The Curse of Lothric (A History)
It should be no surprise that the Kingdom of Lothric is at least several centuries old, founded at an unknown time after the end of DS2. And even in the stagnating, ashen world we find it in, it has stood the test time. The Lothric royal bloodline has spanned around 1 to 2 scores of generations, with many successions of Kings.
THE LOTHRIC ROYAL ENTERPRISE
Since its very beginning, the society of Lothric was founded on the importance of the Linking of the Fire. And it was the great responsibility of every king to produce an heir, a champion, a hero worthy enough to become a Lord of Cinder, and preserve the world (as we know it).
What many people forget is the fact that Prince Lothric was present during the kingdom's humble beginnings. And its very possible that the kingdom was named after him, not vice-versa. And there is a strong reason for this.
A FEAR OF KNOWING
According to the description of the Lothric Scholar Robes:
大書庫の賢者は魔術師であり また灯火に傅く敬虔な者でもあるという つまり彼らは、知ることを恐れているのだ
"The scholars of the Grand Archives are sorcerers, but are also said to be devout servants who bow before the Flame. In other words, they fear knowledge itself."
How interesting is it that these scholars, who devote themselves to the pursuit of knowledge, have a fear of knowing too much? Despite being men of sorcery, they are also men of faith. Faith in the Flame. They are as much a part of Lothric as the venerable Knights and the High Priestess. And thus, they also place value on the Firelinking. However, there was one scholar who wasn't.
THE FIRST SCHOLAR
ロスリックと大書庫のはじまりにおいて 最初の賢者が伝えたとされる魔術
凄まじいソウルの奔流を放つ
最初の賢者は火継ぎの懐疑者であり また密かに、王子の師でもあったという
"A sorcery said to have been passed down by the First Scholar at the beginning of Lothric and the Grand Archives.
Unleashes a tremendous torrent of souls.
The First Scholar was a sceptic of the Linking of the Fire, and is said to have secretly served as the Prince's mentor."
While the First Scholar of Lothric is no longer around, it is clear that his faith did not hold firm in the Firelinking. A scepticism that would later rub off on his pupil, the young Prince Lothric, only much later. As he was around during the Kingdom's beginning, it puts into perspective just how old the Prince really is. But more importantly, how much of a tragedy his character is.
THE TWIN LORDS
Another common misconception is the idea that Lothric and Lorian had rejected becoming Lords of Cinder altogether. In truth, however, the original text clarifies that they rejected BEING (たる) Lords of Cinder rather than BECOMING Lords of Cinder. As in they rejected their positions, their titles as well as the responsibilities they entailed. Their duties to preserve the Flame and the world.
Prince Lothric was a withered infant, born into illness. However, this was not the true "curse" that plagued the young prince. His real curse was the fact that he was fated, even before he was born, to fulfill his family's earnest but tragic wish: to link the Fire and become a Lord of Cinder. The royal family wished for a hero who would save the world. Lothric was meant to be that hero.
However, two sons were born that day, twins. The first was healthy, but the second was sickly. Despite this, the royal family decided that the younger prince would become the kingdom's true hero. The older prince, Lorian, was raised as a knight for the purpose of becoming the Sword of Prince Lothric; his brother's guardian.
Lorian loved his brother deeply, and was most certainly saddened knowing that he would one day lose him. Which is why Lorian took it upon himself to embrace his brother's destiny. The day eventually came when Prince Lothric would link the Fire, and Lorian decided to join him in this tragic yet heroic end. Together, the brothers would burn as kindling for the sake of the world.
This is how the Princes became martyrs and the event that, I believe, marked the origin of the enterprise/workings/undertaking (営み) of Lothric's royal bloodline. And most importantly, its how the kingdom would become known as Lothric, the Firelinking Kingdom.
THE LOTHRIC CURSE
Yet, over the course of centuries, this noble enterprise would no longer be as heroic in the end. As the Fire began to fade more quickly and the need for Lords of Cinder increased, even more pressure was put on the kings of Lothric to create worthy heirs. And little by little, the enterprise started drifting farther into abhorrent acts, until it would abandon humanity all together.
THE CONSUMED KING
As we know, it doesn't matter if you are righteous (Abyss Watchers), malicious (Aldrich), big (Yhorm), or small (Ludleth). To link the Fire and become a Lord of Cinder, the only thing that matters is the strength of your soul. At the end of the day, it is power that makes a Lord.
King Oceiros is the latest and certainly the last king of Lothric. And it was the enterprise of Lothric's royal lineage that would eventually drive him mad. In his later years, he became obssessed with dragons, specifically their sheer strength and power. And he would attempt to harnass this power to create an heir with the strength of dragons. This obssession would lead him to form ties with the heretics of the Grand Archives, who were adherents to a distorted faith in the White Dragon, Seath the Scaleless.
A long time ago, Big Hat Logan attuned himself to the mind of Seath and, in doing so, was able to make the dragon's godlike power his own. King Oceiros wished to acheive such enlightment, and went about becoming one with Seath. Of course, we know that Seath was not sound in mind, as he was a creature driven mad by envy, endless research, and lonliness. In a way, him and Oceiros are kindred spirits.
Over time, Oceiros' body would slowly become more warped into a monstrous pale dragon. Similar to Seath himself, he would also start to lose his sight. It seems that his research did yield something of value, as we learn that him and his enigmatic Queen produced a child of dragons, Ocelotte.
FAILURE
However, it seems that the people of Lothric were not pleased with the result. Why this was the case is never known. Perhaps the child possessed no power whatsoever, or perhaps the people simply could not perceive it. Oceiros clearly saw something in the child, but then again, its not like his opinion carried a lot of weight, as he had been seeing very little these days.
Regardless, the kingdom did not produce a worthy heir to link the Fire. And not long after, the Queen of Lothric decided to disappear from the kingdom and abandon her title all together. Perhaps she no longer wished to be around her husband, who had fallen into madness? Perhaps she no longer believed in Lothric's "noble" undertaking? Or perhaps some circumstance behind her youngest child was too much for her to bear.
We find the king alone in a ruined temple in the royal garden and we hear the distorted, almost inhuman babbling of an infant. When he hears us enter he addresses us as a fool, possibly mistaking us for one of his subjects. He suspects that we have finally come to realize the power of his dear Ocelotte, child of dragons. However, he makes clear that he will not let him go, as the child is all he has left now. His everything.
His hands appear to be cradling something, but there is nothing to be seen. He tells the child to come out and that there is nothing for him to fear. But the child never does. One can only wonder, can the child simply not be seen by anyone, or perhaps a more unsettling query: was he ever holding the child to begin with? Was it all a delusion fabricated by a fractured, obssessed, and lonely mind? Like Seath, was Oceiros just another broken soul who never really understood what it was he truly lacked?
THE LORDS' RETURN
With the king failing to produce a worthy heir, the Linking of the Fire had become threatened. And with no one worthy champion to be found, the kingdom was left with no other choice. With the toll of the great bell, the old Lords of Cinder were awoken from their graves. And now, the fading Flame is now forced to use its own cinder to stay alive. Only in truth, upon awakening, the Lords decided to abandon their thrones, believing that this world was no longer worth preserving.
And one of these lords was Prince Lothric himself, along with his brother. It seemed that as a consequence of linking the Fire together, their souls had become tangled, becoming inseperable. And the once healthy Lorian was now left crippled and mute upon awakening.
Perhaps after seeing the state of his kingdom and the world around him, Prince Lothric and his brother had finally lost all faith in the duty of Linking the Fire. They finally had enough of the long line of sacrificial lambs and desired for it all to fade into nothing. And so, he and his brother had decided to reject their mantles as Lords of Cinder, eschew everything, and await the End of Fire.
A PLACE TO DIE
When we find him, he appears to sit on some kind of tomb. A place where many flowers have been strewn to pay respects. Perhaps it is the memorial dedicates to the princes themselves? He is well aware of who we are: Ash without Fire, collector of kindling. But he makes clear that he has no desire to be a lord, and that we too should rest now.
Still commited to his duty, Lorian enters the fray to protect his dear brother. And though broken, he fights admirably, but is still no match for us. When he falls, Lothric is quick to join his brother's side. He reminds Lorian that he is his sword, the Sword of Prince Lothric. He humbly asks his brother to rise again, for that is their curse.
The brothers muster what little strength they have left to support each other in one final attempt to put our ambitions to rest once and for all. But we are undettered, and through sheer resolve, we manage to slay both Lorian and Lothric. And in his dying breath, Prince Lothric claims that we are just like them: bound by a curse.
The curse of Linking the Fire.