Radahn's position is something that's contextually suggested in the story, but is something that I don't think was fully certain at all times, and also changed significantly during development depending on which elements were most emphasized about the story and who was in which role for the narrative.
First is that Malenia has always been portrayed as an extension of Miquella's will, even down to her title "Malenia, Blade of Miquella" showing that she is a weapon that is an extension of her brother's will, thanks to his charm. Despite being the strongest, her equipment CLEARLY indicates that her brother is far more:
“My brother will keep his promise. He possesses the wisdom, the allure, of a god – he is the most fearsome Empyrean of all.”
This is where I'll mention that there is symbolic narrative at play here when it comes to the depiction of Malenia that pulls a bit from
Der Ring des Nibelungen in the form of the Valkyrie
Brunhilde who is borne of Odin's true will and after being rent asunder by betrayal (also dealing with incest vs. love) she brings about the death of the most beloved warrior, and she is left to slumber in an isolated mountain where a hero must overcome the ultimate trials to prove himself worthy to claim her. She's also heavily influenced by
Jar-eel the Razoress,
daughter of the Red Emperor from the mythos in
RuneQuest (it's worth noting that
the connections to Glorantha/Dragon's Pass with Jar-eel specifically go all the way back as far as Dark Souls, and that mythos also forms a LOT of the underlying elements of the Barbarians vs. the Lunar Empire that becomes the core of Leyndell vs. Caria in
Elden Ring). She is THE quintessential warrior whose prowess is unmatched, but has elements of her character that are at the very core foundation of themes that the
Souls games have been iterating upon in varying degrees of completion for a LONG time, which here are wrapped around conflicted self-destructive purpose in the impossibility of doing as she is commanded to while also aligning the truth in her & Odin's heart, and also similarly represented in Miquella's self-conflicted nature with St. Trina being a parallel to Radagon/Marika in the same position.
(Note: I'm still going through the whole of
Der Ring des Nibelungen as a part of my core research, so I can't expand TOO much on what I know and how it connects beyond the parts in "
Die Walküre" aside from just the summaries, as I'm currently going through "
Siegfried" at the moment still and haven't gotten to "
Götterdämmerung" yet, but as a whole that's a BIG component to a lot of Japanese adaptations of Western fantasy (thanks to Wagner influence during WWII Germany likely being a heavy component of early cross-cultural influence). Additionally, I'm not directly familiar with the RuneQuest mythology, and this specifically was borne out of some of my own research specific to
Elden Ring that got into early influence in Japanese adaptations of Western Fantasy when I was looking at things aside from D&D & LotR that took hold there and help shape the core of that mythological approach a bit differently than ones in the West. While that's on my list of things to dive into in proper detail, I don't have much exposure to it aside from those links and a few other miscellaneous articles at the moment).
So, the next element to look at is
Millicent's questline – Millicent can use the Waterfowl attack even when you first encounter her as an invader. As soon as Millicent is given the Golden Needle, she begins following the same exact path that her mother Malenia took. She even gets the same prosthetic arm that her mother used and knows her skill with a blade, and is pulled through compulsion to the Haligtree. From Gowry we learn even more context:
Gowry, "Then you might like to learn something of the history of Malenia, Goddess of Scarlet Rot. Queen Marika and her King Consort Radagon were blessed with twin demigods, and Malenia was one of them. She was born an Empyrean, carrying the Scarlet Rot. An Empyrean... is no mere demigod. In the Age of the Elden Ring, and Queen Marika, the precious Empyrean was born. A new god to forge a new Order. Since Malenia fought Radahn, and the great scarlet flower blossomed in Aeonia, I have dedicated myself to her. And to the resplendence of the Order of Rot. The cycle of decay & rebirth."
When Millicent finally reaches the Haligtree she trusts you enough not just to talk about where she's headed and to aid you, but also imparts the information specifically about what her plan is in heading there, which opens up more dialogue from Gowry as well that provides more context.
Millicent, "Again we meet. I can only surmise our purposes are aligned. In which case, allow me to explain myself. I am of Malenia's blood. But in what capacity I know not. I could be sister, daughter, or an offshoot... Whatever the case though, I am certain of a kinship between us... There is something I must return to Malenia. The will that was once her own. The dignity, the sense of self, that allowed her to resist the call of the Scarlet Rot. The pride she abandoned to meet Radahn's measure."
Gowry, "She is to meet them very soon, her sisters. And when she does, she'll be defeated, surely, and begin to flower. Which is why... If you happen to be present for the girl's fight with her sisters, I ask that you side with the sisters and kill Millicent. It must be done by your hand, no other. Millicent trusts you, rather deeply in fact. Sever that trust. Nurtured by betrayal, her bud will flower most vividly. When Malenia ascends to godhood, Millicent too shall be reborn. As a Scarlet Valkyrie. You can't tell me that you don't wish to see it. The superior bud that is Millicent, becoming the finest of flowers? I beg of you, kill her. With your own two hands."
This contextualizes what the flowering of the Scarlet Aeonia represents not JUST for her, but for Malenia as well. Miquella's Needle in Malenia's flesh is something that Millicent wants to remove from Malenia to give her back herself for the same reason that if you align with her against Gowry's-Golden-Needle-driven manipulation, Millicent removes the Golden Needle from herself, rather than blooming into a horrible Scarlet Aeonia – something that is a horrifying fate
that she will actively decry by saying,
Millicent, "But this is where things end. I pause to even tell you, but... I took out the needle myself. Tell whoever put you up to this. That if I am to flower into something other than myself, I would rather rot into nothingness as I am. Please. let me pass alone. The Scarlet Rot writhes now, worse than ever. Soon, I won't be more than a mound of flesh. Curse-laden. Untouchable. I wouldn't want such a thing to bring you harm."
When you return, you'll find that she dies naturally. This is different from
what happens if you betray her. As she's dying she'll say,
Millicent, "Ahh, how could you... Is this your true heart? Was I... was it all... for this?"
The line,
"Is this your true heart?" is especially important to consider in the context that Miquella steals and manipulates the hearts of others for his own end, but also that Millicent's Prosthesis states,
"The despair of sweet betrayal transformed Millicent from a mere bud into a magnificent flower. And one day, she will be reborn – as a beautiful Scarlet Valkyrie."
This is all emphasizing that the transformation into the Scarlet Bloom is triggered by a sense of betrayal whilst ALSO under the control of another individual, rather than operating from one's own free will.
When it comes to the conflict itself, the Sword Monuments that detail the battles in the Lands Between touch on this conflict in brief, with the one in Liurnia reading,
"This marks Malenia's southward march. The Blade of Miquella and her Cleanrot Knights. Grant her wings never to be clipped." followed by the two in Caelid stating,
"The Battle of Aeonia. Radahn and Malenia locked in stalemate. Then, the scarlet rot blooms." followed by
"The Starscourge Conflict. Radahn alone holds Sellia secure. And stands tall, to shatter the stars."
So, we know that Malenia was sent down to confront Radahn directly. This would suggest that there is an inherent split between the two. Additionally, there is the detail that the lands that belong to the Carians and the Lunar royal lineage & those of Leyndell & the Erdtree are STILL separate territories. If you look at
the Map of the Lands Between, you'll see that all the territory of Leyndell is bordered in Brown – whereas the lands that belong to the Carian Lunar family, Liurnia & Caelid,
are STILL bordered in GREEN. (This also holds true in the DLC, as the Carians hold no territory in the Lands of Shadow).
This is important because the Haligtree itself is explicitly NOT a bordered territory. The who concept of the Unalloyed Gold is very heavily contingent upon a separation from the Golden Order, and Miquella's entire dynasty was designed to re-integrate with the Carians, a bond that Radagon's divorce had severed, and provides a lot of context into the Great Rune of the Unborn being the form of Miquella's Rune, and her Phase 2 transition being, "
Ahh, my beloved... Have no fear, I will hold thee. Patience. Ye will be countless born, forever and ever." This aligns with Rennala being entranced in a perpetual dream and dedicated to the art of... Rebirth – the same fundamental goal of the Order of Rot that's manipulating Malenia, but the form which takes the way that Miquella is constantly reborn as an unblossomed bud that can never bloom on his own in a state of perpetual youth in juxtaposition to his sister. He is always in a between state and that power was left to her by Lord Radagon in the form of the Ember Egg. It's the only Great Rune that's always active without any link to a Divine Tower, because Miquella is in both states.
Sorcery explicitly protects against the Madness & Sleep statuses, and the fact that Ranni, Rogier, & Rennala are all cast into a slumber, and that Miquella's current state within his cocoon is described by Sir Gideon as being "asleep" reinforce the elements with St. Trina and the concept of Death & Rebirth being aligned to dreams the way that Bloodborne does with the "Awaken Above Ground" at tombstones being your method of travel, matching to Rennala's own quote about rebirth immediately after her battle,
"Where did ye flee, my sweetings? Come out from whence ye hide. There are books and light aplenty. Dither not; come out say I! Or will ye be gravestones? To be better born anew?"
This overlaps to the fact that the Villiage of the Albinaurics is awash in poison, and the Crystal Caverns directly below Raya Lucaria Academy is the location of the Lake of Rot. As per the
Poison Armament incantation that you get from the Scarab outside the Swamp of Aeonia,
"Those who dwell within poison know rot all too well. The death that begets life, that comes to all equally. That is to say: it is the cycle of rebirth put into practice." Matching to how the
Meteoric Ore Blade is found in the Caelid Waypoint Ruins where the tombs are a festering mass of juvenile Pests spawning from the opened tombs -
Gowry himself secretly hiding in the guise of a human but possessing the body of one of the Pests. resembling the way that the Pests are also all spawning from cocoons around the Graveyard at the base of the Haligtree, as well as worshipping in the Lake of Rot below Raya Lucaria Academy.
This is where it's important to dig into the elements of how this all informs Malenia's path & history before getting deeper into the interconnected elements with the Carians.
First is worth noting that the core element of Malenia & her mentor come from the same place as Zorayas, D, Miquella, and a number of the other elements in the base game &
Shadow of the Erdtree – the novel
Night's Master by Tanith Lee. In that book, there are a duo known as Kazir the blind master and Ferazin the Flower-Born. His song rescues her and when she is tricked into death, he tends her grave for a year, watering it and eventually watering it with his own tears until she regrows from her grave. (The Ghost Glovewarts in
Elden Ring also have a parallel to that symbolism of rebirth). In the narrative itself, the two of them become somewhat the subject of their own legends like that he slew a powerful serpent, when in reality it died of age & sorrow and he was protecting the charm that brought about that cycle of destruction & despair, they're set up in a way that that's indirectly referred back to the way that the Blind Swordsman is in
Elden Ring in some later novels
(Note: I am still reading the
Tales of a Flat Earth series and am mid-way through the 4th of the 5 books, so there is some context here that's potentially a bit incomplete in my ability to expand upon the shared mythology as while their story is VERY self-contained in
Night's Master, the two are mentioned a few times since as legendary figures, so I'm not sure if there are any other elements of that which will eventually open up beyond that or provide echoes back to those characters at a later point in that mythology. And yes, I do jump through multiple series at once rather unevenly at times, but especially in this case as
Tales of a Flat Earth are written narrative whereas
Der Ring das Nibelungen is an operatic play that means that consuming both of them takes a very different type of focus).
The
Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom that you get at the start of Gowry's Quest states,
"Though born into the accursed rot, when the young girl encountered her mentor and his flowing blade, she gained wings of unparalleled strength." Her mentor is the Blind Swordsman who we know of from the
Blue Dancer Charm,
"The dancer in blue represents a fairy, who in legend bestowed a flowing sword upon a blind swordsman. Blade in hand, the swordsman sealed away an ancient god — a god that was Rot itself." and this, in turn reflects upon the relic enshrined at the Lake of Rot –
the Scorpion Stinger,
"Dagger fashioned from a great scorpion's tail, glistening with scarlet rot. A ceremonial tool used by heretics, crafted from the relic of a sealed outer god."
All of these are design elements which are amalgamated into a reconstituted form in Romina, Saint of the Bud.
Her
Rotten Butterflies only trigger Scarlet Rot when they stop moving, and the incantation states,
"Summons a myriad of butterflies while performing a gentle twirl. The butterflies break apart on contact, scattering rot and setting off a chain reaction. The scarlet butterflies are as the Goddess of Rot's wings. Bereft of a master, they were soothed by Romina, who reached out to them." focusing on that sense of abandonment, while
her Poleblade has the same floating movement that Malenia does and emphasizes its symbolism,
"Weapon of Romina, Saint of the Bud. A scarlet glaive with a dangling bud-like blade. Attacks cause buildup of rot. Once, in the crumbling, burning church, Romina held the bud in speechless silence. That bud would become her blade."
Not only is her body that of a butterfly-winged fairy & a flower petals & seeds fused with a centipede & scorpion, but the asset for the thorn-encircled stinger is even called a "Needle" which is the other crucial element, even having that form in the Ash of War,
The Poison Flower Blooms Twice, which causes a recipient of Poison/Rot to detonate in a damage burst like Frostbite/Bleed, emphasizing the way in which that blooming occurs.
Romina's form of flowering rebirth is only possible
after fire burns her church and opens the buds, and this is the same visual language that's used for the Erdtree supposedly never having seeds, and the various other reasons why it can't die, but why it explicitly needs to be
burned for a new Elden Lord to ascend, as the
Full Bloom forms of the Erdtree Guardians are more vulnerable to fire but receive more healing from the Erdtree's sap via the Flask of Tears as that's the form of the god which they're preying upon, but the similarly designed
Curseblade Masks reduce the healing Flask's effectiveness as they're feeding on injuring themselves in an attempt to rise to godhood. This contextualizes
Malenia's Great Rune and her relationship to the Haligtree, where the reduction of the healing flasks is offset by her sustainance from feeding on combat with others.
This is because her master the Blind Swordsman developed the guard-countering technique as per the
Curved Sword Talisman,
"It is said that a blind swordsman was the originator of this technique — the art of allowing one's opponent to strike so as to leave them vulnerable to a well-timed reply." This allows Malenia who is also blind to be able to still be effective in combat. The
Flowing-Curved Sword which is being taken in a coffin to Ordina Liturgical Town (base of the Black Knives & entrance to the Haligtree) offers more,
"Legends speak of a master of the sword garbed in blue, and his curved blade that was patterned after flowing water. Strong attack unleashes a series of strikes akin to a dance, offering a glimpse into the legend." This contextualizes the hovering, flowing movement that Malenia, Millicent, & the Black Knife Assassins all use.
Blue Silver is a metal borne of the same mother as the Albinaurics themselves, hence it being worn by the archers there, and also being the color of the armor of the Black Knife Assassins both in that same place. It provides protection against both magic & frost – both of the elements connected to Ranni's character, but in direct juxtaposition to the underlying theme that defines the Barbarians who also follow the same creed where their
Blue Cloth symbolizes that flowing as the means by which Rot is prevented from victory,
"Cowl of a nomadic warrior. The blue color of its fabric symbolizes brisk waters, as fluid and flowing as the sword in the hand of its wearer. Just as still waters turn foul, stagnation leads to decay. Warriors must remain ever-drifting." and is the underlying creed of Nepheli Loux becoming the rightful heir to Stormvale by defeating Godrick, Gideon, & Godfrey with you and refusing to allow the stagnant winds to take hold – especially as she sees the injustices of the Village of the Albinaurics which further interconnect these themes to Malenia and also outside of her.
In Ranni's case, that cold magic has to be made pliant through love & human connection to YOU as the player willingly being her Consort Eternal as she ascends to godhood and presides over the Age of Stars. This is in a reflected juxtaposition to the relationship that Miquella & Radahn have, which is an embodiment of the mirrored reverse of those things. This HEAVILY suggests that Radahn didn't agree to any form of that union, but that this was instead the result of Miquella's continued coercion & vision like the
Miquella's Knight Sword removing glintstone & replacing it with Amber similarly to how Radagon gave the Amber egg with that rune to Rennala,
"Sword forged by servants of Miquella of the Haligtree, with a design modeled after those carried by Carian knights. Instead of glintstone however, amber from the Haligtree is embedded in the blade. A sumptuous piece, yet it has never been offered to any knight — an ill-starred sword with no master."
An ill-starred dynasty looking to Radahn to control the stars FOR him.
The level of interconnection there being changed between
some elements in the release version to what they were in 1.0 that make the differences more apparent and provide more context.
Blue Silver & the Albinaurics:
• Release version: "Chainmail armor crafted with blue silver. Worn by the wolf-riding Albinauric archers. Blue silver is a metal born from the same mother as the archers themselves, and provides protection from magic and frost."
•
1.0 Version: "Armor worn by females of the artificial lifeforms known as Children of Silver. Formed of the same silver from which these beings
are birthed, this is the only material that doesn't irritate their skin. These maids constructed in Raya Lucaria headed to the Paling Tower, to enter Miquella's service."
Loretta:
• Release Version: "Silver helm of Loretta, a knight who served Miquella's Haligtree. Loretta was once a royal Carian knight, and her lapis-lazuli blue cape is the emblem of the knightly pride that continues to guide her. Loretta, once a royal Carian knight, went on a journey in search of a haven for Albinaurics, and determined that the Haligtree was their best chance for eventual salvation."
• 1.0 Version: "Silver armor of the Arbor Sentinels who serve the sacred tree of Miquella, the Scion Empyrean. Hailing from Raya Lucaria, these enchanted knights once belonged to the Carian royal family, but were later gifted to Miquella, recipient of the Vision, by King Consort Radagon. The lapis blue trimmings reveal these origins."
Additionally there's the never-implemented Abundance Twinblade:
"Twinblade that contain the power of the Rune of Abundance. The holy power within the blade can call upon part of Miquella's own strength." as well as the Abindance & Decay Twinblade:
"Twinblade symbolizing twins Miquella and Malenia. Miquella and his sister were born from an inseparable fate. The blades contain the Runes of both Abundance and Decay." showing that there was an early conceptualization of Miquella's Rune that eventually changed.
This was implemented as the Legendary armament of the Tower,
Euporia in
Shadow of the Erdtree, took it in a different direction more in line with Godwyn the Golden,
"Twinblade symbolizing abundance. The secret treasure of the tower. Though the blades, fashioned from golden shoots, are largely wilted and darkened, their luster can be restored by dealing damage to foes. However, damage dealt to Those Who Live in Death will have no such effect." which reflects that back in 1.0, all the Knights at the Haligtree have armor which states,
"<armor piece> used by soldiers/knights of Miquella, the Golden Twin" showing that those themes, and how they connected to Godwyn in the main game as well as Shadow of the Erdtree are heavily in flux in how that relationship & Radahn's aren't really fully clarified at various points in the narrative, and remain in flux during a lot of development as those themes are shifted around and redefined.
The 1.0 version of the Haligtree is also the only location where the Oracles appear (as there are none in Leyndell) and the Bubble attacks that they utilize are all the same Glintstone Blue as those of the Claymen hinting at that shared origin, before they were altered in the release version to be Golden like the incantation, and starting to further shift some more of those elements again. (Hence the symbolism of The Dark Moon of Ranni & Eclipsed Sun of Godwyn as the two reflections of one another shifting more towards Ranni & Miquella).
There's also the detail that Radahn was still referred to as the "God of War" in 1.0, whereas Malenia's role was that of the "Red Queen" as per the Cleanrot Knight Equipment:
• Release Version: "Armor of the Cleanrot Knights, celebrated for their undefeated campaign in the Shattering. The Cleanrot Knights vowed to fight alongside Malenia, despite the inevitable, if gradual, putrefaction of their flesh. Their acceptance of their fate made these battles the fiercest of all."
• 1.0 Version: "Armor of a Wing Knight, honorbound to Malenia, the Red Queen. These knights, considered the strongest in the Shattering, descended upon General Radahn's army in an almighty battle, continuing to fight even as their bodies came apart. Only after their work was done did they allow themselves to succumb. Still plagued by the fungal rot deployed in that battle, the armor itself is decaying."
This really puts the two of them as THE ultimates of their respective factions vying for control post-Shattering. Even despite that, Malenia's equipment all focuses on herself as being a warrior and being relentless & rotten, whereas Radahn's focuses on him using his power for & out of kindness. Beyond the well-known example of the
Remembrance of the Starscourge giving context to Radahn's relationship with his steed Leonard, "
The Red Lion General wielded gravitational powers which he learned in Sellia during his younger days. All so he would never have to abandon his beloved but scrawny steed." There is also the altered lore between the Release Version & 1.0 that was noteworthy in establishing a similar element of his character even back at an earlier point.
The Longtail Cat Talisman in 1.0:
"A brooch depicting a long-tailed cat, known to be the beloved pet of General Radahn. Reduces fall damage. This black cat was known to have enjoyed jumping down from great heights; it would leap from the great bell-tower of Raya Lucaria as a kitten, and once fully grown, from the great heavenward roots that twisted through the Erdtree Capital skies."
The Longtail Cat Talisman in the Release Version:
"A brooch depicting Lacrima, the long-tailed cat. Grants immunity to fall damage, but does not prevent death from a high fall. Lacrima features in the fables of Raya Lucaria, in which she is described as a faerie cat who was fond of playing in the great bell tower."
Even while that's removed from the release version, the sense of who Radahn was, and that he loved the things about his heritage that even Radagon hesitated to embrace like the name "Redmanes" focuses on his lineage to the Giants, in addition to his leonine royal position. That kindness and acceptance are a core element to his character that make the nature of how he would respond to Miquella's request an inherently difficult one to answer, which is likely why we don't get an verbal acknowledgment one way or another. Moreso than ANY of that is that the moniker, "Miquella the Kind" that is used throughout
Shadow of the Erdtree is used to emphasize that his kindness is anything but truth, which is in absolute antithesis to everything about Radahn's portrayal.
This brings things to the Carian & Leyndell unification which takes two forms – Ranni & the Elden Lord
VS. Radahn & Miquella.
Radahn's choice seems fairly well defined now as in opposition given that he not ONLY didn't guide the stars to Miquella's favor – he arrested their movement completely to prevent his fate from being manipulated by ANYONE – which is about the ONLY possible way that Miquella would have been stopped, and also why he remained frozen in slumber during the entirety of the main game's campaign. He maintained this even as his mind rotted away and everything else aside from his kindness and protective inclination towards Leonard was erased from him, which reinforces the same thing that happens with Blaidd later on. That protective nature he clung to is in opposition to Miquella's use of him, rather than in alignment to it.
This also builds into how the
Young Lion's Helm includes the quote from Malenia that she whispers to Radahn when she's fighting him in Caelid,
"Miquella awaits thee, O promised consort." JUST before she blooms into the flower that obliterates Caelid and destroys Radahn's mind with Rot that reduces him to a crazed beast left clinging to the final vestiges of his humanity... and STILL keeping the stars firmly locked in their places. That Malenia's Scarlet Bloom could only have been triggered by an experience of Betrayal & Manipulation in equal parts at the delivery of this line reflects on Miquella's defiance towards Radahn's will, and using Malenia as a tool to obtain something even greater than herself for her brother.
This is something that you can actually see her say to him during the VERY first story cinematic narrated by Ranni, although we don't know if that was always what was planned as her line, it's fairly clear that there's a narrative here that's meant to represent that same elements as Gowry & Millicent's narrative. Malenia's death at Radahn's hand was Radahn's defiance against Miquella's plan which was seen as a betrayal. Rather than uniting the strongest of the Erdtree & Moon under The Shattering, it was keeping them separated.
Essentially, it seems as though Ranni's path has always been the sole path which is meant to show the Carians having agency, rather than Leyndell. Radahn's arresting of the stars froze her own future as well as his fate, which is what leads your path to need to bring an end to her brother's story, which aligns to the wishes of both Blaidd & Jerren.
When the topic of bringing Radahn back comes about Redmane Freyja explicitly mentions that Jerren would be opposed to the idea, and in him hunting down Sellen amongst other things dealing with preventing the sorcerous reconstitution of an individual into another's body also being thematically intertwined into the relationship that she had with Pidia/Seluvis.
If you attempt to attack & betray Ranni –
she & Seluvis both vanish & Blaidd becomes hostile, indicating that the nature by which she was able to circumvent a natural death and attach herself to a puppet was likely connected to Seluvis' knowledge out of necessity, especially as we know that Seluvis is simply the puppet persona of Pidia, and he's previously attempted to gain some advantage over Ranni
using an assassin disguised as Blaidd whose mask he find outside of his tower. Thus once Ranni gets the Finger Slayer Blade and is able to invert that relationship, Pidia's puppets turn on him and kill him, rendering Seluvis inert and enabling Ranni her freedom to act as she wishes.
During her slumber, Seluvis is also responsible for taking the Amber Starlight Shard that you take from in front of Miquella's Statue in Leyndell and turning it into a potion that he attempts to use to gain control of Ranni as a puppet before she can free herself from that bond.
Doing this will have her banish you, and even instantly kill you if you attempt to continually interact with her after that betrayal. This is in a stark juxtaposition to
giving a sleeping potion to Florissax, the Dragon Priestess who is forced to sacrifice her sleep to Lord Placidusax every night. If you give her Thiollier's Concoction while she sleeps, defeating Bayle & confessing this to her results in her pledging herself to you in exchange for that transgression, becoming the only Spirit Ash who speaks to you directly as her noble Lord. (In the second case, Florissax succumbing to that slumber is something she still sees as HER transgression, and is much closer to the Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot dynamic).
Again, the same actions taken from a position where you have a different understanding of the agency of the relationship between both parties changes the nature of what you're doing for/to them. Again, this is in a VERY purposeful juxtaposition to the same dynamic between Gowry & Millicent as it's testing things about who you truly are. Is the woman you're helping simply an opportunity to acquire the most powerful tool that exists so that you can manipulate it for your own power – or are you considering specifically what SHE desires in addition to your own wants, as well as whether or not she's free enough to understand her own wishes. In Florissax's case her Incantation indicates she's never known love, and thus her attachment to Placidusax is one of absolute obligation where she has no choice, just like how the Needle removes the agency that Millicent has over herself even as it suppresses the Scarlet Rot to shape her into a tool as a means to an end, whereas Ranni's mission is about extracting herself from various forces that prevent her from having agency over herself.
This is the core of the decision for why you have to allow Melina to sacrifice herself as a kindling maiden, and not try to save her against her own will by becoming the kindling yourself via becoming host to the Three Fingers. You have to understand when denying someone's wishes is a path to heroism vs. when it is a path to damnation & destruction. The same is true for why you don't allow Zorayas to forget the horrible truth of the nature of her birth, nor do you spare her the pain by killing her. You defeat Rykard & free her from the system which would persecute or manipulate her regardless of her own agency.
(Note: Zorayas' story in
Night's Master is an extremely painful story about her as the heir to a kingdom and the pain of self-loathing that is a result of the abuse & rape that she endured as a child leaving her physically deformed with a hunched stance nearly identical to Zorayas' human form in
Elden Ring. Even as she becomes an unstoppably powerful queen, her inability to ever feel truly loved by anyone is eventually what leads to her own self-destruction, and thus the path where you kill Rykard & spare her to receive her letter in
Elden Ring is specifically crafted such that you give this version of her story a way to experience something that is otherwise impossible for her to have obtained. This sort of meta narrative understanding for why that narrative has the focus that it does helps a lot in understanding the particulars of the pitfalls & other confrontations presented in
Elden Ring).
This is to conclude that Radahn is placed into a position where his kindness & position put him into a place where despite his authority, there really isn't a good way for him to object to Miquella outright other than winning the scramble for power during The Shattering – which he did. The E3 2019 Announcement trailer also shows us more of that battle than we see anywhere else – Radahn in the aftermath of the attack, his body glowing and burning with gold in a field surrounded by lifeless corpses.
I can think of few moments that stand out more clearly as Radahn's answer to Miquella being
"No." that stand more starkly than this, despite it being something that we never see in the game, and it being something that was even pre-Closed Beta Test, the core nature of Radahn seems as though it has always been designed to ensure that it evokes a sense of sympathy and justice in death, so that in
Shadow of the Erdtree, the very idea of Radahn being forced back to life as a consort vessel for another's ascension to godhood feels like the abuse of power that it is, –
even for one whose own power seems unmatched, it's still possible for him to be the victim of a power dynamic just as much as any of the demigods, or even Queen Marika herself.
.
