunt you down and deliver you to Destined Death, she opens her left eye, and it is a pale violet – the same color as
the stone eye with clawmarks that Malekith grants you to locate Deathroot, which has largely been attributed as evidence that Melina was once an Empyrean known as the Gloam-Eyed Queen, though if Messemer is her Brother, it would make sense why she is a key element to this story as well as the Empyreans are explicitly the offspring of a SINGLE Demigod. Rykard & Radahn are the offspring of Rennala & Radagon and thus are Demigod step-children and not Empyreans. Morgott & Mohg are Omen Children and thus not accepted under the
current Golden Order, Malenia & Miquella are the children of the singular Marika/Radagon and are Empyreans, but Ranni is as well and we don't know of her lineage explicitly but she is also an Empyrean unlike her brothers.
What is NOW likely is that Messemer & Melina are once again, twins who were cut off and hidden away by Marika. In the trailer, the pregnant woman in the portrait at 1:03 who looks like a Deathbed Companion, and the man beside her who is later shown impaled at 2:21 with a solid rune-like mass piercing his body similar to the suspension of Queen Marika on the Rune Arc and the insides of Lord Radagon in the final battle. The base game has several details that make it clear that these two were a part of the core design:
On the Weeping Peninsula at the Church of Pilgrimage
Melina shares Queen Marika's words:
"Then, after thy death, I will give back what I once claimed. Return to the Lands Between, wage war, and brandish the Elden Ring. Grow strong in the face of death. Warriors of my lord. Lord Godfrey." while outside
there is a spirit who says,
"The Mausoleum prowls. Cradling the soulless demigod. O Marika, Queen Eternal. He is your unwanted child." and in that region to the east is a location called the Impaler's Catacombs. Messemer the Impaler is his full title, and the Evergaol on that southernmost continent is the Weeping Evergaol which contains
the Anceint Hero of Zamor – a being of ice and a mortal enemy of the Fire Giants interred far from their lands, and using the dancing fighting style seen throughout the trailer. Messemer's connection to Marika also holds through in a different way.
What's noteworthy is the iconography of the Mending Runes that can be used to restore Queen Marika:
• First is
Goldmask's Rune of Perfect Order utilizes the
Triple Halo Rings of Light iconography of Miquella's Unalloyed Gold of the Haligtree, this represents Miquella & Malenia the children of the Haligtree. It is examining and accepting the inherent contradictions of the beliefs.
• Second is the
Loathsome Dung-Eater's Mending Rune of the Fell Curse, spreading Omen Horns to everyone so that none may ever be seen as unworthy, representing Morgott & Mohg and a world where they cannot ever be persecuted because all are cursed forever.
• Third is
Fia's Mending Rune of the Death-Prince, which she gives birth to by laying with Godwyn's corpse – but only AFTER she has been able to recover one half of the Cursemark of Death from D who found it in Summonwater Village where you first meet him, and
the other half of the Cursemark of Death you acquire from Ranni's corpse in the Divine Tower. Both halves were split from one another and they represent Destined Death, capable of killing the gods and even the Erdtree itself with their flames – just like the Black Knife & the Blade of Calling, they would be Messemer & Melina.
Those remaining details explain why Messemer sits on a throne in front of a statue of Marika holding only a single child. This would have been during an age, perhaps before she met Horah Loux who became Lord Godfrey, First Elden Lord of the Erdtree at a time when the Golden Order accepted the Omens. The trailer is full of Leonine iconography sprouting horns like the Crucible Knights who were accepted once but then became banished as they represented something uncontrollable and chaotic. This also points to the origins of Godfrey's own Shadow, "
Serosh, aged counselor who guides the golden lineage." as the beast's task was to suppress Horah Loux's bloodlust to make him a royal ruler as an
Icon,
"Godfrey was a ferocious warrior. When he vowed to become a lord, he took the Beast Regent Serosh upon on his back to suppress the ceaseless lust for battle that raged within." That trait was necessary when the Erdtree was but one of many gods and as
the Elden Lord set describes,
"The age of the Erdtree began amongst conflict, when Godfrey was lord of the battlefield. He led the War against the Giants. Faced the Storm Lord, alone. And then, there came a moment. When his last worthy enemy fell. And it was then, as the story is told, that the hue of Lord Godfrey's eyes faded." He no longer had on opponent to drive his bloodlust to balance that suppression, and so he grew disconnected – thus why Marika banished him and the Tarnished to roam until they were drawn back in order to break the Golden Order and build something new that is neither the extremes that the Golden stagnation or Crimson wanton destruction would bring about if either were given control. The same stalemate between Malenia & Radahn.
At this point I'll take a moment to poke at some locked and cut content just to cover existing information and give context to it:
Melina's lineage is a complex one as the item she holds when you summon her in the battle against Morgott is never able to be obtained by the player, but allows you to use the Miranda Flower attack and it's called
Miranda's Prayer,
"This statuette depicts a flower that preys on humans, posed in prayer. Uses FP to call down a deluge of light. Miranda, maiden of the Flower Crucible is said to have been the very first of this breed." This interplay on parasitism is interesting as the game shows that increasing Healing also produces vulnerability to flames. Malenia's Great Rune allows healing through stealing life from others at the cost of reducing the effectiveness of your Crimson Flask, whereas the rare
Full Bloom Erdtree Guardian Garb does the opposite,
"Engraved golden garb. Worn by the guardians of the Minor Erdtrees. Raises the HP recovery effects of the Flask of Crimson Tears, but greatly lowers fire damage negation. It is said that the blood-red flowers blooming on their backs mark the senescence of their ancient pact. Perhaps the guardians are part tree already." This ancient pact between the Miranda flowers & the Erdtree follows an enormous overarching theme of Parasitism (which I'll gladly delve into if anyone has interest, but which I'll just mention in passing for the moment). Suffice to say that this and game files have pointed to her being linked to Marika but also connected to the Miranda Flowers,
but the concept of the Flower Crucible was never used in the game and it's not clear if it ever will be.
This is why cut or inaccessible content is important to understand design content, but it isn't useful in a lore sense. As some other examples to how different things are in the on-disc PS5 1.0 version of the game, Farum Azula is a realm known as the Storm Aerie which can only be reached by the Dragons, and the winds of the storm bring about the corrupting thorns of Deathblight that the Banished Knights & Exiles protect themselves from by wrapping their bodies in red cloth and engraving thorn iconography into their armor, but they also practice Dragon Communion as a means to reach that place. Even all of Leyndell is populated with completely different enemies as the Banished Knights are there worshipping Gransax's massive body, just like how the dragon-eyed Rune Bears used to drop Dragon Hearts when killed. The Draconic elements of the game used to be much more prominent as a throughline for the story, and there are numerous named NPCs associated with that version of the story that aren't used. Frenzied Flame used to be identical to the Crimson Eyed aggression and the afflicted Trolls would cry red Lightning rather than Frenzied Flame. Even beyond that, the Nox's armor was called "Descendant of Marika" making it explicit that she & Radagon are the same because she's a Silver Tear sharing his soul – just like D & his brother. While the Mimic's Veil, Marika's Mischief still alludes to this link in the full game, the other direct associations to her role with the previous dynasty in Nokron & Nokstella aren't there anymore, so understanding that context that doesn't exist in the release version can help understand ideas but they're not definitive and can easily be changed – just like how the Mimic questline was almost completely as it's thematically in line with the elements of that type of duality & parasitism, but that's not how they wanted to examine those concepts in the larger story that they chose to pull back on and explore in DLC.
So knowing that and moving back into the details we have in the released version of the game:
The trailer also showcases an ancient building disintegrating upwards at 1:09, while there is a LOT of architecture to address, it's worth beginning with the link to the ancient version of the Elden Ring, so it's worth looking at the details of what we know of that Farum Azula first. Just past the Beastial Sanctum in Caelid is a bridge called the Farum Greatbridge which connects to the draconic burial grounds known as Greyoll's Dragonbarrow. As the lands of Farum Azula have Ancient Dragons buried within the chunks of earth, and remaining architecture nearby, the designs indicate that, once upon a time, Farum Azula was a part of Caelid. Additionally, the Bestial Sanctum, Dragon Churches, and Farum Azula all retain Leonine iconography in their reliefs not present elsewhere. Further to this point is that in the Dragon Temple are the continually resurrecting Godskin Duo and in the depths of the Divine Tower of Caelid are home to the Godskin Apostle and the
Godslayer Greatsword – weapon using the Black Flame of the Gloam-Eyed Queen.
This is the weapon wielded by
Vargam the Raging Wolf who was,
"...one of the first Tarnished to visit the Roundtable Hold. According to the old legends, wolves are the shadows of the Empyrean. Vargram aspired to such a state himself." which thematically explains why his
Raging Wolf armor set is predominantly used for the character showcased in this trailer. However, this also connects another piece of the puzzle as he is allied with
Errant Sorcerer Willhelm, who uses the Sorcerer Assassination magics of Sellia, Town of Sorcery in Caelid – but who was also teaching the Beastmen in the Hermit Village of Mt. Gelmir where Boc's mother lived how to use sorcery as his
Hierodas Glintstone Crown is located there.
This is where another detail of the structure at 1:09 as well as behind the armored knight at 0:54 – the spiral columns. They're so that Serpents can ascend and descend on them like stairs, so previously these are designs specific to the Temple of Eiglay inside Mt. Gelmir as well as the worship chamber you can reach going from there into Volcano Manor, behind which is the warp directly to the Serpent-God/Praetor Rykard. That room specifically has a throne like the one Messemer sits upon and behind it is a banner that has the twin red serpents wrapping around the Erdtree. This symbolism ONLY appears in a different form on the
Depraved Perfumer Robe,
"The embroidery on the apron is itself a curse upon the Erdtree." making Messemer's role with the twin snakes as its source QUITE clear.
Additionally, at 1:05 in the trailer in a magma-glowing passageway, the Corinthian leafed design of the columns seen where the Jars are suspended by chains are also used within Volcano manor's architecture futher reinforcing this link. The Temple of Eiglay not only is designed in a layout with the Snakeskin head placed so that it mirrors the Dragon Temple chamber in Farum Azula where you fight the Godskin Duo, but the Godskin Noble is inside and the steps are guarded by a Blackflame Monk. This Blackflame Monk guardian at the entrance is exactly what is present before the Godskin Apostle in the depths of the Divine Tower of Caelid. This is important as,
"Nobles are the most ancient apostles who are said to have assimilated inhuman physiology. Not unlike the crucible, the Erdtree in its primordial form." Like the primordial Erdtree they assimilated everything, which is why the Crucible Knight (once a named NPC) defects to Volcano Manor and guards Lady Tanith. These are ALL design details shared directly by Messemer.
Reinforcing this further is the fact that
the Recusant Bernahl is sent to slay both Vargram & Wilhelm of them within the physical Roundtable Hold building in Leyndell. The fact that the disconnected Roundtable Hold exists just like the Evergaols in a removed space again echoes these same themes, as does the fact that Bernahl not only carries the
Devourer's Scepter showing a vision of the Snake God consuming the whole world, and received the
Blasphemous Claw that Ranni gave to Rykard as a last resort in case they came up against Malekith directly after her brother became consumed by the Snake-God, but he wears the
Beast Champion Set which states,
"The beasts, their eyes and ears covered, represent an oath: "See nothing, hear nothing, doubt nothing, and carry on, along the path set in stone." Beasts are drawn to champions, and to lords. And this armor befits a champion worthy of becoming a lord. And that is what Bernahl was. Until his maiden threw herself into the fire." showing why he is the one to meet you in Farum Azula as he alone seems to have experienced the same series of events that you did with Melina in order to reach Farum Azula, and which Vyke failed to do and succumbed to the Frenzied Flame.
From the game lore around the Godskins we know that the Rune of Death was taken from an Empyrean known as the Gloam-Eyed Queen who was also the leader of the Godskin Nobles / Apostles. Queen Marika's Shadow, the beast Malekith was the one who defeated her and sealed that power away, which Ranni later stole in cooperation with Marika's former people the Numen during the Night of the Black Knives when her body & Godwyn's soul were slain – the act that ultimately lead to the Shattering, and this pulls in to all of those details, but there are still even more, and those involve Ranni.
The structure at 1:09 has reliefs on its exterior which is architecture only used in the Grand Cloister at the Lake of Rot.
(Note that this is another area that was vastly different in 1.0 and featured rotten Ancestral Worshippers tied to the themes of Rennala's Rebirth & the Ancenstral Spirits, but in the release version feature the Pests instead worshipping the scorpion tail of the former God of Rot and lead to the resting place of Astel Naturalborn of the Void). To understand the link, it's important to go back to before you can reach this location.
During the course of the game, we learn that Ranni's mother Rennala is in a state of slumber protecting the Great Rune of the Unborn, and it is the only Great Rune that does not require one to visit a controlling Two Fingers at the peak of a Divine Tower in order to utilize. This points to a connection to a dream world and the Realm of Shadow, as do Sir Gideon's comments about Miquella still slumbering. During Ranni's questline, you have to descend into Nokron at which point, she & Rogier both simultaneously fall into a deep slumber at the same time – from which Rogier never awakens. His lasts words to you mention how you're kind & terrifying which are the same adjectives used to describe Miquella.
TO DO THIS – YOU NEED TO DEFEAT RADAHN, thus why the DLC necessitates not ONLY defeating Mohg, but him as well, as this likely intertwines into both of their storylines and requires the dream itself to take hold – thus setting the stars in motion again as a flag for that, and opening the path to the Fingerslayer Blade – the key item to Ranni's path.
The Fingerslayer Blade has the exact same physical form as the Sacred Relic Sword formed of Marika/Radagon's body,
"Sword wrought from the remains of a god who should have lived a life eternal. Thoughts on what the weapon portends are many and varied. Some consider it the mark of a great sin, or a sign of great devastation. Some think of it as the end of an age, while others; the beginning." This is a key detail on bringing about death to the gods, and allowing them to rest being core to Miquella's wishes for his brother Godwyn demonstrated not only in the
Golden Epitaph,
"A sword made to commemorate the death of Godwyn the Golden, first of the demigods to die. Infused with the humble prayer of a young boy; "O brother, lord brother, please die a true death." " but also in the symbolism of the Eclipse at Castle Sol – Ranni's Dark Moon in front of the sun forming a halo – Miquella's holy symbol. The spirit at in the church at Castle Sol says,
"Ohh great sun! Frigid sun of Sol! Surrender yourself to the eclipse! Grant life to the soulless bones!" while the one by the second half of the Haligtree medallion faces that direction saying,
"Lord Miquella, forgive me. The sun has not been swallowed. Our prayers were lacking. Your comrade remains soulless... I will never set my eyes upon it now... Your divine Haligtree..."
The
Eclipse Shotel inflicts Deathblight, and the Eclipse Heater Shield states,
"The sun in eclipse is said to be the symbol of the Wandering Mausoleum where the soulless demigods slumber." calling back to the spirit in the Weeping Peninsula, while the
Eclipse Crest Greatshield states,
"The eclipsed sun, drained of color, is the protective star of soulless demigods. It aids the mausoleum knights by keeping Destined Death at bay." All status effects but ONE in Elden Ring have a paired companion with which they share a status symbol. Poison & Rot are bubbles, Frostbite & Hemhorrage are a slashed wound, Sleep & Madness are an eye... and then there's Deathblight which is essentially a star – thus why the Eclipse holds it at bay. Additionally, this is how one would cast a shadow over a region, making it a rather clear piece of iconography.
The Legendary Spirit Ash
Lhutel the Headless is acquired at the Tombsward Catacombs on the Weeping Peninsula,
"Lhutel sacrificed her life so that in Death she could continue to protect a soulless demigod until their revival, earning her the hero's honor of Erdtree Burial."
the
Mausoluem Knight Armor she wears also mentions Deathbirds who only appear at night,
"The wing-shaped ornaments on its back evoke the Deathbird. A self-inflicted curse that ties the spirits of these loyal knights to the land, having willingly beheaded themselves so that they may serve their masters in death." This brings us to the Ravenmount Assassins & Ghostflame.
Ravenmount Assassins have few items, and the only one of these enemies is ever seen – they're an invader attacking Yura during his questline before his dead body is later possessed by Shabriri of the Frenzied Flame. In the 1.0 version of the game the Bandit Garb was just the Altered version of the
Raptor's Black Cloak., but the ability to change between them was removed in the release version. The cloak indicates that they come from Ravenmount – a location not present in the Lands Between, but in the trailer at 1:01, the figure riding through a new type of swamp (likely Deathblight) is approaching a building in front of which are a row of black birds.
The
Ghostflame Torch mentions its flame's cold origins,
"Metal torch that burns with cold ghostflame. Tool of the Fallen Hawks who prowl the underground rivers. When the band's last embers were used up in their long search, they began to burn the bones of their fellows, acquiring the cold ghostflame, but sealing their fate as dwellers of the underground for all eternity." burning their companions' bones, as the opening of the trailer narration mentions at 0:52
"In that forsake place, blood must spill. The blood of your fellows." showing this as similar and different from the Recusant's blasphemy at Volcano Manor.
The Deathbirds' sorceries and weapons list more on this old system,
Explosive Ghostflame,
"In the time when there was no Erdtree, death was burned in ghostflame. Deathbirds were the keepers of that fire." Death's Poker,
"The birds are graveyard fire keepers; it is said they rake out the ashen remains of the dead from their kilns." Twinbird Kite Shield,
"The twinbird is said to be the envoy of an outer god, and mother of the Deathbirds." These give us beings and systems that would have existed in this place, and the Twinbird Iconography can be seen throughout Farum Azula's architecture. Additionally, the physical details of the Realm of Shadow are detailed in
Helphen's Steeple,
"Greatsword patterned after the black steeple of the Helphen, the lampwood which guides the dead of the spirit world. The lamplight is similar to grace in appearance, only it is said that it can only be seen by those who met their death in battle."
This is where it's worth mentioning that in 1.0, not only were the Death Rite Birds' pokers glowing as if heated, but the Ghostflame was not what it is currently. These weapons used to be
identical to the Black Flame wielded by the Monks, which is to say that they wielded the version of Destined Death that had been stripped of its power. This is why the Frostbite status was inconsistent for these weapons, but it's also why they're intelligence-scaling, whereas the enemies are extremely weak to holy. They represent a significant point of design change, which is also likely why Enia's line about the Black Flame burning the Erdtree was removed, as this sort of iconography was being teased into a greater level of nuance the same way that red-eyed Berserk Rage & yellow-eyed Frenzied Flame were eventually differentiated. This is likely why most of these elements are less fully fleshed out, but also how they're tied to themes with the Day/Night Cycle – something that I expect that the Shadow of the Erdtree will especially emphasize with both the Ravenmout & Black Knife Assassins playing a key part. On this note, there is a detail that is now FAR more apparent in the existing game design.
As the Deathbirds focus on how warriors face their death, the forms of this are seen in the
Red-Feathered Branchsword,
"The heart sings when one draws close to death, and a glorious end awaits those who cling so tenaciously to life." the
Blue-Feathered Branchsword,
"The heart sings when one draws close to death, and thus does one cling so tenaciously to life - to render up a death worth offering." as well as the
Death Rite Spear wielded by
the corpses held throughout in the Death Rite Bird's Body & Wings,
"Ritual spear used by priests of old who were permitted to come among the Deathbirds. The priests became guardians of the birds through the rite of Death, which also serves as an oath sworn to their distant resurrection." not only depict death as glorious, but represent it as something to be embraced by warriors, like the Radahn Festival celebrates. However, these three Branchsword designs all have something in common, which is connected to why it's been placed under a veil like the one in Queen Marika's chambers:
This charred tree seen under the veil in the Realm of Shadow here is likely the Lampwood, and would also give reason to why the iconography of the Candltree was forbidden, as the
Candletree Wooden Shield states,
"Thought to represent a surreptitious prophecy of cardinal sin, the lit candle-tree design was forbidden." This is the reason that in Leyndell there are no open flames built into the city, and all the interior lighting are made from glowing leaves, whereas ALL of the lamps within Miquella's Haligtree have the Candletree form. This form is seen outside of the Haligtree at miscellaneous points where wandering spirits can be found in the game that stumblingly lead you to various caves and other obscure locations. This meandering gait is explained with the figure of Rosus whose stooped appearance and clawed feet can be found in statues that, when lit, will gaze at the entrance to catacombs. Likewise these dead are trying to guide you. This nature of the dead not returned to the Erdtree is detailed on
Rosus' Axe,
"Usher of Death, Rosus, who shows the path to the catacombs throughout the Lands Between, is depicted on this ritual axe. The dead easily lose their way, and have always been in sore need of a guiding hand." and in
Tibia's Summons,
"The dead have long been left to wander; what they need is leadership." Without the lampwood to guide them, with Destined Death removed, and the whole realm hidden under a veil of Shadow – the ashes of the dead are exceptionally lost since this was not the way things always were. To further emphasize this burning branched design is key here, in the trailer at 1:47 the two enemies are wielding Candletree objects and using them to breathe flame.
This brings us back to Ranni again,
She awakens from the dream once you obtain the Fingerslayer Blade. The Sellian Sorcerers who specialize in invisibility and assassination of Sorcerers followed this same lineage of giants with the skeletal Crypt Chair being secretly contained in their city. Like the Realm of Shadow and the Dark Moon that the Nox worship that Ranni represents, these are parts of a hidden legacy, and like the Ravenmount and Black Knife they are assassins, but up at the peak in a cage in a tower above Sellia, guarded by a Bloodhound Knight is Sellia's Forbidden Sorcery, Eternal Darkness,
"Forbidden sorcery of Sellia, Town of Sorcery. Creates a space of darkness that draws in sorceries & incantations. Originally a lost sorcery of the Eternal City; the despair that brought about its ruin made manifest." This refers to the destruction of the Eternal City where Astel arrived and its sky was taken.
The other two sorceries that are capable of drawing in spells like this are Rennala's Full Moon & Ranni's Dark Moon. This is where there are a few other not-quite finished elements that may be expanded upon directly connected to Sellia & Radahn. The Starcallers are found gathered around fallen meteors throughout the Lands Between where there are gravitational rifts opening to let through cosmic beings. While they have a unique weapon, weapon ash, and two variant armor sets – none of these are dropped or obtainable in the base game. Below ground in Siofra they gather around the pale, juvenile shadows of Astel, whereas above they can be found in two specific locations. They are being forced to mine just outside of Leyndell, where a Juveniles Fallingstar Beast emerges from a crater.
These are important because ALL OF THE DIVINE TOWERS contains countless meteors glowing gold embedded all throughout their construction. The other location where they gather on the surface is in the Weeping Peninsula, where they appear just north of "Beside The Crater-Pocked Glade" and an Alabaster Lord emerges,
directly above THE IMPALER'S CATACOMBS.
The
Meteorite Sorcery states,
"One of the glintstone sorceries that manipulates gravitational forces. Summons a void that emits a rain of small meteorites. The sorcery originates from the Onyx Lords, who had skin of stone, and were called lords in reverential fear of their destructive power." Not only this, but Radahn learned to laster Gravity Sorceries from the Alabaster & Onyx Lords in Sellia, and in the trailer at 2:12 there is a boar-riding knight whose weapons crackle with purple gravitational lightning, but also the boar's tusks are liken unto Radahn's helm, which also celebrated both his red-haired lineage and also lion iconography of the older dynasty that many rejected. Additionally, the skeletal orb-headed orb-headed figure at 2:19 has a head much like the sorcerers whose bodies were turned to Glinstone by the Primeval Current. This bring us to the elements of the Old Dynasty which the Claymen followed and being like the Crystalians and Stonedigger Trolls that are cosmic aren't made of living matter. Like the Ancient Dragons they're more like stone.
The Claymen in particular utilize Bubble Sorceries and in 1.0, the hooded Oracle Envoys were only at Miquella's Haligtree and didn't have golden bubbles, but rather ones that were Glintstone magic blue. The Claymen served a role in this ancient version of the world as the their bubble Sorceries state,
"Sorcery of the claymen who served as priests in the ancient dynasty. ... The claymen search for lost oracles within their bubbles." They, along with the Deathbirds and Ancestral Worshippers practice a form of Rebirth that where they are not brought into the Erdtree like those taken into an everlasting Kingdom of Heaven upon death. Both of these elements as well as designs like that of a malformed Deathbirth come through in Astel's designs, while his scorpion-like tail is more akin to Rot. However, even while the Gravity Sorceries of Sellia were said to have brought him, the whole of his impact isn't clear both literally and figuratively without some digging with Ranni.
This sleep that is affecting not only Rogier but also the Empyrean Ranni is especially notable as both of them as well as Rennala are powerful Sorcerers. While many of the status effects in The Lands Between are alleviated through Faith-based incantations
Poison & Rot – "Flame ,Cleanse Me",
Hemorrhage & Frostbite – "Beastial Constitution", and
Deathblight – "Order Healing" however the only two cured by Sorcery are Sleep & Madness – "Lucidity" Even more interesting is that this Sorcery is found within the Carian Study Hall ONLY by using the
Carian Inverted Statue gifted to you by Ranni AFTER retrieving the
Fingerslayer Blade ,
"The hidden treasure of the Eternal City of Nokron; a blade said to have been born of a corpse. This blood-drenched fetish is proof of the high treason committed by the Eternal City and symbolizes its downfall. Cannot be wielded by those without a fate, but is said to be able to harm the Greater Will and its vassals." This is likely a key component to the story in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Once she awakens from that dream, Rogier also dies, but given that he was stricken with Deathblight whist examining Godwyn's corpse below Stormvale castle, whether or not he'll meet you there remains to be seen. As only the Tarnished can die to Deathblight after all, and Fia's magic specifically causes that affliction to kill D. The Inverted Statue that Ranni gives you not only allows you to pass through the inverted version of that location in order to reach the Divine Tower it is attached to – where instead of a Two Fingers, you find her deceased physical body and the second Cursemark of Death for Fia –
Even more interestingly, the figure on that statue is the same individual as shown at 0:59 in the Shadow of the Erdtree Trailer. Lightly related is that the field of blue flowers with the dancer fighting are flowers that exclusively grow near areas of Glintstone Magic, just as different Golden blooms only grow near the Erdtrees or areas touched by that power. This link between Sellian's connection to the Crypt Chairs and Old Dynasty are important and also touch on the Madness of the Frenzied Flame as they relate to their Gravity Sorcery.
Astel Naturalborn of the Void's Remembrance states,
"A malformed star born in the lightless void far away. Once destroyed an Eternal City and took away their sky. A falling star of ill omen." and it doesn't specify either Nokron or Nokstella – both of which have false skies of eternal night. Instead, one must look to the mining efforts in the Forbidden Lands far to the north at the Yellough Annex Ruins where Frenzied Flame afflicted Trolls, men, rats wander above. The caverns below are full of rifts with Alabaster & Onyx Lords, and in the depths of this mine is where Astel, Stars of Darkness resides. Unlike the version that washed downstream below the Lake of Rot, this version sits atop an ENORMOUS meteor frozen in the ice. The Sorcery from his defeat is
Meteorite of Astel,
"A manifestation of the power with which Astel leveled the Eternal City."
This version of Astel is vastly more powerful and can also execute a grab attack where multiple versions of him drop down from above, with only the real one grabbing you. Beyond just the Frenzied Flame madness all around this area, the impact location actually sits above Deeproot Depths – where the Nameless Eternal City lies in decimated ruins and it has no sky. That sky is instead in the cavern far, far below where Astel Naturalborn of the Void is. This region of Deeproot Depths is also where the source of the Frenzied Flame & Lord of Chaos in the Three Fingers is contained, and below that is Godwyn's Corpse, the source of the Deathblight and the brother stuck between life & death that Miquella prayed would be able to have a true death.
Lastly, this brings everything back to Miquella.
Miquella has long been known as the most powerful Empyrean, but he has given up everything that was once his. We know Miquella was unable to reach maturity in juxtaposition to his sister Malenia who was always rotting away. This is why he grew the Haligtree on his own blood to attempt to save her, but the cure never functioned as the tree couldn't reach maturity, nor would his path of Unalloyed Gold. Even as Mohg sought to ascend him to Godhood for the Mohgwyn Dynasty, that too would never come to pass.
This brings us to the youthful St. Trina who according to their sword,
"St. Trina is an enigmatic figure. Some say she is a comely young girl, others are sure he is a boy. The only certainty is that their appearance was as sudden as their disappearance." and whose arrows state,
"Priests of St. Trina use these arrows to spread their teachings. The sweet oblivion of sleep can become quite the habit." The Lily symbolizing their faith, "
Dulls the senses, preventing agitation." even as Miquella's Lily begins to fade & wilt, St. Tina's Lily can be seen all around at 0:55 in the trailer. This iconography is interesting connected to sleep, but
it gets ESPECIALLY critical when it is combined with FLAME.
St. Trina's Torch states, "Candlestand torch that burns with a light-purple flame. The carvings depict St. Trina, but in adult form, somewhat unnervingly." which is critically important for multiple reasons, but
especially in the visuals that depict this form. Not only is Miquella not supposed to be capable of reaching maturity, but in his mature form he has only a single eye. This is true of those divested of their bodies like Ranni & Melina, and is true of Miquella now in the Realm of Shadow... which we also see in Messemer – but which appears even earlier as the cyclopean eye is the symbol of the Fell God of the Fire Giants.
The
One-Eyed Shield states, "
Once worshipped by the giants, this evil deity is believed to have been slain by Queen Marika." However, this belief was a part of a secret that was kept from those in the Lands Between as
the Flame of the Fell God incantation states,
"Arghanthy, the chief guardian of the Flame, had kept this incantation a well-kept secret until it was stolen by Adan. The fell god still lurks within the Fire Giants." This is why the Fire Giant's Second phase awakens the Fell God within its own body – it is an outer god that is NOT DEAD. This living outer god then ALSO exists within its descendants – which include Radagon's children as the
Giant's Red Braid states,
"Every giant is red of hair, and Radagon was said to have despised his own red locks. Perhaps that was a curse of their kind." Messemer's red hair, single slitted draconic eye, and wielding flame is more than indication that this is a power that lurks within him just as the God of Rot defeated by Malenia's Mentor came to live within her.
This brings us to Miquella's most terrifying ability, detailed in the
Bewitching Branch made with his own blood, "
The Empyrean Miquella is loved by many people. Indeed, he has learned very well how to compel such affection."
Dolores the Sleeping Arrow is a puppet that matches his characteristics as well,
"Spirit of a handsome archer who dressed in the style of a man. Called the Silent Hunter by some, she fires St. Trina's arrows from her shortbow. Dolores once belonged to the Roundtable Hold, where she was both a critic and a friend of Gideon the All-Knowing. It was because of her that he and Seluvis went their separate ways." This split Seluvis away from where he would have access to take control others as puppets by manipulating their stars with Dew – something he attempts to do with Ranni using
a shard of Amber Starlight found at a statue of Miquella & Malenia, and is why the puppets at Caria Manor kill him when Ranni is able to cut herself free from the Two Fingers' strings with the Fingerslaying Blade. Sleeping or not, Miquella had a VAST influence on events that transpired.
His sister Malenia's set states clearly,
"Malenia awaited Miquella at the foot of the husk. “My brother will keep his promise. He possesses the wisdom, the allure, of a god – he is the most fearsome Empyrean of all.”" This brings us to
Miquella's Golden Needle,
"One of the unalloyed gold needles that Miquella crafted to ward away the meddling of outer gods." Miquella is capable of
CONTROLLING not just men,
but one of the Outer Gods, which is why Malenia is the Goddess of Rot, rather than it possessing her body like the Fell God does to the Fire Giant. This is also why it is able to prevent the Lord of Chaos from fusing itself into the Tarnished.
"Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying."
The Twinbird is an Envoy of the Outer God of the Deathbirds and it's highly likely whatever it serves is involved, and there is something that they have in common with the Fell God that Marika couldn't kill, and which concerns Miquella specifically with regard to what became of his sister. There is one way to keep the Scarlet Rot at bay, which is what Radahn's loyal Redmane troops learned in Caelid after it was plagued by Malenia's attack.
Redmane Knight Armor,
"When they were driven to defeat by Malenia's scarlet rot, the Redmane Knights burned the crest on the left breast of their armor to indicate their resolve. "Alas, dear home, I shan't see you again! For our duty is to remain here, a bulwark against the blight." " Redmane Fire Pot,
"Even today, the survivors of Radahn's battalion employ fire to stave off the scarlet rot." As with the Miranda Flowers, the Rot caused by the Scarlet Aeonia's bloom is extremely vulnerable to
FIRE.
This is where the visual design of the Adult St. Trina takes form as
a cyclopean figure with long hair swirling about their face in eddies. This design is used for
the beard in the One-Eyed Shield, but it is also the design of
the design of the Troll's Hammer,
"Mining tool of stonedigger trolls used to crack bedrock. Trolls are descended from the giants, and these were supposedly once used as ceremonial smithing tools. In the distant past, smithing was considered divine." Radagon was a smith reforging the shattered Elden Ring with that same lineage's power. Even moreso, the Wicker Giant full of corpses in the trailer at 1:11 has this exact same iconography, and uses the same corpse sacrificing Blood Magic as the
Staff of the Guilty,
"A heretical staff fashioned from a smoldering, withered sapling that turns the blood of sacrifices pierced by it into glintstone. Similar to hex magic." The Hex Magic is detailed across the
Magma Sorceries, "
After discovering the ancient hexes of Gelmir, Rykard, son of Queen Rennala, brought them back into practical use as new forms of sorcery." but Rykard didn't have the same power yet as
Gelmir's Fury specifies another critical component,
"One of the sorceries developed from the magma of Mt. Gelmir. Conjures a surge of magma from the earth, covering the area. Charging extends the surge of magma. This sorcery is held to represent the fury of the volcano, but the arrogance of attempting to harness it is solely that of men and serpents." There is an arrogance to Men & Serpents, and Messemer seems to be both of those things...
Thus the hex magic here is tied to the inextinguishable Giant's Flame that ultimately burns the Erdtree. It is the very power they depend upon even as they shun it. The Runes themselves reside in the eyes, and as they grow in power so does its intensity, but even
the Numen Runes don't show this change despite the fact that, "
The Numen are said to have come from outside the Lands Between, and are in fact of the same stock as Queen Marika herself." It is only upon the
Hero's Rune [4] "There were once heroes who walked the battlefields, abundantly blessed by the Erdtree itself, who upon earning their honor simply died." and
the Lord's Rune,
"Runes of one who was destined to become a Lord, but when the Elden Ring was shattered, all that remained was a distant duty." where it clearly becomes an eye that can SEE.
The Elden Runes engraved into Marika & Radagon's eyes are scars,
"These seals represent the lifelong duty of those chosen by the gods." but without the ability to die those scars slowly tear and bleed into open sores,
"Solemn duty weighs upon the one beholden; not unlike a gnawing curse from which there is no deliverance." and an eternal kingdom also means eternal suffering.
Destined Death cannot be erased, which is why it must be accepted and you must allow Melina to burn as kindling for you to ascend to become Elden Lord. However, consuming the Erdtree in that inextinguishable Fire is not all.
This swirling symbolism of St.Trina's Adult Form mirrors the multi-vortex Cyclopean Eye of the Fell God of Flame itself – but even more telling is what befell the others of the Giant's race when they lost the war.
All of the other living giants in the Forbidden Lands are frozen solid... and IMPALED.
Miquella is divested of his,
"his flesh, his strength, his lineage, of all things Golden." so in the absence of Gold... what color would his hair become given his father's lineage? The absence of Gold is also the absence of the eternal power that prevents him from aging to maturity, as
Malenia's Remembrance states,
"Miquella and Malenia are both the children of a single god. As such they are both Empyreans, but suffered afflictions from birth. One was cursed with eternal childhood, and the other harbored rot within." St. Trina is only mature when depicted upon a vessel of FLAME. If Messemer were a Soulless Demigod from the Weeping Peninsula who Marika obscured evidence of, would Miquella's Soul divested of its flesh then find a body fully without that Gold where he can mature and even die?
How much power would that give him, and what exactly Miquella's connection to, or influence over Messemer The Impaler be in that case remains unclear. The wandering Mausoleums with headless corpses of Soulless Demigods in them allow the duplication of the Remembrance of ANY other being. Messemer could
simultaneously be the adult Miquella whose tracks you're following through the Realm of Shadow as well as Marika's former child given life again. Given Miquella's ability to shift gender, the soulless demigod of the Impaler could even have JUST been Melina before Malekith was able to cleave her from her body – thus why Miquella entrusted her with Torrent and finding you.
There are a myriad of permutations that could be taken there that all match the details we know, but suffice to say, this is likely to be an explanation of the other Great Rune from the previous Elden Ring that was removed and what became of it. Given that it survives the flames of you becoming the Lord of Chaos, that piece of the previous form of the Elden Ring could even be
the Spectral Steed Whistle that Melina gives you at the start of the game, which is how Ranni identifies you to give you the Spirit-Calling Bell. There're any number of possibilities to exactly how that's been crafted into the story here involving Miquella.
But why?
Malenia harbors zero doubts that Miquella will keep his promise to her, and that
no one is more powerful & terrifying than her brother is. Malenia even refers to herself, an undefeated champion and the most difficult boss in the base game, merely as the "Blade of Miquella." She is a tool that follows his will, which is true as Miquella's Golden Needle in her body is what allows her to retain some semblance of herself. The undefeated Malenia was in a dream so that she would ONLY die in battle, yet even while she dreamt of
endless battle –
no one could defeat her except you.
Deathbirds used to collect the spirits of those who died in battle and bring them into flames. The closing line of the trailer is that,
"Those stripped of the Grace of Gold shall all meet death in the EMBRACE of Messemer's Flame" where that wording isn't nearly as violent as his nature. If this is a god-slaying fire that could purge her from the Goddess of Rot forever, he'd use it. Miquella's only wish for Godwyn was that he die a true death. I assume that his foray into this place is the machination which contains the mechanism by which he will keep his promise to his sister, and likely to Godwyn as well.
And to get a true sense of that power Miquella commands, It's worth remembering where the Tarnished begins at the Chapel of Anticipation with a dead Maiden & nothing but a message at her body to become Elden Lord.
You cannot die at the Chapel of Anticipation of your own accord. You must face the Grafted Scion and then you'll be able to die IN BATTLE. Should you NOT die in battle, you'll receive the
Ornamental Straight Sword which states,
"After falling from grace, the dregs of the golden lineage sought power and purpose in the past." Beyond the arena, there is one final item in that region that you can go to grasp and which you've seen before – a
Nascent Butterfly, "
An arcane butterfly with translucent wings. Exceedingly rare to find. This butterfly appears as if it's just emerged from its cocoon for its entire life." the symbolic representation of Miquella's spirit... and when you go to take it –
– the ground breaks below you and you fall to your death... at which point the Golden Guidance of Grace brings you back and Torrent finds and recognizes you as the person he and Melina are looking for. To put it plainly,
it's almost certain that Miquella has been leading you EVERY step of the way since the start of the game. Even the Hero catacombs you emerge from in the Stranded Graveyard has the same structure as the Hero's Graves – a Headless figure carrying a tiny whithered being reaching upwards... exactly how you find Miquella's hand reaching up from his Coccoon before you defeat Mohg, where it descends to allow you into the Realm of Shadow.
I cannot WAIT to see how they depict him as the most terrifying of all the Empyreans.
(In all honesty, I could probably keep going on a myriad of other details like the new Aspects of the Crucible showing a human deformed into different draconic shapes with spines thrusting upwards, the ghostly town literally being covered in physical shrouds, the crazy leech-like snake people, the ghost worms in the promo images, the new butterfly-based Incantations, the Beast symbolism intertwined into the Chinese Dragon puppet to marry those themes together, or how the box art uses the triple snake motif found exclusively on Rykard's Taker's Cameo and at the base of the Dragonkin Halberd, or just... Yeah.)
At any rate – needed to just get all of that out of my head, so that I can bury myself face-first into all of the excruciatingly minute details of
Rebirth in a couple days, but should anyone actually wade through all that tl;dr and want more – as usual I'm an exhaustive repository of odd information that I'm happy to exchange should I have the means to do so.
X 
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