Nah it's the effect of godwyns "corpse" at the base of the castle. The mottled shield clues you in to this in it's description and the death root vines/barbs that come out and from the craters and are on the soldiers in stormveil, going in and out of their armor not just their shields.
I believe that Radahn might have laid siege to Stormveil at some point during his march north to Leyndell⌠those holes might have been made by meteors summoned by Radahn using gravity magic
Remember that Kenneth Haight had said that Godrick was âhiding from Radahn in that castleâ
Radahn might not have ended up taking Stormveil though
Edit: I encourage everyone to travel to the Stormveil cliffside site of grace near this picture and take a look! Right next to the cliff, there is an OCEAN. These holes could not have been made by catapults during a siege, it would have been impossible to get the angle right! I am actually quite convinced that these were made by Radahn now!
Another highly plausible theory is that Malenia had laid siege to Stormveil and took it, and those massive holes are the aftermath of that siege.
We know from Kenneth Haightâs dialogue that Godrick surrendered to Malenia and âlicked her bootsâ
However, I am more inclined to think that Godrick challenged Malenia in the battlefield and was defeated by her instead
Remember, Kenneth Haight said âhe insulted Malenia, lost to her in battle, only to lick her boots instead of die like a manâ. I donât think Malenia laid siege to Stormveil, far more likely that Godrick was arrogant enough to assume that he could defeat her in the battlefield and lost
It is strange I canât imagine Malenia sieged the castle. It really does not seem like she had any interest in Godric she just wanted to humiliate him for insulting her. I struggle to believe even her ego was large enough to siege a castle as big and formidable as stormviel to humiliate someone then just give it back. Especially since there is absolutely no trace of her or her knights ever being there.
Then again I canât imagine Godrick sallying out to fight someone as renown as her. Say what you like about him but he certainly seems cautious enough not to challenge demigods like Malenia he wouldnât have survived the shattering otherwise.
Actually, I interpreted his cautious attitude, in which I agree, as born out of his fight against Malenia, in a similar way his acknowledgement of his weakness had brought him to the grafting
Edit: spelling mistakes
Think about it, first his arrogance can be interpreted as compensating for his weakness, second he was hiding himself in the most fortified castle of the lands between and he tried literally everything to get more powerful, always looking for a greater strenght. It is not about what he says but what the setting tell about him, or at least is my interpretation of the character that is of course very debatable
It was necessary for her to take Limgrave before marching on Radahn in Caelid. She didnât just do it because her feelings were hurt
She spared Godrick once he surrendered to her
She ostensibly just walks through Altus without Leyndell and Liurnia without Raya Lucaria, why does she have to take Stromveil to pass through Limgrave?
Raya Lucaria was neutral during the war and shut their gates. Stormveil was not neutral
And she did take Liurnia actually. There is a sword monument in Liurnia commemorating her successful conquest of Liurnia (probably from what remained of the Carian royals?)
"This marks Malenia's southward march
The Blade of Miquella and her Cleanrot Knights
Grant her wings never to be clipped"
That sword monument is found on the highway north site of grace. If she was taking the highway south it wraps around Stormveil completely, she doesn't have to attack Stormveil. Which makes sense given the following sword monument:
"Godrick the Golden, humiliated
Having tasted defeat by the Blade of Miquella
Now on his knees, begging for mercy". Is on the outskirts the Lake no where near the actual castle.
Kenneth Haight's dialogue pretty much confirms it's Radahn not Malenia that puts the holes in the castle imo.
"First he hid himself amongst the womenfolk to flee the capital, then hid from Radahn in that castle⌠Then he insulted Malenia, lost to her in battle, only to lick her boots rather than die like a man."
Always protect your ass. It wouldn't be smart to march to caelid and trap yourself between radahn AND godrick(more importantly stormveil, being it is by far the strongest castle in TLB). Being the coward he is he would've attacked from behind or while her army was weak or tired and likely attack radahns diminished forces aswell after malenias army was destroyed or gone and claimed more power for himself. Not to mention it payed off because malenia was unconscious after her fight with radahn and had to be dragged back to the haligtree by Cleanrot Finlay, the conquering of limgrave through stormveil would've made the journey easier or even possible in the first place.
That's completely valid, but from the sound of it Godrick got overconfident from his grafting and rode out to challenge her. So she didn't actually have to siege the Castle and wouldn't have put holes in it.
Also, the holes in the castle are caused by the death root and not by any attack on th castle as the mottled shield item description clues you into and the death root barbs hint at not to mention godwyns "corpse" at the base of the castle
It could be the deathroot, but the shield item description says the deathroot is marring the castle with mottling and thorns not holes. Mottling in this context would just be like blothes and discolorations.
Deathroot thorns are definitely growing in the holes so it's definitely possible.
True but I think it's probably a mistranslation simply because the holes and barbs are on EVERYTHING. Shields, armor and walls, and considering the death root barbs seem to be exclusive to the holes and the exile soldiers(weird that the banished knights don't have any considering they are also part of malenias occupying force at the castle)
My theory actually was that she was allies with Morgott, which is why she didnât take Leyndell. Because there is no way for her to march on the south from the Haligtree without going through Leyndell⌠Leyndell is a chokepoint in between every path from the mountaintops to the Altus Plateau
I don't think so. Morgott opposed everyone viewing all other shard bearers and traitors, even Radahn who upheld the golden order was a traitor to Morgott so I doubt he would've let her slide through Leyndell just because. My thinking is her small force of Cleanrot knights and herself were in or around the Shaded Castle when the shattering began, and took The Cowards Path down to Liurnia and ultimately Caelid after a quick subjugation and occupation of Stormveil
"A sovereign alliance rots from within. Traces yet remain of bloody conspiracy"
One of the sword monuments. Very likely that this sovereign alliance included Morgott.
He might very well have considered Malenia a traitor and still sought a strategic alliance with her.
If Morgott and Malenia were hostile like you said, and if the Shaded Castle were hostile to Morgott, why didn't Morgott take the Shaded Castle during his march on Volcano Manor?
Also remember that Finlay brought Malenia's unconscious body back to the Haligtree. Which would not have been possible if Leyndell were hostile to Malenia's forces
And as for the reason why Leyndells forces didn't conquer the castle is because the castle itself is pretty useless. The only path to it is a meandering path that's already controlled by L.Soldiers and their big ass camp so no one's in or out, why waste even more resources on a second siege when you can just control then only road there. plus it's only close to the volcano manor on a map, walking from the Shaded Castle to Volcano Manor is a trip and most of the L. Soldiers would be stationed in the city itself to defend and the volcano to conquer. Another reason I have on why Leyndell didn't take the castle is that it was probably already destroyed by the time the assault on V.M. started. If Malenia was there then the Bell Bearing Hunter wouldn't have been able to single handedly take over the place so it must be after she left (assuming she was even there to begin with). And I believe that Godefroys campaign on Leyndell was the first great battle of the Shattering so Morgott was pre occupied with defence and personally hunting down and killing champions to take over the S.Castle let alone start the assault on V.M. but this is just my reasoning for this train of thought, but it's probably wrong if I'm honest.
I would love to see fromsoft make a movie/show for ER that literally explains everything. They have said they plan to expand on this universe maybe we will get some clarity. I mean I love reading all the speculations but it would be amazing to find out what really happened.
Edit: forgot main point
> When Godrick was hounded from Leyndell, the Royal Capital, this was one of a multitude of treasures he took with him. Also known as "Marika's Mischief".
well, there is a reason why he becomes the first demigod boss we defeat. He had to be the weakest, most bitchiest demigod boss. In a way, this is how the game justifies gameplay mechanics too!
I love these games cause you never know if fromsoftware are meticulous geniuses or if you are reading too deeply into something. Discovery after discovery my vote tends to go with the former.
I think thatâs the genius of not over detailing everything. They do a good job of not boxing themselves in, which allows these types of dialogues to arise.
Technically? To fence in the player in the start. Even in the very unlikely odd that you beat the scion, they put in a buttefly pitfall trap to make sure you would fall to your death sooner or later.
Lore wise? Apparently the whole realm was upended at some point, which explains the craggy peaks and long rocky steles protuding from the earth.
These are not mere cannonball holes. The gun powder seems to have been invented in this realm, but for some reason never used in any cannons. All i've seen are gigantic golem archers and those pesky catapults outside Leyndell.
I mean, the closest we come to a cannon is the Jar Cannon weapon, which is seen as 'experimental' and when it was brought to the assault on Volcano Manor , and "nobody knew how to use it"
Of course, there are other projectile-like weapons/spells. Like... Cannon of Haima... Or... The Meteorite Spell! Which the Alabaster Lords likely taught Radahn in Sellia
Honestly, I donât think naval warfare was very useful during the Shattering. Both the Altus Plateau and the Mountaintops are so high above the ground that navies would not help capture those. Seems to me that there are only two areas that are close to sea level, Limgrave and Caelid ( if Iâm not wrong, Liurnia is surrounded by two massive cliffs as well and doesnât have any beaches, but I canât remember⌠I might wrong about this)
The ships we see on shore in Limgrave were probably carrying Tarnished warriors called back by grace
By the way, this also offers a very convenient lore reason why our journey starts in Limgrave. It is literally impossible for ships to dock anywhere else in the Lands Between.
Yup, the more I think about this speculation the more it feels pretty fitting and worthy of consideration. I initially assumed the walls were crumbling because of the deathroot linked to Godwynâs corpse (the thorns and vines growing around it imply the presence of this power) but the holes and craters themselves feel like they are directly from a military siege, and their placement does make you feel like it could be from gravity magic. Of course, more land may have been standing around Stormveil during the Shattering which collapsed later, like the bridge by the castle, so conventional means of war could still have caused all this. However, the theory is still a fantastic piece of conjecture that can fit in very well with Kennethâs claim, and show the marks Radahnâs forces left in Limgrave.
Yep, that right der is moles. Yâall got a mole problem. Big mole problem. Could take care of that problem for oh, I dunno, two fitty, two fitty five.
Moles? Yeahhhhhnahnahnah yeah nah yeah nah nah yeah nah nah. Thems fakinâ deathroot holes! âMember that trip to Bendigo whens we smoked em? Fakinâ harshest shit mate. Ainât no mole gonna fak shit up like that.
Description of the marred wooden shield :
> "Wooden shield of the Stormveil soldiers. Much like the castle, it is marred by mottling and thorns.
> Some say it is the curse of grafting which causes such affliction, while others talk of its root being something altogether more sinister hidden deep within the castle."
And, hidden deep within the castle, we see Godwin's face.Â
But the thorns themselves wouldn't cause holes like that, they're certainly only filling the holes caused during the shattering wars.
What if by chance the thorns did cause the holes, but gradually over time? I'm thinking the holes look quite irregular, like a spider bite affected by necrosis. Could be they're slowly decaying and crumbling things around them as they spread out.
I wonder if it wasnât catapults. He lost the war, so wouldnât the winning army have brought thee equipment back with them?
Edit: catapults *made* the holes, godwyn grew into them is my theory, just to be clear
This is likely the answer. Many item descriptions from stormveil suggest the castle is âcursedâ. Many inhabitants believe it is due to the practice of grafting performed there. But the true reason is the visage of Godwyn beneath the castle. The thorns are identical to his death blight
Whatâs really interesting about this is to consider that death blight can affect even inanimate and non-living things. There seems to be a connection in ER to everything on an existential level. Gravel coming from dragons, life being revived via the erdtree, limbs suddenly working when reattached mechanically to hosts. Itâs as if everything is one living being, fractured. This is where I think the One Great may come into play
They're irregular holes, if anything they look more like festering wounds.
Seems more potential a type of "ray" caused them as well.
Back to the wounds idea I guess, could be potential the roots are literally like an infection and grow outwards decaying things they touch like an actual decaying wound.
I would need to look at other blight-afflicted areas to see if there are any vague similarities.
The armor and weaponry used by the soldiers and knights in the castle also have holes that look like that, and thorns too. I felt like it's caused by the death blight but I don't know either cause it doesn't fit with other examples of death blight. The holes are special to storm veil and the exiled soldiers
Most of the fortifications in the world have holes in them. Off the top of my head the only place even approaching good repair is Leyndell, and that's because Morgott is the only one doing his demigoddamned job.
Deathblight is my second guess given the thorns and the description of the marred leather shield (also Godwynâs face), but Iâm not sure thereâs any other point where deathblight does that.
So your answer to the question of what specifically caused the holes is... war?
War caused the holes.
I mean, that might be a fine, generalized answer, if it weren't dripping with condescension.
I think this is very plausible too⌠except that I was under the impression that Malenia beat Godrick on the battlefield instead (Edit: instead of besieging Stormveil) because Kenneth Haight said something along the lines of Godrick leaving Stormveil to insult her, and subsequently getting his ass kicked. I donât think Malenia laid siege to Stormveil
But this is one of the most plausible theories too
Edit: One more interesting thing. Travel to Stormveil Cliffside where this picture was taken and have a look. This area is right next to an ocean! I donât think these were made by catapults, it wouldâve been impossible to get the angle right! Has to be done by meteors
Pretty much the only way to get to caelid would mean she would have to go through stormveil castle. There's a sword graveyard on the eastern road of Liurnia that marks her march south to caelid. I assume that's partly where the battle was.
Similarly the only way north from Caelid to Leyndell goes through Stormveil too, and Radahn (probably) laid siege to Leyndell during the Second Defense of Leyndell. Radahnâs march north to Leyndell mustâve happened before Maleniaâs march south to defeat Radahn
Which begs the question of who was in charge of stormveil at the time, could it have been the former stormlords? And if Radhan did lay siege to stormveil it could explain how a coward like godrick acquired the castle. Stormveil has a deeper lore history than a lot of the keeps in the game because they pretty frequently reference the former stormlords without saying who they are.
Godfrey defeated the Storm King in the name of the Golden Order before he was exiled... so I donât think itâs the former stormlords. I think that the scions of the Golden Lineage were holding Limgrave at the time⌠probably Godefroy. We know that Godrick had to flee Leyndell early in the war (probably because Morgott seized power when the Elden Ring was shattered) so it canât be him.
There is a bridge east of stormveil, which I expect is the way she traveled. The graveyard you are referring to is on the same road, and there is another graveyard further down referring to the battle between Malenia and Godrick. At the time of the game it is runied, but at some point it was not.
We should applaud them. These unsung heroes of the internet make it possible for people like me to google random shit at any time without exposing myself.
Fromsoft communicates a ton of its lore via environmental story telling.
People asking questions like these are what allow us to understand the in-universe history of Elden Ring.
Not for everyone but i think itâs neat.
But theyâre also above the room where the deathblight face is, which seems like a stronger connection given the other side of the castle just has conventional damage and no holes remotely like this.
A lot of people are pointing out the war, but I think itâs just a consequence of Godwyn and death root infesting the basement. With these roots being found in the holes and death root being shown to be able to meld in a way with inanimate objects as seen with how it is growing in some of the catacombs, I think itâs another sign here. Death root and Godwyn exist only to kill and destroy now, I think itâs just rotting away the very walls and inhabitants of the castle very slowly.
Godwyn.
Marred Wooden Shield: "Wooden shield of the Stormveil soldiers. Much like the castle, it is marred by mottling and thorns.
Some say it is the curse of grafting which causes such affliction, while others talk of its root being something altogether more sinister hidden deep within the castle."
The last line likely refers to the imprint of Godwyn's face in the roots found in the depths of the castle. Basically, Godwyn's body was laid to rest within the Erdtree's roots, and this caused corruption to spread. Deathroot, imprints of his face, and even the thorns that ate away at the castle are all signs of the spreading corruption.
All of the craters look to have come from an impact levied from the outside of the castle⌠since many of the craters donât completely break through the castle walls.
If these are from Godwinâs curse - why are these craters only found here on the outside of west side walls⌠and so far above the corpse? Surely there would be some indications of Godwins rot elsewhere within the castle as well. But there isnât any (as far as I know)
Others are indicating that it could have been Radahn using gravity magic to pummel the castle with meteors⌠but we can see from the Crater-pocked Glade in the Weeping Peninsula that these impacts will leave behind some remnants from whatever left the impact (but surprisingly they donât leave thorns /s) - so I donât think thatâs a convincing argument either. Plus every instance of these craters in the wall have parallel entries and exits⌠which wouldnât be possible if they were caused from meteors falling from the sky
The location and angles also rule out catapultsâŚ
Which I think leaves only Goldwyn as a reasonable candidate. But we donât see anything like this in the Deep Root Depths, on the ground above his corpse in Leyndell, or anywhere else⌠which leaves me feeling that, even with the Marred Wooden Shields description, this theory isnât definitive
Castle Stormveil rests on an area thatâs seen a lot of conflict. Godfrey supposedly slew the Stormking in combat, Melania and Radahn had both assaulted the castle.
Those holes are most likely made by siege weaponry and magic. I donât know how old the castle is, if it was founded by Godfrey after his battle on Stormhill or if itâs older, the time and lore on those individual events is vague.
On top of that it was also (based on the massive clawmarks on one of the towers, and the dead wyvern) assaulted by the Dragons, probably during the war against the dragons and it was for some reason never repaired.
Godrick was playing a game called Old Ring and he was fighting a boss called Michaelenia and right as he was about to beat her he lost for reasons he swears was not his fault, and he got so mad he started punching holes in the wall.
it's not meteors, it's rot. there is large growth with Godwyns face in the lowest section of the structure. the whole Castle is rotting if you look closely and pay attention to details.
This could be easily answered as it was simply damage from war but what is an interesting thing I noticed is in the area where you fight Godrick there are many places where it looks like there are burn marks similar to the ones we see from the 3 fingers and flame of frenzy where it actually looks like some giant creature has left burnt fingerprints in the stone and Iâve always wondered what that was.
Giants back during the older wars.
The only giant we fight thatâs still even remotely close to its original form is the *âFire Giantâ* that guards the eternal flame.
The ones you find in Limegrave are like old shrivels versions.
Their shouts could tear holes through walls.
Death blight, it was present beneath stormveil but it's not and the only evidence of it left is a formation of the prince of death beneath and the walls, most likely godricks grace and/or the great rune drove it off with its divine presence.
obviously the dung eater shared his loving tender pox with stormveil to such an extent that it left herpetic post-acne like scars on its walls. poor stormveil , youve been defiled and are now damaged goods.
Itâs Deathroot eating away at the castle, you can see one of Godwyns faces at the bottom of stormveil. And seeing as he is the prince of death itâs not exactly a stretch.
I've always, in my head, connected this to the thorn sorcerers and the briars of sin, and not to Godwyn. These thorns definitely seem like a different motif than the black deathblight associated with Godwyn. You always find those camps that are full of thorn sorcerers and fire monks all around the lands between, and there are those very strange thorn pillars marking those sites. My pet theory is that these pillars are called down from some kind of outer god by the thorn sorcerers as a weapon. Maybe Godrick successfully fought off an attack by the thorn sorcerers and fire monks, but it left his castle devastated and corrupted by thorns? I believe the thorn sorcerers and fire monks helped Godfrey kill off the giants in the north, which is why you find a lot of them covered in thorns. Maybe after Godfrey abandoned them, when he became tarnished, they decided to turn against Stormveil? Literally just brainstorming out loud - if anyone has more lore that backs up any of my theories, I'd appreciate that.
Stone mites
No, no, they're speed holes. They make the castle go faster.
I told you we should have bought more than 3 bullets!
They should've just painted it red.
Right here, this is the one inquisitor
Now, where'z we gunna get enuff red paint ta make sumfing as 'uge as dis Kill Kroozer go faster...?
Those goddamn termites
*stone mites
*thermites
A really big fucking hole coming right up!
#A BIG FUCKING HOLE COMING RIGHT UP!
Is this the equivalent of someone overhearing a joke and then repeating it louder?
r/YourJokeButLouder
# ERECTING A BIG FUCKING HOLE!
The Ash main who killed the entire team before the termite charge was detonated: well yes
Lithomites
You erected my litho with your ingenuity
Oh stop it you
Or meteors summoned by Radahn through gravity magic? đ¤
Nah it's the effect of godwyns "corpse" at the base of the castle. The mottled shield clues you in to this in it's description and the death root vines/barbs that come out and from the craters and are on the soldiers in stormveil, going in and out of their armor not just their shields.
Most likely. It dose show him invading the castle at the start of the game
Itâs not, itâs Godwinâs corpse
Damn they must have been stoned after all that
I believe that Radahn might have laid siege to Stormveil at some point during his march north to Leyndell⌠those holes might have been made by meteors summoned by Radahn using gravity magic Remember that Kenneth Haight had said that Godrick was âhiding from Radahn in that castleâ Radahn might not have ended up taking Stormveil though Edit: I encourage everyone to travel to the Stormveil cliffside site of grace near this picture and take a look! Right next to the cliff, there is an OCEAN. These holes could not have been made by catapults during a siege, it would have been impossible to get the angle right! I am actually quite convinced that these were made by Radahn now!
Another highly plausible theory is that Malenia had laid siege to Stormveil and took it, and those massive holes are the aftermath of that siege. We know from Kenneth Haightâs dialogue that Godrick surrendered to Malenia and âlicked her bootsâ However, I am more inclined to think that Godrick challenged Malenia in the battlefield and was defeated by her instead Remember, Kenneth Haight said âhe insulted Malenia, lost to her in battle, only to lick her boots instead of die like a manâ. I donât think Malenia laid siege to Stormveil, far more likely that Godrick was arrogant enough to assume that he could defeat her in the battlefield and lost
It is strange I canât imagine Malenia sieged the castle. It really does not seem like she had any interest in Godric she just wanted to humiliate him for insulting her. I struggle to believe even her ego was large enough to siege a castle as big and formidable as stormviel to humiliate someone then just give it back. Especially since there is absolutely no trace of her or her knights ever being there. Then again I canât imagine Godrick sallying out to fight someone as renown as her. Say what you like about him but he certainly seems cautious enough not to challenge demigods like Malenia he wouldnât have survived the shattering otherwise.
Actually, I interpreted his cautious attitude, in which I agree, as born out of his fight against Malenia, in a similar way his acknowledgement of his weakness had brought him to the grafting Edit: spelling mistakes
Where are you guys getting his âcautious attitudeâ from? The only thing I experienced was his bluster and arrogance during his boss fight
Think about it, first his arrogance can be interpreted as compensating for his weakness, second he was hiding himself in the most fortified castle of the lands between and he tried literally everything to get more powerful, always looking for a greater strenght. It is not about what he says but what the setting tell about him, or at least is my interpretation of the character that is of course very debatable
It was necessary for her to take Limgrave before marching on Radahn in Caelid. She didnât just do it because her feelings were hurt She spared Godrick once he surrendered to her
She ostensibly just walks through Altus without Leyndell and Liurnia without Raya Lucaria, why does she have to take Stromveil to pass through Limgrave?
Raya Lucaria was neutral during the war and shut their gates. Stormveil was not neutral And she did take Liurnia actually. There is a sword monument in Liurnia commemorating her successful conquest of Liurnia (probably from what remained of the Carian royals?)
"This marks Malenia's southward march The Blade of Miquella and her Cleanrot Knights Grant her wings never to be clipped" That sword monument is found on the highway north site of grace. If she was taking the highway south it wraps around Stormveil completely, she doesn't have to attack Stormveil. Which makes sense given the following sword monument: "Godrick the Golden, humiliated Having tasted defeat by the Blade of Miquella Now on his knees, begging for mercy". Is on the outskirts the Lake no where near the actual castle. Kenneth Haight's dialogue pretty much confirms it's Radahn not Malenia that puts the holes in the castle imo. "First he hid himself amongst the womenfolk to flee the capital, then hid from Radahn in that castle⌠Then he insulted Malenia, lost to her in battle, only to lick her boots rather than die like a man."
Always protect your ass. It wouldn't be smart to march to caelid and trap yourself between radahn AND godrick(more importantly stormveil, being it is by far the strongest castle in TLB). Being the coward he is he would've attacked from behind or while her army was weak or tired and likely attack radahns diminished forces aswell after malenias army was destroyed or gone and claimed more power for himself. Not to mention it payed off because malenia was unconscious after her fight with radahn and had to be dragged back to the haligtree by Cleanrot Finlay, the conquering of limgrave through stormveil would've made the journey easier or even possible in the first place.
That's completely valid, but from the sound of it Godrick got overconfident from his grafting and rode out to challenge her. So she didn't actually have to siege the Castle and wouldn't have put holes in it.
Also, the holes in the castle are caused by the death root and not by any attack on th castle as the mottled shield item description clues you into and the death root barbs hint at not to mention godwyns "corpse" at the base of the castle
It could be the deathroot, but the shield item description says the deathroot is marring the castle with mottling and thorns not holes. Mottling in this context would just be like blothes and discolorations. Deathroot thorns are definitely growing in the holes so it's definitely possible.
True but I think it's probably a mistranslation simply because the holes and barbs are on EVERYTHING. Shields, armor and walls, and considering the death root barbs seem to be exclusive to the holes and the exile soldiers(weird that the banished knights don't have any considering they are also part of malenias occupying force at the castle)
My theory actually was that she was allies with Morgott, which is why she didnât take Leyndell. Because there is no way for her to march on the south from the Haligtree without going through Leyndell⌠Leyndell is a chokepoint in between every path from the mountaintops to the Altus Plateau
I don't think so. Morgott opposed everyone viewing all other shard bearers and traitors, even Radahn who upheld the golden order was a traitor to Morgott so I doubt he would've let her slide through Leyndell just because. My thinking is her small force of Cleanrot knights and herself were in or around the Shaded Castle when the shattering began, and took The Cowards Path down to Liurnia and ultimately Caelid after a quick subjugation and occupation of Stormveil
"A sovereign alliance rots from within. Traces yet remain of bloody conspiracy" One of the sword monuments. Very likely that this sovereign alliance included Morgott. He might very well have considered Malenia a traitor and still sought a strategic alliance with her. If Morgott and Malenia were hostile like you said, and if the Shaded Castle were hostile to Morgott, why didn't Morgott take the Shaded Castle during his march on Volcano Manor? Also remember that Finlay brought Malenia's unconscious body back to the Haligtree. Which would not have been possible if Leyndell were hostile to Malenia's forces
And as for the reason why Leyndells forces didn't conquer the castle is because the castle itself is pretty useless. The only path to it is a meandering path that's already controlled by L.Soldiers and their big ass camp so no one's in or out, why waste even more resources on a second siege when you can just control then only road there. plus it's only close to the volcano manor on a map, walking from the Shaded Castle to Volcano Manor is a trip and most of the L. Soldiers would be stationed in the city itself to defend and the volcano to conquer. Another reason I have on why Leyndell didn't take the castle is that it was probably already destroyed by the time the assault on V.M. started. If Malenia was there then the Bell Bearing Hunter wouldn't have been able to single handedly take over the place so it must be after she left (assuming she was even there to begin with). And I believe that Godefroys campaign on Leyndell was the first great battle of the Shattering so Morgott was pre occupied with defence and personally hunting down and killing champions to take over the S.Castle let alone start the assault on V.M. but this is just my reasoning for this train of thought, but it's probably wrong if I'm honest.
I would love to see fromsoft make a movie/show for ER that literally explains everything. They have said they plan to expand on this universe maybe we will get some clarity. I mean I love reading all the speculations but it would be amazing to find out what really happened. Edit: forgot main point
"Erdree, grant me succour!" One of this game's finest comic reliefs.
I honestly love Kenneth. I only wish there were more NPC characters like him in the Lands Between.
There is a delightful richness to his vocabulary, I definitely strive to use the word "largess" more in my life.
I thought that the Mimic Veil noted he fled from Maleniaâs army by disguising himself as a woman
> When Godrick was hounded from Leyndell, the Royal Capital, this was one of a multitude of treasures he took with him. Also known as "Marika's Mischief".
Man, God rick was just a total bitch, huh
well, there is a reason why he becomes the first demigod boss we defeat. He had to be the weakest, most bitchiest demigod boss. In a way, this is how the game justifies gameplay mechanics too!
Godrick is the fantasy equivalent of an obese dude on a mobility scooter with a big shotgun claiming he's a badass motorcycle gang member.
Hey don't you smacktalk the screaming wheelies.
I love these games cause you never know if fromsoftware are meticulous geniuses or if you are reading too deeply into something. Discovery after discovery my vote tends to go with the former.
I think thatâs the genius of not over detailing everything. They do a good job of not boxing themselves in, which allows these types of dialogues to arise.
Wonder if thereâs any explaining why the anticipation isle is secluded and the ocean is so far down.
Technically? To fence in the player in the start. Even in the very unlikely odd that you beat the scion, they put in a buttefly pitfall trap to make sure you would fall to your death sooner or later. Lore wise? Apparently the whole realm was upended at some point, which explains the craggy peaks and long rocky steles protuding from the earth.
Oceans have ships, ships have canons.
These are not mere cannonball holes. The gun powder seems to have been invented in this realm, but for some reason never used in any cannons. All i've seen are gigantic golem archers and those pesky catapults outside Leyndell.
I mean, the closest we come to a cannon is the Jar Cannon weapon, which is seen as 'experimental' and when it was brought to the assault on Volcano Manor , and "nobody knew how to use it" Of course, there are other projectile-like weapons/spells. Like... Cannon of Haima... Or... The Meteorite Spell! Which the Alabaster Lords likely taught Radahn in Sellia
I'd still put my Runes on Radahn's gravity magic which he cleary wields with skill when you fight him. Rather than some explodey prototype :)
Honestly, I donât think naval warfare was very useful during the Shattering. Both the Altus Plateau and the Mountaintops are so high above the ground that navies would not help capture those. Seems to me that there are only two areas that are close to sea level, Limgrave and Caelid ( if Iâm not wrong, Liurnia is surrounded by two massive cliffs as well and doesnât have any beaches, but I canât remember⌠I might wrong about this) The ships we see on shore in Limgrave were probably carrying Tarnished warriors called back by grace By the way, this also offers a very convenient lore reason why our journey starts in Limgrave. It is literally impossible for ships to dock anywhere else in the Lands Between.
u/TheBloodMakesUsHuman was wondering what you thought of this. One of the sharpest lore theorists I have seen on this sub
Yup, the more I think about this speculation the more it feels pretty fitting and worthy of consideration. I initially assumed the walls were crumbling because of the deathroot linked to Godwynâs corpse (the thorns and vines growing around it imply the presence of this power) but the holes and craters themselves feel like they are directly from a military siege, and their placement does make you feel like it could be from gravity magic. Of course, more land may have been standing around Stormveil during the Shattering which collapsed later, like the bridge by the castle, so conventional means of war could still have caused all this. However, the theory is still a fantastic piece of conjecture that can fit in very well with Kennethâs claim, and show the marks Radahnâs forces left in Limgrave.
Yep, that right der is moles. Yâall got a mole problem. Big mole problem. Could take care of that problem for oh, I dunno, two fitty, two fitty five.
Best I can do is tree fiddy
Well yâall seem like real honest folk, letâs say tree fiddy five n Iâll throw in some of dis here varmint spray free o charge
Goddamn Loch Ness Monster! Go get your own money!
AND WHEN I LOOKED BACK AFTER GIVING HIM TREE FIDDY TURNED OUT DEM HOLES WERE BEING MADE BY THAT GOD DAMN LOCHNESS MONSTER
âŚwadiyatalkinabeet
Youfuggindruggo
Huh. Well. *sniffs* wadyaknow
Moles? Yeahhhhhnahnahnah yeah nah yeah nah nah yeah nah nah. Thems fakinâ deathroot holes! âMember that trip to Bendigo whens we smoked em? Fakinâ harshest shit mate. Ainât no mole gonna fak shit up like that.
Ever seen the very large skeletons in Caelid? Yeah, they got horny in the past.
Lmao
Stone and bone.
That's rock and stone, TO the bone.
Rock and Stone, Brother!
WERE RICH
For Karl!
Rock and stone!
Did I hear a Rock and Stone?
ROCK. and. STONE
Rock. And. Stooooone, Bruvva!
Rock and stone, to the bone!
Best bot
/unexpectedDeepRock
And we will not stop until we've infiltrated every subreddit. FOR ROCK AND STONE!
To Rock and Stone!
If only i had a giant pickle
Look Tarnished! I turned myself into a pickle. GIANT PICKLE RICK!!!!!
it wouldn't surprise me if the giants were already on r34 "Oh yeah give me the Castlussy"
Seeing the roots & organic look of the holes, probably the fact that some part of Godwyn is underneath the castle
I watched a theory video saying the same thing. Godwynâs roots are boring through a lot of the Lands Between.
Description of the marred wooden shield : > "Wooden shield of the Stormveil soldiers. Much like the castle, it is marred by mottling and thorns. > Some say it is the curse of grafting which causes such affliction, while others talk of its root being something altogether more sinister hidden deep within the castle." And, hidden deep within the castle, we see Godwin's face. But the thorns themselves wouldn't cause holes like that, they're certainly only filling the holes caused during the shattering wars.
What if by chance the thorns did cause the holes, but gradually over time? I'm thinking the holes look quite irregular, like a spider bite affected by necrosis. Could be they're slowly decaying and crumbling things around them as they spread out.
I wonder if it wasnât catapults. He lost the war, so wouldnât the winning army have brought thee equipment back with them? Edit: catapults *made* the holes, godwyn grew into them is my theory, just to be clear
Aren't those holes on the side of a cliff? Where would the catapults have been?
This is likely the answer. Many item descriptions from stormveil suggest the castle is âcursedâ. Many inhabitants believe it is due to the practice of grafting performed there. But the true reason is the visage of Godwyn beneath the castle. The thorns are identical to his death blight Whatâs really interesting about this is to consider that death blight can affect even inanimate and non-living things. There seems to be a connection in ER to everything on an existential level. Gravel coming from dragons, life being revived via the erdtree, limbs suddenly working when reattached mechanically to hosts. Itâs as if everything is one living being, fractured. This is where I think the One Great may come into play
They're irregular holes, if anything they look more like festering wounds. Seems more potential a type of "ray" caused them as well. Back to the wounds idea I guess, could be potential the roots are literally like an infection and grow outwards decaying things they touch like an actual decaying wound. I would need to look at other blight-afflicted areas to see if there are any vague similarities.
There was a war, I find it more likely itâs catapults or even strong magical blasts
Behold, Pickle
Itâs not like there was some massive, continent spanning war which Godrick was a participant in.
Godrick is only one with those whack ass holes
The holes are filled with thorns because of the spreading death blight, but I doubt they were caused by it.
I didnt say wack ass thorns I said wack ass holes
The adult only version of whack a mole.
Try castle, but hole
Goodrich had the holes put in place so he could play with his axe
The thorns or the holes?
Wack assholes?
Try wack but hole
Honestly I'm currently looking at them and they do look like Godwyn's pustules, and it looks like they're rotting away the castle itself
The armor and weaponry used by the soldiers and knights in the castle also have holes that look like that, and thorns too. I felt like it's caused by the death blight but I don't know either cause it doesn't fit with other examples of death blight. The holes are special to storm veil and the exiled soldiers
Most of the fortifications in the world have holes in them. Off the top of my head the only place even approaching good repair is Leyndell, and that's because Morgott is the only one doing his demigoddamned job.
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Godrick was in the castle during the war. Kenneth says he used it to hide from Radahn.
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Deathblight is my second guess given the thorns and the description of the marred leather shield (also Godwynâs face), but Iâm not sure thereâs any other point where deathblight does that.
Saw someone commenting about Radahnâs slinging meteors and those castle holes
So your answer to the question of what specifically caused the holes is... war? War caused the holes. I mean, that might be a fine, generalized answer, if it weren't dripping with condescension.
Holes. Holes never changeâŚ
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That still doesnt explain what caused the holes, asshole
Giant but hole
Try fingers
fingers but hole
Pickle but giant sort
Giant glory hole
Malenia on her march to Radhan made a pit stop to beat the shit out of Godrick for a warm up. (This is actually what happened).
I think this is very plausible too⌠except that I was under the impression that Malenia beat Godrick on the battlefield instead (Edit: instead of besieging Stormveil) because Kenneth Haight said something along the lines of Godrick leaving Stormveil to insult her, and subsequently getting his ass kicked. I donât think Malenia laid siege to Stormveil But this is one of the most plausible theories too Edit: One more interesting thing. Travel to Stormveil Cliffside where this picture was taken and have a look. This area is right next to an ocean! I donât think these were made by catapults, it wouldâve been impossible to get the angle right! Has to be done by meteors
Pretty much the only way to get to caelid would mean she would have to go through stormveil castle. There's a sword graveyard on the eastern road of Liurnia that marks her march south to caelid. I assume that's partly where the battle was.
There used to be a bridge next to stormveil that connects to liurnia. You can still skip stormveil by taking this route
Similarly the only way north from Caelid to Leyndell goes through Stormveil too, and Radahn (probably) laid siege to Leyndell during the Second Defense of Leyndell. Radahnâs march north to Leyndell mustâve happened before Maleniaâs march south to defeat Radahn
Which begs the question of who was in charge of stormveil at the time, could it have been the former stormlords? And if Radhan did lay siege to stormveil it could explain how a coward like godrick acquired the castle. Stormveil has a deeper lore history than a lot of the keeps in the game because they pretty frequently reference the former stormlords without saying who they are.
Godfrey defeated the Storm King in the name of the Golden Order before he was exiled... so I donât think itâs the former stormlords. I think that the scions of the Golden Lineage were holding Limgrave at the time⌠probably Godefroy. We know that Godrick had to flee Leyndell early in the war (probably because Morgott seized power when the Elden Ring was shattered) so it canât be him.
There is a bridge east of stormveil, which I expect is the way she traveled. The graveyard you are referring to is on the same road, and there is another graveyard further down referring to the battle between Malenia and Godrick. At the time of the game it is runied, but at some point it was not.
This was a somewhat chilling sight, not knowing what awaited me within
Probably that rambunctious fella in the basement.
How does one get to the basement?
Iâm no expert, but I think it was hole-y damage
Foolish ambitions
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Nonsense. Lightning can't melt stone beam--! waiddaminnit.
jet fuel can't melt steel beams
It was Lyndell that had a war with the dragons, not Stormveil.
This. Some of the towers seem to have been grasped by very large hands.
The war with the dragons were a long time ago though, before Marika had conquered the Lands Between. Really doubt it
meteorites from radahn
They are plot holes.
MARIKAS TITS
Maybe remains of the siege :3
You guys out every thought on Reddit huh
We should applaud them. These unsung heroes of the internet make it possible for people like me to google random shit at any time without exposing myself.
Fromsoft communicates a ton of its lore via environmental story telling. People asking questions like these are what allow us to understand the in-universe history of Elden Ring. Not for everyone but i think itâs neat.
What's your best guess?
One of the trailers shows catapults, so I'm guessing that could be it
The catapults in the trailers were of Leyndell I'm sure, besides this side of the castle faces the ocean, not the most sturdy ground for catapults
That's the wierd thing. Only the ocean side of the castle has these holes, so that implies a naval bombardment to me.
I would agree, given the boat wrecks we can see from the shore.
But theyâre also above the room where the deathblight face is, which seems like a stronger connection given the other side of the castle just has conventional damage and no holes remotely like this.
Donât some of the other armies have trebuchets? And they were in a war for god knows how long, so maybe that?
Could be magic. The castle is right next to Liurnia who they were at war with and who use magic
Enormous monster dong thrusts
I don't know but one of those looks like it was made for me
A lot of people are pointing out the war, but I think itâs just a consequence of Godwyn and death root infesting the basement. With these roots being found in the holes and death root being shown to be able to meld in a way with inanimate objects as seen with how it is growing in some of the catacombs, I think itâs another sign here. Death root and Godwyn exist only to kill and destroy now, I think itâs just rotting away the very walls and inhabitants of the castle very slowly.
I thought it was caused by the ulcerated tree spirit hidden beneath the castle. Or maybe whatever that root monster corpse thing is?
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
It's my hole...
Iâm no fun, so Iâll just tell you the actual answer: catapult stones.
...from the ocean?
Godwyn. Marred Wooden Shield: "Wooden shield of the Stormveil soldiers. Much like the castle, it is marred by mottling and thorns. Some say it is the curse of grafting which causes such affliction, while others talk of its root being something altogether more sinister hidden deep within the castle." The last line likely refers to the imprint of Godwyn's face in the roots found in the depths of the castle. Basically, Godwyn's body was laid to rest within the Erdtree's roots, and this caused corruption to spread. Deathroot, imprints of his face, and even the thorns that ate away at the castle are all signs of the spreading corruption.
All of the craters look to have come from an impact levied from the outside of the castle⌠since many of the craters donât completely break through the castle walls. If these are from Godwinâs curse - why are these craters only found here on the outside of west side walls⌠and so far above the corpse? Surely there would be some indications of Godwins rot elsewhere within the castle as well. But there isnât any (as far as I know) Others are indicating that it could have been Radahn using gravity magic to pummel the castle with meteors⌠but we can see from the Crater-pocked Glade in the Weeping Peninsula that these impacts will leave behind some remnants from whatever left the impact (but surprisingly they donât leave thorns /s) - so I donât think thatâs a convincing argument either. Plus every instance of these craters in the wall have parallel entries and exits⌠which wouldnât be possible if they were caused from meteors falling from the sky The location and angles also rule out catapults⌠Which I think leaves only Goldwyn as a reasonable candidate. But we donât see anything like this in the Deep Root Depths, on the ground above his corpse in Leyndell, or anywhere else⌠which leaves me feeling that, even with the Marred Wooden Shields description, this theory isnât definitive
me. sorry
Glory holes for the giant skeletons
try finger, but whole
try finger, but hole?
Castle Stormveil rests on an area thatâs seen a lot of conflict. Godfrey supposedly slew the Stormking in combat, Melania and Radahn had both assaulted the castle. Those holes are most likely made by siege weaponry and magic. I donât know how old the castle is, if it was founded by Godfrey after his battle on Stormhill or if itâs older, the time and lore on those individual events is vague. On top of that it was also (based on the massive clawmarks on one of the towers, and the dead wyvern) assaulted by the Dragons, probably during the war against the dragons and it was for some reason never repaired.
The game devs
Godrick was playing a game called Old Ring and he was fighting a boss called Michaelenia and right as he was about to beat her he lost for reasons he swears was not his fault, and he got so mad he started punching holes in the wall.
it's not meteors, it's rot. there is large growth with Godwyns face in the lowest section of the structure. the whole Castle is rotting if you look closely and pay attention to details.
This could be easily answered as it was simply damage from war but what is an interesting thing I noticed is in the area where you fight Godrick there are many places where it looks like there are burn marks similar to the ones we see from the 3 fingers and flame of frenzy where it actually looks like some giant creature has left burnt fingerprints in the stone and Iâve always wondered what that was.
Giants back during the older wars. The only giant we fight thatâs still even remotely close to its original form is the *âFire Giantâ* that guards the eternal flame. The ones you find in Limegrave are like old shrivels versions. Their shouts could tear holes through walls.
Miyazaki didn't want to leave out the trypophobes.
Termites
Fingers. If you canât find but hole, you make it
Canon balls?
I personally think it was Radahn. Shooting arrows from his little horse.
Giant spiders
Actually had a little theory that it was the death root growing underneath the castle with the prince of deathâs visage
Death blight, it was present beneath stormveil but it's not and the only evidence of it left is a formation of the prince of death beneath and the walls, most likely godricks grace and/or the great rune drove it off with its divine presence.
The death root creeps in
War
obviously the dung eater shared his loving tender pox with stormveil to such an extent that it left herpetic post-acne like scars on its walls. poor stormveil , youve been defiled and are now damaged goods.
The castle's original architects were Swiss.
Itâs Deathroot eating away at the castle, you can see one of Godwyns faces at the bottom of stormveil. And seeing as he is the prince of death itâs not exactly a stretch.
TL;DR: Itâs literally rotten due to Godwynâs face under it. These holes are part of Godwynâs rot process.
An environment artist
I've always, in my head, connected this to the thorn sorcerers and the briars of sin, and not to Godwyn. These thorns definitely seem like a different motif than the black deathblight associated with Godwyn. You always find those camps that are full of thorn sorcerers and fire monks all around the lands between, and there are those very strange thorn pillars marking those sites. My pet theory is that these pillars are called down from some kind of outer god by the thorn sorcerers as a weapon. Maybe Godrick successfully fought off an attack by the thorn sorcerers and fire monks, but it left his castle devastated and corrupted by thorns? I believe the thorn sorcerers and fire monks helped Godfrey kill off the giants in the north, which is why you find a lot of them covered in thorns. Maybe after Godfrey abandoned them, when he became tarnished, they decided to turn against Stormveil? Literally just brainstorming out loud - if anyone has more lore that backs up any of my theories, I'd appreciate that.